Recommended Mac OS X Software

Before I start listing some of my favourite Mac OS X-software, let me just say that my Mac OS X 10.5-frenzy is over. :P Some things were just too laggy in Leopard, on my Powerbook 12?, so I decided to go back to Tiger. And with 1.25GB memory on the machine, it’s working with flying colors. Now, on to the software!

  • Quicksilver
  • Allows users to use the keyboard to rapidly perform tasks such as launching applications, manipulating files and data, running scripts or sending e-mail. It is similar to the Mac OS X applications LaunchBar and Butler, but uses a different interaction paradigm. Although it is a complex application, it is centered on a very simple three-panel interface, called the “command window”: the user performs complex tasks using simple, configurable key-combinations. Quicksilver’s icon is based on the alchemical symbol for mercury (quicksilver is another name for mercury).
  • Adium
  • A popular free software instant messaging client for Mac OS X that supports multiple protocols through the libezv (for Bonjour) and the libpurple (all other protocols) libraries. It is written using Mac OS X’s Cocoa API, and it is released under the GNU General Public License, and many other licenses for components that are distributed with Adium.
  • OnyX
  • A popular freeware for Mac OS X developed by French developer Joël Barrière. It is a multifunctional tool for maintenance and optimization, and can control many basic UNIX programs already built into OS X. It can also help set hidden preferences otherwise modifed by using plist editors and the command line.[1] It has become a highly praised utility among many in the Mac community, in part due to its extensive language support and excellent help files.
  • VLC
  • A portable multimedia player, encoder, and streamer supporting many audio and video codecs and file formats as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It is able to stream over networks and to transcode multimedia files and save them into various different formats. VLC used to stand for VideoLAN Client, but that meaning is now deprecated.
  • AppCleaner
  • A small application which allows you to completely and properly uninstall unwanted apps. It isn’t, in fact, sufficient to just delete an application. Installing an application distributes many files throughout your System using space of your Hard Drive unnecessarily.
  • SSHKeychain
  • You no longer have to cancel your ssh request because you forgot to load your keys. Because SSHKeychain acts as a gateway between you and the agent, it can automatically add keys when you need them. SSH will just pause for a few seconds, and you’ll be on your way. SSHKeychain integrates with the Apple Keychain. All key passphrases can be stored, and you can use all your keys just by unlocking the Keychain.
  • Safariblock
  • The goal of SafariBlock is to provide a seamless extension to Safari Web Browser that supports ad-blocking. It is by design an imitation of Firefox’s AdBlock extension.