FREE Software Thread - Utilities & Applications You Cannot Live Without

#341
fdeck said:
Just a note, I've been making extensive use of PortableApps for Windows. It allows you to run apps from a directory or USB drive, without affecting the system registry or files. All of the apps are open source. I often work at a lot of different PC's, and want access to my utilities without having to mess up their system. Also, because these are all stand alone apps, you can trash your PC and quickly re-install your apps just by copying the PortableApps folder.
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Portable apps...folder? I just did a little peruse...are apps bundled? or is it all individual portable apps?
fdeck said:
The big one is Notepad++, just for looking at text files and having a place to store a data dump. I also keep a copy of Chrome on there, in case the computer I'm working on doesn't have a satisfactory browser with my favorite security plug-ins. All of the installed plug-ins go with you when you carry the file folder somewhere else.

I get everything by letting the PortableApps app download and install additional apps from their site.

PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB, portable, and cloud drives

In a similar vein, the same USB drive has an installation of WinPython, which is my electronic lab notebook and general swiss army knife.
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so any clue why the websites that "sell" you the software non-portable (or hide it in their sites) in comparison to this site? That's the thing that surprises me most.
 
#342
BigBasserino said:
Portable apps...folder? I just did a little peruse...are apps bundled? or is it all individual portable apps?
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Individual portable apps. I prefer it that way, since I only need a small handful of apps, and prefer to choose them a la carte.
so any clue why the websites that "sell" you the software non-portable (or hide it in their sites) in comparison to this site? That's the thing that surprises me most.
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These are all open-source projects. It could be that people are selling them for money, just to see if they can make a few bucks.
 
#343
fdeck said:
Individual portable apps. I prefer it that way, since I only need a small handful of apps, and prefer to choose them a la carte.

These are all open-source projects. It could be that people are selling them for money, just to see if they can make a few bucks.
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Nice. It's kind of funny this comes along when just a few months ago I discovered Ninite - Install or Update Multiple Apps at Once, which allows you to bulk pick all the programs you want to load on (presumably) a new computer.
 
#344
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#346
PortableApps for Windows is really good.
And here is some software/applications that works on my computer.
Cutepdf writer
-Prints from any program to a pdf file you save (save docs without a printer)
Mozilla sunbird
- Calendar ap
Sunbird - Download
Foldersize
-Open source, allows a folder size column
Folder Size for Windows
TotalMedia Theater
-Media player
TotalMedia Theatre - Download
Windows login password reset
- Unlock and remove password from Windows computer
WinPWD Windows Password Recovery - Best Windows Password Reset Tool
 
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#349
Tokyo Dawn Records makes some incredible audio plugins with fully-featured free versions including Slick EQ, Kotelnikov Mastering Compressor, and Nova Dynamic EQ. There are paid "Gentleman's Edition" upgrades for each with tons of extra features. The Tokyo Dawn plugins helped me get my home mixes to a much higher level of quality.
 
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#351
Recently (about 3 weeks ago) started using a free cloud-based spreadsheet called Zoho Sheet.

Online Spreadsheet Software | Create Spreadsheets for Free - Zoho Sheet

Account creation was essentially just giving an email address that you'll use, along with a password, for sign-in.

Never created a spread sheet in my life (have used them, though), but easy enough to set up for my simple needs. It's capable of much more, so my wife can help me out if needed. Zoho has other office products, too, but I'm not interested.

I worried about them bugging me through my email (hate that), but so far, nothing, so that's cool.
 
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#352
Here's a free online program if you need to reduce the file size of WebP, Jpeg, or PNG images. I've been using it for about 2 years. It's called TinyPNG. Didn't think to add it to my spreadsheet post above LOL.

Been working perfectly for me. No picture quality loss and strips out unnecessary 'weight' from the pic file. I use it before posting pics in this forum if I think the original file size is too big.

https://tinypng.com/
 
#353
The handiest image software I've found is Irfanview. It was created by a Bosnian grad student named Irfan Skiljan. It's not photoshop, but for the following functions it's amazingly fast and easy to use:

- Resizing images
- Cropping images
- Rotating images
- Changing image formats (just use "Save As" and pull down the format selection line)

It does more, but that's mostly what I use.

That covers about 90% of what I need to do with photos, and the software is free for non-commercial use. 32 and 64 bit, and runs on Windows 7 through 11. I donate occasionally through the Support link because I've used this software for about 15 years.

IrfanView - Official Homepage - One of the Most Popular Viewers Worldwide
 
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#354
Pilgrim said:
The handiest image software I've found is Irfanview.
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Pilgrim said:
I donate occasionally through the Support link because I've used this software for about 15 years.
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Agree and I have used it as long and thrown him a few bucks. It's a truly great piece of software for what it is, and it will do about 95% of the image manipulation I need.
 
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