ned's blog
Useful Free Software 
Here is a list of some FREE to use software that I've found useful.
Some of these I have donated money to. I'm listing these here as a thank you.

-listed alphabetically-


AdiIRC
• easy to use Internet Relay Chat (IRC) software
• can be minimised to the system tray
http://adiirc.com


Audacity - OPEN SOURCE
• easy to use audio editor and recorder
http://audacity.sourceforge.net


BlockNote for the Net
• easy to use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editor
http://blocknote.net


Data Lifeguard Tools
• Western Digital Hard Drive utility
-thanks to TOG OldnBold for informing me of this one!
http://support.wdc.com/download


DDS Converter
• tool lets you convert DS2 dds files to a workable format eg. .tga
• can convert several image formats to dds format
http://dsabstraction.com/dds_converter


DDS Thumbnail Viewer
• allows you to view .dds files in thumbnail view in Windows Explorer
http://developer.nvidia.com/object/dds_thumbnail_viewer


EasyFLV
• multi-video formats to flash (.flv) converter
http://easyflv.com/flv-converter


FileZilla - OPEN SOURCE
• FTP client and server
-thanks to TOG geeza for informing me of this one!
http://filezilla-project.org


HashCalc
• easy to use checksum and hash calculator
http://slavasoft.com/hashcalc


IrfanView
• graphic viewer/editor
http://irfanview.com


IZArc
• compression tool
• works with .rar, .pk3, .pk4, .iwd and .gro files!
http://izarc.org


JW FLV Media Player - OPEN SOURCE
• multiformat website media player
http://longtailvideo.com/players/jw-flv-player


LogMeIn Hamachi
• Instant, Zero Configuration VPN (Virtual Private Network)
• direct peer-to-peer connectivity
-thanks to TOG butterfly for informing me of this one!
https://logmein.com/products/hamachi


RSS to JavaScript
• allows easy posting of RSS feeds on websites
• basic customising options available
http://rss-to-javascript.com


Simple PHP Blog
• user-friendly blog software
• an easy way to create your own simple website
• no database required
(this site is all Simple PHP Blog)
http://simplephpblog.com


Spybot - Search & Destroy
• detection and removal of spyware
http://safer-networking.org


Tweak UI
• gives you access to system settings that are not exposed in the Windows XP default user interface
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys


VirtualDub
• video capture/processing utility
http://virtualdub.org


Xfire
• free gaming tool
• one-click server join
• server browser
• text and voice chat
• in-game screenshot and viseo support
• file transfer and more!
• over 1000 games supported
http://xfire.com