Software you should have
Each piece of software is rated for ease of use, and features. The scale is 1-10 with 10 being highest/hardest and 1 being lowest/easiest. In nearly all cases I’ve summarized the features and left a direct link to the page containing the feature list. In the cases where the word “features” is not a link it means the features are listed somewhere on the home page which I linked too when I gave teh name of the product. Also every piece of software on this list is something I use and more often than not encourage my clients to use as well.
Finally please understand this list is just that, a list. It is not designed to teach you how to use the software only to point you in the general direction where you can get more appropriate information regarding the software.
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- Thunderbird
- Thunderbird is a free Email client from the makers of Firefox. It features:
- Advanced Folder Views
- Message Tagging
- Message History Navigation
- Improved Search
- Phishing Protection
- Junk Mail/Spam protection
- Automated Update
- Message Templates
- Add-ons Manager for Extensions and Themes
Ease of use: 3
Features: 8
- Web Browser
- General Cleanup
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- CCleaner
- CCleaner removes temporary files from your system allowing Windows to operate much better. It features:
- Cleans Internet Explore temp files, cache, cookies, URL history, etc
- Cleans Firefox file cache, cookies, url history, etc
- Empties recycle bin
- Clears the clipboard
- Clears Windows log file
- Removes Memory dumps
- Removes Chksdsk files fragments
- Registry cleaner
- And much more…
Ease of use: 4
Features: 7
- Anti-virus
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- Avast anti-virus
- Avast is a free anti-virus solution. It features:
- Advanced detection kernel
- Simple User Interface
- Standard resident protection
- P2P and IM Shields
- Network Shield
- Web Shield
- Automatic updates
- Virus Chest
- System Integration
- Integrated avast! Virus Cleaner
- Support for 64-bit Windows
Ease of use: 6
Features:9
- Parental Control Software
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- K9 Web Protection
- K9 Web Protection is a software solution designed to keep kids off of sites they shouldn’t be on. It features:
- Service-based filtering
- Dynamic Real-Time Rating(DRTR)
- Automatic updating
- Efficient caching
- More than 55 distinct categories of content
Ease of use: 6
Features: 7
- Drive Emulation software
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- Alcohol 52%
- Alcohol 52 allows you to emulate CD drives via software. It features:
- Create a virtual CD to play in the emulated drive
- Run software and games at over 200x the speed of conventional drives
- Create up to 6 virtual (emulated drives) at once
- Write to 2 virtual drives at once
- No need to use physical discs and put them at risk
Ease of use: 8
Features: 9
- Compression
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- 7-Zip
- 7-Zip is a file (de)compression utility. It features:
- High compression ratio
- Support for multiple formats
- Self-extracting capability for 7z format
- Integration with Windows Shell
- Powerful File Manager
- Powerful command line version
- Plugin for FAR Manager
- Localizations for 63 languages
Ease of use: 3
Features: 9
- Torrent and peer-to-peer
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- Bit Comet
- Bit Comet is a free, open source bit torrent clone for downloading large files. It features:
- Exchange torrent while downloading
- Preview while Downloading
- Intelligent Connection Optimization
- Intelligent Disk Cache
- Quick Resume
- P2P downloading
- Intelligent File Rename
- Global and Per-Task Speed Limit, for Both Upload and Download
- Bandwidth Scheduler
- Categories Management
Ease of use: 4
Features: 8 - Limewire
- Limewire is a peer-to-peer file sharing program. It features:
- Bittorrent Support Built-In
- Shared folder control
- System Tray Notifications
- Mojito DHT (Distributed Hash Table) Support
- TLS (Transport Layer Security) Support
- NO BUNDLED SOFTWARE OF ANY KIND!
- Firewall to Firewall Transfers
- iTunes Integration.
- Proxy support.
Ease of use: 3
Features: 7
- FTP
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- FileZilla
- FileZilla is a free FTP (file transfere protocol) program. It features:
- Supports FTP, FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
- Cross Platform
- Supports resume
- Transfer of large files >4GB<
- Drag & drop support
- Configurable Speed limits
- Filename filters
- Network configuration wizard
Ease of use: 3
Features: 8
- Image viewing and creation
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- Irfanview
- Irfanview is an image viewer program. It features:
- Many supported file formats
- Multi language support
- Thumbnail/preview option
- Paint option – to draw lines, circles, arrows, straighten image etc
- Toolbar skins option
- Slideshow
- Show EXIF/IPTC/Comment text in Slideshow/Fullscreen etc
- Support for Adobe Photoshop Filters
- Fast directory view
- Batch conversion
- Multipage TIF editing
- File search
- Email option
- Change color depth
- Extract icons from EXE/DLL/ICLs
- Lossless JPG rotation
- and much more…
I will refrain from giving my opinion on Ease of use and features for this product as I have nothing to compare it to and have only had a real need for it a few times.
- Paint.Net
- Paint.Net is a free image creation and manipulation program. It features:
- Simple, intuitive, and innovative user interface
- Layers
- Active Online Community
- Frequently Updated
- Special Effects
- Powerful Tools
- Unlimited History
- Open Source and Free
Ease of use: 3
Features: 8
- Anti-spyware
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- Super Anti-spyware
- Super Anti-Spyware is a *ware scanning solution. It features:
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Please note that some of the features listed here are only available on the pro versions.
- Quick, Complete and Custom Scanning
- Detect and Remove
- Trust Items and Exclude Folders
- Repair broken Internet Connections
- First Chance Prevention
- Real-Time Blocking
- Registry Protection
- Schedule
- Auto-Scanning
- Automatic Updates
- Daily Definition Updates
- Free System Diagnostic
- Free E-Mail Support
Ease of use: 2
Features: 7
- Instant Messaging
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- Trillian
- Trillian is an IM platform that supports multiple instances of messages being sent and received. It features:
- Unification of multiple IM platforms
- Video Chat
- Audio Chat
- Time Travel
- Activity history
- Instant lookup
- Contact list
- Message window
- Serverless IM
- Skinnable
- Plugin support
- Customizable
Ease of use: 2
Features: 8
- Audio tools
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- Winamp
- Winamp is a lightweight audio front-end. It features:
- Remote Music and Video Playback and Sharing
- Dynamic Song Recommendations Playlist Feature
- Multi-channel MP3 Surround Support
- Fully Integrated Web browser and customizable links
- Rips CDs to MP3
- Portable Device Sync support
- Expanded Podcast Directory
- Compatible with Winamp 2 Plug-ins
- Full Support for Modern Skins
Ease of use: 2
Features: 8 - Audacity
- Audactiy is a sound manipulation tool for effects, filter, splicing, etc, etc, etc. It features:
- Record from microphone, line input, or other sources.
- Create multi-track recordings
- Record up to 16 channels at once
- Monitor volume levels before, during, and after recording
- Import and export WAV, AIFF, AU, and Ogg Vorbis files
- Import MPEG audio
- Export MP3s with the optional LAME encoder library
- Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete
- Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises
- Record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit
- Record at up to 96 KHz.
Ease of use: 5
Featues: 7
