I love my new Mac (list of cool utilities from Twitter)

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I just switched my life over to a 17-inch MacBookPro. Don’t worry Microsoft fans. I still have Vista and Office 2007 loaded too.

I asked the 2500+ people following me on Twitter what their ideas were for me to load up and in just the first minute got dozens of suggestions. Here’s some of the first:

@kirkmarple says “Vista.” Heh, already got it loaded. With both BootCamp and Parallels.
@rpechler says “start with iUseThis.”
@davewiner says “audio recorder, brain dead simple MP3 recorder and azureus, bittorrent client”
@endacrowley says “transmit by panic software for ftping, aperture for more advanced photography, adium for chat and twitteriffic for Twitter).”
@cbee says “Transmit, Onyx, iClip, WhatSize, DeskTopple, Typeit4me.”
@CamonZ says “optimized binary of firefox for Mac.”
@MHJohnston says “Quicksilver.”
@FANLESS says “icecoffee, menumeters, copypaste & Growl, all found via http://www.macupdate.com.”
@davewiner says “graphicconverterpro — paint program.”
@matthendry says “Triple Boot via BootCamp.”
@DonMacAskill says “AdiumX, NeoOffice, Yojimbo, Spanning Sync, Missing Sync (if you use a SmartPhone or Windows Mobile), iTerm, Twitterrific.
@johncruz says “You better get twitterrific.”
@pierre says “LaunchBar is a must if you prefer keyboard to mouse.”
@derrickpeters says “‘tickr‘ for flickr.” (now replaced by Slide).
@cbee says “Amadeus and/or Audacity, Wiretap Pro, Flip4Mac, File Juicer, Pipette.”
@autodidactus says “Where do we start, Scoble? Twitterific, VLC, WireTap Pro, Transmit, Adium.”
@autodidactus says “I’ve found myself quite hooked on Monocle lately.”
@lightandshadow says “Letterbox, plugin for Mail.app.”
@joshowens says “perian.org — a nice codec pack for all those lovely bittorrent TV shows, etc.
@edwardsterkin says “seismac.”
@tuz says “Appzapper for uninstalling, Colloquy for IRC if you do that, NetNewsWire for free reading, write room for uninterrupted writing.”
@edwardsterkin says “VoiceCandy.”
@R2C13 says “I like pathfinder.”
@edwardsterkin says “ChatFX.”
@parislemon says “Definitely have to check out delicious library to organize your media: http://www.delicious-monster.com/”
@kevinrailsback says “Synergy.”
@tuz says “Disco for a light weight burner, Paparazzi for screenshotting entire Web pages to jpeg or pdf, transmission for torrents.”
@bigwebguy says “virtuedesktops (at least until leopard spaces).”
@kevinrailsback says “Desktopple (hides all the icons/files on your desktop for a clean look).”
@MHJohnston says “Growl is also a good bet for notifications– ties into a lot of apps.”
@rpechler says “my ‘must have’ Mac apps.”
@derrickpeters says “Sailing Clicker turns phone into remote for computer and a second vote for Growl.”
@jaseone says “TextMate is the best text editor out there.”

This is all in the first 10 minutes on Twitter. Lots of very passionate people hanging out on Twitter lately. Oh, and can you pick the SmugMug CEO out of the list above?

What about you? What utilities or apps or services do you think every Mac user should load?

Published by Robert Scoble

I help entrepreneurs build their technology business' story, help with getting ready for investors, with other launch plans, and many other strategic things that can help your new startup. Call to talk: +1-425-205-1921 (text first).

Published

202 thoughts on “I love my new Mac (list of cool utilities from Twitter)”

  7. I think I’m missing something about Twitter. You and LaPorte are always talking about it, and I am just not getting it yet. Maybe it is because I don’t have any friends yet, but I do not see the attractions yet.

    Like

  8. I think I’m missing something about Twitter. You and LaPorte are always talking about it, and I am just not getting it yet. Maybe it is because I don’t have any friends yet, but I do not see the attractions yet.

    Like

  9. I’d have to say CyberDuck > Transmit, and for torrents, nothing beats transmission.

    osx.iusethis.com is a great resource as well.

    Like

  10. I’d have to say CyberDuck > Transmit, and for torrents, nothing beats transmission.

    osx.iusethis.com is a great resource as well.

    Like

  15. Nice. I just recently switched to a MacBook as my primary machine (I’m a .NET developer by day), and I’m fairly happy with it now that I’m adjusting. I still keep a copy of Windows around in VMWare Fusion, though. 😉

    Anyway, you might want to check out NicePlayer as well: http://niceplayer.sourceforge.net/ — I like it a lot better than the actual QuickTime client.

    For FTP, Transmit is the best client I’ve seen, but if you’re like me and don’t use FTP frequently, you might try CyberDuck instead: http://cyberduck.ch/

    Like

  16. Nice. I just recently switched to a MacBook as my primary machine (I’m a .NET developer by day), and I’m fairly happy with it now that I’m adjusting. I still keep a copy of Windows around in VMWare Fusion, though. 😉

    Anyway, you might want to check out NicePlayer as well: http://niceplayer.sourceforge.net/ — I like it a lot better than the actual QuickTime client.

