my list is almost the same (except for the blogging tools and the free alternative of AV). But as far as a download manager goes, I prefer Flashget. Atleast when i lasr used both these (i.e. when i was still using windows :D ), i found flashget a better alternative to FDM.
shitu
· 1 year ago
i think Free Download Manager is not that much good you should try Internet Download Manager. Same with Utorrent .Bitcomet is good
abhishek bhatnagar
· 1 year ago
looks a cool list....but i would like idm instead of fdm and notepad++ instead of textpad...neways good post.
TheAnand
· 1 year ago
really awsome list......co-incedently i was trying to figure out what next for my uncles new laptop :)
you could have split this into two posts....
PAStheLoD
· 1 year ago
Some comment copy/paste from digg (I'm sleepy and lazy at the same time, sry :))
For Firefox the downThemAll extension is works great, no need for the DL manager, though that can come handy sometimes.
Get a G15 and you won't need Launchy ^-^
GoogleReader is a bit more useful than feedDaemon, IMHO, plus it's always with you :)
I'd include the Java and Flash redist. packages, and foobar2000 or Songbird (it's at 0.6 beta, getting coooler by the moment!444 ;] ) And jkDefrag and IrfanView for making sandwiches and coffee.
Plus where's Thunderbird.. sometimes Gmail is just not an option.
And why not use AVG Free instead of Kaspersky? I'm having absolutely 0 viruses for the last few years anyway (:
venukb
· 1 year ago
Harish/Shitu, Will definitely try FlashGet and Internet download manager ! A comparison post is coming up soon :)
Harish, which AV are you using ?
Abhishek, Yes I have mentioned notepad++ as an alternative. Its just that I have been introducted to Textpad first and more comfortable with this app. I have tried out PsPad, looks more featureful !
Anand, Glad to know that the timing of the post was right :)
PAStheLOD, Remember trying downThemAll extension, not sure why I didn't continue with it, will checkout again.
G15 ? 100$ Nah will stick to Launch for now :) Also looks more of a gaming keyboard !
Regarding mail client, I have always found it easier to use Gmail rather than a client especially if you access mail from multiple computers. When Gmail did come up with IMAP support, I quicky switched to a desktop client but found it way too slow :) (especially the synching of lables etc)
Thunderbird is one of my favorite, I liked Windows Live Mail too ..
AVG free, how is the CPU and memory usage of this AV ?
PAStheLoD
· 1 year ago
Yeah, gaming benefits the most from the G15, but the LCD and the volume potmeter is cool even if you don't game :)
Ah, IMAP is a little frustrating with Gmail, but with Tbird you have a ton of filters, otherwise you wouldn't have.
I personally don't use AVG Free, but last time I checked (installed on other ppl's box) it needed resources next to nothing.
You are indeed a brave soul to live without a separate anti-spyware program. It's usually one of the first things I install on a new PC. I personally use Spybot Search & Destroy. It's been around for a while, and detects other types of malware infections as well.
I have used AVG Free for a while as well. Resource usage is quite low, and it will detect any virus I throw at it. Disable the startup scan and you're all set.
Long live G-Mail!
This is an excellent post.
Raj
· 1 year ago
I already use some of these softwares. I use Norton though because it came with the laptop and I just keep renewing the subscription. I use Flashget for downloads. I use Bloglines beta as my feedreader. I am a satisfied user of WinSCP & µTorrent. Can't believe I used the resource hog Azureus earlier.
I wanted to try Windows Live Gallery after you wrote about it first but the live universal installer refuses to install it on my comp for some reason.
Ralph
· 1 year ago
I don't like kaspersky I use avast instead, apart from that I use almost all of the other softwares you mentioned. Great list.
venukb
· 1 year ago
PAStheLOD, Will definitely check on AVG Free Edition.
TechAddict, Yes I am relying on Windows Defender to protect me ! Also I am assuming that Vista is more secure that XP ;-)
Raj, Even I had NAV which came with the laptop, but after trying out Kaspersky I feel that its way better than NAV. Regarding Windows Live, check if the following KB article is of some use <pre>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940065</pre>
Ralph, Not sure why you didn't like Kaspersky ! Will definitely check on Avast.
Harish
· 1 year ago
I use AVG anti virus and Zone alarm as a firewall. But since i hardly log on to windows, ive been fortunate enough to have not been affected with a virus for atleast a year (i havent reinstalled windows for more than a year, which in itself is a record atleast for me :D)
Christina
· 1 year ago
Well, my list looks very similar to yours except for the AV part :) I use AVG which is free and I’ve found it to do a great job… so far anyways! Though obviously everyone has his opinion, right? Good list :)
Jason
· 1 year ago
I really like some software named izarc it lets you open virtually anything that is compressed. Sometimes it's nice to just open the driver exe and get just the driver out. It even opens ISO's. It's free too. www.izarc.org
Antony
· 1 year ago
like most of the applications you have put down but i keep wmp and just download K-lite which has every codec you will ever need lol and i have used mff but still prefer ie didnt find any difference in performance and i dont like the way it downloads but the themes you can out on are awsome ... and a good freeware ad-ware security program is Ad-Ware 2007 which i have found has got me outta some sticky situations which norton couldnt do =S anyway i will stop if not go on forever =D
venukb
· 1 year ago
Christiana - Many have suggested AVG for AV. As I mentioned earlier, one thing which I didn't want to take risk was w.r.t to virues and hence opted for a paid one :)
Antony - I have no other complaint on WMP except the startup speed. IE is defintely slow to load and use compared to Chrome which I am currently using, though I accept that IE8 looks cleaner compared to previous versions.
