So I decided to do something different and am now the owner of a brand new Macbook. So far I am loving it. This is my first Mac and I am still in the learning curve, but so far so good. I just have to teach my wife how to use it. The question; for you other Mac users, what are some important programs (hell even Dashboard Widgets) you've picked up? I thought Safari is fine, but I did go ahead and dl Camino and have tested it. I will say it is insanely fast (but seems to have problems with Ebay for some reason). I also picked up Handbrake for ripping my DVDs. Also, cases. Looking for a good case that I can get a good deal on. Thanks.
I use Firefox and like it better than any of the others. Here are the software titles I use nearly every day. Firefox Entourage (email) Photoshop Dreamweaver Microsoft Word Transmit (FTP software) iTunes Sound Studio (audio software - very simple) WireTap Pro (captures audio from your computer) Snapz Pro (awesome screen cap software) Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Adium (IM software) Quicken Quickbooks Quicktime DropZip (for creating zip files) SpamSieve (terrific anti spam utility) Text Edit (comes with the mac) iScrobbler (utility for reading and cataloging what I listen to on iTunes) Flip4Mac (plugin that converts Windows Media files for use through Firefox) Other Apps that I use on a fairly regular basis: Garage Band Digital Perfomer (audio software) Adobe Illustrator Evocam (webcam capture software) Flickr Uploadr (Flickr utility) Folder Icon (creates folder icons) iMovie iPhoto Limewire Macromedia Flash Good luck and welcome to the club!
While your Mac comes w/ most things you'll need, here's some extra, free essentials to get you going: Flip4Mac (allows Quicktime and internet browsers to play Windows Media Player stuff) Adium (Mac equivalent of Trillian) VLC (plays most video formats/codecs) Firefox (personal preference, I like the add-ons) Stuffit Expander (Mac compression/uncompressor, like Winzip, Winrar, etc) Delocalizer (remove unnecessary languages from your Mac, I freed up 2 gbs, be careful and readup on this if you use it) iStat Pro (widget - monitors cpu temp, processors, ram usage, etc) I also got AppZapper (not free). It's totally unnecessary, but when you normally uninstall programs from your Mac some small files (<1 mb) are sometimes left over (preferences files, etc). AppZapper on the otherhand will uninstall a program and all associated files. I use it because I'm OCD when it comes to computers.
Why are those other screen grab programs and webcam programs better than the standard screen capture/cam of OS X? Jeff, are you talking about Transmission or is Transmit another program? also, is Final Cut Pro necessary if I can get Final cut Express?
Snapz Pro allows you not only to grab a screen cap, but select a very specific area of the page, save in different formats, even record video saved as a .mov file of your movements on the screen. I haven't tried too many of the webcam grabbers. i use Evocam as an auto-capture software that will upload the photos to a server and re-capture images ever X amount of minutes. The FTP software I'm talking about is Transmit by Panic Software .
Jeff and rokkit - you gota try Quicksilver , it's totally rad. It's like spotlight for applications, it totally cleans up the dock, and is way fast. Its mildly awkward at first, but i use it constantly now. congrats, rokkit!
Make sure you take care of it. -Hand Stains -Scratches -Screen Smudges -Broken Keys -Overheating also, Firefox>Safari IMO.
I just upgraded to iLife 08 and found out I need a 1.9 instead of the 1.8 G5 that I have. Apparently iMovie may not work on mine. I haven't tried it yet though.
I bought a MacBook about a week ago. So far I've used Safari... and after 20 seconds of that mess, I downloaded Firefox. Much better. All I do is surf on it for now.
have you tried camino? i've heard thats a pretty good browser for mac its also based of the gecko engine but i'm not sure if its compatible with firefox extensions..that would almost be a dealbreaker for me
