What's on Niels' Mac - Essential Apps to install on your MBP

Even a MBP w OS-X is not necessary complete with all the apps you might want.

Below an ongoing updated list of various kind of (free and commercial) 3rd party apps that will make your Mac life better:

Media/Communications/etc:

• IM Client: Adium - a multi protocol client (MSN, yahoo,etc). FREE
  
• Playing windows media files (wma, wmv) in quicktime using Flip4Mac. FREE
• Ripping mp3 streams (radio) to your Mac - now you can save those favorite stations offline. RadioLover. FREE for max 30min
• Skype - latest 2.5.0.BETA
• MissingSync. Sync your WindozeMobile Smartphone/PDA w OS X. Calendar/Address/Events/etc. Must have for heavy mobile users. $$
  

Textediting/Development/Programming:

• A better TextEditor for fast editing/large files: I switched from TextWrangler to Smultron - like even better: FREE
• Sourcecontrol UI for SVN: SmartSVN. Basic version FREE, Full $$
• Eclipse. Doesn't need any intro. To-do: List of my prefereed plugins.. FREE
  

Utils:

• Adjust advanced OSX preferences: TinkerTool FREE
• A better Filesystem Explorer PathFinder. $$
• Managing Fileextensions RCDefaultApp FREE
• Growl - cool notifications for many app events (new mail, IM on/offline,etc). FREE
  

Internet Stuff:

• Camino - a firefox/mozilla/gecko engine browser w Mac UI. The way Firefox should have been with proper Aqua UI; much faster than Safari. FREE.
• Vienna RSS reader. KISS newsreader - it just works. FREE
  

Office Apps:

• NeoOffice. OpenOffice with a OS X UI. Slow startup but once loaded decent speed and best of all read and create MSOffice documents (all my work docs created w NeoOffice - co-workers read fine on windoze boxes so far I have not had many major issues). FREE
  

Windoze:

• Parallels - the one and only needed virtual machine. $$ (got it for 39$ intro price back in the beta days :-). Read my posting here
  
• 
  

Last updated: 4/10/07

CISCO VPN headaches and solutions..

CSCO for OS X can be tricky - must use specific version for 10.4.6 to avoid crashed:

1) VPN software - must be v 4.9.something otherwise crash.. (I recall filename is like vpnclient-darwin-4.9.00.0050-universal-k9.dmg)

2) How to resolve the intermittent Error51: issue. when startinh VPN client (seems to happen a cpl of times per week)
Use the applescript below - copied from http://www.nd.edu/~srussel2/macintosh/ read the link for details..

Add it to for example Application->utilities


-----o-----

Complete AppleScript Code

do shell script "sudo /System/Library/StartupItems/CiscoVPN/CiscoVPN restart" with administrator privileges
if result contains "loaded successfully" then
display dialog "Cisco VPN service was successfully restarted." buttons {"Quit"} default button 1 giving up after 10
else
display dialog "There was an error restarting the Cisco VPN service. Please try again or consult your departmental IT support."
end if

do shell script "sudo -k"

Windows media files (wmv,wma) on OSX

Options:

1) Use Windows mediaPlayer9 - hasnt been updated since late 2003 but works kind of ok. Of course no tie in with iTunes/Quicktime and remote control,etc.etc


2) Use Flip4Mac
a) does not work on IntelPCs. However you might be able to get hands on the beta release if Flip4Mac.. some URLS to check out:
**beta announcement: http://www.flip4mac.com/fusetalk/forum/messageview.aspx?catid=26&threadid=1308&STARTPAGE=2&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear
**beta install link - might be obsolete...http://www.degaming.net/files/flip4mac.dmg

Update 8/25:

b) Now Flip4Mac has a universal binary http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/28842

I installed 2b) and nice - now we OS X ppl can browse sites that have MSFT only video/audio content like windoze machines...

SVN quick setup

Stes to get SVN running:

1) Install svn bin package from here http://subversion.tigris.org/project_packages.html - search for OS X. I used http://metissian.com/projects/macosx/subversion/
2) install the GUI client from here http://www.lachoseinteractive.net/en/community/subversion/svnx/download/