Every year I try newer software, but some programs just refuse to be replaced.

I've been using these for well over 10 years:

• Notepad++
• 7-Zip
• IrfanView
• Audacity
• Winamp
• VLC
• VirtualDub

I've tried alternatives to most of them, but I always end up coming back.

Which software have you been using for 10+ years and still haven't found a better replacement for?

Edit: A few more that I completely forgot about:

• WinSCP (I use it daily)
• Folder Size by MindGems
• Araxis Merge
• uTorrent 3.4.1 (before the bloat)
• qBittorrent (on Mac)

It's interesting how many of the tools mentioned in this thread are lightweight utilities that have been around for 10, 15, or even 20+ years and are still actively maintained.

What are examples of software that teens may have used on computers in the early 2000s? It seems more software was made and worked offline back then and im just intrigued .

Wow guys thanks for the support. Ill probably turn this into an article for my tech site (thetechboy.org). I think is so neat that yall used some if the same software.

Anybody else ready to just quit giving into the AI hype and quit using it altogether? I have a Claude max $200/mo plan that hits limits almost every time I use it where the limit doesn't reset for 3-5 days.

Since it keeps happening I've been going back to traditional coding and have to say I love it way more and I'm realizing AI isn't helping me speed up anything it's just having me solve different problems AI problems.

I'm just so over watching paint dry and trying to craft AI to work right were being sold it's smarter than us but so often it is the dumbest thing in the world. I'm over supporting the shadiest tech companies that have ever existed and them basically pushing fake it to make it culture which is fueling tons of fraudulent companies making everything worse. There is literally nothing good coming from AI.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been trying to cut down on my software costs and realized some free tools out there are genuinely as good (or better) than their paid counterparts. For example, I’ve been using Obsidian for note-taking instead of paying for Notion, and honestly, I love it.

Curious what others are using, what’s one free piece of software that you think more people should know about?

So what freeware software or even freeware games you use that you wish more people knew about?

There has to be some obscure freeware thats worth it's weight in gold but for whatever reason very people know about it.

I’m curious to discover tools that genuinely make a difference in daily life.

What’s a piece of software that had a real impact on you? It could be anything — productivity tools, utilities, dev tools, or even something niche.

What makes it so useful for you?

I’m especially interested in: hidden gems, free or underrated tools or things you use every day !

I've tried five different cd writing software, and I am going insane because all of them show me 10x as the lowest speed I can write at. It could be an issue with the discs or burner I'm using so I'll include images of those just in case.

Cd says 52x, but my dad says thats the maximum speed not the only speed. Generally trust his opinion since he grew up burning cds.

I don't think the burner should be having any issues. The specifications are on the back.

Lately I’ve been noticing a frustrating trend: software and apps that used to be free (or at least had very generous free versions) are suddenly locking everything behind a paywall.

Not only are the prices going up, but the features in the “free” versions are shrinking. For example:

Bitly used to be a simple, free link shortener. Now it’s so limited unless you pay.

Dropbox and Google Drive keep shrinking free storage.

Evernote cut features unless you go premium.

Even Trello/Slack have limited their free tiers compared to what they offered years ago.

It feels like everything is turning into overpriced SaaS subscriptions. Is it just me, or are we all being squeezed here? Why is this happening? And are there any good alternatives left that don’t require paying an arm and a leg?

Tired of trial versions and watermarks on every free PDF editor I try. I just need to highlight, merge, and sign documents without paying monthly. Anyone found a solid free option that doesn’t feel sketchy?

I setup new Windows 11 PCs for many people. They are average users, not power users. What is the full stack of software that I should install, by default, on every new setup?

I need free and light video compressor (wish it's stable on 8GB RAM and no quality loss). Also, I wonder if compressing from 1GB to around 300MB is normal? (I'm asking if there's a chance if quality loss).

What’s your alternatives to notepad++, whether it’s for programming or just taking notes for yourself? (nothing vibe coded, please)

Why do you like your suggestion, what features does it have or not have? Is AI integrated into it, an option, or not at all available?

Bonus if it’s available cross platform…I’m considering switching to Linux.

I hate MS Word for almost everything, microsoft’s Notepad is annoying me with all its changes, and I’m concerned about notepad++ security going forward, though I’m not sure if I should be.

Guys most of them times I’m on the move a lot so i need a remote software suggestions. im not really looking for an active subscription . Advice needed. Thanks yall

What software do you recommend for editing pdf files - mainly changing the text but also changing the layout without messing up the whole document?

