Software and tools
I have tried to gather a list of software and tools that can help make your life as a computer user easier. I have tried all these products and use
many of them myself. Which software to use is a personal choice, but I have described a group of programs in this guide which I recommend and find to
be a very good choice in their respective category.
By: Admin
Email:
Published:
2006.09.26 - 19:23
Mark: Unrated
It's a jungle
There is an obscene amount of software available for computer users today. It can be quite an ordeal to navigate through the jungle of applications to
find the tools that suits your needs. There are many similar programs created by different developers that serve more or less the same purpose. So
which programs should you choose?
Support open source
tow.no indorses open source software. The big software companies with Microsoft leading the way makes a lot of money selling products that often have
better and also free open source alternatives. Open source software is applications where the program source code is available for everybody. The
idealistic developers that make open source software does not do it for anything other than personal achievement, and maybe to get a little
acknowledgement from users and other programmers. It is often a team effort where many developers join forces, making for a strong and sturdy product
design. They are very susceptible to tips and input from users, which is what drives the continuation of the product, making debugging and feature
updating easier for the developers.
Choose open source software and show your support for the developers that busts their humps to deliver the best products on the market, cost free!
My recommendations
I have made a "short" list of programs that I find very useful and that I use a lot. Some of the applications are simply necessary for modern day
computer users, such as web browsers, anti-virus and software firewalls. Other programs are just to make life as a geek easier to handle.
Below is a list of the programs that I use and that I recommend that you take a look at. Not all items are freeware, but I have tried to include
freeware alternatives for the most necessary applications. So click the
links to see more detailed information.
Anti-virus software [Back to top]
Anti-virus programs are very important for all computer users. There are many viruses and worms out there, and as we all use the internet for sharing
information and data the threat will only grow.
There are a huge number of manufacturers that offer AV (Anti-Virus) engines. Some of the most popular manufacturers include Symantec, McAfee, Norman,
Trend Micro, Panda, Sophos and many more. The programs have many features besides the scan engine itself. Real time protection is one of the most
important features for preventing attacks. They usually also offer email scanning, and some times also have a built in software firewall.
Trend Micro PC-cillin [Back to top]
I have tried many types of AV software. They all offer good protection and user friendly interfaces. The problem with many AV programs is their
consumption of system resources when the real time protection is activated. The PC-cillin engine from Trend Micro is one of the lightest AV programs I
have tried. The protection quality is not taxed at all. And they update their virus definitions constantly (usually every day), making sure that your
computer safe from the latest threats.
PC-cillin is not freeware, but for the quality of the product it is worth the cost. A trial version can be downloaded from their web page.
Manufacturer: Trend
Micro
Web page: www.trendmicro.com
License: 30 day trial | Single user version: €40 / $50
Platforms: Windows XP / 2000 / Me / 98
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition [Back to top]
If you do not want to spend money on AV software there are manufacturers that offer free AV engines. One of the most popular is
the free version of AVG
Anti-Virus from Grisoft. It has limited features but include the most important ones, like scan engine, real time protection, email scanning and live
updates of virus definitions.
Manufacturer:
Grisoft
Web page: www.grisoft.com
License: Free | Full single user version: €32 / $40
Platforms: Windows XP / 2000 | Linux
Software firewalls [Back to top]
A software firewall is program that protects your computer from attacks via the net connection (local network or internet). There are many reasons why
someone would like to gain access to your computer and they are all equally unwanted. The software firewall monitors net traffic and stops the traffic
that it suspects can be harmful.
Many manufacturers offer software firewalls as stand-alone programs or as part of a security package which also includes anti-virus software.
Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall [Back to top]
Kerio Personal Firewall was developed by Kerio Technologies but has been purchased by Sunbelt Software
and is now known as Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall.
This firewall has a wide range of features that makes it one of the best security tools available. It has two different settings in how it sets it
protection level. The basic setting is for novice users and has a preset level of control on the net traffic. It will stop traffic that are obvious
attack attempts, but might neglect to discover more hidden attack attempts. In the advanced setting (which I recommend) all traffic is stopped at
installation time, and the user chooses the individual applications and access attempts that should be allowed. This can be allowed permanently, or as
single occurrences.
Other features include application execution control, web control with ad and script blocking and trusted network control.
Manufacturer:
Sunbelt Software (earlier owned by Kerio Technologies)
Web page: www.sunbelt-software.com
License: 30 day trial | Single user version: €12 / $15
Platforms: Windows XP / 2000
ZoneAlarm Firewall [Back to top]
ZoneAlarm is a free software firewall for home use. It has full anti-hacking and network protection support. It is an improvement over the built-in
Windows firewall and is a good choice if you want free firewall security.
