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Ask Slashdot: What Software Can You Not Live Without?

Posted by Soulskill on from the pacemaker-firmware-does-not-count dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Whenever I install a fresh operating system on my computer, I immediately grab a handful of programs that I simply must have. After that, I generally wait and install other pieces of software as I need them. My list of known, useful programs has dwindled over the past few years as projects died, ownership transferred, and functionality changed. At the same time, I've begun to have use for certain types of software that I've never needed before. It can be time-consuming and risky to install and evaluate every single option. So, I'm curious: what pieces of software do you find the most useful and reliable? Don't feel the need to limit yourself by operating system, platform, or hardware. If you're so inclined, a brief description about what makes the software great would be helpful, too."

10 of 531 comments (clear)

  1. First! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Pacemaker firmware.

  2. Office productivity apps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Solitaire

  3. Re:MS Office by geekmux · · Score: 5, Funny

    The fat client lives...

    fat?

    Office 2003 was fat.

    Office 2013 ate the OS and shit out Windows 8. Yeah, it's that morbidly obese. Should have named the release "Fat Bastard", but I heard that's being reserved for IE12.

    Feedback: VLC is my first install regardless of OS. Damn thing just runs anything I throw at it. Used it for years now.

  4. You lost me at vim by smittyoneeach · · Score: 5, Funny

    There are two kinds of editors; emacs, and lesser.

    --
    Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
    1. Re:You lost me at vim by jolyonr · · Score: 5, Funny

      Actually, that reminds me, I was meaning to ask on Slashdot if anyone has any advice as to which is the better editor, Vi or Emacs.

      I'd love to know.

      --


      Please read my Canon EOS tech blog at http://www.everyothershot.com
    2. Re:You lost me at vim by Stormwatch · · Score: 3, Funny

      Edlin.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
    3. Re:You lost me at vim by marcovje · · Score: 3, Funny

      Emacs is a great OS, but IMHO the editor sucks.

  5. Sweet, sweet emacs by smittyoneeach · · Score: 4, Funny

    If your editor doesn't have its own church, how can it be a serious piece of code?

    --
    Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
  6. Re:Could your question be more generic? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    You misspelled "Faget"

  7. Re:/. cookies by jones_supa · · Score: 2, Funny

    Apparently you surf with uppercase letters and punctuation turned off too.