Top 20 free application for Mac users to Smoothly Switch from Mac to Windows
By Partho, Gaea News NetworkFriday, July 2, 2010
For some time now Apple has been raving about Mac’s cost effectiveness for businesses. They have formed a powerful alternative to Windows in the legal community. There could be a number of reasons to switch to Mac from PC. The list of merit should start with security, as Mac systems are less vulnerable to security threats of viruses, worms, zombies and other forms of malicious code. It is considered as the proof of more secure OS. The ease-of-use adds to Mac’s usability. It’s bright, inviting, bubble-icon interface. For a newbie the “Happy Face“ on the start-up is great. Unlike PC, in Mac the programs are installed into one “Program” folder. Users can boot up a brand new MacBook, record a video, and add music track and burn it into a CD, without having to configure anything. To make things easier for you we researched for top 20 free applications that will make it easier to switch from Windows to Mac.
1. OpenOffice Suite
The office suite sometimes is a collection of programs that is intended to be used by knowledge workers. The component is generally distributed togather with a consistent user interface. Users can interact with each other. This is an open source software application suite that is available for a number of different computer operating systems. It is distributed as free software and is written using its own GUI toolkit. It supports the ISO/IEC standard OpenDocument Format (ODF) for data interchange as its a default file format as well as Microsoft Office formats among others. OpenOffice.org comprises of Text Document, Spreadsheet, Presentation, Drawing Database and reviews.
2. NeoOfficeJ
It is a full-featured set of office applications (it includes word processing, spreadsheet and presentation programs) for Mac OS X. The Office suite has been designed to suite unique needs of Mac users by improving over Oracle’s OpenOffice.org. The application draws highlighted text the same as Apple’s Safari and TextEdit applications. Recent versions of OpenOffice.org try to emulate the native Mac OS X text highlighting the drawing with light shade of the system highlight color on the top of highlighted text. Users have been requested to offer an easy way to make different document type.
3. AbiWord
It’s a word processing program similar to Microsoft Word. It is suitable for typing papers, letters, reports, memos and so on. It is a multi-platform word processor that adds state-of-art usability, power-packed features, remarkable inter-operability, and a powerful framework that extends the program as it is needed.
AbiWord also includes the mail merge feature to help the users in automating the mailing service.
4. Bean
It’s a small, simple word processor with superb features to make writing convenient, efficient and comfortable. Bean is powered by the same text engine as Apple Text Edit. It adds live word count and the ability to adjust printed margins. It is not a replacement for MS Word. It doesn’t have the footnotes or hierarchical styles. It’s only compatible with MS Word .doc format.
5. Caffeine
OS X is a great power saving feature built in after a short period of inactivity as the screen automatically dims. It allows you to turn the feature on. Caffeine allows users to turn this feature on and off with a single click. This enables users to run smooth presentations that could be run without interruption. It interrupts Mac from going to sleep or start the screensaver.
6. Anxiety
Anxiety brings iCal task list for desktop. It offers easy to access to your to-do list that tasks can be added or marked as complete without opening full calender. It stays in sync with iCal and disappears when not in use.
7. Caffeine
The OSX offers great power saving features built-in after a short period of inactivity that the screen automatically dims. Caffeine allows users to turn this feature on and off with a single click. Ensure that presentation might run without interruption. It prevents the Mac from going to sleep or starting the screensaver.
8. Growl
While running Mac OSX Growl offers unobtrusive notification messages for several programs that run on OS X. It includes Adium, Firefox, and iTunes. It simply pop up as semi-transparent notification on the right top corner of the screen and then disappears.
9. Adium
It’s one of the best instant messaging program for Mac OS X. Users might be able to send messages to the friends using various protocols that includes AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk and MSN Messenger. The Admin also supports the tabbed conversation in which you can keep all your conversation in a single window.
10. Smultron
There are a number of free text editors available for OS X, but Smultron is favored over others for its unique features. Users can have multiple documents opened at the same time in an easy-to-use tabbed interface. There’s another popular free text editor for OS X called TextWrangler. user who want word processing application with features closer to what Word or Pages offers. Bean is worth checking out.
11. Skim
Skim is a PDF reader that is cut above the Preview by the default viewer in OS X. It’s because of Skims’s enhanced markup capabilities. Users might add notes, highlight portions the document and quickly jump from one marked-up section to the next though a convenient side panel. Skim also allows users to create presentations and then run the presentations and then run the presentation using the Apple Remote.
12. Rachota
It allows users to track the time spent on different projects. Rachota might also summarize the time that was spent on each project and provide helpful time-maximizing tips.
13. QuickSilver
It’s a program launcher that uses the simple command to bring up the program, file, folder, or website. Quicksilver teaches what files and programs are most often accessed and adapts that those items are pulled up almost instantaneously when the user starts typing the name of the item in the Quicksilver interface.
For instance in the screent shot below we pulled up the Quicksilver interface with a single keystroke and then type the “ex” brought up Excel. With the help of tab key user was able to bring up specific commands such as the option to open a specific excel documentation. It moves a document to another folder, or email a specific file. Quicksilver is quite intuitive and allows users to execute specific commands as fast as possible with built-in OS X dock to open a program that seems slow by comparison.
14. FolderShare
FolderShare might be a diamond in the rough. FolderShare allows you to create a private peer-to-peer network that will help you to synchronize files across multiple devices and access or share files with colleagues and friends. FolderShare might work between Macs and PCs by making it a free account and getting all satellites on that account. In case you make unlimited file transfers. FolderShare works between Macs and PCs by making a free account and receiving all satellites on that account. When you have files at work you would like to continue working on when to get home.
15. Gimp
This is a fully featured GNU Image Manipulation Program for Mac OS X. Gimp.app requires either Apple’s X11 or XDarwin be installed. The image files can be opened by dragging them onto the Gimp icon at any time. Gimp helps pages load into the default browser application.
16. RDC Menu
It’s an icon that positioned in the menu bar that offers quick access to Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection client. With the RDC menu you might run several instances that you want from the application and makes it smooth.
17. aMSN chat
It is a free open source MSN Messenger clone. It offers multi-language support, webcam support, group support and tabbed chat windows. It allows full-speed file transfers and much more.
18. Audacity
It is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems.
19. VLC Media Player for Mac
The media player fills all the needs. The media player that fills all your needs. It can handle DVDs, (S)VCDs, Audio CDs, web streams, TV cards and much more. You don’t need to keep track of a dozen codec packs you need to have installed. VLC has all codecs built-in. It comes with support for nearly all codec.
20. iStat Menu
One of the favorite features in Vista is the pop-up calendar that is displayed when you click on the time in the taskbar. iStat Menu brings that feature to OS X. It also allows users to display multiple time zones, open the iCal calendar and add additional menus that display everything from temperature of your Mac to the remaining space on the hard drives.
