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About to Leave My Job, Recording the Mac Apps I Use

· 6 min read

General Purpose​

Feishu​

Believe it or not, the first recommendation is Feishu. It's the most comfortable project management application I've used.

Just Feishu Docs alone, its features and experience far exceed Tencent Docs, Shimo Docs, Yuque, and others on the market.

Now Feishu also supports personal version, no more thumbs up needed.

Besides documents, Feishu also supports email, video calls, and other features. Feishu = Enterprise WeChat + Tencent Docs + QQ Mail + Tencent Meeting, truly All in One.

Feishu also has some thoughtful small features, like OCR (image to text), video recording, GIF recording, and a very practical "scrolling screenshot" - no more worries about long screenshots.

Arc​

My main browser has switched from Chrome to Arc. Arc's multiple spaces solve my long-standing pain point.

It also automatically collapses expired tabs, supports full screen, looks beautiful, and has comfortable interactions. Arc is worth having.

Youdao Translate​

For programmers reading official technical documentation, translation is a must.

I'm a long-time user of Youdao Translate, accompanying it from Youdao Dictionary to its current name Youdao Translate.

Although Youdao's translation quality isn't the best, it wins with its rich dictionary content and convenient hover translation.

Now with AI added, translation quality has improved significantly. Got myself a two-year membership.

Grammarly Desktop​

When submitting issues or writing in English, worried about grammar mistakes? Grammarly Desktop comes in handy.

Basic grammar checking is free, but polishing and AI features require payment.

iBar​

My Mac has a notch screen. When there are too many apps, they get hidden by the notch, which is annoying.

iBar can collapse the menu bar.

iShot​

To capture beautiful screenshots with rounded corners and shadows, use iShot.

The free version is sufficient. Advanced paid features like long screenshots, OCR, and screen recording can be done with Feishu's built-in tools.

Snipaste​

When I switched from Windows to Mac, I continued using Snipaste. Its pin image feature is very useful.

App Cleaner & Uninstaller​

App Cleaner & Uninstaller for thorough app uninstallation, clean and complete.

Runcat​

Watching a cat constantly running in the menu bar is also a form of entertainment.

Runcat can display current CPU usage in the menu bar. The more CPU is used, the faster the cat runs.

Activate Mac​

A boring little widget, similar to Windows' "Activate Windows", displays "Activate macOS" in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Productivity​

Personal Task Management Trio​

  1. TickTick: Task planning and scheduled tasks

  1. Flomo: Recording inspiration, reviewing task processes or results

  1. FlowUs: Review output, reading notes

Why choose this toolkit?

  1. All are domestic applications, no VPN needed, avoiding anxious moments during network fluctuations
  2. Cross-platform support: mobile, PC, web, mini-programs - full coverage
  3. Good to use, replacing Todoist, Notion, etc.

Revezone​

I often need to draw flowcharts and use Excalidraw for doodle-style drawings, but unfortunately it doesn't support Chinese fonts.

Revezone is like a localized version of Excalidraw, but goes further, integrating Tldraw, Notion-like note features, and providing a Mac client.

Currently open source and free, in alpha testing phase, worth trying.

Screen Recording​

  1. OBS: Professional recording. Choose this for heavy-duty needs like course recording. For lightweight recording, use Feishu's GIF recording.

  1. Screen Studio: Can create very smooth operation videos

  1. KeyCastr: Shows pressed keys, open source and free

uTools​

Truly a new generation efficiency tool platform. Everything is a plugin - whatever small feature you need can be found here.

Sunflower Remote Desktop​

For remote computer access, I recommend Sunflower. The free version basically meets needs, though it pops up small ads.

Development​

Fork​

A free Git visualization tool, aptly named "Fork".

Warp​

A new terminal application supporting basic completion, memory features, plus AI assistance.

Zed​

I won't recommend JetBrains, VSCode, etc. - these are already well-known code editors.

I'll recommend Zed, a new generation editor based on Rust with very fast startup and input speed.

Zed is just starting out, worth watching.

Database Visualization​

The database visualization king Navicat is familiar to everyone. They finally released a free version called Navicat Premium Lite. As a lite version of Navicat Premium 17, it has all the basic features.

Officially stated: "It meets the basic database management needs of beginners and non-commercial users" (probably because there were too many pirated copies 🤣)

If you only need lightweight database visualization, I recommend SQL Pro Studio.

While not as powerful as Navicat, it's a Mac native app with good performance. Basic operations (filtering, sorting) are covered, advanced features require writing SQL.

For Postgres databases, use Postico 2, specifically for Postgres.

For Redis visualization, I recommend Another Redis Desktop Manager or Redis Insight. Each has pros and cons, can be used together.

Typora & uPic​

When writing Markdown notes, Typora has always been my first love.

Typora doesn't support images natively, so I set up an image hosting service on my server, currently using uPic for image uploads.

He3​

Developer toolbox, combining multiple development tools, plus some basic video editing, image cropping, audio conversion tools.