I sometimes get questions about what software I’d recommend for people to use on their own Windows based computers for various tasks or system protection (anti-virus, productivity, etc.). Over the past few years I’ve tried to aim for free software alternatives. Open Source, or just free software, can fit various needs just as good — if not better — in a lot of cases over commercial software. As a bonus, it also reduces the annoyance of constantly being asked for “warez”.
Below I will list some of my personal choices for software in a few different categories along with some alternatives. In some cases the alternatives may be commercial software where applicable, for those who may have some reservations about trusting free software.
Last Updated: 10/23/09
* Please note: this page is still under construction as I fill in more information, and this information may change semi-frequently as newer software gets released
Anti-Virus / Anti-Spyware
Primary Choice: Avira AntiVir
Cost: Free
Web Site: http://www.free-av.com/
Why?: In-between it’s outstanding detection rates, low false positive rate, and anti-spyware functionality this is one of the best scanners you can have; paid or otherwise. It is an entirely free offering, although they do have paid solutions available as well with a bit more functionality. The only annoyance about this product is that after updates every so often it gives you a popup when you boot your computer telling you about the pro version. This may or may not be a deal breaker for some, but in my opinion it’s a low ‘price’ to pay for the protection you get. For the more tech savy there are ways of disabling that popup from appearing as well.
Alternative Choice: avast! Home
Cost: Free
Web Site: http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html
Why?: A strong alternative, this is also another fantastic free offering with some anti-spyware capability as well. Like Avira there is also a paid version available with some additional functionality. The main reason I wouldn’t say this is my main choice is because it’s detection rates aren’t as strong as Avira, but I’ve used this product personally as well for years (on and off) and it’s always been reliable at the very least.
Alternative Choice: AVG Free
Cost: Free
Web Site: http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage
Why?: AVG also has a very, very strong anti-virus and anti-spyware offering with their AVG Anti-Virus product. Just like Avira and avast!, AVG has a free version of their commercial product available with enough protection for your home PC. I’ve also used this software on and off and found it to be great, except there were some issues early on with speed and stability with Version 8 of their product. However, Version 9 has recently been released that clamed to have an overall speed increase. Either way, this is a great choice as well for those not wanting to spend any money for solid protection.
Alternative Choice: NOD32 Antivirus
Cost: $39.99 (single user)
Web Site: http://www.eset.com/products/nod32.php
Why?: If you’re looking for a commercial paid for solution NOD32 should be one of your main choices. This solution offers incredibly reliable first rate anti-virus protection, with anti-spyware protection as well. It is also very fast and uses little system resources. While there are other great solutions for your money (i.e. Kaspersky, Bitdefender) if I had to recommend one, it would be NOD32 by far. I’ve paid for this product in the past, and while I don’t use it right now I may find myself using it again if my needs change. Highly recommended.
Firewall
Primary Choice: Comodo Internet Security (power users)
Cost: Free
Web Site: http://personalfirewall.comodo.com
Why?: Comodo’s firewall product has been for a while now in various forms, and despite some ups and downs it’s still one of the best Windows firewall solutions in the market. To top it off, it’s a free solution (although they have paid offerings as well). I’ve used this product for years now and I’ve been mostly satisfied with it, however, there have been a few challenges. First off, I can’t say I’d recommend this to a normal PC user. If it isn’t configured correctly it can potentially bombard the user with various popups and some of the terminology used might not be immediately familiar. Even some power users might find the (over) protection a bit of an annoyance. It also has anti-virus protection as well, but in it’s current form it’s not entirely reliable (at least not yet). Negatives aside, it is an incredibly strong form of protection and if configured properly could be very powerful at no cost to you.
Primary Choice: PC Tools Firewall Plus (everyday users)
Cost: Free
Web Site: http://www.pctools.com/firewall/
Why?: This is a great free offering from PC Tools that provides fantastic protection for your PC. It is also more ‘beginner friendly’, so it has a lesser amount of popups and warnings than something like Comodo Internet Security. Choosing this over another solution like Comodo (and like everything really) is subjective. It may or may not be your cup of tea, but it has a great feature set with reliable protection. I’m currently using this myself as a newer part of my tool set and I’ve been satisfied with it so far, and the protection provided.
I could not agree more.
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Firefox should die a slow and painful death
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You know what to do!
Glad you enjoyed it!
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If Tom Clancy wrote a fictional story involving the exact same kind of material then there would not be nearly as much controversy.
History repeats once again. A long time ago it was all about controversy in books. Then it was music. Then it was TV. Then it was movies. Now it is video games. What is next? Virtual reality? Who knows…
The phone itself, yes, perhaps. However the important thing to remember is that it’s not just about the phone, it’s about the operating system it carries. The flexibility behind Android OS 2.0 and the Android Marketplace is what makes it exciting, and why I myself want it to succeed. Outside of that it’s just another gadget with new bells and whistles, there will be something else within 3 months to drool over and it’s the way it’s always been.
Perhaps the most hyped phone to date, a flurry of rumors came even before Apple officially announced the ROKR. Widgets
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SonyaSunny
Trust me, in many ways it’s superior. GREAT interface, fast loading and installing, and you can access the same repositories. Remember that you don’t want to wait to try Rock App, you can put it on at any time and give it a shot to check it out.
Rock App sounds like a good alternative for Cydia, well atleast for the backing up of the appz you had installed part. I’ll try it out for the next upgrade.