కొత్త పీసీ కొన్న వారు కానీ లేదా OS
ఫ్రెష్ గా ఇనస్టలేషన్ చేసిన వారు కానీ విండోస్ లో అవసరమయ్యే ఉచిత
అప్లికేషన్లను ఒకేసారి ఇనస్టలేషన్ చేసుకోవటానికి Ninite అనే సైట్ ఉపయోగపడుతుందని ఇంతకుముందు ఒక పోస్ట్ లో చెప్పుకున్నాం. అయితే Ninite లేని కొన్ని ఉపయోగకరమైన అప్లికేషన్లను లైఫ్ హాకర్ Lifehacker Pack 2011 గా రూపొందించింది. Ninite లో లాగానే ఇక్కడ కూడా కావల్సిన అప్లికేషన్ ని ఎంచుకొని ఒకేసారి మన పీసీ లో ఇనస్టలేషన్ చేసుకోవచ్చు.
The Lifehacker Pack is
a yearly snapshot of our favorite, must-have applications for each of
our favorite platforms. If you're curious to see how things have changed
this year, here's last year's Lifehacker Pack for Mac.
PRODUCTIVITY
Notepad++
When
you edit documents, you use an Office suite, but when you edit plain
text or code, you need something specialized. Notepad++ adds a ton of
features to plain text editing, like text searching, tabbed editing,
syntax coloring for code, and built-in scripting that let you add in pretty much any feature you want.
Need something a bit simpler? Try Notepad2. You can also find other similar apps for a price, like SublimeText, but all they really bring you is a more attractive interface.
PhraseExpress
Text
expansion can save you hours of typing every week, and PhraseExpress is
probably the best text expander on Windows. It isn't perfect, but it'll
get the job done (though we recommend removing all its built-in
autocorrect features). Just set up your custom snippets, and with a few
choice characters you can instantly fill in long passages, lines of
code, or other info like the current date and time.
If you'd like something a bit more minimal, we recommend you also check out Texter, a text expansion program written by our own Adam Pash, or just create your own text snippets in AutoHotkey.
Belvedere
Also written by Adam Pash, Belvedere is an automatic file sorter based on Hazel for
Mac. Belvedere lets you automatically keep folders clean by moving and
sorting files with a certain extension, deleting files based on their
creation date, and a ton more. Just set it and forget it, and you won't
have to worry about keeping your desktop clean or backing up those
documents to Dropbox ever again.
SumatraPDF
Let's
be honest: nobody likes having to open Adobe Reader to read those PDF
files. SumatraPDF is everything Adobe Reader isn't: simple, fast, and
easy to use. It opens PDFs almost instantly, and supports most PDF
features like tables of contents. Plus, for you keyboard junkies, it has
some nice shortcuts for flipping through those PDFs at lightning speed.
Want something a little more advanced? Try PDF-XChange.
INTERNET/COMMUNICATION
Google Chrome
Chrome has overtaken Firefox as the most popular browser among power users,
and it's easy to see why. It's fast, extensible, and syncs your
preferences, extensions, passwords, and more all through your Google
account. Plus, it updates pretty frequently, improving itself every few
weeks through small, incremental updates.
Thunderbird
Most
people have switched to web-based email, but we still recommend having a
mail client on your system for backup, offline access, or for when the web service goes down.
Thunderbird is the best of the bunch, supporting any IMAP-capable mail
account out there, and is incredibly customizable due to the number of
plugins available.
If you want something a bit more advanced and are willing to pay, both Microsoft Outlook and the Thunderbird-based Postbox are good alternatives.
Pidgin
If
you want all your IM accounts in one place, look no further than
Pidgin. Pidgin lets you chat from AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger,
MSN, Facebook Chat and more all in one combined buddy list. Plus, with a
ton of third party plugins that let you add other IM networks, themes,
notifications, and integration with social media services, it's the
perfect one-stop-shop for all your IM and communication needs.
Adobe Flash
Whether
you like it or not, lots of the web still uses Adobe Flash to play
videos, power webapps, or just plain navigate their site. So while it
may not be the most stable or speedy plugin around, we still recommend
you install it for a better web experience. If it's causing a lot of
problems, you can always block it using FlashBlock for Chromeand FlashBlock for Firefox, too.
