Web industry software can be pricey and may not be worth the money for someone who just wants to try a few things. Since people often ask me what they can use, I've compiled a list of software (not just web software) that is either free or shareware. These are all for the PC--their respective websites would need to be consulted but many of them do support other operating systems. I am not associated with any of these companies or projects in any way.
| Used for |
Software Name |
Company |
Cost |
Tried? |
Comments |
| Browser |
Firefox |
Open source (Mozilla Project) |
Free |
Yes |
I'm sure most have heard of this upcoming rival to Internet Explorer. The tabbed browsing is fantastic since I am someone who always has at least 4 websites open at once. With version 1.5 they have improved the update process (you no longer need to uninstall the old version and download the entire program all over again).
Also check out the Extensions page where you can get all kinds of useful add-ons. These install additional features such as blocking ads or Flash content. I use a handy extension called "Web Developer".
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox |
Clipboard
(Copy & Paste) |
ClipMate |
Thornsoft
Development |
$34.95 |
Yes |
This is a "clipboard extender for Windows" which has been around since 1991. I barely use 5% of the features in this software but I can't live without that 5%. Rather than copy-paste-copy-paste between documents, I can copy all the content I want from anywhere since it all gets stored on a clipboard then paste the clips elsewhere in whatever order I want. It's also great for stripping carriage returns or HTML code from text or "screen capturing" certain areas of the screen. Fully functional 30-day free trial available. Note there is bulk pricing for multiple licenses.
http://www.thornsoft.com/index.htm |
| Color picker |
Color Cop |
Jay Prall |
Free |
Yes |
This small program tells you the color of things on your computer. Huh? Say there is an icon on your desktop. Use the eye dropper tool to select that color and it will tell you the hex value in HTML, Delphi, Powerbuilder, Visual Basic, and Visual C++ fomats. Very handy when you like the colors of something that can't be pulled into graphics programs (like the title bar of the window).
http://www.prall.net/tools/colorcop/download.php |
| Defrag hard drive |
Diskeeper Lite |
Diskeeper Corp. |
Free |
Yes |
It works quite well and faster than the built-in Windows defragger. It must be run manually and lacks features contained in the paid versions. From time-to-time it will pop up a window urging you to buy the full version. Diskeeper Corporation no longer offers the lite version on its site but it can be found elsewhere on the web. I first used the Professional version when it was under the company Executive Software.
Webmasterfree |
| Disk space analyzer |
JDiskReport |
JGoodies |
Free |
Yes |
This little utility analyzes your disks and shows you how much space your files and directories are using. It has some statistics and simple charts. Helps you decide where housekeeping needs to be done (on your computer). Very simple to use, nice look.
JDiskReport |
| Email client |
Eudora Light |
Qualcomm |
Free |
No |
I have family members who use this and they seem to think it functions well. Download and installation may be a little confusing. You download one program and after you install it you get to choose if you want to use the Light version (which is free) or one of the paid modes.
http://www.eudora.com/download |
| Email client |
Pegasus Mail |
David Harris |
Free |
Yes |
I have to admit I haven't used this program in several years. But it has been available for a very very long time (1990), is still being updated, and is incredibly still free. I'm a die-hard command line Pine user but I use Pegasus Mail when I just want to click and select things.
http://www.pmail.com/downloads.htm |
| Email client |
Thunderbird |
Open source
(Mozilla Project) |
Free |
Yes |
Good alternative to Outlook though it doesn't have quite as many features. This is the recommended email client at my office. This has a bunch of Extensions to install if you've just gotta have more features.
http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird |
File transfer
(FTP) |
FileZilla |
Open source
(GPL - Tim Kosse) |
Free |
Yes |
Works quite well. Has a few minor flaws that can be safely ignored (like having to manually drag and drop files between panes rather than hitting a Transfer button or having a poorly marked Disconnect icon). Unlike some other FTP programs it allows SFTP. I recommend trying this program out before WS_FTP simply because it is free and does the same things.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla |
File transfer
(FTP) |
WS_FTP Pro |
Ipswitch |
$$$ - see site |
Yes |
WS_FTP Pro is simple to use (is a little more intuitive than FizeZilla) and works well. I have not tried the Home version. They used to offer the free WS_FTP LE version but that seems to be gone now.
