How to install any paid applications and games on Mac for free. What can happen when installing pirated software? Where do they download programs for Mac?

When choosing applications for a new Apple computer or upgrading a set of programs on an existing Mac or MacBook, the user is always faced with a choice. Should I buy expensive and sophisticated software or give preference to a free alternative? Choose something new or install programs that have been proven over the years? Should you use standard applications or take a closer look at third-party products?

We've collected 30 tools useful for solving the most common tasks that can be useful to any Mac user. For each of the paid applications, we tried to find the most successful free alternative.

Photo: pixabay.com

Surfing on the Internet

Discussions surrounding which browser for Mac is better will most likely never be resolved. Apple computers come with proprietary browser Safari- in it, users receive functions such as Siri, payment with Apple Pay, video in picture-in-picture mode, the ability to turn off the sound immediately from the tab bar and others. It is convenient to use this browser if you also use mobile devices Apple - bookmarks, browsing history, tabs are synchronized using iCloud.

At the same time, we recommend installing Chrome for Mac. Browser from Google is easier customize through a larger number of extensions, in addition, it will come in handy if you often use Google apps. At the same time, Chrome is less energy efficient compared to Safari, so it will be more comfortable to use on desktops.

Connecting to a Wi-Fi network

For comfortable and safe Internet browsing, you should take a closer look at programs that help manage connections. VPN service HotSpot Shield Free will help secure your computer when connecting to public Wi-Fi points. The application allows you to select the country IP you want to use, set automatic connection and access services that may be blocked. The only negative is that up to 750 MB per day is provided free of charge; for a larger volume of traffic via VPN you will have to pay.

We are looking for what we need

Standard application Spotlight can perfectly search files on Mac and execute quick commands, but if for some reason you don’t like it, you can try free application Alfred. The program can quickly perform calculations, search the Internet, and find any text, image or file that you previously copied. The application is self-learning and gradually begins to prioritize results depending on the user's preferences.

Let's do the cleaning

Cleaning the disk from unnecessary programs and files allows you to significantly speed up its work and clear space for the necessary content. Free Dr. Cleaner optimizes storage and cleans the disk from hidden files, which overload it, including cache, logs and temporary files.

If you install a lot of applications on your Mac just for fun, and then don’t use many of them, this might help. paid program Bartender. With its help, you can choose which applications to place in the menu, when they should be there and when not, and hide programs that should work, but that you don’t want to see all the time. You can test the program for free for 4 weeks.

We work with documents

Being productive on a Mac depends largely on the software you or your company uses as a standard. Office suite iWork from Apple, which includes text editor Pages, the Numbers spreadsheet app and Keynote presentation software, has been offered free to users since 2013. new Macs, but for installation on older models, each program will cost 1.5 thousand rubles.

Applications familiar to PC owners Microsoft Office paid and, frankly speaking, still inferior in functionality to the Windows version of “office”. As free alternative For typing texts, we suggest trying applications LibreOffice, allowing you to work with any type of document, or 1Doc: Word Processor for Writer, in which the basic functions of the Word editor are available.

Watching movies

If you like to watch videos on Mac, but the file encoding is different from MPEG, the standard QuickTime You may have difficulty playing it. Free VLC Media Player solves almost all problems related to watching videos. The player plays multimedia files in most popular formats and has a user-friendly interface.

Listening to music

And again about media content. Many Mac users will agree that iTunes- not an ideal option for playing a collection of audio recordings. A free player would be a good alternative. Vox. The application features a simple interface and support for additional codecs (FLAC, ALAC and others), as well as the ability to synchronize with iPhone.

Editing videos

Considering the popularity of shooting videos on iPhone, GoPro action cameras and other video content, it is worth getting a convenient editor program for converting and processing them. We recommend installing free program HandBrake- This multifunctional converter will be easy to use even for a beginner.

For advanced users one of best options will become Final Cut Pro developed by Apple itself. The program has an impressive price tag (23 thousand rubles), but if you have to constantly work with video, then the functionality and user-friendliness of the interface are worth it. You can try the app for free for 30 days. If the video editor is used on occasion, then you can limit yourself to a standard iMovie, which comes free with new Macs.

Processing photos

A program for processing photos on Mac will be useful for both professional photographers, Instagram bloggers and simply those who like to store memorable pictures. Basic processing can be entrusted to the standard application Photos, and for more advanced functions, download one of the third-party programs.

