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The Best Mac OS X Software Tools

Posted by kdawson on from the steroids dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Mac advocate John C. Welch weighs in with his list of the top 20 Mac OS X products (except Welch manages to list 22). The collection of software tools ranges from the obvious, such as Boot Camp, to the obscure but perhaps more useful — little-known apps like Peter Borg's Lingon, for creating launchd configuration files. What's on your personal list of indispensable Mac productivity aids and programming tools? Also, do you think Welch gives too much air time to built-in OS X tools at the expense of third-party products such as NetworkLocation?"

13 of 213 comments (clear)

  1. The List by BarryJacobsen · · Score: 3, Informative

    Ecto

    Transmit

    Sync Services

    BBEdit

    Missing Sync for Windows Mobile

    OmniGraffle Pro

    ConceptDraw

    iChat AV

    AppleScript

    Script Debugger

    Microsoft Entourage

    SketchFighter 4000 Alpha

    TypeIt4Me

    NetworkLocation

    Apple Remote Desktop 3

    MacLink Plus Deluxe

    Parallels Desktop for Mac

    Remote Desktop Connection

    Snapz Pro X

    Boot Camp

    PDF

    Lingon

    Workgroup Manager

    --
    Track your TV Shows with your iPhone - FREE
    1. Re:The List by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Linked version with condensed summary. I wanted to find out more about some of them. Others may benefit too.

      Ecto a blogging client (but the site seems to be down: try this for more info). Shareware, $17.95.
      Transmit an FTP client. Shareware, $17.95
      Sync Services -- comes with 10.4
      BBedit text/html editor. $125, but worth it.
      Missing Synch for Windows Mobile - synchronize with PDA/smartphones. $49.95/$39.95
      OmniGraffle - diagramming / flowchart program. $79.95 / $149.95
      ConceptDraw - another diagramming / flowchart program. $299
      IChat AV - built-in to 10.4
      AppleScript, Scriptdebugger - also built-in. No link. I'm getting lazy.
      Microsoft Entourage -- part of MS Office.
      Sketchfigher 4000 Alpha -- a game from the great Ambrosia Software. $19.00
      TypeIt4Me - keyboard macro expander. $27
      NetworkLocation - automatically trigger configuration changes depending upon where you are on the network (e.g., at home, work, etc.). $15
      Apple Remote Desktop 3 - control / configure Mac systems remotely. $499 / $299 (unlimited / 10 systems)
      MacLinkPlus - file conversion software (e.g., from WordPerfect documents to/from Word, and many others). $79
      Parallels Desktop for Mac - virtualization software (e.g., run Win XP simultaneously with OS X). $79.
      Remote Desktop Connection - connect remotely to a Windows desktop. FREE
      Snap X Pro - screen / movie capture. $29
      Boot Camp - dual boot Windows. I'm lazy.
      PDF - Portable Document Format from Adobe? What?
      Lingon - tool for making launchd scripts for 10.4.
      Workgroup Manager - manage local systems - part of 10.4 Server.

      ---
      Okay, a mildly interesting list. Here's a few more suggestions:

      Cyberduck - FTP and SFTP client. Donationware.
      VLC - cross-platform video viewer / transcoder.
      Blender 3D - cross-platform 3D modelling / rendering.
      Bookends - excellent bibliography software. $99
      Celestia - cross-platform real-time 3D astronomy simulator.
      Plot - a, uh, plotting / graphing program.
      proFit - another plotting / graphing program, non-free. $95
      WordService - adds a bunch of text reformatting tools to the Services menu, making them accessible in any program. The same page has a bunch of other useful and free services.

      The original article lists PDF, but no tools. While its true OS X native support makes PDF pretty easy to use, there's still some tasks that are awkward and some useful tools out there to do t

    2. Re:The List by Divebus · · Score: 4, Informative

      I find it quite telling that one of the most popular applications for the MAC is a program that lets you run a different OS.