    For FTP, Transmit is the best client I’ve seen, but if you’re like me and don’t use FTP frequently, you might try CyberDuck instead: http://cyberduck.ch/

    Like

  17. The CEO of SmugMug is DonMacAskill. In any case, I am sure we, mac users, keep tons of utilities. some are nice to have but they just sit there in our /Applications folder unused or used very rarely (I have 154 so far) but there are few that I use religiously. They are

    quicksilver
    adium
    1001
    aperture
    appzapper
    baywatch
    betterzip
    CoRD
    DejaMenu
    Delicious Library
    Democracy
    Edgies
    DropCopy
    iCal
    Inbox
    Journl
    NeoOffice
    NetNewsWire
    Onyx
    Pandoraboy
    Photo Drop
    Photomatix Pro
    Textmate
    Think
    Tweetbar
    Xslimmer

    I maintain an iusethis profile: http://urltea.com/3uv

    I also invite all of you to stop by at http://macapper.com where we write about mac apps.

    ps: Scoble, you just made a wise investment on the 17″ MBP. Let us know on twitterville how it works for you in the next couple of weeks.

    Like

  18. The CEO of SmugMug is DonMacAskill. In any case, I am sure we, mac users, keep tons of utilities. some are nice to have but they just sit there in our /Applications folder unused or used very rarely (I have 154 so far) but there are few that I use religiously. They are

    quicksilver
    adium
    1001
    aperture
    appzapper
    baywatch
    betterzip
    CoRD
    DejaMenu
    Delicious Library
    Democracy
    Edgies
    DropCopy
    iCal
    Inbox
    Journl
    NeoOffice
    NetNewsWire
    Onyx
    Pandoraboy
    Photo Drop
    Photomatix Pro
    Textmate
    Think
    Tweetbar
    Xslimmer

    I maintain an iusethis profile: http://urltea.com/3uv

    I also invite all of you to stop by at http://macapper.com where we write about mac apps.

    ps: Scoble, you just made a wise investment on the 17″ MBP. Let us know on twitterville how it works for you in the next couple of weeks.

    Like

  19. I didn’t see the Google Notifier listed. If you use Gmail, it’s pretty handy, although if you are getting 400 non-spam messages a day it might be too annoying.

    Like

  20. I didn’t see the Google Notifier listed. If you use Gmail, it’s pretty handy, although if you are getting 400 non-spam messages a day it might be too annoying.

    Like

  21. Now there’s a headline I never thought I’d see Robert Scoble blog.

    Quicksilver, http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/, is always my number one. I feel naked without it. My brain is hard wired for it, so imagine how stupid I look when I sit down in front of a Mac without it, typing “ctrl+space safari”…

    AppZapper or AppDelete… you’d be surprised how much is left behind after uninstalling an App by dragging it to the trash.

    Like

  24. Now there’s a headline I never thought I’d see Robert Scoble blog.

    Quicksilver, http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/, is always my number one. I feel naked without it. My brain is hard wired for it, so imagine how stupid I look when I sit down in front of a Mac without it, typing “ctrl+space safari”…

    AppZapper or AppDelete… you’d be surprised how much is left behind after uninstalling an App by dragging it to the trash.

    Like

  25. I second Quicksilver and NetNewsWire, and I’ll add SpamSieve.

    P.S. What tipped you to the 17″ rather than the 15″? I’m getting ready to move from a G5 PowerMac to an MBP because I’m going to need the portability now. Spec’ing the 15″ the way I want it (2.33GHz, 160GB HD) brings it within $150 of the price of the 17″, but I’m wondering – is something that big really manageable to carry around?

    Like

  26. I second Quicksilver and NetNewsWire, and I’ll add SpamSieve.

    P.S. What tipped you to the 17″ rather than the 15″? I’m getting ready to move from a G5 PowerMac to an MBP because I’m going to need the portability now. Spec’ing the 15″ the way I want it (2.33GHz, 160GB HD) brings it within $150 of the price of the 17″, but I’m wondering – is something that big really manageable to carry around?

    Like

  37. Pingback: /dev/random :: My must-have applications

  42. Audio Hijack Pro, NewsFire (it’s not free like NetNewsWire and it’s not Google Reader, but it’s a fine RSS reader if you’re offline (which happens to the best of us from time to time.) SoundSoap2 is for cleaning noisy soundtracks.

    Like

  43. Audio Hijack Pro, NewsFire (it’s not free like NetNewsWire and it’s not Google Reader, but it’s a fine RSS reader if you’re offline (which happens to the best of us from time to time.) SoundSoap2 is for cleaning noisy soundtracks.

