If the Windows apps left you wanting something simpler and more stylish, then have I got a list for you. Welcome to Part 2 of my Back to School Series! I am going to help you fill that new MacBook up with all of the essentials that you will need to start your semester off with a bang. Don’t forget to check out Part 1 where I detail the PC programs that will save your academic life. In Part 3, I will list the best web apps for getting you back into your school groove.
Well, I hope you are ready to receive your dose of Mac goodness. I have a great bunch of apps that will help you to become the next Stephen Hawking; except without the bionic parts… Anyhow, as with the Windows apps, some of these are free and some are not, but they are all worth whatever it takes to get them. They are essentials, after all! And, a big thanks to my brother, Jason, for being my fan boy adviser!
Office Suites
Microsoft Office 2004 – It seems to still be the consensus that this set of programs is still the best way to get work done. The Office apps are simple, solid, and, quite frankly, the standard. And even though the Mac version is behind its Windows iteration, it is still a fantastic program.
iWork ‘08 – The latest version of iWork is by far the best yet. Not only is it all slick and Mac-like with fantastic looking templates, but the folks at Cupertino have also added a spreadsheet app to boot! Sure, some of the templates are a little immature, but they are all polished and shiny; just as you would expect.
Getting Things Done
iProcrastinate – According to their own website, this “is the only killer homework/task management app you need.” And besides being a bit cocky, they are also right. You can break down your class assignments into specific tasks and assign them priorities. There really is no better way to handle your work load.
Yojimbo – Yojimbo is your best bet for a research companion. Technically speaking, it is an information organizer. You can store links, notes, recipes, images, or whatever it is you need! It is perfect for researching something like a term paper, so that you can easily reference all of your info.
Communication
Adium – This little ducky will solve all of your communicative needs. It supports a plethora of chat clients, so you can be on AIM, MSN and whatever else at the same time. It also features tabbed chatting and supports file transfers. And sure, you can’t do video chat, but what multi-protocol chat client can? Seriously, I am asking…
Backup/Protection
Carbon Copy Cloner – *Stuff* happens. And even if it is not as frequent as with a Windows PC, you still need to back up your files while you are at school. What will you do if you lose that homework you had been working on? That is why you need Carbon Copy Cloner to back up your system.
Norton AntiVirus – I still don’t buy the whole “Mac’s Don’t Get Viruses” argument. And why mess around with protection? If you wouldn’t mess around with the girl next door without protection, you shouldn’t get on the internet without protection. It is that simple.
Wallet – As long as we are talking about protection, let’s talk about keeping your credit cards and other login information safe. Having to jumble around passwords for your student bank account, facebook, myspace and whatever else is hard to do. With Wallet, you just let the app handle remembering everything for you!
Filesharing
Transmission – If Windows is flashy, then Mac is simple and clean. That is the case with this Torrent app. You need Torrents, of whatever nature, and this will get you them. It is easy to use, with no fancy distractions; just the way Mac users like it.
Cyberduck – Well, as I said in Part 1, you should always have an FTP client. Who knows what situation may arise when you desperately need one? Well, you may never desperately need one, but to remain consistent, I will recommend that you get Cyberduck for your FTP needs.
[...] at the best apps for Windows, but don’t worry Mac fans; you will get your day in the sun in Part 2! Finally, I will end the series in Part 3 with a look at the web 2.0 apps that are out there for [...]
Nice list. I have some of those already
. I’ve heard that iWork ‘08 though isn’t very good. Check out the Apple site and read the reviews, not many happy customers.
Well Sean, I checked out Apple’s site, and while the review average was up to 4 stars, I think that fan boys had a distinct effect on it. As far as I can tell, Pages is OK, Keynote is great (though that has never been a problem), but Numbers sucks… You are right about that; the reviewers find it limited and annoying. But like I said, everything is slick and pretty! If not a little immature.
hi i enjoyed the read
Great series. Check mine out at thepinkc! The series is running daily and started on August 13.
MSFT Orifice 2004 is Daddy’s Caddy. You can do Neo Office. It’s free.
