Favorite Mac Apps
You see a lot of "Top 10 must have Android Apps", etc., on the web, and the lists usually suck because they are:
a. Full of obvious apps that everyone already knows (Like Skype, Line, VMWare, etc.)
b. Contain apps that are only popular (or only work in) a certain geographic area
c. Contain apps that will appeal to only certain segments of people. (For example business account apps, etc.)
So here is my list of "Must have Mac apps". I have removed the ones specific to Japan, and the ones that might not have usefulness to a lot of people. My focus is on apps that most people will find useful on modern mac Laptops.
1. LibreOffice - I prefer OpenOffice on Windows, however LibreOffice Vanilla is available for free on the App store (which means automatic updates) and works better on some of my machines (i.e. it handles retina resolution well). Some may think this pick borders on the obvious, but in my experience, many Mac users are not aware of the availability of this great piece of software. Yes, pages and numbers work just fine, but they also trap you into working with Apple's software. If you use Linux or Windows a fair amount as well, you will find this free cross-platform software a boon. It can read and write Microsoft Office files, works more similarly to Microsoft Office than Apple's Apps, and also has it's own cross-platform XML based file format. Using the OpenOffice file format is a way to future proof your documents. (You can also download the OpenOffice.org version from their web site, or use one of the paid versions available in the App Store).
2. Endurance - This small application runs in the background and helps you save battery power. If you use a laptop not plugged into the charger frequently, you may find this to be useful. The price is reasonable, and it can be downloaded from the web site.
3. Clusters - This is another small application that runs in the background, only this one compresses files. It isn't free, but it is reasonably cheap (~12 USD) and it works well. Similar applications are available for free and in the app store. (You can also compress files via the command line using utilities built into OS X if you know how, but you will have to re-do this when files are modified). You can download this from the developers' web site as well. The only real down-side is that the files that typically take up the most space (video!) are not really compressible.
4. BitTorrent Sync - This is good for anyone with multiple machines that wants to keep their documents synched between them. The pros include unlimited space, high security, and free synching. The cons are mainly that the machines have to be online at the same time to synch, since no central repository is used. (There is a pro version with additional features). I used to use AeroFS for this, however the current version of AeroFS requires a dedicated server with a public static IP, which is beyond most home users. BitTorrent sync can effectively eliminate the need for separate backups in many cases. There is even a mobile app that will let you access your files from your phone. This is also a great way to share large files with friends.
5. KyPass Companion - This is supposedly the Companion app for the iPhone KyPass app, but actually it is a program that stores passwords in the keepass (.kdb/.kdbx) format. You can also use KeePass X for free, however KyPass is decidely more Mac-like in the interface department. Whichever you use, you can store your passwords and license keys in an encrypted database, and Sync it with BitTorrent Sync above. The benefit of using the KeePass format is that KeePass is also available on Windows and Linux (and Android.. and probably iOS) for free.
6. DaisyDisk - There are many similar utilities, but if you have a computer with an overflowing SSD drive, this helps you locate what is filling it up and delete unnecessary items. In combination with Clusters (mentioned above), this can help you make the most of your disk space - however constrained. (DaisyDisk is available on the Mac App Store). This one borders on obvious at the moment because it has been high in the rankings, however it may not be in the future.
Honorable Mentions:
a. Full of obvious apps that everyone already knows (Like Skype, Line, VMWare, etc.)
b. Contain apps that are only popular (or only work in) a certain geographic area
c. Contain apps that will appeal to only certain segments of people. (For example business account apps, etc.)
So here is my list of "Must have Mac apps". I have removed the ones specific to Japan, and the ones that might not have usefulness to a lot of people. My focus is on apps that most people will find useful on modern mac Laptops.
1. LibreOffice - I prefer OpenOffice on Windows, however LibreOffice Vanilla is available for free on the App store (which means automatic updates) and works better on some of my machines (i.e. it handles retina resolution well). Some may think this pick borders on the obvious, but in my experience, many Mac users are not aware of the availability of this great piece of software. Yes, pages and numbers work just fine, but they also trap you into working with Apple's software. If you use Linux or Windows a fair amount as well, you will find this free cross-platform software a boon. It can read and write Microsoft Office files, works more similarly to Microsoft Office than Apple's Apps, and also has it's own cross-platform XML based file format. Using the OpenOffice file format is a way to future proof your documents. (You can also download the OpenOffice.org version from their web site, or use one of the paid versions available in the App Store).
2. Endurance - This small application runs in the background and helps you save battery power. If you use a laptop not plugged into the charger frequently, you may find this to be useful. The price is reasonable, and it can be downloaded from the web site.
3. Clusters - This is another small application that runs in the background, only this one compresses files. It isn't free, but it is reasonably cheap (~12 USD) and it works well. Similar applications are available for free and in the app store. (You can also compress files via the command line using utilities built into OS X if you know how, but you will have to re-do this when files are modified). You can download this from the developers' web site as well. The only real down-side is that the files that typically take up the most space (video!) are not really compressible.
4. BitTorrent Sync - This is good for anyone with multiple machines that wants to keep their documents synched between them. The pros include unlimited space, high security, and free synching. The cons are mainly that the machines have to be online at the same time to synch, since no central repository is used. (There is a pro version with additional features). I used to use AeroFS for this, however the current version of AeroFS requires a dedicated server with a public static IP, which is beyond most home users. BitTorrent sync can effectively eliminate the need for separate backups in many cases. There is even a mobile app that will let you access your files from your phone. This is also a great way to share large files with friends.
5. KyPass Companion - This is supposedly the Companion app for the iPhone KyPass app, but actually it is a program that stores passwords in the keepass (.kdb/.kdbx) format. You can also use KeePass X for free, however KyPass is decidely more Mac-like in the interface department. Whichever you use, you can store your passwords and license keys in an encrypted database, and Sync it with BitTorrent Sync above. The benefit of using the KeePass format is that KeePass is also available on Windows and Linux (and Android.. and probably iOS) for free.
6. DaisyDisk - There are many similar utilities, but if you have a computer with an overflowing SSD drive, this helps you locate what is filling it up and delete unnecessary items. In combination with Clusters (mentioned above), this can help you make the most of your disk space - however constrained. (DaisyDisk is available on the Mac App Store). This one borders on obvious at the moment because it has been high in the rankings, however it may not be in the future.
Honorable Mentions:
- Hazel (Task automation software, probably only really applicable to power users),
- VirtualBox (Free Virtualization software you can use to run Linux or Windows on your Mac)
- Chrome Remote Desktop (You can use this to remote control your Mac over the internet, from another Mac or PC - for free)
- Coconut Battery (Free, Reports battery health)
- Adium (Free, Third party chat program that supports many protocols including Google Talk, etc.)
- AtHome Video Streamer (Free, Home Security Camera App)
- Lazarus (Free, GUI App builder using the pascal language - Works similar to VB, and works on Max, Windows, and Linux)
- Beamer (Commercial, Lets you send movies to AppleTV). Web Site.
- Karabiner - Keyboard remapping utility - useful for using machines with multiple keyboard with different layouts via remote desktop, etc.
- Google Japanese Input - Better than the included system.
- AirFoil, AirFoil Speakers - Allows you to use AirPlay (Speakers connected to Airport Express) for movies, etc. You don't need this utility, but it lets you do spiffy things, like play audio to multiple devices at once, and also receive audio on other computers. Web Site.
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