Mozilla -- Win3.x, Win9x, WinNtx, Win2K, WinME, BeOS, Linux, Macintosh
Mozilla has come of age. You can now download Mozilla with an installer (for Win-32 operating systems) which allows customized installation. As I prefer to install only the browser, without the chat software or e-mail client, I really like this. Also, when you run Mozilla it will import all of your current Netscape preferences, and allow you to select which profile you wish to use if there are more than one available. The interface can be customized to suit your needs and it's reasonably fast.
(Last updated: 1/26/02)

Go_Moz -- IE5+ in Win9x, WinME, WinNTx, Win2K, WinXP
Go_Moz is a simple, free script by Steve Yandl for those of you that use both Internet Explorer 5+ and Mozilla when you browse, as I do. If you've ever wished you could open a link from Internet Explorer in Mozilla, Go_Moz is for you. Once configured (read the ReadMe file for easy instructions), you can right-click any link in Internet Explorer and open it in Mozilla.

Get Go_Moz Here  

Mozilla Firefox (Formerly Firebird and before that Phoenix) -- Win3.x, Win9x, WinNtx, Win2K, WinME, WinXP, Linux, Mac
The Mozilla Firefox project is a redesign of Mozilla's browser component, written using the XUL user interface language and designed to be cross-platform. If you like Mozilla, you'll love Firefox, but it is still sub-versdion 1.0; in otherwords, it's still a beta. Nevertheless, it's light and fast but retains all the best features of Mozilla. Designed for the purist or minimalist, Firefox uses the Mozilla browser component, similar to Galeon and K-Meleon, and like those browsers, offers a pleasant alternative for those of us who think smaller is often better.
(Last updated: 5/1/03)

Netscape -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K, Macintosh, Linux
Netscape have released regular updates to their version 6 browser. The 6.x and 7.x versions of Netscape's new browser are based on Mozilla, which has turned out to be a pleasant surprise as browsers go. With a Mozilla heart, Netscape's new browsers are worth checking out.
(Last updated: 11/11/02)

Opera -- Win3.x, Win9x, WinNtx, Win2K, WinME, WinXP, BeOS, EPOC, Linux, Mac, OS/2
Opera still has an ad supported version available for free (registered users don't see the ads). Recent versions have benefited from major improvements, with a new start-up dialog, and new default buttons, skin and panels in a blue and white color scheme that can be changed back to classic Opera look or another design. At start-up you can select a single or multiple document interface (SDI/MDI). I use Opera and like it -- it's fast and light (about 3MB for the non-java version). This free version is definitely worth a look.
(Last updated: 11/11/02)

ieSpell -- IE5+ in Win9x, WinME, WinNTx, Win2K, WinXP
ieSpell is a free Internet Explorer extension that spell checks text input boxes. This is an excellent replacement for or adjunct to Steve Yandl's IE Speller script. This is an indispensable tool for people who post to Internet forums. Read more...
(Last updated: 9/9/02)

WS_FTP LE -- Win9x, WinNT4, Win2K
In the past you've only seen one FTP client on this page, and it is, in my opinion, the best freeware FTP client available. WS_ftp LE is a superior file transfer protocol client. I have used regularly for years now, and I recommend recommends it without equivocation. Now there's a new version available too. Version 5.08 makes incremental changes to improve an already solid product. Take a minute to look it over. Download it only if you prefer the best.
(Last updated: 6/10/00)

CesarFTP 0.99e -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K
Would you like to share files with friends over the Internet? There aren't many options for freeware FTP servers available these days, but I managed to find a good one. CesarFTP 0.99b is easy to use and configure and it sports an attractive and intuitive interface.
(Last updated: 2/18/02)

Savant Web Server -- Win9x, WinME, WinNT4, Win2K
Savant is a freeware open source web server that runs on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, and 2000, turning any desktop computer into a powerful web server. Designed to be fast, secure, and efficient, Savant is the choice of thousands of professional and amateur webmasters worldwide.
(Last updated: 7/15/01)