      If you've been paying attention here for the last year, most of the commentary surrounding virtualization on the Mac has revolved around people finally able to dump their infernal Windows machine and do everything on a Mac instead. Parallels, along with Boot Camp, is quite possibly the largest driver of Mac sales in the last year. There are a few functions not available on the Mac [yet] and Parallels lets people run those few apps they'd miss from Windows. Yes, Paralleles does run Linux. I currently know more people who dumped their Windows machines in the last year than I know remaining Windows owners - and those aren't far behind.

      --

      Most of the stuff on /. won't survive first contact with facts.
  2. Quicksilver by zaphod_es · · Score: 5, Informative

    What, 22 favourite apps and no Quicksilver? This is the one program I just could not live without, it is what makes my Mac usable. I hardly use the mouse anymore and access and/or run almost everything on my computer with two or three keystrokes. And it's free!

    1. Re:Quicksilver by bismark.a · · Score: 5, Informative

      I don't own a Mac, but I swear that my next laptop will be a Leopard tera-core sexy machine. And one of the reason for that is beautiful apps like Quick Silver.

  3. printer friendly version by JoeKuboj · · Score: 4, Informative

    much better
    http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArt icle.jhtml?articleID=197700391
    http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArt icle.jhtml?articleID=197700439

  4. BootCamp by suv4x4 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Who else thinks that BootCamp being in the top 20 best OSX products is kinda silly?

    On Windows (or even Linux) you don't see "top 10 best products" list that often, if at all, simply because they are too many to just list a "top 20 best".

    Computers have moved to a point where different people use them for wildly different purposes. As such, you simply can't have "top X products" for an entire OS. If on Mac it's not the same, it's that much sadder.

  5. Re:The bit i like by Watson+Ladd · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Programing is hard. It doesn't matter if you use drag and drop widgets, or switches on the front board. You still need to specify what you are doing in a precise manner. With Labview it is easy because it has a very limited domain. Not so with general programing.

    --
    Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further development.-- Frontinus, 1st cent. AD
  6. Textmate! by thelamecamel · · Score: 4, Informative

    No textmate either! It certainly does everything the journo wants from BBEdit. And for LaTeX and Ruby it's utterly indispensable. I think it's the only shareware I've ever bought.

  7. Kiddie pools... by Beefslaya · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For starters:

    I would throw in iTerm, virtueDesktops, Parallels, TextMate, Navicat for Mac.

    Without these programs, I couldn't make it in the fast paced Graphic Design field of Macs (Any other IT people out there want to shit nails when someone says Mac's are for graphic design? Last time I checked, my Macs didn't look like big blue pumpkins.)

    ----My Motto:
    I don't care if the customer's stuff is working or not. I just don't want to be affected by whatever they have. My equipment MUST work, Therefore I use Apple.

  8. Re:Essential Mac tools... by AugstWest · · Score: 4, Informative

    Or, just:

    vi (built-in)
    screen (built in)
    apache (built-in)
    ssh (built-in)
    emacs (built-in)

    and the list goes on.

    It's my favorite *nix workstation. I don't wear an earring, drive a Jetta, or own a kayak, mountain bike or iPod.

  9. Missing Program by maytagman · · Score: 3, Informative

    How on earth did he not include Onyx? I'd probably say its top 5... http://www.titanium.free.fr/pgs/english.html from the site: It allows you to run misc tasks of system maintenance, to configure certain hidden parameters of the Finder, Dock, Dashboard, Exposé, Safari, Login window and many Apple's applications, to delete cache, to remove a certain number of files and folders that may become cumbersome, to see the detailed info of your configuration, to preview the different logs and CrashReporter reports, to check the Preferences files and more. I would even go so far as to say it deserved to be number one...

  10. What about Growl? by libwolf · · Score: 3, Informative

    Don't forget http://www.growl.info/ - just need to know a tiny bit of scripting and it's amazingly useful