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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Applications > Your top 5 (or so) freeware/shareware apps for OS X?

Your top 5 (or so) freeware/shareware apps for OS X? (Page 6)
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Andrman
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Jul 20, 2004 , 07:35 AM
 
Originally posted by Dr.Michael:
I tested Quicksilver yesterday. I am a longtime user of lauchbar and wanted to check the differences.

As a result I must say that it would be embarrassing for me to copy an existing application (launchbar) and add nothing more than a little eye-candy.

Plagiarism is allowed with software but it adds no value for me. I prefer to support smart people instead of unimaginative developers who only know how2 operate a copier ( - like a bad secretary?).

And if you really don't have the money there is a freeware version of launchbar that has only slight restrictions.

And do you know what? Launchbar is much faster that QS. Ha!

Cheers, Michael
So you're saying Blacktree really (illegally?) copied code from LaunchBar, or they just stole the idea?
     
Dr.Michael
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Jul 20, 2004 , 08:25 AM
 
Originally posted by Andrman:
So you're saying Blacktree really (illegally?) copied code from LaunchBar, or they just stole the idea?
Oh no, they surely did not copy code! I only used the metaphor of a copier to illustrate how inventive I judge Quicksilver.

Of course the developers had to write their own code. But that can be done if you know how to write c code.

But the idea and the functionality of Quicksilver is VERY close to Launchbar. I cannot find any own idea thats worth its name. See yourself.
(Last edited by Dr.Michael : Jul 20, 2004 at 08:35 AM )
     
Andrman
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Jul 20, 2004 , 08:38 AM
 
Ah well yes I totally agree that the basic functionality of the application is the same. I guess I just never considered that a problem seeing as there are many different implementations of similar applications out there. I prefer QS because mainly it's free, and secondly, call me quirky, but LaunchBar always bugged me with the little icon to the right of the clock. I wanted it to behave as a regular menu item like everything else!
     
threestain
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Jul 20, 2004 , 09:11 AM
 
But the icon is no longer to the right of the clock and hasn't been for a while now. In fact I found it very useful to have it there - prevented accidental clicks whilst using other menu items.

Yes its not free, but it works better and more unobtrusively than anything else in my opinion!

My updated list of loves:

1. Launchbar, still!
2. News You Can Use - an RSS feeder that is actively good
3. iBlog, for all the crud that is blogged, this at least speeds up the process
4. Meteo - nows its fixed I no longer have to look out of my window.
5. FFmpegX - crackingly easy stuff.
     
Randman
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Jul 20, 2004 , 11:08 AM
 
Updated:

F10
Konfabulator
SlimBattery Monitor
WinSwitch
CandyBar
ShapeShifter
iCal ReFresh Date
iBlog

This is a computer-generated message and needs no signature.
     
idlewild
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Jul 20, 2004 , 09:40 PM
 
[quote]Originally posted by PabloTX:
[b]What are some of your favorite free/cheap shareware programs, and what are they?


1) Corona for personal checking and accounting
2) Daktari for viewing and editing web pages
3) Safari for web browsing; Firefox for compatibility testing
4) Transmit for FTP domain management
5) iLife for fun and magic
     
DocZ
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Jul 21, 2004 , 02:19 AM
 
  • teTeX via i-Installer - I use LaTeX for all of my work
  • iTexMac - very nice editor for LaTeX documents, outputs PDFs
  • DrScheme - best programming environment (if you like Lisp )
  • Fink - most Unix programs suck, but at least you can make them install automatically
  • mi - stable, completely free text editor (one of the few editors apart from BBedit that doesn't suck)
     
andretan
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Jul 23, 2004 , 05:43 PM
 
There's this brand new Open Source text editor out there... it's called Smultron.

It's free and offers syntax-colors!

Pretty much the same as BBEdit Lite BUT with colored syntax which is what I need.
mac.goodies webstore / Switched to an iBook in November 2002. Never looking back.
iBook R.I.P. 20 Nov 2002 - 2 Aug 2005
Hello Leopard! On iMac 17" Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz 2GB, iPod 5th gen 30GB and iPhone
     
GeeYouEye
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Jul 25, 2004 , 05:40 PM
 
1. SideTrack
2. EnhancedDataBurn (an example that comes with the Dev Tools) - a free quick way to burn to the entire capacity of the disc instead of what the Finder says is the full capacity (~ 500 MB difference on a DVD, 60 MB on a CD) and to do so without copying to a disk image first.
3. VLC
4. OmniWeb
5. TextEdit - yes it comes with the OS, but it's one of the most underrated programs out there in my experience.
6. iTunes
7. Transmit
8. SubEthaEdit
I bring order to chaos. You are in chaos windows, you are the contradiction, a bug wishing to be an OS.
     
demograph68
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Jul 26, 2004 , 05:27 AM
 
PithHelmet Removes ads from the web. Works perfectly. Safari loads faster with it too.
     
neoTony
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Jul 29, 2004 , 07:05 AM
 
Originally posted by Dr.Michael:
Oh no, they surely did not copy code! I only used the metaphor of a copier to illustrate how inventive I judge Quicksilver.

Of course the developers had to write their own code. But that can be done if you know how to write c code.

But the idea and the functionality of Quicksilver is VERY close to Launchbar. I cannot find any own idea thats worth its name. See yourself.
Are you serious? Perhaps to the untrained eye...