http://www.ipswitch.com/products/file-transfer.asp |
| Flowcharting |
Dia |
Open source (GPL) |
Free |
Yes |
A decent flowcharting/diagram software. Doesn't seem to be as fancy as Visio -- the site itself says it was inspired by Visio but is geared toward informal diagrams for casual use.
http://www.gnome.org/projects/dia |
| Graphics |
the GIMP |
Open source
(GPL - the GIMP Team) |
Free |
No |
People tell me this is a good substitute for Photoshop. Keep in mind that because it is a rival to Photoshop using it may not be the easiest thing. As a Photoshop user, I know there is a steep learning curve when you first start to use high-level graphics software. But never having used GIMP, my previous statements are purely guesses.
Most users--be sure you download one of the BINARIES for installation!
I tell people they might want to try this before shelling out hundreds of dollars for industry software. Note that there are simpler softwares available but I only know the names of paid ones. This one's free and widely known so why not check it out?
http://www.gimp.org/downloads |
| HTML text editor |
1st Page 2000 |
Evrsoft |
Free |
No |
This is a text editor that is geared toward HTML writing. Though I've never used it, screenshots on their site remind me of Macromedia's HomeSite (which I use frequently). Might be worth a try if Notepad is too annoying.
http://www.evrsoft.com/1stpage2.shtml |
| Icon editor |
Goldicon |
Goldshell Digital
Media |
Free |
Yes |
Creating icons is a little different from creating regular graphics. There are size and color restrictions and issues while trying to save into proper format. This is a good, small, simple program for icons. I use it to create favicons for websites.
http://www.goldshell.com/goldicon |
| MySQL GUI |
MySQL Query
Browser |
Open source
(GPL - MySQL AB) |
Free |
Yes |
Great for running queries in a graphical interface and seeing the results in nice spreadsheet-like rows and columns. You can run queries in separate tabs and click back and forth between them. But it does have some bugs. You can edit tables and data directly in the GUI though I've had some problems getting it to work consistently. However this is one of the few GUIs I could find and it works decently for the most part. Note that there are both free GPL and paid versions.
MySQL Query Browser download |
| PC Audit |
Belarc Advisor |
Belarc |
Free |
Yes |
This software is cool if you need to know what you've got installed on your computer. It lists softwares and patches and even serial numbers. Of course, it's not absolutely perfect. I noticed some things were missing when I ran it but it gives a nice profile so you have some idea of what you have. The site claims that it does not send any information to Belarc and specifically says this is for personal use only.
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html |
Server
Identification |
ID Serve |
Gibson Research Corp. |
Free |
Yes |
Most people probably won't need this utility. When I'm developing sites, it is sometimes useful to see the IP address or other information about a server. This tiny little program which doesn't even require installation (just click the .exe file) is helpful in displaying server id info. Note that this is not a hacker tool. It picks up information readily available but displays it in one spot without any coding.
http://grc.com/id/idserve.htm |
| Telnet/SSH |
PuTTY |
Open source
(MIT - Simon Tatham) |
Free |
Yes |
Very compact and easy to use. It doesn't even install itself--just double click the .exe file to start the program.
PuTTY download |
| Visio file viewer |
Visio (2003) Viewer |
Microsoft |
Free |
Yes |
The Visio Viewer lets you view Visio drawings and diagrams (created with Visio 5, 2000, 2002, or 2003) inside Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.0 or later. Helpful when you don't own Visio but someone insists you must view their Visio flowchart. It is a viewer only, you cannot create or alter Visio files. When printing diagrams through the viewer they come out smaller than if they had been printed from Visio.
Visio Viewer |
| WYSIWYG HTML editor |
Nvu |
Open source
(MPL/LGPL/GPL - Linspire) |
Free |
No |
This is a WYSIWYG HTML editor and more. According to their site, Nvu rivals programs like FrontPage and Dreamweaver. You should be able to build entire websites in this thing. Versions are available for multiple operating systems.
Most users--be sure you download one of the BINARIES for installation!
http://www.nvu.com |
