Now that we established the fact that there is free software for the Mac, the next step is to find it. There are several ways of doing that. You can search Google, visit Apple.com and browse around in the OS X section, or you can visit other freeware directory sites. But there is one other way. And this way is MacLibre.

I’ve found this to be the easiest way to find, download and install free Mac software. MacLibre is a small program that aggregates freeware applications for Mac and allows you to download and install these applications from one simple user interface.

MacLibre organizes these applications into five categories.

• Create – image editing and authoring and audio editing programs
• Internet – web browsers, instant messengers, email and RSS
• Multimedia – video and audio players and rippers
• Office – productivity software such as word processors and spreadsheets
• Utilities – desktop management, anti-virus scanning and terminal enhancing applications

Some of the titles that you will find in MacLibre are:

• Audacity – software for recording and editing sounds
• Gimp – application similar to Photoshop for editing and authoring images
• Adium – an instant message client that supports protocols such as MSN, Yahoo, Jabber, AIM and others
• Cyberduck – FTP and SFTP client
• Firefox – open source web browser
• Thuderbird – open source email application
• Vienna – a free application for reading RSS feeds
• MPlayer – a media player that plays a variety of DivX and other codecs
• NeoOffice – an open source office application that includes word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, vector drawing and database applications
• ClamXav – an antivirus scanner
• VirtualDesktop – a desktop manager for Mac

These and other applications are available for download and installation through MacLibre. To begin enjoying these free programs all you need to do is install MacLibre.

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Speed. The MacBook Pro 2.16 GHz with 1 GB of memory feels very snappy. I haven’t done any scientific tests to measure speed. But it feels fast. Applications load almost at a blink of an eye. I’ve noticed that even Safari seems to load pages faster compared to PowerBook G4, even though both are on the same network.

Screen. The screen is great. I chose to stick with the standard mate finish display, which I don’t regret. I read some comments in various forums that the glossy screen looks great but creates too much glare and is not very accurate on color. The mate screen is very bright. When they say that it’s 67% brighter than those on PowerBooks, it definitely is. Again, my wife has a PowerBook G4 and the difference is considerable.

Side note: PowerBooks had an issue with the oils that rub off your fingers on the keyboard leaving imprints on the display. This doesn’t appear to be an issue with MacBook Pro. I’ve used it for almost 3 weeks and haven’t noticed any imprints on my screen.

Size & Weight. The size is great. I got the 15 inch, which works great for me. I wanted a larger screen than what MacBook offers, but didn’t want a huge notebook. So, the 15″ MacBook Pro works out great for me. It’s also very thin, 1 inch to be precise. When I compare it to PowerBook or PC’s, the difference is noticeable. Although, this is a 15 inch notebook, the weight is very reasonable. It’s not particularly light, however it feels much lighter than similar-sized PC’s. In other words, the weight seems to be just about right. It’s not over bearing.

Small Issue. One think that I’ve noticed right way, which was inconvenient is the size of the latch button for the lid. It is a bit too narrow, which makes it difficult to press in when opening the lid. I’ve adapted, however, it would be nice to either eliminate it completely or make it a little wider for more convenient use.

Over all I love my MacBook Pro. It feels good to use a Mac.

Its been 10 months since I purchased my first Mac. Its still the only one I own. That’s a testament to two things. One, that I’m not very rich and can’t afford to buy another one, even though I’d really love to. Two, it means that the original one still works great and doesn’t need replacement.

In these ten months I’ve learned that the claim of Apple Inc. is true. Macs just work. During this time I haven’t had to worry about viruses, performance, maintenance or service. I pick up my PowerBook G4 and it just works. I’ve also began to notice the little things that make Mac a great machine to use.

One of these little things is the red dot in the top left corner of every window. When you’re working in TextEdit, Word, Pages, or OmniGraffle and you have unsaved changes the red dot has a smaller concave dot inside it (See image). It is a great visual indicator that the file is not saved in its current state. Windows XP doesn’t provide such visual feedback. Since my day job requires me to use Windows, I’ve noticed how much I miss this small but very useful aspect of the Mac OS X.

What aspects of the Mac do you appreciate and love?

Once you’ve seen the video let me know what you think.

There are several browsers you can have as backup. The famous open source browser Firefox is a good alternative. Also, OmniWeb by Omni Group is another good choice, although you’ll need to purchase a license. But there is another possibility that works very well and will not cost you a dime.

Camino is a browser build on the same technology as Firefox. However, it is build specifically for Mac. Its interface is a better match for the OS X look. It is simple and runs well. In my opinion it runs a little faster than Firefox. If you’re used to Firefox and rely on various add-ons, Camino will be limiting for you. But if you need a browser that is quick and will display just about any web page, Camino is a great alternative or simply a backup browser to Safari.

Camino offers a good set of essential features. It comes with tabs, which many of us have come to love and expect in a browser. In addition, Camino will block pop-up windows as well as any other web advertising if you so choose. It has a preference option to prevent sites from moving or resizing your browser window. And since its a Mac application, it uses Keychain to store logins and passwords.

Visit www.caminobrowser.org to take Camino for a test drive today.

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Keep in mind, Seashore is still in the initial stages of development. So, there may be some bugs. I’ve been using it for a few months now and haven’t had any problems. But developers of Seashore warn that issues may occur. If you encounter bugs, please report them.

What image editing software do you use? Do you know of any other open source image editing programs?

Tags: iLife, iPhoto, graphics, image editing

My favorite part of the new iTunes is the cover flow view. I like things that are visually pleasing. As you probably figured, this view is only nice if you have cover art for all the albums in your library. Fortunately, Apple thought of that too. And they are allowing all who have an iTunes Store login to download cover art from Apple. This doesn’t mean that Apple will have cover art for all of your albums, but in most cases your library should be outfitted pretty well.

I know I’ve touched on only several new features in iTunes 7. There’s lots more to savor in the new iTunes. So, if you haven’t yet, head on over to Apple.com and download the new version. As you explore iTunes 7, which features do you like the most? Are there any features you are still waiting for? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Tags: iTunes, Music, Apple, Audio Players