After 4 months since switching to Mac, I would like to talk
about many of my favorite software programs that I use on
a daily basis. Many have been mentioned in this thread already
(and some have not), but these are the programs that bring me
the most pleasure.
Spamsieve:
This is the most remarkable software program I own. Since my email
address is all over the Internet, I receive in excess of 200 spam mails
per day. When I was a PC user I used software called
Mailwasher
(also available on Mac) that essentially did a preview download of all
my mail and then let me pick and choose which I wanted to keep and
discard. Not a bad program, mind you, but
Spamsieve makes
the entire ordeal much easier and less time consuming. It's essentially
a plug-in for Apple Mail, Entourage and other email apps. For the first
few days you train
Spamsieve what constitutes GOOD MAIL
and SPAM. Almost immediately, you'll find that your GOOD mail goes
directly to your Inbox while the SPAM goes into a designated folder that
you can review. At this point, I can download 200 emails and none of
them are improperly flagged. It's a highly effective weapon against
spam mail. ($30)
SnapzPro:
A very pricey screen grabber program until you realize that it doesn't just
capture still images, but moving ones as well. You can capture and save
DVD footage or web animation. ($69)
Snapndrag:
This piece of software has just become FREEWARE and is a highly effective
screen capture program that will take a snapshot of your entire desktop,
an open window or scalable information. Works great! (FREE)
Fetch:
I love this FTP program for the fact that I can quickly upload any file
to our server by dragging off of the desktop and into a window. The
only problem I have with this program is trying to figure out how to
do select file batch uploads. ($25)
Transmit:
Another highly rated FTP client that looks and acts very much like those
you may have worked with on Windows XP. The interface is easy to
understand and it has batch upload capability, though I often have had
problems doing such uploads. ($30)
TextWrangler:
Hurry up and replace your dull text editor with this program which has far
more functionality. Really nice text edit replacement and the price is right too! (FREE)
Typewriter Keyboard:
When I had a PC I installed a piece of software that made my keyboard
sound like a typewriter. It's amazing how much I missed that sensation
when I moved on over to Mac. Fortunately, I found this program that
when installed, makes sounds as if I was using a Smith Corona. ($25)
SuperDuper:
Look no further for the absolute best backup program for Mac. The software
is highly intuitive making it extremely easy for novices. Even their
Customer Support is first-rate as I have received prompt email replies
from their techs whenever I had a question. ($28)
Appzapper:
From what I understand, this application does a more thorough
job of uninstalling software from OS X. Once you launch this software,
you drag the program you wish to uninstall into its window. At that
point you are shown all references to that program within your system.
With a single click -- POOF! --- your software is uninstalled! ($13)
TOAST:
Just a fantastic CD and DVD burning program. Easy to use and to date,
absolutely foolproof! ($80)
Adium:
Terrific companion to iChat. This universal chat client supports
ICQ, MSN, AIM, YAHOO and many others. The interface is much
cooler than iChat, but the drawback is that it does not support
videoconferencing. (FREE)
Colloquy:
I think I found the the perfect IRC replacement for Mirc. The
interface is more polished as well. Price is perfect! (FREE)
DVDPedia:
Though it falls short of DVD PROFILER, this still stands as excellent
software to catalog your entire DVD library. Best part is, if you are
a PC owner just migrating over to Mac, this software will enable you
to successfully upload your entire collection from DVD PROFILER. ($18)
Notemind:
Nice program for jotting down notes, creating to-do or shopping lists. ($20)
Letterbox:
This is a superb plug-in for Apple Mail that redesigns the layout so that there
are now three vertical columns of information. Perfect for those like myself
with a widescreen monitor (FREE)
DragThing:
When I owned a PC I had a program called Object Dock that allowed me
to categorize my favorite programs in a tabbed dock for quick access. Well,
the same thing is available for Mac. In addition to my standard OS X dock,
I have drawers that slide in and out from the sides of my screen that are
labeled as UTILITIES, GAMES, GRAPHICS, Etc. Each drawer holds a group
of program icons that I can readily access. Really cool app! ($29)