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Level 6

11,805 points

Must have PowerBook software

Must have PowerBook software

So you have just received your brand new PowerBooks. As well as being a fantastic Laptop computer it sports one of the best, and most user friendly, Operating Systems (OSs) on the planet. In addition, iLife 2004 is bundled for free, and this gives you: iPhoto (for your digital photography), iMovie (for your digital camcorder), iTunes (for the music you love), Garage Band (for the amateur musician) and iDVD (for editing your DVD). Also, Microsoft Office 2004 Test-drive is included (a one month free trial version for you), giving you a taste of one of the worlds most popular Office application suites, though you will, of course, have to purchase the full version when the trial expires. So, the question is: which applications (commercial, and freeware) should you put on your Hard Drive (HD), to get the most out of your PowerBook. I have set myself a limit of 30 software titles for this FAQ (well there are hundreds and hundreds to choose from).

We can break these into four main groups: 1. Productivity applications and Office suites, 2. File management and other task applications to streamline OSX even further, 3. Games, and 4. Miscellaneous (this includes everything else).

1. Productivity
Now of course Micrsoft Office (1), for many, is the quintessential office suite. The 2004 edition contains three key components: Word (word processor), PowerPoint (presentations) and Excel (spreadsheet). The standard version weighs in at $399, but the Student and teacher edition comes at a more reasonable $149 (if you qualify). There isnt a need to go into details about Office 2004 as you can try out the demo (Test-drive). However, there are some nice alternatives for you. Firstly, Apple Works (2). This package contains word processor, spreadsheet and graphics software. In addition, Keynote (3) is another application that can provide you with the tools to produce pro-presentations in minutes. There are some other less well-known Mac office suites, and Ill list them: FlexiSheet (4 a free spreadsheet application), Nisus Writer (5), Thinkfree (6), Mellel (7), and OpenOffice (X11) (8, and best of all free). These alternatives to Microsoft Office can be quite attractive alternatives if you are on a budget, with OpenOffice being the most reasonable, at zero dollars. For those of you who are in the need of a reasonable database application then Filemaker (9) is very affordable. One of the advantages, though, of Microsoft Office 2004 is if you need to perform advanced referencing for your documents. Endnote 7 is my own preferred Reference Manager, and works great with Office 2004 (10). Finally, if you are need a powerful graphics application then Photoshop (11) is for you, or if you only dabble then Photoshop Elements (12) may be your preferred option. If Photoshop is too expensive for you then why not try MacGimp (13).

1. http://www.microsoft.com/mac/
2. http://www.apple.com/appleworks/
3. http://www.apple.com/keynote/
4. http://www.materialarts.com/FlexiSheet/
5. http://www.nisus.com/
6. http://www.thinkfree.com/
7. http://www.redlers.com/mellel.html
8. http://porting.openoffice.org/mac/ooo-osx_downloads.html
9. http://www.filemaker.com/
10. http://www.endnote.com/ENMac.asp
11. http://www.apple.com/macosx/applications/photoshop/
12. http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/adobephotoshopelements.html
13. http://www.macgimp.org/

2. File management and other system related tasks
OSX gives you many system management tools and utilities. However, a popular application is DiskWarrior (9), which claims to be the only disk repair utility program where there is never a risk of losing directory data and, thus, never a risk of losing access to your files. Another popular system tasks maintenance application is MacJanitor (10). For your Firewall (ipfw) Brickhouse is another popular utility, that allows its management.

Posted on Oct 25, 2004 7:15 PM

20 replies

Ewen Author

Level 6

11,805 points

Nov 27, 2004 5:25 PM in response to Ewen

Must-have Powerbook Software

Spreadsheets and Databases
For most new Powerbook owners spreadsheet, database, or statistical analysis applications are must-have applications. Your Powerbook does come with the 30 day MS Office Test-drive, which will give you a taste for the ever popular Excel spreadsheet 9though no database is provided), and you will also find the application Calculator can handle rudimentary data analysis. What follows is a more comprehensive list of options for you.

