Farsong Blog-o-Matic - iUseThis

This seems to happen every eight-to-twelve months: I compile a list of Mac software I use. Usually this is because a friend has switched to Mac.

We'll start with specs:
Right now I have one G5 PowerPC tower @1.8GHz, with 2Gb of RAM, and a MacBook Core2 Duo @2.0GHz with 1Gb RAM. The former runs Tiger (10.4.11 final) and is named Kirkegaard, and the latter runs Leopard (10.5.2 is the current version, as of this writing) and is named Lobo. I use them both. I have not taken the laptop with me to University yet this quarter, though I probably will.

I also use Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, and Adobe CS3, but there is open-source software to fill the gap. I can't in good conscience recommend The GIMP for image editing, though.


OSX is all well and good, and Leopard has a number of great new features that have replaced old software I used to use (Leopard came with tabbed Terminal and Screen Sharing, so out go iTerm and Chicken of the VNC). But sometimes, the built-in things in Mac OSX don't act in quite the way I want, or there is functionality missing. Ergo, third-party apps. All work on Leopard, based upon my usage. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and if I've missed something or don't list something useful I should, comment! All links go to the developers' pages.


The first three are the ones you can't live without:

• Growl — System-wide notifications for OSX applications. Try it with the shiny iPhonesque theme.

• Quicksilver — founded on the Zen principle of Wu Wei, the idea of "acting without acting." It's an existensible launcher and elegant keyboard-based interface. Launch apps, search for files, copy and edit, display, control iTunes, create keyboard shortcuts. Everything. Some people claim that Spotlight in Leopard has replaced Quicksilver, but Spotlight both doesn't work the way I want it too, and is much slower than Quicksilver. Switch to the (glass) Bezel interface and you'll be much happier.

• Adium — Multi-protocol IM client. LibPurple of Pidign, merged with the stylistic sensibilities of Mac. Chat with anyone anywhere. Well-designed and reliable. Change the sound set from the annoying default Adium duck squawking, though. Video for Adium is coming in the future, but for Leopard only. Until then, to scratch the video-chat itch, use iChat and Skype on the Mac.

• Colloquy — The best IRC client for OSX. Since Adium doesn't do IRC, use this one. It's got a Mac interface and it works great. There's even a version for the iPhone.

• Hierarchy — Let's face it: Stacks in Leopard sucks. It took away the intuitive "click a folder to get a Finder window" function. I could care less about the hierarchical menus it gave, but the new functions of Stacks is so bass-ackwards that I can't stand it. I can't wait for it to be fixed in 10.5.3, but until then, there's Hierarchy.

• Coconut WiFi — Yes, the Airport menu is improved in Leopard, but it's still hard to tell if there are any open networks around you at a glance. It's a wardriver's friend.

• KisMAC — Then there's KisMAC, a serious wardriving program. Create logs, find networks, and even test the security of your network with this program. It gives far more information than any other you can find.

• iTRC —iTunes Remote Control. Control iTunes on one Mac from another Mac. Only really useful if you have more than one Mac.

• EyeSight — Timed iSight webcam capture and optional FTP upload. Small, light, and functional.

• Inkscape — Open source vector graphics creation program. Runs in X11 on Mac. An alternative to Illustrator.

• LJ Kit — Did you seriously think I did all my blogging from a web client? I use a desktop client. Xjournal went open-soruce with its core cocoa framework. It allows OSX's system-wide spellcheck to work, offers some built-in HTML formatting, previews, saving, and friend filter editing. Useful for the LJ set.

• Sentui — It's "iTunes" spelled backwards. This program can import files from the iTunes DB on your iPod back into the computer, into iTunes, or wherever you want. It will also play back audio from the iPod, too. Make sure you have Disk Mode enabled on the 'Pod.

• OpenOffice — an open-source office suite with the ability to open and edit most MS Word files. It's a great alternative if you don't have Office 2004 or 2008, but it takes a little more elbow grease to get working. It kinda requires X11--the old builds used to, but there's an alpha that runs natively in the Aqua environment, so it actually looks like a Mac Cocoa app, not something from Linux. If you don't have a word processor, you need one. Post-haste.

