While I’m reasonably sure that I could live without my Apple, I can say with certainty that I would not want to live without it.
I recently bought a new PC to take some of the wear-and-tear off my handy 12-inch Mac, but since the “upgrade”, I’ve realized just how much I had taken for granted.
For starters, almost everything I use on my Mac is free, or pretty close to being free. With the PC, finding open source, virus-free software is about as easy as trying to leave the dentist’ office pain-free.
Of all the applications on my Mac, these are the ones that I use almost on a daily basis—and miss the most on a PC. And, if any of you PC users know of a half-way decent alternative for Windows, please let me know!
ImageWell
I was a late adapter of ImageWell, but once I realized its potential, it quickly became my favorite Mac app. Because of my work, I needed a reliable image editor, but one that was simple and quick to use. Enter ImageWell. Being able to crop, watermark, upload via FTP, and have the code copied to my clipboard with a few clicks makes this software worth far more than its cost of $19.95.
Free trial, $19.95 to buy
Adium
The little green duck is my little green friend. While iChat is handy and comes pre-installed with OS X, Adium has far better instant-messaging capabilities. I have four different IM accounts, and Adium keeps them connected and separated. This way I can chat with my family and friends, while still keeping my business accounts signed online.
Free
Genius
Without Genius, I can think of several college finals I might have flunked. This light-weight little application helps you memorize almost anything. In short, whatever you can type in, Genius helps you remember with its electronic cardfile and quiz system.
Free
Addendum: This program may be helpful in memorization: Mnemosyne @ http://www.mnemosyne-proj.org/index.php It is free as well and available on all three main OS's.
ImageWell: GIMP 2 could be considered a windows alternative, though it was originally designed for Linux, because there is a free, virus/spyware free version for Windows. (http://www.gimp.org/downloads/) Adium: Trillian is good for that. It offers connection to MSN, AIM, ICQ, and Yahoo. You can set up your own groupings of contacts however you like as well. (http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/downloads/) I don't know about any quiz programs for Windows, because I've never used any... Both Trillian and Gimp are completely free, though trillian offers an upgrade. (I don't know what the benefits are though, haven't used it.)
Brian, thanks for the suggestions!
I have tried GIMP on my Mac, but have yet to install it on my desktop PC. One of the things I love about Image Well is its simplicity. It's a light-weight image editor that works great for the days that I just need to crop or add a watermark to an image.
I really haven't used Trillian much for years, but I'll have to give it another try. Right now I'm using Pidgin, another open source software, that is allowing me to use multiple accounts.
Mnemosyne looks exactly like what I need to use on a PC! Thank you so much - it sounds excellent and might even install it on my mac too.
Addendum:
This program may be helpful in memorization: Mnemosyne @ http://www.mnemosyne-proj.org/index.php It is free as well and available on all three main OS's.
ImageWell: GIMP 2 could be considered a windows alternative, though it was originally designed for Linux, because there is a free, virus/spyware free version for Windows.
(http://www.gimp.org/downloads/)
Adium: Trillian is good for that. It offers connection to MSN, AIM, ICQ, and Yahoo. You can set up your own groupings of contacts however you like as well. (http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/downloads/)
I don't know about any quiz programs for Windows, because I've never used any...
Both Trillian and Gimp are completely free, though trillian offers an upgrade. (I don't know what the benefits are though, haven't used it.)
Brian, thanks for the suggestions! I have tried GIMP on my Mac, but have yet to install it on my desktop PC. One of the things I love about Image Well is its simplicity. It's a light-weight image editor that works great for the days that I just need to crop or add a watermark to an image. I really haven't used Trillian much for years, but I'll have to give it another try. Right now I'm using Pidgin, another open source software, that is allowing me to use multiple accounts. Mnemosyne looks exactly like what I need to use on a PC! Thank you so much - it sounds excellent and might even install it on my mac too.
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