Among the thousands of free programs available on the Web, how do you find the best, most reliable ones for your needs? I love to read PC Magazine as most of you have probably realized by now. I often find their tips quite useful. In fact, I enjoy their tips so much that I get regular updates from them on a number of topics. I thought I would share with you an article that came out this year: The Best Free Software. They have recommendations for all kinds of applications, from photo editing to DVD burning to word processing. At the end of the article, there is some information on how to protect yourself from malware when downloading free applications.

I use a number of free applications myself. I especially like Spybot – Search & Destroy. This program detects and removes spyware. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behavior to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven’t intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been “hijacked” (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. 

I also love Gadwin PrintScreen. This is a program I use all the time at work to capture screenshots. There is a professional version that you have to pay for, but the free one works great and is so convenient and easy to use. Instead of hitting the Print Screen key on the keypad and getting a picture of the whole screen, Gadwin PrintScreen makes it easy to get any area of the screen. Very cool!!!

I might as well mention the Google Reader. Google Reader constantly checks your favorite news sites and blogs for new content. It can be used in most browsers and there is no software to install. I use Google Reader as part of my iGoogle page which also includes my Gmail account. IGoogle is a personalized page that gives you at-a-glance access to key information from Google and across the web. You can choose all sorts of content to add to your page including the weather, movie show times, news headlines and a lot more. Gmail of course is Google’s email which I use when I have to give an email when I sign up for something or make a purchase.