Recommended Macintosh applications

Published by in apple on July 17th, 2007

I’m working with a few new Macintosh “switchers” the next few days, so I’ve updated my list of recommended Macintosh applications. These are all programs I either have on my MacBook now or have had in the recent past, and find/have found useful for various purposes. (These are applications in addition to the ones which come pre-installed on Mac computers.)

I’ve added several new programs this evening to the list, including Skitch, Scratch, and more.

I need to learn the name of the Windows-OS visualization programs Miguel Guhlin and others in San Antonio ISD are using which they say is faster and even better than Parallels. Anyone using good virtualization software on the Macintosh side besides Parallels with good results?

On this day..

6 Comments »
  • http://wordpress.edgemereroadrunners.com/ Dean Mattson

    Good list! Here’s three other Mac applications that not a lot of people have heard about and I think are worth a look:

    PulpMotion – This mainly creates slideshows with very fancy animations that are nice, if that’s what you like. But hidden in there is an ability to make very impressive looking news segments.

    Jumpcut – This is a free application which allows you to keep track of the last 20 items of text you copied. Perfect when you’re making a blog post with a lot of links!

    ScreenSteps – Provides you with an easy way to make directions about how to do something on the computer.

  • http://mguhlin.net Miguel Guhlin

    Wes, howdy! My favorite virtualization tool–in lieu of Parallels–is VMWare Fusion. Although still in beta, it outperformed Parallels on my Intel Macbook with 2 gigs of RAM, allowed me to run PuppyLinux and/or UbuntuLinux…in other words, it ran what I wanted. VMWare Fusion is available for advance purchase at approx less than $40. In August, the price jumps to $79.99, which is what you pay for Parallels.

    One of the things that disappointed me about Parallels–and I hope won’t be true for VMWare FUsion–is that when you buy your serial number, you don’t get “free upgrades.” Instead, you are stuck at the version you bought it…so although work bought 7 copies of Parallels, we aren’t using the latest build out on the site but rather what we bought at the time. Upgrades cost $40 for Parallels…so I’ve decided to switch my team to VMWare Fusion.

    You can find my Mac software recommendations in two new Download a la Mode articles I wrote recently. Here are the articles’ URLs in TinyURL format:

    Download a la Mode 8: Best of Both Worlds
    http://tinyurl.com/yooajc
    This installment of Download a la Mode focuses on experiencing the best of both worlds, and recommends Macintosh specific software for first-time users. With one $15 exception, all of it is free, open source or freeware you can use. In addition to programs listed in response to the questions below, I have also added a bonus list of must-have applications for Mac users in the sidebar, Must-Have Mac Apps.

    Download a la Mode 9: Mac Apps Worth Stealing
    http://tinyurl.com/ysad7v
    This article explores some Mac software worth purchasing. And, as promised in the previous issue, it includes a list of great Mozilla Firefox add-ons to extend the functionality of your browser, as well as how to easily get videos off the Web.

    I mention VMWare Fusion and Parallels in both articles.

    Hoping this is helpful to SpeedofCreativity readers,

    Miguel Guhlin
    Around the Corner-MGuhlin.net
    http://mguhlin.net

  • http://blog.scottjelias.net Scott Elias

    Wes –

    I can’t help but notice the conspicuous absence of Quicksliver!!

    Also worth a mention:

    * AppTrap – Preference pane that helps uninstall apps
    * Chicken of the VNC – VNC client
    * Picturesque – VERY cool tool to do some simple photo enhancements
    * SuperDuper! – Excellent backup tool
    * Transmit – Super simple FTP
    * Xtorrent – Very polished torrent client

    Links to all are available on my Mac software page here:
    http://selias.pbwiki.com/Macbook

  • http://www.wesfryer.com Wesley Fryer

    These are great suggestions, thanks for adding them! Anyone have any additional suggestions?

  • Sandy Wagner

    For new Macs… iRedLite allows you to use the remote for your mac with more programs, including using it as a remote mouse and powerpoint controller.

  • http://tex2all.com Terry Elliott

    I would like to be a me-tooer here as well and recommend VisualHub. It converts almost any format into any other one. It stays up to date–they just added support for iPhone. Extremely useful for vodcasters in education.

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