What software do I use on my MacBook Pro - 2018?

Hi everyone!

I always like to read this sort of thing that other people that I know or respect do.  Sometimes I find a real gem of software.  So here is my software that I think important.  Some of them cost money to buy and I use my own money to buy them although my employer does - thanks very much - pay for the Office and a few others!  The Mac in this is MBP with Touch ID - I am still very happy with it and the Touchbar has turned out very good indeed.

• Anti-Malware - I know many say no anti - malware software is necessary on a Mac but I disagree.  For example lately it has caught and blocked things coming in via corporate email. I use Bitdefender (see the articles I have written on it here) and really like it. I use it to protect Macs, and PC’s.
• 1Password - this is the best, and for something like protecting my passwords and info I want the best.  I really recommend this tool.
• Photos - I do take a few pictures, and to organize and manage them I find Photos to be the best free tool for me.  Aside from managing my pictures, I like how it can support screensavers on my Apple TV, and how I can do books, pictures, and calendar type stuff.
• OmniGraffle - this is the most expensive thing on the list but I really need a diagramming tool, and one that is Mac and this is the best, and only almost the only choice. Plus it can import / export Visio.
• VMware Horizon View - Mac client - definitely well used when I am on the road as I need a great and dependable tool to link back to my home lab. I also use the iPad version sometimes too.  A while back I did a demo of VAO at a bar using my iPad and the customer loved it.
• Jump Desktop - this is the best RDP (and VNC) client I have used.  It does a lot and in an easy to understand and exploit.  Especially good around display sizes.  So I love this tool and all my Macs have it - and yes it syncs the config between them.
• Evernote - I have a premium account with these people since I believe in them strongly.  I use this product for a number of things like organizing blog / newsletter subjects, or meeting minutes, or info on people to track and many more.  Works great, and it works great on my iPhone, iPad, Mac and Web so it is always very handy.
• Monity - this useful utility puts a widget with very good system info into Notification.
• BackBlaze - for roughly four or five years I have been using this great software to do a cloud backup of my home Macs.  I moved away from CrashPlan due to cost, but I believe it does not do this sort of backup any longer. I have tested this software carefully and think it very good indeed.
• Time Machine - I do use Time Machine for local backups.  A very nice UI, fast, and easy are all good reasons to use TM, but I also use it since it ties in so well with installs.  Just in case!
• SuperDuper - I have BackBlaze for off-site backups, but Time Machine for on-site backups, and I use SuperDuper to get an image backup.  If I lose a disk, and replace it with a new one, I can boot with SuperDuper, which gets me functional quickly, and than I use TM to update to latest.
• Dropbox - Need I say why I use Dropbox?  It works great, on lots of devices, and is easy.  And it has never gone down for me. I don’t use it much - just for sharing files at work with co-worker.  I actually use iCloud for more file sharing.
• Tweetbot -The best Mac twitter tool is Tweetbot.  Both on the Mac, and iPhone / iPad.  And after using this software for a number of months I understand it is worth every penny.
• Microsoft Office - I do use the Office programs as Word, Excel, and Outlook are very full featured standards and hard to avoid.
• Skype - A great tool to instant message and talk to co-workers and friends (this is a great tool, but now I also have Skype for Business on my Mac and it is not a great tool at all).
• Sublime Text is a very nice text editing tool. I recently actually bought it.
• NetNewsWire - this is my tool for reading RSS which is still a very powerful way to keep track of a lot of web sites.  I do still bear a grudge for Google when they stopped the Reader service.
• SecureCRT - this is software I have used for years to be my SSH client.  I buy it in the SecureCRT and SecureFX bundled version and it includes both Mac and PC.  So very handy indeed - quality software! Another reason to buy the bundled version is that when you do that, and install it, they share a directory.  So define a connection in one and it is seen in the other.  This is not true when not bundled.
• BusyCal - this software works very well with Exchange, Zimbra, and Google, plus iCloud as well.  I quite like it.  I started using it when the Mac Calendar did not work quite right so this solved the problem.  But than I kept it and was happy!
• BusyContacts - a very good contact manager that does more and supports more services as well.
• Browsers - I do use both Chrome and Firefox as well as Safari.
• Slack - I don’t use this at work any longer, but it is one of the best tools for interacting with people and I use it for a few services like vExpert.
• SnagIt for doing screenshots for blogs and documents.
• Camtasia - when I do videos I use this tool - very powerful and sort of easy to use.
• Blogo - I use this app on occasion when I have no Internet connect to write blogs.  It does store locally but it can sync with WordPress, and it works pretty good. It has iPad, iPhone and Mac versions.
• Wifi Signal - this great tool is simple and easy but it provides very good Wifi info.

Updates:

• 10/13/18 - GA

Hope you find this interesting or useful.  All of the software I list here is good, and some, is in fact great. I think it good to note that I changed anti-malware and I don’t have Fusion on my Mac any longer so very little change. That speaks well for the apps above!

Questions and comments always encouraged!

Michael

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