Essential Applications for PC Users

One of the most important things about a computer is software.

These are the programs that you use on a daily basis. Without them, your computer is simply a massive paperweight that takes up too much desk space. Here are some software essentials that you would do well to seek out online to make your digital life more fulfilling, not to mention safe.

1. Zone Alarm - This will likely be one of the most important pieces of software you could have in your computer. Zone Alarm is easily downloadable from here and is FREE. It's also one of the most widely used firewall programs in the market today. Simple and straightforward, this is computing at its safest.
2. Yahoo Toolbar - Spyware is one of the biggest headaches you could have in surfing the net. These ubiquitous little programs attach themselves to your PC like leeches and gradually suck away at your PC's resources. Keep them at arm's length with the easily overlooked anti-spyware facility within the Yahoo toolbar. You may not need all the other stuff that the toolbar provides so install it for your Internet Explorer browser. You can use another browser for your usual browsing anyway, which I'll get to in a bit. You can download this very useful little program here.
3. AVG Antivirus - With the wealth of viruses, trojan horses, and keylogging programs out there, it's plain suicide for anyone to be surfing the net without one of these essential programs to protect your PC and your identity. AVG antivirus is the premier antivirus program that remains free to use. There are, of course, other antivirus programs out there which are just as good, if not better. Unfortunately, they also cost a lot and for the budget-conscious pinoy, they are simply out of reach. You can download the free version of this valuable piece of software here.
4. Mozilla Firefox - Your browser is your window into the huge online world out there. Your Windows PC will, of course, come bundled with the Internet Explorer browser which, although fairly ok in terms of browsing experience, does lack certain features that make browsing more enjoyable. The Firefox browser, developed using open-source technology by the Mozilla Foundation, is the most feature-packed browser available today. Packing top-of-the-line security features with a built-in popup blocker, this little baby also provides users with the convenience of tabbed browsing which saves on valuable screen space. Download this with confidence right here.
5. iTunes - Using your computer as a multimedia station is nothing new. Microsoft already thought of this by including the Windows Media Player in nearly all versions of Windows. Apple takes it to a whole new level, however, with iTunes. Designed with the audiophile in mind, this program is good to have even if you don't have an iPod. It's probably the best mp3 manager software available and, yes, it's also free. The slick interface so characteristic of Apple is retained in the PC version of iTunes and you could ask for nothing more. Grab this great piece of software here.

Well, this list should give all you prospective responsible netizens something to chew on for the next couple of days. It's also handy to save the install programs on a thumb drive in case of hard disk failure (something that happens all too often, I'm afraid). Till next time, gentle readers.