Mac Apps thread

**cimboc** · 22-04-2008, 08:02 AM

To get things back on topic

he's a couple more.

Audacity - Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder
Used to record and edit sounds.

Azureus - Azureus Now Powers Vuze - High Definition Movies and Videos
Great Mac BitTorrent Client for beginners through to advanced (although I think everyone knows this one already).

**nikster** · 22-04-2008, 11:23 AM

[Note: I am not providing links - you have Google, use it]

I should really get back to exploring QuickSilver. The stuff you can do with this program is amazing.

I use Adium for YM and AOL chat, works very well. Don't use MSN so don't know about that, but Azureus is based on a widely used open source instant messaging library so if MSN doesn't work it will be fixed fairly soon.

iPulse for system info. I have now learnt to read the initially mystifying display and it's really a bit like a pulse. I can see the vital signs in an instant. Whenever the machine slows down, I glance at iPulse to see what's causing it.

MenuMeters - MenuMeters has a ton of options you need to turn off to make it not annoying. But it provides an excellent textual display of Tx/Rx network throughput right in the menu bar. This is extremely useful because in Thailand, I find myself judging the quality of a connection almost constantly and this makes it very easy. iPulse can do this too but it shows colored bars - pretty, but not nearly as useful.

Azureus, in my tests the fastest BT client, and the one with the most options. I don't get the whole "Vuze" thing, I always just switch to advanced to make it go away - I think it's possible to get Azureus without that, if anyone knows how plz let me know.

I also use Miro with TV-rss for TV shows. It's super nice, you can search, download, and consume all in one very simple interface. The problem with Miro is it's not as reliable as Azureus about surviving the constant connection outages as one experiences in this country.

Didn't know there were still "Mac haters" out there. How quaint. Here's a newsflash: It's 2008 and the OS wars are long over. Whatever may or may not have been true about Macs 10 years ago, it's not true anymore.

One reason I love using Macs is the actually the available software - lots of stuff that has only sub-par equivalents on Windows. There are certain things, iPulse and MenuMeters, Quicksilver or even just Spotlight, that don't exist on Windows. For whatever reason. Oh, how about a decent mail client? Thunderbird is as good as it gets on Windows...

**melvbot** · 22-04-2008, 01:34 PM

For site building theres an app called Flux. Its based on CSS rather than tables.I cant quite figure it out yet but I think its made by a couple of English guys

The Escapers

**melvbot** · 03-05-2008, 11:05 AM

Im getting a bit pissed off with Safari.Since the last update Im getting loads of "cant open page due to bad sever response".Anyone else or is it just me?

**MeMock** · 03-05-2008, 11:06 AM

I get a warning from safari everytime I open the programme but I just click ok and then it runs fine.

**buad hai** · 03-05-2008, 12:56 PM

I'm now using Transmission as a bit torrent client. Much smaller cpu footprint than Azureus. Not quite as feature-full but does the job.

**melvbot** · 03-05-2008, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by MeMock

I get a warning from safari everytime I open the programme but I just click ok and then it runs fine.

Whats the warning?

Been using transmission for a while.Works fine for the amount of stuff I d/l .I tried azureus on windows and couldnt get on with it so never bothered on a Mac.

**cimboc** · 10-05-2008, 07:33 PM

Just went searching for a newbie - I want to backup a few DVD's to my ext hdd.

Found this HandBrake looks to be quite good so will give it a whirl over the next few days.

**melvbot** · 11-05-2008, 11:18 AM

Its not really an app as such but I find this pretty useful if you use Safari

Clicky

**melvbot** · 20-05-2008, 05:00 PM

Ive used this for a while and have nothing but praise for it

Xslimmer - Your Mac, on a Diet!

Strips all the unwanted code/languages out of apps. If you have a lot of UB apps it can reclaim a fair bit of disk space

**melvbot** · 31-05-2008, 08:58 PM

Found a funky little app if you do any web design, logo's, banners etc

Art Text - Where Text Becomes an Art

Ive used it to make a few buttons etc and the results came out pretty good. Good range of things you can tweak to modify text,buttons or whatever you fancy.

**cimboc** · 10-06-2008, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by melvbot

Ive used this for a while and have nothing but praise for it

Xslimmer - Your Mac, on a Diet!

Strips all the unwanted code/languages out of apps. If you have a lot of UB apps it can reclaim a fair bit of disk space

Holly batman I just downloaded this and it tells me it can reduce my applications by nearly 3gb

Now the question is do I buy it? the free component is only 50mb

I hate buying stuff

**melvbot** · 10-06-2008, 04:41 PM

$13 or £6 odd quids cheap. Ive used it for a while and with the amount of apps I buy/test/install its been a keeper. If youve got a massive HDD might not need it but there are some real fat apps out there that I like having the disk space back from.

**cimboc** · 10-06-2008, 04:52 PM

With 120gb on my hdd I'm running with about 20gb up my sleeve

I recently got and external firewire 500gb hdd for less than 50c per gig (I was stoked) so I guess I really need to start moving a lot of stuff over to it rather than just using it for backup and ripped movies....

**melvbot** · 14-06-2008, 10:02 AM

Ive only just started to use this but it looks like a good little app

Sidenote

If you make a lot of notes (me) or use stickies this is a good app to have. It sits at the side of your screen and appears/disappears like the dock, move the mouse to the edge of the screen and it pops out or you can assign it a hotkey. I prefer the hotkey as I cant seem to get it to stay on top so when another apps open you dont have to switch to it with expose or whatever. Its small,its freeware and its made by a French bloke but it seems to work.

**Tao** · 15-06-2008, 08:17 AM

Monolingual

Free app to remove all the unwanted languages that are included with OS X. Frees up a few hundred Meg if you need it.

**melvbot** · 05-07-2008, 06:51 PM

Havent found many useful apps lately so heres a few links instead

OSX keyboard shortcuts

OSX Hints

Free? Where?

**Tao** · 05-07-2008, 06:57 PM

I'll find more when i get my new Macbook. Spilt beer on it a few weeks back, I might try to fix it after i get a new one.

Actually I'm waiting to see if Apple give them a facelift this year.

**ChiangMai noon** · 05-07-2008, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by buad hai

I'm now using Transmission as a bit torrent client. Much smaller cpu footprint than Azureus. Not quite as feature-full but does the job.

transformer comes as the default bit torrent client with ubuntu.

soon got rid of that piece of shit.

**Tao** · 05-07-2008, 07:07 PM

I use Azureus, Transmission is not too bad though.

**ChiangMai noon** · 05-07-2008, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by Tao

Transmission is not too bad though.

i'm not liking at all.

tried u torrent and k torrent too, but always end up going back to azureus.

i know it's supposed to be a resource hog but so long as you have a decent amount of ram it's fine.

**Boon Mee** · 05-07-2008, 07:28 PM

Heh...got no dog in this fight but thought the pic below very apropos...

**melvbot** · 05-07-2008, 08:50 PM

I tried the old version of Azureus for Mac today as opposed to that horrible Vuze setup. Transmission doesnt get a ratio rating on trackers like demonoid as its blacklisted so I thought azureus might be worth another go. It really does suck on a Mac so it looks like Im stuck with Transmission.

**ChiangMai noon** · 05-07-2008, 08:52 PM

yes, vuze is nasty alright.

have no idea why they flucked around with it.

can't you use utorrent with mac?

**melvbot** · 05-07-2008, 08:59 PM

Theyre working on a port/version of it but havent heard anything for a while. Im a member on a few private trackers and my ratios just stuck because of Transmission. If I use Azureus the computer slows down way too much.

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