| Avast
Anti-Virus |
| Anti-Virus
software is one of the most important programs that every computer user
should have. Avast Anti-Virus provides frequent updates, e-mail
scanning in a package that is less bulky and bloated than the leading
commercially sold anti-virus programs.
Get
it Now
|
| Spyware
Removal
Utilities Ad-Aware/Spybot |
| Spyware isn't just a pain in
the butt, slowing down computers and send people dozens of pop-up ads,
it is also a threat to your online privacy. Spyware programs monitor
your Internet surfing habits and sends that information to marketing
companies. Ad-Aware and Spybot search and destroy are the leading
spyware removal utilities and they are both free. Using one of these
programs is good but using them both is better. Both programs will
catch things that the other program misses.
Get Spybot Now
/
Get Ad-Aware Now
|
| Mozilla
Firefox |
| Just because Internet Explorer
came with your copy of Windows doesn't mean that there aren't better
web browsers. Millions have discovered what Mozilla Firefox offers that
Internet Explorer doesn't Firefox features a built in pop up ad
blocker, tabbed browsing, not to mention greater online privacy and
security due mostly in part to Firefox will not run ActiveX controls
and visual basic scripts that load your computer with spyware, worms
and viruses.
Get
it Now
|
| Mozilla
Thunderbird |
| Just as Firefox has made the
web a less dangerous place to be, the Mozilla Foundation also has an
e-mail client that provides tools that help people deal with the
nunances of e-mail such as spam and e-mail viruses. Thunderbird has an
adaptive bayesian filter that identifies spam by the ways spammers
compose their e-mails. Thunderbird doesn't spread e-mail viruses
because it won't run visual basic scripts that allow viruses to spread
like wildfire on Microsoft's Outlook and Outlook Express.
Get
it Now
|
| Open
Office |
| Word Processing, Spreadsheets,
Presentations, and Databases have been mainstay applications for years.
Paying hundreds of dollars for Microsoft Office is often not in the
budget for most home users and many Small Businesses. Open office
provides a powerful alternative that is also free. Even the most
experienced Microsoft Office user can get up and running quickly. Many
featured within Open Office are very simular to those found in
Microsoft Office. Be warned, the Open office download is over 80 MB and
isn't something that should be attempted with a dialup connection.
Get
it Now
|
| The
Gimp Image Editor |
| The software that comes with
most digital cameras and scanners may be good for colour correction and
removing red eye but can often leave a lot to be desired. There are
powerful image editing tools with far greater capibilities but can be
very expensive. I've seen copies of Adobe Photoshop selling for as much
as $1300. The free alternative that comes from the open source
community is called the Gimp or Gnu Image Manpulation Program. The Gimp
contains many that are found in the most expensive image editors, such
as layers and built in TWAIN support.
Get
it Now
|
| NVU
HTML Editor |
| Programs such as Microsoft's
FrontPage and Macromedia Dreamweaver are probably the most well known
programs for creating web pages but for the regular home user who wants
to make a personal home page these programs can be overkill and
expensive. There are plenty of HTML editing progams available for
download but most of them often come with constant nagging for money.
Nvu is straight forward easy to use HTML editor and best of all, The
feature that sets NVU apart from other HTML editors is that NVU can
directly upload HTML files and pictures within the program eliminating
the need for a separate FTL client. And best of all, it's free
Get
it Now
|
| Yahoo
Messenger |
| Instant messaging has become
one of the most popular ways to communicate with people online. In the
three years that I've been using Yahoo Messenger, I've never
encountered the the Spim (Spam over Instant Messenging) or viruses that
plague users of other Instant Messaging programs. In addition to
chatting to each other users can also use voice chat and video using
inexpensive web cams.
Get
it Now
|
| Audacity
Audio Editor |
| Recording music on records,
cassettes and 8 tracks on the computer is a great way to preserve old
favorite songs which is getting more and more popular. Audacity is a
program that will record sound and clean it up so that it can be burned
onto CD or saved as MP3 for playing on a portable player.
Get
it Now
|
CD
Burner XP Pro
|
| The top end CD burning
programs have a lot of capibilities such as editing video for burning
Video CD's and DVD's that a lot of home users will never use. Windows
XP does have basic CD burning functions but many users are not
satisified with it. For users who don't like the CD burning function
built into Windows XP or those people who don't use Windows XP (Despite
the XP in the name, CD Burner XP Pro does work with Windows 98,
Millennium Edition, and 2000) CD burner XP Pro burns Music CD's and
Data CD's
Get
it Now
|
