Software for Mac Switchers
When you switch from Windows to Mac OS X, the first minutes of using the new and flashy OS are pretty exciting. But once the excitement wears off a little, you’ll be up and looking for equivalents for all your windows software.
In the following guide, I´ve collected some applications that won’t make you miss your PC for a single second.
Webbrowser
This one is not really a switch, I have used Firefox on the PC and will continue to use it on the Mac. Even though Safari seems to be a little quicker, it lacks Firefox amount of addons and tweaks that make it the best browser around.
On the PC, I´ve used Outlook Express and on the Mac, I´m also sticking with the system’s standard application. Apple Mail is pretty much like Outlook - Just good! It comes with countless smart feature including a very useful notes and to-do reminder feature. And the best of all, it’s included in Mac OS X!
Instant Messaging
On the PC, most users either run their service standard application (ICQ, MSN…) or an all-in-one software like Trillian. None of these are an option on the Mac. Yes, there is a Mac version of the MSN Messenger - It’s a pretty buggy piece of garbage though. My choice is Proteus, a Trillian-like software that supports all major protocols and features. Even more advanced stuff like file-transfers work flawless!
Download Proteus (Freeware)
Multimedia Player
Out of the box, the Mac relys on Quicktime and iTunes to play media of all kind. While iTunes is a suitable tool to manage your music collection, it’s not starting quick enough to be any good for simple file playback though. Quicktime on the other hand is extremely limited when it comes to foreign video codecs. There are ways to change that, but they are quite a hassle and nothing for the first-time mac user.
The solution is simple and comes in three simple letters: VLC! The VLC media player is able to open and play almost everything. From DivX to H264 and DVD, VLC does it all. It’s also a quick and handy MP3 player with a reasonably good playlist feature. The Mac version of VLC is even more advanced than the Windows version, offering a control-overlay in full-screen mode - A feature that the PC version lacks.
Download VLC (Freeware)
File Compression
Mac OS X is able to handle .zip files reasonably well. If you need something more advanced or want to open up .rar files too, you need to find a third-party software to do the job. My choice is StuffIt as it supports all common formats and integrates well into the system. Users that only want to decompress (open) files can download the free StuffIt Expander - The full version is sadly not free.
Download StuffIt (Freeware/Shareware)
Bittorrent
One of my favorite Windows applications was utorrent, an amazingly small and effective bittorrent client. Looking for a suitable Mac equivalent, I´ve ended up with Transmission. Transmission is a very straightforward piece of software, you open a torrent file and it starts loading - No special settings or tweaks are needed. It comes with all the usual options like limiting transfer speeds and everything else you´re used to from your usual torrent client and integrates well into the dock, always showing you the current up/download rate.
Download Transmission (Freeware)
Usenet Access
From Panic Software comes Unison, the Mac’s definite usenet reader/browser/downloader. Unison supports everything you could ever need while using newsgroups. From NZB downloads to MP3 preview-streaming, Unison does it all and wraps it in a very pleasant and sleek user interface. Like Transmission, Unison integrates well into the dock, always keeping you informed about your current transfer status.
FTP Access
Either if you want to share some files or have your own homepage - You´ll need FTP access. From Panic Software comes Transmit, the perfect solution for all your FTP needs. Transmit does not just up and download files to your server, it also comes with lots of Mac-specific features. From well-made dock integration to its own dashboard widget for quick uploading - Transmit comes with all the cool workflow-features the Mac is known for. It even works with your .mac iDisk and .mac snyc and integrates into your spotlight search.
That’s it, you have Mac software for the most basic tasks. You can browse the web, chat with your friends, watch videos and download files. Of course, there`s plenty more out to try and do with your new Mac!
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