I also want to draw a distinction between applications which run principally on my personal computer, and services which are accessed via the web. I'll cover the latter in a separate post.
- Quicksilver - While this program is nearly invisible, I probably invoke this more than any other app on my system. In addition to launching programs and bookmarks, I use it to move files without touching the mouse, entering to-dos, making iCal events, and creating entries in my work log file.
- iCal - I live in my calendar. I use iCal both for my "hard landscape" appointments, and also for my to-dos. Thanks to sync services, my Google Calendar, mobile phone, and iPod are all synced - but that's a topic for another post.
- Safari - Still the fastest browser, and has good support for the Services menu. I use services heavily in my workflows, which makes using Firefox a real pain. (But watch this space for the new Firefox Gran Paradiso alpha, which has Cocoa support (and therefore hopefully will support services.)
- Omni Outliner Pro - My grade school English teachers instilled a respect for the power of outlining that still serves me well, and Omni Outliner is the tool of choice for serious outliners. Not only is it a powerful and intuitive outliner, but its ability to import and export data into lots of formats are a godsend if you have to work with lots of different document formats.
- DevonThink Pro - My universal inbox and snippet collector. There are three great things about DT Pro: First, it does the hard work of categorizing the information you dump into it - you don't have to think about tagging or filing. Second, the Pro Office version seamlessly links to your scanner - DT Pro Office will scan you paper documents, OCR them, and categorize and store a searchable copy. Finally, DT Pro also does a great job of improting and exporting lots of different file types.
- TextEdit - Hey, there's still nothing better than a plain text file for getting things down quickly, and you can always send someone a plain text file no matter what platform or tools they use. Beyond this, Text Edit can create simple HTML and RTF files, and does a credible job of handling Microsoft Word files.
Ok, so that's six - but I have to subtract one. I also have a few faded loves - those applications I use often (perhaps as much as some of those above) but I now think twice before using. Most prominent these days is Microsoft Word. I'm very fluent in Word, and have used it for years. It's still the lingua franca for written corporate documents, and you can't beat it for writing a moderately complex document. However, these days, I find myself pausing before I use MS Word and asking two questions: Will I be collaborating with someone else on this document, and does this document need some unique MS Word feature? If the answers are respectively yes and no, I use Google Documents. It has really changed my workstyle for collaborative document creation. I may end up making a pass through MS Word for the final publishing, but the creative stuff is getting done online.
More on moving to web services, the impact on the applications I use, and faded loves in another post.