Postponing for later

Updating the standard application Notes on Mac has significantly expanded its functionality for saving and copying content for delayed viewing. However, the free app Pocket It has a more convenient interface and allows you to save photos, videos and articles from the Internet in a single feed. The content is available for offline viewing, and when downloading the application to a smartphone or tablet, it allows you to synchronize saved elements.

Do you know others useful applications for Mac OS? Share in the comments.

Walking along Tverskaya Street in Moscow a few days ago with our St. Petersburg friends, we went into one of the largest stores to find out if iPads were available. And sometimes it’s just interesting to see and touch new products on the market mobile technologies. As it turned out, the iPad was there. Moreover, both Wi-Fi and 3G. It was nice that, although with difficulty, the demand was being met. At least in the capital.

The seller was very nice to us, and even offered us to “upgrade” the newly purchased iPad. We became curious about what kind of pumping this is and how much it will cost. It turned out to be quite inexpensive: only 1000 rubles. According to him, for this money he will jailbreak us, install “a bunch of useful software and games." We asked - how is it possible, for only a thousand and so much of everything? Everything is paid there! To which they explained to us that since there will be a jailbreak, we can install for free what we usually pay for. Of course, all our questions were pure provocation, and I was curious what Additional services offered together with a brand new iPad.

The seller, in my opinion, quite sincerely convinced us that by buying an unpumped device, we were buying a piece of iron that no one needed. As usual, he kept silent about the fact that there is free software, and those that you can buy for money, if you try, are a little more expensive than one trip on the metro. We convinced him that we needed the iPad as a gift and therefore we didn’t need to print it. With that they said their goodbyes. It would seem - nothing unusual. Everyone has long been accustomed to business “in Russian,” but let’s take a closer look at what we get for our thousand and what this thousand threatens the seller.

Let's start with the buyer. For this modest amount they will jailbreak you. There are no unlinked jails for 4.2.1 yet, if my memory serves me correctly. This means that after rebooting the device (and this happens, for example, if the battery is completely dead), you will get all the “installed” programs completely inoperative. If the iPad has firmware 3.2.2, then it will be approximately the same after updating the firmware to version 4.2.1. In any case, having received such a service, an unprepared user (and another would not engage in this nonsense for money) is more likely to receive a negative experience from using the device. Do not forget that these programs will not be updated through App Store, and every time you update you will still be prompted to buy them. I'm not talking about what they'll tell him in the store or service center where he will come to figure out what's what. And finally, for such transactions we have the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation and the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, but more on that below.

Now about the seller. I am almost convinced that this is his personal initiative and the largest salon in Moscow has nothing to do with this. We, in turn, wrote a letter to the representatives of this store asking them to look into the situation. I am sure that such “offers” benefit no one except the seller. To clarify the legal aspects of such transactions, we turned to lawyers for a little advice. Below are a few points that both would-be sellers and would-be buyers should think about.

Let me make a reservation right away that I myself am not a lawyer, and therefore I cannot give an accurate assessment, and there is no need for this within the framework of this blog. I just tried to put together information that may help you when deciding whether to install pirated software on your devices. Armed means protected. So, by making such a transaction you CAN violate the following articles:

Jailbreak:
Here we have one article that is written in such a way that anything can be subsumed under it.

Article 273. Creation, use and distribution malware for computer

1. Creation of computer programs or making changes to existing programs, obviously leading to unauthorized destruction, blocking, modifications or copying information, disrupting computer operation, computer systems or their networks, as well as use or distribution such programs or computer media with such programs - is punishable by imprisonment for a term of up to three years with a fine in the amount of two hundred to five hundred times the minimum wage or in the amount wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of two to five months.

Because The article is very vague in its wording, let's turn to Stanislav Vladimirovich Borodin (specialist in criminal law, criminal procedure, criminology, judicial system) for comments. Here are just some of them:

" Exactly high degree public danger is explained by the fact that the criminal law punishes quite strictly the very fact of creating computer programs or making changes to existing programs, without stipulating the occurrence of any consequences. "

“The crime provided for in Article 273 of the Criminal Code is considered completed when the program is created or changes are made to existing program, regardless of whether it was used or distributed. "

“The use or distribution of malicious programs or computer media for them means, respectively, the introduction of these programs into a computer, a computer system or their network, as well as sale, exchange, donation or gratuitous transfer to other persons. "

WITH full text You can read the comments to the article.

Installing pirated software:

For the buyer:

Article 146 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Part 2
Illegal usage objects of copyright or related rights, as well as the acquisition, storage, transportation of counterfeit copies of works or phonograms for the purpose of sale, committed on a large scale, is punishable by a fine in the amount of up to two hundred thousand rubles or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to eighteen months, or compulsory labor for a term of one hundred eighty to two hundred and forty hours, or imprisonment for a term of up to two years.

