Free Programs I Actually Use

[Leila Dark Jurai]

Sure there is a lot of free stuff out there, but what do I use most? Here's my picks.

Pidgin IM - An open source instant messaging client, which can connect to virtually any IM network.

OpenOffice.org - An open source office suite. Just as good as Microsoft Office, only 100% cheaper.

PCGen - An open source D&D character generator. 4E support isn't there yet, as they can't legally support 4E yet, but it's pretty cool.

Firefox - Firefox web browser. You should know about this by now. The extensions available alone make it 1000% better than Internet Explorer.

Thunderbird - The thunderbird e-mail client. If you ever used Outlook Express, this will be largely familiar, only it doesn't suck. For those like me who prefer NOT to trust internet companies to preserve their e-mail, it's a must have.

[Leila Dark Jurai]

Now of course I use an anti-virus. And yes, it is free.

I used to use AVG but now use Avira. Avira comes with a nag screen, but it can be disabled. Use google to find directions.

For a media player, I usually use WinAmp which is free, but not perfect for playing everything. Other media players I recommend are VLC and SMPlayer Both can play virtually anything, even things winamp can't. I prefer SMPlayer's interface, though.

[Leila Dark Jurai]

I use mIRC as my primary IRC client, but it's not free. Thankfully, there ARE free alternatives.

HydraIRC is an open source IRC client. It can connect to many different networks at once.

IceChat is another free IRC client.

KVIrc is yet another free IRC client, and is available on multiple platforms.

TurboIRC is a free IRC client that bills itsself as "the best"

Visual IRC is another free IRC client.

Vortec IRC is a multi-server IRC client that was built in response to the lack of updates to pirch, and so is considered its spiritual successor.

X-Chat is an open source IRC client. Link goes to the unofficial WIndows build, as they charge for the official Windows build, due to tool costs.