Well, I felt that the smaller developpers may need a break, and with over one hundred programs on each CD, that some good stuff just went unnoticed. Ergo, I will try to make your life a bit easier, and support the independant programmers in the process.
Every month, I will select a few examples of outstanding work. Programs I believe to embody the best of what is currently available for your Mac. So, if you do not feel like trying EVERYTHING included here, at least you will have a starting point.
If you have only the time to try a few programs, these are the ones I suggest you install.
For instance, this month we have:
BURNING MONKEY PUZZLE LAB
When I received a pre-release copy of this great game, I was lukewarm. After all, shareware and freeware versions of Tetris abound - who needed another one?
I was wrong: This is beyond just creating a new version of an old popular game. Be forwarned, it is highly addictive.
CONVERT
A penultimate productivity tool. The name says it all: It converts between every possible standard unit, from acceleration to wine bottles (How many liters in a Balthazar?) and even enables you to set accurate currency exchange rates.
Place it under the Apple Menu, and never fear the metric system again!
GROOVE RECORDER
Move over SimpleSound. Groove Recorder is another simple application to make your life easier. You can schedule recordings, use a sound-activated method, or click “record” to input audio to your Mac.
FAST MAIL CM
This small Contextual Menu plugin integrates emailing into the Finder. Simply select a file or a bit of text, control-click, and email it to anyone, anywhere. I think I’m in love! Why Apple has not though of this before, I don’t know, but such a feature should have been part of the modern MacOS from day one.
TEX-EDIT+
Forget SimpleText - TE+ is by far the best replacement around. Other very good text editing programs are available, but I have yet to see one with all the features, and the expandability offered here. Integrated scripting means that you can add third-party AppleScripts, or create your own, and automate text actions and manipulation to the extreme. A depository containing hundreds of scripts is available from the TE+ web site.
Almost all my word processing is made with this application: Why use a bloated, RAM hungry piece of software whan this elegant solution exist? It may not provide all the page layout features of its commercial cousins, but if you want to WRITE...
