It ’s Thanksgiving mean solar day here in the U.S. , and I want to wish all our U.S. readers a well-chosen vacation . Since Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday , which is also a Mac Gems sidereal day on theMacworldcalendar , I think I ’d mention a few Gems I ’m thankful for — the cheap apps and utility that I use every twenty-four hours to increase my productivity and generally make my Mac - using life story a bit better .
This is n’t a list of our all - time favorite Gems ; we published the most - recent version of that list back in June ( although some of those products come out on this list , as well ) . Nor is it a list of my favorite gem of 2009 ; you ’ll see that one the week we release our yearly Eddy Awards . Rather , this is a list of Gems that I bear on to apply every day — jewel that have become such an integral part of my work flow that I often take them for granted .
To the developer of these program , and of the many other great - but - inexpensive computer software titles out there , thank you . The Mac experience is better because of you .
DocumentPalette : I use DocumentPalette many meter each daytime to make a new text file in the current leaflet via a keyboard cutoff — I just choose the type of document from the palette that appears .
Dropbox : Over the years , I ’ve tried many method for keeping special files in sync between my computing machine , and for deal Indian file with friends and family . Dropbox , with its Finder integrating and automatic syncing , make it leisurely .
FlexCal : Flexcal get me create new iCal ( or BusyCal ) events without having to open up my calendar program . I just press a keyboard shortcut and provide the upshot details .
growling : More and more of my best-loved syllabus take adantage of Growl to ply notice and update . Throw in HardwareGrower , a Growl minimal brain dysfunction - on that informs me of computer hardware and connection connections and disconnections , and my Mac feels miss without this usefulness .
Jumpcut : As a writer , I consider a multiple - Clipboard public utility company to be a must , and Jumpcut continue my personal favourite for its easiness of use and elegant interface .
LaunchBar : Jason Snell put it best : “ If I could have only one Mac utility , a solitary objet d’art of computer software that I could use to improve using my Mac and all its programme as I go about my daily business , it would be Objective Development ’s LaunchBar . When I use a Mac that does n’t have LaunchBar running , I simply feel naked . ”
MagiCal : Snow Leopard finally lets you put the date in the carte du jour bar , but I still favour MagiCal , which or else utilize a diminutive calendar icon for the date ; tap the icon displays a useful monthly calendar .
Mercury Mover : Among this minimal brain dysfunction - on ’s many features , the one I utilize the most is the capability to quickly repair windows to particular sizes and positions . For example , by crusade Mercury Mover ’s keyboard shortcut followed byS , my Safari window is instantly placed in my favourite location with my favourite dimension .
MondoMouse : I use MondoMouse dozens of time each day to move and resize window without having to grab a thin title streak or a tiny resize box — heck , without even cause to click a mouse button .
ScreenSharingMenulet : Using OS X ’s Screen Sharing lineament between my Macs has become a regular part of my daily bit , and ScreenSharingMenulet has made make those Screen Sharing connection simple .
Sharpshooter : technical school writer take screenshots — wad of screenshots . When I choose to expend Mac OS X ’s built - in screenshot features , Sharpshooter lets me select , on the fly , the screenshot formatting , name , and carry through location .
Shimo : Mac OS X ’s built - in VPN functionality does n’t obtain a candle to Shimo , which leave more features , more - true connections , and many mechanisation choice . It ’s also a much - improved alternative to Cisco ’s OS ecstasy VPN software . Did I name it provides Growl notifications ?
SuperDuper : I ’m paranoid about data loss , so I have a rigorous backup routine . Part of that routine is to use SuperDuper to schedule six clone operations every day — two each of three different thrust . If a drive conk out , I can be back up and track down without much delay .
TextExpander : In my line of work , a textbook - enlargement utility — which automatically pastes often used textbook whenever I type a like abbreviation — is up there with multiple Clipboards in term of productiveness gains . And TextExpander is my current favorite . According to the programme ’s own tally , I ’ve expanded over 5500 snippets over the retiring couple years .
Today : Today shows me the day ’s event and tasks in a quad - saving window , even if iCal or BusyCal is unopen .
enchantress : OS hug drug Lashkar-e-Taiba you change between windows in the current program by pressing Command+ ` . Witch couch that feature article to shame by displaying a list of every windowpane in every software , letting you well switch to — or act on — any of them .
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