Mac Applications: Do It For Free

If you are new to the Mac, you probably aren’t aware of the lush landscape of Mac applications. Most people still buy their software the traditional way – in a box at a store. And let’s face it, apart from the Apple Store, you don’t see much Mac software in retail.

However, the Mac has a large developer community, and there are lots of options for software. In my experiences, Mac software tends to be of higher quality than most Windows titles. And if you know where to look, it is much easier to acquire.

This is the first part of a two part series. Part one will deal with the free and/or open source options available to Mac users. Part two will deal with the best of the commercial options.

Let’s get started:

Browsers
The first category is definitely the most crowded. When it comes to browsers, the Mac actually outshines Windows. Not only do we get a great browser for free with our OS (Safari), but we have numerous alternatives – Firefox, Camino, SeaMonkey, Opera, Shiira, iCab, and a few “lite” browser options – WebDesktop, for instance. All have their strengths and weaknesses. If you want to use the large library of extensions, go with Firefox. If Mac style matters to you, Camino is your best choice. Shiira 2 (still in beta) is shaping up to be a slick alternative. Give them all a shot and pick the one that suits you best.

Email
Most users either love or hate Apple’s Mail program. I fall in to the former camp. However, I like to use a separate client for work email. If you want a free email client, your best bet is currently Thunderbird. Like Firefox, it’s cross platform and has a large selection of plug-ins available. Also like Firefox, it uses a XUL interface, which isn’t the most Mac-like in its presentation. There is currently a project in a very early stage called Correo. Correo aims to be the Cocoa/Gecko email client, much like Camino is the Cocoa/Gecko browser. Keep an eye on Correo, it should shape up to be quite a client.

Office
If you want an office suite, but don’t want to pay for it, you have two options. OpenOffice makes a version of their suite available for the Mac. Currently, it requires use of the X11 environment to run. While installation and setup are pretty easy, not everyone wants to go this route. Luckily, you don’t have to.

NeoOffice is a port of the OpenOffice suite. The aim of the NeoOffice project is to make OpenOffice as Mac like as possible. While technically still in beta, NeoOffice is quite stable and very robust. It’s a large download (over 100MB), but well worth it considering the price.

Another option will be emerging soon. A native version of OpenOffice is in the works and should hit the web sometime later this year.

Text Editors
Text Editors are another field where there are many great options for Mac users. Just about everyone knows about BBEdit. BBEdit isn’t free, but Bare Bones Software makes the versatile TextWrangler available for the low cost of nothing. TextWrangler can handle just about any code you throw at it. Have more specific, HTML editing needs? Take a look at Smultron and Taco HTML Edit. Both are solid apps that offer a lot for those editing HTML/CSS/Javascript.

FTP
If you are writing code for a web project, you will most likely need an FTP client. While we recommend Transmit by Panic, there are lots of free alternatives. Notably, CyberDuck is a great client that offers a nice interface and solid feature set.

ImageEditing
Don’t have enough money for Photoshop? Is most of what you do simple editing (cropping, resizing, light retouching)? Don’t worry, you have options. Seashore is a derrivative of the GIMP project that aims to wrap the best parts of the GIMP in a Cocoa UI. Seashore is still quite early in its development, but it is already a robust, usable app. If you need a bit more power, you can download the GiMP, although you must run it via the X11 interface. If you are a Photoshop veteran, there is a version of the GiMP called GiMPShop, that aims to ease the transition. Our advice – stick with Seashore for your small editing needs. If you need something more advanced, pony up for Photoshop.

Utilities
Since the advent of OS X 10.3, the Mac has had ZIP archiving built-in. However, the need to un-archive files encoded with different formats pops up from time to time. Luckily, you have The Unarchiver. This nifty tool will unarchive just about every format you can throw at it – even Stuffit .SIT files.

Backup
It used to be that back up on the Mac was synonymous with Carbon Copy Cloner. However, a new player came on the scene and now rules the roost. SuperDuper! is technically a $30 program, but most of its features are available for free, so long as you don’t mind a little nagging from time to time. Our advice, try it out, and you’ll probably want to pay the fee to get all the extra features. $30 is a small price to pay for piece of mind, isn’t it?

Communication
Do you communicate via IM over several different networks? Get Adium. Adium handles just about every IM protocol available. Yahoo, MSN, IRC, Jabber, AIM. Adium is similar to Trillian on Windows, but in my opinion, it is a much slicker application. Plus, Adium has the wonderful distinction of being free.

Advanced
Looking or a new way to interact with your computer? Tired of the Dock, but hate drilling down through folders looking for applications? Give QuickSilver a try. QuickSilver is hard to describe, as it has so many users. It can be used as an application launcher, a file finding utility (like Spotlight), and more. In addition, each file you select can have many different actions applied to it. There are numerous plugins for interaction with many different applications. Download Quicksilver, read the “Guide” in the help section, and revolutionize the way you interact with your computer.

Miscellaneous
Google Earth. You used it on Windows, now get the same app on the Mac. For free.

Flip4Mac. The easiest way to view Windows Media files on the Web.

DemocracyPlayer. Awesome Video/RSS feeder/player.

But the list doesn’t stop there. Part two will look at the many wonderful commercial titles available on the Mac platform. If you are the curious type, you can search for other titles using any of the three sites that catalog Mac OS X software: MacUpdate, Versiontracker, and iUseThis.

Category: News