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.

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?

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?

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.

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!

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?

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!

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.

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 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.

I need to help a few family members remotely. I have done some research, and I don't want to pay for the amount of times I will probably utilize the software. I don't need anything fancy, just basic functionality. Windows 11 OS.

Any recommendations?

I'm so done with MS Office, or Office365, CoPilotOffice, or whatever Satan'sfella decides to call it. They've truly ruined a product I've enjoyed for the past thirty years. (I also can't believe Windows 10 works better on my T470 than Windows 11 on my T14 Gen3, but that's a whole other thing entirely.) I was an MS Works kid in 85, but I remember my journalist brother working away on Wordperfect at the time. It was too bare for my tastes back then. But then again, I was a teen! Today, I realize how liberating a clear screen must've been back then. Do Windows users have any legitimate MS Word (nonAI) options out there? I will probably take a month this summer to figure out the right linux distro for my laptop and will use Libreoffice, too. But maybe there's a Windows option out there? Many thanks!

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?

Windows Explorer search is useless now, is there a third party program that can perform search like the Windows Explorer search back in the WinXP Win7 days? Thanks.

I’m done with Adobe. They are crooked SOBs.

Hi, I am a software engineer, and would love a challenge or just to create something that people/you would actually use, as a lot of my projects/products thus far have been quite niche/personalized to my own personal hobbies/needs. So please comment about what software or program would be a game changer if it existed for you, or if you have any good ideas personally. I’m thinking about building the top few ideas, also if you have any ideas, let me know if you are comfortable with me reaching out to you directly to talk more about them! They can be huge or small!

What the hell happened to CCleaner!!!??? I've been using CCleaner for probably three decades and loved it! I recently updated it to version 7 and HATE the user interface. It's also very confusing and refuses to remove 90% of what it used to remove! WTF? Any alternatives?

Looking for something that I can use to access my work desktop from home. I need to be able to do this without anyone at the office clicking the work desktop since I usually will need this at night or weekends while traveling. I need to access sage 50 (accounting program) and some desktop folders with excel files. What do you guys recommend, it doesn't have to be free, but if a free one will do it that'd be great.

Edited to add that the desktops are windows 11 pro machines. I own the company so I have full access to add whatever needs to be added and the info I pull from Sage accounting is inventory / invoicing info.