Fully Loaded Legal Windows Based Applications at No Cost

Many of my friends once in a while ask me to format and reinstall their windows system. While reinstalling system is not a big deal, getting all other necessary programs is, so I decided to write this post covering software tools everyone must have for healthy and trouble free usage(including antivirus, spyware removal, firewall, system maintenance tools, office software, media players and other). Based on the number of downloads and user reviews I have compiled list of the best software tools available which are 100% free to use. The cool thing about this is that most of these tools are the best available in their particular domain, meaning that you can actually have fully loaded legal system at no cost.

Name	Description	Review / Download
Security
Antivir Personal Edition 6	Antivirus Program	link (allmost 1 mil downloads withiin 5 month)
AVG Antivirus Free Edition 7	Antivirus Program	link (over 11 mil downloads within 3 weeks)
ZoneAlarm 6	Firewall (protect your computer from hackers and prevent some programs connecting to the internet without your consent)	link (over 40 mil downloads)
Spybot Search & Destroy 1.4	Spyware Removal Tool	link (over 80 mil download)
Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition 1.06	Spyware Removal Tool	link (over 220 mil downloads)
Maintenance
SyncBack 3.2	Files Backup Tool	link (over 50.000 downloads within 4 month)
CCleaner	System Optimization Tool / Registry Cleaner	link (allmost 1.8 mil downloads in 2 weeks)
RAM Booster 2	RAM Recovery Tool(speedup your computer by recovering RAM)	link (3.2 mil downloads in 11 month)
Free RAM XP Pro	RAM Recovery Tool	link (4.4 mil downloads in 7 month)
Office/Documents
OpenOffice 2.0.4	Microsoft Office Alternative	link (over 500 .000 downloads in 4 month)
Adobe Reader 7.0.8	View and Print Adobe PDF files	link (over 30 mil downloads in 4 month)
Media (Play any Movies)
VLC Media Player	These 2 players in combination with codec pack below will play almost any video file you may have. I am a big movie buff and it always worked for me	link (approx 3.5 mil downloads in 6 month)
DivX Player 6.2.2		link (over 50 mil downloads in 5 month)
Advanced DVD Player	DVD player	link (more then 400.000 downloads in 3 weeks)
Avant DVD Player	DVD player	link (more then 400.000 downloads in 3 weeks)
Klite Codec Pack	No more hunting for codecs.	link (one of the best codec packs available)
Browsers & Internet Related
Mozilla Firefox 2.0	All belowed web browser	link (more then 2mill downloads in 2 weeks)
Internet Explorer 7	New version of Microsoft’s IE browser. Much better then previous releases. (IE7 vs. Firefox 2 by CNET)	link (more then 8 mil downloads within 3 weeks)
Flash Player 9	Needed for viewing flash animations on the websites	link (more then 8.5 mil downloads in 4 month)
QuickTime 7.1.3	Most popular player used for viewing videos integrated into websites (ex; video blogs, trailers)	link (more then 16 mil downloads in 2 month)
Other
WinRAR	RAR archiver	link (more then 40 mil downloads in 2 month)

Top 10 list of Top 10 Firefox add-on/extension lists

Hope this is of some help? I made good use of it though..

Download.com: Best extensions for Firefox 2
Webware.com's brothers at Download.com have a good general list, as covered in this post.

About.com: Top 10 Firefox Extensions
A collection of some of the most popular and useful general Firefox extensions.

Irfan Habib: My Top 10 Firefox Extensions
A thoughtful list for serious Firefox users. See also the comments to this post, which point to other good extensions.

Read/Write Web: Top 10 Firefox Web 2.0 Add-ons
The focus is on effective browsing, bookmarks, and RSS. A good line-up if you explore the Web a lot and want to keep track of things you find.

The Simple Dollar: 10 Firefox Plugs That Save You Money
Love the premise, even if it's stretched a bit thin in this list. This ia a unconventional list of extensions that, one way or another, can impact your pocketbook.

CyberNet: 10 Great Firefox Extensions for Tabbed Browsing
You can push Firefox's breakout feature, tabbed browsing, to the limits if you use the extensions in this list. CyberNet also has a Top 10 list of privacy and security extensions.

Quick Online Tips: Top 10 Extensions to Manage Firefox Extensions
If you need this list, your Firefox setup has gotten way out of hand.

The Moleskin: Firefox Extensions For Web Development
If you're writing your own extensions, see this list.

Mozilla: 10 Most popular Firefox Add-ons
Maybe it's cheating to include this list, but if you want to know how everybody else is tweaking out their browser, don't neglect to go to the source.

