March 20th, 2008
Your turn: Readers choose their 10 favorite Windows programs
Two weeks ago, I published a list of my 10 favorite Windows programs of all time.
The response was overwhelming and refreshingly enthusiastic. As the title made clear, that list reflected my personal preferences; I certainly don’t expect all my choices to be essential for every Windows user. In fact, I had a lot of fun following the give and take in the Talkback section, as commenters offered their recommendations and suggestions and opinions. I also got feedback via e-mail and through pingbacks from other bloggers. Collectively, you offered an extraordinary number of alternatives – so many good suggestions, in fact, that I’ve gathered the best from that thread and turned them into this follow-up list.
I’m familiar with most of the programs on this list, but I found a few that were pleasant surprises. I’m convinced you will too. One thing I found interesting was that readers were far more likely to recommend commercial programs instead of focusing on freebies. My original list was weighted in favor of free software; you’re clearly willing to pay for programs that get the job done.
| Image Gallery: I’ve created a gallery of screen shots from these 10 readers’ favorite Windows programs. |  |
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All told, the list of products mentioned or recommended probably numbered more than 100. I winnowed it down and then looked at each one to make sure it did what it promised to do. They all run on Windows XP and Vista, at a minimum (and most run on more Windows versions than that). If I didn’t pick your suggestion for this list, it doesn’t mean I didn’t like it, only that I ran out of room!
So, without further ado, I present your list of 10 favorite Windows programs.
Even people who hate Office love OneNote. In fact, the word love kept reappearing in the recommendations for this hard-to-describe program.
This full-featured free program has been in more or less continuous development for as long as I can remember. If you’re a fanatic about graphics, you won’t regret using it.
If you’re a programmer or the kind of old-school webmaster who believes the best HTML is made by hand, this Notepad replacement is for you.
There are free alternatives for dealing with compressed files, but this one is on a lot of favorite lists, and deservedly so.
Do you find yourself doing the same things over and over at work? Would you like to take the tedium out of those repetitive tasks? If so, this versatile utility might be right for you.
There are dozens of two– and three-pane alternatives to Windows Explorer, most of which make you feel like it’s 1993. This slick file manager is a welcome exception to that rule.
If you’ve got a little programming knowledge, you’ll probably figure out all sorts of fun things to do with this Windows automation tool. But it’s easy enough that a self-proclaimed non-techie recommended it.
What’s in your PC? What software is installed? What are the serial numbers of your motherboard and RAM chips? This free utility can answer those questions and many, many more.
Free PC-to-PC calls worldwide, and cheap calls to mobile phones and land lines. There’s gotta be a catch, right? I don’t think so. This excellent personal communication tool is a favorite of podcasters.
The amount of love for Microsoft in the blogosphere can probably be measured in thimblefuls. So it says a lot that every blogger I know (including me) raves about this excellent tool.
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Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
| 03/21/08
