Essential OS X Apps


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Synergy:

An Itunes controller that sits in the menu-bar.

http://wincent.com/a/products/synergy-classic/

F10 Launch Studio:

An extraordinarily fast and efficient way to launch applications and documents.

It sits in the menu-bar and acts as a "start menu"

http://www.chronosnet.com/Products/f10_product.html

Deskshade 2:

Deskshade lets you change your wallpaper easily, lock you mac and a host of other functions, I mainly use it to lock my mac so my flatmates cannot change my wallpaper to something "distasteful"

http://www.macrabbit.com/deskshade/

Menu Meters:

MenuMeters is a set of CPU, memory, disk, and network monitoring tools for MacOS X that again sits in the menu-bar.

http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/menumeters/

Quicksilver:

I have only started using this in the last two months, but it is amazing! Quicksilver is a launcher for OS X but the style and speed in which it goes about its job has to be seen to be believed!

Just try it!

http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/

Transparent Dock:

TransparentDock 2 is an application that allows customization of the Mac OS X dock.

http://www.freerangemac.com/

Candybar/Pixadex:

The best option for changing and organising you icons:

http://www.iconfactory.com/cb_home.asp

http://www.iconfactory.com/px_home.asp

Desktop Manager:

Desktop Manager is an easy to use virtual desktop manager for OS X. It allows you to have for example: Quark, Photoshop and Font Book open on one desktop and with a quick key combo you can switch via a very cool transition to another desktop with Mail, Firefox and Messenger.

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21594

Data Recycler X:

Data Recycler X can recover deleted files in perfect condition - it even protects pictures in iPhoto, this app has saved me when i accidentally deleted an important part of my dissertation.

http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_recycler.php

Stattoo:

Provides at a glance info on your desktop and looks like a part of os x, it is in a small way similar to Samurize for Windows.

http://www.panic.com/stattoo/

:)

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i donno if these have been mentioned but -

FTP - Cyberduck http://cyberduck.ch

free, open source, uses growl.

Growl - http://growl.info

program for notification popups. its pretty cool. There are better styles in the latest nightly build.

Yahoo Chat.... well this one sucks, but ChitChatX. http://chit.sf.net

written in realbasic, open source, buggy. bleh. (better than charla though)

IRC - Colloquy. http://colloquy.info

I find the nightly builds work better than the released version, growl support so thats a plus :)

blogging - ecto - http://ecto.kung-foo.tv

supports all the blog systems, pay :(

editor - subethaedit - http://www.codingmonkeys.de/subethaedit/

Bonjour enabled editing, internet enabled editing, pretty cool. free for non-commercial use.

ByteController - http://brainbyte.digitalhybrid.net

free alt. to synergy (without track notification though..... use growl & growltunes for that)

Edited by divinatum
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IRC: jIRCii - jIRCii provides an irc experience similiar to ircii, hADES, and BitchX with the advantages of a solid user interface. Features include DCC/CTCP support, multiple server connections, IRC over SSL support, tab key nickname completion, and over 75 built-in commands. jIRCii is fully scriptable using sleep, a Perl-like language.

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I'm looking for a simple background app that makes a sound (preferably one you can assign yourself) when a hour has passed. Just like on Mac OS 9. Does anyone knows an app that can do that?

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I'm looking for a simple background app that makes a sound (preferably one you can assign yourself) when a hour has passed. Just like on Mac OS 9. Does anyone knows an app that can do that?

585567516[/snapback]

Try a Konfabulator widget; I have no doubt there is one out there, though I wouldn't be able to help you find it.

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Try a Konfabulator widget; I have no doubt there is one out there, though I wouldn't be able to help you find it.

585567605[/snapback]

Yeah I know, but I don't what a whole clock on my desktop. If I make them 100% transparant the widgets won't start always.

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Why not just use a iCal alarm?

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Can I do that without an pop-up window popping up every hour? And without having to run iCal non-stop?

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  • 2 weeks later...

as far as everything is posted... how bout changing the whole fonts on OS X?. i know that there are few programs out there... but the one i have is Thinkertool. for some reason it doesn't really do a damn thing... i mean it does but not all the fonts change.. kinda of worthless don't you think.?

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I came across another Virtual Desktop Manager the other day which I like just a bit better than Desktop Manager for one simple feature. When I click on a program in the dock, it automatically switches to the Virtual Desktop that the program is currently visible on. It also has some other funky features, but that was the one I liked most over Desktop Manager.

It's called Virtue and is available here:

http://virtuedesktops.sourceforge.net/

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I came across another Virtual Desktop Manager the other day which I like just a bit better than Desktop Manager for one simple feature.  When I click on a program in the dock, it automatically switches to the Virtual Desktop that the program is currently visible on.  It also has some other funky features, but that was the one I liked most over Desktop Manager.

It's called Virtue and is available here:

http://virtuedesktops.sourceforge.net/

585646397[/snapback]

Nice app, we need more stuff like this.

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Is their a program that does the eqivalent of the "Start" menu in Windows? I know there are similiar ones on this list but is their some program for OS X (or OS 9) that search my system for applications then list them in order.

That's free.

This may be an intersting idea for a developer considering the new "Spotlight" technology in the next version of OS X, "Tiger".

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Is their a program that does the eqivalent of the "Start" menu in Windows? I know there are similiar ones on this list but is their some program for OS X (or OS 9) that search my system for applications then list them in order.

That's free.

This may be an intersting idea for a developer considering the new "Spotlight" technology in the next version of OS X, "Tiger".

585661946[/snapback]

did you tried F10 Launch studio ? here is the link http://www.chronosnet.com/Products/f10_product.html

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I just saw this on macnn and tried it its very usefull :) and its open source :D

Smultron

Smultron is an open-source text editor written in Cocoa for Mac OS X Panther with many of the features that you might need. It features easy selection of the opened documents, line numbers, support for syntax colouring for many different languages, support for text encodings, code snippets, a toolbar, a status bar, HTML preview, multi-document find and replace with regular expressions, possibility to show invisible characters, authenticated saves, command-line utility, .Mac synchronisation of preferences and many more features.

http://smultron.sourceforge.net/

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one thing im curious about, are there any programs for os x that offer a moving background like a waterfall with the water flowing for example?

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i think you can setup your screensaver as a desktop picture

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