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Deepfreeze. http://www.faronics.com/html/product.asp -- Deepfreeze pulls a disk image from another computer every boot. If it gets infected, just reboot. They would have to a) not install any software or software updates until you got there, and b) have a data partition for any locally stored files, although with Flyword -- that isn't necessary. Flyword will even put an icon on their desktop, and store stuff online. It's a Java app.

http://www.flyword.com/ (it's been around since before Google docs.)

You may also want to look at Zonelabs' Forcefield. It essentially sandboxes the browser, and wipes off any downloads and returns the browser to a pristine state. http://www.zonelabs.com/

--Sam

You are on DSL or Cable and do NOT have a firewall? Spend a few bucks and get one!

Spend money on one?! Dear oh dear..

Zonealarm (requires annoying popups asking you to buy),
Agnitum (requires reg),
Kerio (reverts to free features after 30 days),
Comodo (totally free as it's an advert for Comodo other products)

This is true, in fact after 60 days if you perform a scan even the clean result window will have a big red cross on it!

Uninstall and put Antivir (http://www.avira.com/en/pages/index.php) (you can change the update reminders in preferences) and Zonealarm (http://www.zonelabs.com/) on instead, for FREE!

You can also use AdAware (http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad-aware_se_pers onal.php) and Spybot Search and destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index .html), to clean up spyware.

PS: DONT USE INTERNET EXPLORER (dont know about v7 though?) use firefox instead http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/

I'm not going to allow such uncontrolled events as described in the post to happen, if I can help it. The only way I can help it is to have an OS running in my home that can be secured. That means MacOS or Linux. That and a hefty firewall. :)

There is a good firewall for Windows, ZoneAlarm. Unfortunately it doesn't work with Firefox or Netscape newer than 4.x. Now, only if I could find a firewall like it for OSX and Linux. Sure there are some for them but I haven't found one that allows the user to block javascript, Java, or other objects by website, ie allow some websites to use these but block others from using them.

I, for one, welcome our new Windows Firewall pwning overlords.

Seriously though, Windows Firewall is great for very general and basic protection, but it serves no match to free and more efficient [zonelabs.com] firewall software that is actually easier and more understandable to the user.

Another vote for DeepFreeze here. I use it at our library's computer lab and can get a good night's sleep at night. Faronics also has other security programs worth looking into, including Anti-Executable and WinSelect. Hopefully, the school has a firewall in place to keep intruders out, if not, look into a good firewall program, like Zone Alarm, or get an old computer and set up a SmoothWall firewall.

I will still use Zone Alarm for my win boxes.

People should ditch vista firewall and use zone alarm" There is no configuration issue. Whenever a program tries to do something and gets blocked, the firewall prompts you whether to allow program x.

Other issues:

Hamachi setup: The setup time for Hamachi is exactly what they say: A few minutes. The interface is a bit quirky, and the documentaton is limited.

Anyone using Hamachi may want to run it as a service; see this explanation from Cyberonica.

Insecurity: Hamachi uses a very sensible technique for getting around firewalls and NAT. So does Skype VOIP. Of course, that means firewalls and NAT are not really protecting us.

In no way am I saying that Hamachi itself is insecure. I don't think that. They say all traffic is encrypted, and normally none passes through their servers. I am only saying that these techniques show the insecurity of our present protections.

ZoneAlarm Security Suite: We use ZoneAlarm Security Suite, a software firewall that notifies users every time something happens that might be an indication of a security breach.

If the users don't cooperate, and don't call us every time they see a notification, there is no security. ZoneAlarm's notifications are written in pure Geek, an unusual language which is used not to communicate but to pretend to communicate, while actually trying to avoid providing any useful information. Geek is a job security language, not a language for communication.

The real answer, of course, is to have a secure operating system, not one in which there is a lot of profit to be made selling the next version by criticizing the present version. We need an OS that is designed to be secure, not one that is allowed to be sloppy so that it is insecure.

Router VPN -- Netgear: We have had an enormous amount of trouble with Netgear router VPNs. We've had a lot of trouble with Netgear technical support. The Netgear products don't seem finished. Once they are working, our experience is that they stay working, with some quirks.

(Interestingly, Netgear is the worst company for avoiding sending rebates. We almost always have to go to the management of the store from which we bought Netgear equipment and have them get our rebates for us.)

