Recommended Software
Security | Browser/Email/FTP | Viewers | Office & Text Editors | Utilities
Most of this software works only on Windows. See my recommendations for Mac and Linux users.
Review The Installation Options
When installing any software, be sure to carefully read each of the selected options pages for unwanted software and addons like toolbars (not recommended for privacy reasons) to avoid future problems and conflicts with existing software.
Invest in Good Software
There's a lot of excellent free software but the software developer can often only justify their time invested in making new improvements or fixes if there is income as a result. Purchasing shareware or providing a donation to the developer of useful software makes it more likely that it will be available to you in the future.
Security Software
ZoneAlarm | AVG | Antispyware
ZoneAlarm Security Suites
I strongly recommend a current version of ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite or ZoneAlarm Extreme Security (which provides better protection while using your web browser).
The ZoneAlarm 2012 product line (version 10.0.240.000 or newer) provide better security with an easier interface (Maximum Security | Minimum Effort):
- Download ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite and save up to 50%
—Essential antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall protection for your PC. (firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, more… Reg. USD 69.95 for up to 3 PCs)
- ZoneAlarm Extreme Security and save up to 50%
—The most comprehensive suite on the market. Protects your PC, your browser, and your data. (firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, hard drive encryption, more… Reg. USD 79.95 for up to 3 PCs)
All prices indicated are for a one-year subscription and subject to change.
More Information
There is more information about ZoneAlarm, including how to configure it and links to the free version on my ZoneAlarm Security page.
AVG Antivirus
Free Home Protection
AVG has a free personal edition that plays nicely with ZoneAlarm Free (unlike current versions of Norton) and provides decent coverage for home users (this free version is not licensed for commercial use).
AVG Free 2011 is available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Download AVG Free with one of the following options:
- AVG Download Manager (approx. 4MB — requires web access to download the needed components, but best if you don't know which of the other two to download)
- AVG for Windows (32bit) (approx. 137MB)
- AVG for Windows (64bit) (approx. 156MB)
Hint: read all the screens carefully so that you get to the correct download page. Upgrades with a price indicated are not free (nor is TrialPay — you're required to purchase other products to get your "free" product).
Full (or Commercial Use) Protection
If you are downloading the free version, be sure to check out the Choose your protection level and AVG Free limitations to see the advantages of AVG Pro.
AVG Professional Edition provides for more control and separate versions for networks and servers and is licensed for commercial environments.
More Anti-Virus Information
There is more information about viruses, hoaxes and other products on my Anti-Virus Protection page.
Antispyware
Beware of Fake Spyware-removers
Watch out for ads on websites that appear to "find" spyware on your system. They offer to remove it if you purchase their product. Don't fall for these tactics. Most, if not all, are rip-offs or fakes.
The best defense is to keep your protection current and to know how your security software displays warnings.
- Do NOT click on websites running a simulated (but realistic-looking) count of the number "infections" on your computer. These can appear as separate windows on your desktop meant to simulate a Windows dialogue box.
- Internet Explorer much more vulnerable in allowing malware to install unasked — you're not using IE for browsing the Web, are you?
Obtaining Protection
- ZoneAlarm suites include both antivirus and antispyware protection and is highly recommended for complete protection.
- AVG (free and suite) includes antispyware protection.
More Information About Spyware
There is more information about spyware detection and removal as well as additional information about protecting your privacy on my Your Privacy At Risk page.
Internet Software
Web Browser | Email Client | FTP
Firefox Web Browser — Simply Better
Firefox is a safer and faster alternative to Internet Explorer and other browsers for exploring the Web.
- Firefox is designed so that websites cannot install software without your consent. This makes Firefox safer than any other web browser available.
- Firefox has configurable pop-up blocking built right in and excellent privacy tools.
- Firefox Extensions give you the ability to add features to Firefox and to customize your Web experience. The Web Developer Extension is invaluable for web designers to ensure their websites are standards-compliant.
- Firefox is standards-compliant today, which means that it is ready for tomorrow's web content today.
- Already running Firefox? Check to see if your Firefox plugins are up to date.
More Information
There is more information about other web browsers, including security and other concerns, on my web browsers & Plugins page.
Email Clients
Outlook (and the obsolete Outlook Express) have weaknesses that are readily exploited by hackers, viruses and spammers.
Thunderbird: Companion to Firefox
Thunderbird is a powerful, yet easy to use, free stand-alone email program from Mozilla that works great in conjunction with the Firefox browser.
Thunderbird Features
Check out the new and improved features in Thunderbird, including:
- Smart account setup and import wizards that are easy to use.
- Tabs and faster search to help your productivity without complicating things.
- A customizable email experience.
- Improved technologies to secure and protect your email while preserving your privacy.
Be sure to check back for updates to Thunderbird as newer versions fix security issues and provide new features.
Pocomail and Barca — Powerful Filtering & Features
Thunderbird will be powerful enough for most users, but sometimes you need more control over your mail. Pocomail and Barca provide extremely powerful filtering capabilities and other features seldom found in other clients.