    Like

  44. And I just got Joost today… wow!

    Yeah, with this new beta round, they have come a long way, contentwise too. I think Joost has lasting power…

    Like

  45. And I just got Joost today… wow!

    Yeah, with this new beta round, they have come a long way, contentwise too. I think Joost has lasting power…

    Like

  50. 1. Quicksilver
    2. Pukka (quick way to post to del.icio.us)
    3. Yojimbo
    4. NetNewsWire (the pay version–it’s worth it)
    5. SubEthaEdit for colaborative notetaking at meetings & conferences

    Like

  51. 1. Quicksilver
    2. Pukka (quick way to post to del.icio.us)
    3. Yojimbo
    4. NetNewsWire (the pay version–it’s worth it)
    5. SubEthaEdit for colaborative notetaking at meetings & conferences

    Like

  52. Pingback: Scobleizer Switches To Apple Mac

  53. Quicksilver, Transmit, Adium, VLC (on any OSX), ImageWell, Twitterific, NetNewsWire.

    But most of all Quicksilver, Quicksilver and Quicksilver. 😉

    Like

  54. Quicksilver, Transmit, Adium, VLC (on any OSX), ImageWell, Twitterific, NetNewsWire.

    But most of all Quicksilver, Quicksilver and Quicksilver. 😉

    Like

  59. Like everyone else: Quicksilver

    Did into applescript of course, but there is definitely also a place and time for Quickeys, a keyboard macro system.

    “Yep” if you deal with a lot of PDF files. Just wonderful.

    Typeit4me or Textexpander.

    Netmonitor and LoadinDock to see what the system is doing.

    Cleardock (unless and until Transparentdock works with Intel macs)

    Finderpop!!

    Saling clicker.

    Steermouse.

    Welcome back from the dark side.

    Like

  60. Like everyone else: Quicksilver

    Did into applescript of course, but there is definitely also a place and time for Quickeys, a keyboard macro system.

    “Yep” if you deal with a lot of PDF files. Just wonderful.

    Typeit4me or Textexpander.

    Netmonitor and LoadinDock to see what the system is doing.

    Cleardock (unless and until Transparentdock works with Intel macs)

    Finderpop!!

    Saling clicker.

    Steermouse.

    Welcome back from the dark side.

    Like

  61. In the spirit of “teach a man to fish”, where to look for things:
    versiontracker.com
    macupdate.com
    macosxhints.com

    And a couple I forgot:

    Fastscripts
    Keycue
    Witch

    Shapeshifter if you want to customize the looks
    Uno for a simple makeover
    Tinkertool to set user interface parameters
    Tinkertool System or Onyx or Cocktail for system maintenance

    Like

  62. In the spirit of “teach a man to fish”, where to look for things:
    versiontracker.com
    macupdate.com
    macosxhints.com

    And a couple I forgot:

    Fastscripts
    Keycue
    Witch

    Shapeshifter if you want to customize the looks
    Uno for a simple makeover
    Tinkertool to set user interface parameters
    Tinkertool System or Onyx or Cocktail for system maintenance

    Like

  65. Pingback: Breaking News! « Fuzzy Illogic

  68. I really like PandoraBoy. For People who want something similar for their local iTune collection let me recommend the great new utility and iTunes plugin The Filter. http://www.thefilter.com. Still in beta, though.

    Like

  69. I really like PandoraBoy. For People who want something similar for their local iTune collection let me recommend the great new utility and iTunes plugin The Filter. http://www.thefilter.com. Still in beta, though.

    Like

  70. Congratulations Robert!

    Here’s one I didn’t see mentioned yet that I highly recommend:

    http://www.flip4mac.com/products.htm (The Windows® Media Components software allows you to play, import, and export Windows Media video and audio files on your Mac using your favorite QuickTime-based applications.

    Have you hooked up the new MBP to your 30″ Cinema Display yet? Having that as an option is pretty impressive.

    All the best,

    Andrew Darlow
    Editor
    The Imaging Buffet
    http://www.imagingbuffet.com

    Like

  71. Congratulations Robert!

    Here’s one I didn’t see mentioned yet that I highly recommend:

    http://www.flip4mac.com/products.htm (The Windows® Media Components software allows you to play, import, and export Windows Media video and audio files on your Mac using your favorite QuickTime-based applications.

    Have you hooked up the new MBP to your 30″ Cinema Display yet? Having that as an option is pretty impressive.

    All the best,

    Andrew Darlow
    Editor
    The Imaging Buffet
    http://www.imagingbuffet.com

    Like

  74. Wow…lots of interest in this blog! Guess I’ll chime in with a link to Flip4Mac’s new dvd imagin app, HERE

    Like

  75. Wow…lots of interest in this blog! Guess I’ll chime in with a link to Flip4Mac’s new dvd imagin app, HERE

    Like

  76. This is great Robert. I’ve totally ignored the Mac OS since I got Vista up on my MacBook. I’ll put these suggestions to the test over the weekend.

    Cheers,

    ++Alan

    Like

  77. This is great Robert. I’ve totally ignored the Mac OS since I got Vista up on my MacBook. I’ll put these suggestions to the test over the weekend.

    Cheers,

    ++Alan

    Like

  78. My husband bought me one for my birthday and I LOVE it! I don’t have any tips yet, but surely appreciate that you’re sharing the tips that you receive with us.

    Regards,

    Lisa

    Like

  79. My husband bought me one for my birthday and I LOVE it! I don’t have any tips yet, but surely appreciate that you’re sharing the tips that you receive with us.

    Regards,

    Lisa

    Like

  80. I’d recommend not using a damned thing in the way of system enhancements until you’ve spent some time really using the OS’s provided features. There’s a lot more than you may think.

