It may sound extremely wrong to plug in a USB stick into a Mac
because for some, running external apps on a Mac may ruin its slick image. But
for your awareness, portable apps are highly useful, especially if you don't
want your Mac system to look cluttered with these piles of useful tools. Below
are some of the best portable apps for Mac that you shouldn't consider as a
waste.
When you get a new computer, one of the first things you need to do is to install VLC player on it. For years, this has been the best media player app around for both Mac and Windows, thanks to its exceptional compatibility with most of the codecs out there -- whether famous or obscure. Having it on a USB drive means that whenever you plug yourself into a Mac, you'll have the power to watch just about any videos you like using it.
You may not be familiar of Google Chrome's open-source, non-Google owned sibling, Chromium. It's a more lightweight version of Chrome that's less strenuous on the CPU and has a version that will run on Macs off your USB stick.
Having a portable version of Chromium is particularly handy if
you prefer not to leave your footprint at an Internet cafe or on other computer
that will be used by other people. And since it runs from your USB flash disk,
it doesn't store cached data on the local computer, and cookies will stay on
your USB stick, too.
One of the better apps for super-accessible and easy-to-use
mindmapping and diagramming is available in portable form for the Mac, which
means you can access its robust set of tools wherever you go.
Alongside mind-mapping, XMind also lets you create neat, clean presentations and has a delightfully clean workspace UI, which will help keep you efficient by keeping your headspace organized. If you don't want to create something from scratch, you can just use one of the many templates that is included in the app.
Inkscape is the perfect vector graphics editor, built for people in the business of creating logos, illustrations, flashy-looking charts, infographics, and many more. The app has come along in leaps and bounds since it was first launched in 2003 and at this point almost matches illustrator in every area -- from CMYK profiles to high-quality rendering and all other bells and whistles. Having it on a portable USB stick could prove critical to all the freelance designers and illustrators out there.
The discerning choice, if you want most of the features of Photoshop without causing a dent on your personal finances, go with Gimp. Gimp is a free, open-source image-editing suite that for a long time has been the top Photoshop alternative for just about everyone.
The interface is like a slightly less slick version of Photoshop, letting you create and edit images using a layer-based system. With its deep feature set, Gimp is very much aimed at more advanced users, but if you fit that category, or are a professional in the field, then having Gimp on a USB stick is a must.
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