List Your Favorite Top 5 Software

So what's yours? Mine are:

1.Firefox - what I love about this free browser by Mozilla is the Add-ons. You can extend Firefox's functionality considerably with them. Want a built-in spellchecker, time management tools or Collections tailored to suit select groups, like the Family Organizer or Reference Desk? You got it. Try not to get too carried away with add-ons though as the more intensive ones can slow your browser down if your computer is on the slow side.

2. This is linked to Firefox too. I'm a big fan of the Personas option for customizing its look and yet so many Firefox users aren't aware it exists. Why stick with a boring old browser background when you can have a psychedelic one or your favorite pop star grinning at you? A new theme can inspire you and creative types can make their own too then share with the Persona community . :) At last count there were over 35,000 themes to choose from. Just pick one you like and download it. You can change the theme at any time.

3. Wordpress - if you're interested in building your own blog or website, Wordpress is an extremely easy platform to use. There are literally thousands of both free and premium (read paid) Wordpress themes available online, so it's easy to get an individual look. You can  download it at Wordpress.org to install it on your own server once you buy a domain and arrange hosting. My husband and I have built many sites using the Wordpress platform over the years for ourselves and others and it's never disappointed us. Wordpress is open source and costs nothing. This can also be customized with additional elements called plugins.

The administration dashboard of Wordpress is very user friendly and easy to pick up. All platforms have a learning curve, of course but if you're no coder and would love a site that's easy to add to and edit on your own, I'd recommend this. My own site at The Cuckleburr Times is based on the Wordpress platform and incorporates a magazine-style theme if you'd like to see an example.

(You can alternatively create a blog free at Wordpress.com and have it hosted there. Note that if you do the latter it will be on a subdomain, which means your URL will read something like http://(your blog name).wordpress.com. and there are some differences, for example you have access to over 110 themes, not thousands like you would on a self-hosted Wordpress. org blog. Check the site for any limitations.

4. Skype - free video calling between Skype users. You call PC-to-PC over the web, anywhere in the world. What's not to like? I call my parents who live in the UK regularly on it. I love that I can see them and they can see us all, absolutely free. We rarely talk less than an hour.

You can also use Skype to make phone calls at cheap rates, not free, but I never have. There are packages available for that. Instead, do it for nothing! Get your buddies to download Skype and talk that way! Even if only one of you has a webcam, you can still make a PC-to-PC call. It also has an IM option. There are additional paid features too. You don't need to be on their phone plans to use the free video calling option. Just download it and chat away.

5. Paint.net - my favorite free graphics program. Any time I need to work on a graphic or photo, this is what I use. It's available only for Windows users and has been referred to as "the poor man's Photoshop". Since I have no plans on spending $600+ on Photoshop, this works just fine for me! You'll find many features on this that would be on paid graphic programs and plenty more on their forum you can add to the basic setup for free. Be sure to download the right program! There are ads for other kinds on their homepage. I've circled it in the picture so you know where to look.

Share your own top 5 below! :)