If you have switched to the Mac because of its Unix underpinnings and elegant GUI, then you aren't alone. If you want to install open source packages on your Mac, then you have at least two good options -- MacPorts and Fink. Installing Fink not only gives you access to a large number of open source programs, but lets you track which programs are installed on your computer, handles dependencies, and helps you to upgrade with a minimum of fuss.

Emacs is one of the oldest and best-known text editors, beloved by programmers not only for its amazing functionality, but also for the fact that it can be customized and extended in almost every way. Emacs might seem like a dinosaur, and there are many people who have abandoned it in favor of IDEs such as Eclipse. However, Emacs continues to undergo development, and there are two excellent implementations for OS X. If you are a Macintosh user, and have thought about trying Emacs at some time, read on: You'll not only learn something about Emacs history, but also about the two GUI versions that are available (free of charge, of course) for the Mac.