LEECHftp/BitBeamer -- Win9x, WinNT4, Win2K
I use and recommends WS_FTP LE as my freeware FTP client of choice. However, two very positive contributors over at PC911, Zenwolf and Phil, both recommend LEECHftp. Unfortunately, LEECHftp have ceased development and now direct their fans to BitBeamer. It is still in development, but from the look of it it's definitely worth checking out. You can sign up to beta test it, or you can sign up to be notified once it is released to the public.
(Last updated: 9/14/00)

Proxomitron -- Win9x, WinNT4, Win2K, WinME
Proxomitron is a freeware web filter. It performs this wonderful little miracle by acting as proxy server for your web browser(s). It will not affect your network configuration. Configuration for Proxomitron is manual, but incredibly simple: You type one word and one number. That's it. It then dutifully protects you from an amazing array of web annoyances. It also adds another layer of protection to your privacy and security. Oddly, Proxomitron will shut down without a warning whenever the settings are changed. Presumably, this forces you to restart it so the changes will take effect immediately. But a quick restart and all is back to normal. I keep a shortcut in my Startup folder.
(Last updated: 1/29/06)

LeechGet Download Manager -- Win9x, WinME, WinNTx, Win2K, WinXP
LeechGet is a fast and powerful download manager, providing the capabilities you need to download files quickly and simply. Unlike other download managers, LeechGet is and will always be freeware (not ad-ware), it can be used free of charge without displaying ads. As of this writing, although LeechGet is almost ready for final release (presently RC1), it hasn't officially been released as version 1.0 just yet. Special thanks to my buddy Darren for the tip.
(Last updated: 6/30/02)

AdShield -- IE5+
AdShield is a very effective freeware banner ad blocker that improves browser performance and usability by suppressing the download and display of ad images, pages and popups. Even if you have a fast connection to the Internet you'll benefit from improved browser window and browser cache utilization. Read more...
(Last updated: 4/13/02)

Enough is Enough! -- IE 5+
Have you just about had it with sneaky spyware installations, pesky third-party cookies from pushy advertisers and marketers, and the unending blizzard of popups and popunders from web sites? Haven't you really had just about enough of these obnoxious, invasive practices that trash your computer and violate your privacy? Enough is Enough! is a lockdown utility for Internet Explorer 5+ that will lock down your Internet and Restricted sites zones with restrictive settings for dangerous options like ActiveX, Java, scripting, severely restrict the use of cookies and much more. Read more...
(Last updated: 4/13/02)

WebWasher -- Win9x, WinNT4, Win2K, WinME
Webwasher, also a proxy like Proxomitron above, offers the advantage of automatic configuration, but you may find you have to repeat the procedure from time to time. It wouldn't retain its settings on my test machine (Win2K, IE5.01 and Netscape 4.75). Configuration just takes a few quick clicks though, so this isn't a problem. Webwasher is also very configurable and will increase your level of privacy and security, and it now integrates filters for Webbugs.
(Last updated: 11/26/00)

WebWasher -- Linux
WebWasher has been around for Windows for a while now. Fortunately, they've released a version for Linux. This is the first such utility for Linux that I know of, and considering how Netscape often chokes on some of the banners I come across, I'm very happy about it. I use WebWasher with Mandrake 7.2 and it works very well. Read the documentation.
(Last updated: 3/17/01)

KillAd v0.11 -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K
Do you hate popups as much as I do? KillAd v0.11 will close all undesirable popups "automagically". It is highly customizable, small in size, easy on system resources, fast, and reliable.
(Last updated: 7/16/00)

Hostess -- Win9x, WinME, WinNTx, Win2K, WinXP
The Hostess program is designed to help you easily maintain your Hosts file by eliminating duplicates and placing hosts into logical groups that can be ordered for efficiency. Read more about your Hosts file.
(Last updated: 11/12/01)

