GREAT SOFTWARE LIST

GNU/LINUX DISTROS
Linux Mint (F)
Linux Mint is an Ubuntu-based distribution whose goal is to provide a more complete out-of-the-box experience by including browser plugins, media codecs, support for DVD playback, Java and other components. Linux Mint is compatible with Ubuntu software repositories.

SimplyMEPIS (F)
MEPIS Linux is a Debian-based desktop Linux distribution designed for both personal and business purposes. It includes cutting-edge features such as a live, installation and recovery CD, superior hardware detection and configuration, NTFS partition resizing, ACPI power management, WiFi support, anti-aliased TrueType fonts, a personal firewall, all in KDE. I love this.

FreeBSD (F)
Not a Linux distro per se, but FreeBSD offers advanced networking, performance, security and compatibility features today which are still missing in other operating systems, even some of the best commercial ones. This loaded in only 12 minutes on my system, including HD reformats!

ZenWalk (F)
A Slackware-based GNU/Linux operating system with a goal of being slim and fast by using only one application per task and with focus on graphical desktop and multimedia usage. Modular, customizable, and lets you get straight to work with the most popular apps.

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TEXT EDITING
EmEditor Pro
Well-designed for power, dazzling speed, and ease of use. Get this.

UltraEdit
Wonderful in almost every way, has a Lifetime License option, and is great for writers, not just coders.

E Text Editor
Exciting, unique, powerful, and customizable. Wow.

Emacs (F, Linux)
The most powerful and customizable of the bunch, this modular IDE is many programs in one.

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WORD PROCESSING
OpenOffice Writer (F)
The Open Source powerhouse with a universal file format, great usability, and runs on every platform. Also check out IBM's Lotus Symphony.

Zoho Writer (F)
Zoho brings never-seen-before tools to the word processor. I love this.

Google Docs (F)
Fast, responsive, and doesn't let you make a mistake.

LaTeX (F)
A typesetting program for technical and scientific documentation (among other tasks).

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OFFICE TOOLS
MoffSoft Calculator
Simple, powerful, flexible, customizable. Does every damn thing.

Master Converter
Now I know that kbps is a measure of bandwidth!

Visual Thesaurus
Oh god, this app will make you a word smackfu master.

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SYSTEM TOOLS
Autoruns (F)
Lets you control what programs run during Windows' system boot.

Process Explorer (F)
Shows you info about which handles and DLLs processes are opened or loaded.

VMWare Workstation
Virtualization app that allows you to evaluate software safely or use when needed.

Everest Diagnostic Utility
Incredible system diagnostics and benchmarking app.

TuneUp Utilities
Corrects problems and optimizes your system.

Find and Run Robot (F)
Rapidly find programs or documents with one key press.

CopyWipe
Securely overwrite data when retiring a HD or prevent data from being recovered.

Eraser (F)
Wipes clean all the free space on your computer, truly erasing all deleted files.

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IMAGE VIEWERS/EDITORS
ACDSee
The best photo viewer, graphic converter, and image management tool. Period.

XnView (F)
Freeware viewer and editor that holds its own against any other.

FastStone MaxView (F)
Fantastic little app for opening photos for a customizable quick views.

PicaJet FX
An image management and organization tool that is somewhat similar to ACDSee.

IrfanView (F)
A perennial crowd favorite for good reason — it works very well with any format.

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GRAPHICS, IMAGE TOOLS
PhotoFiltre Studio
Solid image editor that can do most of the tasks you'll need every day.

GIMP Image Editor (F)
A high-end image editor that runs on multiple platforms. Excellent!

Noiseware
Makes digital photos better by expert noise reduction.

Screenshot Captor (F)
Incredible donationware screen capture utility that will instantly impress you.

SnagIt Screen Capture
Sets the standard for all other screen capture utilities. Takes some setup.

Multiple Image Resizer (F)
Easy, fast, accurate — that's what I like!

Pixeur (F)
Finds and displays the RGB, Hex, and Long value of any color you select.

PTgui
Panoramic photo stitching software for Windows and OS X. Incredible!

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PRINTING, FONTS, PDF
Cfont Pro Font Manager (F)
Surpasses every other font manager to make it the first choice on my list.
Well worth a donation.

FinePrint
Virtual printing utility that saves you a ton of paper every year.

PDF Factory Pro Damn fine and highly accurate PDF printer utility. You'll love it.

Foxit PDF Reader (F)
Small, clean, fast, and free, Foxit renders PDF files with great speed.

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MULTIMEDIA, VIDEO EDITING
VLC, VideoLAN media player
Cool cross-platform media player and streaming server. Plays everything I throw at it.

Miro Media Player (F)
Cross-platform media player to die for, even saves YouTube videos for you.

VirtualDub (F)
Extremely efficient video capture and processing program.

Video Edit Magic
Video editing tool that includes advanced features, but is easy to use.

