Thinking about open software versus retail offerings, it is clear that there is a reason for it that no one usually addresses. Sometimes software will arise to fill the need, or want, of the author, yet the software is not going to be needed, or wanted by many.

Often free software will purpose itself with razor sharpness. This is good, for such software is not usually afflicted with bloat. That usually comes later, after all bugs and ‘inadvertent features’ have been repaired. Some free software will be the limited feature version of a program that, for most, is complete enough for the majority of people.

There are some that I use every day, and no one is more thankful than me the programs are available.

Xplorer² is one such program. It is quite simply, the best file manager for Windows available. As I’ve stated before, XTreeGold was the killer app for this, but with Windows widespread use, and Executive Software getting bought by Symantec, it no longer exists. Anyway, the lite version of Xplorer² is so complete most will be learning how to do things with it well after the newest revision forces yet a new set of things to learn. I registered and got the deluxe version of this program not because I thought I needed those features, but because I wanted the development to continue. [Attention shareware authors: This is the best possible scenario for you to have, the customer is so happy with the free version you have developed, the paid version gets acquired as thanks for the quality of the free version! No amount of nag screens will ever engender customer love this way!]

Another daily delight is the relatively new Internet radio program, Screamer. Still not judged by the author to be at revision level 1.0, it works well, and has none of the drawbacks of WinAmp, which has, of late become so bloated that it will, when first started, max out the CPU usage of any single processor machine for a minute or two. Screamer is small and tight. With the use of presets, it works well, and without much notice. This is definitely the correct behavior for a background program on my machine.

Another program used on every machine I set up is the free version of Sygate firewall. Sygate was swallowed up, but the version for personal use is available still. There is no better free firewall. It works, it is almost impossible to mess up, and can be removed without a fuss if you wish. I mention the removal because Comodo has an excellent firewall, with a few quirks, and if you find one of those quirks forces your removal of it, say a prayer first.

Still another useful piece of software is the 3M Post It Notes program. There is a paid version, but the additional featureset is so small as to be negligible. This is available as part of the MS Partner Pack on several freeware sites.

X1 is a desktop search application which, consistently gets ranked at the top by magazine reviewers. The speed of its search is rated best by several publications. It is completely free, as the company gives away the desktop version and wants businesses to buy the Enterprise version. This could not be a better situation for Joe Consumer. The program does some necessary stuff, costs nothing, yet continues to improve because of big business.

There are other programs I use daily, which I carry with me to every job, as they are indispensable. More later.

Are there any programs you use that are truly priceless? (Pun intended.) Let me know.

Tags: freeware, donationware, shareware, computer utilities, x1, sygate personal firewall, xplorer², atomic clock sync, screamer