• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Best software of 2004?

Ian Osborne

JREF Kid
Ian Osborne
Joined
Aug 4, 2001
Messages
8,957
What does the forum think are the best PC software packages of 2004 so far, in the usual categories (office, graphics, OS, games, etc)? I suppose Microsoft Office 2004 must claim the 'office' prize, though it's not a massive update on the 2003 version, and Service Pack 2 is an obvious contender for the OS, but what about everything else? Has anyone any thoughts on the matter?
 
Well I like Microsoft Streets and Trips. I don't have the newer 2005 version but this is an amazing piece of software.
 
Object Desktop and all the gee-whiz graphical bits and pieces that go along with it. http://www.stardock.com/

Many people complain about the "processor overhead" these things can take up but goodness me what on earth do we have these mighty PCs for if it isn’t to make things nicer?

(Edited to add.)

Best utility - dtSearch, recommended to me by Tez, brilliant piece of software, don’t know how I managed before I had it. http://www.dtsearch.com/
 
I like OpenOffice.org over MS Office, but then I don't like signing into those things when I don't have too.

SUSE 9.1 Professional for the OS, it's a dream to run and not a pain to set up like Slackware. As expected, runs better than Windows. :)

Everything else, I have no idea on, I like Photoshop CS, but that was out last year. And I really only play older games.
 
DangerousBeliefs said:
Bittorrent

(Ducks)
Click to expand...

Old stuff, unless we talk about new clients like Azureus. And why duck ? BitTorrent is great for sharing those files which have no copyright restrictions :D
 
Being a code grunt, this is the best thing I've gotten for $30 in a long time. It replaced two other programs that cost me a lot more and it does what it does better than both. If you have to compare a lot of files, this is the bomb. The only nit I have to pick with it is that it doesn't support SFTP directly, but there is a workaround...

Beyond Compare
 
i-spy

OK, my first posting to jref forums --- let's see if I can add to the generally high level of discourse here!

My vote goes to "anti-spyware" software, of which there are several good ones. (aladdin systems 'Internet Cleanup' is typical)

In this day and age, the proliferation of adware/popups and spyware is reaching epidemic proportions. Regular anti-virus has nothing to cope with the daily onslaught of secret installers that invade your system while surfing the web.

(also available for macs)
 
Ian Osborne said:
What does the forum think are the best PC software packages of 2004 so far, in the usual categories (office, graphics, OS, games, etc)? I suppose Microsoft Office 2004 must claim the 'office' prize, though it's not a massive update on the 2003 version, and Service Pack 2 is an obvious contender for the OS, but what about everything else? Has anyone any thoughts on the matter?
Click to expand...

A service pack to make a OS slightly more secure shouldn't win the operating system prize!

I would vote for Linux. Or if I had to be more specfic then Mandrake 10.1 - Which is incredibly easy to install and use, and comes with a huge anount of stuff. Or the Knoppix etc Live distributions - just pop the CD in any PC you find - turn on and you've got a linux desktop. Incredibly useful. Especially for saving windows.


Oh... And firefox 1.0
 
My vote goes to IPCop ( http://www.ipcop.org )

I've used Linux for a very long time to connect my users tot he Internet. I've worked with a lot of packages to get things the way I wanted...now they're all in one, easy to install setup.

NAT? Does it. DHCP? Does it. Port forwarding? Yes. VPN? Yes. Firewall? You betcha. Snort? Does it. Web proxy? Yes....and lots of other goodies.


All kinds of add-ons available, from anti-virus to anti-spam.

So I finally have a use for some of these old Pentium I machines lying around. And best of all...the program is completely free.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom