No, Windows won't ever compete with Linux on price. However, even though Microsoft isn't giving away their RTM operating systems for free, they do offer a lot of great software and services at no charge. Here are my six favorites -- feel free to share yours with us in the comments!

1. Windows Live Writer - If you don't blog, Live Writer probably isn't that useful to you. If you do, though, it's hard to find a Windows application that can compete with WLW. It's got loads of great features including plugin support so I can add things like Twitter integration.

2. SysInternals - There are so many useful apps under the SysInternals umbrella - Autoruns, Process Explorer, Desktops, RegMon - the list goes on and on. There's also live.sysinternals.com to provide easy access to them all when I forget my usb flash drive. Awesome.

Yesterday I wrote up a little list of things I wished people would quit installing on their PCs. Today, I've put together a selection of handy programs those same people can use to take care of some of the annoyances I mentioned - and more.

Here are six (seventeen, really, but some are grouped) simple applications that will help - and they're all free for personal use!

1. PC Decrapifier - A lot of people that drop their systems off for repair say "take out any programs that don't need to be there." Well, that's exactly the kind of crud Decrapifier is designed to get rid of. It compares the programs on your system to a list of known bloatware (Wikipedia definition) and simplifies the removal process.

2. Malware Bytes - Those annoying popups you're getting? The weird pages you see when you try to search for something in your browser? Malware Bytes does a great job at removing the pests that cause those problems. It's usually the first program I run on horribly bogged-down computers. After a scan, clean, and reboot, they're usually much more cooperative.

3. Glary Utilities - The one-click maintenance mode in Glary is a wonderfully simple way for even non-technical users to keep their systems tuned. It tackles all kinds of tasks, from removing temporary file garbage and broken shortcuts to tuning up your registry.

One note: download the slim version to avoid the Ask Toolbar. You can opt out of it during the regular install, but slim removes it altogether.

Now that I've got a full-time work laptop and a second system to reformat every other day I finally have a reason to customize my desktop with some snazzy wallpapers, sound schemes, and icons. I like to keep my desktop lighthearted, so I tend to lean toward cartoony, fun elements.

All of these sets are totally free for personal use, so download away! If you know another great set, feel free to share your links in the comments!

Comic Tiger - Obviously Mac-themed, but the set works well on Windows desktops, too. Created by Fasticon, but no longer listed on their free downloads - fortunately InterfaceLIFT still has it.

Desktoon - I first came across Everaldo's icons when playing with some Linux live CDs several years ago. Desktoon is packed with 31 pieces of hand-drawn goodness. Available from Yellow Icon.

Depending on your internet connection you might be able to download a lot more (or a lot less) than 1Mb in two seconds - but calling this a post about apps under a meg just isn't quite as much fun!

No, you don't really need to pay too much attention to an application's hard drive footprint any more. After all, when you can buy a 1.5Tb drive for less than $150US, what difference does a few megs here or there make?

On the other hand, it's amazing to see what some developers are able to accomplish with a very small amount of code.

There are a ton of great, free applications that have been created in less than 1Mb - I didn't fully realize just how many until I started putting this list together. This is by no means a complete list, so if your favorite got overlooked make sure to share it in the comments!

If you're running the Windows 7 RC, chances are good that you're the kind of user that likes to monkey around with settings and tweak your OS. While you can go the DIY route and hack your registry and run your mouse ragged clicking through various control panel screens, there are a number of good, free apps available designed to simplify tweaking.

Pro tip: if you run one of these apps, use their built-in checkpoint creator before committing changes or create a system restore point yourself - just in case something goes awry.

Here are five - go ahead and add your picks in the comments if you don't see your favorite listed!

EnhanceMySe7en (pictured above) - One strike against EM7 is that you must install it. On the plus side, it's 32 and 64-bit (native). On the minus side, it uses 65Mb memory when running. On the plus side, it comes with a free frogurt!

Joking aside, EM7 is absolutely packed with options. Apart from tweaks covering every nook and cranny in Windows 7, the program also includes CCleaner-like registry and disk cleaning tools, a shortcut creator, fast access to many built-in Windows utilities, and much, much more. It's a beast.

Anti-Malware Toolkit (pictured above) - If you download malware fighting apps frequently, you need AMT. Nearly 40 programs are supported, including must-haves like MalwareBytes, CCleaner, Autoruns, Unlocker, Rootkit Revealer, and more. AMT also supports command line arguments for easy batch scripting and scheduling.

