Recommendations for FREE software that you should install on your computer:

Firefox - A browser that is a great alternative to Internet Explorer.  Features tabbed browsing, a pop-up blocker, and better security than IE.  Available at:  http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Themes for Firefox - A great way to customize the look of the Firefox browser.  Themes are available at:  https://addons.update.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:2  One of my favorites is SphereGnome_Big.

Adobe Reader - Software for viewing and printing Portable Document Format (PDF) files.  This software is essential for PAC442, since all of the research studies from the Pew Internet Project are available only in PDF format.  Available at: http://www.adobe.com/

Ad-Aware - A spyware removal tool.  Spyware can track your surfing habits, send this data to a third party, profile your shopping preferences, hijack your browser start page or pages, alter important system files, all without your knowledge or permission. The security and privacy implications of these exploits should be quite obvious!  Available at:  http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

Spybot - Search & Destroy - Application to scan for spyware, adware, and other malicious software.  A good complement to Ad-Aware.  Available at:  http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/

Windows Defender - Windows Defender is a free program that helps you stay productive by protecting your computer against pop-ups, slow performance and security threats caused by spyware and other potentially unwanted software. Available at: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx#

1-Click Answers - A dictionary, thesaurus, and more.  "With a single click on any word or phrase on the screen, 1-Click Answers delivers valuable real-time and answers on demand, including encyclopedias and dictionaries, thesaurus, ..."  This tool is extremely useful in finding the definitions of unknown words - just "alt-click" on a word and up pops its definition.  Available at:  http://www.answers.com/main/product_info.jsp

AOL Instant Messenger - Software for synchronous communication on the Internet.  "The free AIM software is very similar to the Instant Messaging software that AOL members can access, but you don't have to be an AOL member to use it.  ...  Instant messaging is easy. You just type what you want to say, your buddy replies, and so on-just like a regular conversation."  IM also supports audio chat.  My screen name is "BurksO2" (no quotes).  Available at:  http://www.aim.com/

Skype - Software for voice communication via the Internet.  "Peer-to-peer" (P2P) telephony - for free!  Free unlimited worldwide phone calls to other Skype users.  Fantastic voice quality.  My Skype contact name is "burksoakley" (all one word, no quotes).  Available at:  http://www.skype.com/

VirusScan Software - Virus protection software site-licensed by the University of Illinois (requires you to login to the site using your UIS NetID and password).  "VirusScan protects your PC, files and email address book from high-risk viruses, worms and trojans like Bugbear, Slammer, Code Red, Nimda, SirCam and Nicehello. Easy to use and always on guard, VirusScan automatically checks for virus updates and software updates, so your protection is always up-to-the-minute."  Available at:  http://elms.e-academy.com/uiuc/

Picasa - Software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the photos on your PC.  Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your new digital photos and sorts them into albums organized by date – it even assigns names to the albums.  And since this is a Google product, you can quickly search through all your pictures for certain file names.  Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips.  Available at:  http://picasa.google.com/index.html

Google Desktop - This software indexes all of the contents of your hard drive, so that when you do a Google Desktop search, you can find documents that are relevant right on your local computer – it searches through your e-mail, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files, etc., and even cached web pages from your browser.  Available at:  http://desktop.google.com/

Password Safe - A software tool that allows the user to keep usernames and passwords for different accounts in a single secure location (accessed using one secure password).  Clicking on each account copies the password to the clipboard.  Latest version available at:  http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/

NISTime - A small Windows application that sets your computer's clock to the atomic clocks operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) atomic clocks. The program requires no installation and very little setup.  Available at: http://msn.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,23895,00.asp

Post-it® Software Notes - A digital version of the classic yellow Post-it® Note.  Use this software just as you would use regular Post-It® Notes — but have the notes appear on your computer's desktop.  Available at: http://www.3m.com/us/office/postit/digital/digital_notes.html

SharpReader - SharpReader is an RSS aggregator for Windows.  Great for subscribing to RSS feeds from blogs, Flickr, Del.icio.us, etc.  Available at: http://www.sharpreader.net/

Audacity - Audacity is free software for recording and editing sounds.  It is very useful in producing podcasts.  Audacity can import audio files in a number of formats, mix tracks (for example, voice and music), and save in various formats, including wav and mp3.  Available at: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

iTunes - Useful for its feature to subscribe to RSS feeds from free podcasts — audio delivered over the Internet to your computer automatically — then listen at your convenience — anytime, anywhere.  Available at:  http://www.apple.com/itunes/

Recommended Hardware:

Microsoft Wireless Keyboard Elite (and Mouse) - I highly recommend this wireless keyboard and wireless optical mouse; it is sold as a package unit.  It features "one-touch multimedia keys, customizable hot keys, and optical mouse accuracy -- all in a comfortable, ergonomic design."  Cost was $74.99 from CompUSA as of 14 December 2007.  For additional information, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=016

Western Digital My Book Essential 2.0 160 Gigabyte External Hard Drive - Super large capacity storage, very small size.  This unit uses a USB 2.0 connector.  Great for backing up your computer's hard drive, and for storing digital auido, video, and photos.  Cost was $89.99 as of 14 December 2007 [way less than $1 per gigabyte]. For additional information, go to: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136173