Just a list of additional tools I've installed on my Mac

Just a list of the additional tools I've installed on my Mac. Of course this isn't complete - I have quite a bit more installed. But each of the following small tools does a very specific job that's important to me. And it does this job efficiently, simply and reliably. Without any fuss or problems. And they look good doing it.

• ASM: the classic application switcher that sits in the menu and allows quick switching between applications. Brilliant for Mac old-timers - and I find it much more pleasant than the Dock for this purpose. It doesn't jitter around
• WindowShade: offers several alternatives to minimizing to the Dock. I think the transparency feature is particularly great - quickly take a look at a window underneath the current window. Or convert the window into a thumbnail that stays on the desktop. The third variant is title minimization.
• LaunchPad: a brilliant combination of graphical and command-line oriented application launcher. I often prefer a simple text interface. LaunchPad is essentially a form of command completion like shells offer, just graphical.
• Brightness Control: a lifesaver for users of calibrated monitors. With those, you really shouldn't fiddle with brightness and contrast, since they're part of the calibration. This tool allows you to adjust brightness independently of the hardware setting. Unfortunately there's a small bug with the screensaver engaging, but otherwise just great.
• Codetek Virtual Desktop: virtual desktops like they're common in the X11 world. I simply got used to it - I put a subject area with windows on each desktop. This allows easier switching between tasks, since the window layout doesn't get changed by newly started programs - on each desktop the window is in front again that was in front last time.
• Geektool: exactly what you'd expect it to be. A tool that delivers everything for the geek heart. Have logfiles written directly to the background. Or display web addresses on the desktop live. I like it when I can see my logfiles - for example, many problems with GUI applications become much more understandable that way.
• MenuMeters: with this you can put small icons in the menu bar that provide information about CPU load or disk access, or memory usage. Ideal for quickly and easily staying informed about the system state.