Internet
ICQOne of the defacto standard Instant messaging programs that's really handy.
FirefoxA free browser that supports extensions such as 'Click to run flash', 'mouse guestures', and adblock. Has many features and is better than IE. The adblock extension is worth using this browser for alone. Has a much better text zooming that makes type in some sites such as cnn that refuse to zoom much more readable, which was my initial reason for switching.
ThunderbirdMozilla Thunderbird is a redesign of the Mozilla mail component. Our goal is to produce a cross platform stand alone mail application using the XUL user interface language. Our intended customer is someone who uses Mozilla Firebird (or another stand alone browser) as their primary browser and wants a mail client based on mozilla that "plays nice" with the browser.' This is the mail client I use. Use anything other than the software microsoft supplies and you'll be better off and won't have to deal with the near weekly security breaches.
Azureus It provides a bittorrent protocol implementation using java language. Azureus offers multiple torrent downloads, queuing/priority systems (on torrents and files), start/stop seeding options and instant access to numerous pieces of information about your torrents.
Audio Related
MP3TagOpen Source Mp3 tag editor. Writes APE tags as well as ID3 types (useful for foobar2000)
Mp3 & Wav Trimmp3Trim is a simple and easy to use MP3 editor. mp3Trim can trim MP3s - obviously! - removing the silence or unwanted parts and splitting hidden tracks.
Mp3 VoyeurSearch your local network for mp3s AUTOMATICALLY! Ideal for lanparties and college networks. Not at useful as when it first came out, but still good to have.
Exact Audio CopyEAC is a free CD audio extraction utility and is better than one that I paid for. Can slow down the cd drive when it encounters popping errors.
MP3 GainTired of reaching for your volume knob every time your mp3 player changes to a new song? MP3Gain analyzes and adjusts mp3 files so that they have the same volume. Works well especially for simpler devices that do not have replay gain capability. Foobar2000 also has this functionality.
FooBar 2000Foobar2000 is an advanced audio player for Windows platform. Some of the basic features include ReplayGain support, low memory footprint and native support for several popular audio formats.
Utilities
AutohotkeyA simple yet powerful hotkey (shortcut key) scripting language for Windows, A keyboard and mouse remapper, and more.
Swap Mouse ButtonsSMB is a simple utility for swapping left and right mouse buttons easily by double clicking on it's system tray icon.
StrokeItFrom the site : StrokeIt is an advanced mouse gesture recognition engine and command processor. What is a mouse gesture? Mouse gestures are simple symbols that you "draw" on your screen using your mouse. When you perform a mouse gesture that StrokeIt can recognize, it will perform the "action" associated with that gesture. In short, it's a nifty little program that lets you easily control programs by drawing symbols with your mouse. Mouse gestures are great because you don't have to click on an absolute point like the X to close a window. Just gesture anywhere!
CD CheckFor data-paranoid types like me, making sure your CD has what Its supposed to is handy. Compares the harddrive contents with what is on the CD. Less usefull now that some CD burners support verifying files automatically.
CDROM ToolLets you set the maximium speed that a CDROM can go and the spindown time. If you've got a CDROM that sounds like a jet turbine and vibrates your entire computer case, you'll want this. Except for installation CDs, most applications don't get any real benefit from high RPM speeds above 1X such as playing MP3s from CDRs you've made and it should make your drive last longer.
JeditjEdit is a mature and well-designed programmer's text editor that has been in development for over 5 years. While jEdit beats many expensive development tools for features and ease of use, it is released as free software with full source code, provided under the terms of the GNU General Public License.
7Zip7-Zip is a file archiver with highest compression ratio. Compresses zip files to a smaller ratio than Winzip does, and around fifty percent better in the 7Z format. Free.
Freeware Sites
Freeware HomeFreeware Home - Collection of Free Software and Internet Services
The Free SiteWelcome to The Free Site, home of the Web's best freebies. (not just ftp)

Last Modified: April 28th, 2008