    I use TypeIt4Me because well, I type. A lot, and a lot of it is repetitive. If you don’t, then it’s not so useful.

    For carrying the thing though, talk to Brenthaven. I have their Video Pro bag, and you can practically put a small child in it. I’ve had to kick my cat out of it a few times.

    I’d be very wary of system mods until you hit a need that you simply cannot meet any other way. Mods are, well, *mods*. A modified system creates uncertainties and unexpected behaviors. Those can, and often do create more problems than they solve.

    Like

  81. I’d recommend not using a damned thing in the way of system enhancements until you’ve spent some time really using the OS’s provided features. There’s a lot more than you may think.

    I use TypeIt4Me because well, I type. A lot, and a lot of it is repetitive. If you don’t, then it’s not so useful.

    For carrying the thing though, talk to Brenthaven. I have their Video Pro bag, and you can practically put a small child in it. I’ve had to kick my cat out of it a few times.

    I’d be very wary of system mods until you hit a need that you simply cannot meet any other way. Mods are, well, *mods*. A modified system creates uncertainties and unexpected behaviors. Those can, and often do create more problems than they solve.

    Like

  82. I have nothing to add, except for SnailMail for printing envelopes. It uses the Address Book database, and, although the envelope printing options in Address Book have been getting better with each new version, I still find SnailMail much more useful for that task than Address Book.

    Like

  83. I have nothing to add, except for SnailMail for printing envelopes. It uses the Address Book database, and, although the envelope printing options in Address Book have been getting better with each new version, I still find SnailMail much more useful for that task than Address Book.

    Like

  84. Scoble, I saw that you are feeling the heat of the MacBook Pro. You should download this utility which I have found makes a huge difference. I set my machine to a minimum of 3000 and it keeps it nice and cool even when multitasking.

    Like

  85. Scoble, I saw that you are feeling the heat of the MacBook Pro. You should download this utility which I have found makes a huge difference. I set my machine to a minimum of 3000 and it keeps it nice and cool even when multitasking.

    Like

  86. Quicksilver is the first thing to put on the machine. It is incredible. Talk to Merlin Mann about using it.

    Adium is good
    Growl

    Rather than parallels or bootcamp I use CrossOver by codeweavers (www.codeweavers.com). I don’t use a lot of windows apps, and i don’t want to purchase a license for it. I bought crossover ($60 I think). It is based upon Wine and allows me to run Project 2003 and Visio 2003 without having to boot into an image or own the OS.

    Like

  87. Quicksilver is the first thing to put on the machine. It is incredible. Talk to Merlin Mann about using it.

    Adium is good
    Growl

    Rather than parallels or bootcamp I use CrossOver by codeweavers (www.codeweavers.com). I don’t use a lot of windows apps, and i don’t want to purchase a license for it. I bought crossover ($60 I think). It is based upon Wine and allows me to run Project 2003 and Visio 2003 without having to boot into an image or own the OS.

    Like

  88. Pingback: dmiessler.com | grep understanding knowledge

  89. Also forgot the tools from omnigroup (www.omnigroup.com). I use OmniOutliner, omnigraffle, and omniplan quite a bit. If you are a “Getting things done” fan, there is an add on for Omnioutliner called Kinkless GTD (www.kinkless.com).

    Like

  90. Also forgot the tools from omnigroup (www.omnigroup.com). I use OmniOutliner, omnigraffle, and omniplan quite a bit. If you are a “Getting things done” fan, there is an add on for Omnioutliner called Kinkless GTD (www.kinkless.com).

    Like

  91. Now that you can run windows applications in OSX via parallels I can see that the reasons for owning a Windows PC are growing less and less, but I still like my ThinkPad running XP.

    The build quality on Apple worries me, not to mention the size and weight of the damn things. And perhaps, to an extent, the price.

    However I gotta admit Apple make a tempting choice for the computer prosumer and I’m not surprised you switched.

    Like

  92. Now that you can run windows applications in OSX via parallels I can see that the reasons for owning a Windows PC are growing less and less, but I still like my ThinkPad running XP.

    The build quality on Apple worries me, not to mention the size and weight of the damn things. And perhaps, to an extent, the price.

    However I gotta admit Apple make a tempting choice for the computer prosumer and I’m not surprised you switched.

    Like

  93. I would listen to all episodes of MacBreak Weekly EVER and get their “picks of the week.” You could even use Alex Linsday’s products, because you do a video podcast!

    there was actually a blog once somewhere that was keeping track… but they stopped.

    Finally: My most used apps are Quicksilver (seriously, join this cult–check out 43folders.com for information); Adium, MainMenu, and Growl. All Mac-Exclusive, all completely indispensable. I literally install quicksilver on every computer I sit down at.

    Like

  94. I would listen to all episodes of MacBreak Weekly EVER and get their “picks of the week.” You could even use Alex Linsday’s products, because you do a video podcast!

    there was actually a blog once somewhere that was keeping track… but they stopped.

    Finally: My most used apps are Quicksilver (seriously, join this cult–check out 43folders.com for information); Adium, MainMenu, and Growl. All Mac-Exclusive, all completely indispensable. I literally install quicksilver on every computer I sit down at.