Manufacturer: Zone
Labs
Web page: www.zonelabs.com
License: Free | Full single user version: €32 / $40
Platforms: Windows XP / 2000
Adware, spyware and malware tools [Back to top]
Adware, spyware and malware are small unwanted software components that might infect you computer when you are surfing on suspicious web sites or when
you download non-certified software where the ad/spy/mal-ware has been integrated.
Adware will infiltrate your system and will promote advertisement by displaying it as pop-up’s or by other means show and download such material.
Spyware will spy and track information about your computer habits and your system which it sends to the creators of that spyware. They can then use or
sell that information in any way they see fit, without you ever knowing about it.
Malware is software that will interfere more noticeably with you system. It can interact with installed software and harm your computer in many ways. A
normal function for malware is to redirect your web browser to specific web sites of their choosing.
Spyware Doctor [Back to top]
This is a very effective ad/spy/mal-ware removal tool. It has a scan engine with definitions that are updated regularly. It also has true time
protection that will detect any unauthorized files and scripts that
try to gain access to your system. The true time engine can be switched of if you are concerned
about resource usage.
Manufacturer: PC
Tools Software
Web page: www.pctools.com
License: 30 day trial | Single user version: €24 / $30
Platforms: Windows XP / 2000
Ad-aware SE Personal [Back to top]
One of the most used ad/spy/mal-ware removal tools for private computer users. It has online definition update and is quite efficient and user
friendly.
Manufacturer:
Lavasoft
Web page: www.lavasoft.de
License: Free | Full version: €33 / $42
Platforms: Windows XP / 2000
Web browsers [Back to top]
There are many developers that are offering web browsers which are better, safer, faster and more reliable that the much flawed Internet Explorer that
comes with Microsoft Windows. As a web surfer, safety is a major concern as we more frequently use the internet to perform the tasks we earlier had to
go to the bank, post office or government offices to carry out. Mischievous web sites might gain access to your system through your web browser, so it
is imperative that your software is able to fend off such attacks.
Safety has been an issue with Internet Explorer since its birth. So I seldom use it for other tasks than to view badly constructed web sites that have
only been tested in IE and have no portability to other browsers.
Mozilla Firefox [Back to top]
This open source browser which has its roots in the Netscape Navigator browser
and has quickly grown to become the most popular browser alternative on the
market. The core package is fast and quite light compared to IE and you use add-ons to increase its features as you see fit. This means that you can
customize the browser with as many or as few tools and features as you want.
Manufacturer: Mozilla Foundation
Web page: www.mozilla.org
License: Free
Platforms: Windows (All) | Linux | Mac OS X
Opera [Back to top]
Opera is a new independent web browser with a wide range of built in features. Developed by the Norwegian based Opera Software, it has gotten a
reputation for been a very good, safe and reliable browser, and is increasing in popularity by both experienced and novice users.
Manufacturer: Opera Software
Web page: www.opera.com
License: Free
Platforms: Windows (All) | Linux | Mac OS X | Solaris | and
more...
Email clients and tools [Back to top]
Many users use web based email systems such as Hotmail or Gmail. More
experienced users often choose to use email clients where writing,
editing, sending and saving emails are much easier.
Email clients are programs that run on your computer and that communicate with the email server and downloads the email messages to your PC. For
Windows users the usual email client is Microsoft Outlook or the smaller Outlook Express which is included in the Windows installation. But there exist
very good alternatives to these clients, with many improvements regarding user friendliness, speed and safety issues.
Mozilla Thunderbird [Back to top]
Thunderbird is a free open source email client developed by the Mozilla corp. It has powerful security features, including spam filter, anti-phishing
protection and many advanced safety options. It supports POP, IMAP and HTML email systems. And has also a built-in RSS feed browser.
Manufacturer: Mozilla Foundation
Web page: www.mozilla.org
License: Free
Platforms: Windows (All) | Linux | Mac OS X
Plaxo [Back to top]
Keeping your contacts up-to-date can be a meticulous job, especially if your contact book is large. Plaxo is a tool which makes this task much easier.
It connects Plaxo users in such a way that when a user updates hers/his contact information it is transmitted to every user that is connected with that
user, updating the contact book entry automatically.
The Plaxo service also makes backup of your whole contact book and store it on their online server so that it can be restored if you suffer a system
crash or in other ways lose your contacts.
Manufacturer: Plaxo Inc.
Web page: www.plaxo.com
License: Free
Platforms: Microsoft Outlook / Outlook Express | Mozilla Thunderbird |
Internet Explorer (with Yahoo! Mail) | Mac OS X | and more…
Web tools [Back to top]
The internet can be used for other things than surfing and email. There exist many protocols and services which can be useful for many different
purposes. The main goal of the internet network is to transmit data between computers, and that data doesn’t have to be emails or web pages. It can be
files, voice, video and many other formats. Many tools exist that operate with these different types of data.
