Mozilla
Firefox is a Customizable Open Source and Well Supported Web
Browser with many Community Add-ons. Also available in
Google PackBest Windows Programs
Whether your computer is new fresh out of the box or been in use for some time, here is a a quick and simple list of some of the best and most useful free programs for your windows computer.
Internet Web Browsers, Word Processing and Office Suites, Media Players, Photo Editing, Messenger and Communications, Virus Protection, and Multi-Software Package Suites, Utilities and more are all listed here.
Internet Web Browsers
It's always good to have more than one web browser and here are some good alternatives:
Mozilla
Firefox is a Customizable Open Source and Well Supported Web
Browser with many Community Add-ons. Also available in
Google Pack
Features: Tabs, Good Pop-Up Blocker, Themes, Multilingual
Google
Chrome a browser that combines a minimal design with features that
help speed up your browsing. Also available in
Google Pack
Features: Search from the Address Bar, Thumbnails of Your Favorite Sites, Tabs
Opera
a browser that pioneered many features and shortcuts to speed your browsing
experience.
Features: Search from Address Bar with short cuts, Tabs, Quick Find even searches websites you opened some time ago, Trashcan to reopen closed pages
Apple
Safari the Slick and Fast Mac Browser available for your
Windows PC
Features: Speculative Loading Preloads Pages Speeding things up, Cover Flow a very cool way to flip through your bookmarks and history, Open Multiple Book Marked pages simultaneously, Great Book Mark Organizing Features
KidZui
is controlled Internet for the Kids. It abandons the tried-and-failed
child-control methods of Web site blacklists and keylogging in favour of
something far more sensible: an extensive whitelist. KidZui looks and acts like
a browser, but instead offers a closed system of editor-approved sites.
These editors, made up of parents, teachers and former teachers have compiled a
database of over 800,000 Web sites. At home, parents can approve specific Web
sites, such as a family photo gallery, that KidZui users couldn't otherwise see.
Word Processing, Spread Sheet and Office Suites
Office suites that are compatible with Microsoft Office and completely free. Save yourself hundreds of dollars and try these out.
Google Docs is completely online but let's you upload or save to your computer, share documents and edit in real time.
OpenOffice
is the defacto completely free open source office suite
for word
processing,spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and
more.
OASIS Open Document format
which is nice since it means you’re not locked into any kind of proprietary file
format and makes your documents globally compatible.
Zoho is currently the most comprehensive suite of web-based applications for small businesses available with new programs and applications being added constantly and it lets you to work online or offline.
Lotus
Symphony is based on the
OpenOffice suite but with add features and visual
enhancements. Also designed to integrate with other Lotus products.
Documents are stored in the Open Document Format (ODF).
Music, Movies and Video Programs
iTunes is the Popular Apple Music and Media player. Let's you sync files with your iPod or iPhone, buy music online and download apps.
Media
Monkey is a powerful Media player alternate to iTunes that
also let's you sync files with your iPod / iPhone as well as other MP3 players.
It also has excellent features for managing your music such AutoTag and Auto
Identify tracks that are missing information and lookup and fix them. Convert
files and Burn them to CD, Auto Organize and rename files logically and an
AutoDJ and Party Mode player. A must have for anyone with a large media
collection.
Songbird
is an open-source customizable music player that's under active development.
Songbird opens up to your music library like iTunes but you can also browse the
web from it and is highly customizable it with numerous addons.
VLC
Media Player plays almost all video and audio file formats
(more than Windows Media Player fresh out of the box) yet is small and
customizable with downloadable themes.
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Vuze
Media Finder and Player lets you search
and download all kinds of content including media, High Definition Video, audio,
books and programs and play them too. It also has a handy feature that converts
video and transfers it to your iPhone, iPod or other portable media players.
Miro is an open source video player and podcast client. It let's you view and subscribe to thousands of free video feeds, shows (such as the Simpsons) and streaming video sites (many of which are in High Definition). Bring TV like functionality to your computer.
Combined
Community Codec Pack installs the codecs needed to play most
video and audio files in Windows Media Player.
Pictures, Photos and Graphics Programs
Photoscape photo editor is very easy to use and jam packed with features such as auto leveling, adding formatted text, shapes, speech, batch processing, multi photo page layouts, animating, combine, animate, split, screen capture,multi-rename tool and more.
