Can I Replicate My Windows Work Software?

I just received a new MacBook Aluminum and I'm wondering about software. I do web development and graphics work for a living, and this also necessitates a fair amount of writing. I want to leave my Windows machine as a Windows machine and try to use the MacBook solely as an OS X machine, so I'd like to be able to replicate my working environment on the MacBook in terms of software.

I've compiled a short list of software I use on a daily basis, and it'd be great to get recommendations for OS X replacements.

In Windows I use:

1. Macromedia Studio 8 (primarily Dreamweaver)
2. Microsoft Office Professional 2003 (primarily Word, Access, and Excel, but I do use Outlook occasionally for reminders and as an address book)
3. Windows Mail (Outlook Express)
4. AbsoluteFTP or FileZilla
5. Adobe Acrobat Professional 7
6. Adobe CS2 (primarily Photoshop)

So far I've come up with a OS X replacement list of:

1.
2. iWork or Microsoft Office, but I need an Access replacement, too
3. Mail
4. FileZilla, Cyberduck, Interarchy, or Transmit
5.
6. Pixelmator
7. OnyX

Keep in mind that I don't mind buying the software, although the Adobe and the (formerly) Macromedia suites are pretty much out of the question in terms of cost. Besides, I've become a little, ahem, disallusioned, with Adobe.

Thanks in advance for suggestions.

 

Isn't Macromedia likeeee........dead?

Probably not going to be too helpful here since you probably already know this, but the best replacement would be to not replace it at all. Just use Boot Camp and run these applications under Windows, and you have the best of both worlds.

Also, Adobe makes products for both Windows and Mac, so you don't have to worry about that. I would certainly not trade Photoshop for OS X.

PS: CS2 is outdated. CS4 is already out.

 

Yeap, Adobe (and now macromedia) make Mac versions so you don't need to find anything there. Lastest and greatest is the CS4 suite.
For basic websites you can try iWeb which comes with iLife and every new mac.
a

 

CS4 is awesome on win...and I think it is even better on macs...does anyone here have experience with both?

 

cs2 and cs3 rock socks.

cs4 is still buggy as hell last time i checked. (but still awesome)

 

^works fine for me Master Collection FTW

 

I'm not a huge fan of Adobe but they do one thing that I wish others did; according to a friend of mine who switched to mac and wanted to get the mac versions of two major (read expensive) Adobe products that he had the windows versions of, Adobe allowed him to trade in his windows-version licences for the mac-versions for free. All it took was a phone call to their customer support and it was done. Something to consider.

 

Anybody use Pixelmator? Or is that for the rest of us, who are too cheap for Adobe.

 

i got my master collection free of charge...w/o torrents!!!!

 

for 1) you can try GoLive or Freehand, though I doubt that you'd be happy with GoLive

for 5) can you expand as what you have been using Adobe Professional 7 for?

Best thing is to break down the tools that you use from both of these apps and narrow the search for apps that support just these functionalities.

cheers ...

 

CS4 will be even better with snow leopard

 

Tell me tell me tell me.. But really, do you work for Adobe, or what? How in the world did you get CS4 Master for free?!?!

 

I guess nobody mentioned that Dreamweaver is now part of Adobe, just like Photoshop and Acrobat.

 

More like, the entire Macromedia is now part of Adobe. I kinda mentioned it in the second post.