A little while ago Freelance Switch posted an article with what they consider to be the 35 absolutely essential Mac apps list. There’s some good apps in the list, but I’ve got a lot of problems with it. For one thing, some of the software they list hasn’t even been released (in fact, Things doesn’t even have a beta version available yet), so how can they rank it as essential? For another, some of it actually isn’t very good (Sticky Windows, I’m looking at you). Then there’s the fact that they completely missed some of the standbys that freelancers might find useful, failed to note which apps have the same functionality, and the list completely lacks any sort of useful organization. Party foul, Freelance Switch.

Personally, I think the list could be a lot better. For instance, it could look more like this:

Ian Beck’s More Better List of 35 Essential Mac Apps

Categories: Blogosphere, General Computing, Images, Internet, Web Design, Workflow, Writing, Extraneous, and Runners Up

Blogosphere

ecto –or– MarsEdit
If you’re going to edit a blog using desktop software, there’s only really two games in town. Ecto is better for WYSIWYG; MarsEdit is more streamlined. I used to use ecto a lot, but lately I switched to MarsEdit (this post was written in MarsEdit).

NewFire
A lot of people swear by NetNewsWire, but I’ve long been a fan of NewsFire. An RSS reader doesn’t need to give me everything and the kitchen sink; I’d prefer it to give me the my RSS feeds, preferably with style and flair. NewsFire does so.

General Computing

DragThing
If you want something with more power and usefulness than the Dock, but aren’t into keyboard launchers, then DragThing is the thing for you. It’s a beautiful app with a long and glorious history. Go download and enjoy.

MenuCalendarClock for iCal
An amazingly useful little replacement for the system clock. Even if you don’t register it, the free features will make your life quite a lot happier when it comes to dates and times.

PathFinder
A far better file browser than the Finder could ever dream of being. This would be the second item on the list if it were organized from most to least essential. Although not everyone will use the extra features PathFinder offers, you owe it to yourself to try it.

Sticky Notes
Sticky Notes is a lot like Apple’s Stickies program, except that it doesn’t suck. It’s just as useful for jotting down quick notes, but what I mainly use the program for is its ability to attach sticky notes to any application so that you only see the sticky when that application is running and active.

Images

Acorn –or– Pixelmator
Both Acorn and Pixelmator are cheap and efficient image editors. Personally, I prefer Acorn because its interface is by far the best I’ve found in image editing software, but if you need more power but without the cost of Photoshop, then Pixelmator may serve you better.

Lineform
Lineform is vector illustration for people who don’t have boatloads of cash lying around to blow on Adobe Illustrator. I highly recommend it.

ViewIt
When you need to find the perfect photo from a huge selection, ViewIt is an excellent solution. Efficient and streamlined, ViewIt is exactly the software to turn to when you need to dig through any number of photos or images.

xScope
xScope shows you exactly what is going on on-screen. Measure, align, zoom in; xScope gives you instant access to the pixels that make it all happen. Indispensable if you are doing any sort of design work for the screen.

Internet

1Passwd
1Passwd manages passwords and auto-fills forms across all the major browsers. If you work in multiple browsers (for example, doing web design), 1Passwd can save you crazy amounts of time and brainspace.

Adium
When you get over the bubbles in iChat and want to sit down and do some actual chatting, Adium is ready for you. One of the best pieces of open source software for Mac. (Although if you do have a long-term relationship with the bubbles, you may enjoy Chax instead.)

Linkinus
If you need or want to use IRC, then you need Linkinus. There’s simply no better IRC client for the Mac. If you don’t use IRC, then it’s a lot less essential.

OmniWeb
Safari is alright, but if you want the speed and sleekness of Safari with some of the advanced features you can get from the larger and more unwieldy Firefox, then OmniWeb is the answer. And once you’ve tasted snapshot tabs, there’s no turning back.

Web Design

Color Schemer Studio
Color Schemer Studio is a must-have if you ever have to deal with color schemes. Whether you need to sample on-screen color, take a quick spin on the color wheel, or just export a color scheme as HTML for a client to approve, you’ll find that Color Schemer Studio makes it all incredibly simple.

CSSEdit
If you do web design, then you need CSSEdit. There is no excuse for not leveraging the fantastic power of this program. Its live previews and ability to override remote style sheets with local ones (allowing live editing/previewing) alone make it worth the cost of admission; add groups and the quality of its interface design and you’ll soon realize why this is one of the best applications available on the Mac today.

TextMate –or– skEdit
If you do any coding, you need a good text editor. TextMate is by far the most powerful text editor on the market, but skEdit shines when it comes to web work. Personally, I switched from skEdit to TextMate some time ago, but am eagerly awaiting skEdit 4.0, which is shaping up to be a very competitive editor. Although there are certainly many other fine text editors, these two are the creme of the crop in my experience.