Cookie Jar 0.4.5 Beta -- Win9x, Win2K
Cookies present a dilemma. On one hand, chances are you want to accept cookies from some sites (for such functionality as saving login information). On the other hand, so many sites write cookies to your hard drive that you'll probably want to delete them every now and then. Cookie Jar was written by Jason Levine, late of Winmag and author of WatchDog, the best anti script-virus utility available. Cookie Jar lets you keep the cookies you want and delete the cookies you don't want. Simply sort cookies into Allowed and Banned (or Undecided) jars. Cookie Jar can then be set to run when Windows starts up and delete all Banned and/or Undecided cookies, leaving the Allowed ones alone.
(Last updated: 9/3/01)  

MemoWeb 3 -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K
Ever searched the web for desperately needed info only to find it somewhere that, for one reason or another, is not permanent? Some sites are notorious for changing their pages. One freeware solution is to use MemoWeb 3. With it you can save entire web sites, or just individual pages for later viewing. Very handy for developing a reference library.
(Last updated: 12/4/00)

AT&T's Virtual Network Computing -- Win9x, Win2K, Linux, Unix, Mac
Have you considered purchasing Symantec's pcAnywhere but find it too expensive? There is a potentially interesting alternative. AT&T's Virtual Network Computing is, in essence, a remote display system which allows you to view a computing 'desktop' environment not only on the machine where it is running, but from anywhere on the Internet and from a wide variety of machine architectures. This simple utility has some significant advantages over other similar programs. No state is stored at the viewer. This means you can leave your desk, go to another machine, whether next door or several hundred miles away, reconnect to your desktop from there and finish the sentence you were typing. Even the cursor will be in the same place. It is small and simple. The Win32 viewer, for example, is about 150K in size and can be run directly from a floppy. There is no installation needed. It is truly platform-independent. A desktop running on a Linux machine may be displayed on a PC, a Solaris machine, or any number of other architectures. And it's freeware and freely distributable under the terms of the GNU Public License.
(Last updated: 2/15/00)

Columbine Bookmark Merge Version 3.3 -- Win3.1, Win9x, WinNTx, WinME, Win2K
Columbine Bookmark Merge is a free utility for merging, editing, sorting, printing, converting, and publishing Netscape bookmark files, Microsoft Internet Explorer favorites, NCSA Mosaic hotlists files, or Opera Hot List files. This is a very handy tool for those of you that use various browsers.
(Last updated: 4/2/01)

HumanClick -- Win9x, Win2K
This is certainly an interesting util for you web site developers. HumanClick lets your visitors initiate a chat with you by clicking the HumanClick icon. It uses the HumanClick server, so all you have to do is register, embed icons in your pages and start enjoying a conversations with your surfers. Easy setup process...works with any PC and hosting provider.
(Last updated: 2/15/00)

Color Picker 2.0 -- Win9x, Win2K
Do you have your own web page, or maybe you just like to fiddle with HTML? As Hypertext Markup Language is becoming an increasingly prevalent and valuable skill, excellent utils like Color Picker 2.0 are all the more appreciated. Color Picker 2.0 is available as a Java applet for online use, with no download, or as a small freeware utility which can be downloaded and run locally with your browser.
(Last updated: 2/15/00)

Fortè Free Agent -- Win9x, Win2K
Arguably, the most valuable part of the "web" is the usenet. If you know how to use it, this is the best source for the most direct and helpful information available. One of the best ways to surf the usenet is with Free Agent. So, if you're interested in a superb alternative to the standard general purpose newsreaders that come with Netscape or Internet Explorer, download and install Fortè Free Agent.
(Last updated: 3/31/02)

