I am very dependent on these wonderful software packages, my kudos to their developers.
Mac Software
- LaunchBar
- Launch applications, bookmarks, view phone numbers, activate songs in iTunes – all with just a few keystrokes. There have been some LaunchBar clones released recently, but the original is still the best. I’m a registered user.
- Path Finder
- This is the Finder for power users – it’s a better mousetrap, period. I’m a registered user.
- BBEdit
- Simply the best text editor I’ve ever used. I use it for most of my development. Registered user since version 4.x
- Camino
-
This has been my main browser for the last few years. Safari is nice, but it doesn’t have the maturity of a Gecko based browser.
- NetNewsWire
- You’ve got to be using RSS these days and this is only RSS reader I’ve liked enough to stick with. It does its job and stays out of your way.
- Adium
- A free open-source multi-protocol Instant Messenger client that actually works.
- Pukka
- Great “post to del.icio.us” client (make sure to install the bookmarklet). I purchased.
- Twitterrific
- The killer app for Twitter.
- iStat Menus
- This utility shows you CPU usage, disk activity and network traffic in the menu bar with very handy menus off each display. Also has a great menubar calendar I donated.
- SuperDuper
- The best Mac backup tool out there – I rely on this.
- shadowClipboard
- A beautifully implemented multi-clipboard system.
- MsgFiler
- Keyboard-only message filing in Mail.app. My review.
- DS_Store Cleaner
- I use this to get rid of those .DS_Store files before packaging up my software releases. I donated.
- Synergy
- This util makes iTunes a ubiquitous part of your Mac computing experience. It’s how iTunes should have worked in the first place. I’m a registered user.
- R-name
- The best batch file rename utility I’ve found.
- Zippist
- Create Zip files without compatibility issues.
Windows Software
- UltraEdit
- When I’m on a PC and need to do some development, I want to be using a copy of UltraEdit. I’m a registered user.
- Firefox
-
The only browser to use on Windows.
- Search & Replace
- This is a fantastic search and replace utility. Highly recommended.
- Gaim
- A free open-source multi-protocol Instant Messenger client with tabbed chat windows that actually works.
- FileZilla
- A free open-source FTP client that is by far the best I’ve found for Windows.
- Bulk Rename Utility
- The best file rename utility I’ve found for Windows.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Jason Stone adds this Comment:
A good notepad replacement that I like is TextPad. It supports syntax highlighting, a customizable clip library and file manager in the sidebar, and also has a useful regexp supported find and replace.
btw…the link to the “Bulk Rename Utility” returns a custom 404 not found error which shows the updated link which is:
http://www.bulkrenam[...]in_Intro.php
February 25th, 2007 at 12:54 am
Alex adds this Comment:
Actually, I have extreme dislike for TextPad as an editor – I think it’s awful. There is a good thread on Windows text editors in the comments here.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Jonathan Evatt adds this Comment:
Jason, (and Alex) you might like to check out PS PAD. I use to use Ultra Edit but switched to PS Pad as I find it rather excellent and it’s free.
It’s at http://www.pspad.com
Regards,
Jonathan
April 3rd, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Jared Schwager adds this Comment:
Just thought I’d throw out this other little bulk renaming application for Windows that I found to be very useful. It’s called “A.F.5 Rename Your Files” and can be found at http://www.fauland.com/af5.htm
May 18th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Dustin Tantum adds this Comment:
Instead of Synergy I use “You Control Tunes” from http://www.yousoftware.com
It’s free… it’s sweet… it smells nice.
June 5th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Eric adds this Comment:
How about TextMate (Mac)? I used to use BBEdit (lite), but then got my hands on TextMate. This product rocks. Just my $0.02.
June 28th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Vince LaMonica adds this Comment:
FYI, DS_Store Cleaner can now be found at:
http://projects.ryangrier.com/
and Gaim has been renamed to Pidgin and can be found at:
http://www.pidgin.im/
September 27th, 2007 at 3:43 am
Steen at Verinet Hosting adds this Comment:
F. Amazinly Editor… which i use as standards… i have been around on your pages well doone i must say !
October 17th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Jason Slater adds this Comment:
Alex, thanks for producing these tips – I will certainly give UltraEdit a good look. I have a similar list you might be interested in over at my Blog.
Jas.
http://www.jasonslater.co.uk
December 24th, 2007 at 4:30 am
Bogdan adds this Comment:
Hi there,
I can also recommend you as a good text editor for Windows the Editplus program. Similar to Ultra Edit, not as powerfull as it but it’s quite easy to use and does a great job. For the experienced user most probably Ultra Edit will fit best.
Bogdan
January 26th, 2008 at 3:24 am
Andy adds this Comment:
Thanks for the useful list. I like to use File Renamer Pro. It can rename multiple files and folders at once.
July 1st, 2008 at 1:52 am