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Weekend Open Forum: What are your software essentials?

Discussion in 'TechSpot News and Comments' started by Jos, Oct 14, 2011.

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  1. Jos TechSpot Staff Posts: 1,670   +22

    Let's revisit an old topic for this installment of the Weekend Open Forum. Three years ago we asked about your software 'essentials', those that you rely on everyday and usually…

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  2. SammyJames TechSpot Enthusiast Posts: 167

    Cubase, Kontakt, FM8, Korg ALC, and ASIO4ALL.
  3. dustin_ds3000 TechSpot Chancellor Posts: 1,096

    After a clean install of windows the first things i install are Avast, FireFox, Steam.
  4. Julio Franco TechSpot Editor Posts: 6,050   +121

    Nice one, Jose.

    Today vs. three years ago (in parenthesis): Lastpass (Roboform), Firefox/Chrome (Firefox).
    Same as before but newer versions: Office, Trillian, Fireworks, WinSCP, Ultraedit, VLC.
    New: Droplr, Filezilla (mac), Textwrangler (mac)
    Don't use anymore: SecureCRT, Popfile

    Web-based: Gmail, Google Calendar + Chartbeat, Backpack
    Other apps for specific uses: uTorrent/Transmission, Notepad, Frontpage, IE, OpenVPN, WinMerge.

    All in all, the apps I use daily have changed very little.
  5. Free Download manager, uTorrent, Ccleaner, Defraggler, VLC media player, Shark007 codecs, Firefox, Chrome, Google talk, MS office, Openoffice, Avast, Teamviewer, Teracopy, 7-zip, Adobe reader, Audacity, X-lite, LastPass.

    Yes, I have a long list.
  6. psp100travis Newcomer, in training

    After I install windows 7 or XP I usually download and install avast, firefox, ccleaner, itunes, and flash player. All my computers have to have these. Plus a few addons for firefox.
     
  7. psp100travis Newcomer, in training

    Thats just the main ones i download first but i get alot more! Including photoshop and filezilla.
  8. Clrabbit Newcomer, in training Posts: 90

    Basic essentials:

    Art: Illuststudio + Faststone Maxview

    Media: Foobar 2000 + Audacity + Media player classic HC + AviSynth

    Internet: Opera + Palmoon + Aurora + Iron + Privoxy + Windows firewall control + Miranda + PuTTY + FileZilla

    Office: Libra office + *Palmoon (Custom portable CMS) + Evince + WordWeb

    Tools: X-Mouse + Auto Hot Key + Unlocker + Hash Tabs + 7-zip + CDisplayEx + virtual Box

    Games: Dolphin + PCSX2 + Minesweeper Pro
  9. mario TechSpot Developer Posts: 384   +6

    All OS X:

    Sparrow, Quicksilver, Coda, Textmate, Transmission, TV Shows.
  10. Opera
    Firefox
    Comodo AV
    Sandboxie
    Virtualbox
    Copernic Dektop Search
    Picasa
    K-Lite Mega Codec Pack with Media Player Classic
    Daemon tools
    Utorrent
    Shareaza
    notepad++
    audacity
    avidemux
    C(rap)Cleaner
    PDFCreator
    Foxit reader
    7zip
    Unlocker
    ... and that's all
  11. Wendig0 TechSpot Paladin Posts: 998   +47

    Firefox
    VMware Workstation
    iTunes
    Spotify
    The entire MS Office 2010 suite
    Utorrent
    VLC Media Player
    Photoshop CS5
    Avast Internet Security
  12. TeamworkGuy2 TechSpot Enthusiast Posts: 195

    I like to keep my programs to a minimum, although I am not sure if this benefits or hiders me more.
    *Firefox Beta
    *Java (32 and 64 bit and 64 bit JDK)
    *eclipse (for Java programming)
    *PDF X-Change (fast, has a firefox plugin)
    *open office (saved me 100 bucks)
    *PSPad Editor (got it a while ago for hexadecimal editing and have never switched over to something more feature rich like notepad++)
    *gimp (so many features once you figure out how to use them)
    *VLC media player (when windows media player can't open a file, I like how it does not have to install, you just unzip the download folder and place it where ever you want)
  13. rvnwlfdroid Newcomer, in training Posts: 63

    After a clean install of windows.

    Office Suite
    Daemon Tools
    winrar
    XBMC
    Adobe X Suite
    DVDFab
    Misc DVD/Bluray Software (BDInfo,eac3to,EAC3toGUI,Ripbot,tsMuxer,VDubMod)
    Nero
    Android SDK Tools
    WBFS Manager
    Calibre

    That covers just about everything that I would use on a semi regular basis. Although I should add Ghost to that as well since I use that to create/restore an image with the (core) software.
  14. rvnwlfdroid Newcomer, in training Posts: 63

    opps, forgot vlc player on that list.
  15. Ccleaner, Perfect Disk 12, Avast! 6.0, Catalyst,
  16. ramonsterns TechSpot Enthusiast Posts: 752   +12

    uTorrent, CCleaner, Chrome, Media Player Classic, Skype, Steam, and Photoshop.
  17. Media:
    VLC
    DivX
    PowerDVD9 (for Blu-Ray playback)

    Social:
    Windows Live Messenger
    Skype

    Other stuff:
    Ccleaner
    WinRAR
    CPUID's CPU-Z
    CPUID's HWMonitor
    Adobe Flash
    Adobe Acrobat Reader

    I like to keep it light.
  18. firefox & lots of addons
    utorrent
    kaspersky anti-virus
    comodo firewall
    malware bytes
    ccleaner
    rainmeter
    codex pack for windows media player
    deamon tools
    word / excel / pp
    paint.net
    autocad
    sketchup
  19. darkzelda Newcomer, in training Posts: 38

    Opera of course
    Ccleaner
    Steam
    AIMP Player
    K-Lite Codec Pack
    MatLab
    Microsoft Office
    Rdesc
    Trillian
    Avira
    CD Burner XP
    Fraps
    Core Temp
    PDF-Viewer
    7-Zip
    MP3 Tag
    Catalyst
    And many more actually
  20. Jibberish18 TechSpot Maniac Posts: 427   +7

    Windows:
    Auslogics Disk Defrag
    CC Cleaner
    Flash
    Browsers (Depends on type of computer and user but Firefox for me)
    If XP then Taskbar Shuffle is a must
    Microsoft Security Essentials
    VLC Player or K-Lite Codecs For WinMPlayer
    Paint.net
    Java
    Foxit or Sumatra PDF Reader

    OSX:
    Transmission
    Handbrake
    Just Looking
    Sophos Anti Virus
    The UnArchiver
    Flip4Mac
    Perian
    iZip or Keka
    Burn Or SimplyBurns