Friday Favorites - Software

What is your favorite...

1. ...Instant Messenger? I really like Trillian from Cerulean Studios. It is a nice, clean multi-connect IM client. I can connect to AOL, MSN, ICQ and Yahoo by running one program, instead of 4. It's free.

2. ...Text Editor? Edit Pad Lite. One of the best features is you can open multiple text files in one window. Then, you can search and replace on all open files. Very handy when you're trying to change a small piece of HTML code on multiple pages. It's free.

3. ...MP3 Player and/or Manager? My player of choice is Winamp, hands down. Winamp is fairly compact and loads quickly. It's only been in the most recent versions that Nullsoft has added video file support. Because it was an audio player only for so long, the additional features don't weigh it down. Winamp is free.
Now, for file management, I really like Mediamonkey. It's does a fair job in managing files and allowing batch updates of ID3 tags and file names. It lets me browse my entire library, or just a small part of it. Best of all, it's free (and not ad supported).

4. ...Web Browser? Although I've heard a lot about Firefox from Mozilla, and have even tried it, I stick to Internet Explorer. This is mostly for operational reasons since most of the resources I need to access for my job are built around IE. Firefox is free.

5. ...General Utility? I can no longer live without RoboType. Robotype allows me to set up shorthand commands that expand into commonly used text. For instance, I can type `tag and it expands into a rather lengthy paragraph about "thank you for working with us..." I can also set up prompts that allow me to insert variable information into the standard text (i.e. Received access from: [insert userid here]).
Robotype is free. Unfortunately, you have to either subscribe to PC Magazine's Premium Downloads or pay a one-time fee of $5.97 to gain access to the download. Of course, you could always ask for a copy from someone you know that has it.

BONUS QUESTION
What is on your "essential software" list?

-- Printkey2000 screen capture utility. Free versions are readily available but the latest-and-greatest is now shareware.
-- Google Toolbar for IE (free)
-- Google DeskBar (free)
-- Puretext - a system tray utility that changes rich text to standard text (free)
-- Pluck add-on for IE. One thing it allows you to do is to share links. (free)
-- Lookout add-in search utility for Outlook (free)
-- mIRC Internet Relay Chat client (shareware)
-- Adobe Acrobat Reader (free)
-- HTTrack web site mirroring utility (free)
And, of course, all of the software mentioned above.