OpenJason

Best of: Free Software – Another Great list…

Great list of free software.. .thanks to Kyle

- Anti-Virus -

• Avast – Free anti-virus software for non-commercial use. Does require regular re-registration.
• AVG – Free and lightweight anti-virus software that works for Windows Vista and Linux.
• ClamWin – Popular alternative anti-virus software.

- Adware/Spyware Removal -

• Spyware Terminator – Currently the best free adware/spyware removal tool.
• Spybot – Has trouble keeping up with current adware/spyware, but makes for a good secondary scanner.
• Windows Defender – Microsoft’s product offers a quick and effecient way to rid yourself of annoying adware/spyware.

- BitTorrent -

• Azureus – Open source java-based BitTorrant client with plugins available.
• uTorrent – Smaller and quicker BitTorrant client.

- Blogging Software -

• Windows Live Writer – Allows you to blog from your desktop.

- Calendar -

• Sunbird – Mozilla’s calendar and organizer service.
• EssentialPM – Another free calendar and organizer service.

- Computer Cleaner -

• CCleaner – System optimization and privacy tool that allows Windows to run faster by freeing up disk space.

- Desktop Search -

• X1 Enterprise – Indexes 370 different file types.
• Google Desktop – Google is usually tops when it comes to search, but this is known to slow down your computer when installed. Includes Outlook toolbar and GMail search.
• Yahoo Desktop – Yahoo’s version of desktop search, for people that prefer Yahoo products.

- Digital Image Editor -

• The GIMP – Open Source image editor for people that went something similar to Adobe Photoshop.
• Paint.net – Another alternative to Photoshop from students at Washington State University.

- Download Manager -

• Download Manager – Fast and efficient download manager that integrates well with the major browsers. Also works great with FlastGot extension for Firefox users.
• FlashGet – Complex download manager for advanced users.

- E-Mail Client -

• Thunderbird – Free desktop E-mail client. Supports POP3 and IMAP. Can be improved via Thunderbird extensions.
• Foxmail – Free desktop E-mail client that based out of China.

- Feed Reader (Desktop) -

• GreatNews – Most popular desktop feed reader.
• Snarfer – Another great feed reader rapidly rising in popularity.

- FTP Client -

• Firezilla – Fast, reliable, and secure FTP client.
• SmartFTP – Good alternative FTP client for non-commercial use.

- HTML Editor -

• Nvu – Popular open source HTML editor.

- Instant Messenger w/Voice -

• Google Talk – Google’s instant messenger.
• Microsoft Live Messenger -Microsoft’s instant messenger. Also known as MSN Messenger.
• Yahoo IM – Yahoo’s instant messenger.

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- Office Products -

• OpenOffice – Popular open source Office suite.
• AbiWord – Lightweight alternative to Microsoft Word.

- Password Manager -

• Keepass – Popular password manager.

- PDF Creator -

• Microsoft Office 2007 Add-in: Save as PDF/XPS – Exports documents to PDF/XPS.
• PDFCreator – Creates PDF’s from any Window’s programs.
• PrimoPDF – Converts documents to the PDF format by”printing” to the PDF printer.

- PDF Viewer -

• Foxit Reader – Popular PDF reader for Windows users.

- Phone -

• Skype – Internet phone service. **Charges associated with service, but the software is free**

- Screen Capture -

• FastStone – Feature filled screen capture service that doesn’t even require installation.
• PrintScreen – Basic screen capture service.
• WinSnap – Fairly professional screen capture service that will be able to do most of the stuff you want it to.

- Text Editor -

• Edit Pad Lite – Text editor similar to Notepad, but with tabbed windows and more!
• Notepad 2 – Designed to be an improvement over Notepad.
• NoteTab Lite – Text editor with built in libraries.

- Video/Audio Player -

• Windows Media Player – Microsoft’s audio and video player.
• SongbirdNest – Open Source player from Mozilla.
• VLC Media Player – Cross-platform media player and streaming server.

- Web Browser -

• Firefox – Most popular alternative to Internet Explorer. Features versatility with extensions and themes. See my Users Guide to Firefox 2.0 for a full review.
• Flock – Based on Firefox web browser, but includes several built-in social features. See my Users Guide to Flock for a full review.
• Opera – Popular alternative browser known for its speed and security. See my Users Guide to Opera for a full review.

- Windows Explorer -

• Xplorer2 – Replaces Windows File Explorer with some advanced options.
• ExplorerXP – Replaces Windows Explorer for Windows 2000 and XP.
• QTTabbar – Allows you to operate files and folders like tab browser folder grouping, histories, etc.

- Zip Utility -

• 7 Zip – Open Source zip utility
• IZArc – Zip utility that supports over 50 archive types.
• TugZip – Free archiving utility for Windows that provides support for compressed, encoded, and disc-imaged files.

In reviewing the above list, the one thing that jumps out at me is that a lot of this software is open source. I think this helps demonstrate the power of open source software both as a way to drive down prices, as well as providing an overall better product in many cases, due to the unlimited resources available.

Tags: free, software, floss, open source

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