So, I’ve been working on trying to be a better blogger, but sometimes I just can’t do it. The first problem I was having was all the spam comments.  The spam was relentless (that’s part of the reason I don’t post very often)!  I wrote the blog post about SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA and the spam just poured on in. The second was that I never know what to talk about.  But, I am working on that now! So hold on everyone, here comes the blog posts!

Lately, a lot of talk has been surrounding the U.S. Government regarding various bills and so on in our Congress.  The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) have really been pushing three key bills and one international treaty which all have been influenced by these lobbing groups.  To sum up the bills (see title for the names but not the full names), the RIAA and the MPAA all want to stop “piracy” by basically shutting down every useful thing on the Internet. ACTA specifically wants to create a “black list” in which they can place alleged ”infringers” on WITHOUT due process.  This black list would tell every ISP in the WORLD that you are not allowed to have Internet service including your cell phone company. Wow… It sickens me to see governments bow to corporations in such a way.  What is the main motivator? MONEY. It’s all about the money! The MPAA has flat out said that they won’t give congress members anymore money if they don’t pass something like this.

This is why groups like the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) are so very important. They help protect our freedoms on the Internet.  The Internet may only be 20 years old, but it’s still young and has a long way to go yet.  You can’t successfully police the internet without backlash.

So, I had a thought the other day. I should list my top 10 “I must have on my computer” applications. So here’s a list and a short explanation for each:

10. Openoffice.org

This one is very important if you don’t have Microsoft Office, this (as most of you know) is a free alternative to Microsoft Office products. It is open source and any one can use it. I have Microsoft Office, so I don’t use it that often, but it is on all of my computers. I also place it on computers I’m fixing for people just in case they don’t have office software.

9. Microsoft Security Essentials

Great security software from Microsoft. It does the job and has an easy to use interface with lots of features. Its security software, so there is not much to say.

8.Spybot Search and Destroy
Spyware software that will run no matter what Spyware is on your computer. This software is THE BEST at what it does.

7.FileZilla FTP Client

A fantasic FTP client, gets the job done quickly and affectively. VERY simple!! It does one thing and it does it well.

6. Skype

Skype is a great free VoIP video/voice chat program. Its on almost every platform, and most mobile phones. Free download and easy to use.

5. Mozilla Thunderbird

Outlook 2007 stopped working, so I switched to Thunderbird. Built on the the same fantastic framework that Firefox is, it provides comprehensive access to your email. It also has a TON of plugins and themes.

4. Mozilla Firefox

Great alternative to Internet Explorer, MUCH more secure. Provides lots of plugins and themes with different features and functions.

3. Adobe Reader

Adobe reader is a STAPLE in my computer work. I open lots of different documents that are PDFs because a lot of computer manuals and instructions for various software.

2. VLC Media Player

VLC is the BEST media player available. It may look plain and bland, but it is the best for strange formats found around the internet. It supports just about any video or audio format you can think of.

1. Google Chrome

Google Chrome is the web browser I use everyday! Its syncs all of my links and web apps across all of my computers. I am a “Google Guy” if you will; all of my email, web applications, and so on are done through Google.

So, thats about it. The apps that I use the most are mostly free and available for everybody. If you are setting up a new computer I recommend ninite.com for installing all of you applications on it. Most of the apps (if not all) are available on that website. Ninite creates a custom installer that background installs all of the applications you choose from there list. Its a great service that is free for home users!