11 Programs New Mac Users Need to Buy/Download

I bought my Mac mini 05 Sept 2005 and realized that a lot of apps are needed to allow you to place nice with the ugly Windows-based world (poor saps!). Here's a short list of programs I've found invaluable as I've used Mac OS X. Just Google the name and you'll find a download for it.

1. VLC/MPlayer 2 - I actually have both, because I've found VLC cannot open some files MPlayer can and vice versa. Until a Tiger-compatible version of DivX comes out these apps are EXCELLENT and FREE!

2. WMV Player (Pro) - Although you can use Windows Media Player for Mac (which is a COMPLETE waste of code), Flip4Mac's WMV plug-in for Quicktime works flawlessly, and for about $15 higher than the standard codec/player, you can allow WMV Player Pro to re-encode .wmv files to another, more Quicktime-friendly format. Not free, however, $10 for WMV Player (plays .wmv files in Quicktime), $25 WMV Player Pro (in addition to the Player's features, allows you to re-encode .wmv files into another format).

3. BitTorrent - I don't use it that much, but whenever I need a file that Torrent-only, I have this li'l app handy to download the file. Not a necessary app for me, but worth the download. (Free)

4. LimeWire - Excellent P2P program. Allows downloading from Windows and Linux computers as well. Just don't go being all illegal-like and get the government on your tail. Last we thing we need is a Mac user behind bars and/or slapped with heft fines. We payed enough for the Mac as it is! (Basic is Free)

5. MPEG Streamclip - Excellent file converter within Quicktime-friendly formats. I use it to convert MPEG-1 files to MPEG-4 so I can put them on my iPod (it has a iPod Conversion preset!) or be able to edit them in iMovie (iMovie no likey MPEG-1 videos! Drops the audio). (Free)

6. StuffIt Expander - Allows the expansion of .sit files and whatnot. Nifty for Internet downloads and such. Good program to have around. (Free)

7. SaveHollywood - A nifty program that allows you to play Quicktime-friendly videos as your screen saver. I use mine to play DVDs I've copied (THAT I OWN OR MADE!; see below) and my home movies. (Free)

8. MacTheRipper - Nifty program for ripping DVDs into folders on your hard drive. You can opt to only rip certain parts, de-activeate Macrovision, and get rid of those pesky blocks that make you watch certain parts of the DVD. USE ON YOUR OWN DVDS! STEALING IS BAD! (Free).

9. HandBrake - Good to use with MacTheRipper. Can convert VIDEO_TS folders into OGG, AVI, or MP4 formats. You can set up HandBrake to export to iPod-friendly formats, but there is no preset yet, but it's expected in the next update. Can rip straight from a DVD (making MacTheRipper pointless), but I wouldn't recommend it. I wouldn't want my SuperDrive active that long. (Free)


10. Roxio Toast 7 - Another good program to use with MacTheRipper. Toast 7 has a Tiger-compatible version of DivX and is a beast of a CD/DVD burning application. Can burn disk images (great for getting iDVD projects on a DVD if you don't have a internal SuperDrive), among other nifty things. Pretty much the best third-party solution to getting your iLife on DVD. Check out it's website for a full overview of features. ($100)

10 Alternate. Roxio Popcorn - If you just want to make a copy of a DVD that you OWN, Popcorn does the trick nicely. You can use MacTheRipper to create the VIDEO_TS folder, then drag the folder into Popcorn. Popcorn can even strink and cut out parts of the DVD to allow it to fit on one single-layer DVD. I cut out everything except the English 2-channel audio and maybe the English subtitles. This allows for better video/audio quality. Keeping all the extras will degrade the quality of the video. But that wouldn't matter because if you want to watch the extras you can take the retail DVD off the shelf and pop it in because YOU OWN IT! ($50)

...and finally...

11. Microsoft Office for Mac - Let's face it folks. Microsoft won the productivity age. All major businesses use Micro$oft's file formats (save the corperations making the OpenOffice jump). So in order to keep up (and maintain a level of familiarity for Windows Switchers), Office isn't a bad choice. Yes, Apple's iWork and AppleWorks can open and work with Office formats, those programs aren't as powerful as Word and Excel, for example. The suite comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Entourage, and VirtualPC (Professional Only!). (Standard Edition: $399, Professional Edition: $499, Student & Teacher Edition: $149)

Those are ones I use regularly. Other things I'd recommend to buy (if it interests you) are GarageBand Jam Packs, Quicktime Pro, and Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Are there any you would recommend?