Nick Jitkoff, the author of Quicksilver was honestly surprised when I told him I generally only used QS to launch apps. App launching is not the purpose of QS at all! It's just a nice feature that came about from the engine. Nick is one insane programmer too... he's got features in QS that nobody else seems to be playing with yet (check the "zoom" on the QS logo on app start -- did you know that's a feature of expose?)

Nick'd be able to explain it a lot better than I can, but I find it easy to think of QS like an "on-the-fly" version of automator -- it links different types of content with other content, or actions, or locations, and vice versa -- it's incredibly powerful.

Go read the blacktree forums, or get Nick's email address from the blacktree.com website and ask him yourself - he'd happily explain it to you - just be aware that Quicksilver has one feature that encompasses all of what Launchbar does, but it's only one feature of many.
     
wataru
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Jul 29, 2004 , 08:00 AM
 
Originally posted by demograph68:
PithHelmet Removes ads from the web. Works perfectly. Safari loads faster with it too.
I've found the exact opposite - it slows Safari down. Plus it looks like Pithhelmet will be turning into shareware in the near future. I'll stick with Firefox's free Adblock extension.
     
milkmanchris
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Jul 31, 2004 , 07:17 PM
 
Thanks for this thread guys.

As a recent convert from windoze, it has made interseting reading.

Now as a result i can add my fave apps to the list

1. Meteorologist
2. Quicksilver
3. Mail Ticker
4. Menumeter
5. Gmail Status
6. Slim Battery

just need to find a nice itunes contoller for the menu bar, maybe what looks like mail ticker, any clues.

Thanks for the input.

C


12" 1.33 G4 PB 80GB 768MB .....20GB iPod
     
Starry Night
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Jul 31, 2004 , 08:14 PM
 
Originally posted by wataru:
I've found the exact opposite - it slows Safari down. Plus it looks like Pithhelmet will be turning into shareware in the near future. I'll stick with Firefox's free Adblock extension.
I recently tried Pith Helmet (v.85) for Jaguar. I think it does slow Safari down a little bit, but the thing I really didn't like was the increase in pop-up ads on some sites that I frequent. Going to the same site using Safari without Pith Helmet the pop ups were blocked. Hence Pith Helmet got escorted to the trash.......

I really like FOB, the dock based free timer program that reminds you to go check your soda in the freezer
     
fisherKing
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Jul 31, 2004 , 09:04 PM
 
Originally posted by Starry Night:
I recently tried Pith Helmet (v.85) for Jaguar. I think it does slow Safari down a little bit, but the thing I really didn't like was the increase in pop-up ads on some sites that I frequent. Going to the same site using Safari without Pith Helmet the pop ups were blocked. Hence Pith Helmet got escorted to the trash.......

I really like FOB, the dock based free timer program that reminds you to go check your soda in the freezer

are u using the right version or pithhelmet for jaguar?

first, popup blocking is a safari option.
second, pithhelmet does slow safari down a little, but it does a great job of blocking flash ads, etc.

worth it imho.

to each his (or her) own!
"At first, there was Nothing. Then Nothing inverted itself and became Something.
And that is what you all are: inverted Nothings...with potential" (Sun Ra)
     
Starry Night
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Jul 31, 2004 , 10:56 PM
 
Originally posted by fisherKing:
are u using the right version or pithhelmet for jaguar?

first, popup blocking is a safari option.
second, pithhelmet does slow safari down a little, but it does a great job of blocking flash ads, etc.

worth it imho.

to each his (or her) own!
Yeah, I'm using the right version. For some reason, on some sites, Pith Helmet disables Safari's popup blocker. I found the addition of pop-ups more anoying than the normal ads...........
     
d.fine
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Aug 10, 2004 , 08:37 AM
 
MenuMeters
Temperature Monitor
VLC
CandyBar
iBatt

stuffing feathers up your b*tt doesn't make you a chicken.
     
andretan
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Aug 10, 2004 , 08:43 AM
 
Originally posted by milkmanchris:
just need to find a nice itunes contoller for the menu bar, maybe what looks like mail ticker, any clues.

Thanks for the input.

C
Sounds like you are looking for Konfabulator.
mac.goodies webstore / Switched to an iBook in November 2002. Never looking back.
iBook R.I.P. 20 Nov 2002 - 2 Aug 2005
Hello Leopard! On iMac 17" Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz 2GB, iPod 5th gen 30GB and iPhone
     
1800-whatever
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Aug 10, 2004 , 09:25 AM
 
-Audion
-Transmit
-VLC
-Carbon Copy Cloner
-Omniweb
     
fiesta cat
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Aug 11, 2004 , 03:12 PM
 
Smultron Text editor - free

Hog Bay Notebook Journal/Notebook - Shareware, but well worth the price

HimmelBar - Free application/utility launcher

GEDitCOM - Shareware, genealogy software (although I've been flip-flopping back and forth with Reunion)

VueScan - Shareware, scanner software that works better for me, than the default software that came with the box.
www.macgenealogy.org - Genealogy on the Mac
     
Bloodwarmer
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Aug 11, 2004 , 04:29 PM
 
- VLC the best application to read DivX and developped by clever students

- Mozilla firefox : good browser, very fast and easy to use

- Microsoft Entourage

- iTunes

- SharePoints : to share folders and files to mac and PC networks
MAC is the best platform of the world and only more than two mac are better than one mac