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Apple would like you to believe that Mac OS X is a complete package, able to fulfill all your needs out of the box, but unless your needs are limited to e-mail and web browsing there's some room to improve on OS X's solid foundations.
You could go out and spend hundreds of dollars on software, but in most cases there's no need to fork over your hard earned cash. Here's our list of all the free software you need to trick out your Mac.
==Web and Chat==
Safari is nice, but it never hurts to have an extra browser around. [http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/ Firefox 2] offers add-ons, allowing you to customize and extend its behavior far beyond Safari's limited options. [http://www.opera.com/download/index.dml?platform=mac Opera] is also very capable and worth having on hand.
If you're looking for BitTorrent clients, [http://www.transmissionbt.com/ Transmission] should handle your needs with aplomb. It's fast and lightweight, but if you prefer the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to BitTorrent [http://azureus.sourceforge.net/download.php Azureus] is the client for you.
OS X ships with iChat, but it only handles AOL chats. If you regularly use a number of chat networks [http://www.adiumx.com/ Adium X]is the answer. It can handle all your chat needs across nearly a dozen platforms -- all your friends in one place.
==Office==
Microsoft Office isn't the only answer. Although OpenOffice doesn't offer a native version for Mac OS X (one is, however in the works), [http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php NeoOffice] is pretty close to the same thing and it's all dressed up in OS X clothes so it won't look out of place on your machine.
If it's a full featured text editor you're after, [http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/ TextWangler] is one of the best.
==Multimedia==
If you want to be able to play back Windows Media videos or audio you'll want to install [http://www.flip4mac.com/ Flip4Mac], which will handle your WMA needs (and integrates into most browsers so you can view WMA files within the browser).
Another must have is [http://perian.org/ Perian] which add Quicktime support for AVI, DivX, and XviD codecs, which are often used when compressing DVDs.
For playback of virtually any media file, look no further than the cross platform [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ VLC]. [http://mplayerosx.sourceforge.net/ MPlayer] also offers similar multi-format support.
[http://www.mactheripper.org/ MacTheRipper] is essential if you're looking to copy DVDs and [http://handbrake.fr/ Handbrake] makes it easy to get your ripped DVDs onto an iPod or similar device.
==Backups==
As of Leopard, OS X ships with Time Machine, an incremental back solution, but we like to keep an exact cloned copy of our drives around just to be on the safe side. Both [http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html SuperDuper] and [http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html Carbon Copy Cloner] make it dead simple to clone your hard drive from one disk to another, ensuring that you're well protected against the nightmare of disk failure.
==System Tweaks==
#[http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/ Double Command] - If you're coming from Windows, where the command and control (ALT) keys are in opposite locations, you'll want to grab Double Command which allows you to remap your Mac's keyboard. You can also assign things like caps lock some other function.
#[http://www.smileonmymac.com/textexpander/ TextExpander] - Text Expander is snippet manager that can save you loads of time and even fix many common typos. You create shortcuts and whenever you type them TextExpander will replace what you typed with a preset block of text. For instance, set up TextExpander to handle your e-mail signature with the abbreviation "yrs" and you'll be able to sign your e-mails regards of what client you're using.
#[http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/ Quicksilver] - If you're a keyboard shortcut fan, the multifaceted Quicksilver is right up your alley. Quicksilver can be used as everything from an application launcher, files transfer tool, clipboard manager and loads more
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