Pegasus Mail -- Win3.x, Win9x, WinME, WinNTx, Win2K
Pegasus Mail, the Internet's longest-serving PC e-mail system. Pegasus Mail is a free, standards-based electronic mail client suitable for use by single or multiple users on single computers or on local area networks. A proven product, it has served millions of users since it was released in 1990. It is extremely feature-rich and powerful, yet remains small and fast. This is one of the original products from the early days of the Internet; its staying power is an indication of the quality of the product.
(Last updated: 4/10/01)

Eudora -- Win9x, WinME, WinNTx, Win2K, WinXP
Many veteran computer users out there prefer an alternative to Microsoft's Outlook Express and Netscape's Messenger. Eudora v5.1 is still ad sponsored and very full featured. Version 5.1 improves security, a significant concern, and has some new features that make it easier to use. One way or the other, it's a great e-mail client.
(Last updated: 3/30/02)

Super Gravity Unofficial Ver. 2.6 -- Win9x, WinME, WinNTx, Win2K, WinXP
Gravity is a 32-bit Usenet news reader for Win9x/NT/2K/XP. Discontinued by MicroPlanet, development has been taken up by others. It's a bit old fashioned, but it is another suitable alternative to the usual (vulnerable) Outlook Express. Special thanks to Brett, a reader from The Isle of Man, for bringing this program to my attention. Read more...
(Last updated: 3/30/02)

JetLinks v1.2 -- Win9x, Win2K
If you use multiple browsers, this should be of interest. I often scramble from one browser to the next trying to find where I bookmarked a particular web site a few days or weeks ago. The solution would be one good bookmark manager, of course. In spite of a luke warm review by ZDnet (what do they know anyway), Jetlinks V1.2 Bookmark Manager really does a stellar job of enabling you to easily manipulate large numbers of bookmarks. It specifically supports IEx, Netscape and Opera. Recommended to me by my good buddy Wendell, Jetlinks v1.2 has become an integral part of my Internet arsenal. Props to Wendell for the heads up.
(Last updated: 4/26/01)

E-Mail Notifier -- Win9x, Win2K
Rather than having to launch your e-mail client to check for mail occasionally, wouldn't it be nice to have a little program set up to just let you know when you have mail? Then you could retrieve it as and when you please. E-Mail Notifier will do just that. An elegant and simple utility that is very effective for retrieving your POP3 account mail.
(Last updated: 2/15/00)

DBXtract and MBXtract -- Win9x
A couple of my most savvy surfers have recommended this program. DBXtract for Outlook Express 5 users and MBXtract for Outlook Express 4 users, are small freeware programs that will extract Microsoft's proprietary mail files so that they can be saved.
(Last updated: 9/6/01)

NetStat Live -- Win9x, WinNtx, Win2K
Ever wondered just how fast your connection really is? Not just how fast the modem is connected at, but how much data you can actually get? Check out Analog X's NetStat Live, a small easy to use monitor which can be used to see your exact throughput, both incoming and outgoing - whether you're using a modem, cable modem, DSL, or even local network. Special thanks to Lil' Joe for the tip!
(Last updated: 6/1/00)

NetMonitor -- Win9x, Win2K
Curious about the speed of your Internet connection? With NetMonitor you can check statistics that let you know what's happening with your Internet connection. What's more, NetMonitor's interface is skinable and it shows KB received and sent as well as shows your transfer rate. Check out NETMonitor.
(Last updated: 2/15/00)

AnalogX Proxy -- Win9x, Win2K
How many computers do you have? How many Internet connections would you like to have. Need a freeware proxy server? I have just the thing. AnalogX has a simple freeware proxy server that's just right for your needs. The latest version, v4.03 includes some performance tweaks and added another FTP proxy mode.
(Last updated: 5/15/00)

iSpeed -- Win9x
I'm fortunate to have and enjoy cable access to the Internet. However, if you are one of the many folks out there using a telephone modem, you might just be interested in iSpeed. My friend Alex Byron let me know about this freeware util that will help you optimize your dialup connection speed. Seems the settings for TCP/IP connections established when installing Windows 95/98 or NT do not give you the optimal throughput for your Internet dialup networking connections. Your solution? iSpeed.
(Last updated: 2/15/00)

