What Other Software Do I Need?

Your new Mac comes with over thirty applications, so do you have everything you need? Your Mac software should cover most of your basic needs, but you should think about increasing that capability. Some of the included applications are really best in class and some just meet minimum requirements. 


Office Applications.

First, let's address the 800 lb. gorilla. Will you need Microsoft Office? The answer to that depends on how important it is for you to have precise compatibility with Office documents you share with others. Do you receive important files from people who use the more complex features of Word or Excel? Does your business depend on the seamless exchange of Office files?

If your answer is yes to either of these, then you should consider buying it. But if you answered no or maybe to both of these questions, there are many alternatives that are cheaper and may suit you better.

As a strategy to test this, let me suggest the following. Don't buy Office right away. Try using free programs to see if you really need it. First, get an email account at Google if you don't already have one. This registers you to use many of their free services, including the new Docs & Spreadsheets programs. These two programs run inside the FireFox browser, but not Safari, so download FireFox next.

For word processing, start by trying TextEdit or Google Docs to open and save any Word files you receive. TextEdit is one of the Apple programs included in your Applications folder and can open and save Word files (.doc). Likewise, try using Google Spreadsheets when you need a spreadsheet program.

The reason it's safe to try this is that you can download Office and use it for free for 30 days if you get in a pinch. In fact, most Macs already have it installed, or it is on the disks that came with your new Mac. Try to wait until you need it to open it for the first time so you don't start the clock too soon. If you decide to buy Microsoft Office, see if the Student and Teacher Edition applies to you. It's significantly cheaper. Furthermore, you may want to wait until the Fall of 2007 when the next version, Office 2008, becomes available.

So what about iWork? iWork is Apple's suite of just 2 office type applications, Pages and Keynote. Pages is a full featured word processor and page layout program. It too can open and save Microsoft Word files. Keynote is a presentation program that rivals Microsoft PowerPoint. Both program's strengths are in creating good looking documents through graphic tools, templates and integration with other Apple applications like iPhoto and iTunes. These iWork programs have that Apple polish that make creating a beautiful project seem easy. And like Office, a 30 day trial version of iWork comes with your new Mac.

UPDATE: iWork has been revised with new versions of Keynote and Pages, but most importantly the new Numbers spreadsheet app. For the same price ($79), it seems like a great deal now to me.

Should I try Open Source? I haven't gone the open source route because I love how seemless the Apple and Adobe apps are, but there are plenty of people who appreciate not paying anything and being able to stick it to The Man at the same time. Look in the links below for more information including a review of NeoOffice.

iPhoto or Photoshop?

IPhoto is a great tool for organizing and creating prints and projects from your digital photos, but it's a lightweight when it comes to image editing and manipulation. Photoshop has been the reigning king of image editing forever, but at a steep price. The new CS 3 version of Photoshop goes for $649. Ouch! Fortunately, like many professional applications these days, there is a watered down version that bridges the divide between amateur and professional use. Check out Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 for many of the common Photoshop tools at a reasonable price.

Web Page Creation

Unfortunately, there isn't a great middle level program for creating Flash and HTML. Adobe bought the best two programs when they acquired Macromedia: Dreamweaver and Flash. These are professional applications that don't come cheap. I suggest you exploit iWeb for all it's worth before making the next step to these full-featured, pro applications.

Web Browsers

Safari is the free web browser from Apple, and it's quite good. However, you should have a copy of FireFox for when you run into the occasional web site that is not created to include Safari. It's free and it's based on the open source Mozilla browser. If neither of those browsers suit you perfectly, try out Opera, Camino and Omniweb. They all have their strengths and users who love them.

Browser Plug-ins

For online video, cover all your bases by downloading and installing the free Real Player from Real, and the Flip4Mac plug-in to view Windows Media files. For viewing video downloads, get the VLC viewer as a back up for when you run across videos that give you errors in Quicktime. You should also download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader in case Preview chokes on an odd PDF file.

Google Earth

It's not really a plug in, but you should also download the free Google Earth application. It lets you navigate the Earth in 3-D, viewing the ground through satellite imagery overlaid on terrain. It's the most amazing program and time waster to come along in years.

Personal Finance

Quicken has always been the Big Dog in personal finance software, but it has been criticized for being overly complex and hard to use. Before making the leap, be sure to check out Moneydance and Budget. Moneydance is a full featured Quicken competitor and Budget has a simplified real-world system of using envelopes to budget and track personal finance.

Do you have questions on other categories of software? Use the comments below to ask and give us your opinions on the best software out there for new Mac owners.

DIG DEEPER

Where to download applications

Google Applications
Google Mail (Gmail)
Google Docs Google Earth

Web Browsers
Firefox
Camino
Opera
OmniWeb

The Rest
Microsoft Office 2004 Trial
NeoOffice (Review of NeoOffice here at InformationWeek)
Photoshop Elements
VLC Media Player

Flip4Mac Windows Media plug-in
Real Player (Make sure to click FREE player)
Adobe Acrobat Reader

Download Sites
Download.com
Versiontracker.com

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