Two years ago, the small business where I work would never have considered selling Linux systems. When it comes to computers, the vast majority of our customers are only familiar with Windows. Trying to sell them an Ubuntu system would have been similar to what Sisyphus experiences with his boulder.

Times have changed, however, and now it's a bit easier - especially since I can demo a system and show that they'll be able to do many of the same things even with a different OS powering the computer.

Common Windows applications that are available for Linux
My average customer wants to do a few key things with their system and not much else - download music, chat, send email, store digital photos, and play some casual games. Many of their preferred Windows programs are also available for Linux.

Limewire - Just because you're switching operating systems doesn't mean you have to give up downloading music. Limewire is built on Java and is available for Linux.

Picasa - Most of us have digital cameras by now, and many of us have hundreds (if not thousands) of digital photos. You may have grown to love Picasa on Windows, but you won't have to give it up if you switch.

Skype - Keeping in touch with family members is important. Doing it for free? That's a bonus, and Skype will let you do that, even on your new OS.

With all the URL shortening sites that have been popping up lately -- and even services that let you make your own -- I thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at the link-shrinkers we've covered in the past here at Download Squad. Some of them are legitimately useful, while some of them are complete novelties that you'd only break out as a joke. You'll also have to forgive some of our references to getting Rickrolled -- it was a legitimate concern back then! So, without further ado, here's a big list of ways to create very small URLs:

NSFW.in is designed for sharing links that are Not Safe For Work. Its unique feature is a warning page, in case the person you're sharing your link with doesn't want to see it after all.

Bit.ly is still one of the best link shorteners around. It scores points for tracking the traffic to your shortened link, and letting you see if anyone else has made a bit.ly link to the same URL.

U.nu is a fairly recent entry with a super-short base URL, and the added bonus of generating links that are easy to read out loud to someone or type out from scratch.

This weekend I finished setting up a fresh triple-boot install on my MSI laptop. With my operating systems ready to go, the time had come to start reinstalling applications. While it wasn't a conscious decision, I noticed that the majority of my apps were Open Source - so I decided to keep the ball rolling.

Even if you haven't just gone through a reformat, these are great applications and well worth installing. If you have, then hopefully this list will provide you with a solid base of programs to get you started with your fresh, new Windows install!

Web Browsers: Chromium, Firefox
They excel at different things, so I install both browsers by default. Chromium is great for all-purpose surfing, while I use Firefox and my favorite extensions to tackle my daily web-based work.

Office: OpenOffice.Org, Sumatra, PDFCreator
For lightweight PDF reading and creation from any Windows app, Sumatra and PDFCreator are solid options. OpenOffice.Org, well, it's the name to beat in open source suites.

There's more than one way to skin a cat. Today's cat: starting torrent downloads on your computer from a remote location!

The first two options require 1) your home machine's address and 2) a forwarded port on your router. If you're on a dynamic IP connection like me, a DDNS updating service like Dyndns.org makes finding your machine much easier - it gives you an easy-to-remember, permanent address likemycomputerathome.dyndns.org. Not too sure how to set up port forwarding on your router? Check out PortForward.com for help with just about any brand or model.

If you'd rather not mess around with port forwarding and dynamic dns, you might want to try setting up Hamachi or Comodo Easy VPN on your machines. Either one will provide you LAN-like access to your main computer with minimal fuss (apart from installing and configuring a new program).

Or you could skip the zero-config VPN software and check out the last two options after the break - neither of which require you to know your home system's address or change any router settings.

Now let's get started!

Using Your Client's WebUI (pictured above)

uTorrent, Transmission, and Deluge all offer a web-based control panel for their clients. Getting remote access is as simple as opening the appropriate port on your router and then opening the right address in your web browser.

For uTorrent, you may need to download the webui.zip from their forums and save it to your %appdata%\utorrent folder.

Now that IE8 is here, maybe it's high time that a concerted effort was made to get rid of Internet Explorer 6 once and for all. You'd think by now that most users would have at least upgraded to IE7, but just about every Windows XP system that appears on my workbench is still running the clumsy old oaf-of-a-browser.

@staringispolite has created a simple, open source way that you can help drive the IE6 demon out of our Internet. The Google Code project is called, aptly enough, sevenup. It's inspired by both Google's effort and the movement started by a group of Norweigan websites.

