I've consolidated the apps into a list of 10.
So as some of you may know, I now own a Mac (a Macbook to be precise), I'm not going to go into why I bought one (I still have another laptop running Kubuntu and XP) or what's better, OS X, Linux or Windows... I'm just going to list a few of the key apps I use in OS X.
1. Quicksilver:
quicksilver: just your type
At first glance, Quicksilver is a launcher.
When opened, it will create a catalog of applications and some frequently used folders and documents. Activate it, and you can search for and open anything in its catalog instantly. The search is adaptive, so Quicksilver will recognize which items you are searching for based on previous experience. It also supports abbreviations, so you can type entire words, or just fragments of each. When not in use, Quicksilver vanishes, waiting for the next time you summon it.
Personally I can't live without this app, it's my single-most used program on OS X, it means I can do things quickly and without my hands leaving the keyboard, it takes some getting used to but once you get to learn it's finer features you'll wonder how you ever did without it. Of all the apps I have / use on OS X I think this one is my favourite, just because of the little features that make a *BIG* difference :D
2. Firefox 2
Firefox - Rediscover the Web
The award-winning Web browser is now faster, more secure, and fully customizable to your online life. With Firefox 2, we’ve added powerful new features that make your online experience even better.
A fantastic browser, incredibly customisable with add-ons (extensions) and themes, built-in spell-checker and it's secure, what's not to like?!
3. Adium
Adium - Download
Adium is a free instant messaging application for Mac OS X, released under the GNU GPL and developed by the Adium team. With Adium, you can connect to any number of messaging accounts on any combination of supported messaging services and then chat with other people using those services.
Supported services
* AOL Instant Messenger (Including ICQ and .Mac)
* Jabber (Including Google Talk)
* MSN Messenger
* Yahoo! Messenger (Including Yahoo! Japan)
* Bonjour (Compatible with iChat)
* Gadu-Gadu
* LiveJournal
* Novell Groupwise
* QQ
* Lotus Sametime
Notable Features
* OTR Encryption
* Tabbed Messaging
* File Transfer
* Webkit Message Display
Nice extremely customisable interface, and the ability to handle multiple IM clients at the same time is great, it's a very good alernative to the standard IM clients.
4. VLC (VideoLAN)
VLC media player - Overview
VideoLAN is a software project, which produces free software for video, released under the GNU General Public License.
Learn more about the VideoLAN project.
Our main product is the cross-platform VLC media player.
VLC plays just about anything, it'll handle just about any media file you can throw at it, regardless of codec. It's available on other platforms too (Windows, Linux). I use this for videos as Quicktime just plain sucks.
5. HandBrake
HandBrake
HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 converter, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows.
Supported sources:
* Any DVD-like source: VIDEO_TS folder, DVD image or real DVD (encrypted or unencrypted, but protection methods other than CSS are not supported and must be handled externally with third-party software)
* PAL or NTSC
* AC-3, LPCM or MPEG audio tracks
Outputs:
* File format: MP4, AVI or OGM
* Video: MPEG-4 or H.264 (1 or 2 passes or constant quantizer encoding)
* Audio: AAC, MP3, Vorbis or AC-3 pass-through (supports encoding of several audio tracks)
I use this for DVD backups, simple to use, powerful and some great input and output options.
6. iSquint
iSquint - iPod Video Made Easy.
iSquint is an iPod video conversion app for Mac OS X.
It's many times faster than QuickTime Pro, works with almost all popular video formats, and it's infinitely free-er.
It's also really easy.
Just drag in your file, and click Start.
You can also choose "TV" or "iPod" size, set your quality, or even go all-out by playing in the Advanced drawer.
On a 1GHz G4, iSquint can convert most video files to iPod-screen-sized videos in realtime.
Downloaded this app yesterday, it's truly awesome, it recoded a 90-minute .avi in 25 minutes on my Macbook, it's simple, just drag the video you want into the workspace, check the "Optimize for iPod" option and click "Go"... it's that easy!!
7. Cyberduck
Cyberduck
Cyberduck is an open source FTP and SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer) browser licenced under the GPL with an easy to use interface, integration with external editors and support for many Mac OS X system technologies such as Spotlight, Bonjour, the Keychain and AppleScript.
Simple, uncluttered interface, easy to get used to, a great (s)FTP client :)
8. Audio Hijack Pro
Audio Hijack Pro
Audio Hijack Pro gives you the freedom to listen to audio when you want and how you want. Record any audio with Audio Hijack Pro - it's the cornerstone of your digital audio experience. Exclusively for Mac OS X.
Powerful Audio Control
With Audio Hijack Pro, you can...
...create enhanced podcasts, with audio from many sources including multiple microphones, sound effects from QuickTime Player, and even interviews conducted via Skype.
...record streaming radio from applications like RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, iTunes and more.
...record Skype, iChat, and Gizmo with a single click - the perfect way to save your audio chats.
...save audio from records (LPs), cassette tapes, and other analog sources into your computer.
Put simply, if your machine can play it, Audio Hijack Pro can record it.
And that's not all - Audio Hijack Pro will also enhance any audio, using industry-standard VST and AudioUnit audio effects to make your music sound incredible. Record. Enhance. Enjoy!
Useful for tuning out what you don't want, recording what you do :)
9. MAMP
living-e AG: MAMP - Mac - Apache - MySQL - PHP
MAMP installs a local server environment in a matter of seconds on your Mac OS X computer, be it PowerBook or iMac. Like similar packages from the Windows- and Linux-world, MAMP comes free of charge.
MAMP is installed in the typical Mac fashion: very easily. MAMP will not compromise any existing Apache installation already running with your OS X. You can install Apache, PHP and MySQL without starting a script or having to change any configuration files!
Furthermore, if MAMP is no longer needed, it is sufficient to delete the MAMP folder and everything returns to its original status (i.e. MAMP does not modify any of the "normal" OS X).
I've recently installed this for use when I start coding on my site, MAMP stands for:
Macintosh,
Apache,
MySQL and
PHP
It's easy to set up and has an included dashboard 'Widget' to start and stop the servers that are running, easy or what?
10. Switch
Switch Software Download Page
Switch Plus audio file converter is a sound file converter for Windows or Mac. It can convert audio files from many different file formats into mp3, wav and many other file formats.
Switch Plus audio file converter is very easy to use. Just add the files you want to convert to the list, select the format you want to use, and then click the convert button.
I've only used this app a couple of times, just to convert some *ancient* .wma's I had (I know, I've sinned) into .mp3 format. It was easy and *relatively* quick. I don't use this app much (only twice so far) but I thought I'd mention it as it was easy to use and did 'exactly what it said on the tin'.
