Editors: a quick list to get started

[kareila]

Here's a list of a few well-known options in each "editors" category I've listed so far (not including the behemoth Microsoft or Adobe apps that everyone knows but probably can't afford). If you have more programs to add, please comment! If you want to review a particular program or compare similar programs, please do so in a new post!

Editors: Audio

• Fission ($32)
• Audacity (Free)
• QuickTime Player (included with Mac OS X)

Editors: Code

• BBEdit ($125/$49 edu)
• TextWrangler (Free)
• TextMate (€39)

Editors: PDF

• PDFpen ($50)
• Skim (Free)
• Preview (included with Mac OS X)

Editors: Pictures

• GraphicConverter ($35)
• Acorn ($50)
• Preview (included with Mac OS X)

Editors: Word Processing

• Nisus Writer Express ($45)
• Bean (Free)
• TextEdit (included with Mac OS X)

Comments

[kareila]

I forgot to mention SubEthaEdit (€29, http://www.codingmonkeys.de/subethaedit/) which I think of as TextEdit with collaboration, but looking at the website just now, it appears they've added a lot more code editing features since the last time I used it.

[foxfirefey]

Apparently OpenOffice has an actual native Mac Port now.

[baggyeyes]

Yes, it does. \o/

And all its extension goodness!

[turlough]

I didn't know that. I guess it's finally time to give up on my VERY OLD AppleWorks then.

[zorkian]

I'd recommend OmniGraffle if you ever have need of a flowchart application. It does other stuff too, but it's really darn useful in that regard.

[kareila]

I'm planning to recommend both OmniGraffle & OmniOutliner under the Organizers category. (I guess that's a stretch, but seems like a better fit there than under text editors.)

[baggyeyes]

Editors: Pictures
Gimp, needs X11, but they provide a link. Latest and greatest is 2.6.7.
Inkscape Also needs X11, but once you have Gimp, it's all good.

Editors: Word Processing/Scripts

Celtx, for the budding script writer, or the scriptwriter on a budget.

[kareila]

branchandroot just posted a GIMP review. Yay for more options!

[baggyeyes]

\o/

[codyne]

I would add Tex-Edit (not to be confused with TextEdit) to the Word Processing list. I've used it for years, and love it, especially for its ability to clean up text you've gotten from the Internet. It's $15 shareware, and a total bargain.

For code editing, I use Coda. It's an integrated code processor/website manager from the folks who make Transmit, the FTP app I've been using for years. It's $99 or $85 if you already own Transmit. I just started using it, and it's a dream.

[kareila]

I remember reading that the code editor in Coda is actually SubEthaEdit.

If I ever get around to learning to use an IDE, Coda will be the one I choose.

[vanessagalore]

While you can't beat the price of Audacity, and it does have the ability to multi-track, I think Sound Studio is the best recording software under $100 for the Mac. ($79.99) Intuitive and stable, with a lot of bang for the buck; effects processing, loops, etc. Also check out Transcribe, a program that can change speed or pitch, add karaoke effects, various other enhancements, for $50.

[kareila]

How do they compare to Garageband? I don't do audio recording myself, but my husband does.

(This might be a good subject for a new post, since my list here focused more on programs for editing sound files.)

[vanessagalore]

I haven't explored Garageband too much, but it seems geared toward the amateur rather than pro musicians. Both these programs have full-featured free demo periods (approx one month); he should just try them and see how they work for him. Both have been around for at least 10 years, so they are very stable programs.

[kareila]

Another graphic editor: Xee - Free, donation requested
http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/apps/xee.html

[jazzyjj]

I'm a bit late replying here, but does anybody know if Jarte works on the Mac? I used it for a brief period under Windows and it seemed to work very well. There is both a free and a paid version. The website is http://www.jarte.com . I haven't done much editing on the Mac, but I've done a bit with both TextEdit and Pages and they both seem pretty good. Regarding audio editing, I have never done that so can't really recommend anything. I've had a brief look at GarageBand, and it looks pretty cool. In addition it is said to work well with VoiceOver, which is Apple's built-in screen reader and which I've found to be quite good.