Essential Mac OS X programs
Several friends and colleagues have asked me what tools they need to use Mac OS X at work, so I’m going to post a list here. Please post your own essential OS X tools in the comments. I’ll update the list as more programs come to mind.
Web browsers
Safari: Very fast, ships with OS X.
Firefox: Just like the Windows version. Recommended.
Camino and OmniWeb are also very good. Opera is not, don’t use it.
Text editors
TextWrangler: Very good and free.
TextEdit: Ships with OS X. Much better than Notepad, but not as good as TextWrangler.
TextMate: Not free, but very good progammer features such as code-folding, bookmarks, and code auto-completion.
Aquamacs: Mac-ified interface for Emacs. If you like Emacs, I recommend Aquamacs.
From the UNIX Terminal: vi, emacs, pico.
BBEdit. Byron reminds me to mention one of the oldest, most comprehensive, and most expensive Mac text editors. If you need its advanced features, BBEdit is worth the money. If you can get by without the HTML tools and snippet libraries, go with the free TextWrangler. How on earth did I forget BBEdit?
FTP clients
Transmit: Limited features, but a very nice interface, very easy to use. I use this one the most.
Interarchy: Much more powerful than Transmit, but more complex as well.
Of course, you can always go command line if you like.
Finder enhancements
The OS X Finder is generally lacking, so here are some add-ons I can’t live without:
FinderPop: A very old extension to OS 8/9, finally available for OS X. A very handy pop-up menu and file launcher. My favorite OS X enhancement.
LaunchBar: Fast, unobtrusive file launcher. This is my second favorite OS X add-on. I literally could not work without this tool.
Open Terminal Here: A Toolbar Script from Marc Liyanage that adds a button to open the current Finder directory in the Terminal.
InVisibles: A Toolbar button to toggle invisible files on and off.
PathSnagger: Contextual menu that copies the full path of a file or directory. Very handy.
Seattle Weekly’s 2006 Music Awards
The Valley, featuring Lewis-Clark Valleyites Dan, Taku, and Jim, has been nominated for “Best New Artist” in the Seattle Weekly Music Awards. Dan has been nominated for “Best Guitar Player”. Get over there and stuff the ballot for some local boys who done good in the big city!
When you’ve cast your ballot, order The Valley album online
“Seattle Weekly’s 2006 Music Awards: The Valley has been nominated in a couple of different categories for this years SWMA`s, please take a minute to check it out and cast your vote now!”
http://www.seattleweekly.com/promos/swma2006/home.php
(Via The Valley.)