Some cool freeware and open source apps for OS X
This was originally meant to be a YouTube video, but when I had finished recording it and imported it into iMove for editing, I realised I didn't record the sound. I then made it again on another occasion. I made the same mistake. I made it a third time, again with the same mistake (my microphone works, I just keep forgetting to set it to record sound as well. It's not the default, but I set it to record no sound for some other movies and the setting just stuck). Anyway, I'm not going to make it a fourth time, I will just give you the material.
Burn - an application to burn data, audio or video onto optical media, or you can copy disk images.
Caffeine - App Store - a menu application to prevent your Mac from going to sleep or initiating a screensaver while you do a task that the Mac doesn't consider as user-activity, e.g. watching a movie.
Mactracker - App Store - an application that lists all models of Apple computers/devices from 1984 to the present day.
Paparazzi! - a useful tool to capture webpages
Transmission - an open source, cross-platform, yet platform-native (in terms of looks) torrent client which consumes less resources than some CLI torrent clients.
Perian - a QuickTime component and prefPane which allows QuickTime to play many more formats, while also extending QuickLook (so I guess it's also a QLGenerator).
Bean - a free, light word processor which has just the right features and doesn't overload on features, yet doesn't skimp either.
There are loads of websites which list more apps like this. If you're a switcher and you're left with a budget of 0 for downloading apps for your new platform, this list can be so helpful. I consider these to be unmatched in their beauty and functionality too, so there are no paid apps which offer the same functionality with a better experience. These are apps you will keep, not free alternatives to tide you over while you save up for superior apps.
I hope you enjoy this list of free and open source software for OS X!
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January 26th, 2012 - 15:06
I’ve read some of your articles and I have this to say.
Apple is bourgeois shit and everyone knows it. People get fanboyish and defensive about it because of this modern notion of purchasing ‘cool’ (rather than developing it). People BUY their identities these days, they struggle for individuality without even knowing what sort of individual they truly are. The machine you use for work and play is now quite a large part of modern life so it’s become a target for exactly the kind of advertising that appeals to gormless dull pseudo-intellectuals with no real soul or personality of their own. Apple is like the wizard of oz giving a heart to the tin man, except it’s not a heart, it’s a meaningless overhyped shiny box, and it’s not being given, it’s being sold. People think Apple’s products are revelatory works of genius, they’re not. They’re the same aesthetic and marketing shit that car manufacturers have been pulling for decades repackaged for the technology market. Of course apple aren’t the only offender, just the worst by a very long way.
I hate Apple fanboys… Or any sort of fanboy really…
January 26th, 2012 - 17:33
“Apple is bourgeois shit…” everything’s fine so far with your, IMHO completely incorrect, opinion.
“everyone knows it.” I’m afraid you’re wrong. Even if they were shit, as you seem to think, their sales and growth seems to go counter to the fact that everybody knows they’re shit.
“People get fanboyish and defensive about it because of this modern notion of purchasing ‘cool’ (rather than developing it). People BUY their identities these days, they struggle for individuality without even knowing what sort of individual they truly are. The machine you use for work and play is now quite a large part of modern life so it’s become a target for exactly the kind of advertising that appeals to gormless dull pseudo-intellectuals with no real soul or personality of their own. Apple is like the wizard of oz giving a heart to the tin man, except it’s not a heart, it’s a meaningless overhyped shiny box, and it’s not being given, it’s being sold.” BLABLABLA. Spout some bullshit here. Try to sound clever with your analogies while discrediting people who buy Apple products as “pseudo-intellectuals”. How ironic!
“People think Apple’s products are revelatory works of genius, they’re not.” I assure you, the vast majority are.
“They’re the same aesthetic and marketing shit that car manufacturers have been pulling for decades repackaged for the technology market.” Correlation does not equal causation, poor, deluded fellow. Just because the company with the best marketing in the world by far also happens to be the most-loved and has the most-sought after products, doesn’t mean that’s the cause of their popularity. People buy Apple products because they offer a superior experience. The buying, the opening, the migrating (from Mac or PC (unfortunately, no Linux)), the using, the support (not that you’ll need it much), the ecosystem (which I admit, can be a disadvantage sometimes for us geekier people, but for most people, it’s just right), etc. Apple cares about the consumer and there are many many many stories which support this fact. Apple cannot and will not sell junk as long as Steve’s influence is still within them.
As for aesthetics, that’s just icing on the cake of the brilliance that is most Apple products. Apple has a loyal fanbase for a reason. Show me proof of brainwashing or some other conspiracy theory and I will think twice about whether Apple is as awesome as they claim.
“I hate Apple fanboys… Or any sort of fanboy really…” Okay, then! I think you just need to get over Apple’s popularity and success and just use what works for you, whether it be Apple products or something else. If you haven’t tried Apple for a reasonable amount of time (especially if it isn’t your first platform and you need to toss assumptions and paradigms out of the window), then I seriously doubt your mental health and reasoning/decision-making methods that caused you to write what you just did.
“I’ve read some of your articles and I have this to say.” which ones? And couldn’t you leave a comment there, as this was nothing to do with praising Apple? If comments were disabled for whatever reason, you could have at least linked to the articles you were talking about.
“bourgeois” http://cl.ly/DeBU
I leave you with this: for your own sake, please think about what you say and do in life and if you haven’t already, just give Apple a try and toss all your biases and hate out of the window. No pressure, just a thought!
Good day to you, sir!