Awesome Free Software to improve your productivity
I decided to create a list of software that I use on a regular basis, I hope you find this list useful, If you know of any other free software that is very helpful, please leave a Comment.
Originially Posted in JordanGarn.com
Firefox - Are you not using Firefox? What!? Anyway Firefox is currently setting the web standard being 3-4 technologies ahead of Internet Explorer, thousands of plugins for ultimate customization, faster browsing. A better Internet.
Evernote - Evernote is an awesome program which allows you to remember everything! Take notes with text or handwriting, use the Firefox Extension web clipper to clip parts or entire web pages so that you remember it. Excellent Tool. Originally on Mac but also ported to Windows.
GVim - Are you a Programmer? Want a good editor with Syntax highlighting, automatic indentation, fast HotKeys then GVim is for you, it has a little bit of a steep learning curve but it’s worth it.
Gimp - The Free Alternative to Photoshop, I used to not be much a fan of it until v2.0 rolled around, now it has some really nice features plus it can be skinned (with hacks). Good Alternative if you don’t want to fork out at least $200 for Photoshop.
Pidgin - Do you know alot of different people with alot of different IM accounts? Do you have multiple Software installed to talk to all of those people? Well have it all in one with Pidgin, features multiple client support. MSN, Google, ICQ, etc.. with hundreds of plugins available.
ANTIVIRUS PROGRAMS
AVG, ClamWin, or Avast - For Antivirus I use one of three free programs AVG, ClamWin, or Avast. Each have their own Advantages/Disadvantages which i’ll explain. Avast is probably the most thorough (offers the best protection) however that protection can slow down your computer quite a bit. AVG is kind of in between offering medium protection while not slowing down your Computer too much. ClamWin on the other end of the spectrum offers the least protection but barely affects your systems speed. I’ve also noticed that one Antivirus is better at catching certain viruses than others (seemingly random) So I switch Antivirus Software frequently for maximum protection, the one I use the most is probably AVG.
Free Download Manager - Free Download Manager revolutionizes the way you download files, Offers features such as saving partial downloads, faster download speeds, status monitoring, warning of malicious downloads, and more… My favorite Download Manager.
RocketDock - Do you like Mac OS’s Dock? Well now you can have it in Windows too, with an awesome program called RocketDock, I noticed very little Performance degradation, meaning Rocket Dock runs fast with lot’s of settings to tweak.
JCreator - If you are a Java Programmer, JCreator is my favorite IDE, fast and reliable, without all the fancy stuff which most the time slows me down.
Putty - Do you need to access a Linux Computer in some faraway land? Over a secure connection? Then Putty is my suggestion for SSH clients. Don’t know of any others actually lol.
WinSCP - If you need a Graphical SSH, Secure FTP Client, WinSCP is my program of choice
VideoSpin - A very easy to use Video Editor, Free and professional like quality.
SONG PROGRAMS
WinAmp/Foobar/Songbird - These are my three favorite Song Playing Programs, Winamp is good because it’s lightweight and has all the features you need. Foobar is extremely lightweight and very, very customizable (not recommended for Beginners) Songbird is kind of like Itunes but not as resource intensive and works in Linux, Windows, and Mac.
Taboo - Save all of your Firefox Tabs in one place, very useful .. for me anyway. Requires Firefox
WinRar - Fastest winzip like product I know about, similar to WinZip but with more functionality (comparable to 7Zip)
Foxit - Let’s face it 80 MB just to view a PDF file is ridiculous, Adobe Reader is way too big. Foxit reader is less than 2 megs in size and does what a PDF Reader needs to do, namely read a PDF.
And that’s it! if you know of any other good Software please leave a comment below.
Posted on JordanGarn.com