Skype
Skype's
still the biggest name in video chat, not to mention one of the
cheapest ways to make international phone calls. And, it's available on
nearly every platform imaginable, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone,
Android, and more. Even if you aren't a Skype fan yourself, it's a
program you'll want to have on hand, since chances are someone you know
uses it—and when it comes time to chat with them, you'll have it at the
ready.
Of course, when given the option, we're pretty big fans of Google Chat and the new Hangouts feature in Google+.
UTILITIES
µTorrent
µTorrent
is easily our favorite BitTorrent client for Windows, being both
extremely lightweight and full-featured. Beyond the basic downloading of
torrents, you can easily share files with your friends, remote control
torrents from the web interface, and even stream videos as you download
them. And, while you're at it, you can tweak these settings for increased speed and privacy.
SABnzbd
If you don't like BitTorrent for one reason or another, Usenet is another great way to share and download files,
and SABnzbd is our favorite Usenet client out there. It's super easy to
set up, runs in the background, and lets you control it from any
computer through your web browser. It automates nearly every step of the
process, too, so you just need to load up the NZB you want to download
and it'll do the rest.
Dropbox
Dropbox
is still the best file syncing tool around, letting you back up files
to the web and sync them between all of your machines and mobile
devices. You get 2GB of space to start, but it's easy to get more space for free, and useful for so much morethan just syncing your documents. It's a must have on any system you own.
If you don't like Dropbox or have problems with it's recent security issues, there are a lot of alternatives out there to consider.
Crashplan
Everyone should back up their computer, and Crashplan is our favorite backup tool around.
Not only can it back up to local drives and remote computers, but you
can also back up your data to Crashplan's cloud service for an
affordable fee, which protects your data in case of fire or other local
catastrophe. Of course, if you're really against paying, you could
always back up your data to a friend's computer and they yours, to keep
your backups in more than one place.
ImgBurn
If
you ever burn live CDs or rip movies, you've probably come across image
files before. ImgBurn is a simple utility that will burn them to disc
in just a few clicks. Just start it up, load your ISO, and hit Burn.
CCleaner
Over
time, your hard drive gets filled up with leftover files, temporary
caches, and other cruft that can slow your computer down. CCleaner is
the best tool around for cleaning it up, and you can even run it on a schedule so you never have to think about it. If you're using Windows, it's an essential tool to have.
Revo Uninstaller
Windows
has its own built-in uninstaller, but sometimes it misses certain files
(which is why we need CCleaner to keep things neat). Revo Uninstaller
is much more effective at removing every trace of a program from your
system, and can even help you manage your startup items to keep things
running smooth from the moment you power on.
7-Zip
Windows
can handle ZIP files natively, but all other archives (like 7Z, RAR,
and tons more) require an external program. 7-Zip is a simple yet
powerful archive tool, letting you both unzip files with the press of a
button or zip them up securely.
MUSIC, PICTURES, AND VIDEO
KMPlayer
VLC may be the most popular play-anything program on Windows, but KMPlayer is really our favorite of the bunch.
With a light footprint, codecs for just about any video and more
settings than you can shake a stick at, it can make even the lowest
quality video files watchable—even if they're damaged. If you watch
videos on your system, this is the program to use.
If KMPlayer isn't for you, we've included VLC in the extended pack below. We also recommend checking out Media Player Classic, SMPlayer, and PotPlayer for your video-playing needs.
Picasa
If
you have photos to manage, Picasa's the program to do it in. Just
import your mishmash of photo folders, and Picasa will help you organize
them into an easy-to-browse library, and even give you some dead simple
editing tools while you're at it. Plus, with Picasa Web Albums, you can
upload them to share them with your friends or just keep them backed
up.
If you don't like Picasa, Windows Live Photo Gallery is a good Windows-integrated alternative, and seasoned photographers might like the more advanced Adobe Lightroom.