    Like

  97. Pingback: Links added to Mac Utility post « Scobleizer - Tech Geek Blogger

  98. *wondering if one of those shiny new apps crashed his system, or he got one of those, rare I’m sure, Apple laptops that doubles as a cooking device*

    My modus operandi is still: (1) wait until a definite need presents itself, (2) research several products that fill that need, (3) get reviews from as many sources as possible, (4) install the “winning” application and don’t install anything else soon before or afterward so that undesirable aftereffects can be attributed only (or mainly) to the new app.

    Rinse and repeat.

    Why would most people, for example, want to replace/augment the built-in CD and DVD burning capabilities? They seem perfectly adequate to me.

    Like

  99. *wondering if one of those shiny new apps crashed his system, or he got one of those, rare I’m sure, Apple laptops that doubles as a cooking device*

    My modus operandi is still: (1) wait until a definite need presents itself, (2) research several products that fill that need, (3) get reviews from as many sources as possible, (4) install the “winning” application and don’t install anything else soon before or afterward so that undesirable aftereffects can be attributed only (or mainly) to the new app.

    Rinse and repeat.

    Why would most people, for example, want to replace/augment the built-in CD and DVD burning capabilities? They seem perfectly adequate to me.

    Like

  100. Pingback: David Lee King » Blog Archive » Fun with my New Mac and File Conversion

  103. Nice one Robert!

    I would have to recommend:

    Spamsieve
    Super Duper
    Handbrake
    Visual Hub (converts stuff to Apple TV format)
    Cyber duck for FTP
    NeoOffice
    Yep for PDFs

    ENJOY!

    Like

  104. I’ll echo the sentiment of “don’t go gung ho” on too many new apps. Get to know what comes with the system to begin with. There’s a lot there.

    Learn to use Automator. If you’re more ambitious, learn AppleScript. Learn the iLife apps. Buy one of the better third party manuals for OS X (not having read one in a long time, you’ll have to get reccomendations elsewhere)

    Having said that, there are a few apps worth looking at right away.

    For posting to your blog, there’s ecto. It works with all major blogging platforms, including WordPress.

    For a feedreader, I recommend NetNewsWire (Excellent for managing a huge number of feeds).

    Like

  105. Nice one Robert!

    I would have to recommend:

    Spamsieve
    Super Duper
    Handbrake
    Visual Hub (converts stuff to Apple TV format)
    Cyber duck for FTP
    NeoOffice
    Yep for PDFs

    ENJOY!

    Like

  106. I’ll echo the sentiment of “don’t go gung ho” on too many new apps. Get to know what comes with the system to begin with. There’s a lot there.

    Learn to use Automator. If you’re more ambitious, learn AppleScript. Learn the iLife apps. Buy one of the better third party manuals for OS X (not having read one in a long time, you’ll have to get reccomendations elsewhere)

    Having said that, there are a few apps worth looking at right away.

    For posting to your blog, there’s ecto. It works with all major blogging platforms, including WordPress.

    For a feedreader, I recommend NetNewsWire (Excellent for managing a huge number of feeds).

    Like

  107. Scoble, you’ve been using Macs for years and years. Do you really not know what apps you want to use on it? 🙂

    The real reason for my post is John Welch and Shawn Levasseur’s posts, which seem to have been made with the impression that you’ve never used a Mac before (“be careful not to install too many apps until you’ve gotten used to the system” (paraphrasing)).

    Let it be known that Scoble is not a Mac newbie by any stretch of the imagination, so such patronizing isn’t necessary. 😉

    BTW, I agree with Shawn in recommending NetNewsWire.

    Like

  108. Scoble, you’ve been using Macs for years and years. Do you really not know what apps you want to use on it? 🙂

    The real reason for my post is John Welch and Shawn Levasseur’s posts, which seem to have been made with the impression that you’ve never used a Mac before (“be careful not to install too many apps until you’ve gotten used to the system” (paraphrasing)).

    Let it be known that Scoble is not a Mac newbie by any stretch of the imagination, so such patronizing isn’t necessary. 😉

    BTW, I agree with Shawn in recommending NetNewsWire.

    Like

  109. Pingback: An Amazing List of Mac Apps « All Over The Map

  110. Peter: I haven’t used a Mac as my main machine. And I wasn’t asking about main apps, but rather utilities. I’ve heard of some of these in the list, but hadn’t tried most of them yet. So, this list is very useful and because it’s from people who I know, I know I can get some help with them.

    Like

  111. Peter: I haven’t used a Mac as my main machine. And I wasn’t asking about main apps, but rather utilities. I’ve heard of some of these in the list, but hadn’t tried most of them yet. So, this list is very useful and because it’s from people who I know, I know I can get some help with them.

    Like

  112. “Newbie” is a relative term, and is only useful if you have a comparator.

    I’m regularly surprised at how people tart up their systems like a dockside whore on payday, and then complain it’s slow or whatever.

    As well, if you learn to really use what comes standard, that knowledge applies to EVERY Mac you may ever touch. If you only learn with a dozen utilities and addons, that knowledge is less transferrable. because I run my system as clean as possible, the OS-level things I do work on any mac.

    Like

  113. “Newbie” is a relative term, and is only useful if you have a comparator.

