Welcome!
I wouldn't be able to make it through my day without the numerous programs I run. I start several when I login, run others at certain times each day, and open others weekly for special events.
Backup and Recovery
For backing up data to my external hard drive, I use the free edition of Syncback. What a great tool! I also use Recuva for occasional file recovery.
CDs and DVDs
I have a lot of tools on my hard drive for burning to and ripping from CDs and DVDs, including DVD43, DVD Decrypter, DVD Shrink, and MagicISO. But I couldn't do any of my disc tasks without a special duo: Handbrake and BurnAware Free.
Collection Managers
My collections of books, discs, furniture, electronics, movies, music, photos, and much much more would be hopeless wrecks without the awesome software I employ to organize them. For books, I have Collectorz.com's Book Collector, which is my primary book management tool. For photos, I have Microsoft's Windows Live Photo Gallery. Google's Picasa is also a great tool for this, but WL Photo Gallery includes direct uploading to the fabulous Windows Live SkyDrive. For organizing discs, electronics, and all the rest, I use Librarian Pro, a fabulous tool for any type of collection. I have also thrown my book collection in Librarian Pro.
Communication
Communication is at the heart of my social media experience. I have several chat clients that I switch between for different needs. My main chat client of choice is the multi-protocol app Pidgin. For dedicated video calling, I have Skype. I use MP3 Skype Recorder to record my Skype calls. I write blog posts in Windows Live Writer beta. I am an avid Twitter user, and my favorite Twitter client is Twhirl. When I want to monitor multiple Twitter views at once, my client of choice is the powerful TweetDeck. My IRC client is X-Chat.
File Conversion
The files I gather from around the web are often in the wrong format. I have found that Handbrake works well for converting these files, although I occasionally go online for other programs for short-term use.
Internet
For web browsing, I primarly use Mozilla Firefox. Sometimes I'll open Internet Explorer for old times' sake. I also make use of Google Chrome and its ability to launch standalone web apps. For checking my school email, I use FirstClass. I use uTorrent for torrent downloads.
Media Editors
Sometimes media files are just a little too long or too short. Or maybe I want to take out the embarassing part in the middle. For audio files, I use Audacity and Adobe Soundbooth CS3. For editing websites, like this one, I use Adobe Dreamweaver CS3. For photo editing, I use Adobe Photoshop CS3. For video editing (which I rarely do on my laptop), I use Windows Live Movie Maker beta. I also have Pinnacle's Videospin on my computer for when WL Movie Maker doesn't cut it.
Media Players
Aaahh, media. The cornerstore of the new Internet. For audio playback, I use Quicktime, the ubiquitous iTunes, and the fabulous VLC Media Player. I also use Quicktime and VLC Media Player for video. For watching FLV files (I can't seem to fast-forward or rewind FLVs in VLC), I use FLV Player. For watching live TV, I use Sling Media's SlingPlayer. I am also a big fan of the TWiT network with Leo Laporte, and often I'll use the dedicated TWiT TV app to watch Leo's broadcasts.
Media Recorders
For media streaming (to Stickam, for example), I use the virtual webcam splitter and software-Tricaster ManyCam. I use Debut Video Capture for recording local media. For recording terrestrial radio, I use Screamer Radio.
Office
Pretty straightforward here: I use Office 2007 Enterprise Edition.
Remote Access
Sometimes I just can't be at my machine to grab a file directly. So I use three programs to do it remotely. Orb lets me access all my media from a web portal, RealVNC lets me remotely control my computer, and Filezilla gives me FTP access.
Security
Security is important in these turbulent times. That's why I use Microsoft Security Essentials. I also use CCleaner for maintenance and Startup Manager for startup program control.
Utilities
I am lazy, so I put items in this category that don't fit elsewhere.
- Audible Download Manager for managing my Audible downloads.
- BitPim for access the guts of my cell phone.
- Celtx for managing movie scripts, screenplays, storyboards, etc.
- CNN Desktop Alerter for breaking news alerts.
- Evernote for note-taking and collecting miscellaneous thoughts.
- Foxit Reader for opening PDFs.
- Google Earth for exploring the globe.
- Launchy for quick and easy file, folder, and program access.
- Times Reader for reading the latest news.
- Mozilla Prism for creating standalone web apps.
- PDFCreator for printing to PDF.
- Rainlendar for a desktop dashboard with a calendar, weather gadget, and to-do list.
- RocketDock for a Mac-like dock.
- Wakoopa for tracking and sharing my application usage.
- WinRAR for unpacking archives.
- Windows Calendar for calendaring and scheduling.
- Windows Contacts for contact management.
- Windows Speech Recognition for bypassing the keyboard.
