5 ms·

Little macOS Apps That Make a Big Difference in 2024

41 points by behnamoh 3y ago

sneed_chucker 3y ago
cool, but I'm not going to make an account with medium to read the rest of the article
- whycome 3y ago
  Not sure if it varies, but I did get to see all 5 before the restriction.
- fauigerzigerk 3y ago
  I have an account and they won't let me read the whole article without upgrading to a paid account :) [Edit]: Now I just tried to delete my account but after clicking on delete and being told what I'm going to lose I cannot actually delete the account because the second delete button is disabled.
  - netsharc 3y ago
    Heh, dark pattern 2023: "To delete your account, please open the browser developer tools and remove the 'disabled' attribute from the button. Be aware that the DOM tree is very complicated with many many decoy buttons!"
    - fauigerzigerk 3y ago
      Ha, good idea, thanks! :)
swalling 3y ago
Two more little utilities that I cannot live without on Mac: A tiling window manager like https://rectangleapp.com/ https://rectangleapp.com/ Muzzle, which automatically silences desktop notifs when you're screensharing https://muzzleapp.com/ https://muzzleapp.com/
- whycome 3y ago
  I’ll add: BetterTouchTool https://folivora.ai/ https://folivora.ai/ ItsyCal https://www.mowglii.com/itsycal/ https://www.mowglii.com/itsycal/
  - jnrk 3y ago
    I’ll add Raycast, which is a launcher but does so much more (including window management) https://www.raycast.com/ https://www.raycast.com/
  - swalling 3y ago
    If you need a menubar calendar, Cron (cron.com) is particularly nice because it gives you a universal keyboard shortcut to join the next meeting.
- jdpedrie 3y ago
  > Muzzle, which automatically silences desktop notifs when you're screensharing https://muzzleapp.com/ https://muzzleapp.com/ Wow, the fake notifications on the landing page are really something lol.
  - appleiigs 3y ago
    Definitely gets the point across in an instant. Excellent marketing. It's insanity that even when Messages.app is closed, the messages still pop up. Even when not screensharing - I still get an audible ding sound when I'm on video conference.
  - OldGuyInTheClub 3y ago
    I'm dying here! Thanks for mentioning it or I'd never have clicked the link.
- OldGuyInTheClub 3y ago
  For basic window tiling, I stumbled across Hammerspoon and the MiroWindowsManager spoon. https://github.com/miromannino/miro-windows-manager https://github.com/miromannino/miro-windows-manager https://www.hammerspoon.org/ https://www.hammerspoon.org/
CharlesW 3y ago
Some personal must-haves: – DriveDx, for storage health monitoring: https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx – Bartender, to control menu bar clutter: https://www.macbartender.com/ https://www.macbartender.com/ – HazeOver, to dim distracting background stuff: https://hazeover.com/ https://hazeover.com/ – Raycast, for launcher, window manager, menu search, clipboard manager, etc.: https://www.raycast.com/ https://www.raycast.com/
FinalDestiny 3y ago
https://archive.is/sWF5I https://archive.is/sWF5I
below43 3y ago
My favourite discovery for 2023 was https://maccy.app/ https://maccy.app/ which provides a Windows-style clipboard history. It covers off one of the few things I love from Windows. Edit: One more to mention: I'm obviously biased, but I continue to find my own scratchpad app invaluable https://klipped.com/macos https://klipped.com/macos
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  Oooh, I’ve been using Paste but Maccy is compelling. Thank you for sharing it. https://apps.apple.com/app/id967805235 https://apps.apple.com/app/id967805235 https://pasteapp.io https://pasteapp.io
  - voltaireodactyl 3y ago
    Check out PastePal — I moved after Paste went subscription, have been thrilled ever since.
    - toomuchtodo 3y ago
      Huge recommendation, already switched. Thank you!
- al_borland 3y ago
  When I was in grade school the old Macs at the school library had a clipboard history. It was always fun to open it up and see what other users dumped on there. Not sure why that didn't make the cut for macOS after all these years.
baxuz 3y ago
You can disable mouse acceleration in the regular system settings in the latest MacOS. Also I'm not paying to read a ranked list article on Medium.
- karmakaze 3y ago
  Wat! How? "Mouse/Advanced/Pointer acceleration" disable, wow. Thank you! I feel like a gaslit dependent having accepted something that shouldn't have been for so long, and now so grateful that it's available.
- al_borland 3y ago
  TextGrabber is also part of stock macOS. Take a screenshot, click the thumbnail to open the temp window, copy the text you want, click the trash icon to delete the screenshot. Paletro is also part of stock macOS and has been ever since Spotlight was introduced, which they even mention. I fail to see how this app is more user friendly, macOS shows you visually where the thing you're looking for is in the menu so you can better learn. Maybe if it was one of those all-in-one Spotlight replacements that also does this and 500 other things, there would be a better argument for it. This is as far as I could get without paying. I'd like these lists better if they weren't padded with utilities that replicate stock OS features. There seems to be a big market in macOS to wait until Apple introduces a new core technology, put a new skin on it, then release it as a stand alone app to people who missed the memo about the built in feature.
karmakaze 3y ago
I use BetterDisplay and it's fantastic for tweaking resolutions and rendering on any external display that isn't Apple branded. It also has a bunch of extra features that's likely useful for any display but I'm mostly using it for custom HiDPI rez/rendering. It's actually hard to find the buy Pro page[0]. Linked from github[1]. I'm not affiliated. [0] https://betterdisplay.pro/buy https://betterdisplay.pro/buy [1] https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay/wiki/Getting-a-Pro-License https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay/wiki/Getting-a-Pr...
move-on-by 3y ago
I’ve found the BetterSnapTool to be essential for working on an ultrawide monitor: https://www.folivora.ai/bettersnaptool/ https://www.folivora.ai/bettersnaptool/ If only there was a way to move around the notification location- I’m always missing those at the far end of the screen
- rahimnathwani 3y ago
  This looks like FanzyZones on Windows. Have you considered going further and just using a tiling window manager like Rectangle?
digisocialnet 3y ago
Raycast does app launching, window management, clipboard history, calculator functionality, and much much more. https://www.raycast.com/ https://www.raycast.com/
jacobp100 3y ago
For anyone looking for a scientific calculator, I've been building TechniCalc since 2015 (although it was called SciLine back then). It features a visual equation editor; advanced maths features like imaginary numbers, matrices, and summations; and a unit converter and unit-based maths (e.g. 1 meter + 3 yards). It is paid, but it's one up front cost with zero subscriptions, and that purchase will also unlock it on iPad and iPhone. https://jacobdoescode.com/technicalc https://jacobdoescode.com/technicalc Happy to answer any questions!
literallyroy 3y ago
Highly recommend [shottr](https://shottr.cc https://shottr.cc). Screenshot replacement with great ways to quickly annotate.
biocross 3y ago
Adding my must haves: - DisplayBuddy: a more modern alternative to BetterDisplay to control monitors (https://displaybuddy.app https://displaybuddy.app) - Magnet: the simplest and best window manager (https://magnet.crowdcafe.com https://magnet.crowdcafe.com) - DaisyDisk: fantastic way to visualise your disk usage and free up space (https://daisydiskapp.com https://daisydiskapp.com)
simian1983 3y ago
https://www.alfredapp.com/ https://www.alfredapp.com/ is like a lot of these, all in one. Clipboard history, launched, scripts, automations (including window management) it’s not free, but it’s amazing.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

