There ’s this singular perception out there that Mac users are the spendthrifts of the data processor cosmos — ready , willing , and capable to spend several arms and leg on a Macintosh or else of a couple hundred bucks on whatever box of bolt microcomputer manufacturing business are slapping together these days . ( Just involve most any PC drug user — they’ll be glad to crystalize you on how you wish to throw money around . )
If anything , I ’ve find the reverse to be true ; there ’s nothing Mac users appreciate more than a good deal . The Mac platform savor the accompaniment of a plurality of shareware developers who create wildly imaginative , fabulously useful programs useable for just a few dollar sign ( assuming they cost anything at all ) . We ’ve devote an entire section ofMacworld(and an attendant weblog ) for trace down humiliated - profile , low - toll products that dramatically better your Mac experience .
Along those lines , we ’re adjudge this Software Bargains Week at Macworld.com . Macworldeditors and contributor have rounded up some of their favorite utilities that you may use to perk up or hone your Mac without having to break into your piggy bank . Today , programs that bolster the Mac ’s originative powers are in the spot . Later this week , we ’ll spotlight programs for getting organized , communicating with others , souping up your organisation , and working with the World Wide Web .
The 60 software system bargain we ’re sharing this calendar week are our picks . But we ’d love to find out some of yours . To get the ballock rolling , here are some low - cost applications presently share space my gruelling - drive that I just ca n’t do without .
Logorrhea , Spiny Software ; free ( donations accepted ): We ’ve covered this utility before ( well — several time , in reality ) , but it bears repeating : Logorrhea is a great means for keep on trail of stack away iChat copy . The free program allow you graze chats by user name , appointment and time , and even phrase that may have come up during your on-line confab — an invaluable feature if crying messaging is as much a part of your communications repertoire as Es - ring mail and phone calls .
Clutter , Sprote Rsrch ; devoid : I grabbed this utility a while back because of its ability to download album artwork from the WWW , but really , Clutter does much more than that . It let you place an record album top on your desktop ; twofold - click the cover and iTunes get going play that album . It ’s a great alternative way to get at your music collection . Is Clutter crucial to my productiveness ? No , but it ’s there on my Dock , right between iChat AV and BBEdit , nevertheless .
OmniOutliner , The Omni Group ; $ 30 : This is one of those uncommon products that can do a lot of different things very well . I expend it primarily to organize ideas , articles , and projects , and OmniOutliner has manage to enforce order on the chaos of my intellect .