    I’m regularly surprised at how people tart up their systems like a dockside whore on payday, and then complain it’s slow or whatever.

    As well, if you learn to really use what comes standard, that knowledge applies to EVERY Mac you may ever touch. If you only learn with a dozen utilities and addons, that knowledge is less transferrable. because I run my system as clean as possible, the OS-level things I do work on any mac.

    Like

  114. Keyboard Maestro is a great little utility to create shortcuts for often repeated phrases, non-critical passwords and the like.

    Like

  115. Keyboard Maestro is a great little utility to create shortcuts for often repeated phrases, non-critical passwords and the like.

    Like

  116. Pingback: Veel software tips voor overstappers naar Apple « Frankeren

  117. I can’t believe nobody has mentioned Little Snitch…
    A must have! Check it out at http://www.obdev.at

    Highly recommended.

    Congrats on the new machine and welcome to the cult … er … club!

    Like

  118. I can’t believe nobody has mentioned Little Snitch…
    A must have! Check it out at http://www.obdev.at

    Highly recommended.

    Congrats on the new machine and welcome to the cult … er … club!

    Like

  119. I don’t check the blog for two days, and look what happens! Congratulations. I’ve been a developer for 10 years and have never had the need for a pc. Unfortunately, mine is only the 15 in. …I think i have macbook envy now.

    Like

  120. I don’t check the blog for two days, and look what happens! Congratulations. I’ve been a developer for 10 years and have never had the need for a pc. Unfortunately, mine is only the 15 in. …I think i have macbook envy now.

    Like

  121. Wish I would have seen your twitter… it was sent to me from a friend. Please stop by iboughtamac.com

    I’m in your shoes, just a couple months ahead! Welcome!

    Brent

    Like

  122. Wish I would have seen your twitter… it was sent to me from a friend. Please stop by iboughtamac.com

    I’m in your shoes, just a couple months ahead! Welcome!

    Brent

    Like

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  124. Pingback: Robert Scoble: “I Love My New Mac”

  126. Robert:
    Yes! Welcome to the club. I’d recommend:
    Snapz Pro
    Transmit
    AppZapper
    Keynote (in iWork)
    Mousepose
    SuperDuper
    Yojimbo
    Webstractor

    Like

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  129. I’ll break the mould and not suggest any third-party software.

    How about a link on “Basic Mac Os X Security”? That seems like a good idea – we all know Bill Gates himself has had to remark on how dangerous the Mac is, and has Bill ever been known to play fast and loose with the truth? 🙂

    Be that as it may, until John C. Welch does a column on Mac security, this is probably the best short guide:

    http://www.macgeekery.com/tips/security/basic_mac_os_x_security

    Like

  130. I’ll break the mould and not suggest any third-party software.

    How about a link on “Basic Mac Os X Security”? That seems like a good idea – we all know Bill Gates himself has had to remark on how dangerous the Mac is, and has Bill ever been known to play fast and loose with the truth? 🙂

    Be that as it may, until John C. Welch does a column on Mac security, this is probably the best short guide:

    http://www.macgeekery.com/tips/security/basic_mac_os_x_security

    Like

  131. Pingback: Robert Scoble se pasa a Mac » El Blog de Enrique Dans

  132. Scrivener is a writing app that’s very flexible, has note card organization, a customizable full screen mode and a bunch of other really nice touches. While programs like Word are geared for “document creation”, Scrivener is geared more for “writing”. http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html

    Sorry about the excessive use of quotes, It’s too early for me to think clearly.

    Like

  133. Scrivener is a writing app that’s very flexible, has note card organization, a customizable full screen mode and a bunch of other really nice touches. While programs like Word are geared for “document creation”, Scrivener is geared more for “writing”. http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html

    Sorry about the excessive use of quotes, It’s too early for me to think clearly.

    Like

  136. iclock
    http://www.scriptsoftware.com
    is essential and often overlooked because it runs all the time and replaces the old os x clock with some really useful time functions (alarms, timezones, various options for the menubar, app menu, to do list, etc..). i use the info it provides many times a day.

    Like

  137. iclock
    http://www.scriptsoftware.com
    is essential and often overlooked because it runs all the time and replaces the old os x clock with some really useful time functions (alarms, timezones, various options for the menubar, app menu, to do list, etc..). i use the info it provides many times a day.

    Like

  138. BBEdit (not TextMate!)
    Transmit (not Fetch or Interarchy)
    OmniOutliner (not Yojimbo)
    SuperDuper, of course
    Read up on the Command-shift 3 and 4 variations and command line “screencapture” before wasting money on a screen capture utility (and there also the freebie Grab utility bundled)
    Give Pages and Keynote a try

    Like

  139. BBEdit (not TextMate!)
    Transmit (not Fetch or Interarchy)
    OmniOutliner (not Yojimbo)
    SuperDuper, of course
    Read up on the Command-shift 3 and 4 variations and command line “screencapture” before wasting money on a screen capture utility (and there also the freebie Grab utility bundled)
    Give Pages and Keynote a try

    Like

  140. Pingback: SomosPC - Yo soy un PC ¿Y tú, qué eres? » Scobleizer se pasa a Mac

  141. Developer Tools.
    One of the best things I did since switching to OS X was register with Apple Developer Connection (it’s free). http://developer.apple.com/tools/

    The utilities include Property List Editor, allowing easy editing of the .plists in your library/preference and elsewhere.

