Software I couldn’t live without
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People ask me sometimes which software I use on a daily basis.
It’s a big list, but for me the following are my top applications.
Internet
My default browser is Firefox. It gives me speed, stability and endless possibilities using the extensions. One of the following days I will post which extensions I use, and the reason why.
I also have Opera installed on my computer. The more I use it, the more it impresses me. There are still some quirks that bother me, but each build it gets better.
E-mail and Calendar
I’m using a mixture of web-apps and local installed software.
Webbased I use Gmail and Google Apps for my domain. They give me great features to communicate and the Calendar makes it easy to plan all my things, let them be work related or personal. As an extra I receive sms for free to notify me of important things. Something I need because I’m sometimes absorbed by what I’m doing that I forget all other things.
I’m also an user of Eudora. The best desktop mail client I know. I’m using it for over 6 years now, and never had a serious problem with it. And when there occurred something strange, I always found help with the Listmoms Mailinglist. I still have to find out what I will do next now Eudora has stopped and turned over to open source and the Penelope project for Mozilla Thunderbird. I tried Thunderbird in the past but it wasn’t for me. I consider it a good alternative but it lacks power user functions I have in Eudora.
Instant Messaging
Most of my friends and contacts are using MSN Windows Live Messenger so I also have it installed. Luckily I also know mess.be so I could tweak it so it’s more enjoying to use.
I also have Google Talk installed. Nice to have the notifications of new mail in my Gmail account. Unfortunately my friends list isn’t as populated here as in Messenger.
Graphics
For graphics I have installed both Paint Shop Pro and Adobe Photoshop. PSP is still version 7 on my PC. I find it the best version ever. All future versions didn’t bring enough enhancements but added complexity and I’m not a fan of that. Photoshop is CS2, but currently I have no plans to upgrade to their newly released CS3 version. For what I need to do I see no added value on my PC. (for Mac it’s a completely different story)
Office
A lot of my friends are OpenOffice users and it’s installed on my PC, I don’t use it that much. For me Office (2003, not 2007) is the best. Well, for spreadsheet and wordprocessing, it is. Outlook is a horror I don’t want on my personal computer. I already have to deal with it at work, and that’s enough of horror.
Music
I listen to music a lot. Apple Itunes is my preferred music collection manager, and I can’t without my Ipod when traveling. I know that Itunes isn’t the best music player out there, but as a package there is no better solution for me.
That’s it for this list. As promised one of the following days my Firefox extensions list.
Tags: software, productivity, eudora, itunes, msn messenger, google talk, firefox, gmail

11 Comments
jason
April 16th, 2007
at 1:36pm
My wife is just finishing up a university course that was based around Microsoft Office and Excel. Well i don’t know a thing about them. Anyways I went out and bought her the all new shiny Office 2007 thinking I would be in the good books for at least a week;).
Was I ever wrong! Turned out her schools software was just barely compatible for most things, everything was completely different. Instead of getting projects done, she had refer to helpme that was worded horribly and with no real direction (probably similar to XP’s help and support..useless). If we still had 2003, we would have reverted back in a flash.
We stay away from Outlook as well, nightmare is an understatement.
Hogan
April 16th, 2007
at 2:03pm
I’m also an user of Eudora. The best desktop mail client I know.
Then you do not know nothing, this is YOUR opinion and yours alone. There is a reason Eudora has sold out to Thunderbird. Eudora is clunky, large, does not have the power options that are claimed.
I’m using it for over 6 years now, and never had a serious problem with it. And when there occurred something strange, I always found help with the Listmoms Mailinglist.
Is this an oxymoron or what? Do you actually check what you write before you hit post?
I still have to find out what I will do next now Eudora has stopped and turned over to open source and the Penelope project for Mozilla Thunderbird
Because Eudora has failed miserably. It has been a headache for me for 12 years in the corporate scene. Hardly anyone uses it anymore as there are far superior mail clients out there now. The Bat is one that offfers real hard core power user features, it is small and fast. Myself, I use Thunderbird and have for the past 2 years, does the job for me.
. I tried Thunderbird in the past but it wasn’t for me. I consider it a good alternative but it lacks power user functions I have in Eudora
You are suffering from the dreaded IT-10-T error, anyone who would think Eudora is better than TB must have a screw loose somewhere.
Hogan
April 16th, 2007
at 2:04pm
Paint Shop Pro and Adobe Photoshop. PSP is still version 7 on my PC. I find it the best version ever.
Curious if you actually PAID for these programs? I tend to see morons like yourself make claims to unpurchased software!
