[bpm2000]

So i finally got my macbook yesteday (white 2.0c2d/2g ram) and am in the process of moving my files over.

I've dabbled around and downloaded some stuff already - wondering if there are essential pieces of software that you guys use?

Ive install thus far:
firefox
adium
soundsource
Max

I still need a dvd player (or is the included one fine?), bitorrent program, photo editor, etc. I will probably stick with itunes for audio (and grudginly convert my flacs) unless there is something that much better.

Free is the name of the game here guys n gals - buying parallels and windows xp is shorting my software budget.

thx much

also - widgets, where, what, how?

 

[jonnywolfet]

get
vlc for vids
azureus for torrents
macflac for flac

 

[sisenor]

I've had my PowerBook G4 for going on 3 years and I'm still in love with it.

Here's a few of my favorite toys since I'm feeling generous tonight:

-mail appetizer (http://www.bronsonbeta.com/mailappetizer/)
show incoming mail messages on transparent window on top of whatever you're doing, awesome!
-backlight 2 (http://freshsqueeze.com/products/freeware/) to use a screen saver as you background and checkoff (http://www.carpeaqua.com/software/checkoff/) menu bar checklist, are two dank ass menu bar programs
-keyboard shortcuts:
ctrl-optn-apple 8
optn-apple 8 to activate, then optn-apple + or - and mouse around
and last but not least, ctrl-apple d while mousing over a word in safari (and elsewere too I think)

You're on your own for everything else

p e a c e

 

[sisenor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonnywolfet /img/forum/go_quote.gif get vlc for vids azureus for torrents macflac for flac

Isn't azureus java based though, read CPU heavy and slower?
I use Bits on Wheels because it has a really cool graphical approach..also tomato torrent is tiny and regular old bittorrent

 

[AuroraProject]

Gimp for a free photo editor
Onyx is a good free maintenance program

 

[krmathis]

My favorites:
* Camino
* Adium
* VLC
* Colloquy
* NeoOffice
* Max
* Smultron
* Seashore

All of them are open source!

 

[slick]

Transmission - bittorent client, very simple and easy to use, not a resource hog
Seashore - simple photo editor app
NeoOffice - MS Office substitute
Burn - CD/DVD burning app, though I don't know if it supports dual layer
VLC - general all purpose media player
Onyx - system maintenance app
Handbrake - easy to use DVD to iPod utility
MacTheRipper - DVD ripping app

 

[GlendaleViper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuroraProject /img/forum/go_quote.gif Gimp for a free photo editor Onyx is a good free maintenance program

x2.

Gimp is an amazingly capable piece of Freeware (use iPhoto for file management only), and Onyx is absolutely necessary (think of it as an elaborate Mac version of Windows disk utility).

Your harddrive and OS will thank you for Onyx.

 

[bpm2000]

yea im not a huge fan of azerius coming from windows - i always liked the smaller less intensive programs better.

thx for the suggestions, and keep em coming if ya got em!

(oh and any equivalent to DVDShrink on mac? or will any of the listed to the shrinking option?)

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpm2000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif (oh and any equivalent to DVDShrink on mac? or will any of the listed to the shrinking option?)

Unfortunately, in reality no. Best bet is MactheRipper to Toast/Popcorn. As mentioned by others Handbrake (and Instant Handbrake if you have a video compatible iPod), MacTheRipper and Toast/Popcorn (if you want to burn back) are musts.

A freeform database program is a must and one of the splendid things about the Mac. As far as I know there is now real equivalent on the PC side (maybe OneNote), but on the Mac there is Yojimbo, StickyNotes/SOHONotes, etc. My personal fave is DEVONthink.

Here's a good site for Open Source apps.

 

[puiah11]

Gimp i've found works far better on XP than OS X. (I run both OS's)

I would say Graphic Converter is essential.

VLC to but again the XP version is much much much much much more stable.

OS X vlc crashes all the time.

 

[Wodgy]

Get Perian. It lets you dump VLC.

 

[puiah11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Get Perian. It lets you dump VLC.

Inferior. No mpeg2. =\ thx anyway

VLC works FLAWLESSLY on XP tho. I was SO surprised when I built my first XP box ~6 months ago that GIMP and VLC are 100% stable on XP. On OS X gimp and VLC aren't very stable at all (very frequent crashing).

If you like to fool around with stuff check out unsanity

ShaddowKiller is good for killing the bogus OS X shadows (helps reduce CPU/ram)

Also try killing dashboard by typing "defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES " in terminal

I got OS X to 98 MB of ram used on boot. Sure you can get it lower.

http://www.unsanity.com/

unsanity rocks.

also check out backlight 2

http://freshsqueeze.com/products/freeware/

also check out random web

http://cellardoorsw.com/?page_id=5

also check out menu meters

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

also check out icons @

http://www.pixelgirlpresents.com/

here's a cap of my os x desktops past

|

 

[kugino]

lots of good recs already, but here are a few more free apps:

- DooDim and WriteRoom, both which can help make you a more productive writer
- Transmission, the best torrent app on the mac
- gDisk, which allows you to use your gmail account as online storage
- Clutter, an album-based way to listen to your music on itunes...
- SuperDuper, a nice and easy way to back up your mac to an external drive

these are shareware, but i gladly pay for them:

- Mellel (best word processor on the mac)
- AppZapper
- Disco, to burn discs...new and not the most features, but very cool
- OmniGraffle and OmniOutliner (these you have to pay for)-

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by puiah11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Inferior. No mpeg2. =\ thx anyway

QuickTime supports MPEG2 natively. If you mean AC3, you need to also download A52Codec. Then there's no reason to use VLC, except for anime movies with subtitles.