Brian
Apr 25 2005, 09:26 PM
There have been a lot of topics here at Astahost Forums about people's favorite applications, but most of them were Windows. So I'll start a topic about our favorite Mac OS X applications. (Since we all know that OS X is the best!  ) • Finder: obivuous choice, make my life so much easier • Safari: most used by far, a really good web browser and free  • Adium: best free IM client. (probably the best IM client period.) Free • ffmpegX: a good movie converting app. Shareware  • iLife: All of the apps are just awesome, especially iMovie and GarageBand • Cyberduck: good FTP client, free. • ImageWell: my vote for best freeware. Makes uploading images fast, easy and has some nice editing features. Free! So what are your favorites and why?
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chiiyo
Apr 27 2005, 07:44 PM
Oooh. Thank you Brian~ *adopts as fellow Mac-enthusiast on Astahost forums* *digs into her old blog post about all the applications she has on her mac* I actually like Microsoft Office for Mac... at least, compared to the Windows version. I think the Mac version is more intuitive and prettier than the Windows version! *wink* Stuff like the formatting palette, which is so much more intuitive than the windows one... Yeah, this one have to buy... I love most of the applications that come along with the OS, especially the ones that are coming with Tiger (still waiting for it!), like Finder, Mail, Safari, Stickies, iTunes. I think ClamXav rocks, purely because it's a free (donation-ware) lightweight antivirus scanner, which is basically all you'd need on a mac anyway. I hate bloat. Can't live without Firestarter FX for overburning my CDs and Himmelbar for the whole Start-bar functionality I'm used to in Windows. MacJournal for archiving all my writing into different Journals, and VooDooPad Lite for notetaking is just miraculous. I wish I could pay for VooDooPad though, I think there's a lot of functionality in the paid version that would really clinch VoodooPad as my main note-taking program. Like ability to export to .txt and sketching. MP3 Alarm Clock... *grin* because I need to wake up to some random song that I love every morning! I use Cyberduck and Adium as well... This Imagewell, can you put up the link to it? Looks intriguing...
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Brian
Apr 28 2005, 12:52 AM
Nice list. Thanks, Chiiyo. I'm trying out Yasu, one of the applications you talked about on this page. Yes, I can link you to ImageWell. I can't believe I didn't link to ImageWell before. But here it is: Download ImageWell from Softpedia.com. Have fun with it!
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noonster22
May 15 2005, 10:40 PM
I think I like the operating system future. Lol. I don't think it counts as one, but it is much better than windows XP. When I first heard of window XP, I thought it was cool. It had a nice cool green-blue toolbar, nice looking icons, and wow! It was nice. However, when I actually got a computer loaded with Window XP for christmas, I was disappointed. You can basically save the files anywhere, and you can easily delete system files, hence ruining your operating system! Windows XP is so vulnerable to these stuff! Imagine A virus deleting just one file, and you can't log on anymore! Also, after a while, Windows XP wears and tears down. Its folders get clogged, and some files are left from UNINSTALLED files. MAC OS is different. I have the different color iMacs of 2000's. It was very nice designed, but the operating system was disappointing then; MACOS9. I heard the newer upgrades such as tiger and panther, etc. is much better. I have seen some screenshots, and ever since I got my iPod, I have gone Apple-envy. You can say I am an Apple-FanBoy. I like the quick-user switch feature that just switches the screen like a rotating box... in other words its graphics. Also, I like its dash-bar! I love how easy it is, and accessible it is. On Windows XP, you have to press the start-button, and when your computer is lagging, it will not even show up. In this case, it is extremely inaccessible... I also like futures such as the widgets you can download... Although Windows can do this, it is from third-party vendors, and god knows if it is virus infested. Also, Windows XP is a virus magnet! Almost every website I go to is loaded with spyware and all of this applications! Sometimes I don't feel safe using my own computer! On another note, the processor is extremely slow, and frustrating to use! I have tried a mac, and for some reason it is lightning fast. Even though it is said to have only a 1 GHZ processor, it is faster than most PC! I also envy other features such as iWork, iLife, and the whole bundle! It just seems so productive! It seems I can do a lot of things with a Mac, and quicker! PC's are for entertainment, Macs are for productivity.
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MajesticTreeFrog
May 16 2005, 09:28 PM
Those thinking about the tiger upgrade, there is a very nice review on www.macmod.com It also reviews a bunch of other nice mac stuff Oh, my favorite app is Quicksilver. You want it. Bad. Another is Growl. Its hard to describe, read the review on macmod.
