I change the items in my menu bar every few months. As of March 8, 2006 this is what I had:
From left to right:
- GizmoProject: VOIP client, $5 month for an incoming phone number, portable to any computer
- iKey: keyboard macros
- DeskTopple: hides my desktop’s icons (a bit better than Backdrop)
- NetMonitor: shows my network throughput,a nd my IP address info when I hover over it. I like it’s output a bit better than MenuMeters’ outout
- ClamXav Sentry: anti-virus monitor
- Boinc: a distributed processing client looking for new planets
- Spirited Away: hides applications that haven’t been used in the last few minutes
- SSHKeychain: manage keys for connecting with ssh servers
- Slim Battery Monitor: (no icon when plugged in) more useful information than the built in battery icon
- MenuMeters: shows disk activity, plus optional modules showing memory, cpu, and network info
- Keychain Access: allows me to easily lock my screen when I leave the computer, without the annoyances of starting the screen saver by hitting a hot corner of the screen accidentally
- iChat Apple’s AIM client
- System clock, part of OS X
- Airport status, part of OS X
- Spotlight, part of OS X
I also use Quicksilver, but have the menu icon turned off.
I used to have the Speaker Volume icon up, but removed it and don’t miss it. Same thing with the Displays icon. I have two different monitors I plug into (home and work), and the Mac just remembers which is which, so I removed the menubar icon.
(Update: 2019-05-21 Links to bad URLs removed.)