If you switch from Windows or Linux to Mac, one of the things you will notice is Mac OS X doesn’t have a utility to help uninstall applications. To try and make things simple, Apple didn’t include an uninstaller, instead all you have to do is delete the application files. The only problem with this is as applications began to get more complex, not all the files were located in the same place. Sure you can try and manually search for the files but there’s no way you’ll find all of them.

If you don’t like deleting only some of the application files, you should give AppCleaner a try. AppCleaner is a FREE program designed to find and delete all the files associated with an application. Below is a screenshot of the program in action.

Of course there are lots of other programs that will help you uninstall your applications. However, there are a few reasons I use AppCleaner instead of those other programs. First off, AppCleaner is completely FREE. There isn’t a free version and a paid version, or some crappy trial version, just the real thing. Secondly, the interface is clean and simple. All you have to do is drag and drop the application you want to remove and your done.

AppCleaner is even smart enough to recognize when you place an application in the Trash Bin and it will then offer to properly delete it. AppCleaner will uninstall more than just applications, including widgets and preference panes. Lastly, AppCleaner can protect your most important applications from being deleted. And of course a list of all deleted applications are kept in a log file so you can look back at what you’ve successfully uninstalled.

I know this is a short tip, but I thought it was pretty cool (and useful).

Have you ever wanted to save a bit of text from a website? In Windows you would have to highlight the text, right click, open a document, and paste it in. In Mac however, all you need to do is highlight the text and then drag the text over to the desktop. It will create a document and save your text in it automatically.

For all you Linux users out there; this tip works for you too! (It saves your text in a file called ‘dropped text.txt)

Do you use Windows XP? Do you like the look and feel of a Mac? Have you ever considered making your Windows PC look like a Mac? FlyakiteOSX is a program that helps you do this.

“The installer simply automates the process of replacing critical system files, setting registry tweaks, and installing extras such as cursors, sounds, visual styles, etc. FlyakiteOSX DOES NOT contain any spyware or ad-ware of any kind. All files needed for FlyakiteOSX are stored in the Windows directory in a folder named ‘FlyakiteOSX’ that is hidden by default. All registry values for FlyakiteOSX are written to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\FlyakiteOSX.”

The program is pretty safe, but it does make some system file tweaks so things could go wrong. Luckily, when you install the program it offers to make a system restore point so that if things were to go wrong you can easily fix it!

This is what your computer will look like after you install flyakiteosx

Click here to download — be sure to click the normal link to download it

Give flyakiteosx a try, if you like it, then keep it. If you don’t like it, you can uninstall the program and get things back to the way they were by just uninstalling it (through add/remove programs).

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So you’re thinking of buying Apple’s new 40/160 GB Apple TV. The concept is great, but there are a few drawbacks that are keeping me from buying one. If you don’t know what the Apple TV does, here’s a quick summary. The Apple TV is essentially a small computer that you connect to your TV so you can watch all those movies you’ve been downloading through iTunes.

Picture taken from www.apple.com/appletv/specs.html

The device itself can connect to the internet using either a wireless connection or your basic Ethernet cable. It will connect to your home computer and get your iTunes content from there and it supports streamed content from sites such as YouTube. With Apple’s new rental service, you don’t have to go down the street to Blockbuster, or wait a few days for that Netflix DVD to arrive. The biggest plus is that it supports content up to 720p, so that high def video you downloaded (or rented) can be watched on that nice HD plasma of yours.

So by now you’re thinking, I think I’ll drive down to that Apple store and get one of these things, but here come the drawbacks. You’ll have to create, convert, or buy compatible formats so that your videos will work with the Apple TV’s limited number of formats. Watching those YouTube videos on some of the larger TV’s can look absolutely horrible. You can’t connect to network storage devices or even to other Apple TVs. Connecting a keyboard is also impossible, so you’ll have to make do with that little remote they give you. You can only sync with one computer, so if you have media on multiple computers and you can’t put all of it onto one computer then this isn’t a viable solution for you.

All-in-all: If you’re looking for a small device that is as simple to use as that iPod in your pocket, then this could be the device for you. I, however, would rather build a media computer and connect that to my TV. With a media computer I can do much more and have as much storage space as I want. With 500 GB drives at around $100, you could have 2 terabytes of space quite easily.