
01-16-2011, 11:20 PM
I don't use my Mac nearly to the extent it should be used! I'd like to expand this... so; what are your favorite Mac applications?
Aside from the normal ones (browser of choice is Firefox and I use TextEdit, Photoshop, and iTunes a lot), there are a few I really like. Here's my list:
Vuze: A torrent downloader. Not too much to say about it- it does it's job. Two things I don't like about it: 1) I can't figure out how to search for more than one thing at a time and 2) if I'm downloading a torrent with a lot of files, I can't unselect all at once so I can then select only a couple of files- I have to unselect them one-by-one. (Note that there is a new version out and I've not upgraded, so maybe one of these has been fixed. *crosses fingers*)
ZonEnergy: A simple little program that allows you to disable screen dimming and sleeping, or to set it to a different time than normal. The icon shows up in the little... um... icon thingy at the top of the screen (where the volume, time, and battery icons are).
Tor: I'm also into Tor lately. Tor is the program that the WikiLeaks whistleblowers use to transmit files anonymously. It's like a proxy server but different and more secure.
And saving the best for last. If there was one program I would recommend to every Mac user, it would be:
Quicksilver: As much as I use the internet, I think that Quicksilver is one of the programs that I use the most. Like my computer itself, I don't use it nearly to the extent that I could and should be using it, but even the one major way I do utilize it absolutely has changed the way I use my computer, so that I use it much more efficiently. Quicksilver allows you to use shortcuts for doing things you normally do on your computer.
The main way I use Quicksilver is to open files and programs. You do have to program it a bit, and the program also learns what you usually do the more you do something. Normally to open a program, you go over to your Dashboard with your mouse and click on the program if it's on your Dashboard, or you go to finder and then to applications and then scroll down to the program and open it. With Quicksilver, a simple CTRL+Spacebar pulls up the program. If I want to open Dictionary, I press D and then enter. Voila! In less time than it would have taken to go to Finder > Applications > Dictionary, I already have it up and running. It doesn't sound like much, but it really makes opening files more efficient. For instance, if I'm making a post and want to double-check that I'm using a word right, I can have Dictionary up in a jiffy without losing my focus on what I was writing.
Like I said, I don't use it nearly to the extent that it can (and should!) be used. You can also use it for emailing, trashing, and otherwise manipulating files, sending emails, and controlling iTunes. It might not sound like much, but a lot of Mac nerds rave over the program too.
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