OT: Mac users

[jonny toetags]

Well, i've had my Macbook for a week and a half and am just loving this thing.
The transition was pretty smooth since i use Linux, but i was wondering if there are any cool little programs you guys recommend? (audio player, video player, etc...)
All I've installed on it so far was firefox, acrobat and messenger

 

[duesentrieb]

I would start with Logic Express for 299.

Free-/Shareware/cheap stuff:

"Transmission" for bittorrents, "Flip4Mac" to play WMVs, upgrade to "QT Pro" for vid-editing, "Sound Studio" for AIFFs (Mac's-WAV-type), "GraphicConverter" for all kind of graphic stuff (editing, converting)



- and most important "Serial Book" latest edition (serial numbers)

 

[Code001]

- First thing I'd do would be to only use Firefox as an emergency if you need to mess with various plug-ins. Look into Camino for a better gecko engine based browser. Safari is also extremely fast and I prefer the way it reads out text, too.
- Transmission is good if you do minor torrenting, but if you're serious about true torrenting, a properly setup Azureus client is the way to go.
- iTunes for audio and VLC + MPlayer OSX for video
- GarageBand has some pretty good modelers in it if you're looking for that kind of thing.
- Adium for AIM/MSN/Yahoo/ICQ/anything else you can think of
- Roxio Toast Titanium for burning
- X-Chat Aqua for IRC
- UnRarX for RAR
- GIMP if you're too lazy to "acquire" CS3
- iStat Pro for monitoring
- XNmap for a GUI-based Nmap

If you're looking for anything specific or need any help at all, gimmie a shout and I'll do my best to sort you out. Also, you can still run Linux and/or Windows if you're looking to still retain some of that flavor in your system.

 

[jonny toetags]

- First thing I'd do would be to only use Firefox as an emergency if you need to mess with various plug-ins. Look into Camino for a better gecko engine based browser. Safari is also extremely fast and I prefer the way it reads out text, too.
- Transmission is good if you do minor torrenting, but if you're serious about true torrenting, a properly setup Azureus client is the way to go.
- iTunes for audio and VLC + MPlayer OSX for video
- GarageBand has some pretty good modelers in it if you're looking for that kind of thing.
- Adium for AIM/MSN/Yahoo/ICQ/anything else you can think of
- Roxio Toast Titanium for burning
- X-Chat Aqua for IRC
- UnRarX for RAR
- GIMP if you're too lazy to "acquire" CS3
- iStat Pro for monitoring
- XNmap for a GUI-based Nmap

If you're looking for anything specific or need any help at all, gimmie a shout and I'll do my best to sort you out. Also, you can still run Linux and/or Windows if you're looking to still retain some of that flavor in your system.

Tks Code

i am used to Azeurus, so i will stick with that.
How are the torrents out there for Mac?

Once i get settled, i might try bootcamp and run Win.

Also, what new features does Leopard have?
Mine shipped with Leopard, and i keep hearing cool stuff about it, but sadly, i never used any other version of OSX, so I don't know what is 'new'

 

[Code001]

Leopard shipped mainly with minor updates to Tiger, but the biggest thing I preferred was the expanded networking since I network with Macs, PCs, and Linux machines. I also really like Spaces. It's a great way to keep your desktop clean when running multiple programs. Just to give you an idea, I have an old-ass 5 year old G4 Dual 1.25 GHz machine with 768 megs of ram. At any given time, I generally have between 4 to 12 programs running at once and OS X still runs great. The memory management compared to other OSes is a big reason why I'm a fan of the OS.

For mac-specific torrents, pretty much all of them are shut down and/or private. The regular ones you've used before would probably be your best bet for torrents. If you need something specific and can't find it, hit me up and I'll do my best to find it for you. Also, do yourself a favor and max out the ram in that machine.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/MacBook/DDR2/

They also will accept your old ram for $. OWC is great RAM for the Macs and comes with a nice lifetime warranty. Let me know if you need help setting up the Azureus client. It doesn't play as well with OS X as it does with the other OSes so some GUI modifications might be needed (nothing major - just changing it back to the "advanced" 2.x view, adjusting the refresh rate, and taking off that top toolbar).

If you're not gaming with the machine, Parallels or VMware would probably be a better choice instead of bootcamp. Both run near-native (think Wine).

 

[defpearlpilot]

If you're not gaming with the machine, Parallels or VMware would probably be a better choice instead of bootcamp. Both run near-native (think Wine).

Just a comment about Parallels.. I would not suggest using it for extended periods of time. On my MacBookPro, it really makes the thing heat up like a hot iron. I also had it running on my MacPro in the background for a few days to the point that it shut the thing down. I was freaking out when it happened but after shutting it off for a few hours to let it cool, it booted up again. I've never had that happen if I let it run without sleeping for a few days.

I'd still prefer using Bootcamp until they figure out how to keep the CPU utilization down.

 

[jonny toetags]

Cool stuff!

I am not sure about the dual OS yet...I dont think i want to waste HD space if i don't need to.

About the RAM, is it the same idea as a PC?
If i buy the 4G upgrade kit, my 1G that is in there now is useless?