IM: Trillian (needs to be replaced with a Jabber client + aim/yahoo transport)
Been done. gAIM for Windows. Why not clutter up our 100% closed source, proprietary monolythic OS with all sorts of inferrior extensible, modulized open source apps? ;)

IRC: Chatzilla
Well, here's another cross-platform solution: XChat. It has a nifty tabbed based chat management system. Of course, if you want the true Windows/IRC experience, get mIRC, load it up with tons of scripts (both self-activating, and manually activated), and go running through the networks of the world. Just watch out for the UNICODE nasties (mIRC doesn't support UNICODE)

Firewall: Sygate (needs to be replaced)
I can't speak for Sygate, but ZoneAlarm is pretty good, in my opinion. (With exception to games) this is the only closed source recomendation I have here, but what Windows experience is complete without some closed-source freeware/shareware?

This fun game: Typing of the Dead
This one is definately worth a try. Quite fun! It's a little old, but worth it. Speaking of old and worth it, see if you can locate a copy of Commander Keen. It's not really Windows (DOS, actually), but I doubt you'd see it on a Mac.

GriSoft (antivirus)

ZoneAlarm (firewall)

Ad-aware (anti spyware)

Windows Defender(anti spyware)

And don't forget windows solitaire!

AVG, Zone Alarm, AD-Aware and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and you should be set.

I have seen more problems caused by Symantec's software then I could count. I feel that if you have to run Windows then any extra layers of protection that you would need can be provided by free applications online. For example: Ad-aware, Spy-Bot, AVG Anti-Virus, ZoneAlarm, and the best firewall protection, SmoothWall.

In addition the aforementioned, I also use Zone Lab's free firewall . I've had no problems yet.

You are kidding, right? It has been years since Norton Utilities did anything useful. The AV scanner and firewall let far too much through, and everything else they install is useless... The spyware scanner is a sieve used as an umbrella, the system cleanup utilities was useful on 98 but now just call software that comes with XP, crash protection takes a ton of resources and never works when you need it to, uninstall is about as successful as the regular windows uninstall routines, etc.

The only really good utilities are premium and expensive anyway, Partition Magic and Ghost. The average user will never need these, which is fortunate as the average user never buys these.

For Antivirus, use AVG. It is solid, low-resource, and free, and people have been using it successfully for many, many years. For a firewall, you want either Kerio Personal Firewall or Zone Alarm. Either is a small, robust, and far more secure than Norton firewall. Kerio is a little more powerful, Zone Alarm is a little simpler. Both are free, and have been around for years.

No antispyware software (especially commercial applications) catches everything, so a cocktail is usually in order. The two I recommend are Ad-Aware and Spybot. They're both classics, they both take low resources and are easy to schedule, and they have different search methodologies and as such catch different types of spyware. They also don't run unless called, so they don't take up any system resources. Combined, the two catch just about everything.

I have heard good things about Counter-Spy, but with just an 85% catch rate, it is still good to run a second application along with it. Likewise, with a 20 dollar yearly service fee, it isn't "fire and forget," and I've seen far too many systems that were unprotected because the credit card on file with their software service company expired.

Take all of the above utilities. Put them on a disk. Write a very small shell script that automatically launches the installers on insertion of the disk and clicks through everything (try PTFB, which can be launched and run from the disk automatically) and adds scheduled tasks to run the software. This shouldn't take you too long. Then whenever a crapflooded machine comes into your office with an expired copy of Norton, just clean it up and pop in the disk. I can't tell you how many machines I've installed AVG, Kerio, Ad-aware, Spybot (or some variant thereof) on, and have never regretted it.

There is a lot better stuff out there. Surprisingly, a lot of it is free. And while people seem to like to pay for software because it gives them a false sense of security, they also like the fact that you can whip out a disk right there and be done in five minutes, hassle-free.

1) Use a different computer
2) go to http://www.zonelabs.com/
3) resist the many links to ZoneAlarm Pro that you will be offered
4) Get standard ZoneAlarm which is free
5) Burn installer to CD or use USB stick to transfer to laptop
6) Install on laptop
7) Connect to web, and be paranoid about what you allow to connect, Deny most everything, but do not choose "always do this".
8) If something vital fails to work, it needed the Internet. Since you did not check "always do this", you can do the same thing again and be asked again about connecting. Let it through this time.
9) Download your updates with relative security.

Works for me anyway, the one time I skipped ZoneAlarm before connecting, I got a OS dialog informing me my "registry was corrupt" and they could fix it if only I visited their site. This was XP SP1 and about 12 minutes online while I was downloading patches from M$...

PS - Thanks for your service. You fought for me, the least I can do is help you fight spyware and other digital nastiness...