Dickson
· 1 year ago
Why not try YouTubeGet? Download YouTube Videos to PC.
pepcoy
· 1 year ago
actually ur list very impressive, anyhow I am looking for suggestion about - what do you thing bout NOD32 -Looking for anti spywre that can be match with Karpesky or NOD32 -any comment or suggestion to use or better not to use internet booster/optimizer .
thanks a lot
Will
· 1 year ago
Nice list... I'd add Unlocker to it, and perhaps the last.fm app :P
Bruce
· 11 months ago
Great list. I would include Imgburn, DvdShrink and DvdDecrypter for burning; AVG Free, Spybot for protection and although it's an OS, Ubuntu can be installed in windows and it's easy to set up a dual boot system so people can get a feel for Linux if they want.
venukb
· 11 months ago
Will, Hadn't heard of Unlocker; Will definitely try.
Bruce, Yeah I do agree, the list lacks multimedia tools. Yeah I have used Ubuntu in the past, but my favorite Linux Distribution has always been SUSE :)
Spyware Blockers & Spyware
· 7 months ago
Although I agree that Kaspersky is an excellent antivirus, I don't agree that it is the best spyware prevention software. Spyware Cease outperformed every spyware blockers program that we tested for removing spyware/adware/malware etc.. In the very rare exception that they do not remove whatever it is whatever spyware threat your computer is infected with, they will design a custom solution just for you. It is part of their 100% removal guarantee. The anti-spyware software is also equipped with advanced anti-rootkit technology as well as real time guard. I have not seen an antispyware program be so effective as this one.
Nikolai
· 6 months ago
I prefer this list. Its a little long, but covers every program on my computer. Obviously, I don't have very many, and most of them are licensed. This is a very nice setup for people who spend their lives at their personal computer like me! - Norton Internet Security (many people say this is terrible, and I used to use Avast!, but Norton is much easier to manage. Anyone have anything lighter, let me know!) - Microsoft Office 2007 (I enjoy using Microsoft products on Windows because I like to have everything from the same company.) From Office 2007 I use the following individual programs: ~Excel ~Groove ~InfoPath ~PowerPoint ~Project ~Publisher ~Visio ~Word -Adobe Creative Suite (I have hobbies where CS4 comes in handy. I don't use it often, but it really helps when I do!) ~Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection -uTorrent (Mentioned above, a must have if you use torrents!) -MasterCook Deluxe (I am the designated chef at my house, so it helps to have a way to organize my recipes) -Windows Live suite (The complete suite available from the live.com website. Except for the security program, forgot the name, I use all of these programs every day) -7-Zip File Manager (Free .zip and .rar file manager, with much more capability than WinZip or WinRar.) -Belarc Advisor (Whenever I need to see what requirements my computer has or needs, I start Belarc and in minutes have a complete overview of my computer hardware & software, including all the updates for Windows, program versions, and more. Extremely powerful!) -vLite (I am a freak for modding, and whenever I need to change my Vista setup, I pop this in and get a new .iso for it, then run the new OS in VMWare. I run VMWare in a Windows XP host stripped down to use barely any resources.) -VMWare (mentioned above, this is helpful to run multiple OSes without having to reboot to change them, plus, it lets me test any new programs or mods I made before I put them on my physical drive and blow the thing apart) And last but, most definately not least: -Command Promp (Sure it's built into Windows, but it is an extremely powerful tool to keep my computer in top form. I use it mostly to clean up any old files lying on the HDD.)
DavidLi
· 5 months ago
This is a great list, most of them are installed on my computer. but if you download flash video, why not try Flash Video Capture
Crucio
· 5 months ago
a great list, i totally agree with kaspersky, an excellent anti-virus and internet security tool, but I use orbit grab as my download manager, its great as far as i know, though i dunno much about memory usage..:P
Allen
· 3 months ago
list looks cool... but CCleaner is not so much good... Acc to mine PC Optimizer Pro is good as comparison to this ...
Elijah
· 3 months ago
I'd recommend PolyEdit Lite. It's a free word processor for Windows comparable to AbiWord.
All Comments
Same with Utorrent .Bitcomet is good
you could have split this into two posts....
For Firefox the downThemAll extension is works great, no need for the DL manager, though that can come handy sometimes.