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my_tungsten
May 18 2005, 09:31 AM
iWork is the best for word processing. iLife is the best for media. Safari 2.0 is the best browser for mac Finder is the best file system i ever used. iSync works b-e-a-u-tifully with my siemens SX1 iCal is the best time mangement program At the end for the day, everything u need to get started on a powerbook is already there.
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MajesticTreeFrog
May 18 2005, 06:26 PM
Sorry Tungsten, but iWork, as neat as it is, is NOT the best for word processing. Not even close. pages is more a cheap hybrid processor/desktop publishing soft. Version 2 of pages may fix its flaws. These days, STILL, sadly, the best WP soft for mac is Microsoft office. Which, given the huge variety and competition on Mac for word processors, is saying something. In fact, the latest word for mac is better than the latest word for windows. By a good bit even. As for best browser, its not safari. Safari 2 is fast as hell, but has compatibility issues with a LOT of websites. It also lacks the awesome plugins of firefox and mozilla. So, FF is still king until camino can get in gear. But, until you go to professional tools, iLife is indeed the best you are gonna do for media software, especially for only like, 50 bucks.
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Brian
May 20 2005, 06:25 PM
Pages is very cool, but it can't be called the best word processor because thats not really what it it. It's more of a really nice page layout program. (which of course also processes words, if you know what I mean)
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typotypo
Jun 2 2005, 05:13 PM
Most of the apple apps are awsome. The 3 I use most are iTunes, Safari and iChat. But, they all have their flaws. iChat donsent always play nice with AIM. iTunes sometimes dies when I plug in my iPod, and Safari isnt always compatible with advanced web sites. I love Bit torrent, right now I'm using Azerus so that has to be up on the list. I like thunderbird more than mail, so thats my email app. I think thats a good spread fire...
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chiiyo
Jun 3 2005, 02:34 AM
I haven't replied back to this topic for some time, because ever since I switched over to Tiger I've been downloading and experimenting with programs, and trawling through versiontracker's freeware pages... so here's some more mac os x apps to try out~ iBackup (Freeware) - Backup Utility. I don't need a very complicated or comprehensive backup solution, all I really needed was a daily backup of my system and application preferences as well as several files that always change from day to day to my external harddrive, and this program makes it easy to select your system preferences and other files. Namely (Freeware) - Application Launcher. This one is simplicity at it's best. Type a keyboard shortcut (for me it's Apple-Esc) and just start typing in the letters of your application, and a dropdown list would appear with the applications that fit, with the most closely one highlighted so you can just hit enter and the application would load. Works well for me because most of my most-used programs are in my dock anyways, so I use Namely occasionally to open iCal and Yasu which I don't use that often, and to open the stuff in the Dock when I'm not using a mouse... I love how it's so simple. NetNewsWire Lite (Freeware) - RSS Reader. I used to use MiNews, but it didn't work on Tiger when I first switched over, so I started looking for other readers. Although this is a "Lite" version, it's tremendously easy to use, very much like the older Apple Mail, and I love how you can style your RSS feeds using stylesheets that are included with the program. SkalMac Tuner (Freeware) - Tuner for instruments. It has basic notes for piano, bass, guitar, organ, flute, banjo and violin, though I only really use it for my electric bass and other people's classical guitars. It's a really small and simple program, but it does what it says well. Tofu (Freeware) - RTF reader. Actually that doesn't do it justice. I use it to read RTF files because Smultron doesn't handle them well, but Tofu is essentially a program that opens up any text file and arranges them in easy to read columns like in a magazine, and you scroll sideways to read more columns. It makes reading manuals and ReadMe files so much easier, and it's really fast and light. I'm amused to see it's by the same author as Namely... VitaminSee (Freeware) - Image viewer. I have pretty specific requirements for an image viewer, weaned on ACDSee in Windows and from my days working at a photo developing shop. And I have a variety of different types of files, photographs, mangas, doujinshis, artwork that I usually look at, and what I really wanted was a fast image viewer that gives me flexibility in seeing both the thumbnails and the actual picture at the same time. I actually tried a lot of different image viewers, but in the end I still liked VitaminSee the most. We should have some topic named Favourite Dashboard Widgets or something...
