- #Best computer software 2016 install#
- #Best computer software 2016 update#
- #Best computer software 2016 for android#
- #Best computer software 2016 pro#
- #Best computer software 2016 software#
#Best computer software 2016 install#
There are a few free programs that I install on most PCs because they’re generally useful. There are lots of Chromium-based browsers, including Opera. Vivaldi is, like Chrome, based on the open source Chromium browser, and it runs most Chrome extensions. Instead of Chrome, I use Vivaldi, which is slow to load, a bit geeky – sorry, aimed at “power users” – and still being developed. Chrome is more secure but it guzzles memory, resources and battery power, so I generally use Firefox with the Ghostery and uBlock Origin extensions. The main alternatives are Google Chrome and Firefox. IE11 is best avoided, unless a website only works in IE. However, it still has some weird omissions (can’t save pages!) and very few extensions (about 20). Edge is a good browser: it’s secure, fast and light. Windows 10 includes two browsers: the new Edge and the old Internet Explorer 11.
#Best computer software 2016 update#
A PC may have dozens of programs from dozens of suppliers, and even if you knew which ones needed security patches, it would be tedious to update them. PSI is important because most vulnerabilities are now in third-party programs such as Adobe Reader, Flash, Oracle Java and so on, not in Windows. In some cases, it will even update them for you.
#Best computer software 2016 software#
This monitors your PC’s software and tells you which programs are insecure and need updating. I also install Flexera’s free Personal Software Inspector. (Avast now owns AVG.) Kaspersky and Bitdefender seem to be the best paid-for AV suites. I usually install Avast on other people’s PCs after removing a virus, but Avira, Bitdefender and Kaspersky are good alternatives. There are, of course, better anti-virus products than Defender, both free and paid-for.
#Best computer software 2016 pro#
I’m paranoid so I supplement Defender with MalwareBytes Anti-Malware and occasional scans with Adware Cleaner, Hitman Pro and GMER. The combination of Defender, SmartScreen and cloud-based heuristics should be OK for users who don’t have dangerous surfing habits, especially if they use secure browsers, such as Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. If so, they should install an alternative anti-virus program that makes exactly the same checks, and uses its own cloud services for exactly the same purposes. People who block Windows 10’s background security and telemetry communications – perhaps in a misguided attempt to protect their privacy – risk compromising their security. This is important with things like ransomware attacks. If Defender sees a suspicious file that it does not recognise, it refers it to the cloud service, which uses heuristics, automated file analysis and machine learning to decide whether or not to block it. These include SmartScreen filter, which checks web addresses for known malware, and a cloud-based service, which was turned on by default in the Anniversary Update edition. Windows 10 is safe enough to use without any extra security software, if you keep the latest default settings. Windows 10’s security has improved so much that the US Defense Department is moving to it as quickly as possible. Security has been a major concern because some earlier versions of Windows – especially XP – were very insecure. Of course, many people already have data in Evernote and Dropbox, but for the rest of us, they’re optional. Dropbox is better than OneDrive, but OneDrive offers more free storage (5GB vs 2GB) and is good enough. Today, OneNote is better than Evernote, and OneNote is widely used in schools. For example, I used to recommend Evernote and Dropbox, and now I don’t. In general, it’s only worth installing things that are better than the bundled programs, but it depends on personal preferences and circumstances.
#Best computer software 2016 for android#
The online programs often have their own apps as well, including apps for Android and Apple smartphones and tablets. Windows 10 includes online versions of OneNote, Word, Excel and PowerPoint from Microsoft Office. Online apps are useful if you have a good internet connection. There are apps for Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Netflix, Shazam, Deezer, Pinterest, Twitter, TuneIn Radio etc (but not Snapchat), plus loads of games. New-style apps are downloaded and maintained from a trusted source, the Windows Store, and they run in sandboxes that prevent them from doing bad things. They should only be downloaded from the original source (the software company) or a trusted alternative, such as Major Geeks or Ninite. Traditional programs are usually the most powerful but also the most dangerous.