[RECOMMENDED] Seven Free Software Downloads - Comments Page 2

I used to be a devout FireFox user. I loved all the optional features it had that Chrome and Internet Explorer(Edge) did not have.

Then FF got squirrelly several years ago. I don't recall the exact reasons why, but there were quite a few FireFox users who walked away during that time (geeks too, not just normies like myself). So I switched to Chrome then and it suited me very well for many years.

A little over a year ago, I switched to Vivaldi. I like the built-in Capture feature because it is so easy to use. It is highly customizable and practically drives itself. I'm just beginning to learn all the things it can do. Seriously, I am in love with Vivaldi. I still use Chrome for some things, like utility-maintenance chores, like going into my NAS software, Plex updates on the NAS, etc.

I have been a Premium LastPass user a very long time, since it was $12 per year. Now it's $36/year. To me, it is still worth every penny. I'll always use LastPass. I've learned all its quirks and tweaks. I'll never leave it.

I didn't mean to go on and on. Thanks for listening to my rant. Have a good day everyone. 🤘😎🤘

And one I use almost as often as Firefox (how could I have left it out?):
email - Thunderbird

Hi Bob,
You never seem to mention that there are other whitelist antivirus programs besides PC Matic! For example, there is VoodooShield (https://voodooshield.com/) which is "FREE FOR NON-COMMERCIAL HOME USE". I've been using it for years and find it very effective. It's perfectly safe to use VoodooShield while also using a conventional antivirus. I've been using it with Kaspersky antivirus for years. They play well together.

Bob, very good article for anyone "opening" a new computer.
@ Mike. Why not recommend the antivirus program using the very best rationale available, whitelisting?

@Bob K. A bit unkind. You're implying Bob takes back handers for telling his followers what he uses on his own computer. You are entitled to your opinion, and and thanks for sharing it wit us. BTW, how much do you donate to this site to keep it running?

Aren't you concerned about all the personal data mining Google surely does? There's a reason a commercial enterprise offers a free program, and it sure ain't going to be altruism!

Aloha y'all... (and our favorite Latin lurker, et al.)
I remember the days when you bypassed walking us through the difficult times and the Internet speed bumps by simply driving us there on the Internet Tourbus... those were the days!
Dial up speeds and phone modems for connectivity...
Yes, indeed... we've come a long way, baby (like Telly Savalas used to say...)
* * *
Thanks for volunteering to drive and bringing your own gas card... You are the greatest!
* * *
Until that time. . .

Advanced System Care Free = potentially unwanted programs galore. A screen recorder, VPN, and more were installed without asking.
The installation uses a distinctly unfriendly colour scheme: dark navy blue on black (or the other way round).
No details of what various "improvements" do to the PC.

Question: I'm a senior citizen and own a Chrome book. Will any/all of the applications you recommend work with my Chrome OS?

LastPass has proved a headache for me. So many problems & I spend ages retrieving PW's that frequently don't work. Could not sign in to Google yesterday. Lastpas showed three PW options some used a month ago.
I'd be better off with Kaspersky PW manager though clearly not as secure. I have grown to hate LastPass. Never mastered its quircks.
Stay clear is my recommendation.

@Barbara - As a Chrome OS user, you probably don't need most of these programs, as their functionality (and Chrome's) resides in the "cloud" (online, that is). Most of these programs primarily target PC users, although there are enough Mac and Linux users around to support separate forks. Most dedicated Chrome OS hardware lacks the storage for local operation. The Google app store would be a suggested source for appropriate software

I second Richard's mention of
GIMP for bitmap drawing and
Notepad++ for text/code editing
as well as Bob S's mention of KeePass for passwords storage/management.
I would also add Foxit Reader for PDF viewing/form filling. Although I do not use it as much as I used to before Acrobat Reader implemented form filling it is still useful for those rare occasions when a PDF was not created as a fillable form.

Re Advanced System Care Free. You shouldn't defrag Solid State Drives (SSDs). The way data is written to SSDs is different to the way it's written to Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). SSDs have a limited number of rewrites in their life cycle, defragging them cause a rewrite of the drive, you'll kill it earlier. Defragging is good for HDDs though.

More about Advanced System Care Free. I've just been to their website, their use of English is very poor so I can't trust it.
They say this about their defragging tool, "Your hard disk is lack defragmentation... Advanced SystemCare can always fix them within one shot and optimize your PC with 30+ troubleshooters. Speedup, we mean it".
I'm not touching it with a barge pole.
Sorry, Bob.

I have been using Thunderbird, IrfanView, Gimp, and MalwareBytes for over 20years and recommend them also. Be aware that MalwareBytes will irritate you with pop ups to get their paid program. VLC video player is also an excellent program. I also agree with Bob's recommendation for PC Matic.

Thanks Wild Bill! I appreciate the advice and your knowledge. Adios amigo....

Do I care if the browser I like is available on "multiple platforms"? No, so long as it's available on the platforms *I* use.
I've used Vivaldi for a couple years now. Its features beat Firefox and especially Opera hands down (my opinion). It also has more native features (like tree view of all open pages) which require an extension in Chrome. That makes support better, because you can ask questions of the Vivaldi team & other users instead trying to get support from a half dozen different extension developers. Also, Vivaldi is based on Chromium so lots of Chrome extensions work with it.

My list of favorite freebies contains - Chrome, Bitwarden (passwords), Q-Dir (4 pane directory tree), Air explorer (multicloud manager), Greenshot (screen shot), CCleaner (disk cleaner), Everything (file finder), Wise program uninstaller among others.

Thank you, Stuart Berg! I saw your comment saying that you use VoodooShield (https://voodooshield.com/). I went to their website and read everything they have to say about their product. I liked what they had to say, and how they presented the information - in a clear, concise manner. I downloaded and installed VoodooShield today, so I'll see how it works in practice. After I have used it for a while, I'll post my impressions here.

Ernie