Brad just posted what are the key Windows apps to have, well thanks to Buzz's suggestion, I'm going to give you a few of my fav apps for new Mac users.
Have a new Mac? Awesome. I came back from the Dark Side almost a year ago now. One of the great things about having a Mac is that a lot of the key software you'll need to get going is already waiting for you. Still there are a few goodies you might want to start picking up.
Unlike our Windows brethren, we don't have to worry as much about viruses, spyware, etc. This doesn't mean that these nasties aren't out there, it just means that you're a lot less likely run into them in the wild. Yes, some will disagree with me, so if you have suggestions for free anti-virus apps for Macs, I'm all ears.
Let's start off with browsers, Safari is a very capable browser (especially version 4), but downloading Firefox is always a good idea (just to have around you know). As far as Google Chrome is concerned, it's available, but it's not something that most folks need right now.
In the world of Office Apps there are some choices here:
- NeoOffice: The Mac version of OpenOffice (free)
- iWork: Apple's own office suite. Very Mac, but doesn't play well in the sandbox ($)
- Microsoft Office: Well we all know about this one ($)
For my money, I went with MS Office. I gave iWork a good try, but didn't care for Pages (the word processor) and I found Keynote (presentations) didn't sent PowerPoint presentations back and forth to MS Office folks very well. I haven't tried NeoOffice for a long while, but I have heard good things about it.
Tweaking, tuning, and Maintenance
- Onyx: This is a great free app for keeping your system healthy. You can also tweak some hidden settings, but the real king of system tweaking has to be TinkerTool
- AppCleaner: Yeah, installing apps on the Mac is as easy as dragging them to the Applications folder and getting rid of them, deleting them. Well, almost that easy. Even though you delete said app from your Applications folder, doesn't mean all its bits and pieces are gone. AppCleaner can keep an eye on things and when you delete that app, it will ask if you want to delete all the extraneous bits too. Very handy
Other nifty utilities:
- Quicksilver: This is like Othello/Reversi and Go. Minutes to learn, lifetime to master. I've been using it for a long time and still know I'm not tapping into all of its potential. Essentially it's a fast application launcher, but it can also control applications as well. Download it, then skim the quickstart guides.
- Growl: If there has been a Mac app that has made Windows folks jealous, it's Growl. Growl is a notifier application that lets different apps (like Mail, the Finder, Safari, etc) put little notification bubbles up for you.
- Skitch: Yes, OS X let's you take screenshots, but Skitch lets you take screenshots. It's an amazing app that gives you a lot of screenshot power for free.
When you've grown tired of the basics, try Adium for IM (it handles Yahoo, MSN, AIM, GTalk), Evernote for capturing notes, Caffeine for keeping your screen from going to sleep during presentations, and DropBox for free, in-the-cloud storage.
Yes, there are tons more apps to check out. There is one thing you will quickly notice about Mac apps, however, very few are free. Most of my favourite apps are shareware, that's okay because the prices tend to be reasonable and the quality high.
I'm sure I've left out some great apps for new Mac owners. I've left out some of my more geeky toys and nifty apps that most folks might not be interested in, so let me know in the comments what I've missed or ask, "Is there an app that does..." and I'm sure we can find something for you.
