TheAppleBlog

I’m an app junkie. Without fail, my favorite blog posts/topics are the golden nugget applications that people can’t live without on their OS X system. No matter how often I come across a blog post/comment thread of this topic I find at least one cool application I didn’t know about before.

Because I don’t think you can get enough of this stuff, here’s my list, then a list of links to similar posts for when you’ve got a few extra minutes/days/hours to kill. And please, comment with your lists as well. Because no matter how common you think the apps are that you use, there may be somebody out there that hasn’t heard of it.

My List of must have apps for OS X:
Absolute First Installs

• Firefox - web browser, duh. (free)
• SideTrack - for iBook/PowerBook trackpads. enables tap as RIGHT click (shareware)
• Quicksilver - app launcher…TONS more (I’ll write up about this soon) (freeware)
• desktop manager - multiple desktops (freeware)
• MenuMeters - menubar monitors of your system (freeware)

Everyday Use

• Gmail Status - if you’ve got gmail, puts notification in menubar (freeware)
• SubEthaEdit - awesome network collabborative code editor. geat for ANY text editing work (free for personal use)
• Cyber Duck FTP - terrific gui ftp (and sftp) client. true os x look and feel (free)
• Synergy - menubar iTunes controls (shareware)
• MenuCalendarClock - drop-down calendar from menubar clock. full version integrates with iCal (shareware)
• BluePhoneElite - Bluetooth on screen caller id and sms helper for your cell phone (free)

System/Utility Stuff

• Onyx/Cocktail/MacJanitor - all basically do the same thing, which is clean up junk that accumulates on your system. Run unix tasks to refresh your system from time to time. All worth a try for when your system seems to be bogging down. (I believe they’re all free
• TinkerTool - allows you to change some of the defualt OS X settings to be more in line with your usage style (freeware)
• Growl - system wide universal notifier (free)
• uControl - allows remapping of keys. I use to disable Caps Lock for instance (free)
• GeekTool - allows you to place logs, unix command outputs, web urls, etc at the desktop level for monitoring. great for TOP processes (free)
• APE Manager/ClearDock/Windowshade X - allows many haxies from Unsanity/gives control of your dock coloring/double click title bar of window to collapse in place like os 9 (free/free/shareware)
• AutoPairs - automatically pairs Quotes, parens, etc. great for coders (free)
• JDiskReport - as I’ve covered here before on TAB, awesome way to find out where your hard drive space is going (free)

Just Plain Cool

• Paparazzi! - takes full screen shots of any webpage for which you enter the URL. very slick. (free)
• Audio Hijack Pro - record any sound from any app, apply effects, and more (shareware)
• LineIn - pipe your line in jack from any device (free)
• Notational Velocity - truly cool note taking/todo list creating/db-word processor. Just check it out. (free)

Ok, that’s my list. I really tried to keep it short. Really. You should see the insanity that is my Applications directory…

So here are some links to other threads/listings of great OS X applications you may or may not have heard of:
43Folders.com - this list will take you FOREVER to get through…So worth a few hours of your time.
tuaw.com - a relatively small but good look at some other apps

So what about you? The lists I’ve typed and linked above should cover most everything (I’d think), but as I said, I have yet to come away from a listing/comment thread without finding something new and awesome to take-up a home in my Applications directory. So let’s have it!

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