Mark Drew (Redux)- cf_etc...

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Mark Drew (Redux)- cf_etc...

Top 10 Must-buy OS X Applications

June 22, 2007 ·

I wanted to put down (for the help of new Switchers and myself) a list of applications I consider a top 10 of commercial (have to pay) applications for OS X. There are so many applications that are free on the Mac, that cover nearly everything you want to do, but for this post I wanted to cover some of the paid for applications. I know there are Open Source alternatives for most of this software, but sometimes there is just software that *IS* worth the few pounds/dollars/euros that it takes to buy them. Please bear in mind, that I am a web developer (or application developer depending on the time of day) so these are focused on what I do. So without further ado here is my list (in no particular order): 1) TextMate http://macromates.com/ &euro 39 This is the "Missing Text Editor" for the Mac. I use this all the time, and there is a CFML plugin for it, for when you need to edit those random CFML files. Obviously for projects I use CFEclipse, but a text editor is always a handy tool 2) QuickTime Pro http://www.apple.com/quicktime/pro/ £ 20 QuickTime already comes with OS X but what you really want is the very cheap Pro edition, if only to watch stuff in full screen, and not to mention its export capabilities! 3) Parallels http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/ $79.99 /VMWare Fusion http://www.vmware.com/beta/fusion/ $ 39.99 (for pre-orders) With the advent of the IntelMacs, we can now run Windows natively or in Virtualisation, so these are the best (maybe only) tools for the job! I classify both of these as one since they do the same job (I have been checking out VMWare Fusion for a few weeks using my BootCamp drive, and I am really enjoying it, it seems faster than Parallels) Don't boot up your Mac without at least one of these! 4) iWork http://www.apple.com/iwork/ $79 I do a lot of presentations and the best software for that is Keynote, it just runs rings round PowerPoint (now if only Adobe Connect would support either PDF or Keynote files!!) I dont use Pages as much, but its still a lot nicer than the interface-cluttering Microsoft Word. 5) Coda http://www.panic.com/coda/ $69 We all have some small sites to manage, and Coda, a new kid on the block brings in some real nice features for this. I think its worth it alone for the CSS and the Site panel (which it automatically creates thumbnails of your sites!) I haven't bought this yet, but I am really liking it. EDIT: the latest version of Coda supports CFML too. 6) Adobe Fireworks CS3 http://www.adobe.com/products/fireworks/ $299 I am not a designer but I love Fireworks. I have been using it for years and its the best web graphic design software I have used. I know Adobe Photoshop is the daddy but the ability to do everything web design related in one package (down to creating the HTML for you) is just too good. I love this app! 7) Aqua Data Studio http://www.aquafold.com/ $399 There are apps for every database out there, but if you are connecting to a variety of databases this rules. Unfortunately because of the price I have to install Windows and use Microsoft MSSQL Enterprise Manager, but if I could afford this, Windows would end up just being a shell for Internet Explorer. This is a must if you do a lot of database work. (Aqua Data Studio v4.7 is actually free, but it doesn't have all the features I would like it to have) 8) OmniGraffle http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnigraffle/ from $79 If you are doing a lot of diagrams, be they UML to system architecture, OmniGraffle makes it really nice with very impressive results. 9) OmniPlan http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omniplan/ $149.95 I always hated Microsoft Project, there is something evil about it (maybe just because I am a developer) but when I had a go on Omni Plan, I thought "hey, I *CAN* get into project management!". As with OmniGraffle its results are impressive as well as pretty, and hey, if you are going to be staring at something all day, you might as well be staring at something good right? 10) Delicious Library http://www.delicious-monster.com/ $40 This is a great little tool if you have lots of DVD's (and books) as well as appreciative friends who like borrowing them. The main thing about this is that you can very easily create a whole library of your DVD's simply by scanning the bar-code using your iSight camera. You can then have a list of who you have lent out your DVD's too as well as loads more info and suggestions (driven by Amazon I think?) So, there it is, my 10 must-buy applications for OS X. Edit: If you think this post was usefult, why dont you Digg it?
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Tags: adobe · apple · ASK MD · personal · webdev

19 responses

  • 1 Sam Farmer // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    I would add Transmit by Panic as well. Its built in to Coda (so its in your list) but if you just want a FTP client and not an editor its a really nice product.

  • 2 Mark Drew // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    I was going to add that, but since it comes with Coda... well :)

    I should have also added SnapX, so I might extend this list..

    MD

  • 3 Sam Farmer // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    I also use iShowU for screencasts:
    http://www.shinywhitebox.com/home/home.html

  • 4 Ciqala // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    SnapX? sounds very similiar to a new feature i saw announced for some cfml editor. ;)

  • 5 Raymond Camden // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    Would anyone be able to recommend a good video converter? It would be even better if it was built for XBox360.

