I’m probably using Ubuntu and Debian Linux far more than Windows. But since i’m kinda stuck with at least one instance of Windows running for Secondlife while waiting for a more performant and stable Linux build, I at least try to bear using this dreadful OS by spicing it with the best appz the free software world can offer. Here’s my top unordered list of killer applications every power user should have installed, IMOHO.

• Democracy TV
• The free Web TV platform. Simple enough for any noob, install it and run it. Choose channels and play, sit and relax. Theres tons of great content, my fav being the French Maid TV and Channel Frederator. Lots of indy music videos too. DTV is in fact a RSS videopodcast feed reader thats entirely automated and allows Tivo like recording and viewing. DTV is based on Videolan, Bittorrent protocol, and Python among other things. Entirely free and opensource. Support the Participatory Culture Foundation, a non profit org that makes the soft. Compatible MacOSX, Windows and Linux.
• Flock
• My best discovery of the month. Blog and Flickr directly integrated into that Firefox based web browser thats entirely Firefox compatible, so you can add extensions too. It allows you to drag Flickr pics directly into your blog entries. Works with most known blogging systems. Works with Photobucket too. It’s also got a nifty RSS newsreader integrated to it that allows you to sidepost any news article from your feeds. Compatible MacOSX, Windows and Linux.
• Truecrypt
• If you care about your data, especially mobile data, Truecrypt is a killer app. It allows simple complete volume encryption on the fly. You format a partition and it becomes a real data safe supporting strong crypto. You can read your data on any machine with Truecrypt installed. Split a free space on your mobile hard drive and you have a portable data safeguard, in case of lost. Works with USB keys too. Compatible with Windows and Linux too.
• KeepAss
• If you are above the standard luser, like me you must have 2000 passwords to remember. Lucky Codie have a lot of memory for complex alphanumeric strings, but don’t feel bad if you dont. I found this fantastic and tiny application called KeePass (I like to call it KeepAss because its an ass saver). This program is a secure password vault. It allows you to enter tons of passwords classified be categories, and lets you open the password needy application with a single clicks. No need to copy the password manually, it automagically enters your buffer and you can paste it directly. A real time saver. Compatible with Linux, MacOsX and Windows, and there’s a plugin to export to a PalmOS compatible format to have your passwords under hand all the time!
• TorPark
• Another pleasent security app, that’s portable too. Its Firefox, with complete TOR integration. TOR is The Onion Router, that merges your machine into a secure freenet allowing true anonymous browsing. It’s slower than regular browsing, but nothing will show on the proxy logs at your job Windows only from what I know.
• PortableApps
• It’s not one single application. It’s a shitload of applications. All portable. It means you can install them on any mobile drive or USB key. Plug the USB device in any computer you have access too, and you will have your own Firefox, Thunderbird, OpenOffice, Filezilla, GAIM, The Gimp, multimedia applications, fucking name it. They provide an installer containing dozens of high quality free and opensource applications, the kind we all love. Windows only, but the best kind.
• Hamachi
• Zero configuration VPN for the masses. It’s free. This app is so useful but can be very dangerous security speaking if you don’t know what you are doing. It allows you to create a VPN in less than 5 minutes and link a bunch of computers in a virtual local network, jumping any firewall. This allows you to connect to other computers in the network to perform any operation that usually needs port forwarding. Like local windows file sharing, FTP, game server, VNC, anything really. You connect to it like if the computer was in your local area network. Nifty and really practical. Windows and Linux compatible.
• UltraVNC
• The ideal tool to manage remote servers graphically. Similar to the old PCAnywhere or Windows Remote Desktop, this app adds up a few nice tools to help your friends. You can chat with them or perform some things ordinary VNC can’t do. For Windows.

Here you go folks! Hope you have fun!

Codie