IE5 Goodies -- Win9x
In case you hadn't heard, Microsoft has a great set of enhancements for IE5. This great batch of goodies is just what you power surfers need in order to live a more fulfilled life. Honest. Nirvana is just around the corner. Really. Would I lie?
UPDATE: IE6 Internet Explorer Administration Kit: And now, for you IE6 guys and gals, I present for your surfing pleasure the IEAK 6. Trust me, just go read up about it.
(Last updated: 9/7/01)

WebFerret -- Win9x, Win2K
The folks over at FerretSoft have created a superb quality freeware utility for searching for and collecting data from the web. WebFerret is very popular because it is very good at what it does. If you search the web for information, have a look at WebFerret.
(Last updated: 1/26/02)

CacheSentry v1.49 -- Win9x, Win2K
How would you like more control over your cache in Internet Explorer? If you would prefer to set your cache to a specific size rather than a percentage of your HDD space and clear out the flotsam that IE can't on it's own, check out CacheSentry v1.49. It also addresses certain little known but potentially serious bugs in the way IE handles it's cache.
(Last updated: 8/21/00)

First Page 2000 v2.0 -- Win9x, WinNTx, WinME, Win2K
First Page 2000 is the best freeware HTML editor I've ever used. This is a professional caliber web builder, fully capable of creating and managing world-class Web sites. Its power and flexibility lets anyone create the web site they want. Thankfully, this is not a WYSIWYG editor. Ask any professional web builder and they'll tell you the sad stories behind using standard WYSIWYG editors. Professional web builders know that WYSIWYG editors never create clean html code which means they'll end up wasting more time fixing, cleaning and correcting code later on. With this common problem in mind, you'll be glad to hear that First Page never ruins HTML code. (Special thanks to Alex Byron for the heads up on this great product.)
(Last updated: 2/18/01)

EasyHTML -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K
Do you have a web page? Need a nice little freeware HTML editor? ToniArts has a very full featured freeware editor available that you may find is just the ticket. Check out EasyHTML.
(Last updated: 4/13/00)

EZpad 3.0 -- Win9x, Win2K
EZpad 3.0 is another good freeware HTML editor. This one hails from Iceland and it features a very advanced interface.
(Last updated: 5/11/00)

HTML Font Colorizer -- Win9x, Win2K
How many of you nice surfers out there write some HTML from time to time? Would you like to have yet another tool for making your web pages zippy in your arsenal? You need HTML Font Colorizer. See what it does? And it's a cinch to use as well. All you do is type in the text you'd like to "colorize", run the HTML Font Colorizer and copy and paste the code to your HTML document.
(Last updated: 3/22/00)

Jon's Downloader -- Win9x, Win2K
It is remarkably difficult to find a file download utility that isn't advertiser supported out there. The problem with ad supported downloader of course, is privacy, if not security; word on the web is that they track your browsing habits. Here's a refreshing alternative: Jon's Downloader performs batch HTTP or FTP downloads.
(Last updated: 4/10/00)

URL Remover -- Win9x, Win2K
Here's a nice little util for all you nice surfers out there. URL Remover is a product with which you can control the visited URLs in the address bar of IEx. You can search a list of URLs and remove the ones you choose.
(Last updated: 7/1/01)

MetaMan -- Win9x, WinNTx, Win2K
This one is for you web developers out there. MetaMan helps webmasters to create and validate their META-tags. Even some experienced webmasters don't know that if your META-tags are too long, they are ignored by the search engines. The result is an incorrect index of your page. Don't let this happen to you!
(Last updated: 1/21/03)

TakeAIM -- Win9x
Netscape users, would you like to remove that silly AIM instant messenger utility? Take a look at TakeAIM, a freeware utility for removing AOL's instant messenger.
(Last updated: 2/26/00)

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