[m a d r a]

i'll give datetree a plug for those of you [like me] who can't abide the way iphoto organises your photographs.

download your photos from your camera into a folder and then throw the folder into datetree. a few seconds later you have all your photos neatly organised into folders named with the date the photo was taken.

[in most cases i then add a snippet of text onto the folder name, so i can see at a glance where all my photos are. so much easier when browsing archived CDs or just in the finder, without having to fire up iphoto to find stuff]

[Randman]

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but the freeware app, N Commander is something I'd pay for. It switches commands around so you can still use Command (Apple) N to create a new folder.

[Randman]

Edit: Madra. You could do the same with a smart folder in iPhoto and add comments to photos via Automator then access them via Spotlight as well. Pretty easy to set up.

[simz]

Not in a certain order.

_ Adium
_ Pixadex
_ Iconverter
_ Transmit
_ iTunes

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by ph0ust

i agree that launchbar rules, but it has existed within windows for like a decade or more.... in the form of the run command. windows key-->r-->app name. it was the only thing i ever missed on from windows when i switched... until i found launchbar that is!

LaunchBar does much, much more than the Run command.

[Peter]

Growl is very very awesome too.

[donparr]

I would just like to express my gratitude (Thanks) to All of you for caring and taking the time to share what you have with all of us here! Thank You! I am not new to computers, but I am new to Apple, Mac and OS X. Your favorite programs, utilities, games and what not are great, but the fact you are willing to share this information with us makes 'you' even better !

I'm still evaluating 'my' favorites, and will share when I have them figured out - for example, I just d/l'd LaunchBar, RagTime Solo among others today, so I will need some time to try them out, but my initial impressions of both of those are pretty awesome! Anyway, thanks again to all of you.

Don

[HWA AFI]

How does growl work? It got installed with adium but I don't know what it does...

My favorites so far from my short mac career:

ADIUM my god this is the best IM client I've ever used
firefox
Xirc shareware IRC client
quickimage so much beter than using preview to view pics and it lets you convert and resize on the fly!
bit torrent

[donparr]

I had indicated I would return with 'my' list of favorites. In keeping my word, here they are

My current list of favorite Mac apps as of 12-29-2005:

Adium Instant Messenger - Adium
Camino (Internet Browser) - Camino
Ecto - desktop blogging client - Ecto
EMACS (Text Editor) - Aquamacs EMACS
FinderPop - FinderPop
iClip Lite - iClip Lite
LaunchBar 4 - LaunchBar 4
MacJournal, Write & Calc - Mariner Software
Mail App - Apple Mail App
Mail Appetizer - Mail Appetizer
Menu Meters - MenuMeters
SubEthaEdit (Text Editor) - SubEthaEdit
VLC Media Player - VLC

This list, of course, is subject to change, but for now, there you have it !

[UNTeMac]

http://www.petermaurer.de/nasi.php?t...prache=english - Butler
http://heat-meteo.sourceforge.net - Meteorologist
http://growl.info - Growl!
http://www.adiumx.com - Adium

[Timothy Maxwell]

Someone should go through this thread and compile the most popular 10 programs listed.

[only120xs]

Budget

Single best purchase I've ever made

[Fain[spawn]]

Adium
CandyBar
coconutBattery
Desktop Manager
Handbrake
iSquint
Tiger Launch
Transparent Dock
VLC
FRONT ROW for the iBook!!!!!

[Tesseract]

Adium
Colloquy
TextMate
iMote
CoverFlow
Growl
Inquisitor
CornerClick
RCDefaultApp

[fisherKing]

wuffdesktop (minimalist desk clock)
fruitmenu (customizable contextual menus)
shapeshifter
transparent dock
growl
imote (with growl, simple control of itunes)
tapdex (one-key access to address book, essential!)
airclick (remote control itunes, etc)
you control fonts

[seaj11]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Best browser: Firefox
Best email client: Thunderbird (still buggy, but the best free one I've found). Also GyazMail (shareware).
Best launcher etc.: Butler
Best HTML editor: Taco HTML Edit
Best FTP client: Cyberduck
Best journaling app: Journler
Best text clippings app: Textpander
Best menubar app: URLwell

Sorry, I can't stop at 5.
[/FONT]

[Timothy Maxwell]

I like the way that seaj11 posted his choices. We should all report the same way.

[TheIceMan]

Best browser: Camino
Best CheckBook Program: CheckBook
Best Menubar Clock/Calendar: MenuCalendarClock iCal (basic version is free)
Best FREE OS X maintenance & optimization tool: OnyX
Best RSS Reader: Vienna
Best CD/DVD Burning Program: Toast Titanium 7
Best Program to Store Passwords & Serial Numbers: Wallet
Best NotePad: Voodoopad

[CaptainHaddock]

I just wanted to put in a plug for Xfactor, a peer-to-peer app that seems to work better than Acquisition or Limewire and connects to all the usual networks. It's a slick native app, unlike Limewire (for example).