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Latest Entries
Handyman
Jul 15 2006, 12:45 PM
overworked
May 29 2006, 11:43 AM
All I know is Mac is making it particularily hard on me to switch to a mac after 12 years of working on windows PC. It was bound to happen eventually, but I didn't expect it so suddenly. Personally, of the built in mac software I like Garageband and Notes. Both of which are of actual use, my complaint lies with iWeb, which seemingly even though you get iLife, there isn't anything you can do in iWeb unless you buy their account. Evil Crap Monkeys.
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ruben
Oct 20 2005, 09:21 PM
I use Mac as long I use computers, but I found the reason to stay with the Panther/Tiger Features Exposé and Dashboard! First one is not an application, but it is so useful, I don't know how I lived without it. It brought drag and drop to a new level. As a laptop user, you have your hands on the keyboard the whole time anyway, so you can switch between applications while dragging round your selection. How did you set up your Exposé? I have the "arrange windows" (soo lovely) on "fn", the "expose desktop" in my right bottom corner and the others on F-keys becauset need them that often. As for the dashboard: It's sad that there are only few Europe-related widgets (even the daily history widget focuses on American history), but I love the cite-widgets (simpsons, family guy, seinfeld, etc.) and the dictionary access. I wish there would be a good translator available as a widget, like ultra lingua or dict.leo.org As browser: Firefox, because it is standard-compliant. As instant messenger: Adium, because iChat does not support ICQ well enough and the orginal ICQ client isn't being developed. And by now I got some MSN-buddies too. Does anyone know a good "multiple clipboard"-addin? Which really fits into Mac OS X and has an intuitive design? at the moment i stick to copying text to an always-open text edit file and later taking it again. Oh and I love the "Preview" Application, a feature I missed a lot in Mac OS 9. I would like to have a mini-preview viev, like in Windows XP sometimes. I like the way, OS X displays previews when you select something, but sometimes, when searching for a film or a photo, it would be good (even though these tasks are performed by iPhoto and iTunes now, so there is not a big need for it anymore.) iTunes has lost a lot of its magic, because they screwed up the design and are only developing it to expand the music store and the new iPods. They changed from 4 to 5 to 6 in one month! So far so good, Ruben
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evought
Oct 14 2005, 03:02 AM
QUOTE(chiiyo @ Apr 27 2005, 02:44 PM) <snip...> MacJournal for archiving all my writing into different Journals, and VooDooPad Lite for notetaking is just miraculous. I wish I could pay for VooDooPad though, I think there's a lot of functionality in the paid version that would really clinch VoodooPad as my main note-taking program. Like ability to export to .txt and sketching. <snip...> MacJournal does look interesting. I use Circus and Ponies' Notebook myself. It has many of the same features but is a little more oriented toward taking notes than diary/blogging-style journalling. Its clipping features (a Service to clip text, images or documents directly to a notebook) really make organizing odd bits of information much easier. It also has the blogging capabilities of Mac Journal. I have not tried Voodoopad. I have not used Cyberduck before, but looking at it, I think I will now. I usually use command-line ncftp, but a good GUI client does have its uses. iTerm is a program I would have trouble parting with. It is a Terminal replacement that supports tabs and has a lot better session control. When I am doing administration work, I use it heavily. My desktop gets too cluttered with Terminal windows otherwise. I have also found that its terminal emulation seems to be just a bit better.
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the empty calorie
Oct 7 2005, 09:35 PM
Hands down, the Terminal is my favourite application on here. Anything I want done, I can do from there. Before I used OS X, I religiously used OpenBSD. typically, I close the finder and use the terminal and the dock to get to whatever I need. But, other than the terminal... I use nano as my text editor. I like it simple. I like to have no need for a mouse when I type. It just gets in my way. I use iChat. I have adium, but I have gotten really used to the "bubble" format of iChat. Safari is my browser of choice, but for what I can't to in safari, I have Deer Park. iTunes is the music player of choice, but VLC i use for playing my movies. What else do I use...I used Tinkertool to try and make the default system font Chicago, or whatever they changed the name of it to, and found out I can't make the menu bar change fonts. I'd happily use Basilisk II, but it's not ported to x86 yet, and it crashes when you try running it with Rosetta. Oh yes, and for making my music, I use easy beat, audacity, and quicktime (to record vocal tracks). Now i just need to wait for Basilisk II to be ported to OS X/intel so I can use System 7 and MacPaint, buy a real Intel Mac, and then I'll be golden Oh, and who can forget the dashboard? So handy..
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