Data Tramp

So around December I became a Mac user. This was largely due to a program called TextMate - a popular web development IDE. I saw several demonstrations of developers using the program - which seemed faster and simpler than my old Dreamweaver. Before long I noticed one of our designers at work building his blog out in it. I was hooked by the speed of the Mac OS interface and the amazing amount of control Michael had from the keyboard. I was hooked, and ten years after my Mac Classic started collecting dust I returned tlife as a Mac User.

Recently I reinstalled the operating system on my PowerBook G4 to erase all memory of the prior inhabitants (it’s an office owned machine). As I suspected, the speed boost has been tremendous. The experience also made me think hard about what applications I use. See, in my initial exploration of the Mac world I installed just about anything anyone suggested. Most of it I didn’t need or use. In the end here are the items I found most useful - the aps I couldn’t live without:

TextMate - the text editor:

Gloriously simple, amazingly customizable and with none of the incredibly annoying habits of it’s windows counterparts - TextMate was ultimately the reason I switched to a Mac. The application hooks into the rest of my OS in glorious fashion - type “mate filename” from the command line in terminal to open a file; or open files in an Eclipse like library view of project folders; or hook directly into FTP aps for remote file access… it even . Also important is TextMate’s auto-complete - which is very intuitive. Tab if TextMate already recognizes the word or command you are typing, escape if you want it to complete a command for you… which is great if you need to type mysql_real_escape_string 30 times. In a stroke of genius, TextMate will also let you use soft tabs - inserting space characters instead of tabs for indenting - key if you’re working in SQL. Build your own macros… a feature I love in a text editor since it let’s me quick key my own quirkiness. And finally, TextMate comes bundled with language information for everything from ActionScript and C++ to php and SQL - it even comes with a bundle which will interface directly with your svn server. You need to pay for it (40 bucks) but it is worth every penny.

Cyberduck - the FTP browser:

FTP is one area I haven’t really gotten comfortable on the Mac with yet. Cyberduck has been the best thing I’ve found so far, though. Simple access, meshes with keychain and allows you to either download your files to the desktop or open them for remote development in TextMate.

Firefox with fireFTP - the other FTP browser:

I think Firefox plugins are probably a separate article - however there are times when all you wanna do is copy stuff and Cyberduck just doesn’t cut it. As such I’ll mention fireFTP as an alternative. Besides, sea horses are cute.

Path Finder - the file explorer:

The Mac is built to mask the operating system as much as possible. This works great for your average user but can drive a developer - especially a former PC developer - absolutely insane. If finder makes you cry the way it does me, pony up another 35 bucks for Path Finder. It works enough like Windows Explorer that you’ll get used to the UI in seconds.

xScope - the screen measurement tools:

$17 bucks well spent if you’re doing web design. xScope gives a series of on-screen measurement tools that sit in your menu bar. Saves me the time of taking screen grabs and opening them in Photoshop to QA, see what falls below the fold at a given screen resolution, etc. Seriously… it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but now that I have it I find myself using the tools constantly. Buy Coors instead of Rogue for a night to save enough coin and make life easier for yourself.

MySQL 5.0 - the database:

One of the great things about having a Mac is Terminal (conveniently hidden in your Utilities Applications folder until you move it to the dock… you did move it to the dock, didn’t you?). I find it a much more pleasant interface than my old DOS window to deal with things like MySQL and ssh. Since Macs come with Apache installed, adding MySQL is a snap - a great tool to have if you’re a developer.

MySQL Tools - the Database interface:

Because sometimes a little GUI with your database is a nice thing. Seriously… if you have ever installed phpMyAdmin without getting this free tool from MySQL AB I’ll slap you personally - and that goes for PC users as well. The Query browser is sweet - and the administrator takes the headaches out of setting up tight security and user profiles.

PHP - the scripting language

What LAMP developer leaves an Apache install without adding PHP? I found a great binary install for Mac with most of the items I love turned on. Warning - not a production level install of php, so keep that in mind while debugging - but not nearly as bad an install as you’d get with other binary installers (like Xampp)

Synergy - the multi-desktop interface:

240 pounds worth in puddin. Synergy allows you to use one mouse and keyboard to control as many computers as you like. I move my mouse seamlessly across all three monitors on my desk - the one for my Mac and two for my PC. It is a major pain to install properly (so that it starts each time without a lot of hassle) but it makes you feel like you’re starring in Swordfish and it’s free.

StuffIt Expander - the file compressor:

Why StuffIt? because zip files beg to be opened.

OnyX - the Mac ICU:

Because sometimes things go wrong. A while back my battery died before I was able to shut down. The result was a massive crash of my Mac. After getting a safe boot to work, OnyX was the only thing I could find to bring my baby back to life.

Adium - the Chat program:

Adium will let you jack into just about every chat program out there with one very customizable interface. People hear it chiming away at my desk all day if I don’t remember to plug in my headphones when I get to work.

In conclusion

Obviously there is more. Such as the Flickr Uploader, MS Office and Adobe CS2 (behind the times… I know). One of the things I love about the Mac community is that people seem more friendly and excited about sharing what they use - so if you see anything missing, let me know!

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