Every now and then I’ll post a link to a cool new product that I think has promise, such as Jott or Jing. I got to thinking about how many of these I actually use, and which ones just seem cool at the time. I decided to make a list of my must-have software tools. These are the ones I use most on a day-to-day basis.
Some of these tools have been around for awhile and have gotten lots of press, and some are fairly new. I guess I tend to take for granted that everyone knows about Audacity and Firefox, but some may not have. So, some of these on this list will be ones that I’ve discussed at length, and some are those have just glossed over.
Anyone who’s followed this blog knows my hobbies – photography, anything dealing with maps and GPS, computer geekery, music and multimedia design. These tools tend to line up with those interests. What’s not on the list are tools which only function as file readers – Adobe Acrobat Reader and Flash Player, for example. They need to actually do something. Some are for productivity, and some are just for fun. I’ve also left off purely online applications, such as Bloglines, as useful as this might be. All these tools are geared toward the Windows environment (sorry, Mac and Linux folks), however some are cross-platform. I’ve also left off any shareware/crippleware tools with the possible exception of EasyGPS – all are free.
So, without further delay, and in no particular order, here’s my list…
