After a recent discussion on the advancement of software development over the past decade, our conversation turned into the battle of what freeware we prefer. The list is surprisingly huge and if it wasn’t for some industry file standards, most of us were tempted to convert to purely open source or freeware programs. Instead of making this an endless list of all the software that was mentioned, we rounded off 15.
15 Basic Software (or CloudWare) for your Computer Needs:
- Backup – Macrium Reflect – Free Edition
- PC Cleaning and Optimization – CCleaner
- Uninstaller – Revo Uninstaller
- Anti-virus – Avast, Panda, and AVG all came up with no decisive winner. (Specifically Malware – Malwarebytes)
- Coding – Notepad++
- Archiver and Decompressor – WinRAR or 7-zip
- Audio Editor and Recorder – Audacity
- CD and DVD Burner Software – CDBurnerXP
- Image Viewer, Optimizer, and Basic Functions – IrfanView
- Image Manipulation – GIMP (Or Paint.net for a simple software was good capabilities)
- Video Viewer – Klite or VLC
- Cloud Space – DropBox
- Office software to use offline (if you like cloud apps use Google Drive) – Open Office or LibreOffice
- Music – iTunes
- Gaming – Steam (this is random, but Steam has a ridiculous amount of games and it’s a great way to discover indie studios. Free and Paid games.)
And there you go. We’ve successfully loaded your computer up with so much stuff that you might need to use that new uninstaller to get rid of whatever you don’t like. On a serious note, please look over terms and agreements. Many freeware will install adware, toolbars, and other 3rd party software onto your computer if you don’t uncheck certain agreements. This free software 2014 list should be a good starting point for you. Feel free to suggest things to us.
