
I’m doing an inventory of applications on my Mac. Guess what I found? All the major applications from Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, Macromedia. All the great applications and utilities like ComicLife, Transmit, Portraits & Prints.
And a bunch of free applications that make your Mac work better. Did I mention they’re free?
If a computing platform is to be judged, it can be judged based upon customer satisfaction, sales, and a strong developer base. Apple’s Mac line must be a success.
Mac customers are among the most satisfied (and picky) computer users. Sales continue to grow thanks to OS X, iPod, iLife, iMac, Mac mini, etc. Developers?
Mac applications are considered among the best ever developed. Even Microsoft’s Office for Mac is considered better than the Windows version. Adobe’s major apps run great on Mac OS X, as do all the major desktop applications from Macromedia.
Even Apple manages award winning applications; iLife, iWork, Logic (Express and Pro) FinalCut (Express and Pro). We’re swimming around in a pool of wonderful Mac applications.
Some are free. No, many are free. Better yet, most of the great ‘free’ applications seem to reside on my Mac right now.
I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.
First up, SuperDuper!! Hey, it’s not free, right? Except that the basic cloning portion of SuperDuper! is free. What else?
Sure, Safari, one of the best browsers ever comes free with Mac OS X. Firefox is also free. So is Camino. So is Mozilla. So is iCab, and others. Need an email application? Mozilla’s Firefox companion, Thunderbird, is also free.
Got RSS? Get it free with NetNewsWire Lite. Need access to the Terminal for SSH connections (it’s a geeky thing)? JellyfiSSH remembers your connections. It’s free. Need FTP and can’t pay the freight? Pay the duck instead; CyberDuck.
You’re getting the idea, right?
Just last week we went hog wild on free photo gallery applications for the Mac; JAlbum & Galerie. You’re the winner. They’re free.
Need text editing but don’t have a dime to spare? Save your dime and use TextWrangler instead. It’s a full ten cents less than a dime.
When I’m out and about with my laptop, I check for WiFi HotSpots. I use iStumbler to find those pesky networks. For now, iStumbler is free.
Can’t afford Apple’s lovely Logic Express to record audio and save it to MP3? Have the audacity to try Audacity. Record audio for next to nothing. Well, OK. Nothing.
No Mac user should be without something to handle files in the Finder. FileWrangler does to files what TextWrangler does. Wrangle. For free.
Also on my Mac is a neato little application that tells me what color something is, in computer speak. iPick speaks my language. Free.
Keep your Mac running like it was new even when it’s not. Use OnyX to make sure the maintenance tweaks are tweaked. Tweak for free.
Use your Mac for graphics, do you? Can you count all those pixels between points? Rule your world of pixels for free with Free Ruler.
You’ve got the idea now, right? Free may be a four letter word that begins with “F” but it’s a good one and worth repeating. I showed you mine. You show me yours. What’s your favorite FREE Mac applications?
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By Alexis Kayhill | I'm a 20 year Mac user veteran, writer, photographer, wife, and mommy. I live in sunny San Diego with my husband, three children, two dogs, one mean old cat, and an SUV with a back seat full of beach sand. Follow me on Twitter.
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