ConvertXtoDVD
Converts any video file format (DivX, AVI, WMV, etc.) to a DVD-compliant video.

TMPGEnc (F)
MPEG-1,2 encoder that can convert and compress your video file in high quality.

GSpot Codec Info App (F)
Allows you to see what codecs you need installed to watch a video.

ProShow Gold
Allows you to create stunning and professional slide shows.

AudioGrabber (F)
Useful tool for CD-ripping and producing MP3s.

Exact Audio Copy (F)
Advanced tool for CD-ripping and producing MP3s.

Audacity audio editor (F)
Solid cross-platform audio editor that makes editing easy.

DVD Shrink (F) Tool for fitting a DVD-Video disc on a single DVD.

AnyDVD
Allows you to decrypt CSS-encrypted DVDs and remove their region codes on the fly.

ImgBurn (F)
Enables you to burn CD/DVD images with ease.

IsoBuster Pro
Powerful utility that can extract, create, edit, and convert CD/DVD image files.

UltraISO
Powerful utility that can extract, create, edit, and convert CD/DVD image files.

MagicScore Maestro
Music notation software for musicians. Great for collegers.

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SCRIPTING
AutoHotkey
Windows scripting utility to create your own macros and hotkeys. Get this. Learn this.

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WEB-DEV: CSS, RSS, FTP
KompoZer (F)
An excellent HTML/CSS editor built on the NVU architecture. Works on Linux as well.

Microsoft Expression Web
Much better than its given credit for being, and damn easy to use.

WordPress (F)
Besides being the best blogging platform, WordPress serves well as a CMS, with broad features that will grow with you.

SilverStripe (F)
One of the most promising CMS apps to come around in years. Build and manage websites, forms, manage contacts without going through email, and auto resampling. Wow!

Opera browser (F)
The most accurate CSS browser ever built, to a fault, and my personal favorite.

Mozilla Firefox (F)
Wildly popular browser that is extensible, customizable, and updated frequently.

Website-Watcher
Allows you to monitor changes in any website, while doubling as an RSS reader.

FTPRush
Great FTP client that has set a new standard for all.

PADGen (F)
Creates perfect PAD files (Portable Application Descriptions) for your programs.

AM-DeadLink (F)
Detects dead links in your browser's bookmarks or favorites folders.

Xenu's Link Sleuth (F)
Also detects dead links in your website's external links.

XSite link extractor (F)
Load and parse any webpage into a simple structured view, seeing every link.

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USENET, P2P/FILE SHARING TOOLS
NewsLeecher
Top-of-the-line newsreader that downloads anything via Usenet.

Pan Newsreader (F)
A Linux (GNOME) newsreader that is a lot like XNews. Easy, fast, and it works well.

Giganews
The proven best Usenet server you'll find. Get the Unlimited account, too.

WinRAR
The master of all archive tools, WinRAR can do almost everything.

QuickPAR (F)
Utility for creating, checking, and extracting Parity Volumes (PAR files).

NetLimiter Pro
Limits your download/upload bandwidth speed during peak times per app.

PowerPost-A&A (F)
An app for consistently and intelligently posting files to Usenet.

FastStone MaxView (F)
Fantastic little app for opening photos for a customizable quick views.

SFV Checker
Tool that ensures your multi-volume file archives are complete and accurate.

File Splitter and Joiner (F)
Allows you to quickly split and rejoin large text or binary files.

Miranda IM client (F)
A flexible, modular open-source multi-protocol instant messenger.

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FILE MANAGEMENT; RENAMING
XYplorer File Manager
Best all-around customizable file manager with great support, customizable keyboard shortcuts, scripting, and incredible search capabilities. XYplorer also offers both a free, older version and a Lifetime license option if you prefer at a fraction of the cost of Directory Opus.

Bulk Rename Utility (F)
A well-designed fast, easy renamer with all its functions on one screen.

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ARCHIVE, SYNCHING, DOWNLOAD TOOLS
Super Flexible File Synchronizer
Advanced, full of high-end features, and is the class of the category. Comes in Linux, Windows, and even Mac versions.

WinRAR
The master of all archive tools, WinRAR can do almost everything.

7-Zip (F)
Powerful open source archiver that lets you move to 7z format if you choose. Great for splitting files, too.

UltraISO
Image utility for creating, editing, and converting CDs/DVDs.

Teleport Pro
High-end, easy-to-use tool for getting (leeching) data or entire websites. Launch up to ten simultaneous retrieval threads, access password-protected sites, filter files by size and type, search for keywords, and much more. It has the most fully-featured webspider available, and it handles today's more complex websites flawlessly.

NeoDownloader
Download photos, music, movies, and walk away.

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SECURITY, PRIVACY TOOLS
CCleaner (F)
Removes unused and temporary files from your system.

TrueCrypt disk encryption (F)
Keeps your secrets secret and tell snoops to bugger off.