These are a few of my favourite tools (Part 1 - Windows)

[sbisson]

In a discussion on a private IRC server a while back, codepope and I were talking about the sort of thing we load on a freshly OSed machine. Let's face it, we all have our ways of working, and whatever we use, be it Windows, Linux or Mac OS X, just won't give us what we want out of the box or off the ISO. So what are the tools I tend to install on my Windows boxen - apart from Office?

• Mozilla - it's an excelent IMAP mail client and newsreader, even if you don't use it as a web browser


• Google Toolbar - plug it into IE and you don't need any other search tools


• SmartFTP - a rather nice (and free) FTP client


• SmartDraw - cheaper than Visio, and much better at network diagrams


• Trillian - all my IM clients in one tool


• Musicmatch Jukebox - MP3, CD and streaming media player


• Paintshop Pro - Image editing and screen capture


• OrangeCD - Tray CD player


• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyser - Keep on top of the hotfixes and security patches


• Languard Network Scanner - Free network analysis and scanning tool


• Spamnet - Spam blocker for Outlook


• Clipmate - Clipboard extender


• AVG Antivirus - Free virus scanner


• Cygwin - UNIX command line for Windows, along with UNIX utilities.


• Feedreader - RSS feed reader and browser


• Adaware - Spyware deletion tool


• Undisker - ISO CD image creator and reader


• Winzip - Archive manager

There are other tools I'll add, too, depending on use - Sun's JRE for Java, Web Matrix and the .NET framework, Macromedia Studio MX and of course LiveJournal tools...

Comments

Can anyone join in?

[jaq.livejournal.com]

I would probably add Putty although it is superfluous since Cygwin provides ssh. On the subject of Cygwin, I've found the XFree86 port handy. I use The Gimp for graphics work: I don't know how it compares with PSP. VNC is rather useful sometimes too.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

you should add Dave's Quick Search Deskbar - Google in your taskbar

[mort666.livejournal.com]

I'd add the folloing JP Software 4NT and SecureCRT and Codewright and a collection of DOS and similar commandline tools I've been using for more than a decade...

Then a mail client, Mulberry is my current IMAP (SSL) and Ameol for Cix..

FTP is a client called LeechFTP bit old be does the trick..

Winzip and WinRAR are a given..

Ohh and Acrobat, the full package...

Ste..

[rowanf.livejournal.com]

Well, I wouldn't have a windows machine but I have to take issue with Google Toolbar - plug it into IE and you don't need any other search tools . This is a good search engine, but you won't find everything there. And the lack of search syntax drives me crazy (although they are gradually adding some here and there). My fave search engine is the metasearch engine, Vivisimo. Very flexible and I like the folders. (Northern Light used to be a fave back when they did the web for the same reason.)