• iRed Light — an app that adds functionality to the included Apple Remote. Use it for PowerPoint presentations now, too! It makes giving a presentation a real snap. Pretend to be Jobs and give keynotes with your clicker!

• GrandPerspective — Visual representation of the files on your hard drive. Great for finding the giant things that just sit there wasting space.

• AppFresh — Keep your software up-to-date, automatically. But can it up-date its self? It is a mystery!

• Joost — Intel only Joost plays television over a P2P system. It's pretty cool if you don't really mind finding a channel with something you like. It's like Pandora in that way (except it's not smart). Joost doesn't work with the Apple Remote in Leopard, yet.

• Displaperture — I didn't like how the corners of the screen in Leopard were pointy. That harshed my vibe. Not only did it harsh my vibe, it hurt the very soul of Mac. Displaperture puts the rounded corners back on the cat. God's in his Heaven, all's right with the world.

• FireFox and ThunderBird — Firefox is the best browser out there, and I keep returning to it because of its existensible nature, whatwith all the plugins. Especially that Google Browser Sync. Safari works great, but I like this more.

Thunderbird is a desktop client, and with Google's IMAP, it can't be beat. It's fast and threads messages. Mac Mail is fine, but I like this more.

• NewNewsWire — The best RSS Feed Aggregator is free. It works with NewsGator, syncs with the web, and with NNW on other Macs. It's fast. Reading RSS feeds in a desktop aggregator is not only the best way, it's the only way.

• CandyBar — Leopard's new icons suck. They're low-contrast, ugly, and they harsh my vibe. Fix this with CandyBar. The first 200 icons are free.

• Twitterific — I'll admit it: I'm completely addicted to Twitter. Get your twitter fix with Twitterific. It's got ads, but I don't mind them. You can use Versiontracker to find 2.x, which had no ads, or you can find another open-source Twitter client. This is the one I use. Makes it easy to tweet.

• smcFanControl — A menu-bar add-in utility to monitor the temperature and control the speed of the fans in your Intel Mac. Make it run cooler, or make it run quieter. I've set mine to 1.8k rpm on battery, 3k on AC, and 3.8k (3.8k is about as loud as I like it, but it ramps up when running flash) when charging. It keeps me from worrying about my Mac (or my lap) overheating because I can always see how hot it's running.

• VLC — Open source player that plays just about every audio/video format I can throw at it, including DVDs. Works with the Apple Remote.

• Text Expander — Make shortcuts of things you regularly type. URLs, signatures, etc. Useful. Be sure to enable support for assistive devices.

• TWAIN SANE — A Mac OSX port of the Linux open-source scanning software. Works like a charm with no useless bits. It's pure function, and supports a wealth of scanners. Interfaces with Photoshop "liek buttah." Includes OSX frontend for System Preferences.

• Macam — Use a non-iSight USB or DV webcam with OSX.

• HandBrake — Powerful DVD ripper for OSX. Convert your DVDs to an iPod-readable format. Runs terribly fast on dual-core hardware.

• Skype — Do I really need to explain this one? It works with USB cams with Macam, and does audio. Most Macs already have built-in mics already, and all the new laptops have iSights built-in, too. Go for the 2.7 Beta. I have trouble making it stick to OSX all the time, but it usually works fine, except for the fact that Comcast is crappy.

• There are also Leopard-specific gripes besides the crappy icons and Stacks. There's the 3D dock. It's fugly and gets in the way more than the 2D dock ever did (the dock-on-the-bottom is terribly annoying when editing video in a non-linear editor). I put my dock on the side, which automatically gets rid of the 3D (imagine icons hanging there in space, off the side of the screen? Yeah, even fuglier). Just make sure you switch the desktop image from the default Leopard one, because the stars look like the active app lights in the new Dock. It can also be fixed to be 2D on the bottom as well, with a simple terminal script.

The translucent Menu Bar also drives me up one wall and down the next. It's nasty, looks tacky, and drives me nuts. It, too, can be fixed with a terminal script. Make it opaque and make it look right.


And that's that software I use in my everyday life on the Mac!