---
title: "Tools I use on my Mac"
author: "Christopher S Penn"
date: 2007-03-08
url: https://www.christopherspenn.com/2007/03/tools-i-use-on-my-mac/
categories:
  - "Blogging"
  - "Technology"
---

# Tools I use on my Mac

Whitney just got a new MacBook Pro and is wondering what cool stuff I recommend. Being an avid Mac user, I offer the following list. Items marked with a ($) are not free.

- [AdiumX](https://www.adiumx.com) - nice multi-protocol chat (update: with iChat's support for Jabber, I use iChat now)

- [Audacity](https://audacity.sourceforge.net) - great editor for audio when you're not using Garageband

- [Audio Hijack Pro](https://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro) ($) - record Skype calls and any system audio

- [BBEdit](https://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/) ($) - best damn text editor there is

- [Camino](https://www.caminobrowser.org) - a better browser than Safari

- [Chax](https://www.ksuther.com/chax/) - iChat extender

- [Conversation](https://homepage.mac.com/philrobin/conversation/) - decent IRC client if you use IRC

- [CoRD](https://osx.iusethis.com/app/cord) - open source remote desktop client if you use MS Terminal Services

- [Cyberduck](https://www.cyberduck.ch) - great FTP/SFTP client

- [Disk Inventory X](https://www.derlien.com/) - find out where your free disk space went

- [ecto](https://ecto.kung-foo.tv/) ($) - do a lot of blogging on lots of blogs? Ecto is a great client.

- [Firefox](https://www.getfirefox.com) and[ Flock](https://flock.com/) - for testing and extensions

- [gDisk](https://gdisk.sourceforge.net/) - turn your GMail account into a disk

- [Gizmo Project](https://www.christopherspenn.com/youve-discovered-the-missing-link/) - competitor to Skype

- [Gleam](https://www.coalmarch.com/products/gleam-flickr-desktop-application.php) - free Flickr uploader for photos

- [Google Earth](https://earth.google.com) - the world

- [Google Notifier](https://mail.google.com/mail/help/notifier/notifier_mac.html) - menubar GMail and GCal notifications

- [Google Sketchup](https://sketchup.google.com) - 3D software if you like that kind of thing

- [Growl](https://growl.info/) - system-wide notifications

- [Handbrake](https://handbrake.m0k.org) - DVD ripper par excellence

- [iClip](https://inventive.us/iClip/) ($) - multi-clipboard tool

- [iStumbler](https://www.istumbler.net/) - find WiFi access points on the go

- [Levelator](https://www.christopherspenn.com/404-sorry-chris-probably-deleted-that-link/) - for leveled audio

- [mAC3Dec](https://sourceforge.net/projects/mac3dec) - rip any media file with audio into AIFF for use in Garageband

- [MacGPG](https://macgpg.sourceforge.net/) - encryption

- [NeoOffice](https://download.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php) - OpenOffice port

- [QuickSpace X](https://www.christopherspenn.com/youve-discovered-the-missing-link/) - fast MySpace links to common profile tools

- [Second Life](https://www.secondlife.com) - for the world that isn't your world

- [Senuti](https://www.fadingred.org/senuti/) - pull stuff off your iPod

- [Skitch](https://skitch.com/) - fast, easy to use screenshot maker

- [Skype](https://www.skype.com) - VoIP client

- [Snapz Pro X](https://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/) ($) - screen grabber that can also make screencasts

- [Spanning Sync](https://blog.spanningsync.com/) - sync your Google Calendar to iCal and back

- [SpyderX](https://www.spyderx.com/) - MySpace friend manager

- [Stuffit Expander](https://www.stuffit.com) - slices, dices, julienne fries, and decompresses

- [Tea Timer](https://www.herwig-henseler.de/teatimer) - desktop countdown clock

- [Transmission](https://transmission.m0k.org) - Lean and mean BitTorrent client - can download Rocketboom HD in seconds

- [TweetDeck](https://www.christopherspenn.com/youve-discovered-the-missing-link/) - for Twitter power use

- [VisualHub](https://www.techspansion.com/visualhub/) ($) - convert just about anything to anything in video

- [VLC](https://www.videolan.org/vlc/) - best video player ever

- [XCast](https://www.getxcast.com) - kind of neat podcast manager

- [XCode](https://developer.apple.com/tools/xcode/) - the 900 lb. gorilla of development tools

What tools on the Mac do you use every day that you can't live with? Post them here!