It's a 1k javascript that displays a polite CSS reminder to people who visit your site using IE6 that they should seriously consider upgrading their browser to something a bit more modern. It's respectfully done, though, and includes an option for the user to dismiss the reminder and never be bothered again.

Sure, you could do this on your own from scratch, but sevenup is ready to use and easy to integrate. Do your part to save less tech-savvy web surfers from their browser!

Not using a desktop Twitter client? Maybe you're quite happy to use the Twitter site to post updates and monitor those you follow. Just because you do doesn't mean you don't have access to more powerful interface options than the bare minimum Twitter provides.

Grab some Userscripts, and use your browser give your Twiter / Home some handy new features! I've gathered eight of my favorites - feel free to share yours in the comments!

Troy's Twitter Script - provides several additional functions, like short URL expansion, inline media viewing, and nested replies. Also adds a search box (for those of us who can't use the real deal just yet), retweet link, and an @mentions link to see who's been talking about you.

There are all kinds of fancy modern things that you can do with your iPhone, including all the techno-superhero things Jay covered in his post.

What if you like things that are a little bit more nostalgic? Here are five apps packed with old-timey computing goodness!

These are all available through iTunes - no jailbreaking required!

Fortune [iTunes link] - Ever wish you could tap into the wisdom of Fortune's terminal quotes no matter where you are? This app is a faithful port for the iPhone, right down to the monochromatic fixed-width font.

Chip-8 Emulator [iTunes link] - It's no surprise that a computer system considered cutting-edge in the 1970s can now be emulated on a handheld device like the iPhone. Geardome's app allows you to play all the Chip-8's vintage public domain games in their full-on low-fi glory.

Sid Player / Sid Player Lite [iTunes Link] - The iPod started out as audio-only, so this one's sort of doubly-old school because it plays Commodore 64 SID files. The full version ($2.99) provides access to more than 35,000 songs from the High Voltage Sid Collection and includes soundtracks from classic games and musicians. The free Lite version provides more limited access.

HAL 9000 [iTunes link] - What are you doing, Dave? Why, he's installing HAL-9000 on his iPhone, of course! Take history's best-loved demented computer with you everywhere. Launch it and cackle any time you want to reassure people that you're not all there yourself.

iMud [iTunes link]- Apple loves to flaunt all the shiny, new games you can play, but what about classic text-based gaming? iMud (from the developer of Metal Mudder for Mac) is $4.99, but it's a great mobile interface for playing all your favorite classic MUDs like Wheel of Time and Mozart. Don't forget to visit MUD Connector to search for a MUD that's to your liking.

System admins and technicians deal with a number of frustrations in our daily work. One of the biggest: desktops that keep getting misused, abused, and trashed as a result of carelessness, malice, or a lack of common sense.

Sandboxing programs are a great way to prevent these kinds of headaches. What do they do? In simple terms, they prevent applications from making changes to your system. It's kind of like having an imaginary hard drive where programs think they're operating like normal, but their actions never make an impact on your real filesystem.

Here are five options available for Windows systems to get the job done. These apps are great not only for the workplace or situations where you're looking after public or shared computers, they're also a fantastic way to protect your home computer from unwanted changes due to accidental misuse and malware.

You don't need to be super-strong, invulnerable or able to fly to be a hero. Sure, that worked for Superman, but don't forget that Batman got out of all kinds of tough situations just using his gadgets. Maybe you don't have a tricked-out car or a utility belt, but if you have an iPhone, you can be a hero, too. Here are some iPhone apps that might help out:


1) Urbanspoon

Superpower: Settling arguments about where to eat

When you're out with a date (or a group of friends) and nobody can decide where you're going to eat, Urbanspoon's iPhone app can come to the rescue. Just put in some search terms (or don't, whatever) and shake it. It'll give you a restaurant that will hopefully settle your argument without any hurt feelings over who got to choose. If you end with a place that nobody likes, just shake again. It's also handy when you're by yourself in a new neighborhood and want to sample the local eateries, so you can use it to be your own hero, too!

2) HopStop

Superpower: Getting anywhere fast in some big cities.

Before you complain: yes, I know this only works in a handful of cities, particularly New York, Chicago, Boston and DC. The thing is, it works so well you might as well have superpowers. I can't count the number of times I've overheard someone on the phone in Manhattan saying, "Why don't you just HopStop it?" HopStop is well known for giving some of the best point-to-point directions via subway or cab, and telling you how much it'll cost to get there. Plus, it's expanding to new cities all the time.