[HN Gopher] Less known macOS apps you will legitimately want to ...
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Less known macOS apps you will legitimately want to use every day
Author : toolbunch
Score : 34 points
Date : 2021-10-01 19:25 UTC (3 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (medium.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (medium.com)
| lioeters wrote:
| Since it hasn't been mentioned, I use this every day (mostly
| silent in the background):
|
| > LuLu is the free, open-source firewall that aims to block
| unknown outgoing connections, protecting your privacy and your
| Mac!
|
| https://objective-see.com/products/lulu.html
| jibbers wrote:
| Here is a category of lesser known apps I use everyday: Text
| recognition. Want to copy text in an image? Or copy text on a
| website that won't allow you to copy? Both of the following apps
| use a similar keyboard shortcut to the screenshot shortcuts you
| already know, command + shift + 2. Now you can copy any text on
| your screen.
|
| TextSniper - $6.99 https://textsniper.app
|
| TRex - free https://github.com/amebalabs/TRex
| terramex wrote:
| And if you want to invoke it from Terminal:
| https://github.com/schappim/macOCR
| i386 wrote:
| A feature that's now Built into Preview in the next macOS
| release
| kitsunesoba wrote:
| It's present in Safari, Photos, and presumably some other
| apps that make use of the native image view widget as well.
| MetricExpansion wrote:
| Apple Silicon only, isn't it?
| MBCook wrote:
| I think it the late betas it was added to very recent Intel
| Macs.
| timrichard wrote:
| Just glancing at my menu bar for any that might be less known...
|
| Jettison is great for ejecting and optionally remounting external
| disks when you put the Mac in and out of sleep.
|
| Turbo Boost Switcher is useful for getting the Mac to run cooler
| and prolong battery life. Mine is nearly always plugged in at my
| office, so I use it when I don't want the fan to get loud (like
| when recording with a microphone).
|
| I'm not sure if BetterTouchTool qualifies as "less known", but
| it's really useful. I use it to launch new iTerm windows and
| various apps on the f16..f19 keys on the Magic Keyboard. I also
| use it to extend other applications with macros. It would be
| great if Obsidian had Emmet-like facilities to expand
| abbreviations, so you can set up BetterTouchTool to expand
| expressions like "h4" followed by the tab key into "####". Things
| like that really speed up markdown entry.
|
| https://stclairsoft.com/Jettison/
|
| http://tbswitcher.rugarciap.com/
|
| https://folivora.ai/
|
| https://emmet.io/
| Arainach wrote:
| >There are a lot of popular websites like YouTube, Netflix,
| Facebook, and Gmail that do not have a dedicated app for macOS,
| and it is annoying to open your browser and type in the URL of
| the site or click on a bookmark every time you want to access
| sites like these.
|
| Is this actually a common belief? Bookmarks are too much effort?
|
| Rectangle, however, I can vouch for. The stock window management
| in OS X is the worst in the industry, but tools like Rectangle
| help a lot.
| Jcowell wrote:
| I would much rather have native apps then work through web
| apps. I'm anxiously waiting the day Netflix releases a MacOS
| App.
| SahAssar wrote:
| Why? What feature of a hypothetical Netflix app could you not
| get with a PWA?
| silicon2401 wrote:
| some of us just prefer native apps. you never get as much
| functionality out of a browser tab as you do from a full
| app
| stnmtn wrote:
| But you can extend things so much easier inside of a
| browser tab (Greasemonkey, etc) than you can with a
| native app.
| soneil wrote:
| The biggest feature I miss is being able to download shows
| locally. It's not hugely hypothetical either - just putting
| the ipad app on the mac isn't a huge leap anymore, and
| would solve most of what I'd want.
| kitsunesoba wrote:
| It's a bit nitpicky but one of my gripes with PWA is that
| no implementation I've seen thus far gets titlebars right
| under macOS, which is a bit distracting.
|
| Additionally, there doesn't seem to be an API for PWAs to
| surface menus to the system, which means productivity stuff
| like Google Docs is stuck with redundant in-browser menus.
| kkoncevicius wrote:
| Most of these "apps" are distraction machines. Play background
| music, get screen messages every 20 minutes, download apps for
| addictive websites, make videos stick on top of display.
| thatswrong0 wrote:
| Background music letting you adjust volume on a per app basis
| is the biggest selling point to me. Hate that Zoom's volume is
| tied exclusively to system volume.
| kitsunesoba wrote:
| I prefer Moom[1] over Rectangle for window management because I
| find Aero Snap style management annoying due to the visual noise
| it creates by unintentionally triggering while moving around
| windows. It also has a nice unobtrusive UI summoned by hovering
| over window resize buttons.
|
| [1]: https://manytricks.com/moom/
| woleium wrote:
| and I prefer amethyst over both :)
| thatswrong0 wrote:
| Spectacle also works as an alternative if you don't want the
| edge snapping
| zapzupnz wrote:
| Not a fan of Rectangle, much prefer Tiles. Same thing, but the
| snap rectangles are much easier to see.
|
| I'm not sure I agree that window management in macOS is the
| worst, though. Just different. If you're used to Windows-style
| management, the position of windows probably is a bit more
| important; if you're used to macOS-style management, you're
| heavily using Mission Control and Expose to switch anyway so
| their actual position doesn't matter much.
|
| But things like Tiles, Rectangle, and BetterSnapTool still sure
| are nice.
| awill wrote:
| I used to read a website that interviewed people (often
| successful people) and asked them about their setup. They'd
| explain all the apps and gadgets they used. I forget what the
| site was called.
|
| Are there any updated sites like that? I find it super
| interesting to understand the apps/gadgets and workflows that
| super productive people use.
| czaber wrote:
| You probably mean https://usesthis.com
| awill wrote:
| yes. Thanks!
| drcongo wrote:
| Not interested in any of those apps. However I'd recommend
| Bartender to everyone. https://www.macbartender.com/Bartender4/
| watersb wrote:
| Bartender was one of the very first apps on the Mac App Store,
| IIRC.
| julianh95 wrote:
| Background Music and Rectangle are great. I recently discovered
| rectangle after looking for a better tiling solution.
| jbverschoor wrote:
| TheClock. Love the calendar and timezones. By seense
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