Utility

ManyCam – 1 webcam for all IMs with many additional cool effects

One day, I wanted to use my webcam for two instant messaging programs even though I knew that wasn't possible. Frustrated, I stumbled upon ManyCam a few days later, and we were a match made in heaven. ManyCam is the answer to the problem most people who want to use their webcam in several applications have. It acts as a virtual camera for multiple applications at the same time offering many additional features on top of it. You can change your background, appear as if it's snowing in your room, put on funny masks, draw on your webcam and many more.

Avast! Home Edition – Free Quality Antivirus Software for Windows

Are you looking for good, uncomplicated antivirus software to protect your computer, but don't want to cough up the dough for it? Then Avast! Home Edition is the free antivirus, anti-spyware software solution for you. This full-featured antivirus software package is made exclusively for non-commercial home use only. Avast! is free, but you must register the software before the end of the initial 60 day trial period. Don't worry, because registration is also FREE! After registering, you will receive by e-mail a license key valid for one year.

Rainlendar – a easy and customizable free desktop calendar

Have you ever spent too much time at your computer that you forget about your other commitments? Have you ever been so distracted by social networking or online gaming that you end up ignoring other things you need to do? Have you ever scheduled your appointments in a planner, but end up forgetting them once you log on to your computer? Then Rainlendar can help you out. Rainlendar is a customizable desktop calendar that allows you to set up tasks and events as well as alarms reminding you when to do them. It doesn't take up much space on your desktop either.

EditPad Lite – Free Text Editor for Windows

Do you feel that your usual plain text editor needs a little more "oomph" into it? Are you looking for features that the Windows default just doesn't have? Then EditPad Lite may be the program for you. EditPad Lite is a free text editor on the Windows platform that may be small and compact (the installer file is only 3.1 MB, and the installed file can easily fit in your portable storage device of choice), but it's powerful enough and delivers many new features, including opening tabs, find-and-replace, and color customization, to satisfy your basic word processing needs.

PortableApps.com Suite – Your Digital Life, Anywhere

One of the difficulties of traveling, especially if you don't have your laptop with you, is leaving behind your bookmarks and email settings. Security can also be an issue; perhaps the browser you're using on that internet cafe computer has been infected with a virus or a keylogger. Fortunately, there is now a portable alternative that fits into even the tiniest USB flash drive. PortableApps.com provides a completely free, portable, and open source solution for the person on the go: The PortableApps.com Suite.

Filezilla – a free and easy to use FTP transfer application

FileZilla is a free, open source FTP client, with versions compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. FileZilla supports the use of FTP, SFTP, and FTPS (or FTP over SSL/TLS). This free yet powerful program is useful for regular FTP users who need a good, free option to transfer files. It's simple to setup and run, and it gets the job done. It has a very straightforward and user-friendly interface. It allows you to quickly drag and drop files from your computer to the server, or vice versa. It also allows you to set how many simultaneous uploads or downloads you want to run, making file transfer faster.

VLC

VLC is a free and open sourced very versatile video player. I've used it ever since I can remember and I've never came across an audio or video file it hasn't been able to open and play (see the full list of supported files below). Aside from it's amazing playback capabilities, VLC can also be used as an encoder and a server to stream many codecs, file formats, as well as DVDs, VCDs and various streaming protocols. VLC, written by the VideoLAN project, is open source software licensed under a GNU General Public License, which means it is entirely free to download, use and share - even for commercial purposes. VLC is also one of the most platform-independent multimedia players - it is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, BeOS, Syllable, BSD, MorphOS, Solaris and Sharp Zaurus - and it has been translated to many different languages.