More About Pocomail & Barca
Learn more about Pocomail and Barca including how to configure them, import information from other programs and dealing with problems.
Other Email Alternatives
There is more information about other email programs, including security and other concerns, on my Email Software & Issues page.
Ipswitch FTP
File Transfer Protocol
Do you have a website or need to upload files to the Internet? FTP is the process used to make these transfers.
Ipswitch WS_FTP is the professional standard in file transfer and networking software and includes features like compression, security and automated processes.
- Free Support Agreement with purchase of WS_FTP Professional — a $35 Value! (FTP Pro with 1 year support agreement for only $54.95 US)
- Buy WS_FTP Pro 12 now! for $54.95 US (no support)
- Buy WS_Ping ProPack and WS_FTP Professional Bundle now. for $54.95 US (no support)
While there are other FTP programs and FTP-capability is built into some web design programs, none can compare to Ipswitch's FTP products.
Viewers
Irfanview Graphics Viewer | VLC Video Player
A Quick Graphics Viewer
IrfanView is a fast image viewer/converter that works with a whole range of the most common graphics formats and is free for non-commercial use (see license, below).
IrfanView is excellent software for quickly viewing images and making simple conversions. If you need to do intensive graphics manipulation, you might wish to consider Adobe Photoshop or Corel Draw.
License
IrfanView is provided as freeware, but only for private, non-commercial use (that means at home), for educational use (schools, universities and libraries) and for use in charity or humanitarian organisations. A commercial license costs US$12 (10 Euros). If IrfanView freeware works for you, donations are encouraged to support continued development.
Downloading Irfanview
Download and install Irfanview from one of the recommended sites. While Irfanview includes a number of plugins, I'd suggest that you also download and install the plugins to enhance the number of image formats that it can view.
Using Irfanview
- When you open IrfanView you see a black work area and several icons.
- Click on the folder icon in the toolbar and select the directory to search for your image. IrfanView displays thumbnails of your photos — easier than choosing by filename alone.
- IrfanView has plugins (post-install addins) and the ability to acquire images from a camera or scanner.
- It can print in a variety of ways. Once you click on Print (View ⇒ Print) then another dialogue box comes up with options to print the image in original size, best for page, etc. and an option to centre the image.
More Information
Check Irfanview's Frequently Asked Questions page for help, tutorials or more information.
Video Player
VLC Player is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework, that plays almost all multimedia files as well as DVD, Audio CD, VCD, and various streaming protocols. VLC Player is free.
VLC player instantly solved an issue with playback of DVDs on my Windows 7 64-bit system where two versions of PowerDVD (included with Roxio Creator 2009 and 2010) failed to produce sound when playing DVDs.
License
You can use the software in the way you want (within the boundary of law), for personal, educational, research, military, governmental and/or professional purpose.
Using VLC Player
You may need to set VLC Player as the default player to allow it to appear when you put a DVD or CD into your computer's DVD drive. Other than the process of rebuilding the cache each time VLC Player is updated, I've noticed no issues. A beautiful player that works seamlessly.
More Information
Check VLC's Frequently Asked Questions page for help or more information.
Office & Text Editors
Free Office Suite | Text Editor
Open Office
Free Alternative to Microsoft Office
OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.
Governments, education, businesses, not-for-profits, IT businesses and more are using OpenOffice.org products as their standard offic software. Find out why.
In fact, because so many large organizations and governments are using OpenOffice.org that Microsoft has taken drastic steps to halt this. Learn more.
Extensions
OpenOffice.org Extensions provide additional features, customizations or slight tweaks to the OpenOffice.org suite of products. Not all will be suitable for you nor are all free, but they are worth checking out to see if you can add something you need.
Download It
Download the OpenOffice.org office suite.
System Requirements
OpenOffice.org runs on many operating systems including Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.
Minimum Requirements for Windows
- Windows 2000 (Service Pack 2 or higher), Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7
- 256 Mbytes RAM (512 MB RAM recommended)
- At least 650 Mbytes available disk space for a default install (including a JRE) via download. After installation and deletion of temporary installation files, OpenOffice.org will use approximately 440 Mbytes disk space.
- 1024 x 768 or higher resolution with at least 256 colours
Mac OS X and Linux Requirements
See my Macintosh Resources for Mac OS X requirements and Java information. OpenOffice is installed by default on many current Linux distributions.
Java Requirements
Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.5.x, required to use full OpenOffice.org functionality that need Java (I recommend using the latest version available). You can download Java or test your current Java installation.
LibreOffice
LibreOffice.org has recently appeared as a break-away from OpenOffice following some disagreements about the future of the open source development after Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems. LibreOffice is running parallel development to OpenOffice and some say more advanced options are offered. Java is not included in the LibreOffice download, but you can obtain that separately using the links in the Java Requirements section above (and often OpenOffice's included Java is not current).
Say NO to Microsoft Office Broken Standard
Microsoft is trying to change the current Office OpenXML (OOXML) standard. This will guarantee Microsoft profitability, but is a bad deal for everyone else.
“Office Open XML is neither open nor XML, nor is it a general 'Office' file format, as it is specifically tailored to Microsoft Office 2007.” — noooxml.org
There have been many procedural irregularities in countries around the world.
