Are You Ready To Upgrade Your Mac To Leopard?

My changeover process has begun. Long time Mac users are probably ready for OS X Leopard. It seems as if we do this every 18 months or so.

New Mac users should go through a similar process—backup your Mac’s files, but first download the latest versions of your favorite Mac applications and utilities. Or else.

I’ve already started the backup routine by tweaking, weaning, and cleaning out my Documents and files. I keep a fold full of the latest updates for various Mac applications and utilities, so I’ve gone through the list, eliminated older files, and checked on the latest updates for the rest.

Why bother? Already we have reports of some applications and utilities on the Mac that are problematic for OS X Leopard. They may run, but there could be problems, so getting the latest version is sound advice.

As an example of Mac software developers who are on top of the gyrations and changes Apple provides to Mac users, a few of my favorites software packages have been updated this week.

CircusPonies Notebook
This is my Mac organizational hub, and the latest update to Notebook makes it mostly ready for OS X Leopard.

Notebook is an outliner and organizer on legal performance enhancing drugs.

Path Finder
I’ll admit to being a non-Finder user, preferring Path Finder instead. However, from what I can see of the new Finder in Leopard, I will certainly give it a try.

In the meantime, Path Finder has been updated to look and feel like a Leopard application, so you won’t be disappointed.

Little Snitch
You Mac has a boatload of applications and utilities that connect to servers all over the internet, and most of them don’t tell you what they’re doing. Little Snitch puts a stop to the “phone home” problem.

Little Snitch sits between the internet and your Mac and warns you whenever something on your Mac wants to connect to something somewhere else. You control which application connects to what. Indispensable.

OmniWeb
I sure love Safari 3.x that will come with OS X Leopard, but OmniWeb is a close second, and ready for Leopard now.

CSSEdit
This little tool is a wonder for anyone who builds web sites using XHTML and CSS. Both can get you to pull your hair out, but CSSEdit makes editing CSS files so easy, even live on a live web site. Can’t live without it.

These are just a few of my favorite Mac applications and utilities which are being updated to run on Mac OS X Leopard. Many others have already been enhanced to take advantage of some of Leopard’s new ‘under-the-hood’ features.

This might be a tedious process, but if you’re like me, you have a few dozen favorite, non-Apple, non-Microsoft, non-Adobe applications and utilities which may require updates to be able to run on Leopard. Begin the upgrade process now to avoid conflicts and incompatibilities later.

So, the question of the day is, which non-Apple, non-Microsoft, non-Adobe applications and utilities do you absolutely, positively require when you make the change to OS X Leopard? Will you make the switch to Leopard right away, or wait around for the first update when the coast is clearer?