Switcher Software Advice

J-L


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As I think more and more about my impending switch to Mac, I started to think about all those programs that I use on a frequent basis and wondered if anyone could help compile a list of quality programs that will help me do the jobs that I once did on my PC. Hopefully this will help give me a flying start and make sure I can get straight to work on my Mac.


Publisher

One Note

Paint/Paint.net

Access/Database program

Video Format conversion

PDF converter/PDF to text

Filezilla (FTP client)


Thanks in advance for your help.
 

Raz0rEdge

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As I think more and more about my impending switch to Mac, I started to think about all those programs that I use on a frequent basis and wondered if anyone could help compile a list of quality programs that will help me do the jobs that I once did on my PC. Hopefully this will help give me a flying start and make sure I can get straight to work on my Mac.

Publisher

One Note

Paint/Paint.net
* GIMP (free)
* Photoshop ($$$$$$$$)
* Pixelmator ($)
Access/Database program

Video Format conversion
* Handbrake (free)
PDF converter/PDF to text

Filezilla (FTP client)
* Cyberduck (free)
* Filezilla (free)
* Transmit ($)
* Flow ($)
 
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Here are some of the apps I use, or found as potential alternatives to the apps you mentioned. If I haven't tried the app, I've stated so below.

Publisher - Pages $20
One Note - Growly Notes free (not tried)
Paint - Pixelmator $30, Paintbrush free (not tried)
Access/Database - OpenOffice, NeoOffice, LibreOffice (not tried) suites - free
Video format conversion - VLC free, Handbrake free
PDF converter - document to PDF, built into the OS print dialog.
PDF converter - PDF to text - If the text is selectable in the PDF, it can be copied to any text editor.
Filezilla - Cyberduck free
 
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Access/Database - OpenOffice, NeoOffice, LibreOffice (not tried) suites - free

Last time I checked, none of those suites had a database program.
 
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OpenOffice Base
NeoOffice - Couldn't find a specific link for their database portion.
LibreOffice - Base
 

chscag

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Lots of folks coming over from Windows ask the same question about an App in OS X that is like MS Publisher. While Pages does a good job on layout work and the GIMP works well, consider iStudio Publisher. It's currently on sale for $17.99 at the App store. It does everything that MS Publisher does, the only difference is that MS Publisher has more templates available. I've been using it for all our bulletin work and am very pleased with the results.
 
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I don’t know anything about OpenOffice on the Mac, but on a Windows PC it’s not the best replacement for Access. I use it a lot at work, so if OpenOffice is the best option on a Mac for a database, then I think the best solution would be to install Windows on the Mac and use Access that way.
 
C

chas_m

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Publisher

OMG no. There's nothing as awful, incompatible-with-everything and tacky as Publisher on the Mac. Thank heavens.

I'd suggest you download the free trial of Pages and give that a spin. And welcome to a new world of elegance and tasteful design.


The Notepad functionality in Microsoft Office 2011 is, I'm told, very close to OneNote in terms of typical-use usefulness. Growly Notes (previously mentioned) is another option, and MS actually makes a proper OneNote for iOS devices.

Paint/Paint.net

As suggested by others, PixelMator should handle most if not all of your graphic needs, and costs a whole $30 from the Mac App Store (crazy good deal). Also check out the aforementioned PaintBrush or, if you're actually talented at "natural media" type painting, ArtRage ($40 or $80 for the Pro version).


Access/Database program

FileMaker (or Bento) or one of the SQL variants if you're more serious about it.

Filezilla (FTP client)

I like CyberDuck (free) and Transmit ($30). There are others that are great as well. Filezilla is available for the Mac as previously mentioned, but really you can do a lot better.

Enjoy your Mac!
 

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