If you don't have this yet stop what you're doing and get it now. It's the best thing to happen to then internet since I don't know when. Look, it's a proven fact that IE sucks, it has huge security issues. Firefox is a relatively new browser that is brilliant in all aspects. It features tabbed browsing (think Netscape), manages downloads, and is just a hands down better product. Read more about it, then download it...now. Get Mozilla Firefox

Now that you've replaced Internet Explorer, consider ditching Outlook as well. Thunderbird is an excellent email client. It's user-friendly, can handle any POP accounts, and will also check newsgroups. The newest version adds something I thought was really cool, it will check all your favorite blogs for updates! Honestly, the folks at Mozilla have worked hard, commend them by using their sweet software. Get Mozilla Thunderbird

It's surprising how much crap accumulates on a computer just from surfing. This will help you get rid of some of that crap. If your machine has been running a little sluggish I'd suggest running this, when you get rid of all the annoying cookies and etc your machine will thank you. If you'd like to read more first visit the Ad-Aware home page or go ahead and download it from Major Geeks.

Spyware is much worse than adware in my opinion. Some keep track of simple usage stats while others are much more malicious. Use this dandy program to get rid of all those threats quickly and easily. If you'd like to read more first visit the Spybot S&D home page or go ahead and download it from Major Geeks.

"It really whips the llama's ass." Use it to organize and play music. Supports every file format I've ran into, with the exception of the iTunes format. (You can download a plug-in that lets you use it, if you have the owner key for the song) Has great features, the visualizations are very entertaining. It's worth the switch. Get Winamp

"FileZilla is a fast and reliable FTP client and server with lots of useful features and an intuitive interface." I'm not especially picky about my FTP clients, but this one is very easy to use and I've never had any problems with it. If you're looking for a way to upload your new webpage, look no further.

"Gaim is a multi-protocol instant messaging (IM) client for Linux, BSD, MacOS X, and Windows. It is compatible with AIM and ICQ (Oscar protocol), MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, SILC, GroupWise Messenger, and Zephyr networks." I find this program amazing because you can organize all your contacts from each service into one program. It makes communicating with a million people that much easier.

"Skype is a little program for making free calls over the internet to anyone else who also has Skype. It’s free and easy to download and use, and works with most computers." I've used it and the voice quality is great, it also lets you IM your contacts (useful if you're discussing websites and want the link).

Rainlendar is a highly customizable calendar that is lightweight, easy to use, and isn't system intensive. I use it to keep track of my hectic college schedule, and find the pop-up reminders especially helpful (if you don't you can turn them off). Basically, I don't know what I'd do without it, and it definitely beats its paper & pencil counterpart.

"GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages." I found that its interface took a little getting used to, but now that I've learned my way around it I think it's fantastic. For some examples of what it can do check out my gallery.

"The original Notepad shipped with Windows is probably the handiest program of all times, small, fast, without frills! Notepad2 tries to follow this principle, it's a small, fast and free text editor with syntax highlighting for HTML and other common languages." I use it daily, in fact, every page of my site was developed using it, even the CSS.