OS X is a great operating system, but I don’t know anyone who uses it pure—that is to say, without installing at least some third party software. There’s a pleasant minimalism to a new OS X install, but to really feel at home, there are certain pieces of software I need to install. Here are the top ten.
Quicksilver: The first thing I do when I launch a new OS X install is try to open Safari to download a new browser (more on that in a moment). I press control+space and start typing S-A-F… and nothing happens. That’s when I remember that Quicksilver isn’t actually built into OS X—I have to download it. Spotlight is no substitute; I use Quicksilver to launch applications, open files, reveal files, get info on files, do calculations… the list goes on. I need something like Quicksilver no matter what platform I’m on. If I’m forced to work on Windows, it’s Launchy; on Linux, it’s the excellent Do.
Google Chrome: Until recently, this position was held by Firefox. Safari doesn’t work for me because it doesn’t support certain behaviour like child tabs opening next to their parents and a status bar for downloads instead of a separate window. Unfortunately, getting those features in Firefox means addons, which make Firefox a resource hog. Chrome, even though it’s still a developer preview, has most of the features I want. My favourite discovery is that Chrome supports keyword searches—even using keyword bookmarks imported from Firefox. These days I use Chrome everywhere, and I’m really looking forward to the bookmark sync feature working on OS X.
Dropbox: I need access to my files. With Dropbox, even if I can’t install software, I can still download the files I need from the Dropbox website and get to work. Plus, it’s a versioned backup of all my important files and an easy way to share stuff. If you haven’t already set up a Dropbox account (referral link—I get extra space if you sign up), you owe it to yourself. A 2GB account is free, but it’s $10/month for 50GB; in my opinion, that’s a bargain. Dropbox works on OS X, Windows, and Linux.
Smultron: There are countless uses for a good, free text editor. Sadly, TextEdit doesn’t match the features I need, and Xcode is neither a default app nor lightweight. I’m going to piss some people off by saying this, but I’ve never been able to bring myself to spend $60 on TextMate when Smultron exists for free. The developer of Smultron, Peter Borg, has unfortunately stopped development and won’t be releasing any new versions, so it’s probably a good idea to keep an archive of this app somewhere handy in case the downloads go away. That said, the version of Smultron I’m currently using came from MacPorts, so I’m hopeful that it will continue to be hosted there if nowhere else. Gedit is installed by default on most GNOME-based Linux distros (there’s even a version for OS X now), and Notepad++ is pretty decent on Windows.
1Password: I don’t use 1Password as its creators intended; instead, I use it as a sort of memory backup. If I don’t remember a password, it’s in 1Password. I also use it to save all my software serials. I’ve taken to saving my 1Password keychain in my Dropbox so it’s available to me anywhere—I hate using stuff in demo mode when I have a serial for it. I have no idea whether there’s anything that provides this functionality on other platforms, but I carry a synched-up copy of 1Password Pro on my iPhone in case I suddenly need a software serial or login when I’m on a machine that’s not a Mac.
LittleSnapper: LittleSnapper is the best way of taking and organising screenshots out there, with the added benefit that it can take images of entire webpages. This is another application that gets installed as soon as I habitually hit cmd-opt-3 and nothing happens. For me, the usefulness of the app lies in its iPhoto-like nature and its ability to share a library between computers by putting it in my Dropbox. All my screenshots, everywhere. Again, I don’t know whether there’s anything like it for other platforms.
Forklift: A good FTP client is hard to find; a good, attractive FTP client is almost impossible. On OS X, Forklift fits the bill. To my knowledge, there’s nothing with the same combination of functionality and beauty on any other platform, which is a damned shame—a good FTP client should come installed on every computer.
Fluid: Until Chrome for Mac gets the ability to create webapps, Fluid saves my ass. Mozilla’s Prism just doesn’t match up. On Windows and Linux, Chrome or Chromium can fill this niche as well as serving as a browser.
VLC: If you don’t know what VLC is, you’ve been living under a rock. The media player that can play anything, on any platform. These days, I don’t use Quicktime for anything.
Alarm Clock: I don’t have a physical alarm clock, so my Macs wind up taking on that responsibility. There are more elaborate alarm clock apps, but in my experience none of them are as simple and reliable as this one. When I’m away from my Macs, I just use the clock app on my iPhone, so I’m not sure what’s out there for other platforms.
Well, that’s it for my ten. I’d be curious to know what other people need on their Macs to feel at home, so feel free to post a response on your blog. If you do, send me an email. Or just skip the posting step and send me an email.
