About a year ago I did an article
on essential software for students going to school (either K-12 or
college), and now that I'm running an almost-current Mac, I'm going
back to see what counterparts of apps I suggested earlier are on my
iBook's hard drive. I'll list the current program, as well as last
year's in brackets.
Mac OS X (Mac OS 8.1/Mac OS 8.5/8.6)
I've pretty much switched all my day-to-day things over to
OS X not only because of its power, but also for its stability.
Not only does my iBook rarely crash, but things that used to drag the
processor down (burning CDs is a good example) are given enough
processing power to work, but you can do other work as well.
AppleWorks 6 & TextEdit (AppleWorks 5)
Since AppleWorks 5 wasn't OS X native, I decided to use the copy
of AppleWorks that came with my iBook (6) and have had a very
satisfying experience with it. All my AW5 files open fine, and the
interface is more cleaned up, rather than tons of buttons. On slower
Macs, it takes longer to load than AW5, but compared to Office v.X,
it's still a much better program for all but the most demanding
tasks.
I also found that Apple's built in TextEdit app can be customized
and can be quite useful for some things that don't require lots of
fancy features at all (like these articles and HTML code editing).
And, since it's Cocoa, it takes advantage of all the built-in goodies
of OS X.
OmniWeb (Internet Explorer 3 & 5)
I don't like IE that much anymore. I'm tired of Microsoft's games,
and a while back I switched to iCab (IE
3 is still my favorite, since it wasn't 100% Microsoft and had a
little of its Mosaic heritage in it). Although iCab for OS X is
a fine piece of software, it's still a Carbon app, so I decided to
try OmniWeb,
and even though it doesn't conform to every standard, it's the
best-looking Web browser I've used. It's also quite fast and
compliments Apple's Mail program nicely.
GraphicConverter (PaintIt! and ColorIt!)
I use GraphicConverter
a lot. It's basically like PaintIt!
in terms of features and capabilities, except that it can read/write
a lot more formats. For simple, fast graphic editing, GC is an
excellent program.
nothing (HyperCard)
I've dropped the use of HyperCard, but I think I'd still use it if
there was a Cocoa/Carbon version available.
PCalc 2 (TI-81 Emulator)
PCalc 2 came with my iBook and
isn't a graphing calculator, but it works quite nicely, and it's
free.
Mail (Internet Mail & News 3 / Outlook Express 5)
I dropped Outlook Express in favor of Eudora. Eudora for OS X
was still in beta when I got my iBook, and it felt kinda slow. When
the final version was out, I was kinda disappointed in the lack of
taking advantage of OS X's power, so I gave Apple's Mail app a
try. Lots of people hate it, but I find it to be quite fast, and it
takes care of my many email accounts, both POP and IMAP.
iTunes (GrayAMP)
Well, it only seems natural that I'd replace my old MP3 playing
software with the only major one (and the best one) for OS X.
I'm talking about iTunes
3. I have all kinds of playlists, covering all the CDs I've
ripped and the other music I've accumulated. Lots of features - just
go to Apple's site to read about 'em.
LiteSwitch (LiteSwitch)
One of two original apps I still have (in updated form),
LiteSwitch is a control panel that allows Command+Tab, Option+Tab,
Control+Tab program switching (just like Windoze). This is all it
does, and it does a good job at it. You can download it from
proteron.com. The dock does
this now, but I still like the switching box that appears (it's
translucent and can be resized).
Palm Desktop (Palm Desktop)
The other old app whose counterpart I use now is Palm
Desktop. I used to use it as an organizer, but now that I have a
Palm Vx, I use it to sync my handheld and organize things. The
OS X version is just like the older versions, just with an
interface to match OS X. If you don't have a PalmOS handheld,
you may still find this useful.
Adium (AOL Instant Messenger)
I didn't mention AOL Instant Messenger the first time, but I used
to use it. Now that I have OS X, I use Adium,
and you can read about the virtues of instant messaging in one
of my previous articles.
Well, that's it for this week. Be sure to change and add to this
list to create your own software list of "must-haves" for your Mac,
whether it be an old 68k (look at last year's version of this
article) or a new dual-processor G4 tower (read this year's version).
Mac of the Day: Umax SuperMac C500, Nov. 1996 - The smallest, least costly Mac clone had two PCI slots.
List of the Day: Mac Video Group covers digital video hardware and software for Mac users.
October 11 in LEM history: 99: Kihei revisited - 00: Bring back beige - AT&T proposes extortion - 01: Mimio for the Mac - 02: Of docks and roadblocks - Reasons not to switch - PowerBook G3 repair - 04: Virtual PC 7 puts Windows on your Mac - Modem Magic - 05: Why we oppose any iPod tax - Trash shortcuts - 06: 30 days of old school computing - Firefox and Safari chipping away at Microsoft
Best Mac Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,799; new, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 shipped; 8-core, $2,599 shipped; 3.0 $3,399 shipped; 3.2, $4,099 shipped.
Best PowerBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Used 14" WallStreet G3/266 MHz, $90; Lombard G3/400 MHz, $150; Pismo G3/400 MHz, $300; 500 MHz, $350.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Refurb 500 GB Time Capsule, $249; new, $294; refurb 1 TB, $419; new, $462; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; Base Station, $159; Express, $60.
Modding Your Old Mac to Make It More Useful, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 10.09.
If your old Mac is too slow, too noisy, too plain looking, or has too little room for expansion, you might want to mod it.
Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $269; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz, $390; 17" 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $400; 20", $529.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $995; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,400 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6, $2,299; rebates on new.
Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
DVD upgrade from 10.3, $75; upgrade bundle with 10.3, $118; full version, $129; family pack, $200; 10-user Server, $350; unlimited, $400.
Migrating My Law Office from Windows to Macintosh, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 10.08.
By switching to Leopard Server, everyone in the office will be able to move to a Mac - but which ones will best meet their needs?
Low End Mac Needs Help Moving to Joomla, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.08.
We've settled on Joomla as the content management system that should work very well for Low End Mac, but we're running stuck with templates.
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