Computer
My computer is a 2.16 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Macbook with 2GB of RAM. Additionally, I chose the 120 GB hard-drive option. I upgraded to Leopard last January. While I have yet to play with Boot Camp, I installed Win2K under Parallels to run my currency broker’s windows only software. Other than trading, OS X satisfies all of my computer needs.
Backing Up
I use Time Machine to backup to an 80 GB USB 2.0 portable hard-drive. While it doesn’t cover the full 120 GB of my laptop, it definitely covers all my sensitive data. After I build a new desktop Linux computer this summer, I’ll switch Time Machine to backup to a shared drive on the Linux computer.
UI
Quicksilver. Must… have… Quicksilver. Run to Blacktree, download Quicksilver, and then Google for Quicksilver tips and tricks. Absolutely amazing software.
Encryption
Truecrypt. Originally a Linux and Windows only affair, OS X users now have completely open source on the fly encryption. You can mount whole hard drive partitions OR you can create single files that get mounted as filesystems. Thinks of it like a .dmg file that you open and close when you need to drag and drop sensitive information. There are additional features to create hidden volumes (invisible encrypted file inside of encrypted file) which give you plausible deniability that the outer layer is the only data present.
Outlining / Notes
I’m probably in the minority among Mac law students, but I use Pages to outline and take class notes. The simplicity of changing indent levels in Pages via a simple apple key + left or right bracket means I hardly ever have to use the touchpad during class. Additionally, taking notes in outline form on the fly makes the traditional outlining process more of a cut and paste and weed session rather than create the study outline from scratch. I have yet to have issues with 100+ page documents in outline form with Pages although I break the outline sections up by topic. Disclaimer: I only gave OmniOutliner a cursory glance and was turned off by the user interface. I realize it might be the superior application, but my current setup works just fine.
Word Processing
I tend to reach for Pages as my default text creation weapon. However, for a recent trial brief, I used the almighty Scrivener for it’s amazing organization and research capabilities. Never have I used a more intuitive creative writing tool. You owe it to yourself to try the 30 day demo of Scrivener and work through their tutorial file. Realize that you can attach and cross reference all sorts of reference files to individual chunks of text. Just slice and dice your statutes and cases and pin them to your rule explanation paragraphs. I see all future writing projects starting in Scrivener and then later exported into Pages for layout and formatting. While I have a copy of Office 2008, I only use it when I need to collaborate with others’ files or use templates that look wrong in Pages.
Homework
iCal. I have yet to look at some of the more specialized applications for keeping track of assignments, but iCal gives me all the functionality I need.
This is one area where I’m not completely satisfied. After throwing my hands up in disgust over Mail.app’s IMAP functionality, I use Thunderbird + Gmail IMAP. My chief complaint is Thunderbird’s (current) lack of Addressbook.app integration. Supposedly you can manipulate some configuration files and use a special build to get the needed integration, but I haven’t taken the time to explore that option. The Thunderbird developers claim the functionality is coming, and when it does, I will be 100% satisfied.
Browser
I tend to use Firefox and Safari for the majority of my surfing needs. While I keep Camino, Opera, and Shiira installed, I just never use them. Firefox seems to work perfectly with Lexis and Westlaw for my electronic research needs. [ed: see this MLS review of browsers for more info] Additionally, I use a terminal web browser called Lynx under iTerm for text intensive websites. It really gets rid of the advertisement and logo feces prevalent on many of the sites that actually have good content.
Chat
Adium. Marvelous program. I open iChat only for the occasional video chat with the girlfriend.
Calendar
iCal. The notifications rock.
Torrent
IRC
I prefer to use a terminal-based IRC client such as Irssi. While there’s a decent GUI based client called Colloquy, I don’t tend to use it.
Video
VideoLAN Client (VLC) – It’s open source, plays almost everything, and has a nice user interface.
FTP
Cyberduck is a great open source FTP client for OS X.
Photography
Adobe Lightroom. If you shoot RAW files, this is the program of choice. However, it’s not cheap.
