Ok, I am asked all the time what I use on a daily basis to work, play etc. Here is a short list of my favorite apps. You will see that many of them are paid, but I very much embrace the open source world.
Also, this list will have a indicator of the OS that you can use it on. Many of the apps I started on the MAC with are ported from windows or linux apps. As my needs and tastes for the pure cocoa app grew, so did my app choices. I have listed the apps in order of importance to me in my daily usage also.
Browsers: (all cross windows, apple, linux)
- Safari 4
- Firefox 3
- Chrome
Email: (all cross platform)
- Gmail (web interface)
- Postbox (awesome port of thunderbird)
- Thunderbird
Web Dev:
- Coda (MAC)
- Alkaline (MAC)
- NVU (windows, linux)
- CSSedit (MAC)
Office Productivity:
- iWork 09′ (MAC)
- Office 2008 (MAC), 2007 (windows)
- Google Docs
Graphics:
- Pixelmator (MAC)
- Vector Designer (MAC)
- Pictureusque (MAC)
- QuickScale (MAC)
Media:
- Fission (MAC)
- Screenium (MAC)
- Wiretap Studio (MAC)
Day to Day Management:
- Dropbox
- ClamXav
- BackupBlaze
- Things (MAC)
- Google Contacts (all platforms)
- Google Voice (all platforms)
- Google Calendars (all platforms)
- BusySync (MAC)
- Cha-Ching (MAC)
As you can see this list can get very long very quickly. I really find that I am using more and more apps from Google on my computer and iPhone each day. While I use Skype and AdiumX for my IM needs, for almost all my voice needs Googe voice wins out. I even use the vocito app to use google voice from my desktop, and grandialer from my iPhone to use it there.
I am sure there are many great alternatives to some of the apps that I have listed here. I am daily trying out new apps. That is how I came across postbox, and can say that it is the BEST desktop mail program out there. I might be biased as I love the thunderbird project, but the level of professional thought that went into this app is amazing. Couple that with the awesome power of Google Mail (Gmail) and you have a killer combination.
I did not list any of the preference panes, backup apps (except one), or social media apps that I am using. That would have made the list a little too long and hard to use. I hope that you have been sparked with some ideas on some alternative apps to the big boys. I own Office 2008, iWork 08, 09 and Adobe CS4 Premium and I am proud of that. I am also prouder that I have fond smaller, better coded, better functioning alternatives to those massive, overly bloated code hogs to use on a daily basis.
What apps are you using, let me know. I am always looking for a few good ones.
