Windows Starter Kit: Must-have PC apps
By Seth Rosenblatt on 09 February 2009
Title
Editors' rating
OpenOffice.org (Windows)
A credible rival to MS Office, OpenOffice.org includes powerful applications for making text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, diagrams, databases and HTML and XML documents. It handles complex equations and multipart documents as easily as simple letters and faxes.
Even advanced Office users will find the templates, collaborative features, macros and programming language familiar. Extensible and open source, it lets you both import and save documents in formats as diverse as MS Office formats, PDF, HTML, WordPerfect, XML and others. However, the default is to save files in the open-standard Oasis OpenDocument XML format for maximum compatibility with other applications.
Multilingual and cross-platform, OpenOffice.org is a compelling option for anyone in search of an alternative office suite. A zippier version is available as the OpenOffice.org remix Go-OO.
OpenOffice.org (Credit: Download.com)
Editors' rating
AbiWord
OpenOffice can be too much for many users, so we suggest AbiWord when you're looking for just the word processor without the massive suite behind it. It has a quick learning curve with an interface similar to those in Word and WordPerfect and is compatible with both MS Word 2007 and OpenOffice.org 3.
All the basics are here, including highlight, notation and a bevy of common formatting tools. Although we did miss a grammar-checker, AbiWord has a multilingual spell-checker. A huge plus is the ability to open and save Microsoft Word documents, though the program also has its own proprietary file format. You can download plug-ins at the publisher's site to import and export a wide variety of other formats, including the neophyte OpenDocument Format.
Editors' rating
Foxit Reader
Foxit Reader is everything that Adobe Reader isn't: lightweight, effective as a web browser complement and streamlined. Foxit's main purpose is to read PDFs, but it also has annotation tools. The interface mimics Adobe's, so you won't have to change your reading habits. Text readability is nearly the same and the 1.6MB Foxit starts surprisingly fast compared with Adobe. It's a nice touch that it opens PDFs from the internet in its own Foxit window, instead of sucking resources from within the browser.
Hyperlink clicking is now functional, as is multimedia support, printing highlighted-only sections and tabbed PDF browsing, so you can read multiple PDFs simultaneously and with ease.
Foxit Reader (Credit: Download.com)
Editors' rating
PrimoPDF
PrimoPDF is a handy and lightweight utility that converts just about any file type to a PDF by using the source program that created the file and its Print command. The conversion process is quick and efficient, bolstered by a clean, simple interface. The included security features allow you to wrap your PDF in 40- or 128-bit encryption and there's PDF merging and password protection, too. The user also can restrict editing to basic interactions such as comment-making.
Primo's size is surprisingly large for such an unobtrusive app, and it's absolutely necessary to launch the read-me file at the end of installation, since the application loads no icons and leaves no other visible traces on your machine, except in your Start menu's All Programs.
PrimoPDF (Credit: Download.com)
Topics: audio, chat, email, image editor, jukebox, office, utilities, web browser, editor, torrent
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Comments (8)
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Wally commented on 18/11/2009 21:45
Couple more that I just can't do without,.. SharePod which replaces itunes and Foxit Reader which of course replaces the master of "bloat", Adobe Reader.
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BooBoo commented on 03/07/2009 10:41
I reckon, anyone could have typed this up. Even a Newbie. Do some research !
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Early_Grayce commented on 30/04/2009 16:02
I have found that over the last decade of PC use I have been able to find enough high quality free software to make paying for software unnecessary.
No mattter what you are looking for there is a program to fit your needs and if there is a feature from some overpriced software missing from the freeware equivalent it is often worth leaving a feature request on the developers discussion board.
All discussion leads to better programs in the land of freeware unlike commercial software which is often looking for the next dinky thing to catch your eye and make you spend $s. -
cwoodsp commented on 27/03/2009 13:47
Oooops! That last sentence should have read: "sometimes you get what you pay for, but there are some excellent freeware products out there!"
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cwoodsp commented on 27/03/2009 13:43
Although I have Vista on my PC and had been running IE (seemingly forever), the laptop I inherited from my ex runs XP and came complete with a heavily-customised Firefox installed (leaning mainly to all things Francophile). During the course of 'de-Frenching' the Firefox I realised just what a great program it is - and immediately dumped IE from my PC and am now happy as a pig in sh*t... As a 'techless' user, finding the wider software world (through CNet and others) has been a revelation and has made me a lot more knowledgable and choosy about my software. Totally agree with arcturus that you get what you pay for!
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arcturus commented on 12/02/2009 00:16
This is my must-have list of Windows apps. Not all are freeware; sometimes you get what you pay for.
Media player: VLC (free)
Browser: Opera (free)
Anti-virus: Avast or Kaspersky (not free)
Image editor/organizer: Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Bridge. Nothing comes close (not free).
Disk defragmenter: Diskeeper 2009 pro. The best defragmenter out there, and better than all the freeware defraggers (not free).
Office: MS office 2007 (not free).
Quick image viewer: Irfanview (free).
These programs always go on any system I put together for my use. -
Dumbo commented on 10/02/2009 12:12
No Dumbo, try the links on top of the page
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SkyPioneer commented on 09/02/2009 22:51
What? Is that it? I was expecting something decent, not just the three premier browsers available for download.
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