· ICQ - This is one of the most popular Internet instant messaging tools, and it’s free. I use it every day for direct contact and exchanging files with certain individuals over the Internet. It’s fast, easy and free, which meets my criteria for good software. Similar to AOL’s Instant Messenger but does not have to go through a server which, I think gives greater privacy and security.

· Go!Zilla or GetRight – If you’re into downloading software from the Internet, as I am, these two download managers are a must. They both have familiar Explorer style interfaces and work similar to what you’re already used to. I personally use GetRight that automatically uses my virus scanning program to check for viruses on each file I download, which we all know is a must! Just select the files you want to download and you choose when the download will take place. There are too many benefits of each to list here. Go!Zilla is free and GetRight is Shareware. Also out there is NetZip and Download Demon.

· Paint Shop Pro – I couldn’t begin to compute without this one. It’s now up to version 6 and I’ve used it since version 1. I’ve reviewed it a couple of times in the past in this newsletter, and it just keeps getting better. It will stack up against any of your professional graphics programs that cost several times Paint Shop’s $79 cost. They’ve recently added an animator program to the mix that most of the big boys don’t come with.

· WinZip – I’m not sure if there is anyone who doesn’t know about this one, but, just in case, I thought I’d better mention it. A utility that makes it very easy to compress and uncompress one or several files together, which is especially useful for sending files over the Internet.

· RealJukebox – Another excellent free program that lets you create and play your own collection of digital music in several formats, one of the most popular being MP3, which takes up much less space than the standard audio file on your music CD. The difference with RealJukebox and most of the other "ripper" programs is that you can listen to your CDs while you rip (copy) the tracks off of them. I’ve used this program to take my favorite songs off different CDs and make one CD with all my favorites. (Yes, it’s legal!) There is also support for automatically downloading the names and songs from your CDs off the Internet (CDDC) to create a database of your music. To go along with this program, check out WinAmp and Sonique, two free music players with a lot of bells and whistles.

· ClipMate for Windows – One thing Windows has always lacked is the built-in ability to manage your clipboard. It’s always been first in – first out (FIFO). You can copy just about anything and paste it just about anywhere but as soon as you copy something else the last thing copied is gone. Enter ClipMate. Now you can clip text, bitmaps, pictures, etc., and paste them whenever you like. ClipMate allows thumbnail views of Clipboard contents, lists, content editing, printing, magnification, and more. It’s Shareware but well worth the $20.

· iHarvest – If you use the Internet to search for information, like most of us do, then you should really have iHarvest in your collection. It is advertiser-funded freeware that collects data of your choosing, whether it be whole pages or selected text and graphics, and adds it to your "WebBase," which iHarvest lets you categorize to your liking. You can also add other content, such as emails, spreadsheets, or shortcuts and set up agents to categorize information you collect automatically. This is a great idea.