Lifehacker: Top Firefox 2 config tweaks
Neither a list of extensions nor numbering 10, this is a tutorial, with excellent examples, on tweaking Firefox's many internal settings. A lot of the things you can do with these tweaks preclude the need for extensions, so it's worth checking out.

HOTEL KERALA-FONIA

Inspired by - Hotel California by The Eagles

On the road to Trivandrum
Coconut oil in my hair
Warm smell of avial
Rising up through the air

Up ahead in the distance
I saw a bright pink tube-light
My tummy rumbled, I felt weak and thin
I had to stop for a bite

There he stood in the doorway
Flicked his mundu in style
And I was thinking to myself
I don't like the look of his sinister smile

Then he lit up a petromax
Muttering "No power today"
More Mallus down the corridor
I thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel Kerala-fonia
Such a lousy place,
Such a lousy place (background)
Such a sad disgrace,
Plenty of bugs at the Hotel Kerala-fonia
Any time of year
Any time of year (background)
It's infested here

His finger's stuck up his nostril
He's got a big, thick mustache
He makes an ugly, ugly noise
But that's just his laugh

Buxom girls clad in pavada
Eating banana chips
Some roll their eyes, and
Some roll their hips

I said to the manager
My room's full of mice
He said,
Don't worry, saar,I sending you
meen karri, brandy and ice

And still those voices were crying from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them pray
Save us from the Hotel Kerala-fonia
Such a lousy place,
Such a lousy place (background)
Such a sad disgrace
Trying to live at the Hotel Kerala-fonia
It is no surprise
It is no surprise (background)
That it swarms with flies

The blind man was pouring
Stale sambar on rice
And he said
We are all just actors here
In Silk Smitha-disguise

And in the dining chamber
We gathered for the feast
We stab it with our steely knives
But we just can't cut that beef

Last thing I remember
I was writhing on the floor
That cockroach in my appam-stew was the culprit,
I am sure

Relax, said the watchman
This enema will make you well
And his friends laughed as they held me down
God's Own Country? Oh, Hell!

---- The Yeagles

Prison Vs Work!

IN PRISON...
You spend the majority of your time in an 8x10 cell.

AT WORK...
You spend most of your time in a 6x8 cubicle.

IN PRISON...
You get three meals a day.

AT WORK...
You only get a break for 1 meal and you have to payfor it.

IN PRISON...
You get time off for good behavior.

AT WORK...
You get rewarded for good behavior with more work.

IN PRISON...
A guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.

AT WORK...
You must carry around a security card and unlock and open all the doors yourself.

IN PRISON...
You can watch TV and play games.

AT WORK...
You get fired for watching TV and playing games.

IN PRISON...
You get your own toilet.

AT WORK...
You have to share.

IN PRISON...
They allow your family and friends to visit.

AT WORK...
You cannot even speak to your family and friends.

IN PRISON...
All expenses are paid by taxpayers with no work required.

AT WORK...
You get to pay all the expenses to go to work and then they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners.

IN PRISON...
You spend most of your life looking through bars from the inside wanting to get out.

AT WORK...
You spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars.

IN PRISON...
There are wardens who are often sadistic.

AT WORK...
They are called supervisors.

20 Things the Average Person Does Not Know about Windows XP

1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option, and then type ’systeminfo’. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these, type ’systeminfo > info.txt’. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only).

2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first. Go to the Start menu, select Run… and type ‘gpedit.msc’; then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care — some may stop your computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only).

3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter ‘rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation’ in the location field. Give the shortcut a name you like. That’s it — just double click on it and your computer will be locked. And if that’s not easy enough, Windows key + L will do the same.

4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can make it show everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word ‘hide’ and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be the software and you can now uninstall it.

5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new commands. These include ‘eventcreate’ and ‘eventtriggers’ for creating and watching system events, ‘typeperf’ for monitoring performance of various subsystems, and ’schtasks’ for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of options.

6. XP has IP version 6 support — the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more than your ISP has, so you can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type ‘ipv6 install’ into Run… (it’s OK, it won’t ruin your existing network setup) and then ‘ipv6 /?’ at the command line to find out more. If you don’t know what IPv6 is, don’t worry.

7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using ‘taskkill /pid’ and the task number, or just ‘tskill’ and the process number. Find that out by typing ‘tasklist’, which will also tell you a lot about what’s going on in your system.

8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you’ve got a fast machine. On slower machines, you can make XP leave zip files alone by typing ‘regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll’ at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can change things back by typing ‘regsvr32 zipfldr.dll’.