Paint.net designed to be a replacement for Microsoft paint it is designed to be intuitive and quickly learnable. It has many plugins and includes layers, unlimited undo history, has frequent updates, special effects and many drawing tools.
Picasa
Photo Album, Edit, Organize and Share your pictures seamlessly to
Picasa Web Albums
GIMP
is a very powerful full featured open source photo editing, creating program
much like photoshop with a similar learning curve.
Internet Security, Virus, Spyware and Adware Protection Programs
Avira
Antivirus Avira is one of the best free antivirus products
available with detection rates of nearly 99% for malware, adware and spyware (see
independent test results at Virus Bulletin here).
Avast
Antivirus is also one of the best free antivirus products
available with detection rates of nearly 99% for malware, adware and spyware (see
independent test results at Virus Bulletin here) and has a easy to use user
interface.
Secunia
Personal Software Inspector seeks to address an often-overlooked software
security issue: the out-of-date program. It scans your programs and provides
security advisories and information about patches, and provides software for
vulnerability management and let's you update programs at your discretion.
Messenger, Chat and Communication Programs
Digsby
is a multi-service instant messenger client that lets you use services like AIM,
Yahoo Messenger, and Google Talk, to social networks such as Twitter, Myspace
and Facebook and more all at the same time. On top of this it also let's you
manage your email accounts.
Trillian
is a powerful multi-service instant messenger skinnable chat client that
supports AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC. Unique features such as
contact message history, a powerful skinning language, tabbed messaging, global
status changes (set all networks away at once), Instant Lookup (automatic
Wikipedia integration), contact alerts, an advanced automation system to trigger
events based on anything happening in the client, docking, hundreds of
emoticons, emotisounds, shell extensions for file transfers, and systray
notifications and multiple identities.
Pidgin is compatible with the following chat networks out of the box: AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber/XMPP, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, IRC, Novell GroupWise Messenger, QQ, Lotus Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE, MySpaceIM, and Zephyr. It can support many more with plugins.
MSN
Live Messenger gives you instant messaging, e-mail,
blogging, photos, and more. Message on MSN and Yahoo networks as well as Live
Web Camera Chatting with users on MSN network.
Yahoo
Messenger lets you chat to people on MSN and Yahoo networks,
send SMS messages and make calls to phones, play games on Yahoo Games and more
as well as Live Web Camera Chatting with users on Yahoo Network.
AOL Instant Messenger sending IMs,, share photos, voice chat with other users on the AOL network.
Use AIM Express Web Messenger Now
eBuddy
online web messenger lets you chat on MSN, Yahoo, Gtalk, Facebook, ICQ, MySpace
and AIM (AOL). Whether you're at home, school, work or traveling; with eBuddy
you can chat online everywhere anytime. eBuddy is available as a web based and
mobile version. eBuddy provides instant messaging on every computer, it even
works when you are behind a firewall.
Skype
save $$$ on phone calls by using Skype to talk with other people on Skype for
free or call regular landlines or mobile phones at really really low rates. In
North America you can get FLAT rate long distance. You can also do fast file
transfers and video calls. Skype is also available on multiple platforms and
some mobile phones and portable devices.
Other Utilities and Useful Programs
FreeCommander
is an easy-to-use alternative to the standard windows file manager with many
added features such as Dual Pane View and Multi-Rename Tool. You can also take
FreeCommander anywhere - just copy the installation directory on a CD
or USB-Stick - and you can even work with this program on another computer.
7
Zip is a file archiver with a high compression ratio that
compresses and uncompresses many file formats. Packing / unpacking: 7z, ZIP,
GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR. Unpacking only: ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, DEB, DMG, HFS,
ISO, LZH, LZMA, MSI, NSIS, RAR, RPM, UDF, WIM, XAR and Z.
Smart
Defrag defragments your system disks efficiently and
intelligently with minimal overhead. A big improvement over the cumbersome Disk
Defragmenter included with windows.
Auto Updating Software Packages and Suites
Google
Pack is:
Software specifically selected by always free - no trial versions or spyware,
and autoupdating.
Simplly Click to Install
and then Use
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Best Windows Programs is meant to be a quick list of some of the best bang for your buck programs available for Windows - especially since the programs listed are all free. There are commercially available programs that are not included in this list for obvious reasons.
This is not a comprehensive list. If you feel there are programs that should be included or omitted then please email your thoughts to comments@bestwindowsprograms.com
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