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When Apple’s scrapbook application (Desk Accessory) went away I started using a text file to capture all the snippets of text that I find myself typing repeatedly. Having to open the file and scroll through the snippets was time consuming. I happened across a handy little application called iClip. It is like most of the multiple clipboard applications. I like that fact that with a keystroke my various clippings pop up as I’m working. I click the snippet I want to insert and presto it’s there. It also has the ability to categorize my clippings so the most used ones are upfront and right in front of me. But if I need some of the lesser used clippings I can choose a category and there they are. I think I save nearly an hour a week in keystrokes with this little gem.
Textexpander is probably my can’t live without app, although Yojimbo is pretty darn close.
Saves me from having to drop into the Finder to eject a disk, .dmg, iPod, or network volume. 125k and I can’t live without it. https://www.jeb.com.fr/en/ejector.shtml
I cannot work without iCal, I use it to schedule everything from important meetings to taking a much needed break. Without it I would probably be late to all my meetings, or miss them entirely.
I too have tons of stickies on my desktop and sometimes when I need to have quick access to a photo I put it on a sticky as well. And I would forget every appointment if I didn’t have those iCal alarms to pop up and remind me.
Jacqui, Goddess of Chaos, GSOLFOT
I work in Illustrator all the time and have to collect finished files, fonts and links. Until Adobe puts a collect for output in Illustrator i can’t live without Art Files.
I’m on a Mac, OS 10.4.9. Leaving OS 9 wasn’t a sad thing until I realized OS X had no windowshade, whereby I can “roll up” windows I’m not using but still see the title-bar and have access to them on my desktop. Then I found Unsanity’s Windowshade. It works great and is constantly updated and supported by Unsanity, who also make other great little apps. For a small shareware fee, it’s well worth it!
I found Circus Ponies’ NoteBook an excellent keeper of bit and and pieces, particularly when using its ‘clipping service’ when you come across something interesting on the web and so on.
Art Director’s Toolkit…a great little app that helps me define colors, do conversions, measure onscreen windows…etc. I’ve been using this for a few years, and find that every single day I need it for something.
MacJounal seems to work for me. Cut and pasted my life in and out of it. A very forgiving program and for some stange reason Palm desktop. Even though my palms battery holds less charge than it takes to boot up “Docmuents to go”or that real useful “Dark Room Timer” app. The Intel version of MacJounal appears fairly bomb proof to.
QuicKeys, now from Startly Technologies, gives me not only useful shortcuts for almost any task in any program, but it can “unify” tasks across disparate programs, for instance, allowing command-option-` to invoke a “fit in window” or “show all” or whatever the menu command or shortcut is in various programs. I’ve relied on it for 15 years or more and can not long stand working my Mac without it.
Works great with iGTD and everything else.
I’m in and out of dozens of design file folders for multi-part projects. Moving in and out of recent folders with Default Folder cuts a LOT of tedium out of my busy day. I’d hate to work without it now.
Dropcopy is great for moving files to other computers on your network!
I’ve been using the font organizer, Advanced Font Viewer, from styopkin.com for the last couple of years. I have used other font software but this I find indispensable on my PC. Besides being a cool app, it lets me preview 100s of fonts in Adobe Fireworks without having to install any of them – this is a bug, but a really useful one. I recommend this for any PC user who needs to manage fonts.
Since I got this little app earlier this year my calendar is always in sync. I receive invites from my PC using colleagues upload the date to iCal and then Spanning Sync then puts it straight into my Google Calendar. I can then be in touch with my appointments wherever I am, at home, on the move (through m mobile) or at work.
Eprompter…the original (and still the best) Widget…
Iomega Automatic Backup Pro:
This application comes with all of Iomega’s large external hard drives. I use it with 3 of Iomega’s 400GB ext. harddrives. It will allow me to backup specific data or the entire system by the hour or specific days. I use one for my system data, one for photographs I’m working on, & the last for all my finished photos. I set it to over write the previous backup set to save hard drive space.
I know you stated to not state the obvious, but the app Freehand is on the bubble of surviving or not with the monopoly of Adobe. We can’t live without Freehand!
Alas, kblankinship, it’s already too late for FreeHand. See my news report at /wp-content/uploads/sites/default/files/story_images/news/25504.html. You can post comments to that report on that page, as well.
I don’t know how people live without this handy way to access favorite and recent folders!
Fabulous screen shot utility. Save screens/windows/custom areas of your display in many formats, and to a spot of your choosing. From https://www.ambrosiasw.com
Having a system-wide spell checker means a single vocabulary library applies to everything you type, not just to specific applications. Indispensable!!!
Directory Opus beats the crap out of Windows Explorer for managing files. It has so many more abilities/features/options, and is hugely customizable. The latest version even allows installation on a thumb drive so that I can use it on any USB computer without installing the software. It also saves its config files as XML, instead of clogging the stupid Windows Registry!
Along with my Adobe software, Directory Opus is a program I can’t live without.
Find it here: http://www.gpsoft.com.au/
from: https://www.objectpark.net/mcc.html
For Mac iCal and Entourage. A menubar Calendar that lets me go quickly to a date in the future, put in a appointment and show the item to me without going into iCal. Updates my iCal calendars (any one of many) and syncs with my computer at home. Also has a to-do list constantly visable.
Great little app for OSX – will do all sorts of backups, scheduled backups, you can have do only certain types of files…very versatile. It’s worth the small price ($20) for what you get. https://www.decimus.net/synk/
I have a couple little 3D apps, but this one is my first favorite. I’ve used it on the Mac and PC, but now am on Mac exclusively. Best of all, it’s freeware. https://www.povray.org/
Last one, I promise – great little app. Grabs windows, full screen, areas, etc.
https://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/business/screenshotplus.html