9. XP has ClearType — Microsoft’s anti-aliasing font display technology — but doesn’t have it enabled by default. It’s well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at a screen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop, select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enable the selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome login screen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Control Panel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2.

10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who’s using network address translation (NAT) on a home network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit the file. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with your friend’s real IP address — they can find this out by going to www.whatismyip.com — and get them to make sure that they’ve got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer.

11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As… and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. The trick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system as different users, but this can have unforeseen effects.

12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport, using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might go insane before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0.

13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run… from the start menu and type ‘control userpasswords2′, which will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use.

14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start the browser, select Tools / Internet Options… and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check the box to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.

15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can’t see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You’ll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic.

16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0.

17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, then right click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View, Arrange Icon By… Show In Groups.

18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks — if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn’t, or if you have lots of pre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Just call it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it.

19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up the desktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons.

20. Windows XP secretly KNOWS that the average user has no idea what they are doing. Therefore, it doesn’t let you do really stupid things like deleting the windows directory (at least not without spending several hours convincing it that you REALLY want to do this). Oh yeah, and internet explorer kinda sucks, get Firefox.

Making Firefox load faster....

Kill the amount of RAM Firefox uses for it’s cache feature
Here’s how to fix it:
1. type “about:config” (no quotes) in the browser.
2. Find browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewer
2. set it’s value to “0″

Increase the Speed in Which Firefox loads pages
1.Type “about:config” into the address bar and hit return.
Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.

2. Alter the entries as follows:
Set “network.http.pipelining” to “true”
Set “network.http.proxy.pipelining” to “true”
Set “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” to some number like 30.

This means it will make 30 requests at once.

3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” and set its value to “0″.

This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives. If you’re using a broadband connection you’ll load pages faster now
More options for your about:config (you might have to create some of these entries by Right Click –> New– > Interger or String

network.dns.disableIPv6: set “false”
“content.notify.backoffcount”: set “5″
“plugin.expose_full_path”: set “true”.
“ui.submenuDelay”: set “0″ (zero)
Kill RAM usage to 10mb when FF is minimized
This little about:config hack will drop Firefox’s RAM usage down to 10 Mb when minimized

1. Open Firefox and go to the Address Bar. Type in about:config and then press Enter.
2. Right Click in the page and select New -> Boolean.
3. In the box that pops up enter config.trim_on_minimize. Press Enter.
4. Now select True and then press Enter.
5. Restart Firefox.
Ok I hope this makes a few people’s browsing experience a bit better with Firefox and debunks a myth about their being a bug.

101 Awesome Freebies!

7-Zip
Create ZIP compressed archives for free with this handy utility.

Abilon
This powerful, speedy RSS reader offers a choice of views, and features a built-in tabbed browser.

AbiWord
This lightweight, full-featured word processor is compatible with Microsoft Word documents and also runs on Linux and Macs.

AIM Mail
AIM mail offers 2GB of storage and integration with AOL Instant Messenger.

AirDefense Personal Lite
This simple program alerts you whenever you connect to an insecure network or to a hotspot you haven't previously marked as safe.

Alleycode
A simple HTML editor for people who are comfortable with code and need to do some quick editing.

All-in-One Secretmaker
All-in-One Secretmaker blocks banner ads and pop-ups, filters spam, and offers an array of utilities for cleaning up and securing your system.

Anonymizer
This anonymous browsing service will display Web pages without revealing any information to the sites you visit.

Audacity
All-purpose audio editor lets you record, play, and edit digital files.

Avast Home Edition
This antivirus scanner can do a boot-time virus scan (which can catch more viruses than scanning once Windows is running) and will continually monitor your system for threats.

Avvenu
This free remote-access and file-sharing service lets you and your colleagues get to files on an Avvenu-enabled computer from another computer, Web-enabled phone, or PDA.

Backpack
Create Web pages--with to-do lists, notes, pictures, and more--that you can share with a group.

Bartleby
This online reference library offers a host of features, including a dictionary, thesaurus, and various books of quotations.

BeInSync
Make sure you have access to your critical files and folders with this remote-access tool.

BitTorrent
BitTorrent is useful for downloading legitimate content quickly or for sharing your own files.

Blogger
This blogging service remains incredibly simple to use, but offers a rich complement of features.

Bloglines
This Web-based RSS reader lets you access your news from multiple PCs.

CCleaner
Finds and zaps useless files--including cache files and old Registry entries--that may be slowing down your PC.

Celestia
Zoom through the solar system with Celestia, which offers real-time views of planets, moons, comets, stars, and more.

Copernic Desktop Search
Copernic lets you search local files as well as Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail.

