Geek & Mild by Sean Sperte

Oct 4th, 2005 10 Mac Apps

Jon Hicks, of FireFox logo fame, has asked the world what their 10 favorite Mac apps are — barring the “professional” types like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. Since I happen to have just such a list, I thought I’d share. Drumroll, please …

1. Quicksilver - application launcher and so much more
2. Transmit - FTP client that Apple could have designed themselves
3. NewsFire - “Mac RSS with style” (preferred over NetNewsWire because of the ability to probe Safari for available feeds)
4. FontExplorer X - font management utility with an iTunes feel
5. MacStumbler - lightweight wireless network monitor
6. TextWrangler - choice text editor for all things code
7. VoodooPad - notes, journalling, and wiki
8. Wallet - important data (passwords, serials, etc.) storage and management
9. JHymn - Apple DRM stripper for purchased music (it’s my music once I buy it, don’t get me started)
10. Camino - alternate web browser

And because most of those are already popular, here are some honorable mentions:

• SizzlingKeys - iTunes keyboard shortcut controller
• WMV Player - QuickTime plugin for Windows Media files
• shotChoice - change the default file format for screenshots
• coconutBattery - view detailed info about your battery
• CocoaMySQL - MySQL database administration, nice Cocoa interface
• OnyX - maintenance, optimization, and personalization utility