    Another useful download, if you like the server side of OS X like Xgrid, has been the Server Admin Tools 10.4.

    Like

  142. Developer Tools.
    One of the best things I did since switching to OS X was register with Apple Developer Connection (it’s free). http://developer.apple.com/tools/

    The utilities include Property List Editor, allowing easy editing of the .plists in your library/preference and elsewhere.

    Another useful download, if you like the server side of OS X like Xgrid, has been the Server Admin Tools 10.4.

    Like

  143. My 5 most often used applications are:

    * Quicksilver
    Keyboard interface for OS X
    http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/

    * 1Passwd (the product I developed)
    Never type your online passwords again.
    http://1passwd.com

    * FileChute
    The fastest way to share screenshots (at least until iChat Screen Sharing arrives).
    http://www.yellowmug.com/filechute/

    * TextExpander
    A must have if you do a lot of typing.
    http://www.smileonmymac.com/textexpander/

    * Adium
    The best instant messaging client.
    http://www.adiumx.com/

    Like

  144. My 5 most often used applications are:

    * Quicksilver
    Keyboard interface for OS X
    http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/

    * 1Passwd (the product I developed)
    Never type your online passwords again.
    http://1passwd.com

    * FileChute
    The fastest way to share screenshots (at least until iChat Screen Sharing arrives).
    http://www.yellowmug.com/filechute/

    * TextExpander
    A must have if you do a lot of typing.
    http://www.smileonmymac.com/textexpander/

    * Adium
    The best instant messaging client.
    http://www.adiumx.com/

    Like

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  164. ‘grats on the new purchase, Robert. Lots of suggestions there. ; )

    Personally, I’d use OS X for at least just a little while without downloading anything just to get a feel for it, but once you’ve done that: Quicksilver FTW. Also Adium if you need a multi-protocol IM client (which I’m sure you do).

    Also, it’s interesting you got this machine just 2-3 months before Apple will release the Leopard (whose “secret” features are still an enigma wrapped up in a mystery). Was that a factor at all in your decision? Will you be upgrading if you like what you see?

    Like

  165. ‘grats on the new purchase, Robert. Lots of suggestions there. ; )

    Personally, I’d use OS X for at least just a little while without downloading anything just to get a feel for it, but once you’ve done that: Quicksilver FTW. Also Adium if you need a multi-protocol IM client (which I’m sure you do).

    Also, it’s interesting you got this machine just 2-3 months before Apple will release the Leopard (whose “secret” features are still an enigma wrapped up in a mystery). Was that a factor at all in your decision? Will you be upgrading if you like what you see?

    Like

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  170. SuperDuper – Lot’s of people are recommending it, but not saying why.

    SuperDuper and an external drive is the perfect backup solution. Keep a complete BOOTABLE clone of your machine at all times. (Maybe more than one)

    If my drive fails, I could firewire my machine to my backup drive and boot right up and keep working.

    If my machine dies completely, I could get a new one, Boot it up to the external drive, run SuperDuper, and be back exactly where I was in a few hours.

    I think anyone who’s not maintaining at least a complete clone of their drive for back-up purposes is insane.

    Like

  171. SuperDuper – Lot’s of people are recommending it, but not saying why.

    SuperDuper and an external drive is the perfect backup solution. Keep a complete BOOTABLE clone of your machine at all times. (Maybe more than one)

    If my drive fails, I could firewire my machine to my backup drive and boot right up and keep working.

    If my machine dies completely, I could get a new one, Boot it up to the external drive, run SuperDuper, and be back exactly where I was in a few hours.

    I think anyone who’s not maintaining at least a complete clone of their drive for back-up purposes is insane.

    Like

  173. How about just using the stuff that came with it for a while before you load all kinds of crap on it?

    Mail.app
    Safari
    iMovie
    iTunes
    iPhoto
    iChat
    Pages
    Keynote
    Address Book
    iCal
    Stickies

    Seriously – the great thing about the Mac is that it comes ready to do real stuff… it’s not like Windows where you have to load 300 crappy sharewarez on it… please get a feel for the stick experience first…

    Like

  174. How about just using the stuff that came with it for a while before you load all kinds of crap on it?

    Mail.app
    Safari
    iMovie
    iTunes
    iPhoto
    iChat
    Pages
    Keynote
    Address Book
    iCal
    Stickies

    Seriously – the great thing about the Mac is that it comes ready to do real stuff… it’s not like Windows where you have to load 300 crappy sharewarez on it… please get a feel for the stick experience first…

    Like

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  183. Pingback: Robert Scoble gets a Macbook Pro. « Waste Of Bandwidth!

  184. For editing documents and listening to iTunes, a Mac is fine. Oh, and surfing the net…

    for those of us who want something with style and substance, there’s the Asus carbon-fiber laptops.

    Like

  185. For editing documents and listening to iTunes, a Mac is fine. Oh, and surfing the net…

    for those of us who want something with style and substance, there’s the Asus carbon-fiber laptops.

