10 apps no new Mac user should be without

Lots of my friends (including my dad) have recently switched to Mac, so I thought I’d put together a list of some of my favourite most useful apps for the Mac. They are all free, and they are the first things I install when setting up a new system. Hope you find them as useful as I do!

1. VLC: A video player that plays everything.
2. Firefox: Not that there’s anything wrong with Safari, but sometimes you just need another browser…
3. AdblockPlus extension for Firefox: Does what it says, blocks ads from Firefox. It’s wonderful.
4. iStatMenus: Providing system information at a glance in your menu bar. Handy when you want to see your network activity, or if the CPU is getting hammered by something.
5. flip4mac WMV player: Enabling playback of all those pesky Windows Media files.
6. SuperDuper: A great backup program for your backup regimen. You DO have a backup regimen, right?
7. iSquint: Converts all manner of videos into a format playable on your video capable iPod and iPod Touch and iPhone.
8. Skitch: More than just snapshots of the screen, Skitch also lets you upload your captures to “the cloud”, with their own site, Skitch.com, as well as to other services.
9. HandBrake: For backing up your DVD collection. Handy in conjunction with iSquint to get your DVD’s onto your iPod for traveling or vacation.
10. Adium: A multi service chat client, supporting pretty much any IM service you might belong to.

Are there any apps that you find really useful that aren’t listed here? Something a new mac user should add to their stable of apps? Leave me a comment and let me know! You can also check out osx.iusethis.com for more great OS X apps that people (like me!) use.