Free Software
The world of open source software has a number of excellent alternatives to many popular applications. All of the applications below are for Windows operating systems. The software manufacturers are solely responsible for all content and support.
Antivirus/Anti-Malware
Microsoft Live Safety Scanner (this is not a program you install on your computer; it runs via your Internet connection)
Trend Micro HouseCall (this is not a program you install on your computer; it runs via your Internet connection)
Audio
Audacity - record and mix audio; perfect for starting a podcast
Juice - Get all of your podcasts in one place
CD/DVD Burning Software
Ashampoo Burning Studio 6 FREE - write data to CD's or DVD's
Data Backup
Allway Sync - sync files between your computer and an external hard drive
Firewall
PDF Reader/Creator
Foxit Reader - fast, small PDF reader
PDF955 - create PDF files
CutePDF Writer - create PDF files
Photo Editor
PIcnik - online photo editor; powerful and very easy to use
FotoFlexer - online photo editor; powerful and very easy to use
Paint.Net - close in appearance to Photoshop
Picasa - photo manager from Google
Photosynth - stitch pictures together to create amazing panoramas
Podcast Receiver
iTunes- large download, but good all-around program for subscribing to podcasts and playing different types of media
Juice - small, quick loading program from the open-source community
RSS Reader
Utilities
7-Zip File Manager - pack or unpack many different types of compressed files
CCleaner - cleans up all of the unneeded files from your computer, including files left behind from Internet use
Coolmon - displays your computer's vital statistics such as CPU, RAM, and internal PC temperature
Vista Drive Icon - Add the appearance of the Vista drive icon to Windows XP; this program changes the appearance of your drive icon to show current capacity at a glance
YouConvertit - This website allows you to convert almost any kind of file out there into another format, helpful when sending email attachments that need to be in a particular format. There is support for converting YouTube videos
Video
CamStudio - make a recording of your screen actions; helpful when creating an instructional video
VLC Media Player - will play any video format imaginable; use this program for what Windows Media Player can't handle
Videora Converter - convert most video formats for use on a video iPod or iPhone
Web Browser
Firefox - good alternative to Internet Explorer; tons of add-ons
Chrome - very fast browser from Google
Word Processors/Productivity Suite
OpenOffice - the best alternative to the Microsoft Office Suite, compatible with Microsoft documents
Google Docs (this is not a program you install on your computer; all of your documents are stored online)
AbiWord - similar in apprearance to Microsoft Word 2003
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