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I download and review a lot of great software, but obviously I don't keep everything. Some programs don't make the cut simply because I have a better option on my computer already or I have no use for them at work. But other applications I've downloaded have withstood the test of time and remain useful on a day-to-day basis. I'm talking about my must-have applications.
I've already given you my Big Three free security applications which should be the first programs you download when setting up a computer. Clearly if you haven't downloaded software to cover each of those security areas, you should do so right away. But today's post is about the applications I can't live without--the ones I download after I feel like my computer is reasonably secure.
Today's programs are the workhorses behind the scenes in my everyday work life. One is a text editor that's perfect for quick word processing and looking through HTML code. Another is a multipurpose screenshot and image editor that's great for most basic graphics needs. The last is a Firefox extension which is great for a pro downloader like me, but I think it will be useful for you as well. The best thing about all three of these applications is that they're completely free.
Syntax coloring makes working with confusing code much easier.
(Credit: CNET Networks)NotePad++ is a HTML and text editor with several excellent features for writing HTML code, but is also perfect for jotting down or pasting text you're going to use later. I really like the tabbed interface because NotePad++ automatically saves every tab until you close it--even when you quit the program. This makes getting back to a project the following work day extremely easy. When dealing with HTML code for Web pages or newsletters for Download.com, NotePad++ offers syntax coloring so sifting through code (something I would rather not do) becomes a lot easier.
Windows Explorer navigation on the left and thumbs on the right help you find the right image.
(Credit: CNET Networks)FastStone Image Viewer is a solid free image-editing application that's great for resizing, cropping, and converting images to different formats. An intuitive interface makes it easy to browse through folders of images using thumbnails, so getting the image you want is a snap. If your chosen image needs some editing, simply double-click the image to go full-screen and move your mouse to the sides of the screen to bring up pop-up toolbars for quick editing, cropping, resizing, and image conversion tools. I use this one often for editing and resizing screenshots for software (including the shots you see in this post). This one is so useful, you won't believe it's free.
Downloads show up as blue boxes across the bottom of your Firefox browser.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Download StatusBar is a Mozilla Firefox extension (apologies to non-Firefox users) which adds a bar to the bottom of your browser to let you know the progress of downloads. Mousing over a download pops up a window showing the download link, where on your hard drive the file is going, the file size, how much time is left, and the speed of the download. Once the download is finished, you can double-click the box to begin installing the file without leaving Firefox. A right-click lets you choose options like getting the source URL and the containing folder. Frankly, if you're a downloader (and I hope you are) this Firefox extension is a must-have.
Not everyone uses the same kind of software in their profession so my workhorses might be different from yours. If you have use for any of these types of programs, I suggest you give my favorites a try. If you have other free applications that are worthy of everyday downloaders, let us know in the comments! What are your must-have applications?
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Every computer user needs a basic text editor for Readme files and simple note-taking capabilities. That's why Windows comes with Notepad and Mac OS X comes with TextEdit. However, if you want a program that is useful for more than just looking at Readme files, you need to look elsewhere. The best type of text editors come with numerous features and work great for writing quick notes, keeping a journal, coding Web sites, and pasting excerpts from the Web when aggregating research for a project.
While Notepad and TextEdit are useful in their own right, if I want added features like a tabbed interface, search and replace functionality, or extras that help me with coding HTML, I look for the more full-featured alternatives. Some of the best I've found are free "light" versions of professional-level text editors, which give you more features than the basic apps preloaded on your computer. Think of these downloads as free upgrades to what you already have. Though the full versions of these programs are excellent apps, most of the time you can easily get by using the free version.
Several 'clips' and utilities are available in NoteTab Light, including built-in FTP capabilities.
(Credit: CNET Networks)My current favorites for editing text, taking notes, and a million other uses give you a lot more than what comes loaded on your system, without the need to pay through the nose. NoteTab Light for Windows offers a tabbed interface and adds several libraries of premade code bits called "clips" that you can access through a pull-down menu on the left side of the interface. These clips can be anything from commonly used code to quick-formatting tools available at a click of your mouse. The included FTP utilities let you upload and download files (if you're updating your blog or Web site, for example) directly from within the program. NoteTab Light has always been one of my favorite text editors for Windows because of its long list of useful features.
Text Wrangler is incredibly flexible, with most of its tools available at the top of the interface.
(Credit: CNET Networks)TextWrangler for Mac OS X is the little brother of BBEdit, the venerable text editor from Bare Bones Software. TextWrangler offers all the text-processing power of its big brother, but is geared more toward the average user. Like NoteTab, TextWrangler offers a host of features including built-in FTP controls and it supports several helpful plug-ins made for BBEdit. When you use TextWrangler, you can quickly tell that the Bare Bones Software folks have been in the Mac software biz for a long time; it works flawlessly with Mac OS X, including its use of the Mac OS X spell-checker.
If you're in the market for a professional text editor, each of these apps has a feature-packed big brother (full version) available at the developer's Web site. But if you're like me, you may find that a few more features than your preloaded text software is all you need and these light versions do the job quite nicely.
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