Highly recommended programs

• Thunderbird: open-source, free mail client. Install at least these addons:
  • Quicktext (for inserting quick templates of text and HTML)
  • Nostalgy (for quickly filing mail and jumping between folders)
  • A spellchecker (and always have spell-checking activated to run before you send email)
• Google Chrome for web browsing, testing, and great extensions.
• Mozilla Firefox for web browsing, website testing, and its awesome array of useful addons.
• Safari for web browsing and website testing
• Skype for instant messaging and phone calls
• LibreOffice for text documents and spreadsheets (LibreOffice.org)
• Notepad++ for quick text files and simple code edits (on Mac, try TextWrangler or Sublime)
• Adobe Reader for opening PDFs
• AVG antivirus (the free edition)
• Irfanview for quickly cropping and resizing pictures
• Filezilla for getting files on and off remote servers via FTP
• Trello, a web-based project management program
• Sage Pastel My Business Online, a multi-user accounting application
• Youtube, for video sharing online
• Vimeo, for video sharing online
• WordPress, an open sourced blogging tool
• OpenOffice, an open source office software suite
• Base, an online CRM management program
• Quicktext, widget for Thunderbird
• Trovebox, for online storage of information
• Bitly, an online URL shortener
• Textwrangler, a text editor for Mac
• Irfanview, an image editor
• CamStudio, for creating screencast videos
• Any Video Converter, file size converting

Highly recommended software

• Dropbox, either for your own files or for syncing withthe company shared files (be sure to read up about how Dropbox works, especially before deleting any files, or syncing with the company share).
• HeidiSQL for viewing MySQL databases
• EpubReader, as a Firefox addon, for reading DRM-free epubs
• Kindle for PC for reading Kindle ebooks on your computer
• 7-Zip for extracting and compressing files (especially ones the Windows built-in unzipper can’t handle, like .tar)
• PDFCreator for printing to PDF
• Evolus Pencil for creating screen wireframes for user interfaces or even things like quick poster or flyer design drafts
• VideoLAN (aka VLC) media player, for those occasions when Windows Media Player won’t play your music or video
• Sigil, if you ever have reason to edit or look inside epub files.
• Github, for building software online
• EasyFile-employer, for your emp501 returns