Freeware Pharmacy

A good download manager not only helps organize (manage) your downloads, but also increases download speeds by grabbing several parts of a file at once. Orbit Downloader does this and more.

Synovel's open-source Spicebird, though still in beta, has edged ahead of competitor Thunderbird (and the pay-to-play Postbox). Spicebird is based on Thunderbird's code, but with an updated interface and many added features, it has become more of an all-in-one communication center than a simple desktop e-mail client.

File sharing, A.K.A. peer-to-peer (P2P), has taken the Internet by storm. It's been made notorious by the RIAA and MPAA, who have legitimate concerns about free and easy access to their commercial products. Without discussing semantics, everyone can agree that the BitTorrent protocol has changed the Internet as we know it.

When I first heard about "IM" (remember ICQ?) in 1997, I was impressed, but had no idea of the impact it would have. More than 10 years has passed, and a lot has changed, but instant messaging is basically still the same - it's just so widespread that multi-protocol IM clients are now a necessity.

Land-lines are really becoming antiquated. It seems that everyone now has a cell phone and fast internet (sometimes both in one package), and when you have a fast internet connection, you can make free or cheap video/phone calls, thanks to internet telephone services like Skype.