Must-have freeware

Jump to First Reply
Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
My mother is getting a Mac mini and it will be coming to me to be set up and made ready to go.



Aside from FTP, web browser & AIM alternatives, what are some must-have freeware applications I should check out?
«13

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 43
    zozo Posts: 3,117member
    utilities:



    tansparent dock (hate the translucent dock)

    ONYX (maintainence)

    Monolingual (to free up hudreds of megabytes of language files you dont need)

    Pithhelmet for Safari (block all useless ads, etc)

    MenuMeters (processor, ram, network traffic...)



    Contextual menu must haves (not sure your mom will use em...)

    GrimReaper (get rid of resource file and thumnails, etc)

    PhotoTool (convert to different formats, resize, batch rename, etc etc)

    QuickImage

    FinderIcon (quick and easy icon copy/paste)



    apps:

    GmailStatus (if you got gmail)

    BluePhone elite (if you use bluetooth and phone)

    VLC (www.videolan.org)

    Mplayer (as backup, but I've never needed it so far)



    Then, I always download latest Shockwave and Flash player plugins when I get on a new Mac.



    Thats about it
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 43
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Thanks for those, ZO.



    This thing is really going to make me get a Mac sooner than expected. I love finding cool little freeware apps. My PC is loaded with them.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 43
    Don't forget CALL MOM , an app that simulates you calling your Mom three times a day asking for advice.



     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 43
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ZO

    ONYX (maintainence



    This one rocks.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 5 of 43
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    FireFox

    XFactor

    Adium

    DVDBackup/MactheRipper

    Adobe Reader 7

    Realplayer

    Windows Media Player



    and this is technically shareware:

    GraphicConverter
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 6 of 43
    ipodandimacipodandimac Posts: 3,273member
    HimmelBar -- apps and folders from a menubar icon
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 43
    liquidrliquidr Posts: 884member
    This is a great thread. Someone should make it a sticky.



    One of my favs is icomic (daily comic strips).
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 8 of 43
    These are all nice software ideas, but perhaps you've forgotten the request was for software for someone's MOM?
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 9 of 43
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    I still like to recommend PixelNhance from the defunct Caffeine Software team. You have to download it with a bunch of other stuff that may or may not be useful though, like Curator (iPhoto-ish) and Cycles (CPU meter) and of course TIFFany. It's less valuable now that iPhoto 5 has most of PixelNHance's functions, but it's free, lightweight, ties into iPhoto nicely, and does a good job with slightly better tools than iPhoto and has a couple tools that iPhoto 5 lacks.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 10 of 43
    danmacmandanmacman Posts: 773member
    Camino optimized build

    Camino ExtraPrefs

    gCount

    Adium

    Searchling
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 11 of 43
    download some games for her....



    gamehouse.com has some great software and many are very affordable...



    my mom and dad weren't too computer savy and the games have made the computer more "fun" for them...



    It helped with the approach avoidance... they barely used the old HP machine. I bought them an iMac G4 2 years ago and now they're slowly moving from novice to a more comfortable computer user.



    I was surprised how much mom and pop liked the games.



    I also got them a .Mac membership and have shown them how to do backups and post photos to from thier digital camera.



    They can't believe how easy it is. They couldn't do anything on their HP and they are loving the iMac more and more each day.



    It took my dad about 6 months before he was willing to really start playing with iTunes... but now he's burning CDs for all his friends and loving it.



    baby steps.... if they're new to computers or simply new to Apple... baby steps... and before long they'll be pros.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 12 of 43
    gongon Posts: 2,437member
    Here's what I use, thus far. May forget something.



    Firefox

    Firefox extension - Permit Cookies 0.5

    Thunderbird

    Adium

    Handbrake

    Safari utility - AcidSearch

    VLC

    MPlayer

    Windows Media Player

    NeoOffice/J

    CyberDuck

    Vim
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 13 of 43
    i really dig wclock. i don't understand why they took the date away from the menu clock in os x. so now i have it back and a handy calendar that pops up when i click on the time.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 14 of 43
    gongon Posts: 2,437member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by admactanium

    i really dig wclock. i don't understand why they took the date away from the menu clock in os x. so now i have it back and a handy calendar that pops up when i click on the time.



    I think date is not critical enough to take permanent screen space. Without utilities you can see it by clicking on the time, which is good enough IMO. Also it might have had to do with Apple's decision that the iCal icon constantly displays day, and most people remember which month and year it is.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 15 of 43
    Quote:

    Originally posted by admactanium

    i really dig wclock. i don't understand why they took the date away from the menu clock in os x. so now i have it back and a handy calendar that pops up when i click on the time.



    You could always find where Window Clock is located and duplicate it. Move the copy to the application folder and include it in your startup pane. Open Window Clock and set it for the time/calendar diplay. Of course, it will appear on your desktop, rather then in the menu bar, and you'll still have the normal clock display in the menu bar. This works great if you're using two displays or have a large monitor with plenty of screen real estate.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 16 of 43
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gon

    I think date is not critical enough to take permanent screen space. Without utilities you can see it by clicking on the time, which is good enough IMO. Also it might have had to do with Apple's decision that the iCal icon constantly displays day, and most people remember which month and year it is.



    it's simply a matter of opinion. i GREATLY prefer having the date in the toolbar and don't understand why they took away at least the option to leave it in. clicking on the time to get the date display is an annoyance to me.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 17 of 43
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Awesome. I've got a short list of stuff that will be good for the mother, but it's still good to see the other stuff.



    Keep it up, guys. And to make it easier for the rest of us, make sure you link directly to the app.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 18 of 43
    Last I saw his mom, she didn't need any freeware!



    Heh, sorry.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 19 of 43
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    HEY-O!
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 20 of 43
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    I need some more free games. Especially solitaire. Must have free solitaire.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
Sign In or Register to comment.