[MusicallySilent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LFC_SL /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tried it. Tried all the menubar controllers. Tried Quicksilver as a controller I now use: zumuya » iTunesVolume Beautifully simple. Beautifully elegant. Windows on Mac defaults so the right side of the desktop is showing; where your hard drive and external devices show up. In that respect it fits in seamlessly into OSX

Meh, I don't use it as a controller, skipping songs is done via buttons on my keyboard as is volume (unless i need to tweak it more then I use speaker volume control also.

I simply use it to display cover and track info.

 

[nineohtoo]

Anyone got a recommendation for Pandora? The widget doesnt work again and I dont like the space that it takes up lol.

Quicksilver has probably been the best one i've got from reading on here.

 

[MusicallySilent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nineohtoo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone got a recommendation for Pandora? The widget doesnt work again and I dont like the space that it takes up lol. Quicksilver has probably been the best one i've got from reading on here.

Personally I use Last.fm Instead of pandora. Then i just minimize the app. Hmm was gonna suggest web snip but it appears it unloads every time you leave dashboard so that is out.

This maybe?
pandoraboy - Google Code

 

[agile_one]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nineohtoo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone got a recommendation for Pandora? The widget doesnt work again and I dont like the space that it takes up lol. ...

Not a dashboard widget, but Pandora Man works great. Very small footprint - just put on dock, or use QS to call it.

 

[Rolamoto]

I'm kind of surprised no one has mentioned GeekTool. I use it to display my to do list and the current time on my desktop. Here's a quick list of some of my other favorite free Mac apps:

1. Quicksilver - Everyone else has explained this app much better than I can.
2. BowTie - Simple, lightweight, skinable iTunes now playing display.
3. Tweetie - My current twitter client. Yes, there is a paid version, but the ad-supported free version is still just as good.
4. iStat Menus - Lets me check CPU usage and network speeds at a glance.
5. Adium - The best multiprotocol chat client for OS X.
6. Firefox - My personal pick in the browser wars. I can't live without my favorite extensions (AdBlock Plus and Xmarks)
7. iSquint - Great for converting video files into a format iTunes/iPods like. You can pretty much throw any format at it: wmv, avi, flv, etc.
8. The Unarchiver - Very useful for opening pesky 7zip and RAR files

 

[gp_hebert]

Freedom - Great productivity tool, it allows you to disable your internet for a specified amount of time. Excellent for serious procrastinors like me.

 

[scud80]

i haven't heard of freedom ... selfcontrol does that too, but it will selectively block domains (for web and/or email) in case the work you actually need to do involves the web.

 

[gp_hebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scud80 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i haven't heard of freedom ... selfcontrol does that too, but it will selectively block domains (for web and/or email) in case the work you actually need to do involves the web.

Thanks, I was looking for something like that. Less radical solution than Freedom.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scud80 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i haven't heard of freedom ... selfcontrol does that too, but it will selectively block domains (for web and/or email) in case the work you actually need to do involves the web.

Sweet!
That one sure may come handy. With a bonus for the GPL source code

 

[melomaniac]

tubesock, VLC, handbrake...

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by melomaniac /img/forum/go_quote.gif tubesock, VLC, handbrake...

Free?
"TubeSock costs $15. Until you register, TubeSock will convert only the first 30 seconds of a video."

 

[thread]

After using Quicksilver for some time, I've actually switched to Butler. It does just about all the same things as Quicksilver, but it seems much faster.

Another nifty trick I do with QS/Butler is assign a hotkey to an app. When activated, it will either launch the app or simply bring it to the fore if it's already running. I use all three lower meta keys (control+option+cmd -- to avoid app collisions) plus a letter.

By using an app like this to launch your apps, your dock basically only has running apps. No longer do you need 50 icons so you can launch things. They only appear on the dock (running) when you launch them via QS/Butler.

Also, I liked Menumeters, but I find I like iStat Menus better! Sexay!

One more: RCDefaultApp lets you set your default app for different file types easily and all in one place. This should have been bundled with OSX!

 

[scud80]

a few others:

xld - good for accurate ripping of CDs
audacity - audio recording/manipulation
songbird - if you don't like itunes

 

[nineohtoo]

iStat menu is great. I've had to quit or relaunch apps. or the dock/finder because the graphs weren't where they normally were

Nice to know I can easily look at my menu bar and see how everything is running.

I also noticed after updating to 10.5.7, My RAM usage is typically under 2gb now(used to be about 2.5 including a lot of inactive ram), and my processor hardly goes above 30% with day to day usage. I typically have Adium, Firefox, iTunes/Pandora, AirFoil on all the time. The only time I've seen it spike is when converting my tv shows to m4v.