LeechFTP [Back to top]
The File Transfer Protocol, as the name suggests, is for transmitting files between computer systems. LeechFTP is a small and easy multi thread FTP
client. I like this program because of its easy user interface and because of its quick multi thread capability. Opening more threads in other FTP
clients can be more painstaking than it needs to be. And if it is anything that turns me off more with respect to software it is complexity of use.
The development of LeechFTP has ceased. No updates will be available. The latest release has some minor bugs, but its upsides outweigh those by a long
shot.
Manufacturer: None (developed by Jan Debis)
Web page: None (can be downloaded from download.com)
License: Free
Platforms: Windows (All)
Skype [Back to top]
Skype is a free internet voice chat service that also has the possibility of calling from their internet client to almost any telephone system. Calling
from client to client does not cost anything beyond your internet subscription. To call land based and mobile telephone services you need to deposit
credit to you Skype account which you then can use to call almost any telephone number at quite low rates.
Other features include conference calls, text chat and video cast using your web camera while voice chatting.
Manufacturer: Skype Ltd.
Web page: www.skype.com
License: Free
Platforms: Windows (All) | Linux | Mac OS X
Webmaster and web developer tools [Back to top]
Many tools exist to aid webmaster in creating, posting and servicing web sites and systems. There are many standards and systems that can be used when
developing web applications, and different tools the help make it easier to be a webmaster.
Abyss Web Server X1 [Back to top]
More than 90% of all web sites are run on Microsoft IIS and Apache web servers. These servers are heavy to run and have many features that are not
needed for simple web pages.
The Abyss X1 Web Server is a small and flexible system that is incredibly easy to use and have a wide range of features. If you want to run your own
little web site or want a local web server to use in the development phase of a more complex web site, then Abyss is a perfect choice. It has support
for server scripts (PHP, Perl, ASP and more), database support (through server scripts), CGI with ISAPI, web based configuration and many other
features.
Manufacturer: Aprelium Technologies
Web page: www.aprelium.com
License: Free | Full version (X2): €48 / $60
Platforms: Windows (All) | Linux | Mac OS X | FreeBSD
File share [Back to top]
The practice of sharing files is as old as the internet, and is one of its main purposes. Today file sharing is understood as user to user sharing by
means of Peer-to-peer networks (P2P), which means that the files are not stored on a centralized server. Many P2P networks exist. Amongst these are the
eDonkey network, Gnutella networks and BitTorrent network.
Azureus [Back to top]
Azureus is a Java™ based BitTorrent client. It has a user friendly interface and many features to aid in downloading and sharing files.
Manufacturer: Aelitis (independent developers)
Web page: azureus.sourceforge.net
License: Free
Platforms: Windows (All) | Linux | Mac OS X | FreeBSD
Media players and tools [Back to top]
Often the main use of home owned computer users is to store and display different types of media. With the evolution of the digital camera people use
computers to store their pictures, but also for video, movies and not least of all music and sound files. There are media players bundled with most
computer operating systems, but users often want more features and flexibility.
WinAmp [Back to top]
One of the most renowned and celebrated media players on the market, WinAmp has been in the game from the very beginning. Its features include
changeable skin, media library functions, internet radio and TV support. Full version also includes sound ripping in many formats and built in CD
burning engine.
Manufacturer: Nullsoft
Web page: www.winamp.com
License: Free | Full version: €16 / $20
Platforms: Windows (All)
Media Player Classic [Back to top]
The early Windows Media Player was a light and fast player, but lacked many features that is found in media players nowadays. The current Windows Media
Player is fully featured but is large and uses a lot of resources.
Media Player Classic is fully featured player based on the old WMP. It has all the features of the latest players, but with the lightness of a much
simpler player.
Mp3tag [Back to top]
If you are a neat freak like me you want to have your MP3 files organized to make it easier to find what you are looking for. People have different
ways of organizing their MP3s, so changing names and tags can be a painstaking task.
Mp3tag is an amazing tool for organizing bulks of MP3s. You can change filenames, folder names and tags in any customized fashion. Using freedb you
automatically get the artist, album and song name making it all very easy.
Manufacturer: None (developed by Florian Heidenreich)
Web page: www.mp3tag.de
License: Free
Platforms: Windows XP / 2000
dBpowerAMP Music Converter [Back to top]
There are many audio file formats out there. With the increasing popularity of portable media players it is useful to convert between file formats.
With the dBpowerAMP Music Converter you can easily change the format of the most usual audio media types. File types supported include MP3, MP4, WMA,
WAV, OGG, AAC and more.