When you purchase a PC, you should have the option of installing freeware that might help you in the incessant barrage of spam, viruses, spyware, adware, bots and phishing emails. It might also help to have a short tutorial on how your PC becomes infected/compromised/used to propogate malicious code. Maybe then Windows would be a better and safer O/S?


For those who need some free help:
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5 (AVG anti virus)
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/prod ucts/znalm/freeDownload.jsp (Zone Alarm firewall)
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ (Ad-Aware adware/spyware detection)
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/ (SpyBot S&D adware/spyware detection)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?Fa milyID=321cd7a2-6a57-4c57-a8bd-dbf62eda9671&displa ylang=en (MS Anti-Spyware adware/spyware detection)

180Solutions claims that ZoneLabs is scaring off their clients. Oddly enough, most companies don't want to associated with "High risk" spyware.

Personally, I would like to see an option in ZoneAlarm where I can have the offending spyware company's officers hunted down and shot while their building is burned to the foundation. I would pay extra for that.

Users who play Sony CDs on their PC have no way of knowing that the rootkit has been installed. However, users of Zone Alarm 6.0 premium products are alerted to the original installation of the rootkit and have the choice to stop the process. ZoneAlarm also allows a user to halt the rootkit when it attempts to launch. These multiple layers of security protect users against the rootkit install and any viruses, Trojans, worms or other attack methods written to take advantage of its cloaking ability.

good god man, how much spyware do you have?! I don't use IE and run Zonelabs Firewall. My advice to you is to use Firefox and stop visiting so many pr0n sites.

• Replacement for Microsoft anti-spyware
• Replacement for Microsoft anti-virus
• Replacement for Microsoft firewall

Zone Alarm has a free version.

Basic, free download...

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/prod ucts/znalm/freeDownload.jsp

Perhaps because they feel there are too many people out there...misappropriating...their content?

That makes perfect sense if you sell CDs and DVDs, but not if you sell computers. Take Dell. They don't create intellectual property, they create tools to use it. Their products are valuable because of their versatility, and voluntarily integrating DRM serves to reduce that versatility.

Shareware authors, who used to release fully functional versions of their applications, no longer do so, even though that change in tactics may have reduced their income (IANASWA).

I would argue that the best software sold under the shareware concept is still uncrippled, except possibly for a nag screen. At the moment, I have no shareware installed except for mIRC and WinRAR. Both are uncrippled except for nag screens, and I've purchased both of them. WinZip is another great example of this.

I would argue that the cream-of-the-crop shareware has morphed not into crippleware or adware, but an evolution of the shareware concept I'm going to call "personalware." Examples of this genre are Ad-Aware, ZoneAlarm, Sygate Personal Firewall, AVG Free, and much more. Each of these programs comes with a license that says "feel free to download and install me, but for personal use only. If you're a business, pony up." You can tell that these programs are polished and that a lot of work went into them. The missing features in these free versions are so minor that most businesses could do without them, if they were so inclined to cheat. The companies behind these products seem to be in good shape, if the fact that their web sites are still up is any indication.

You now have to put money in the box to get a newspaper, whereas before, you could just take one and then deposit your money. That additional machinery contributes to the extra cost of your newspaper.

And yet, these boxes still have a relatively lightweight door that could be forced open without too much trouble, and a design that permits a dishonest person to easily take more than one copy. If we were to "DRM-ize" these boxes, they would be more like a soda machine: you put in your credit card and one copy of a newspaper (printed on special fast-fading paper to ensure you don't share it with somebody else) rolls out.

I'm kind of getting of track, so I'm going to stop here, but I just wanted to point out that in each of these instances, putting further restrictions on the product doesn't translate into more revenues.

How are the courts NOT suing for this??

Courts don't sue, people/corporations do. That people or corporations sue in court doesn't meant that it's the court that's sueing.

As for your list of software, I guess you didn't read the linked page:

• WordPerfect: WordPerfect Office Update cannot update the program. Users may download WordPerfect Office 11 Service Pack 2 to correct this issue. For more information, visit the following Corel Web site: http://www.corel.com/support.
• ZoneAlarm: All affected versions are old. Versions 5.1 and newer are XP2-compatible (as seen on ZoneLab's site).
• Norton Anti-Virus: Not broken totally, just automatic scan scheduled tasks don't run at boot up. Again, this is an old version, and I'm sure there's been an update for it by now.

Don't use a computer without one if you value your privacy.

Almost *every* app these days does some kind of outgoing communication - whether it's update checking, phoning home, or serial number checking.

