10 Must-Install Mac Applications

I’m a software developer, so bear in mind that my Mac is for working and coding (mostly Objective-C, Java, and Ruby). You won’t find apps for ripping DVDs, viewing videos, or playing Canasta. These are the apps I use over and over to get my job done. Note that I assume a Mac OS X installation, so I didn’t include Safari or Xcode — you’d better have those already installed.

  1. Visor Because it’s all about the command line. Having a terminal window a keystroke away, in a predictable screen location, makes the world a better place.
  2. MacVim The programming world, it seems, is rediscovering the power of vi — and vim really does improve on vi.
  3. Git If it ain’t in source control, it doesn’t exist.
  4. DropBox Perfect for backup and for synchronizing files across machines. My dot files, e-books, and documents are always available, whichever machine I’m on.
  5. Alfred The new kid on the launcher block is my favorite. Be sure to check out the Powerpack as well — worth the money, and I like where they’re going.
  6. Evernote Best junk-drawer note-taking app keeps it all in the cloud so I get my notes on all my devices.
  7. Kiwi I get most of my tech news from Twitter, and Kiwi works great. Clean UI, themeable, supports multiple accounts . . . now, if they would just make mouse-less tweeting a reality, it would be perfect.
  8. TotalFinder The second app from binaryage; no, I don’t know these people. A much-improved finder that gives you tabs, dual windows, folders on top, hidden files. Excellent.
  9. Pixelmator If I were a graphic artist or a true designer, I’m sure I’d be neck-deep in Adobe’s suite. I’m not, so I’m not. I can get all my graphics needs done in Pixelmator. I dropped GIMP for this.
  10. Eclipse Java pays my bills. You can’t propose any good reason to develop in a compiled language outside an IDE that compiles on save. Eclipse is still king.

I had to leave off some good stuff (Chrome? Balsamiq Mockups? Transmit? Hyperspaces?) to narrow the list to 10, and I’m sure you’re shocked that I left Tool X or App Y off the list. Get outraged, and let me know in the comments.

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