Get a G15 and you won't need Launchy ^-^
GoogleReader is a bit more useful than feedDaemon, IMHO, plus it's always with you :)
I'd include the Java and Flash redist. packages, and foobar2000 or Songbird (it's at 0.6 beta, getting coooler by the moment!444 ;] ) And jkDefrag and IrfanView for making sandwiches and coffee.
Plus where's Thunderbird.. sometimes Gmail is just not an option.
And why not use AVG Free instead of Kaspersky? I'm having absolutely 0 viruses for the last few years anyway (:
Will definitely try FlashGet and Internet download manager ! A comparison post is coming up soon :)
Harish, which AV are you using ?
Abhishek,
Yes I have mentioned notepad++ as an alternative. Its just that I have been introducted to Textpad first and more comfortable with this app. I have tried out PsPad, looks more featureful !
Anand,
Glad to know that the timing of the post was right :)
PAStheLOD,
Remember trying downThemAll extension, not sure why I didn't continue with it, will checkout again.
G15 ? 100$ Nah will stick to Launch for now :) Also looks more of a gaming keyboard !
Regarding mail client, I have always found it easier to use Gmail rather than a client especially if you access mail from multiple computers.
When Gmail did come up with IMAP support, I quicky switched to a desktop client but found it way too slow :) (especially the synching of lables etc)
Thunderbird is one of my favorite, I liked Windows Live Mail too ..
AVG free, how is the CPU and memory usage of this AV ?
Ah, IMAP is a little frustrating with Gmail, but with Tbird you have a ton of filters, otherwise you wouldn't have.
I personally don't use AVG Free, but last time I checked (installed on other ppl's box) it needed resources next to nothing.
Nice list, I have most of them.
VOTED for this post at:
http://www.newsdots.com/software/must-have-soft...
You are indeed a brave soul to live without a separate anti-spyware program. It's usually one of the first things I install on a new PC. I personally use Spybot Search & Destroy. It's been around for a while, and detects other types of malware infections as well.
I have used AVG Free for a while as well. Resource usage is quite low, and it will detect any virus I throw at it. Disable the startup scan and you're all set.
Long live G-Mail!
This is an excellent post.
I wanted to try Windows Live Gallery after you wrote about it first but the live universal installer refuses to install it on my comp for some reason.
Will definitely check on AVG Free Edition.
TechAddict,
Yes I am relying on Windows Defender to protect me ! Also I am assuming that Vista is more secure that XP ;-)
Raj,
Even I had NAV which came with the laptop, but after trying out Kaspersky I feel that its way better than NAV.
Regarding Windows Live, check if the following KB article is of some use
<pre>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940065</pre>
Ralph,
Not sure why you didn't like Kaspersky ! Will definitely check on Avast.
www.izarc.org
Jason - Will definitely give IZARC a shot !
Antony - I have no other complaint on WMP except the startup speed. IE is defintely slow to load and use compared to Chrome which I am currently using, though I accept that IE8 looks cleaner compared to previous versions.
- what do you thing bout NOD32
-Looking for anti spywre that can be match with Karpesky or NOD32
-any comment or suggestion to use or better not to use internet booster/optimizer .
thanks a lot
Hadn't heard of Unlocker; Will definitely try.
Bruce,
Yeah I do agree, the list lacks multimedia tools. Yeah I have used Ubuntu in the past, but my favorite Linux Distribution has always been SUSE :)
- Norton Internet Security (many people say this is terrible, and I used to use Avast!, but Norton is much easier to manage. Anyone have anything lighter, let me know!)
- Microsoft Office 2007 (I enjoy using Microsoft products on Windows because I like to have everything from the same company.) From Office 2007 I use the following individual programs:
~Excel
~Groove
~InfoPath
~PowerPoint
~Project
~Publisher
~Visio
~Word
-Adobe Creative Suite (I have hobbies where CS4 comes in handy. I don't use it often, but it really helps when I do!)
~Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection
-uTorrent (Mentioned above, a must have if you use torrents!)
-MasterCook Deluxe (I am the designated chef at my house, so it helps to have a way to organize my recipes)
-Windows Live suite (The complete suite available from the live.com website. Except for the security program, forgot the name, I use all of these programs every day)
-7-Zip File Manager (Free .zip and .rar file manager, with much more capability than WinZip or WinRar.)
-Belarc Advisor (Whenever I need to see what requirements my computer has or needs, I start Belarc and in minutes have a complete overview of my computer hardware & software, including all the updates for Windows, program versions, and more. Extremely powerful!)
-vLite (I am a freak for modding, and whenever I need to change my Vista setup, I pop this in and get a new .iso for it, then run the new OS in VMWare. I run VMWare in a Windows XP host stripped down to use barely any resources.)
-VMWare (mentioned above, this is helpful to run multiple OSes without having to reboot to change them, plus, it lets me test any new programs or mods I made before I put them on my physical drive and blow the thing apart)
And last but, most definately not least:
-Command Promp (Sure it's built into Windows, but it is an extremely powerful tool to keep my computer in top form. I use it mostly to clean up any old files lying on the HDD.)