Freecasts

By now, you have probably heard of the web joke “If Operating Systems Ran the Airlines.” If not, read it, then come back to this post. I was reading it, and something seemed a bit wrong with the Linux Air description. Here is how I would make it go.
Linux Air was founded by people who were annoyed with the other options. When you fly Linux Air, you get a free ticket, and if you want, you can see how the ticket was made. When you get on the plane, you find that it is a little bit older than you expected, but it has a higher top speed than most newer airplanes. When you board, you get the parts to make your seat, and all the required tools. The instructions for making it are a bit unclear, but the plane is full of people who can and will help you for free. They are, for the most part, quite nice. Once you build your seat, you find that it is comfortable, the plane is stable, and the pilot is good at his job. The food is great and free, and you get to your destination early with all your baggage. You try to tell everybody about this free and excellent airline, but when you start, all they can say is, “You had to do what with your seat?!”

I recently bought the MacHeist bundle. If you wanted it, you are now too late, because the bundle sale is over. However, today, on this blog, I am giving away one piece of software from this bundle. This piece of software is Appzapper which is an excelent software uninstaller for the Mac. It normally sells for $12.95, but if you are the first one to comment on this blog post or the first person to direct message me on twitter (My twitter name is Spornographer) with the code, “I want Appzapper” you win.

Think of this post as an extension of Fredric’s Fantastic Freeware except that instead of me doing the reading/ad-libbing, you will have to supply your own internal voice. These are the top free or cheap Mac Apps that every Mac user should have.
Network Apps:
Cyberduck- I have used most ftp programs for the Mac including; Transmit, Fetch, and the command line, and I still prefer Cyberduck. Free
MacFusion- This amazing program lets you mount a remote drive with read/write access through ftp or ssh on you desktop. This is compared to the Finder which only lets you mount a ftp drive with read only. Requires MacFuse which is free as well as MacFusion.
SpamSive- This program is considered by many (including me) to be the best spam blocker on the Mac. Setting it up isn’t difficult, but be sure to read the readme. $30
iFreete- This application is a freeware directory for the Mac. In other words it finds Mac freeware and lets you see screenshots, reviews, and downloads for a particular piece of software. It is kinda hard to explain, but think iTunes for freeware. Free.
JollysFastVNC- There are many VNC programs for the Mac, but my favorite is this one due to it’s speed. Free.
Colloquy- The definitive Mac IRC program. Free.
Media
Perian- It may be a bit vain, but I think I was one of the first people to discover Perian and get it well known. I say that because over a year ago, I submitted it to digg. Anyway, Perian is the ultimate Quicktime plugin, allowing QuickTime to play almost any file. Free.
VLC- I use this app when Perian just doesn’t work. I have yet to find a file format it won’t play. Free.
VisualHub- This app can take most video formats and transform it into either: iPod, H.264, Mpeg4, Mpeg, DVD, Divx (with many types), WMV, Flash, PSP, DV, and Tivo. Not only that but it is quick and the developer has a good sense of humor (read the readme). $23.32
iSquint- The little brother of Visual Hub. It can convert almost any format into a format readable by the iPod. Free.
Handbrake- Converts DVDs into video files on your computer. Works on most if not all DVDs including the protected ones. But we all know that you won’t use it for illegal uses, right. Good. Free.
Pixelmator- Much has been said of this little Photoshop competitor, but I will tell you what you need to know. Fast as hell, has most of the functionality of Photoshop, $59, ’nuff said.
Productivity
NeoOffice- In my tests, this app has all the functionality of M$ Office (which I hate with a burning passion) for free. It can open and write to any office doc. The one problem is that it is a bit ugly, but it recently got a facelift. Free.
Schoolhouse- This app is a Swiss Army Knife app. Not only can you manage your homework in it, but you can calculate grades, you can email teachers, and take notes. All from this one app! A must have for any student.
TextMate- There is so much that can be done with this app it is staggering. It can be used to write code, to make websites and to write text. $59.
iWork- Includes Pages (word processor and page layout tool), Numbers (spreadsheet maker), and the best presentation software that I know of; Keynote. I use this app all the time. It can open and save to office formats. It is also better looking and faster than office and has all the features that most office users use. $79.99
Utilities
Growl- It is impossible to describe this app, but I will do my best. This pops up a little notification window when another process has something to tell you. Very useful. Free.
Onyx- The ultimate Mac Maintenance utility. I use it once a week to keep my Macs running fast. Free.
SuperDuper- My favorite Mac backup program. The reason why it has won my heart is that it can do incremental, bootable backups. $27.95
Quicksilver- The best launcher out there. 100x quicker than Spotlight and more expandable. With all the plugins that are available for it, it can be used for many things. Free.
AppFresh- Think software update for all of your programs. It also has intergration with iUsethis. Free.

The application and source code.This guide is for Tiger and possibly Leopard, but I do not know. It will show you how to create a program that will move a Finder window around without user intervention. The best part is you don’t have to write a line of code.
1: Open Script Editor.app (you can find that in your /Applications/AppleScript folder).
2: Press the button on the top of the window that says “Record.”
3: Navigate back to the Finder.
4: Open up a new window.
5: Move that window around, letting go of the mouse after every few seconds of moving (I find that lots of smaller movements create great looking animation.)
6: Once you are done, navigate back to Script Editor and click stop.
7: Save it to either a script or an application bundle. It is very important to not save it as an application because if you do, it will only compile for what architecture you are on. An application bundle is universal.
8: Click play and watch a Finder window go around the screen like magic!
(The source code for my version will be uploaded tomorrow or later.)