Yummy FTP
Although Cyberduck is free and Transmit is more popular, Yummy FTP is easily the best FTP program on OS X. Yummy’s interface is not quite as friendly as Transmit, but if you need an FTP program that is stable, powerful, and speedy then Yummy is the way to go.

Workflow

LaunchBar –or– Quicksilver
LaunchBar was the first launcher to hit the scene, and it’s still amazingly well designed. I’ve only been using it for a few months, but I’ve loved every minute. Quicksilver is really the only other decent option. It’s an amazing app, as well (I used it for quite some time before jumping ship to LaunchBar), and well worth looking into. If I had organized this list based on which app was most essential rather than thematically, these two would be the top of the list.

MailTags
MailTags adds several much-needed features to Apple’s Mail.app email client, including keyword tagging (and searching), notes, to dos, iCal integration, and much, much more. If Mail.app is part of your work, then MailTags is a necessary investment. As an added bonus, MailTags integrates with many other Mail.app compatible programs (such as iGTD and MailSteward).

OfficeTime
I’ve tried most of the time tracking and invoicing software for Mac OS X at one time or another, but have never found anything to rival OfficeTime. OfficeTime provides simple yet powerful time tracking and invoicing features without the horrific interfaces or feature bloat that mar so many similar applications.

shadowClipboard
The Mac OS X clipboard is clearly not sufficient if you work with text at all regularly. Of all the clipboard managers that I’ve tried, shadowClipboard is the one that was the easiest to use while remaining completely invisible. It also offers a very large selection of features that puts most of its competitors to shame.

Writing

Avenir –or– Scrivener
There’s a fair amount of software out there intended to help your writing, but Avenir and Scrivener are the only two in my experience that are worth using. I strongly recommend Avenir, whose annotations alone make it a fantastically helpful writing tool, but some people prefer Scrivener’s more open-ended corkboard metaphor.

Journler
Journler is, predictably enough, journaling software, but it’s also a whole lot more. Journler allows you to attach just about anything to an entry, including songs, pictures, movies, and more. I use Journler’s smart folder-based organization for storing random ideas and writing fragments.

Nisus Writer Pro
Nisus Writer Pro (and its less feature-rich cousin Nisus Writer Express) is the best word processor that I’ve ever had the pleasure to use. Fast, powerful, and with the best interface of any word processor on the market, Nisus is definitely a great way to go if you don’t need the monstrosity that is Word.

OmniOutliner
No matter what kind of work you do, you probably could benefit from the occasional list or outline, and OmniOutliner is a great tool to turn to. Omni always turns out high quality software, and OmniOutliner is probably the most universally useful of all of Omni’s software.

TextSoap
TextSoap is a unique little utility that allows you to process and modify text. Although it was originally intended mainly for cleaning up quote marks and so forth from emails, its true power lies in the ability to create regular expression-driven custom cleaners. I mainly use TextSoap to convert text into internet-friendly text (whether this means converting simple rich text styling to HTML or cleaning ugly HTML into XHTML compliant code), but thanks to its flexibility it is useful for far more than internet cleaning.

VoodooPad
VoodooPad is one of those programs that is difficult to describe but whose usefulness is evident within a few minutes of use. It stores all manner of items (text, images, PDFs, and more) in a wiki-like document, allowing you to quickly and effortlessly cross-index your thoughts and ideas.

Extraneous

DeskShade
From the makers of the fabulous CSSEdit comes DeskShade. DeskShade mainly covers your cluttered desktop, but also provides the ability to quickly lock your computer, play movies as desktops, and otherwise make your computer beautiful. I use DeskShade along with the fabulous Blurburger desktops to transform my desktop from hideous clutter to colorful artwork. (There is also free software that masks your desktop; I’ve never tried it because I love DeskShade too much.)

ShapeShifter
It might not be essential to everybody, but for those who aren’t such fans of Aqua for fostering their creativity (or just like to make their computer look a little more unique), ShapeShifter and its Mac theming abilities are absolutely necessary.

Runners Up

Some apps just weren’t going to fit on the list, but are still worth looking into. Here are the runners up:

AppZapper (and its brethren, free or otherwise)
Software that uses Spotlight to help uninstall all files related to a given application; your mileage may vary.

FileSpot
Indispensable Spotlight interface; makes complex Spotlight searches a breeze.

KeyCue
Handy program that shows you all menu shortcuts in whatever program you’re running.

SubEthaEdit
Collaborative text editing. Nowhere near as good a text editor as TextMate or skEdit, but the collaborative thing is very cool when you need it.

SuperDuper –or– CarbonCopyCloner
Excellent backup utilities that created bootable copies of your hard drive.

Xslimmer
Cleans the bloat caused by Universal programs and extra language files.