My new computer is due in either Monday or Wednesday. I am super-psyched! And so in order to get ready, here are the programs I intend to install:
- Chrome
- My browser of choice had been Mozilla Firefox but somehow it became bloated and unmanageable and I switched to Chrome which is fast and lightweight. I love it. FREE
- Mozilla Firefox
- I rarely use this browser unless I need to do a full page print screen or need to figure out SEO or code stuff (plugins: Fireshot & SEO for Firefox & Web Developer) FREE
- CCleaner
- Crap Cleaner cleans crap off the computer– I don’t use it as much as I should but it works really well when I do. FREE
- avast!
- avast! is my antivirus. I really like it even though I don’t totally understand it. I guess it scans itself because I’ve never had to run a scan. Every now and then it says, “Virus Database has been updated!” I wish it would also say, “Your computer has been scanned and is free of viruses…. but it doesn’t. I may opt to install Microsoft Security Essentials instead. I’ve heard good things about it. Anyone have any advice here? FREE
- Secunia PSI
- This little app tells me what applications installed on my PC need to be updated to avoid security holes. It works great! FREE
- FileZilla
- My FTP app of choice. FREE
- AlwaySync
- This little app helps keep my external hard drive in sync with my laptop so I figure I will probably be using it with the desktop FREE
- CutePDF
- Since I use Google Docs more often than not I don’t use CutePDF as much becasue Google Docs comes with a PDF converter but there are times I need to convert something to PDF and that’s where CutePDF comes in. FREE
- DiffDaff
- Compares files in different folders– I use this when I am unsure if my external hard drive and laptop are in sync. There must be a better way… I know but it’s how I do it. FREE
- Picassa
- Picassa is more than just a Photo Organizer. It’s also the greatest zit and wrinkle remover! And it keeps track of people’s names and it’s an awesome photo album! FREE BUT MUST CONSENT TO TOTAL DISCLOSURE OF LIFE TO GOOGLE
- Inkscape
- Because Adobe Illustrator is too expensive FREE
- GIMP
- Because Photoshop is too expensive FREE
- Paint.net
- Because Corel Draw is too expensive. FREE
- Color Cop
- I use this ALL THE TIME! It’s basically just a color dropper and it tells me the hexadecimal code for whatever color is on my screen. FREE
- Photostory
- I used this once and the audio wasn’t so good but I quite liked it nevertheless and may use it again if I can get a better microphone. FREE
- Any Video Converter
- My video camera is a Sanyo and only outputs .mp4 files. This sucks because Windows Movie Maker doesn’t accept .mp4. This means I need to convert to WMV or AVI. Enter Any Video Converter. It converts my mp4 to avi and I can then edit my footage. FREE
- Netflix Movie Viewer Plugin
- I always think I will one day watch a movie from my computer– perhaps I will and when that day comes, I will be ready! NEED TO BE SUBSCRIBER
- Rhapsody
- I usually find myself playing music via their Website so it might not even make sense to download the actual software but perhaps because this new computer is going to to be more powerful than my dinky laptop I might find using the software easier, I dunno. NEED TO SUBSCRIBE
- MediaMall’s PlayOn Server
- I have a VuNow POD and I use Playon to access Hulu from my 42 inch TV. COSTS MONEY
- AcrossLite
- So I can print New York Times Crossword puzzles and do them in bed before I fall asleep at night. FREE BUT NEED TO SUBSCRIBE TO NYT CROSSWORDS
- Seesmic/TweetDeck/Hootsuite/Brizzly
- I really need to figure out which TwitterApp I want to use and then USE IT! Any advice here?
And if anyone has any apps they LOVE and would like to share— please leave your recommendation in the comments! I would love to hear what you think of my list and if you have any better alternatives.
Just remembered two more apps that I will load although I haven’t used them yet:
http://www.xmind.net/ – for mind mapping
https://www.rescuetime.com/ – for time tracking
Thanks for this! Don’t think I have anything to add (Google Earth?), but Steve is going to wipe my laptop today, get rid of Vista, and reinstall XP, so this list will be helpful to me for what I can install. Just got started with Paint.Net and it seems great, esp for free. Been using Picassa since you told me about it. We use avast! too for the antivirus. Will have to check out rescuetime.
BTW, did you do your usual review of last year’s New Year’s resolutions?
I don’t think I made any resolutions last year… I can’t find them if I did. I will be posting resolutions as soon as I can sit down and think it through.
HI Donna. I too have become upset with how bloated once-great Firefox has become. I like chrome, but I can’t use it since I use Roboform to keep all my passwords and they don’t have a plugin yet for chrome. They do for Chromium, but I have issue printing with Chromium, so I have to stick with firefox for now. I also use Seesmic, I prefer that app to Tweetdec. Just my preference. You have a few apps I think I will try though. One I use for pdf is Nito PDF. I like it since I can edit pdf files and change text or add text or pictures. It wasn’t free, but not very expensive either. A cheaper alternative to the full blown Adobe PDF.
Seesmic just acquired Ping.FM!!! http://bit.ly/6w9y6R The scales are tipping toward Seesmic!
Never tried Seesmic; I installed TweetDeck approximately one hour after setting up a Twitter account, and it’s generally behaved itself well.