Want Some Good Free PC Software?

I love to do new and wonderful things twih my PC, but I want to pay zip, nada, zero, zilch and bupkis for the privilege. What are some great free tools that will make my heart sing and my wallet happy?

There's some amazing free software out there, and you can do some amazing free things with it. Here's a few of my faves:

The grandaddy, the winner and champeen of all the Internet browsers: Firefox! It just turned 2.0, and it rocks. Grab it at getfirefox.com -- it loads pages like a weasel on speed, it's safer by far than Internet Explorer and its ActiveX nightmares, and it's beyond customize-able with hundreds of amazing extensions like Adblock and others that let you tune your Internet experience to fit you. The new version 2.0 adds spell-checking in text entry areas, session-saving so you can pick up right where you left off, and some other great enhancements.

Google gives great search, but how about a super-cool photo downloader and album program that's quick like a bunny even with several thousand pictures, lets you do some pretty sophisticated image correction, and create slideshow CDs, e-mail pictures and more? Get Picasa at picasa.com -- it's a great tool for images, it's well-written, easy to use, and free.

Speaking of Google, if you've got a Blackberry, you've got to grab the new Google Maps application -- it's free, it will do mapping and directions, and it's even got live freeway traffic info. If you don't have an unlimited data plan from your cell carrier, this may not be the application for you, but if the thought of bringing up a satellite photo from your phone makes you feel like Jack Bauer, go to http://google.com/gmm with your Blackberry's browser.

There's no excuse for being without up-to-date antivirus software when one of the best programs is free. A trip to http://free.grisoft.com will give you access to a free (for home use only -- businesses, educational institutions and other entities, for profit or otherwise, will need to pony up) antivirus program that's low-footprint, rapidly updated, and far less intrusive than the big boys like Norton and McAfee. Config tip -- turn off "Certify" in the E-mail settings, and you won't get their little ad on every e-mail you send.