EDIT..i think my max is 2G

 

[ratter]

Pretty much everything I use has already been mentioned, except instead of Gimp or Graphic Convertor, I use Seashore.

 

[Code001]

If you're not gaming with the machine, Parallels or VMware would probably be a better choice instead of bootcamp. Both run near-native (think Wine).

Just a comment about Parallels.. I would not suggest using it for extended periods of time. On my MacBookPro, it really makes the thing heat up like a hot iron. I also had it running on my MacPro in the background for a few days to the point that it shut the thing down. I was freaking out when it happened but after shutting it off for a few hours to let it cool, it booted up again. I've never had that happen if I let it run without sleeping for a few days.

I'd still prefer using Bootcamp until they figure out how to keep the CPU utilization down.

Cool stuff! I personally would only use Parallels and/or VMware for small, minute things, where as I'd be using Bootcamp for gaming, but that's me. I plan on buying my MBP around the end of Jan. Are you running the latest version of Parallels? Have you tried VMware? Got any temps you recorded?

Cool stuff!

I am not sure about the dual OS yet...I dont think i want to waste HD space if i don't need to.

About the RAM, is it the same idea as a PC?
If i buy the 4G upgrade kit, my 1G that is in there now is useless?

EDIT..i think my max is 2G

The MacBooks are a bit different as they can accept unmatched pairs, but there are only 2 slots in there to utilize. I'm not sure exactly what model you have so I can't tell you what your max is, but like I said before, you can sell your old RAM back to them.

As far as HD space goes, you can set up the OS to be expanding. This means that you set a limit as to what the virtual drive maxes out at, but it only takes up the space it needs. If you set it up to be 20 gigs, but the OS is only 1 gig, it'll only take up 1 gig of your HD.

 

[defpearlpilot]

If you're not gaming with the machine, Parallels or VMware would probably be a better choice instead of bootcamp. Both run near-native (think Wine).

Just a comment about Parallels.. I would not suggest using it for extended periods of time. On my MacBookPro, it really makes the thing heat up like a hot iron. I also had it running on my MacPro in the background for a few days to the point that it shut the thing down. I was freaking out when it happened but after shutting it off for a few hours to let it cool, it booted up again. I've never had that happen if I let it run without sleeping for a few days.

I'd still prefer using Bootcamp until they figure out how to keep the CPU utilization down.

Cool stuff! I personally would only use Parallels and/or VMware for small, minute things, where as I'd be using Bootcamp for gaming, but that's me. I plan on buying my MBP around the end of Jan. Are you running the latest version of Parallels? Have you tried VMware? Got any temps you recorded?

I was correcting my wife's paper user Word only in Parallels! I don't game on it because the 3D stuff isn't as good as running native. I have tried VMWare and they both have similar features. I couldn't tell you which one I preferred really.

I tried the VMWare where it can load your Bootcamp partition in a VM. While it works pretty well, it fucks up the hardware profile for when you actually reboot via Bootcamp. I don't know why they don't create separate hardware profiles when using one as a VM(reduced) and one native(actual hardware).

Parallels supposedly has this feature now as well but I was hesitant to try it. I'm using build ~5500. Don't know the exact one but it's the second latest. USB support is better than it used to be. When I hooked up my Zune and tried to access it via the software, the VM used to lock up. Now it's somewhat better. It also has a problem with mounting file systems. I have my Zune accessing on my music on a Mac partition. The VM unlinked the root folder!! Repairing the drive doesn't fix the problem. So I had to search for my music, open the enclosing directory and copy ALL my music to a brand new directory! Now I'm using a simlink that links to the actual but I haven't fully test how it works. Hopefully it will only corrupt the link and not the enclosing directory.

 

[Code001]

Good to know. I'll be experimenting with both when I get it. I don't plan on doing much with them, but I'd be pretty pissed if they messed with my hardware profiles. I know both got recent updates, and a lot of people are saying VMware is better.

 

[Telephant]

I bought my girlfriend a Mac Mini for Christmas. We leave it hooked up in the living room connected to the 46in Flat Screen. DVI to HDMI cable + Leopard + 1080p = Eye sex. That and we run iTunes off of my 1 TB external hardrive so its like a Super Juke Box.

Im really digging Leopard too. I want to load it on to my Macbook Pro but Im still waiting for digidesign to update Pro Tools.

The first thing I downloaded to the Mac Mini when we got it hooked up was VLC, UnrarX, Flip4Mac, Xvid codec, and Transmission. I need to put my hacked version of Toast Titanium on there as well. That program kicks all kinds of ass.

 

[Dale B]

Man, you guys are adding fuel to the flames because I've been looking at the Macbook Pro laptops here lately. My friend just bought a new HP w/ Vista. I want to be different.

Do these things have any problems picking up wireless networks? My friend and my brother's girlfriend were able to pick up one very easily.

 

[defpearlpilot]

I bought my girlfriend a Mac Mini for Christmas. We leave it hooked up in the living room connected to the 46in Flat Screen. DVI to HDMI cable + Leopard + 1080p = Eye sex. That and we run iTunes off of my 1 TB external hardrive so its like a Super Juke Box.

