Marc from Dave’s Computer Tips offers his favorite software titles in multiple categories.–PC Pitstop.
Favorite Software of All Time
by Marc Thomas for Daves Computer Tips
Well it should be fun, but because it’s not shiny and I can’t touch it, software for me has always lagged way behind shiny objects, except for games of course; games are fun. At this point, it’s tempting to go all misty eyed and hark back to the early days of pioneering software such as Super Calc and WordStar, but I’m not going there because it would give me nightmares about the hours and days spent sweating over a hot keyboard whilst staring at a green and black screen. Today, most software is so easy to use that even I can handle it; it’s intuitive, shiny and colourful, so what’s your favourite?
Operating systems
Having used almost all of Microsoft’s operating systems since the dawn of time, for me, the OS that got almost everything right is Windows 7. Software like this that’s intuitive to use straight out of the box gets my vote every time, more so because its design is a natural progression from its predecessors without feeling the need to confuse us all by treating us as dummies and hiding stuff where it’s difficult to find. The transition from XP was a seamless, rewarding and thoroughly enjoyable experience, not least because I was able to enjoy the benefits of 64 bit computing for the very first time and what few compatibility issues arose were easily sorted by either Windows itself or an easy fix. I still use Windows 7 on all my PCs, albeit in a dual boot setup with Windows 10 and will continue to use it probably long after Microsoft has withdrawn its official support because quite frankly, it just works.
Graphics
I used to aspire to great things with graphics programs such as Corel Draw and Photoshop and with a modicum of success managed to create some fairly tidy pieces of work, but not without a great deal of hair pulling and frustration. However, for the kind of work I do now I simply don’t need all those bells and whistles and until Snagit came along I really struggled. If ever a program were designed for simplicity, intuitive use and huge capabilities, Snagit ticks all the right boxes. If you’re not a graphic or web designer and you simply want to capture what’s on the screen, Snagit does this job easily and with no fuss whatsoever. Once you’ve captured the image you can add captions, arrows, dialogue boxes, highlighted areas and hundreds of other effects which would have taken me hours of blood, sweat and tears with other professional programs. Snagit leaves me with far more time to actually write stuff rather than fiddle around with the complexities of graphics design and it’s fun to use.
