10 Essential (And Free) Applications For Windows

Windows is the default operating system for many people’s computers (yes, it still is the leader). There are thousands and thousands of applications for the Windows system, for tasks ranging from playing music to word processing. Sorting out the rubbish from the gems is difficult, given the large range of options.

So, here are 10 free, useful Windows applications you can use for your daily tasks. Enjoy

1. foobar2000 [Music]

foobar2000 is probably the quickest music player ever. You don’t have to wait for ever for other music players (like Windows Media Player) to properly load up. foobar2000 starts up immediately, is simple (and efficient), and not a pain in the butt. And the best thing is, it’s free!

foobar2000: http://www.foobar2000.org/

2. FileZilla [FTP]

For those of you who have websites to manage, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) should be familiar. You use FTP to transfer files from your computer to your web server or the other way round. FileZilla is one kick ass FTP program that lets you do this job easily. Create and manage different FTP accounts and easily transfer files in a “drag and drop” fashion. Although there are other FTP applications (like CuteFTP), FileZilla beats ‘em all.

FileZilla : http://filezilla-project.org/

3. Notepad2 [Simple Text Editing]

There’s the built in Notepad for simple text editing, but its really simple. Notepad2 is here to save the day. With syntax highlighting (to make writing code a whole lot easier) and different style schemes for different programming languages, Notepad2 is the tool for the programmer looking for a simple yet efficient solution. Notepad2 loads up immediately, and is simple enough to be user-friendly, yet powerful. And, it’s free

Notepad2: http://www.flos-freeware.ch/notepad2.html

3. GIMP [Image Editing]

Adobe Photoshop is the king of the hill when it comes to image editing. There’s no doubt about that. But the USD $600+ price tag makes it pretty much unaffordable for the average aspiring designer. GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program), on the other hand, is an almost as better (even better, in some respects) image editing program. And, it’s open source (free). GIMP has a strong (and growing) community of supporters and tutorials(here, here, here…) So if you find Photoshop too expensive, try GIMP out. You won’t regret it

GIMP : http://www.gimp.org/

4. uTorrent [File Sharing]

For BitTorrent geeks. µTorrent is a lightweight and user-friendly file sharing program. Its feature list includes bandwidth prioritization, scheduling and RSS auto-downloading. The program itself is as light as a feather (less than 220KB in size). With a solid fan base and regular updates, µTorrent is the top BitTorrent client out there

µTorrent : http://www.utorrent.com/

5. Audacity [Audio Editing]

If you’re a aspiring sound engineer, you can’t afford to live without an audio editing program. Unfortunately, most audio editing software out there have a huge price tag, and are therefore not economical for the average sound jockey. Fortunately, there’s an open-source alternative that kicks ass.
Audacity is a free application that allows you to record and edit sounds. You can mix, splice, cut, copy, and do lots of things to sounds. You can also add extra effects to your sounds, and play to your heart’s content.
Also, if you’re a podcaster, Audacity is an absolute essential: the built-in “Sound Recorder” that comes with Windows isn’t enough

Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

6. Juice [Podcasting]

Podcasting is all the rage nowadays, with people opening up their own “talk shows” and the like. Podcasts are like a radio program, but are downloadable, and syndicated. Podcast syndication is just like RSS syndication: you have an RSS reader that fetches your RSS feeds for you; similarly, a “podcatcher” fetches new episodes of podcasts you’re subscribed to.

Juice is one such podcatcher. Juice is open source (which means it’s free), simple, and user-friendly. It allows you to subscribe to podcasts, and automatically gets new episodes, much like a RSS reader. What’s even more appreciable is that Juice is accessible for blind and visually impaired users (Windows only) too. And it supports more than 15 languages too. And, it has a built-in directory of thousands of podcast feeds. Get Juice now!

Juice : http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/

7. Pidgin [Instant Messaging]

If you’re like me, you have multiple IM (instant messaging) accounts. And you’re annoyed by all the different IM windows and cluttering up your screen (not to mention the hassle of logging into several different IM programs). It’s annoying, frustrating, and totally non-productive.

Enter Pidgin, your one stop solution to all (or most) of your IM problems. Pidgin is a many-in-one chat client program, which supports many chat services (Windows Live, Gtalk, Yahoo, etc). Connect to all your different IM accounts at once, and forget all those windows. Pidgin is really really useful.

Pidgin: http://www.pidgin.im/

8. ClamWin [Anti-virus software]

Anti-virus software are normally thought to be a huge stress on a computer’s resources. And rightfully so, for an anti-virus software can easily bring a powerful system to its knees.
Enter ClamWin, a free, open source anti virus. ClamWin is lightweight and it does the job it’s supposed to do.

ClamWin: http://www.clamwin.com/

9. Skype [Communication]

Skype allows you to make free calls and video calls to anyone with an internet connection and the Skype program, anywhere in the world. You can also make calls to any phone around the world, at low prices. Skype also allows conference calls, which means you can get all your friends from all around the world together for a fun chat. Or, call that client of yours and finalise a design project. The possibilities are endless!

Skype: http://www.skype.com/

10. MediaCoder [Video Conversion]

MediaCoder is a free universal batch media transcoder, which nicely integrates most popular audio/video codecs and tools into an all-in-one solution. MediaCoder is a straightforward application that allows you to convert popular video/audio formats. It even has a version for mobile devices (like the iPod Touch), which allows you to convert videos in formats like AVI to iPod compatible formats. Very useful!

MediaCoder: http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/

BONUS – 11. Launchy

Launchy is like Quicksilver, but for Windows. It is is a free Windows program designed to help you forget about your start menu, the icons on your desktop, and even your file manager. It indexes the programs in your start menu, and allows you to launch programs within a few keystrokes, without even navigating through the start menu. This is a must have, seriously.

Launchy : http://www.launchy.net/

Your Picks?

What are your essential applications for Windows? Do tell us about them!