View Eric Methot's profile
I'm a switcher and a Mac fan. I'm also a linux fan but I'm past spending so much time exploring the arcanes of Unix configuration files. Besides, I find that with my MacBook Pro, I get the power of Unix in a sleek looking box with all the eye candy I can eat.
On this page, I list the software that I have bought and that I consider either a "must have" or "nice to have". They are like mini-reviews or teasers but are not listed in any particular order. Clicking on the icon will bring you to the editors site for that program.
Textmate
Textmate is to me the best code editor on Mac OS X. It's sophisticated macro processing is really a powertool in the hands of a Unix programmer. It comes with macro bundles for many languages including Ruby, Rails, HTML, ERb. It's able to handle nested color coding when multiple languages are intermixed. If your a programmer then this is the editor you need. I also recommend that you get the Textmate book and/or the peepcode screencast about textmate. You'll learn a few tricks in these that will help you get the most out of this app.
Delicious Library
Delicious Library has got to be the best looking front-end to Amazon. It's been a while now since they have added new featurs but 2.0 is coming up soon and I can't wait to see it. This baby let's you make an inventory of all your books, DVDs, video games and CDs. I only use it for books though. Put the books bar-code in front of the integrated iSight and "bam" the information is automatically looked up on Amazon. One thing I would like to see though is better integration with my personal Amazon profile and be able to review my books directly from the app. That would really be nice.
Newsfire RSS
There are lots of great RSS apps around. I use Newsfire RSS tough I've used Pulp Fiction in the past, which I like too. I also used Postino but until it's glitches are solved I'm sticking to Newsfire. It's main features is that it's simple, clean and does not clutter your workspace too much. Though this can also be said of most other good RSS readers. I guess in this case it boils down to taste.
ForkLift
ForkLift is the new kid on the block in the FTP arena but it does much more. It supports file copying/synching from any device to any other device. Want to copy songs from your iPod to your bluetooth mobile? No problem! Want easy access to data on Amazon S3? Go ahead. Droplets, split+combine, batch renaming, growl integration and transparent compressed file navigation are just a few of it's neat features.
Contactizer Pro
This is by far the best contact manager that I've seen. Daylite may also be a good option but I like the native Apple database integration that comes with Contactizer Pro. I always know who's calling without taking my mobile out of my pocket and I can answer with the touch of a button. I can also dial someone right from the App. Though I currently don't use it, it's supposed to have a nice integration with Ovolabs Phlink. Finally, I like to see all the communications that I had with someone all in one place. It's like an inbox that includes emails, phone calls and faxes (the rare ones).
OmniFocus
The guys at Omni make great software. OmniFocus is their take on the "Getting Things Done" (GTD) task management application. There are other good ones but OmniFocus is simple and yet full-featured. To me it's the seamless integration with Apples To Do's and calendar so I can synch it on my mobile phone. A few keystrokes away is the quick entry module, which allows you to enter tasks and assign them project and context from anywhere. Could not live without it anymore.
OmniGraffle
As a consultant I often need to draw nice diagrams to illustrate my ideas. In a previous life I would have used Visio but now I use OmniGraffle. As soon as new versions are available I always jump on the bandwagon and get it. It's really the best tool around for this type of job. One reproach that I hear at times is that does not have as many stencils as Visio. But who ever needed so many! I'd also prefer to use labeled boxes then cool looking network elements or computers when I need to clearly get a point across.
Numbers
Though there is no way that I'll abandon Excel soon, for most of my personal Excel jobs, I've switched to Numbers. It's just so much nicer than Excel even Excel 2008. The only feature that I do miss is the "Goal Seek" feature of Excel, which finds the value in a cell that will bring you the closest to your goal in another cell.
Keynote
I didn't hesitate very long to switch from Powerpoint X to Keynote. It's got all the features that I will ever need and more. I don't use the new 3D charts though they look good. If you've read my book reviews on visualization you will have guessed that I'm more of a purist when it comes to charting and 2D is king (on paper anyways). I have not yet tried Powerpoint 2008 but I'm almost certain that it won't make me switch back.
Swift Publisher
I got this software via a bundle and I find it a charm to use. It's got really nice templates and it's easier to work with than . One of the nice feature is the separation between foreground and background. It allows you to have common page elements in the background, which don't interfere with the flow of things on the foreground. Though why not have layers while your at it. Perhaps it would just increase the complexity without adding so much value. The only feature that I'd like to see is a finer control on fonts, text and paragraph justification (like in Adobe InDesign for example). But since there is no comparison in terms of price, who am I to complain.
Merlin
Though it's a bit more expensive than other project management software, it's well worth the price. I find it's the best looking one too. The guys at the OmniGroup also make something along these lines but I've not had the heart to change. I just like Merlin that much. It also integrates well with NovaMind, which is another nice app I use.
Quicksilver
I could not work a day without this little gem of an app and I only scratch the surface when it comes to using it to it's full extent. I use it to launch apps from the keyboard, send files via transmit, lookup contact information in the address book, copy passwords from my keychain and start & stop itunes. But man can it do a lot more! Just take a look at the multitude of plugins that are available for it and you'll understand. Oh, did I mention that the interface is sleek too?
Parallels
Let's face it. With a Mac in the enterprise, you are bound to come across some software that you need to run for which you can't find a Mac equivalent. For these rare occasions, I use Parallels. I could also use VM Ware, which I have been with since version 1.0 in the PC world. But the Parallels team are the underdogs and seem to have a good head-start. On the Mac platform they are the innovators and VM Ware is playing catchup. And only on the Mac can you see Mac apps and Windows apps all on the same desktop!
Novamind
I use this program all the time. Need to jot out a few ideas and organize your thoughts. You can do it without leaving the keyboard. And the mind maps look good with their nice colors and bezier curves. Of course you can add graphics and big pictures but I find that just gets in the way. Unless the map is meant to be used by other people too then I tend to stick to the bare essentials. There is also a nice presentation mode in the latest version, which I have yet to use.