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Weekend Open Forum: What are your software essentials?
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 install on your machine first thing after a clean install.
For me things have changed quite drastically since then. For the last year or so I've been using Mac OS X as my primary operating system so I was forced to research and, for the most part, become accustomed to a new assortment of apps to get stuff done. I still rely on Microsoft Office for word processing and firing up a spreadsheet once in a while, but I've switched browsers from Firefox to Chrome, my password manager from RoboForm to LastPass, and I don't run an anti-virus 24/7 anymore.
Other essentials: Mail.app, Adium for instant messaging, Dropbox for cloud storage and synchronization, Reeder for RSS feeds, Pixelmator for image editing, MPlayer OSX for video playback, Droplr for quick image sharing, Evernote for notetaking and archiving, Air Video to stream videos from my computer, among others.
What about you: what are your software essentials and how have they changed over the past few years?
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User Comments (77)
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SammyJames
on October 14, 2011 8:15 PM |
Cubase, Kontakt, FM8, Korg ALC, and ASIO4ALL. |
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dustin_ds3000
on October 14, 2011 8:53 PM |
After a clean install of windows the first things i install are Avast, FireFox, Steam. |
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Julio Franco
on October 14, 2011 9:02 PM |
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. |
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Guest
on October 14, 2011 9:08 PM |
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. |
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psp100travis
on October 14, 2011 9:11 PM |
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. |
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psp100travis
on October 14, 2011 9:12 PM |
Thats just the main ones i download first but i get alot more! Including photoshop and filezilla. |
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Clrabbit
on October 14, 2011 9:27 PM |
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 |
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mario
on October 14, 2011 9:52 PM |
All OS X: Sparrow, Quicksilver, Coda, Textmate, Transmission, TV Shows. |
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Guest
on October 14, 2011 9:55 PM |
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 |
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Wendig0
on October 14, 2011 10:13 PM |
Firefox VMware Workstation iTunes Spotify The entire MS Office 2010 suite Utorrent VLC Media Player Photoshop CS5 Avast Internet Security |
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TeamworkGuy2
on October 14, 2011 10:15 PM |
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) |
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rvnwlfdroid
on October 14, 2011 10:20 PM |
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. |
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rvnwlfdroid
on October 14, 2011 10:22 PM |
opps, forgot vlc player on that list. |
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Guest
on October 14, 2011 11:26 PM |
Ccleaner, Perfect Disk 12, Avast! 6.0, Catalyst, |
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ramonsterns
on October 14, 2011 11:59 PM |
uTorrent, CCleaner, Chrome, Media Player Classic, Skype, Steam, and Photoshop. |
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Guest
on October 15, 2011 12:18 AM |
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. |
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Guest
on October 15, 2011 12:25 AM |
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 |
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darkzelda
on October 15, 2011 12:38 AM |
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 |
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Jibberish18
on October 15, 2011 12:51 AM |
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 |
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Guest
on October 15, 2011 1:23 AM |
windows 7 home premium x64: vlc mediaplayer k-lite megacodec pack paint.net microsoft security essentials libreoffice mozilla firefox 7.0.1 ie9 ccleaner 7zip cyberlink photodirector 2011 (beta tester, given with retail key by cyberlink dap free orbit (secondary download manager) imageburn |
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Guest
on October 15, 2011 1:24 AM |
-chrome -ccleaner -malwarebytes antimalware -comodo (firewall only) -cdburnerxp -daemon tools lite -imgburn -notepad++ -utorrent -sabnzbd -nitro pdf reader (or foxit) -7zip -everything -cccp -sharepod -winamp -checksums |
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macazart
on October 15, 2011 1:32 AM |
-Firefox -CCleaner -AutoRuns -Process Explorer -Notepad++ -7zip -foobar2000 -CPUID Hardware Monitor -Internet Download Manager -Paint.NET -uTorrent -K-Lite Mega Codec Pack -Dataram RAMDisk -Daemon Tools Lite -Yahoo! Messenger |
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spydercanopus
on October 15, 2011 1:38 AM |
Alcohol 120, AnyDVDHD, Bullzip, CCleaner, ClownBD, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Handbrake, Karen's Directory Printer, Media Player Classic, Nero suite, Notepad ++, RAMDisk, Skype, Steam, TeamViewer, WinRAR |
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gwailo247
on October 15, 2011 3:58 AM |
Windows Update for 1 hour =P First security: MSE, Spybot S&D, Adaware Internet: Chrome and Firefox Then stuff to install other stuff: 7-zip, Quickpar, Daemon Tools Media: VLC, Media Player Classic The rest: Newsbin Pro, Skype, Adobe Reader, CC Cleaner, CPUID, CoreTemp, LibreOffice, MixMeister, Steam, CD Burner XP |
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M1r
on October 15, 2011 4:55 AM |
Chrome AVG Flash Player Porn |
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