The 10 Best Free Software Downloads

Whoever said the best things in life are free was probably a politician having a lunch with a lobbyist.  But when it comes to software, they may have been on to something.

Although there is plenty of freeware and shareware available to download on the internet, there are no guarantees that the software is safe to download or, for that matter, even works.

Much of the shareware available is on a trial basis with limited functionality and may require you to use a credit card to download to use after the trial period.

Freeware is usually open source software or free proprietary commercial software that is fully functional for unlimited use.  The following is a list of what we feel is the 10 best consumer software downloads to date.

1. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2011 - For a free anti-virus program, we like this little gem a lot.  AVG Technologies offers more than just basic anti-virus protection, but a slew of components like anti-spyware, email and link scanner, PC analyzer and more.  With several different scan options, AVG works even better than some pay anti-virus programs that we have used.  With the option to update to the paid version of its anti-virus software, it’s hard to imagine what more it could offer.
2. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 9.2.076 – The default Windows firewall may be adequate if you are simply checking email or playing games online but for many, an added layer of protection is needed.  If you initiate any transactions online for obvious reasons, a back-up firewall is a must.   As one of the oldest and most consistent products on the market, Check Point Software’s ZoneAlarm gets our vote.  Expect significant improvements with every new release.  Settings include behavioral detection, automatic Wi-Fi security activation, antiphishing and 2 gigs of online storage at the right price: free.
3. CCleaner - From London’s Piriform software and previously reviewed by The Florida Citizen, CCleaner continues to be one of our favorite utilities to clean up your system.  CCleaner is a fully featured registry cleaner with a drive-wiping tool that can wipe all the data from your hard drive including scrubbing free space.  This utility removes unused files and fragments from your system significantly improving performance.
4. 7-Zip 9.20 - Got large files? Just zip it. 7-Zip software’s free file compression utility beats WinZip handily.  7-Zip takes large and multiple files and shrinks them down to surprisingly small sizes for easy emailing and storage.  Easy archiving in several formats and unpacking options make it a must for savvy users.  Not-so-savvy users will find the learning curve very short; you could master the use of Z-zip like a pro in minutes. So gather up you files, zip ‘em and mail ‘em…free.
5. Google Chrome 8.0 – As much as we like the Mozilla Firefox browser, Google has stepped up to the plate to knock one out of the park.  The fast, simple browser has a clean window that auto updates. Like most of today’s modern browsers, Google Chrome includes built-in malware and phishing protection.  With an assortment of extensions and themes, Chrome is a force to be reckoned with in the browser wars. Versions of Google Chrome are available for Mac and Linux.
6. Safari 5 for Mac and PC – Still visiting the App store with Internet Explorer?  Always in a perpetual state of innovation, Apple is constantly tweaking and testing. Their latest browser version is no exception.   Check out Safari 5 with its advanced tools for developers and ease of use for the casual user. The features, graphics and compatibility of Safari make this software a top 10 performer.
7. GIMP 2.6.11 – Being well aware of the different image manipulation programs freely available, in our opinion, nothing comes as close to Adobe Photoshop like GIMP.  Released under the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE, even the GIMP work space closely mimics Photoshop.  More importantly, GIMP is more than image manipulation; it is a full featured graphics program.  With image, layering, filter, painting, gradient and drawing settings to name a few, this program is an adequate replacement of the potentially cost prohibitive Photoshop.
8. OpenOffice – Another potentially cost prohibitive program for some, is the Microsoft Office suite of programs. As an open source (free) program, we like OpenOffice a lot because it is compatible to Microsoft Office suite and is an excellent alternative.  OpenOffice is extendable and can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.
9. Adobe Reader X – From the developers of Photoshop, InDesign, Flash and other pricey products is Adobe Reader.  Whether their products are overpriced or not depends on the end-user.  From the casual user point a view, they are definitely off the charts.  As a designer or developer, well, let’s just say they could be gentler.  Anyway, their PDF reader is a high-quality program that allows you to read documents in PDF.  There are other free readers but Adobe has our vote. Then again, the cost of their PDF maker,  Acrobat, more than makes up for what they give away free.
10. Audacity® - is open source, cross-platform sound editing software for the audiophile.  Available in Mac OS, Windows and Linux/Unix, Audacity® allows users to record, edit and mix audio.  For aspiring sound engineers, producers and artists, you can’t beat the price.  Did we mention, free?