O/T What pc software do you have on your computer, and what does it do?

[hector]

The reason I ask is because I am a nosey git...

I find that I only ever use the same programs all the time, and when I see new software I have no idea at all what it does..

So I thought I would ask people on here what software they must have, and what it does.. not including browsers and office type suites..

I use Sumatra PDF for reading Ebooks, and Faststone picture resizer for work things.... But one of the first to be installed is Pazera audio extractor, this converts the audio from films, you tube etc and makes it into MP3....

[The Subhuman]

nothing on mine except a browser and the bog standard pic viewer and the usual flash/adobe/whatever is needed s**t. I strip out all the crap like Word/Excel etc, don't think I've even got note book here. This one gets used for forums (15) Streaming sports, running fantasy software and wilfing

[Ratscoot]

Photoshop for me, if you are into photography it’s a must have

And I hear for some people (not me of cause ) History Erase is worth having

[The Subhuman]

Careful with history erase, mate of mine accidentally deleted his parents wedding and now he doesn't exist

[1964white]

I have a Google Chromebook laptop....excellent value with no invading crap

A Chromebook is a laptop of a different breed. Instead of Windows 10 or macOS, Chromebooks run Google's Chrome OS. These machines are designed to be used primarily while connected to the Internet, with most applications and documents living in the cloud.

Also have a Dell Inspiron laptop which I rarely use. Big mistake, many problems with that expensive device.... what do you expect with Windows ?

[BobHirst]

I have a Google Chromebook laptop....excellent value with no invading crap

A Chromebook is a laptop of a different breed. Instead of Windows 10 or macOS, Chromebooks run Google's Chrome OS. These machines are designed to be used primarily while connected to the Internet, with most applications and documents living in the cloud.

Also have a Dell Inspiron laptop which I rarely use. Big mistake, many problems with that expensive device.... what do you expect with Windows ?

I've wondered about the Chromebook. It sounds like you give it a good endorsement.
I run Bluestacks and within that I run Mobdro. This enables me to watch live TV from the UK (and all over the world) including Sky, BT, BBC, ITV. If you don't get those services in the UK you can get them with this.

[Ronan]

I am running Lubuntu 17.04...a Linux open source operating system...on my desktop at the moment are their alternatives to Windows:

LibreOffice instead of Microsoft Office
Chromium instead of Google Chrome

That's it in a nutshell.....i will never go back to Windows....too intrusive and Linux is virtually virus free.

[1964white]

I've wondered about the Chromebook. It sounds like you give it a good endorsement.
I run Bluestacks and within that I run Mobdro. This enables me to watch live TV from the UK (and all over the world) including Sky, BT, BBC, ITV. If you don't get those services in the UK you can get them with this.

Love my Chromebook

This article says it all

Talk mobile and you'll stir up a hornet's nest. There are many options and those who are enthusiastic about each of them, and they will let you know that their solution is "best." That's probably true for them, but we each have our own needs and preferences so there is no one best solution for everyone.

I get the "mine is better than yours" attitude all the time, especially when I discuss the Chromebook. There are a lot of folks who believe that the lightweight Chrome OS is not as good as OS X or Windows. They need, or perhaps merely want, a full OS that can handle everything. Others want to have a big, honking OS around just in case they need it.

I understand that, I use both Windows and Macs, too. But every time I head out for the day with my Chromebook in tow I am impressed with how well it works for me.

I work, you might even say I live, in the Chrome browser all day. It doesn't matter what OS is running behind the web pages, it's Chrome front and center.

This is why the Chromebook works so well for me. The lack of a "real" OS as the engine behind the Chrome browser is actually a good thing for me. My Chromebook runs Chrome faster, smoother, and without hiccups, better than my fast Macs and Windows PCs. I can still do lots of "PC" activities in Chrome; with web apps it's much more than a browser. But the pure browser experience is excellent on a Chromebook.

I like my Macs and Windows PCs, but when it comes to doing my work, the Chromebook is better. The lack of overhead that comes with Windows and OS X is a very good thing. You might say those "full" OS's are mostly dead weight.

Yes, many need the power and versatility of Windows or OS X. I get that. But there are a whole lot of folks like me who don't need that much horsepower. We are in the web browser most of the time and that means Chrome OS is the better option.

That’s why Chromebook sales are booming. It’s still small enough to be a niche market, but that’s changing. I hear from folks regularly who realize how good Chromebooks are once they try them. And many are doing just that.

I am convinced the lightweight nature of Chrome OS is a big reason why schools are grabbing Chromebooks . They can do everything the students need to do with little fuss. There are no driver issues and no software glitches to deal with. Hit the power button, sign in, and be productive in seconds. That is what computing should be like all the time. No overhead required

[Ricb76]

Chrome - cos its nice and shiny and has free adblock.
Crapcleaner - does what it says, cleans all the junk that Windows PC's accumulate in the background.
Bitdefender - Antivirus etc most are good, would'nt trust Kaspersky any more though.
NordVPN - allows me to set my PC to any country so I can stream from any nation, no more of the "this is blocked in your country bullshit", also allows access to piratebay etc.

I'd recommend crapcleaner to any windows user. Free, effective and piece of piss to use.

[Norm]

I've had OS X and prefer it to Windows but can't afford it anymore, plus a few issues with likely planned obsolescence with MACs have reduced my confidence in them. Probably time I went to Chrome because I no longer need all the high-end stuff and it's a lot cheaper and simpler. I hate Microsoft and their built-in hindrance to the ability to do what you want with your data.

Basically I use whatever I want whenever I want - I use MS Access to plan and record data, Excel for my 'guess the crowd' stuff and 'Word' for any general data - hell I've used 'Word' since 1992 and 'Access/Excel' for not much less.

I've always enjoyed fiddling about with computers, have written a few Assembler Language routines (which have worked surprisingly well) out of sheer interest but I'm now bored with them, so basically I'm a lazy sod who gets fired up by the challenge but, once accomplished, goes back to being someone who does everything with the least effort.

[Norm]

btw Assembler Language is "Kryptonite" for those who like unmixed messages. Adam will know what I'm talking about.
Assembler uses the registers to the fullest extent and it makes incredibly fast programs (if correctly coded of course) . Nowadays there's so much processing power available it almost doesn't matter, but it still does at the higher end of things.

[hector]

wibble

[Norm]

Wobble :mrgreen: