7 Open Source Mac Apps

Knol Aust — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:12:23 +0000

The Open Source Mac community is a vibrant one! The beauty of Open Source is the community and its dedication to quality and accessibility. Below, you will find a small list of Open Source apps I use and recommend.

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox

While I am devoted to Safari, Firefox still holds a special place in my heart… Especially when it comes to design web pages. The free, open-source browser can be extended with plug-ins and there are too many useful ones to mention here. If Safari bugs you, Firefox is the solution. Tabs, pop-up blocking, themes, and extensions.
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Quicksilver

Quicksilver is one of the few apps I will recommend to any Mac owner. It’s simple enough but can be used complex actions. Upon installation, most newbies are intimidated or dumbfounded by Quicksilver. Take a moment to Google some Quicksilver basics, and you’ll quickly figure out why Quicksilver is the essential Mac app. Quicksilver lets you start applications (and do just about everything) with a few quick taps of your fingers.
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MacLibre

Think of MacLibre as the ultimate open-source installer. Find and install up-to-date open-source software from within MacLibre. No longer do you have to visit hundreds of sites to find lists of Mac apps. If it’s open-source, it’s most likely in MacLibre and installable in a few clicks. It will even keep them updated for you!
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Vienna

I’m an info junkie and, frankly, I can’t remember half the sites I visit. If I find a site I like, I grab it’s RSS feed address and store it Vienna. Once or twice a day, I open Vienna and have all the latest news from these sites in an organized and concise inbox. Combine that functionality with smart folders, and you have a simple, nice, native RSS reader. Love it!
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VLC

Face it… Quicktime is awesome if you’re watching a Quicktime file… That’s it. We all know that the Intertubes are filled with all sorts of files from Windows Media (eh!) to AVI. VLC plays more video files than most players: Quicktime, AVI, DIVX, OGG, and more. While I don’t necessarily love the interface, VLC is a good utility for making web-based video more accessible.
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Handbrake

Handbake

The well known DVD ripper and MPEG-4 / H.264 encoder that includes full support for the AppleTV 2.0 and the latest iPhone/iPod Touch firmware. Get your DVD collection backed-up or onto your iPod, iPod Touch or iPhone without losing your hair or your wallet. Simple. Easy. Enough said.
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iEatBrainz

I am addicted to music. With over a terabyte of music (that’s over a month of non-stop house, jazz, acid jazz, techno, alt, indie, electronica, and ambient music), organization is key. iEatBrainz takes an audio fingerprint of your song and looks for a match on its servers. If a match is found, it fills in the correct metadata (title, artist, etc) for MP3s in your collection. A lifesaver for a music fiend.
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