Handpicked Software

AcidSearch

Scott McNulty, over at The Unofficial Apple Weblog, recently started a new series of posts called “Virgin Install.” He just got a new Mac Mini and asked readers to chime in with their recommendations for essential Mac software that should be installed on any Mac.

That got me thinking. I’m a freelance writer for Macworld, and for each application that I review, I probably download and test drive a dozen more. After I’ve finished my reviews, some applications become essential to me, some are purged from my system as if they were viruses, and some languish in my Applications folder. But, like many Mac lovers, I recently went through a “virgin install” of my own when I upgraded to Tiger. What were the essential applications I couldn’t wait to load up in my fresh install?

I’ve reviewed many of these already for Macworld or here on Futurosity, so this will be a quick list with short descriptions. And I won’t mention the obvious applications (like Adobe Creative Suite); these are my favorite freeware and shareware picks. You may not have a use for everything on this list, but if you do, these apps are all worth your consideration; they have been handpicked. If you think there’s something better out there, I’d like to hear about it.

DropCopy
I reviewed DropCopy on Futurosity back in February. DropCopy (free, from 10base-t interactive) let’s you transfer files over your local network by dropping them on a “drop zone” on your desktop. Setup is simple, and it makes sending files quick and easy.

clamXav
Most Mac users don’t think about viruses, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. When I reviewed ClamXav on Futurosity in October last year, it found a virus on my Virtual PC disk. Since then, it’s found viruses in my email. They wouldn’t have infected my Mac, but at least I didn’t pass them on to my vulnerable Windows-using friends. Who needs Virex? ClamXav is free (from Mark Allan)!

CyberDuck/Transmit
If you have a website or a blog, you need an FTP client. There are numerous freeware and shareware apps available, but the best of the freebies is Cyberduck, from David Kocher, which I reviewed for Macworld. I recently switched to Panic’s Transmit ($29.95), the best of the commercial FTP clients, mainly for its WebDAV support. It also includes a Dashboard widget, for quick and easy uploads.

HyperEdit
I reviewed HyperEdit ($20, from Johnathan Deutsch) for Macworld. HyperEdit is a lightweight HTML and PHP editor. Yep, I know there are lots of those out there, many of them free. What makes HyperEdit so great? Three reasons: live split-pane previewing, easy to use code snippets, and W3C validation (which I will actually begin using one of these days).

iBiz
I reviewed iBiz on Futurosity when it was still called iWork. iBiz ($29.99, from IGG Software), is a time-billing and invoicing application. Updated for Tiger, it includes a time-keeping Dashboard widget to time your work. Perfect for freelance writers, or anyone who needs to track and bill for their time.

JunkMatcher
JunkMatcher was another of my bargain software picks for Macworld. Much improved since I reviewed it, this free app from Benjamin Han picks up where Mail’s Junk Mail filtering leaves off.

MenuMeters
I’ve never reviewed MenuMeters, a free set of system monitoring tools from Raging Menace, but I can’t imagine my Mac without it. MenuMeters displays CPU, memory, disk, and network activity in the menu bar. You can tell at a glance if something starts sucking on your CPU, or if things are sluggish because you’re running out of RAM.

Safari Enhancer
I reviewed Safari Enhancer on Futurosity in May. This is one of those utilities that I use once and forget about (like TransparentDock, below), but go hunting for when I update my system. Safari Enhancer (free, from Gordon Byrnes), enables several hidden features in Safari, and lets you easily import bookmarks from other browsers.

StickyBrain
I’ve reviewed several notes applications for Macworld, including NoteBook and NoteTaker. They’re both excellent applications, but the one I find myself using the most is StickyBrain ($39, from Chronos). Why? Option-Command-C. Just highlight anything in any application, press Option-Command-C, and StickyBrain copies it into an Unfiled folder, after sounding a satisfying doorbell chime. I got hooked on that keyboard combination. My only beef with StickyBrain is that there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to change the default formatting for all new notes; you have to set a preference for each folder.

TinkerTool
I haven’t written about TinkerTool since I reviewed it for Handpicked Software for Mac OS X (you can read the original review in the Utilities section). TinkerTool (free, from Marcel Bresink) lets you tweak a slew of hidden system preferences. My favorite: the ability to display both scroll arrows at both ends of any scroll bar.

TransparentDock
I think this was the first application I missed when I loaded up a fresh install of Tiger. I don’t know why transparency isn’t a Dock preference in OS X, but TransparentDock ($8, or free for basic use, from Free Range Mac) does the trick. I just make my Dock transparent and forget about it, but TransparentDock offers a number of additional options.

There are a few more apps that I find essential, but I’m running out of steam. Check out AcidSearch (free, from Robin Hamilton-Pennell), which I reviewed back in May. If you’re a chess player, your Mac isn’t ready until you’ve loaded Chessic (free, from Joakim Johansson), an Internet Chess Club client, and Vektor3, the sleek Chess program from Shubert|it ($19). And then there’s the Zinio Reader (from Zinio.com), so you can read your new digital issues of Macworld.

That’s about it, from A (AcidSearch) to Z (Zinio Reader).