It's trivially easy to configure most reverse firewalls to disallow any outgoing activity from specific apps. For Windows there is obviously ZoneAlarm and others. With OS X, I recommend Little Snitch.

Firstly, get Thunderbird and use its rather excellent spam filter.
It also allows you to very easily to filter out email you really want to keep so you can set up a whitelist of addresses you're happy to receive email from.

Secondly, yes you can use Firefox instead of IE to avoid those IE-targetted malicious websites snaring you.

Thirdly, get some anti-virus software and adware-killer software (Adaware and Spybot Search & Destroy together will do a lot) and you'll massively reduce the chances of infection. You can get free anti-virus software from Grisoft here.
No that's probably not the best anti-virus protection around but it does mean anyone can get some level of protection and not just those who can afford Norton et al.

Fourthly, get a firewall like Zone Alarm or just turn on the one that comes with Windows XP SP2.

With a point in the right direction it becomes a load easier to manage everything.

Forte Free Agent, a free and excellent news reader http://www.forteinc.com/agent/index.php

ZoneAlarm is an excellent free firewall, but it does seem to nag more than before http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/prod ucts/sku_list_za.jsp;jsessionid=BQnRnRFFu7vlwK9sR9 zM3ydKxKZB7qdA2NEZ1dOyQNX1I20o5O2I!138179110!-1062 696904!7551!7552!-2058358518!-1062696905!7551!7552

The Microsoft PowerToys are free add-ons for Windows, some of which are very useful http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/power toys/xppowertoys.mspx

Exact Audio Copy (EAC) is one of the best CD rippers, and free http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/

DVDINFOPro is freeware that gives information about CD and DVD media http://www.dvdinfopro.com/

StrokeIt lets you use mouse gestures in any program http://www.tcbmi.com/strokeit/

Here's my list of spyware/adware free apps, in no particular order:

Crap Cleaner - Cleans temp files, cookies, etc
P2P + Codec Packs - Kazaa Lite Resurrection, K-Lite Codec Packs, QuickTime Alternative, Real Alternative
Gmail Notifier - System tray icon that checks your google mail
Winamp - Media Player
Open Office - Office Suite
AbiWord - Word Processing
GIMP - Image Editor
Paint.Net - Image Editor
AVG Antivirus - Decent free antivirus
Everest Home - System diagnostics and benchmarking solution
Daemon Tools - CD/DVD emulator
Zone Alarm - The free version is a decent firewall
CWShredder - Removes CoolWeb adware

I know many people say it's crap, but hey it's a install&forget firewall, it's free and it has no ads http://www.zonelabs.com/

Perhaps the language in the EULA refers to all the other crap that you can bundle with your purchase of ZA... Or perhaps other CheckPoint applications!

I'm not aware of any spyware/adware in ZA freeware (IOW, AdAware et al detected nothing), except the obligatory "Buy the Pro version! It's BETTER!" prompt after installation.

5. THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE: Certain third party software included with the
Software is subject to additional terms and conditions imposed by Zone Labs'
third party licensor(s). Such terms and conditions are contained in the "About"
pages of the Software and are deemed incorporated herein by reference. You
agree to comply with all applicable terms and conditions.

Keep in mind also that the Windows XP Firewall only blocks outbound traffic. You're better off with a third party program which gives more granular control, suc as Zone Labs.

-Guarddog is less user friendly than Zonealarm, so I don't use it.

$40 gets you a NAT hardware solution that gets all script kiddies off your back.
ZoneAlarm is $70

-I used to use "apt-get upgrade" to patch security holes. Unfortunately this also turns on any updated daemon that was off, making my system both slower and less secure.
-Turn off unnecessary daemons? Is there a program I can apt get that will make let me do this quickly? preferably something that would explain what each daemon is and why I would need it without jargon?

http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/securing-debia n- howto/ch3.en.html#s3.6
My preferred solutions from that reference is
"move the script file (/etc/init.d/_service_name_) to another name (for example /etc/init.d/OFF._service_name_)"
for example:
mv /etc/init.d/apache /etc/init.d/OFF.apache

-A user friendly cryptographic instant messenger that will handling all this "key" bullshit for me automagically?

http://gaim.sourceforge.net/
http://gaim-encryp tion.sourceforge.net/

from http://www.knoppix.org
"KNOPPIX can be used as a Linux demo, educational CD, rescue system, or adapted and used as a platform for commercial software product demos."