Hogan
April 16th, 2007
at 2:21pm
I listen to music a lot.
who doesn’t……
Apple Itunes is my preferred music collection manager,
ewwwww, gross, plain and boring! Now if you want a real music collection manager/player/ripper/burner/CDDB/VPL then you should look at Media Monkey!
and I can’t without my Ipod when traveling. I know that Itunes isn’t the best music player out there, but as a package there is no better solution for me.
Cause you are not informed…. How you have your own spot to even comment just shows that you cannot always believe what you read!
Now here is what a real GEEK depends on for software.
#1 Alphashield http://www.alphashield.com
#2 Kaspersky Anti Virus
#3 Xitami Web Server
#4 Mdaemon Mail Server
#5 Mandrake running ns1 and ns2
#6 VNC/SSH Connecting client/server
#7 Thunderbird
#8 SKYPE -> Paid For account
#9 OpenOffice
#10 MIRC - Internet Relay Chat Client
#11 Media Monkey GOLD
#12 Hamachi VPN
#13 BSOIEL Bluetooth server/client
#14 Picassa Picture Manager
#15 Mozilla Firefox -> down on the list cause I barely play with urls.
#16 AVS FREE DVD PLAYER
#17 APlus DVD Creator/Converter
#18 Nero
#19 FlashFXP FTP Client-> for the Xbox
#20 Acronis Workstation -> for backup images
#21 Notepad -> cut and paste prep and webpage editing
#22 Frostwire -> P2P Client
#23 Azerus -> Torrent Client
#24 Synchronet BBS Server
Now thats my work machine, I have 6 other systems at work that have alternative software on them for testing. Then I have a laptop at home, usually it is my playtoy and then I have a dektop in the den for work at home projects.
Hogan
Geeks Galore Computer Center
http://www.geeksgalore.ca
hogan@geeksgalore.ca
bramcool
April 16th, 2007
at 3:03pm
@ hogan; You also have a very good taste in software programs. When I see your list we have a lot of common software installed (azureus, forstwire, picassa, kaspersky, …)
And yes, I have a valid license for all software I use, both at home and at work
Dave Diels
April 16th, 2007
at 3:15pm
Bram,
I’m glad to see another Eudora user. I have been using it for at least 10 years both at work and at home. Before being laid off from my last job the company forced all of us to convert to Outlook. Never did like it. Now that I am retired its back to Eudora all the time.
Thing about Eudora that I really liked was that while Outlook was busy infecting a lot of computers with various viruses Eudora never once in my experience was affected by them. Not sure why but that’s the way it was where I worked.
Dave
Dave Diels
April 16th, 2007
at 3:19pm
Bram,
I almost forgot. I also agree whole heartedly with your assessment on Paint Shop Pro 7.
I found the main problem with version 8 which upgrade I purchased when it was offered was that it took a long time to load, while PSP 7 was and still is almost instantaneous. So I just use PSP 7 unless I need 8 and version 10 for some feature not in 7.
Dave
CapeCodBob
April 16th, 2007
at 5:33pm
Time’s up!! ” One of the following days I will post which extensions I use, and the reason why.”
Get on the stick and tell us about your Firefox extesnions.
Thumbs up re Eudora.
Quinnjm
April 16th, 2007
at 8:06pm
Hogan dilutes (if not loses) his argument when he has to revert to personal attacks instead of arguing the issue at hand.
Matt Williams
April 16th, 2007
at 8:14pm
I couldn’t live without:
- Xenu - link checking
- Ultracompare - figuring out minute differences between files
- Ultraedit - friendly notepad replacement
- Teleport Pro - downloading whole websites
- Watch My Domains Pro - managing all my domain name
- Flickr Uploadr - saves time uploading to Flickr
- FileZilla - free/good FTP
- Mozilla Thunderbird - to keep an email account separate from Outlook
- Winzip
- Practicount - counts words in lots of documents simultaneously
- DCEnhancer by Mediachance - simple photo improver
Of all the above Ultracompare improved my life the most over the last year. Dull, eh?
Pat
April 17th, 2007
at 3:17pm
Fully agree on your Internet browser choices. I also use Firefox and Opera and have just recently made the later my default browser over Firefox principally because of its faster launch speed on my PC (WinXPSP2). Still use Firefox a lot though mainly because of all the flexibility offered by the wealth of extensions. I’m able to get the best of both browsing worlds having equipped my Firefox with the “View in Opera” extension and my Opera with the “InFF” button permitting me to switch browsers at will.
Many thanks for the listing; would like to hear from you on backup software you might be using as well as on security software, e.g. firewall, AV, IPS and the like. That’s if you can find the time of course!