My favorite free Mac OS X software
What follows is a quick, unordered list of free software I always install on an macintosh OS 10 computer.
The single most important application for Mac OSX. Launch apps, open documents, etc. with a few simple keystrokes. Truly brilliant.
Burn to multiple DVDs files/folders that are too big for a single DVD. Version 1.0 handles bad media ungracefully. You will have to redo the entire burn. Should be fixed in a later version, though.
NeoOffice Home (OpenOffice for Mac)
Transmission (bittorrent client)
KisMAC
WiFi stumber. cracker, and mapper
Removes application icon bouncing in the Dock
PDF compression, split, join, insert blank pages, etc.
Expands different archive formats. Better than stuffit.
Enables you to add commands to finder menus. In particular, “New text file here.”
Notification software that is used by much free mac software / plugins.
StartupSound.prefPane 1.1b1 – MacUpdate
Kill the startup sound on your mac. Make other conference/meeting attendees much happier!
Tweaks, maintenance, and options
The best text editor available.
A better mac terminal
Find out who in your iTunes catalog is playing a concert in your area
Used by other freeware apps.
MenuCalendarClock – instant calendar and clock
Display date & iCal pulldown on menu bar
A replacement terminal rm command that moves files to the trash instead of permanently deleting them.
Change the keys on the mac keyboard around (e.g. command, control, alt, caps lock, etc.)
Store ssh keys in the keychain.
Easily install unix software.
Terminal-Finder Interaction on OS X
Implements the incredibly useful lcd and cdl commands.
“AppleJack is a user friendly troubleshooting assistant for Mac OS X. With AppleJack you can troubleshoot a computer even if you can’t load the GUI, or don’t have a startup CD handy. AppleJack runs in Single User Mode and is menu-based for ease of use.” This software should be the first thing you install on a new Tiger install.
The best media player available for the mac. It will play almost any type of video/audio file.
Make free or cheap international phone calls using Voice Over IP (VOIP).