Im really digging Leopard too. I want to load it on to my Macbook Pro but Im still waiting for digidesign to update Pro Tools.

The first thing I downloaded to the Mac Mini when we got it hooked up was VLC, UnrarX, Flip4Mac, Xvid codec, and Transmission. I need to put my hacked version of Toast Titanium on there as well. That program kicks all kinds of ass.

Which version of PT are you using? I can get PT 7.4 to work with Leopard and my Digi002R. I read that FW interfaces work and USB interfaces don't. I think you have an MBox Pro, right? It might work just fine. I can understand if you don't want to chance it.

 

[shredhead666]

QUICKSILVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You will quickly discover Quicksilver to be the best program ever written. Ever. For any platform. Everything else is secondary. Eventually you'll even stop using that fucking retarded dock. If there was a way to completely remove it I would, but for now it's just shrank and auto-hidden. I really wish Apple would just bite the bullet, and license it so they can ship all new releases of OSX with Quicksilver pre-installed.

Um, FUCK Firefox, it blows... Get Opera.

Adium, Xee, Transmission, Cyberduck, iTerm, The Unarchiver, Kismac, Picasa uploader, VLC, and VMWare Fusion are the only other programs I use on a regular basis. And certain Linux command line programs can be installed rather easily using Fink or Darwin Ports. I had to install minicom and nmap this way.

The one thing that I absolutely hate about the OSX platform though, is how Apple is trying to dissuade people from learning about the BSD file system. They basically ignore completely how BSD is normally structured, and make all sorts of goofy directories instead. But I guess this is done in the name of user-friendliness (decades of computing standards be damned ).

Other than that I've noticed that Leopard is still really really REALLY buggy compared to previous releases. I'm not even sure I know why Apple released it. (Beachball of doom during login, VPN pickyness during login/logout, VPN disconnects during extended downloads, keyboard stops working occasionally, etc...)

I hear they've fixed the keyboard issue with a software update, but the other issues remain. If you haven't upgraded from Tiger yet, DON'T. Not until the next OS update at least.

Overall I think I still prefer Linux, but I guess it's because that's what I'm used to using.

 

[defpearlpilot]

Man, you guys are adding fuel to the flames because I've been looking at the Macbook Pro laptops here lately. My friend just bought a new HP w/ Vista. I want to be different.

Do these things have any problems picking up wireless networks? My friend and my brother's girlfriend were able to pick up one very easily.

I got a MBP a couple of months ago. My only regret is not getting the Hi-Res 17" model. But I was being fiscally responsible.

But it has no problem picking up networks. It's an awesome machine.

 

[defpearlpilot]

QUICKSILVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You will quickly discover Quicksilver to be the best program ever written. Ever. For any platform. Everything else is secondary. Eventually you'll even stop using that fucking retarded dock. If there was a way to completely remove it I would, but for now it's just shrank and auto-hidden.

Other than that I've noticed that Leopard is still really really REALLY buggy compared to previous releases. I'm not even sure I know why Apple released it. (Beachball of doom during login, VPN pickyness during login/logout, VPN disconnects during extended downloads, keyboard stops working occasionally, etc...)

Thanks for the tip on Quicksilver. Definitely going to check that out.

Overall, I haven't had too many problems with Leopard. The one problem I ran into was finding Windows machines on the network. But that is easily solved by a small configuration change in networking. I also haven't had any problems with VPN either. I'm running Cisco 5.whatever and had no disconnects or logic problems. RDC is much more problematic but it's shitty on any platform that you use.

 

[CoachZ]

I can't recommend Quicksilver enough either. The app is beautiful, I wish they had a linux equivalent for me to use.

 

[shredhead666]

I can't recommend Quicksilver enough either. The app is beautiful, I wish they had a linux equivalent for me to use.

Katapult for KDE and Gnome-Do for Gnome. Not quite as powerful or extensible, but very similar.

 

[shredhead666]

QUICKSILVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You will quickly discover Quicksilver to be the best program ever written. Ever. For any platform. Everything else is secondary. Eventually you'll even stop using that fucking retarded dock. If there was a way to completely remove it I would, but for now it's just shrank and auto-hidden.

Other than that I've noticed that Leopard is still really really REALLY buggy compared to previous releases. I'm not even sure I know why Apple released it. (Beachball of doom during login, VPN pickyness during login/logout, VPN disconnects during extended downloads, keyboard stops working occasionally, etc...)

Thanks for the tip on Quicksilver. Definitely going to check that out.

Overall, I haven't had too many problems with Leopard. The one problem I ran into was finding Windows machines on the network. But that is easily solved by a small configuration change in networking. I also haven't had any problems with VPN either. I'm running Cisco 5.whatever and had no disconnects or logic problems. RDC is much more problematic but it's shitty on any platform that you use.

Dude, I don't know how you can use OSX WITHOUT it. As for the buggy issues I've found, it's probably because of all the weird crap we run at work. We tend to find bugs in new releases VERY VERY quickly here.