I have spent too much of my spare time scouring the corners of the internet, looking for applications to fulfill my many (and often unusual) needs. This has led me to publish what (in my opinion) are the six most useful free applications out there.
Every Windows user has come across notepad at some point of their experiences. Whether viewing the source code of a website, or editing .txt files, notepad is one of the bare necessities on Windows.
Notepad ++ is just what it says on the tin - a souped-up version of notepad. There are many additional features that make it all the more useful: from the ability to code and check scripts in just about every computer language you can think of, to the simple (yet effective) tabbed document interface, letting you have multiple documents open in the same window.
Firefox has always been there, providing a strong alternative to Microsoft Internet Explorer. Some people have been unsure as to why to bother using another browser, whilst others argue that Firefox is the best available browser.
Especially with the release of the improved Firefox 3, Firefox has become a very useful tool for surfing the internet. But, with the added functionality of the hundreds of available add-ons, you can do more than just surf the web: you can customize the way web pages look, create macros that complete all those boring repetitive tasks for you (like filling in forms online), and even get rid of all those annoying ads that are plastered all over the internet!
Ever wanted to use the fancy features available on Photoshop, but not had enough money to buy the professional software? Well, look no further. GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, and is very useful when professional graphics programs (such as Photoshop) are not available. It has many similar features to Photoshop, and is completely free!
Whether you want to edit a photo, create a company logo, or make banner for your website, then GIMP is the best free program available.
The professional versions of AVG are used by many large companies, and it is one of the top anti-virus softwares out there.
The free edition of AVG still includes all of the good anti-virus features from the professional edition, making it (in my opinion) the best free anti-virus software. Virus definitions are updated daily, making sure that your computer is kept safe. Also, with scheduled scanning you can ensure that you never leave your hard drive unscanned for long periods of time.
This nifty little program scans your computer for spyware and malware, and allows you to remove them from your system completely. Inferior only to professional programs, Ad-Aware Free has all the functionality and security you would want from a freeware spyware removal tool.
Ever come to uninstall a program, and find that there's no uninstall option? Well, for tricky little programs like that, the answer is Revo Uninstaller. This piece of software can remove just about any program from your system, whether there is an uninstaller or not. And do not go thinking that it goes stumbling in the dark and deleted random files that share similar names to that of the program you want to uninstall - Revo Uninstaller searches the registry and removes only files and folders directly associated to the program being removed.
This program also has extra handy features, like the ability to control which programs start automatically when Windows starts, and a junk file remover - which removes unnecessary clutter from your hard drive.
I can think of many, many more programs that would be suitable for this list, but to write them all here would prove both boring for me and you, the reader. Please bear in mind that these are the best free programs available in my opinion - this is not a form of factual league table or similar.
ccleaner, openoffice, in fact just link to the freeware section on filehippo.com :)
#4 by Steven D., Apr 2, 2008
Yes, OpenOffice beats at least uninstaller(even though it's very useful) becuase it saves you $200 off Microsoft Works.
#5 by Tony, Apr 3, 2008
Yeah I can't believe you picked Notepad++ over Open Office, it's basically of of Office applications for free.
#6 by Bob, Apr 3, 2008
Zorda, you're right. Spybot Search and Destroy is the best free spyware remover I've ever had. Nice, clean interface, easy to use, also powerful.
#7 by Bob, Apr 3, 2008
Zorda, you're right. Spybot Search and Destroy is the best free spyware remover I've ever had. Nice, clean interface, easy to use, also powerful.
#8 by eimaj (author), Apr 3, 2008
I just wanted to say that I own Microsoft Office Student Edition, and have never really looked into Open Office. However following some comments, I have researched it (and even installed it), and realised that it should have been added onto my list. Sorry about that one!
And Tony - Notepad ++ is a very useful program for programming a wide variety of languages - Open Office does not offer this to such an extent.
Sincerely,
- eimaj
#9 by Jedistev, Apr 3, 2008
Why not use NetBean IDE, it best programming software around and free.....and Apatna Studio IDE as well..for web application & javascript
#10 by budd, Apr 3, 2008
Crapcleaner (or ccleaner as it's also called)- anotherone to add to the list
#11 by Tony, Apr 3, 2008
eimaj - I imagine that feature is useful in notepad++, I was considering it from a practical point of view, more people require office software functionality as opposed to code editing functionality.Either way they both could be on the list. Plus what's great about Open Office is it's not just replicating word and excel, but also Access, and Publisher, Powerpoint, which only come in the more expense edition of Office.
#12 by Nk, Apr 3, 2008
Great post there. And you just got featured on Blogsvine too :D
#13 by ajay, Apr 7, 2008
add adobe reader also
#14 by nobert soloria bermosa, Apr 7, 2008
..great article...very informative,,,congratulations for making it to the Hot Content List..