Spreadsheets

1. Microsofts Excel (part of MS Office)
2. Appleworks

As with the word-processing components of these suites (see above), the MS Office product has many powerful features, and is the Industry Standard, though Appleworks will be more than adequate for many users, and will save you some dollars into the bargain.

3. MarinerCalc
http://www.marinersoftware.com/sitepage.php?page=14

From the same people who produce MarinerWrite this application is another viable alternative. However, though, that a combined package of MarinerWrite and MarinerCalc will cost you almost as much as an Academic version of MS Office, and quite a bit more than Appleworks.

4. BC Calc
http://homepage.mac.com/gotterdamn/
If you want a very basic and free spreadsheet then take a look at BC Calc.

5. FlexiSheet
http://www.materialarts.com/FlexiSheet/
FlexiSheet is another Open Source free program, currently only in its beta stage. An interesting project that gives you some useful ways of looking at data. Worth trying if you are adventurous. Certainly worth looking out for when the full version is released.

6. Mesa
http://www.plsys.co.uk/mesa.htm
Mesa is another low cost spreadsheet that provides a subset of Excels features.

7. Open Office
This application suite also provides you with a free database (see above). Though as with Mesa, providing only a subset of Excels features.

Database Software
1. Appleworks (see above)
This Suite provides a basic non-relational database facility that is useful for dealing with simple information. It is easy to use and may be all that you need for simple tasks. Another option, if your needs are simple, is iData2 - http://www.idata2.com/index.html

2. Filemaker Pro
http://www.filemaker.com/
For more serious requirements though, you need a database with relational capabilities. The long-standing favorite for this in the Mac world is Filemaker Pro The program is available for both Macs and PCs, although the company itself is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple. A demo version is currently shipped with new Powerbooks. It manages to fulfill the needs of both database developers and end-users like me.

Its not cheap, but, for many, Filemaker is a must-have application. It can be used for integrating a wide range of file material: maps, documents, photographs, bibliographic data and field audio recordings. I use it for accounting. I use it for contact management and a host of other things too. A highly recommended application.

3. 4th Dimension
Geared a little more towards database developers than end users, but still a powerful tool with a long history in the Apple world as well as on PCs, 4th Dimension is an alternative for database work on the Mac. Not as user friendly as FilemakerPro, but those who work with it say they wouldnt use anything else! Worth looking at.

4. Panorama
http://www.provue.com/
Another option that has received some very positive reviews is Panorama. This is both very fast and user friendly. Earlier versions suffered a bit from clunky interfaces and very limited web publishing and multi-user capabilities though. For many people it is the database software of choice.

Statistical analysis
http://www.jmp.com/index.shtml
For some there may be a need for a powerful statistical analysis application, above the level of the database applications

Ewen Author

Level 6

11,805 points

Nov 27, 2004 5:27 PM in response to Ewen

In this instance I would recommend jmp, a powerful professional statistical analysis package. This includes a variety of powerful statistical platforms and features (e.g. Poisson distribution, Six Sigma Calculator and cluster analysis, to name but a few).

Dec 22, 2004 1:04 PM in response to Ewen

Hi Ewen and Rod,

Is this ready to rock n roll?

Kady

Ewen Author

Level 6

11,805 points

Dec 22, 2004 1:18 PM in response to Community User

Hi Kady I. It isn't quite ready yet. If Rod approves what I am going to do is combine the original FAQ with the first part of the long amended FAQ, add in a couple of things, and then round it out. Rod's idea for the extended FAQ was a good one, but neither of us seem to have enough time to complete it, so I will post the final revised FAQ (medium length now) later this week, when I get a chance to edit it.

Many thanks.

Jan 20, 2005 3:05 PM in response to Ewen

The revised addition was added to the User Faq-thanks for all this work!

Must have PowerBook software