41 points by behnamoh 3y ago

sneed_chucker 3y ago

cool, but I'm not going to make an account with medium to read the rest of the article

whycome 3y ago
Not sure if it varies, but I did get to see all 5 before the restriction.
fauigerzigerk 3y ago
I have an account and they won't let me read the whole article without upgrading to a paid account :) [Edit]: Now I just tried to delete my account but after clicking on delete and being told what I'm going to lose I cannot actually delete the account because the second delete button is disabled.
- netsharc 3y ago
  Heh, dark pattern 2023: "To delete your account, please open the browser developer tools and remove the 'disabled' attribute from the button. Be aware that the DOM tree is very complicated with many many decoy buttons!"
  - fauigerzigerk 3y ago
    Ha, good idea, thanks! :)

swalling 3y ago

Two more little utilities that I cannot live without on Mac: A tiling window manager like https://rectangleapp.com/ https://rectangleapp.com/ Muzzle, which automatically silences desktop notifs when you're screensharing https://muzzleapp.com/ https://muzzleapp.com/

whycome 3y ago
I’ll add: BetterTouchTool https://folivora.ai/ https://folivora.ai/ ItsyCal https://www.mowglii.com/itsycal/ https://www.mowglii.com/itsycal/
- jnrk 3y ago
  I’ll add Raycast, which is a launcher but does so much more (including window management) https://www.raycast.com/ https://www.raycast.com/
- swalling 3y ago
  If you need a menubar calendar, Cron (cron.com) is particularly nice because it gives you a universal keyboard shortcut to join the next meeting.
jdpedrie 3y ago
> Muzzle, which automatically silences desktop notifs when you're screensharing https://muzzleapp.com/ https://muzzleapp.com/ Wow, the fake notifications on the landing page are really something lol.
- appleiigs 3y ago
  Definitely gets the point across in an instant. Excellent marketing. It's insanity that even when Messages.app is closed, the messages still pop up. Even when not screensharing - I still get an audible ding sound when I'm on video conference.
- OldGuyInTheClub 3y ago
  I'm dying here! Thanks for mentioning it or I'd never have clicked the link.
OldGuyInTheClub 3y ago
For basic window tiling, I stumbled across Hammerspoon and the MiroWindowsManager spoon. https://github.com/miromannino/miro-windows-manager https://github.com/miromannino/miro-windows-manager https://www.hammerspoon.org/ https://www.hammerspoon.org/

