Essential Free Software for damn-near EVERYONE
I have lots of friends and family who will sometimes ask me, “What’s the best program to do such-and-such?” … Here’s a small list of FREE software that makes my computing life a bit easier… (if you are a Windows user)
(in no particular order…)
WEB BROWSER
Mozilla Firefox
I can’t say enough good things about this web browser. It’s fast, much safer and secure than Internet Explorer, and is so customizable, you wouldn’t believe it. And once you get used to “tabbed browsing“, you’ll wonder how you ever surfed without it.
I rarely use IE anymore… usually only when a page doesn’t quite look right in Firefox (which is becoming increasingly rare as web developers wise-up to the fact that millions are switching to Firefox)
EMAIL CLIENT
Mozilla Thunderbird
The perfect companion to Firefox is Thunderbird. I normally use Gmail (which is mainly web-based) for my email purposes, but when I feel the need to use a traditional email program, I use this. Here’s a great page that explains the benefits of Thunderbird over Outlook Express or other email programs.
ANTIVIRUS
AVG Anti-Virus
I also like Norton Antivirus, but they charge you a subscription fee to continually update your virus definitions. The best FREE alternative I’ve found is AVG… It offers free updates for the life of the product, which is nice for the pocketbook… check it out. Everyone needs to have some sort of antivirus program on thier computer, and keep it updated. I can’t stress this enough.
SPYWARE REMOVAL
Ad-Aware SE and Spybot Search & Destroy
Spyware is a huge problem these days. Spyware can come from many sources, such as downloaded software, website ads, emails, virus, and more. Install both these programs on your machine (be sure to run the updates after installation and before every scan you do), and fix it. Your computer will probably even run faster afterwards.
I have more, which I may mention from time-to time here… In the meantime, here’s a fantastic list of other excellent freeware utilities… Enjoy!
good im not the only person in this family that hates IE and uses firefox
dusty
[...] By somewhat popular request, I decided to expand on my post about some free software that I think other people should use, and create a special page, just for it. So, here it is. Please email me if you have any other suggestions. (superwick AT gmail DOT com) [...]