Been trying to push myself to take the time to install and use open source, or free software on my desktop. List below to peep!

Ideally I'd move to Linux, but until that day I'll do my best with Windows 11. If you're also using Windows, I recommend checking out this Windows Utility from Chris Titus (any many other contributors), runs via powershell (just a script, no software runs locally). Lots of automation for disabling services that don't need to be running, stopping some heuristics (spying), adding/removing commonly used software etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuaNw8Tpn7Q

Yesterday I installed Foobar2000, I was a Winamp kid back in the day and may still download the legacy player for fun, but it seems Foobar is still the gold standard for open source players. Only thing missing now is the thousands of MP3's I used to uuuh 'have' (it was a different time okay) 🥲 

Have also used HWInfo for a long time, and leveraged it yesterday after installing Fan Control, an open source fan control and curve configuration software. Great combination for setting up custom fan curves for your PC instead of being forced into garbage motherboard manufacturer bloatware.

Here's a few others I recently re-installed or use regularly, not all are open source or free, but in some cases I just prefer them over their even more mainstream alternatives, or find them worth the cost of entry. Would love to hear about your favorites!

7-zip - file/archive manager (free)
https://7-zip.org/

AquaSnap - window manager for .. Windows ($30 perpetual license)
https://www.nurgo-software.com/products/aquasnap

Aseprite - pixel art ($20 perpetual license)
https://www.aseprite.org/

Audacity - audio recording and editing (free)
https://www.audacityteam.org/

Bulk Rename Utility - the name says it all (free)
https://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/

Davici Resolve - video editing (free or perpetual license)
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve

DBPowerAmp music converter - $48 license (I paid $28, not perpetual)
admittedly haven't used this in a long time but it's quite powerful
https://www.dbpoweramp.com/

FanControl (free
https://getfancontrol.com/

FontForge - font editing/creation (free)
https://fontforge.org/en-US/

Foxit PDF Reader (free)
(watch out for admittedly predatory prompts for 'going pro')
https://www.foxit.com/pdf-reader/

HWInfo - PC hardware monitoring, temps, power etc (freeware)
⚠️Careful site is a bit aggressive with ads
https://www.hwinfo.com/download/

Inkscape - Vector graphics editor (free)
https://inkscape.org/

LibreOffice - Open source office suite (free)
https://www.libreoffice.org/

Mullvad VPN - desktop/mobile VPN (~$6/mo)
Yeah just switch now, from whatever you're using. No signup, no account, can pay for time up front, with crypto, up to 5 devices.
https://mullvad.net/en

Notepad++ - Notepad replacement, sourcecode editor (free)
My god Windows Notepad signs you in now and has copilot integration.
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

TeraCopy - file transfer utility (Free or $30 perpetual pro)
https://www.codesector.com/teracopy

OBS Studio - screen recording/streaming (free)
https://obsproject.com/

RetroArch - retro console emulation (free)
⚠️ Careful site is a bit aggressive with ads
https://www.retroarch.com/ 

VLC Media Player - video playback (free)
https://www.videolan.org/vlc/

That's it for now! If there's something I've missed or is outside of my needs that you love, or a better/more open competitor for what you see here, let me know! (I know there are a lot of options on the PDF viewing/editing front)

Happy computing!

More free and open Windows software shared by a fellow ghoul today

Everything by voidtools - file and folder indexing/search
very fast, very lightweight, 3.2mb program for local drive search
https://www.voidtools.com/

Windows search in shambles