If there's a more neglected or misunderstood Mac utility than the Terminal, OS X's built-in command-line app, we've yet to find it. In an age where Apple's $200 smart phone offers the most intuitive graphical user interface the world has ever seen, turning to a text-only command-line window can seem stubbornly retro, reminding us of audiophiles who vociferously insist that vinyl records sound better than music CDs. But there are plenty of reasons for using the command line beyond mere nostalgia: speed, flexibility, and familiarity with OS fundamentals, to name a few. We've collected 25 Terminal-based solutions for common desktop issues, because knowing these tricks is an invaluable addition to any Mac user's toolbox. And while there is no reason to abandon the Finder, think of mastering the Terminal as learning to drive a car with a manual transmission-once you can drive a stick, you can drive anything.

Visage Login allows you to easily and safely customize your Mac OS X login screen.  Visage keeps track of Apple's default settings for every customization, so you can easily switch back to the original settings at any time. You can add custom images, add a text message, add an Acceptable Use Policy and change the host information displayed. The host information can display the current date and time, Directory Services (network accounts) status, IP address, system version, host name, and more.

Visage allows you to easily and safely customize the appearance of your Mac.  The preference pane's simple interface contains several tabs, each of which will help you customize a different part of your Mac. You can run screen savers as your desktop background, customize your login panel, personalize system alerts, and more! Visage keeps track of Apple's default settings for every customization, so you can easily switch back to the original settings at any time.

Part of the $39 MacHeist bundle

Espresso. Time for something new in web development. Your cup of coffee has been the thing that gets you out of bed, the smell of creativity, the taste that makes your day. Now, Espresso delivers something better than a caffeine boost: a web editor with style. Part of the $39 MacHeist bundle

The Hit List is a simple, yet sophisticated application to manage the daily chaos of your modern life. Based on the simple concept of making lists, The Hit List lets you plan, forget, then act when the time is right. Your life is complicated enough as it is. The tool to manage your life shouldn't be. The Hit List keeps things simple by not forcing you to learn a system. It can be as simple as just keeping a list of things to do as you would on a piece of paper. However, if you do have a task management system such as Getting Things Done by David Allen, The Hit List is flexible enough to support you. Part of the $39 MacHeist bundle

BoinxTV turns your Mac into a TV studio for creating Live to Disk, Live to Internet and Live to Stage video. Record stunning studio shows, podcasts, sports events, concerts, interviews, sermons, seminars and more using your Mac and multiple cameras. Part of the $39 MacHeist bundle

Using WireTap Studio, you can record the discrete audio output of any application, as well as all system audio, or record audio input from any microphone, line-in, or audio input hardware. If you can hear it, WireTap Studio can record it. Part of the $39 MacHeist bundle

Kinemac is a 3D Real Time Animation & Presentation Software for Mac OS X (Universal Binary for Mac-PowerPC and Mac-Intel). It allows you to create your own professional 3D Animations with the simplicity of a 2D presentation tool. See the animations in our Gallery. Kinemac plays the animations in real time at full screen and export them to QuickTime movie files or to a series of single still images. For this reason it's the ideal application to create Advertising for TV, trailers for movies, video-clips, instant scrolling messaging to put "on air" in real time, video content for CD, DVD, web sites... Part of the $39 MacHeist bundle

Part of the $39 MacHeist bundle

LittleSnapper is a screen and web-snap application for Mac OS X Leopard. It is currently in development, scheduled to ship Q4 2008 Part of the $39 MacHeist bundle

Use your iPhone or iPod Touch for Mac file storage. Export SMS, call history, contacts, music and photos. Part of the $39 MacHeist bundle

Part of the MacHeist $39 bundle

Most cooking software stops at letting you organize your recipes. Acacia Tree Software's SousChef helps you cook -- start to finish. Find a recipe, cook it, modify it and share it with friends and family -- all in one application. Part of the MacHeist $39 bundle

Part of the MacHeist $39 bundle

Part of the MacHeist $39 bundle

As a full-time freelancer and part-time geek, I like to play around and install applications on my Mac. In the following list I share some of the free Mac apps that make my life easier. I also own a PC, so I give my readers who use a PC an alternative for each app.