For maximum security you want a minimal install where you add only the things you want. Knoppix is an excellent distribution for the stated purposes above, or for determining which device drivers you want etc. However, it really does put everything but the kitchen sink in your system to achieve that. Still, the above suggestions will make your box a lot more secure so you can get back to whatever it is you enjoy.

ZoneAlarm from Zone Labs will block any and all software from talking to the network or the internet until you approve it. It doesn't show you what their sending/receiving, but it does let you know who's doing the talking. And it's free.

If they are going to stick with Windows, the three things I always install are Zonealarm - free firewall, Adaware spyware removal - free for personal use, and Spybot search and destroy - another free spyware removal that complements Adaware also inncoculates IE against common exploits. There are also good free virus checkers (don't know any off the top of my head) but people I have helped have all already had virus checking software installed at least.

I also usually try to get them to install a router with a built in firewall for extra protection.

I have had no problems migrating people from IE to Firefox 1.0PR. It has imported bookmarks and cookies flawlessly so far.

Also try the no cost version of Zone Alarm.

These are basic and no cost bits of software I run on my parents machines (and Firefox ;-) ... Though I'd love to buy them a mac one day :)

The poster sounds like a good candidate for MJR's ultimately secure firewall.

Try Zonealarm?

Then disable both WMI and WSC Services and get yourself another personal firewall here or here.

MS opened the WMI to third-party sources and that is why we may mistakenly call it a hole, while in the reality it's an option.

After it harassing me left and right about programs connecting to the internet. Even after letting it run for a while, it never spotted a program connecting that wasn't supposed to be.

Maybe you didn't like it, but I imagine Zone Labs are feeling pretty nervous right now...

My problem with this is that it didn't ask me to autheticate IE, or other MSFT services. While I agree that this is better for Joe User, and does indeed make the average computer *somewhat* less vulnerable to becoming zombies I actually think that overall it compromises security, because it has the idea of "pre-trusted" programs. So now all a malware has to do to succeed is become trusted, and then it's BEYOND reproof? I'm not sure that that is exactly how this new system works, but more than anything I'm disputing the notion that this is a panacea.

I'm also concerned about companies that make firewall type products. Are they done? Is MSFT going to claim to have all that functionality in the OS? A FALSE sense of security is worse than being unsure. I'd rather people lock down their machines themselves rather than assuming that MSFT has done it for them.

Still, I do think that this is better than nothing.

You can get a residential broadband router with NAT for less than $50. These do some limited firewall-like filtering as well. Or put a second NIC in and setup your Linux box to do the same (or just use your Linux box as a proxy). All you really need to start with is a NAT boundry with no inbound routing or port forwarding to the new PC. This will keep-out the worms until you finish patching. Without a firewall or NAT, a fresh PC is typically compromised within 15 minutes.

Go to WindowsUpdate FIRST and nowhere else until all your Windows and Internet Explorer service packs and patches are installed. Then install and update your antivirus. Follow this with a personal firewall (at least the free version of ZoneAlarm). Proceed from there. Just be very careful to not mistype the URL for any of these trusted websites, or you might get an unpleasant surprise.

As noted elsewhere, Microsoft has an update CD but it's not up-to-date, and it seems to take forever to arrive. Ordered mine in Feb, received it in April, and it was only updated through Oct of last year. Since then there's been more than 30MB of new patches. There are about a dozen projects on the web to help you make your own complete and up-to-date patch CD, or even Windows install CD. I don't know how good/reliable/trustworthy these projects are because I use network-based commercial tools at my shop, but they seem to be making some people happy.

Microsoft recommends you disable so-called "personal firewall" software on the PC you are updating. I find that with the right settings, this is unneccessary. But in any event, a hardware-based firewall or simple residential router/NAT device will not interfere in anyway with WindowsUpdate (unless you want it to).

Like others have mentioned, use a Router (eg. from Linksys, DLink, Netgear) as firewall or get FREE Zonealarm firewall or just turn WinXP's firewall on. You need a firewall or use another box (e.g Linux) as proxy to connect to web.

If nothing else (it will be extremely difficult to police, after all), this bill will hopefully increase spyware awareness amongst the average n00b user. While most users are aware of the need for up-to-date antivirus packages, especially after the recent spate of high-profile hits, most are blissfully unaware of programs like Spybot Search and Destroy or Lavasoft AdAware, which I feel are just as critical a part of my security armoury as my firewall (ZoneAlarm) and my AV (NAV).

On a slight aside, Norton AV does include a certain amount of spyware scanning in their latest version (NAV 2004).

