Both Windows and Mac do a great job at bundling some basic functionality into their operating systems, ensuring that simple tasks can be accomplished out of the box. You get features like image preview and CD Burning support, but their functionality isn't always as elegant as you would hope.
When your operating system's stock applications just wont cut it, we've got a few suggestions for replacing those tired apps with something a little more useful.
Still using Microsoft's boring old Paint app? Sure, it's gotten a bit of a facelift with Windows 7, but it still has nothing on the superb free alternative, Paint.NET. This isn't a Photoshop replacement by any means, but features like layers, image resizing and effects make it a worthy alternative to Window's default viewer.
WriteRoom (Mac) and Bend (Win)
Some of us are big fans of simplistic text editors, but the OS defaults can be a little too spartan for our liking. Programs like WriteRoom or jDarkRoom for OS X add full-screen, distraction-free options to the Mac's default editor, while Bend is an incredibly attractive Notepad alternative for Windows users that could actually make writing code fun. Almost.
CDBurnerXP (Win)
Most operating systems have rudimentary disc burning support these days, but that doesn't mean it's any good. Windows is notorious for this, with burn folders lying hidden in explorer and almost no support for image burning either. CDBurnerXP fixes all of this, offering a no-frills file and image burner with support for a wide range of formats. And don't let the name fool you, either — it's fully compatible with Windows 7 (and Vista, if that's your thing).
Viewing network activity or CPU usage is easy with Apple's Activity Monitor, but it's not the most elegant of solutions. Statistics should be glance able, and easily accessible, not hidden behind tabs and scrollbars. iStatPro fixes this problem by taking all of your Mac's trackable data — including the temperature sensors not shown in Apple's utility — and placing it into an easily accessible Dashboard widget. With just one click you can evaluate your hardware's status and recognize problems faster than you might otherwise have noticed.
When your operating system's stock applications just wont cut it, we've got a few suggestions for replacing those tired apps with something a little more useful.
Paint.NET (Win)
Still using Microsoft's boring old Paint app? Sure, it's gotten a bit of a facelift with Windows 7, but it still has nothing on the superb free alternative, Paint.NET. This isn't a Photoshop replacement by any means, but features like layers, image resizing and effects make it a worthy alternative to Window's default viewer.WriteRoom (Mac) and Bend (Win)
Some of us are big fans of simplistic text editors, but the OS defaults can be a little too spartan for our liking. Programs like WriteRoom or jDarkRoom for OS X add full-screen, distraction-free options to the Mac's default editor, while Bend is an incredibly attractive Notepad alternative for Windows users that could actually make writing code fun. Almost.CDBurnerXP (Win)
Most operating systems have rudimentary disc burning support these days, but that doesn't mean it's any good. Windows is notorious for this, with burn folders lying hidden in explorer and almost no support for image burning either. CDBurnerXP fixes all of this, offering a no-frills file and image burner with support for a wide range of formats. And don't let the name fool you, either — it's fully compatible with Windows 7 (and Vista, if that's your thing).
iStatPro (Mac)
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