[Timothy Maxwell]

The reviews for Xfactor on VersionTracker is not good.

[CaptainHaddock]

"The reviews for Xfactor on VersionTracker is not good."

I wonder if they're complaining about older versions. Xfactor isn't at version 1 yet, but the one I just downloaded (0.32) works better than anything else I've used. I like the snappy interface, informative download screen, and the fact that it can move different kinds of files to different folders once downloaded.

[iPond317]

1. Adium
2. VLC
3. BitTorrent
4. xACT
5. Graphic Converter

[joliosx]

for those who like to know what's happening under the hood, I recently discovered AbTriv FS Spy, that provides a file system activity log. This can yield some really surprising stuff when analyzing your favorite apps. it's also quite easy to use for a geeky app.

available from http://www.abtriv.com/

[gunga]

SafariStand - I can't recommend this Safari plug-in enough.
Adium
VLC
Azureus
TextWrangler

[alfredo]

NVU
http://www.nvu.com/

CyberDuck
http://cyberduck.ch/

Inkscape
http://www.inkscape.org/

GIMP
http://gimp-app.sourceforge.net/

Mi
http://www.mimikaki.net/en/index.html

[alfredo]

useful freeware/shareware apps

Tex-Edit

http://www.tex-edit.com/

Give it a try. It's more than worth its $15.

[red rocket]

Best webcam app: macam
Best scriptwriting app: Celtx
Best font management app: Linotype FontExplorerX
Best pdf compression app: PDFshrink
Best colour wheel: Painter's Picker

[alfredo]

When you look at the lists above, you can get a good idea of the interests of the users.

Best Raw converter - Rawker
http://raifra.fh-friedberg.de/Mac/index-en.html

Office Suite- Neo Office
http://www.neooffice.org/

[threestain]

Helluva useful:

Wiretap & Wiretap Pro

[zpctg]

Adium
Ibank,awesome
transmission
skype
Appzapper

[jmault]

I heard a couple things about this "Launchbar." What is this you speak of? What does it do?

[rogueToe]

Some gems that don't get mentioned a lot:

Pastor - password and sn storage
Sidenote - keep your notes in a side drawer
wClock - get a proper date in your menu bar
BeeCells3D - easy, addictive game
PixelNhance - discontinued but still a great way to enhance photos

[kitcho]

well here it goes

VLC - media player
SizzlingKeys - iTunes shortcut program (found thanks to this thread)
LittleSecrets - blowfish encrypted notepad (found thanks to this thread)
Kismac - Passive WiFi Stumbler with support for many PCMCIA cards as well as AP/APX
SpoofMAC - kinda self explanitory. for AP/APX only
AudioHijack w/ "line in" app - music from any source
Bits on Wheels - Torrent client with cool 3D tools
Pixen - Pixel drawing program for mac

update: added last 3 programs..

[TheIceMan]

[Update to my list back in December 2005]

Best browser: Camino
Best CheckBook Program: CheckBook
Best Menubar Clock/Calendar: MenuCalendarClock iCal (basic version is free)
Best FREE OS X maintenance & optimization tool: OnyX
Best RSS Reader: Vienna
Best CD/DVD Burning Program: Toast Titanium 7
Best Program to Store Passwords & Serial Numbers: Wallet

Best Information Organizer: Yojimbo
Best (Easiest) Application Uninstaller: AppZapper
Easiest & Best-Looking (not the fastest-loading though) Website Creation Tool: iWeb

[Dr.Michael]

Originally Posted by jmault

I heard a couple things about this "Launchbar." What is this you speak of? What does it do?

It is much easier to download and check yourself instead of reading ten replies, isn't it?

[alice_curiouser]

Some fun stuff, some useful stuff, all FREE stuff:

* Fennel DVD Manager - Keep a catalog of all your DVDs, and retrieve details online! You can also filter your collection by those you have lent out or those you've borrowed, and create a wishlist and print it out (very handy for people who still frequent those video rental places).

* Baywatch - Adds favourite Ebay auctions to iCal, and then reminds you before auction end.

* GL Image Browser - A lot like IrfanView for Windows, and something I was missing on the Mac.. Flip through tons of photos easily, without having to open each one seperately in iPhoto. Great for finding the best shots in a batch of digital photos. Right-click to go right to that image within the folder on the hard drive, then drag to Photoshop or whatever image editor.

* Pic Mark - Automatically applies watermarks to images. Can also creates thumbnail images.