I took some precautions with my computer to prevent spyware but my roommate managed to mess it up pretty good, since then I have taken the correct steps to ensure protection. This is what I recommend if you want to keep a Windows computer safe from everything without paying for anything.

Whenever possible enable Automatic Updates for all applications (including Windows itself), if that's not an option update manually on a weekly basis.

System Protection:

Only use admin account when necessary.

Virus/Worm Protection/Removal:

Install AVG
Don't use Outlook Express use Thunderbird

Hacker/Worm Protection:

Enable XP Firewall (easiest) or Zonealarm or Kerio (my favorite)

Adware/Spyware/Pop-up Protection:

Don't use Internet Explorer use **** Frefox ****
If you have to use IE install the Google Toolbar
Run Spyware Blaster to give IE &/or Firefox more protection.
Install Spyware Guard and place in all users startup group to give real-time protection.

Adware/Spyware Removal:

Run SpyBot & Ad-Aware
In my experience each product alone doesn't get rid of everything, using both is the best way to go.

OR

Just take the Absolute Cheapest & Most Effective route and install Linux.

********
If you install Firefox you will want the following plugins, use Firefox to download the plugins.

Shockwave
Flash
Java

Here is what gets installed after Windows XP Home SP1a and all the patches:

1. ZoneAlarm Personal Firewall
2. Norton SystemWorks 2004
3. Lavasoft Ad-Aware
4. Spybot Search & Destroy
5. BigFix
6. Adobe Acrobat Reader
7. Mozilla Internet Suite
8. JGSoft EditPad Lite
9. WinZip
10. Yahoo! Messenger

• startup control panel & startup monitor which i use to see if any worms, viruses or adware get onto my PC and have to ask my permission to register as a starup program
• zone alarm so i don't have to worry about any program trying to get into my computer or even worst
• irfan view as my all-purpouse image viewer and sound player. i use it as my primary file association for all of these, particularly since i often want to just double-click an mp3 etc.

For a Windows install my choices are :

1. ZoneAlarm Basic - Mandatory firewall
2. Windows Update - Mandatory updates
3. Mozilla - Why would you use Internet Explorer any longer?
4. Winrar - This little program is doing its job
5. Winamp
6. Acrobat reader
7. Putty - An efficient ssh client to communicate with your Linux boxes
8. OpenOffice.org - Word processing
9. Microsoft Office - Sometimes OpenOffice.org can't do the job...
10. Adobe PhotoShop

For Linux my choices are :

1. Update your installation - yum, apt or up2date
2. xmms-mp3 - Enable mp3 playback (freshrpms.net)
3. mplayer - The best video player (mpg, avi, dvd) (freshrpms.net)
4. perl-Video-DVDRip - Add a movie collection beside your music collection (freshrpms.net)
5. CodeWeavers CrossOver Plugin - Enable Microsoft plugins in Mozilla
6. Quicktime (via CrossOver Plugin)
7. Windows media player (via CrossOver Plugin)
8. Shockwave player (via CrossOver Plugin)
9. CodeWeavers CrossOver Office - Run Windows application in Linux
10. Microsoft Office (via CrossOver Office)

winzip
realvnc
ad-aware
html-kit
irfanview
zonealarm
kazaalite
subspace/continuum
prime95
weatherbug
google toolbar

Slashdot software failure? Seems to have posted nonsense before. Here is the correct version, edited from a previous comment to another story:

Internet-initiated regular telephone calls: Internet-initiated calls using Bigzoo.com's BigTalk, which cast 3.6 cents per minute to call the U.S. from New Zealand, for example.

Free VOIP: An option if both sides of a call have internet connections is Skype. At present it's free, and provides better quality than normal telephone. Skype is a great way to try VOIP without paying anything. Skype provides AES encryption of your calls, too. Skype can use port 80 for connections, so it can get past any firewall. (This shows the alarming lack of security of firewalls, and the need for a software firewall like ZoneAlarm that alert you when a program tries to connect.) Skype is brought to you by the designers of the original KaZaa program.

3.5 cents per minute, but free to the U.S. caller: If you want someone with only a normal telephone to call you in another country without paying, you can put $10 into a BigZoo.com or OneSuite.com account, and give them the PIN number. OneSuite only costs 3.5 cents per minute from the U.S. to New Zealand, for example, if the U.S. caller calls from a local number. With OneSuite.com or Bigzoo.com can have as many accounts as you have friends for whom you want to provide free calling.

Other ideas? Are there any options like this that aren't mentioned here?