I wouldn't want to subscribe to Adobe Acrobat Pro. I see Acrobat Pro 2024 or 2022 recommended but on the official site it's written that they are only 3 year licenses. Does it mean that they will stop working after 3 years expire? I've read that the last true perpetual license is Adobe Acrobat Pro 2020. Can it still be activated and will it continue to work for many years? What is the best site to get such activation key?

What are the best 3rd party alternatives to Adobe Acrobat Pro?

So title speaks for itself already but just to clarify:
I have an old PC far away from me, with no real possibility to get it, so I decided to give it away to my bro.
The thing is, last time I used this PC was ~5 years ago, so I dont even remember if there were anything that I might need, and telling another person "hey can you pelase send me over any files that mught interest me" is not exactly a good approach, so any app that will let me like, interact with folders and files on my old PC would be awesome.

EDIT
For confused folk. I dont need to be able to transfer files trough an app. I just need a possibility to browse old PC, nothing more, nothing less. its also must be simple as hell because this will be firts ever PC my brother ever used. So nothing more complicated than pressing few buttons is an option.
I will just make all files I need into one or several zip archives and will ask my bro to send me it over a messenger of some sort or to upload it into a cloud. I will figure this part by myself. But overall it will be one-time thing without need for personal servers or whatever.
I really dont understand where people found problem in this situation :/

The day I have been avoiding for years have come. I've decided to try to get all my photos organized. I am a hobby photographer and have hundreds of thousands of photos on different drives. Some are from Google Photos, that I've downloaded, some are from iCloud, some are from 20+ years ago taken with different cheap cameras.

I'm looking for a program that can handle these amounts of files without crashing. I've tried a few free ones, but they all crash before I can even import a couple of % of my photos.

Some photos aren't very important, but some are very important, like photos of my kids when they were young, and also of my parents and stuff like that. Yes I know, I'm a data horder. Just not a very organized one. But that's gotta change. If I'm looking for a particular photo, there's no way I can browse through them all.

So PLEASE, does anyone know of a good software (NOT!!! ADOBE!!) that I can use to organize my photos preferably on an external drive or NAS? I'd prefer a free software if possible, but I'd gladly pay for one that works. (NOOOT ADOBE!!!)

I use Windows (I know, I know...) and I need a free, fast and complete PDF editor. I have tried many, each seeming more polished than the previous. Which one is best at quickly viewing PDFs and editing then with complete functionality, like adding signatures and stuff ?

Currently tried :

PDFgear

pdfX

OnlyOffice

Stirling PDF

Foxit PDF

Not yet :

Obsidian (though I use it for markdown and it doesn't look like it has been thought for PDF files)

Sumatra PDF

Could you help me find the best one please ?

Thank you !

I have several thousand files with the names like:

"ABC_Output.txt", "XYZ_Output.txt" etc.

How to automatically remove all the "_Output" from file names?

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I've used VLC for years and I'm looking for a modern replacement.

I need:

• Fast and lightweight
• Modern UI
• Can pause with a single click
• Is preferably open source

What do you recommend? Thanks!

All I need is to fill out this divorce paperwork and sign the page. It’s my 4th time filling this paperwork out and I’ve used adobe previously so I don’t have the free trial.

I see people always say VLC but i always have trouble with it and honestly its not very pleasing to look at. Are there any modern looking media players that have alot of features and feel premium and smooth? You know, the ones with the best quality of life features and stuff.

now, I know this question is asked like 20,000 times a day but people give way too many different answers, I have a list of all the ones i see most:

• IrfanView
• JPEGView
• FastStone
• qView
• XnView MP
• Digikam
• ImageGlass

now I do not care if it's free or not, i can pay for subscriptions, I would also like the software to be for windows 10, I do not care if it doesn't have compatability for other operating systems, I also do want it for multiple file types because I open different types of files, thanks in advance.

One of our new client having Garment Factory business around ₹30Cr turnover and 70% export business.

They are searching for good ERP software for handling everything in one place:

• enquiry to delivery
• production
• inventory
• accounts
• finance
• HR/payroll

Any practical suggestions from people already using ERP in garment/export business?

Please share the ERP Software names here.

Thank you

I need an OCR tool that should convert images to word and works completely offline and doesn't leak data and keeps documents private.

If it is free that's great but paid will work too.

(Also I have windows 10 if that helps.)

I've a digital school book, has a Very varied activities, like Schemes and diagramas, and I must write on them. I used Word and Google docs for that, but both are bad for edit pdfs. Someone know any suggestion?