  • 6 Erki Esken // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    Raymond, try HandBrake (http://handbrake.m0k.org/), ffmpegX (http://homepage.mac.com/major4/) or VisualHub (http://www.techspansion.com/visualhub/).

  • 7 Russ Johnson // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    @Ray
    I bought VisualHub and absolutely LOVE it.

    @Mark
    Glad to see someone else using Coda! Since they added CFML support I have found myslef using it quite a bit on those sites when I need to make a quick couple of edits on the server itself.

  • 8 Ron Stewart // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    +1 on your inclusion of Aqua Data Studio. I started using it when it was still free at the 4.7 level at work, and even with the significant price change when they went to v6, it is an easy decision to buy it, particularly when you look at the fact that it is cross-platform (I can run it on WinXP, Linux, and Mac -- all of which I do) and their license agreement is such that a single license allows me to install it on as many boxes as I want as long as I only use it on one system at a time. Couple that with incredible power, and even at $399 it's still a great deal...

  • 9 John // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    VMWare Fusion: I bought Parallels a while ago and have really
    been happy with it. I just got a new MacbookPro and decided
    to give Fusion a shot and it definitely feels faster than Parallels,
    although the start-up times seem longer for me.

    I'd also like to recommend VisualHub. It has been a great tool,
    particularly when it comes to prepping files for my appleTV.

  • 10 sal // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    Go textmate! I'm really loving this editor... just wish it had FTP built in...
    Go Fw CS3! still running Fw 8 on my mac, but I wouldn't mind an upgrade!
    But anyone running superduper! just recently bought it, and it's nice!

  • 11 Evert // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    As a free replacement for textmate I can really recommend smultron.. as for quicktime.. VLC supports a much bigger set of formats.. (it even plays FLV's in better quality than the flashplayer)

  • 12 Justin // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    Coda rocks.

    I'd like to include Path Finder to this list... a Finder replacement that offers many more features... including tabbed Finder windows (which sealed the deal for me)

    http://www.cocoatech.com/

  • 13 Mark Drew // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    Looks like I am going to have to do another post with the rest of the suggestions!

    MD

  • 14 sal // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    ahh yes, just purchased disco recently as well!
    http://www.discoapp.com/

    schweet!

  • 15 Jeff Self // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    I'll put in a plug for MacPorts. Really comes in handy when you need to install Unix-based apps. As simple as 'sudo port install apache2'.

    Also, Adium is much nicer than iChat although it doesn't do video. And I'll second Handbrake for ripping your legally purchased DVD's.

  • 16 Andrew Powell // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    I have to throw my vote in for Adium X. A great chat client. Also, I LOVE oxygenXML. Same concept as ADS.

  • 17 dave // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    i'll throw a few in

    for a quicky cfm editor I use skedit http://www.skti.org/, cfm support, ftp/sftp, WebDAV etc.

    for ftp i was using transmit but I hated having no tree nav so every page needed to be paged through, I have since switched to yummyftp and like it much better than transmit.

    for css I use cssedit http://macrabbit.com/cssedit/ - by far the best css editor I have ever seen hands down.

    for color harmonies http://www.colorschemer.com/ is da bomb

    for invoicing Billable is nice http://clickablebliss.com/billable

    to constantly check that my server is up and going i use server siren http://foggynoggin.com/serversiren

    monitor color calibration a huey is a must http://www.pantone.com/pages/products/product.aspx?ca=2&pid=79

    video conversion - visualhub is the worth the $$

    to remove programs appzapper is king

    disco is the best cd/dvd burner

    screencams - ishowu rocks

    keycue is a program that will show you all the keyboard shortcuts for the program you are in http://www.macility.com/products/keycue/

    spamsieve is a MUST I repeat A MUST for mail, best spam filter I have ever used

    textsoap saves my butt all the time for quickly cleaning up crappy ms word code

    xslimmer is another MUST have program, it removes the unused ub code from programs, so if you are running an intel mac it takes out the ppc only part and drastically slims down the programs file sizes, i think on ps alone it took off like 300mbs

    i also use wallet http://www.waterfallsw.com/wallet/ to keep track of all the serials for these programs and so site info, it also has a password generator which is nice.

  • 18 dave // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    also www.maczot.com has an os x program everyday at a reduced cost, I end up buying a lot from there.

  • 19 Sean Corfield // Sep 22, 2008 at 4:11 PM

    I'll second the recommendations for OmniGraffle and Transmit. For office apps I use NeoOffice/J which has really come on in leaps and bounds lately and it's free (but $79 for iWorks is a reasonable price for a good suite of apps - Pages is OK, Keynote is indeed killer). I use CocoaMySQL for database stuff and the dbEdit plugin for Eclipse. I use Adium X for chat (all protocols).

    I just made a list of everything I use regularly for Jeff Coughlin, a recent switcher. Maybe I'll dig it out and put it on my blog. It was almost entirely free software.