Software

The everyday PC user can currently not avoid using the Windows operating system (unless you are working on a Mac or with Linux). However, this does not mean that you should make use of the Microsoft applications for all you do on the operating system. On the contrary.

Lately there has been a big rise in the use of so-called OpenSource and Freeware applications. Beside the fact that these applications are free, they often work as well or even better and more efficiently than commercial software.

e-mail & internet

e-mail:

Nothing surpasses Mozilla Thunderbird, a unique free e-mail client.

internet:

For surfing the internet, you only have a choice between two programs: Mozilla Firefox and Opera. Both browsers have been offering for years wat Internet Explorer only offers just now. So there is no reason to go back to Internet Explorer. And if you are only now starting to surf the net, you would better opt for FireFox or Opera.

office

For a long time I have been an avid advocate of OpenOffice.org, asuite consisting of a text editor, spreadsheet, drawing program, and much more. However, I'm no longer putting it forward as a better alternative to Microsoft Word (i.e. when talking about versions 2007 and 2010). The latter is now found to be a lot easier and more handy than OpenOffice.org.

Of the various advantages of OpenOffice.org (quick loading, smaller file size, PDF export, free, ...) is the pricing aspect the only remaining one. And yet, it is nowadays not so difficult -legally or illegally- to get a free version of Word 2007 or 2010.

There is also interesting and free software for those who think OpenOffice.org and MS Word are a bit too overwhelming. An overview:

AbiWord: This is an open source word processing program comparable to MS Word.

Atlantis Nova: Is a small but powerful word processing program which displays different files in one single screen by using tabs.

Easy Office: Is, just as OpenOffice, a full office suite but has some extras.

images

The everyday user can get along just fine with IrfanView. This is a free programme that meets many demands. On top of this you can choose the interface language.

The more professional person is also excellently served, this time with GIMP. The program can be considered to be a valid replacement for (the rather expensive) Photoshop.

audio/video

Most of you will surely use the Windows Media Player to play music or video files.

The best player is without doubt VLC. As good as any audio and video format can be played without having to install extra codecs.

anti-virus & firewall

Did you know there are free anti-virus programs that perform outstandingly? Three are really superb: Microsoft Security Essentials, Avast Personal Edition and Antivir.

These days a computer needs good protection against intruders. That can be done with ZoneAlarm and Kerio Personal Firewall. Do not use the Windows XP Firewall!

personal information manager

There are two types of PIMs.

The first type contains an address book, to do overview, calendar, notes, etc. As I store most of this information in my personal intranet, this type is not so interesting to me. However, if this is what you need, then you cannot dismiss the excellent and free Essential PIM. that offers all of these functions.

The other type is a so-called outliner where in general you will find a tree structure on the left and a content pane on the right.

There are many different outliners. If you prefer to keep things simple, there are two excellent programs: KeyNote is one. The other is TreePad, which can be used as a database program for dozens of purposes. 

However, if you also like to store HTML pages or parts of e-mails for future use, then you can turn to Evernote. 

An important fact is the existens of extensions for both Mozilla FireFox and Thunderbird. During installation there is also a plugin installed for Internet Explorer. You will find much more information on the web site.

There are also a number of paying outliners who are generally a lot better than the free alternatives. For me there is only one program that outstands all others: TreeDBNotes. It would take up too much space to describe the whole program, but it is in constant development and works beautifully.

other software

Safety: AdAware

Data (de)compression: 7-Zip

FTP transfer: Filezilla

Windows explorer: SC-Diskinfo & Xplorer2