Manufacturer: Illustrate
Web page: www.dbpoweramp.com
License: 30 day trial | Full version: €11 / $14
Platforms: Windows (All) | Linux
System tools [Back to top]
It can be a painstaking task to maintain your personal computer. Luckily there are many tools to help you to keep your machine healthy and running. In
this paragraph I have gathered some very useful applications.
jv16 Power Tools [Back to top]
The jv16 tool pack contains many tools that are useful for your Windows system. Over time your OS can get clogged up and it can be hard to get an
overview over what can be discarded without damaging your system. With jv16 you can remove all unwanted and unnecessary items. This is a really great
tool, but can be harmful if you do not know what you are doing.
Manufacturer: Macecraft Software
Web page: www.jv16.org
License: 30 day trial | Full version: €24 / $30
Platforms: Windows (All)
Perfect Disk [Back to top]
When you install, uninstall, delete and move files around on your hard drive they will become split up and fragmented, making your system slower.
Windows has a built-in defragmenter, but it has limited options.
Perfect Disk is a great tool for optimization of your hard drive files, and is a nice improvement of the Windows defragmenter.
Manufacturer: Raxco Software
Web page: www.raxco.com
License: Free | Full single user version: €24 / $30
Platforms: Windows (All)
Security Task Manager [Back to top]
Pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del on your Windows system will open the Windows Task Manager. There you can see which applications you have running, which processes
(or services) are running and information about processor load, network load and users. I find that the information offered by the Task Manager is
limited and inconclusive.
Security Task Manager is very good substitute for the Windows generic Task Manager. It offers much improved information and has several useful tools to
aid you in the management of your system.
Manufacturer: Neuber Software
Web page: www.neuber.com
License: Free | Full single user version: €24 / $30
Platforms: Windows (All)
Daemon Tools [Back to top]
This great tool is a CD/DVD drive emulator. You can create virtual ROM’s from almost any CD/DVD image. It has many emulation options allowing you to
bypass almost any copy protection out there.
Manufacturer: Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Web page: www.daemon-tools.cc
License: Free | Full version €14 / $16
Platforms: Windows (All)
WinRAR [Back to top]
Earlier the archive applications were used to compress files in order to save space on cramped hard drives. Today disk space is hardly an issue.
Archive software is instead used to collect multiple files and folders in to one manageable file for sending or storage.
Many archive file types exist. With WinRAR you can manage almost any type. The RAR archive type developed by RarLab is also one of the most widely used
on the market.
Manufacturer: RarLab
Web page: www.rarlab.com
License: 30 day trial | Full single user version: €30 /
$38
Platforms: Windows (All)
MoveOnBoot [Back to top]
If you want to delete a file that has been locked by a program or a virus then Move On Boot is the key. It will execute in the very beginning of the
next start-up, before activation of any file lock or idle viruses.
Manufacturer: Gibin Software House
Web page: www.gibinsoft.net
License: Free
Platforms: Windows (All)
Alcohol 120% [Back to top]
This tool is one of the best on the market when it comes to creating, burning and editing CD-ROM image files. It has many emulation options if you need
any special formats. It can also create virtual CD drives from your images. A superb application!
Manufacturer: Alcohol Software
Web page: www.alcohol-soft.com
License: 30 day trial | Full single user version: €43 /
$54
Platforms: Windows (All)
StyleXP [Back to top]
Changing the appearance of your Windows system can be a pain. Changing skins, text and buttons makes using your computer a more personal experience, so
many people struggle with the limited options that is built into the Windows interface.
With StyleXP changing skins and logon screens is as easy as smoke. On the TGTSoft homepage you can also find a huge amount of user created skins and
additions. It is easy to use, but be aware of the resource consumption. It is a heavy process to run.
Manufacturer: TGTSoft
Web page: www.tgtsoft.com
License: 30 day trial | Full version: €16 / $20
Platforms: Windows XP
Other tools [Back to top]
Here are some other helpful tools that I use often. These are the applications that does not fit into any of the other categories.
TextPad [Back to top]
There are a huge amount of text editors available. They all have many of the same features that are expected from such an application.
I have used TextPad for some time and find it to be one of the best I have tried. It supports spellchecking for lots of languages, code development
highlighting and many other useful features.
Manufacturer: Helios Software Solutions
Web page: www.textpad.com
License: 30 day trial | Full version: €24 / $30
Platforms: Windows (All)
Damn NFO Viewer [Back to top]
Many software developers use the NFO file format for information files about their applications. In regular text editors the NFO text might look
strange. Damn NFO Viewer is a very small text editor and viewer specialized for the NFO format. A very nice little application.
Manufacturer: Damn
Web page: www.damn.to
License: Free
Platforms: Windows (All)