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php
Don’t want a “social disease” to infect your virgin systems. Why pay notorious Norton? ClamXav is free anti-viral-ware. (OK, it sounds like an STD, but it ain’t.)
http://www.clamxav.com/
And when you’re tired of being an alpha-monkey for some disgusting tenured professor lech or lurch — use StumbeUpon for research. Add to Firefox. Look up their web sites yourself — it’s your first of many-all-to-many assignments.
bipolar2
Also try xtorrent as a bittorrent client, very nice search engine included ! http://www.xtorrentp2p.com/
@bipolar2: I had actually never heard of that ClamXav, STD or not…
And I do like NeoOffice, but running on my brother powerbook, it is actually slower than Office… but that may just be his system
@Sil: Actually, xtorrent is really cool; i just narrowly chose transmission over it.
What about Azureus for torrents? Or Transmit for FTP?
I tried to keep this list to 10 things, so there wasn’t much room for too many alternatives; maybe next time I should do a list of 10 essential categories of software, with alternatives for each…
But anyways, I had Azureus on the Windows list, so I thought I should find a different one for macs.
And, I like I said before, I just picked one program for every category, so I picked the rubber ducky one; but there are tons of alternatives.
Ive never heard of wallet before… Thanks, something I could really use.
I hate norton, mcafee etc. They seem to do more harm than good, but I agree that Mac users seem to play off the virus issues… We always have the theoretical potential to pass them on to our Windows counterparts.
Thanks for the list.
Thanks for bringing up a great point RJB; namely, that mac users may not see a virus infect their own system, but they can pass them on through things like documents. I have seen it happen.
Have you tried Papers? It’s a great PDF manager that is indispensable for anyone in the sciences.
J David:
I hate to criticize your list, but your missing the best back-to-school app there is for the mac (IMO). Check out SchoolHouse, which you can find directly at the developer’s website (http://www.loganscollins.com/schoolhouse), at Apple.com, or at SoftPedia.com.
This program rivals iProcrastinate, which you have listed, and I think it is better because it has more features like keeping track of grades and more. What it does is it allows you to create “terms” based on your school terms, and then add all the subjects you are taking to that term.
Once you add the subject, you can add all sorts of information to better organize you: the name of the teacher, the specific times during the day and week that you will have the class, daily assignments or long term projects, exam dates, class notes, and most importantly GRADES. SchoolHouse takes all your information and processes it to make a large calendar that helps you through the year, and I think theres even an option to sync the info with iCal for even better efficiency.
The main reason I love this software is that it has the ability to add grades in. When you first start a new subject in a new term, it will ask you how much the teacher places importance on things like exams, homework, quiz grades, projects, etc. This way the program will be able to understand how much each one of these is going to affect your overall grade. Then it asks what kind of grade system your teacher has (either a percentage base system or a point-base system). All you have to do from then on, is keep entering all the grades you receive, and the program will calculate the averages based on what you previously gave it, and show you your current over all grade.
Like all programs, this one has setbacks, such as a weak, over-simplified word processor for taking notes and the grade calculations it makes are not always exact as it can’t factor in class participation, but overall I like it alot and it helped me get through the last term of school last year. Looking forward to use it again this year and to hear your comments about it.
Oh and to “bipolar2,” I’m interested to know how StumbleUpon is ideal for research? LOL, seems like you’d have a one in one thousand chance to find the article you were looking for, but I like the thinking.
–Ethan
For shit’s sake, why are there more ads that content? You SERIOUSLY need to remove all those ads.
Sorry Smith, but I am a grad student with some hefty bills (not that I make hardly any money with this site). But, I can see your point, and I apologize for the excessive ads. However, I would like to point out that my new posts only feature one ad. After 2 or 3 weeks, I will usually add a couple more link units to a popular post. So, my point is that if you stay up to date with the fresh stuff, you won’t have to deal with more ads!
Thanks for coming by though. I appreciate and welcome all criticism.
I think that if I had those when I was at school, I would have got a better school experience.
Interesting idea but I doubt it will happen, unfortunatly
Yeah i love iWork 08 a definate purchase for all!
It is really nice post with have good article…
Great apps for the mac, I agree that most of these are essential apps for school.
Till then,
Jean
Thanks for the list.
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For shit’s sake, why are there more ads that content? You SERIOUSLY need to remove all those ads.
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