For the seller:

Article 146 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, part 3, paragraph (d)
The acts provided for in part two of this article, if committed:
d) by a person using his official position, - shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of up to six years with a fine in the amount of up to five hundred thousand rubles or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to three years, or without it.

In addition to the articles in the Criminal Code, there is also an article in the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation 7.12

Punishable act: import, sale, rental or other illegal use of copies works for the purpose of generating income in cases where copies of works or phonograms are counterfeit, as well as other violation of copyright and related rights for the purpose of generating income.

Punishment:
For citizens: imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of one thousand five hundred to two thousand rubles
For officials: fine from ten thousand to twenty thousand rubles

It must be taken into account that sentences for copyright infringement under Art. 146 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation are issued both in relation to persons engaged in the installation of unlicensed software, and in relation to the user. Ask yourself whether you are willing to risk your reputation, suspended convictions, fines and other “perks” of using such programs. The only thing that can calm you down this moment that most likely no one will come to you, as a private person, and ask for an “iPad for inspection.” But nothing will prevent department “K”, for example, from producing special. operation in a store, and then demonstrably brought to trial. Be careful!

As a conclusion, I would like to cite the editors’ opinion on this matter: “We are not against jailbreak as such. Study iOS capabilities, install extensions, use alternative app stores, etc. finds support in our face. But we are categorically against illegal copying and use of other people’s intellectual property in any form.” And of course, the opinion of the editors does not necessarily coincide with the opinions of others.

If you have at least one pirated program installed on your computer, then you are breaking the law and you can be punished for this at any time. There is a widespread misconception that this only concerns company directors and system administrators, while the average user can sleep soundly. Unfortunately, it is not.

Analysis of materials from the state database of court documents "Justice" and messages on forums showed that holding individuals accountable for using pirated software is not uncommon.

What awaits you under the law of the Russian Federation for “pirates”

So, let’s assume that on your computer/phone/flash drive/external drive a pirated version is installed or stored as a distribution. Photoshop version. What could this mean for you?

1. Payment of compensation to the software manufacturer

According to Art. 1252 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the copyright holder (Adobe) has the right to demand double compensation from you for each unlawful installation of the program. Or for an arbitrary amount from 10 thousand to 5 million rubles. The exact amount will be determined by the court.

2. Fines if you use pirated software to make money

According to Article 7.12 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, if you use pirated software to generate income, then you should be fined:

• 1500 – 2000 rub. for individuals;
• 10 – 20 thousand for officials;
• 30 – 40 thousand for legal entities.

3. Criminal liability for the sale of pirated software

According to Art. 146 According to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, if pirated software worth more than 100 thousand rubles is found on your devices and it is proven that you are using copies of programs for sales, then you may be assigned:

• fine up to 200 thousand rubles;
• up to 480 hours of compulsory work;
• up to 2 years of correctional or forced labor;
• up to 2 years of imprisonment or restriction of freedom.

4. Criminal liability for the use of cracks, patches and activators

According to Art. 273 Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, for the use of means to neutralize means of protection computer programs, may be sentenced to imprisonment/restriction of liberty or correctional/forced labor for up to four years. Or appoint fine up to 200 thousand rubles.

5. Seizure of computers and flash drives as evidence

When a case is opened, digital media are taken for examination and not returned until closing. This process usually lasts several months.

How users of pirated software are identified. Cases from life

Here typical situations, when people had problems with the law due to unlicensed programs on their personal computer/flash drive.

Situation No. 1 “A beautiful stranger asks to install 1C: Accounting”

A very beautiful girl suddenly starts writing to a guy (student, IT worker, computer club administrator), flirting and asking questions about computers. Gradually, the correspondence comes down to him coming to her work to help install 1C: Accounting for money, and at the same time get to know her in person. After the installation is completed, representatives of department “K” come instead of the girl and draw up a protocol.

Also, law enforcement officers are hunting for workers." computer help" In this case, they do not pretend to be a woman, but simply call under the guise of clients.

Situation No. 2 “Buyers of a used laptop ask for help installing programs”

A man advertises the sale of a computer. The buyer calls him, asks a couple of questions about the product for the sake of decency and immediately agrees to the proposed price. Then he asks for help in installing MS Office/Photoshop and promises to give an additional 2-3 thousand rubles.

If the seller agrees, then employees of the competent authorities are waiting for him at the meeting with the buyer.

