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Best Mac Apps to start with for a New Mac Mini ?
- Thread starter marcusalwayswins
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When you say on demand tool like Malwarebytes, does this not blocks/uses/wastes CPU resuorces ?
Yep ! On my Agenda to buy atleast one more external 1TB SSD. Lets see when that happens.
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One recommendation I have for people trying new apps is AppCleaner. It lets you remove all the extra hidden files and folders that apps leave behind when you uninstall them.
Another I like is LuLu — a good, free firewall app to stop apps from constantly phoning home. You might not need it, but it's a good app nonetheless.
Also, don't bother with stuff like MalwareBytes unless you're planning on installing some truly sketchy stuff. You really don't need it.
Some other apps that I personally like, but might not be for you:
Swish - swipe-based window manager
AdGuard - I mostly use this to block ads in apps on my iPhone, but I use it on all my devices.
Maccy - clipboard manager. CopyClip is also good.
FolderPeek - puts folders in the menu bar
HyperKey - lets you use caps lock as an ultra-modifier for shortcuts
ImageOptim - reduces image file size by stripping out data that 99% of people will never see.
IINA - like VLC, I just prefer how it looks
HiddenBar - if you have a cluttered menu bar, you can hide things you rarely use but still want accessible.
Amphetamine - keeps your Mac awake for specified periods
Latest - checks for updates for apps from outside of the App Store (doesn't seem to work for Affinity apps though)
Camera Preview - opens the webcam view in a floating window. I use it with Hyperkey to quickly check myself before video calls
Another I like is LuLu — a good, free firewall app to stop apps from constantly phoning home. You might not need it, but it's a good app nonetheless.
Also, don't bother with stuff like MalwareBytes unless you're planning on installing some truly sketchy stuff. You really don't need it.
Some other apps that I personally like, but might not be for you:
Swish - swipe-based window manager
AdGuard - I mostly use this to block ads in apps on my iPhone, but I use it on all my devices.
Maccy - clipboard manager. CopyClip is also good.
FolderPeek - puts folders in the menu bar
HyperKey - lets you use caps lock as an ultra-modifier for shortcuts
ImageOptim - reduces image file size by stripping out data that 99% of people will never see.
IINA - like VLC, I just prefer how it looks
HiddenBar - if you have a cluttered menu bar, you can hide things you rarely use but still want accessible.
Amphetamine - keeps your Mac awake for specified periods
Latest - checks for updates for apps from outside of the App Store (doesn't seem to work for Affinity apps though)
Camera Preview - opens the webcam view in a floating window. I use it with Hyperkey to quickly check myself before video calls
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You can subscribe to the app and have run as active protection. There’s a $$ cost as well as a resource cost to using the app this way.
The majority of users (at least those here, according to posts and comments) use is as a passive malware scanner. There is no $$ cost to use it this way. It just sits passively in the menu bar waiting for you to open it and do a manual scan of your system.
I run it passively and do a scan about once a month or so, unless I see/notice/sense something wonky in my system.
So if you do it passively then it just uses the resources only till the time you are running it, and if you have it actively running It blocks and clogs your resources ? Right ?
People here using CopyClip as a Clipboard Manager is it better than let's say the APP PastePal ?
It uses almost no resources just sitting in the menu bar. When you launch it and scan, it just does the scan… no clogging. Unless you purchase the subscription and run it in that mode, it doesn’t actively check/watch or block anything… it just waits for you to invoke the scan.
1. A good backup strategy and app. I prefer Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC). https://bombich.com/
Read the blog there about backups on the Mac platform. Many will recommend Time Machine, but I have never used it and CCC is sufficient!
2. A good search app I use EasyFind, because Spotlight just doesn't work in some cases. https://www.devontechnologies.com/apps/freeware
3. A good Browser 'cause Safari is temperamental at times. Brave, Vivaldi, or Firefox.
Browsers Downloads | TechSpot
www.techspot.com
Otherwise Apple's apps are enough.
5. A good mail client, Mail is a pain in the you know where. Thunderbird, by far the cheapest (free)
Thunderbird — Free Your Inbox.
Thunderbird is a free email application that’s easy to set up and customize - and it’s loaded with great features!
www.thunderbird.net
I have been using Affinity Photo for sometime, but never used the Pixelmator APP on the Mac, is it better than Photoshop ? If Yes, that would mean it would be better than even Affintiy Photo.
What I'm using and I consider a must-have (FOR ME):
- Bartender
- Alfred (spotlight replacement)
- Rectangle
- Bitwarden
- AppCleaner
- CleanMyMacX
- Reeder5
- Shottr
- Warp
- TG Pro
- TextSnipper
- PDF Reader Pro
- Office suite
- IINA
- Microsoft Remote Desktop
- CRON
- Texts
- Coconut Battery
- Command X
- Downie
Lauchpad Manager
My launchpad desktop takes a lot of time to arrange. Putting things in folders, naming the folders so I know what is inside, arranging everything, etc. There are times when these hours of work are lost and the desktop is reset. With Launchpad Manger I just reload the last saved launchpad desktop and I am good to go.
My launchpad desktop takes a lot of time to arrange. Putting things in folders, naming the folders so I know what is inside, arranging everything, etc. There are times when these hours of work are lost and the desktop is reset. With Launchpad Manger I just reload the last saved launchpad desktop and I am good to go.
Here's a related thread from a little over a year ago:
Many of those apps are still available, and may even have been repeated in this thread.
Many of those apps are still available, and may even have been repeated in this thread.
You would get better answers if you mention what you want to do with your new Mac?
Are you coding (it doesn't sound like it)
Are you doing videos, document, spreadsheets?
Are you working with Photos?
Are you mostly web browsing?
Do you play a lot of music?
This gives some structure so that people can suggest based on those interests.
If you are only choosing one backup option, I'd recommend Backblaze and offsite backup. It requires less hardware you don't need to keep your devices connected to an external drive. It's easy to do individual file restoration. If you ever needed to do a whole drive restoration, they will overnight you a drive with your files on it.
Congrats! I just got a m2 mini last week as well for basic general purposes.
I have a really old computer monitor so I’ve downloaded Better Display…
To keep my ripped CD’s away from iTunes/Apple Music, I bought Colibri music player; even though I pay for iTunes Match and Apple Music and Spotify.
Thats about it for me for the moment.
I did buy an OWC dock for my spinner hdd & SSD (10gb/s usb option), as i’m planning on retiring, my very old Windows 10 machine as it won’t be able to upgrade to Windows 11.
Mac mini —-> the future woot! 🥳
/cheers
Barring the first, I think most definitely everything else in the list that you have mentioned.