* Photo Desktop - Put snapshots of your friends, family, and felines on your desktop! I really love this program - you can use it with any wallpaper, and unlike widgets, they won't over-lap whatever window you have open if you accidentily click on them.. It's also very customizable.

[guzzi]

Before I post my Top 5 OS X apps, I like to write that after looking at all the interesting posts/tools we Mac people love to use most often, I got a lot of new apps to download and use from here. This topic was so useful that I decided, finally, to register here (I found this site only about a month,ago).
OKbee, here's my list

Work Strip
Mozilla FireFox
Toast Titanium (ver 6)
Graphic Converter
LinoType Font Explorer
VueScan

There are a few others that came close to being in my top 5 or 6, so I like to list my runner ups

Snapz Pro
Trilithon Visual Ruler & Protractor apps
CarbonCopyCloner
Pod rescue

[kick52]

hmm... ok

Apps
""""""

1.Safari (Well duh.)
2.Art of Illusion (FREE 3d animation app)
3.iTunes (You know)
4.GIF Fun (Converts rendered AOI animations to GIFs)
5.Adium (MSN + Others Client)

Games
""""""""

1.Another Day At Work 2: Wednesday (Open ended game for Classic. Google it. By Epic Banana)
2.RagDoll Masters 3 (Stickman fighting game. http://www.ragdollsoft.com/ )
3.Zombies (Fun strategic game)
4.Stair Dismount (Weird game where you push people down stairs. CANT WAIT for Truck Dismount. Its all in the name)
5.Office Building (Another AMAZING open ended game by Epic Banana. Go to INFO-Mac hyperarchive.)

There you have it.

[Jamieharris]

Originally Posted by gunga

SafariStand - I can't recommend this Safari plug-in enough.
Adium
VLC
Azureus
TextWrangler

i saw this post and went to the website but i couldnt get the plugin to open. it came with a bundle package and im not really sure how to deal. can anyone help me?

[barrettwilson1]

Originally Posted by headofjason

i saw this post and went to the website but i couldnt get the plugin to open. it came with a bundle package and im not really sure how to deal. can anyone help me?

You have to put the bundle in your ~/Library/InputManagers folder. If you don't have the folder, just create one. SafariStand will load the next time Safari starts.

BTW, here are my 5 favorite shareware apps:

OmniWeb- great browser, but wish it was faster
Acquisition - P2P
WeatherPop- Weather conditions in the menu bar
Mellel- Well done word processor app
OmniOutliner- has helped me get organized

[threestain]

Me...

NetNewsWire - Amazing RSS
OmniWeb - using it more and more and its getting under my skin
VoodooPad - best notepad app ever
StickyBrain - best dumping bin
Adium - Keeps me away from work!

[chrisdisregard]

...

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by chrisdisregard

8. Captain FTP - I've tried a few FTP clients, and this was one of the first that actually worked (this started quite some time ago when programs weren't so great is the then new OS X) and was dead simple to use.

As far as free FTP clients go, I think Cyberduck is much better than Captain FTP.

[Peter]

Menuet - iTunes controller in menubar, very pretty. $12.95
Deskshade - Desktop controller in menubar, awesome. $12.95
Blue Phone Elite - Phone controller for calls/SMS. $20
Others worth mentioning:
Candybar, Transmit, Pixadex, Omnioutliner, Adiumx, iScrobbler, xjournal, Spy, Bits on Wheels, Pearl Lyrics,

[Peter]

Oh and http://macromates.com/ TEXTMATE!!!!
Best text editor ever

[aadfadsfa21]

Firefox
Adium
Google Earth
Boot Camp (I need Windows for some work apps)
Bittorent

[ksloan2]

Originally Posted by kick52

5.Office Building (Another AMAZING open ended game by Epic Banana. Go to INFO-Mac hyperarchive.)

That's a classic game only, right? So I'm outta luck on my Macbook Pro...

Originally Posted by lavar78

As far as free FTP clients go, I think Cyberduck is much better than Captain FTP.

And I think that OneButton FTP is much nicer than Cyberduck.

Oh, and I'd also like to recommend another app I just found:

ByteController - A freeware alternative to Synergy which uses iTunes messages instead of polling!

[alfredo]

OneButtonFTP I will check it out.

You should take a look at a Aqua version of Scribus (DTP)


About Scribus
http://docs.scribus.net

Download

http://tinyurl.com/nh4np

[Pierre74]

HouhahSpot (http://www.houdah.com)

Powerful file search tool based on Spotlight

[Jay Condon]

Check out proxi http://proxi.griffintechnology.com/ Though it's being promoted as an aid for setting up griffen devices, I'ts more like an alternative to automator with more options and auto-triggering of events. It's beta, but it's pretty solid on my system....and it's free.