CharlesW 3y ago

Some personal must-haves: – DriveDx, for storage health monitoring: https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx – Bartender, to control menu bar clutter: https://www.macbartender.com/ https://www.macbartender.com/ – HazeOver, to dim distracting background stuff: https://hazeover.com/ https://hazeover.com/ – Raycast, for launcher, window manager, menu search, clipboard manager, etc.: https://www.raycast.com/ https://www.raycast.com/

FinalDestiny 3y ago

https://archive.is/sWF5I https://archive.is/sWF5I

below43 3y ago

My favourite discovery for 2023 was https://maccy.app/ https://maccy.app/ which provides a Windows-style clipboard history. It covers off one of the few things I love from Windows. Edit: One more to mention: I'm obviously biased, but I continue to find my own scratchpad app invaluable https://klipped.com/macos https://klipped.com/macos

toomuchtodo 3y ago
Oooh, I’ve been using Paste but Maccy is compelling. Thank you for sharing it. https://apps.apple.com/app/id967805235 https://apps.apple.com/app/id967805235 https://pasteapp.io https://pasteapp.io
- voltaireodactyl 3y ago
  Check out PastePal — I moved after Paste went subscription, have been thrilled ever since.
  - toomuchtodo 3y ago
    Huge recommendation, already switched. Thank you!
al_borland 3y ago
When I was in grade school the old Macs at the school library had a clipboard history. It was always fun to open it up and see what other users dumped on there. Not sure why that didn't make the cut for macOS after all these years.

baxuz 3y ago

You can disable mouse acceleration in the regular system settings in the latest MacOS. Also I'm not paying to read a ranked list article on Medium.

karmakaze 3y ago
Wat! How? "Mouse/Advanced/Pointer acceleration" disable, wow. Thank you! I feel like a gaslit dependent having accepted something that shouldn't have been for so long, and now so grateful that it's available.
al_borland 3y ago
TextGrabber is also part of stock macOS. Take a screenshot, click the thumbnail to open the temp window, copy the text you want, click the trash icon to delete the screenshot. Paletro is also part of stock macOS and has been ever since Spotlight was introduced, which they even mention. I fail to see how this app is more user friendly, macOS shows you visually where the thing you're looking for is in the menu so you can better learn. Maybe if it was one of those all-in-one Spotlight replacements that also does this and 500 other things, there would be a better argument for it. This is as far as I could get without paying. I'd like these lists better if they weren't padded with utilities that replicate stock OS features. There seems to be a big market in macOS to wait until Apple introduces a new core technology, put a new skin on it, then release it as a stand alone app to people who missed the memo about the built in feature.

karmakaze 3y ago

I use BetterDisplay and it's fantastic for tweaking resolutions and rendering on any external display that isn't Apple branded. It also has a bunch of extra features that's likely useful for any display but I'm mostly using it for custom HiDPI rez/rendering. It's actually hard to find the buy Pro page[0]. Linked from github[1]. I'm not affiliated. [0] https://betterdisplay.pro/buy https://betterdisplay.pro/buy [1] https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay/wiki/Getting-a-Pro-License https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay/wiki/Getting-a-Pr...

move-on-by 3y ago

I’ve found the BetterSnapTool to be essential for working on an ultrawide monitor: https://www.folivora.ai/bettersnaptool/ https://www.folivora.ai/bettersnaptool/ If only there was a way to move around the notification location- I’m always missing those at the far end of the screen

rahimnathwani 3y ago
This looks like FanzyZones on Windows. Have you considered going further and just using a tiling window manager like Rectangle?

digisocialnet 3y ago

Raycast does app launching, window management, clipboard history, calculator functionality, and much much more. https://www.raycast.com/ https://www.raycast.com/

jacobp100 3y ago

For anyone looking for a scientific calculator, I've been building TechniCalc since 2015 (although it was called SciLine back then). It features a visual equation editor; advanced maths features like imaginary numbers, matrices, and summations; and a unit converter and unit-based maths (e.g. 1 meter + 3 yards). It is paid, but it's one up front cost with zero subscriptions, and that purchase will also unlock it on iPad and iPhone. https://jacobdoescode.com/technicalc https://jacobdoescode.com/technicalc Happy to answer any questions!

literallyroy 3y ago

Highly recommend [shottr](https://shottr.cc https://shottr.cc). Screenshot replacement with great ways to quickly annotate.

biocross 3y ago

Adding my must haves: - DisplayBuddy: a more modern alternative to BetterDisplay to control monitors (https://displaybuddy.app https://displaybuddy.app) - Magnet: the simplest and best window manager (https://magnet.crowdcafe.com https://magnet.crowdcafe.com) - DaisyDisk: fantastic way to visualise your disk usage and free up space (https://daisydiskapp.com https://daisydiskapp.com)

simian1983 3y ago

https://www.alfredapp.com/ https://www.alfredapp.com/ is like a lot of these, all in one. Clipboard history, launched, scripts, automations (including window management) it’s not free, but it’s amazing.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]