NoteTab
Replace NotePad with NoteTab
Windows NotePad works OK as a quick viewer for .ini and readme files but has many limitations. It can open only very small files and you can only view a single file at a time, thereby limiting its usefulness in copying from one file to another.
Tame your Text with NoteTab Light
I recommend that you download NoteTab Light (free) as your default text editor. Be sure to try out the advanced features, because if you're more than a casual user, you'll want to check out NoteTab Professional.
NoteTab is a Better Solution
It is truly a testament to the quality and usefulness of NoteTab that it continued to win awards in 2005 — two years after the release of that version in May 23, 2003 and has won significant awards consistently since 1998.
There are 3 versions:
- NoteTab Light;
- NoteTab Standard; and
- NoteTab Pro
I recommend NoteTab Pro for those that need the extra features or NoteTab Light for those looking for a simple text editor (replacement for Windows NotePad).
NoteTab Light
NoteTab Light (Version 6.2—freeware) allows you to edit and copy between multiple text and HTML (web page code) files at one time using the unique tabbed index instead of one file at a time like NotePad and other editors.
NoteTab Standard
NoteTab Light users can try NoteTab Standard (Version 6.2—US$19.95) features for 30 days, but I strongly recommend purchasing NoteTab Pro for all the extras it offers.
NoteTab Pro:
NoteTab Pro (Version 6.2—US$29.95) is the ultimate editor for web designers and programmers, adding a number of rich features. Strongly recommended for those wishing to build or edit websites by hand (the only way to get the tight control over your design).
NoteTab Pro for Better Results
NoteTab version 6.2 offers a number of improvements to the already excellent program. There are many excellent features:
- Multiple undo levels and a thesaurus and a multilingual spell checker help you do things right;
- Full support with multi-user and network environments and runs reliably from a user "Limited Account";
- Useful and editable clipbars assist you with your work;
- Colour markup of HTML and URLs (view screenshot) making editing web pages easier than ever;
- Features for advanced web designers and coders including XHTML compatibility and the new regex engine based on PCRE (Perl 5 compatible)—hand coding was never easier;
- Improved support for Unicode and UTF-8 files;
- A powerful text editor made for demanding users—as attested by consistent and significant awards.
This site was carefully hand-crafted using NoteTab Pro—without the use of any templates.
Upgrading
- Free updates from version 5.x to the latest version (6.2) are available through NoteTab's "Check for Updates" feature, which is available from the Help menu.
- If you own NoteTab 4.x, you can You can obtain your 50% upgrade discount to version 6.2 through NoteTab 4's "Check for Updates" feature, which is available from the Help menu.
Other Fookes Software
You might wish to check out some of the other software available from Fookes. Some of it is freeware, but all of it is quality software.
Utilities
Disk Cleanup | 7-Zip | ZipGenius
CCleaner Disk Cleanup
CCleaner, a free utility from Piriform, provides an excellent set of tools for cleaning up the stuff left behind in Windows.
Installing CCleaner
When installing CCleaner, watch out for the "extras" you don't need. These can change between versions, but I recommend:
- Do not select the two options related to the context menus for the Recycle Bin.
- Do not add the Yahoo! Toolbar (I'm not a fan of toolbars).
- Do select the option to check for an update to avoid missing improvements available in new versions.
Running CCleaner
There are four tabs at the right of CCleaner.
- Cleaner: cleans your system of temporary content, often removing megabytes of unneeded temporary files and log entries (don't delete these if you're experiencing trouble with a program).
- Registry: checks for issues within the registry. I suggest selecting only one option at a time and backing up before cleaning (CCleaner simply removes the registry entry but doesn't offer an actual repair).
- Tools: provide an interface to uninstall programs, change Startup programs and System Restore. I find the Startup most useful, but you must know what you are doing or your Windows may not start correctly.
- Options: allows you to change the way CCleaner operates. Recommended only for those with the knowledge to understand the implications of changes made to your system.
I recommend that most users stick with running the Cleaner using the default values.
CCleaner is capable of cleaning flash cookies, but this is not enabled by default. More about flash cookies is found on my Privacy page.
7-Zip
7-Zip is a compression utility that works much the same way as the commercial WinZip product, but is free, even for commercial use.
As well as the common .zip format, 7-Zip has an enhanced 7z format which provides a very high compression ratio (smaller zipped files) that neither WinZip nor the Windows built-in file compression software can handle.
ZipGenius
ZipGenius is a free compression utility that zips and unzips files easily.
In addition to traditional ZIP files, ZipGenius will open the less common (but sometimes encountered) RAR and ARJ extensions. It also works with the 7-zip format, a much improved compression formula.
Other Resources
You can always try the various resources listed on these pages to find other alternatives:
- Shareware and Freeware Software
- Internet Software Downloads
- Preventing Unauthorized Access
- Legacy Hardware and Software Resources
- Linux Resources
- IBM OS/2 Warp Resources
www.RussHarvey.bc.ca/resources/software.html
Updated: February 9, 2012