    Like

  186. WinXP: you’re funny! I guess you didn’t understand that if you have a Mac you can run both MacOSX +AND+ Windows (either XP or Vista).

    I have two OS’s on my machine. Are you saying having only one is better? Sounds like sour grapes to me.

    Like

  187. WinXP: you’re funny! I guess you didn’t understand that if you have a Mac you can run both MacOSX +AND+ Windows (either XP or Vista).

    I have two OS’s on my machine. Are you saying having only one is better? Sounds like sour grapes to me.

    Like

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  192. Robert — I searched your blog before asking this question, but didn’t find an answer to my upcoming question. And, I know that I can run Windows on my new MacBook Pro, but I’d prefer to not do that.

    My question is, “what is the best replacement for the new Mac user for Microsoft Outlook?”

    I asked more than 20 people this same question at Web 2.0 Expo and noone had a good/crisp answer. I also have done a number of google searches, and noone seems to agree. For all its warts, the ease of use/single app functionality of Outlook and its synchronization across Exchange Server to phones, etc. is really a timesaver for many people.

    Do you know if there’s a consensus on the best way to approximate (or transcend) this utility?
    – Entourage
    – Mail / iCal / Address Book synch?
    – Gmail / Cal / Mail / iCal synch?
    – Zimbra
    – other?

    Thanks,

    Dave

    p.s. A good post on this by someone with your blogosphere outreach would be really helpful for converts, which I expect will only be increasing post-Vista…

    Like

  193. Robert — I searched your blog before asking this question, but didn’t find an answer to my upcoming question. And, I know that I can run Windows on my new MacBook Pro, but I’d prefer to not do that.

    My question is, “what is the best replacement for the new Mac user for Microsoft Outlook?”

    I asked more than 20 people this same question at Web 2.0 Expo and noone had a good/crisp answer. I also have done a number of google searches, and noone seems to agree. For all its warts, the ease of use/single app functionality of Outlook and its synchronization across Exchange Server to phones, etc. is really a timesaver for many people.

    Do you know if there’s a consensus on the best way to approximate (or transcend) this utility?
    – Entourage
    – Mail / iCal / Address Book synch?
    – Gmail / Cal / Mail / iCal synch?
    – Zimbra
    – other?

    Thanks,

    Dave

    p.s. A good post on this by someone with your blogosphere outreach would be really helpful for converts, which I expect will only be increasing post-Vista…

    Like

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  195. In the last month, business associates are all beginning the Mac switch. When my XP workhorse died, I bought an iMac with Parallels to run the windows apps I can’t live without. Now, I’ve fallen in love with how everything just works and does so with panache. For me, Vista put me over the edge…I bought a notebook with a gig of ram that runs the hard drive incessantly for nearly an hour with no apps running. I’m thinking I should sell it for a macbook…

    Dave Schappel: .Mac might be the answer for you

    Like

  196. In the last month, business associates are all beginning the Mac switch. When my XP workhorse died, I bought an iMac with Parallels to run the windows apps I can’t live without. Now, I’ve fallen in love with how everything just works and does so with panache. For me, Vista put me over the edge…I bought a notebook with a gig of ram that runs the hard drive incessantly for nearly an hour with no apps running. I’m thinking I should sell it for a macbook…

    Dave Schappel: .Mac might be the answer for you

    Like

  197. I couldn’t do without WebnoteHappy (http://happyapps.com), a utility I’ve not seen mentioned. It’s a bookmark manager that integrates del.icio.us. I have loads of bookmarks that haven’t been tagged/categorised/cleaned up/annotated from before del.icio.us came along, and WnH lets me search my library without differentiating between “del.icio.us” and “local.” I can quickly add stuff to it and then post it to del.icio.us at my convenience. The searching bit is key for me, since searching del.icio.us is so slow. I’ve also configured NNW to post to del.icio.us using WnH, which is handy.

    I never had a need for a bookmark manager when I used Windows, because I only ever used one browser. Not having found a favourite on OS X yet, I frequently switch between Safari, Camino (lub), Firefox and OmniWeb (lub), depending on the task at hand. I’ve added a global keyboard shortcut to system prefs that makes cmd-d add an URL to WnH instead of the browser I happen to be using at the time. Works a treat.

    Like

  198. I couldn’t do without WebnoteHappy (http://happyapps.com), a utility I’ve not seen mentioned. It’s a bookmark manager that integrates del.icio.us. I have loads of bookmarks that haven’t been tagged/categorised/cleaned up/annotated from before del.icio.us came along, and WnH lets me search my library without differentiating between “del.icio.us” and “local.” I can quickly add stuff to it and then post it to del.icio.us at my convenience. The searching bit is key for me, since searching del.icio.us is so slow. I’ve also configured NNW to post to del.icio.us using WnH, which is handy.

    I never had a need for a bookmark manager when I used Windows, because I only ever used one browser. Not having found a favourite on OS X yet, I frequently switch between Safari, Camino (lub), Firefox and OmniWeb (lub), depending on the task at hand. I’ve added a global keyboard shortcut to system prefs that makes cmd-d add an URL to WnH instead of the browser I happen to be using at the time. Works a treat.

    Like

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