Power List #1: Top 5 Utilities

No, I haven't run out of ideas, don't worry :D

Today I'll just be introducing an idea I've actually been thinking about for quite a while.

Today's list will be of the top 5 most useful (and shiny) utilities I've managed to get my hands on (for free!).

1. TinkerTool, by Marcel Bresink Software: If you've heard of this one before, that's because it's good. Really good. TinkerTool does what it says; it enables hidden features normally accessible solely from the editing of preference list files (you'll find more out about those in number 3).
2. WakeUp, by Coriolis Technologies: For the few people who need this, it's tremendously useful. What it lets you do is wake your computers remotely. This can be helpful if you, like me, have a server in another room and don't feel like getting up to switch it on.
3. Property List Editor, by Apple: This one's part of Apple's developer tools suite (Xcode). Thankfully, your can create a free account at developer.apple.com and download it at your leisure. Just like TinkerTool, this is a way to unlock hidden features and tweak things to your liking. However, rather than giving you pre-set options to fool around with, Property List Editor lets you open any of the plist files on your computer. They can be found in ~/preferences (~/ stands for your home directory, or the folder with your username on it, much as / stands for the root directory).
4. CLIX, by Rixstep: I know I've mentioned it before, but CLIX is a great application, and I'd just feel bad not getting it on here. For those who missed that post, CLIX has lists of command line commands nicely organized for your convenience. You can even, lo and behold, edit certain preference lists with it.
5. ClamXav, by Somebody: Yeah, I honestly don't know who made this piece of software, but it's pretty good nonetheless. ClamXav is a virus scanner, and even though I don't use virus scanners all that much, it still doesn't hurt to keep one around just in case. Plus, you can use it to check your friend's infested PC, if you're feeling nice.

As usual, I'll give my loyal readers a link to a page that'll keep them going till my next post (whenever that may be).

freemacware.com

That's where I've found more than a few of my handiest applications, so the site's worth a look.