Paint.NET
When
something like Photoshop or the GIMP seems like overkill, Paint.NET is
the perfect program to do simple photo edits. With Paint.NET you can do
anything from cropping to removing red eye, and even work with
layers—just without an overwhelming feature set like you'd find
elsewhere. It isn't the most powerful program on the block, but it's
more than enough for the majority of users.
iTunes
iTunes
isn't our favorite music player, but it is the most ubiquitous, and if
you have any Apple devices in your backpack, you're going to need iTunes
to manage them. It's got more than enough basic library functions to
satisfy the average user, and chances are, it's the music program that
most of you need, so we've included it in the essentials pack.
SECURITY
Microsoft Security Essentials
Antivirus
programs abound on Windows, but you really don't need to pay money to
get good security. Microsoft's tools are great at catching viruses,
integrate well with Windows, and do their job in the background without
ever nagging your for money. It's also lightweight, which is a big plus
in the security department. Save your money—Microsoft Security Essentials is all you need.
THE EXTENDED PACK
Firefox
Chrome may be our favorite browser, but that doesn't mean Firefox doesn't have anything going for it. Firefox is still more customizable than any other browser you'll find, and it's getting faster all the time. And, with multiple channels, a rapid release cycle, and a new interface on the way, it's catching up to Chrome big time.
LibreOffice
OpenOffice
doesn't have the momentum it used to, and the OpenOffice community has
left Oracle's offering in favor of LibreOffice, the new standard
open-source office suite. It's got a few features OpenOffice doesn't, as well as a more active community. If you don't want to pay for Microsoft's offerings, LibreOffice is the way to go.
Microsoft Office and Office Viewers
Love
it or hate it, many of you might need to edit documents in Microsoft
Office (or at least view them). Thus, we've added a trial version of
Office 2007 Standard to the pack, as well as the Office Viewers for
those that only need to open a file here and there.
.NET, Silverlight, and Java
You're
probably going to need all three of these frameworks for something.
Better to install them all now and get it over with—after all, waiting
for Silverlight to download is a pretty big buzzkill when all you want
to do is watch Netflix.
Recuva
Accidentally
deleting files is a horrifying thing that can happen to anyone. Recuva
can often get it back, so it's a good tool to have in your back pocket
to help keep you cool in those emergencies.
Teracopy
When
you have to copy big files between drives, TeraCopy is a great
alternative to Windows Explorer. It'll move them as fast as possible,
pause and resume, and even recover from errors.
K-Lite Codec Pack
Windows Media Player is actually a pretty nice player,
and if you'd rather use it than install a separate program, this pack
of codecs will make sure that it—and any other player—can handle every
video format you might run into.
VLC
We
understand that many of you are still in love with VLC, and we
understand—it might not be our favorite video player, but it's still one
of the best and most popular out there. If you can't live without the
lightweight, play-anything VLC, we've included it in the extended pack
for you.
Foobar2000, MediaMonkey, and Winamp
If you're lucky enough to be free of iTunes (or you only use it to manage your iPod),
these three players are some fantastic music managers. Foobar2000 is
minimal and customizable, MediaMonkey is an library-organizing monster,
and Winamp is just a great all-around player for any user.
Spotify
While
the above players are each desktop powerhouses in their own right,
we've also fallen in love with the cloud music service Spotify. It's
great for discovering new music and testing it out before you buy, so
even if you have a local music player, we can't recommend Spotify
enough.
Adobe Reader
It's
slow, naggy about updates, and somewhat insecure, but unfortunately,
sometimes you just need Adobe Reader. Whether you've got PDF files with
special features Sumatra doesn't support, or your file just won't open
correctly, chances are it'll work in Adobe Reader. We recommend keeping
SumatraPDF as your default reader, and keeping Adobe around for those
unfortunate occasions.
AutoHotkey
it's
one of the geekier selections on our list, so it isn't for everybody,
but AutoHotkey is one of the most powerful, useful programs you can get
for Windows. With just a bit of code, you can turn just about any action in to a keyboard shortcut,
or even create your own little programs. It may look intimidating, but
it's surprisingly easy to learn, so if you've ever thought "my life
would be perfect if I just had this keyboard shortcut", AutoHotkey is a
godsend.