Situation No. 3 “A person shared a file with pirated software on the Flylink file sharing service”

The man sits at home and doesn’t bother anyone. Suddenly, employees of department “K” come to him with a document in which it is written that they downloaded pirated programs from his IP address. They conduct a search, check the contents of hard drives/flash drives, and find necessary files, they confiscate the computer and take a written undertaking not to leave.

Situation No. 4 “They came to the person for another reason, but at the same time they checked the Windows license”

A person takes an advance payment from clients of his online store and does not send the goods. One day, department “K” comes to his home with a search on charges of fraud. In between cases, the presence of unlicensed software on the hard drive is recorded in the protocol.

How is the state inspection carried out?

Since 2008, Department K employees have been using a software inventory system that they carry with them on a flash drive. It compiles a list of programs installed on the computer, finds unlicensed software among them and displays its price. DeFacto even finds programs that have been deleted.

How many people have been prosecuted for pirates in Russia?

To the state information system "Justice" all unclassified court documents since 2010 are downloaded (for particularly important cases since 2000). The data bank contains almost 28 million files. Among them are 535,140 sentences under Article 158 of the Criminal Code (“Theft”).

But under Article 146 of the Criminal Code (“Violation of copyright and related rights”) there were only 2,659 verdicts. However, a significant part of these cases are not related to software. And only 1071 court verdicts under Article 273 of the Criminal Code (“Creation, use and distribution of malicious computer programs”).

How many administrative cases have been opened under the article on piracy?

As you can see, the likelihood of being criminally liable for a pirated program is very low.

This kind of “failure” only happens to a couple of hundred people a year.

What about administrative and civil matters? Unfortunately, in the Justice system you cannot filter by articles of the Civil Code and the Code of Administrative Offences. Therefore, to estimate the number of such cases, let’s do a global search for the names of software manufacturers in all files:

Microsoft - 2451 documents.
Autodesk - 1224 documents.
Corel - 1083 documents.
"Adobe" - 606 documents.

Some of the mentions of brands in court documents are not related to the software license. For example, 89 documents mentioning Microsoft related to the theft of Microsoft Lumia phones.

As a result, only a few thousand users of pirated software reached the court. Many times more successful checks were carried out. What happened to the rest of the lawbreakers?

P.S. How the check ends in most cases

Here is a typical story that can often be found on Russian forums:

“People from department K came to our office, discovered pirated Windows and began to threaten us with fines, court proceedings, and confiscation of computers. Then the leading lawyer came and talked to them privately, they left and didn’t return for six months.”

In most cases, people manage, with the help of a police officer or lawyer they know, to negotiate with government officials not to open a case, significantly reduce the initial fine, and avoid having their computers seized and the case taken to court.

Even despite the gradual decline in sales Mac computers all over the world, the macOS operating system (OS X) continues to actively develop. Developers are paying more and more attention to it, which contributes to an increase in the number of high-quality applications for this OS. The number of programs for macOS in the App Store numbers in the millions, and we should also not forget about software that is distributed without using the Apple store.

On average, one program for MacBook, iMac, Mac Pro And Mac mini costs about 750 rubles, which is equivalent to $12. As a rule, each Mac driver has at least 20-30 programs installed on their computer, some of which are used daily, and the rest are launched when necessary. Thus, each owner of a Mac computer spends about $250-350 on licensed software. Everyone must decide for themselves whether this is a lot or a little, but you can refuse these expenses without denying yourself pleasure.

The fact is that the macOS (OS X) operating system allows you to install even pirated software without subjecting your computer to hacking or jailbreaking. This is a huge deal for freebie lovers, since almost any program or game can be installed on a Mac completely free of charge, and in some cases it can even be updated using official methods.

The only problem that many Mac owners face when trying to install pirated software is its virtual absence on the Internet. If programs and games for Windows, for the most part, are usually searched for on regular sites, then with macOS (OS X) things are completely different. Almost all the software that exists for the Apple operating system is available for free download from thematic closed sites, one of which is InMac.org.

To put it briefly, then InMac.org is a site with thousands of apps and games for Mac computers. At the same time, all software on this tracker is downloaded using torrents. Over the years, this thematic site has brought together not only those who like to install hacked applications, but also advanced Mac users who are always ready to help and provide advice, sharing their personal experience.

In general, this tracker is in second place in the world in popularity among Mac owners and in first place among Russian-speaking users. If you wanted to install paid applications on your operating system for free macOS system(OS X), then it can help a lot with this. Registration is completely free.

The article is written for informational purposes only.

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