Del.icio.us
Forget bookmarks--this service keeps track of your favorite sites, and much more, from any Internet-connected PC.

eFax Messenger
You can receive faxes on your PC with eFax, viewing or printing them via the eFax Messenger software.

EssentialPIM Free
EssentialPIM combines a calendar, contact manager, to-do list, and notes manager in a single program.

Feedreader
This free Windows utility displays your news feeds, and includes flexible keyboard shortcuts.

Festoon Beta
This add-on for Skype and Google Talk lets users of these two services make calls to each other, and brings video chat capabilities to Google Talk.

Firefox
Still using Internet Explorer? It's time you made the switch to Firefox--a more secure, faster, and more flexible Web browser.

FlashGot
This Firefox plug-in simplifies downloading, allowing you to grab every page from a Web site or download multiple files efficiently.

Flickr
Easily upload, share, and post pictures with this popular service.

FolderShare (Mac)

FolderShare (Windows)
Automatically sync files and folders between multiple computers and easily share data with colleagues and friends.

FolderSync
Keep your USB drive and your hard drive on the same page with this synchronization utility.

FoxIt Reader
For viewing PDF files, FoxIt Reader beats Adobe Reader hands-down--and it's got some tools Adobe lacks.

Free Download Manager
This companion to Internet Explorer can speed up single-file downloads, resume interrupted downloads, manage bandwidth usage, or schedule multiple file downloads for specific times.

FreeConference.com
Set up and host conference calls with this free Web service.

FreeMind
FreeMind allows you to compile your notes in a "mind map"--a free-form tree structure that mimics the way your brain works.

Furl
Save your favorite Web pages in an online account that you can access from any computer.

GetByMail
Don't pay for a pricey remote-access app--GetByMail offers access to your office computer through your e-mail account.

Gmail
Google's e-mail service feels more like a Windows application than a Web mail service.

Google Desktop
Google Desktop extends the power of the Web's most popular search engine to your desktop by indexing nearly every document on your hard drive.

Google Earth
Spin the earth, tilt it, and zoom in to objects as tiny as one building.

Google Picasa
Picasa offers a simple--and free--way to organize, touch up, and share your photos.

Google Video
Google's service is well suited for commercially oriented video producers looking for a large audience for their work.

GRC Shields Up
This browser-based tool checks your PC for common vulnerabilities, such as open ports.

Groove Virtual Office
Bring your far-flung coworkers together with this file-sharing and collaboration tool.

Hyperwords
This Firefox browser plug-in makes any text on any Web page clickable.

Irfanview
This lean, mean graphics utility offers basic image editing and file format conversions.

iTeamwork
This Web-based project management service helps groups keep track of complicated projects.

iTunes
Apple's media player is a joy to use even if you never buy a 99-cent song.

Kodak EasyShare Gallery
This site's usability, mobile-phone access options, and lack of upload restrictions make it our top pick for photo sharing.

Kristal Audio Engine
This sophisticated audio mixing and sequencing platform offers features found in much pricier apps.

Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE Personal
Ad-Aware scans your PC for spyware, making sure that no digital snoops are lurking in memory or on your hard drive.

LiveJournal
LiveJournal offers plenty of customizable options for your blog, and carries no advertising.

LogMeIn
This remote access service lets you control your PC from afar, via a Web browser.

Microsoft Tweak UI
Take control of hidden Windows XP settings, from determining what appears on your Start menu to specifying how users log on to your computer, with this extra set of tools created by Microsoft developers.

Microsoft Windows Defender (formerly AntiSpyware Beta)
Microsoft's antispyware app catches spyware that other programs don't--including the dangerous "rootkit" Trojan horse that some Sony music CDs carry.

MSN Hotmail
MSN Hotmail offers a respectable 250MB of storage and a familiar, Windows-like look.

MSN Search Toolbar With Windows Desktop Search
This search tool indexes your hard drive and provides search results through a Windows application, rather than a browser.

MySpace
MySpace lets you store an unlimited number of small images, and makes uploading music and images easy.

Netomat
This social networking service allows you to create, access, and share content on the Web or a phone.

Netscape Webmail
Netscape Webmail offers 250MB of storage and features large, easy-to-click buttons.

NewsGator
NewsGator displays your RSS feeds in a clean, readable display.

Nvu
This sophisticated Web page editor doesn't require any understanding of the underlying tags.

OmniFormat
Convert BMPs to JPEGs, GIFs to PDFs, Word documents to TIF image files, and more with this free document conversion utility.

OpenOffice.org
This full-fledged, Microsoft Office-compatible office suite offers a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation package, and database--and it doesn't cost one thin dime.

Palm Desktop
This remarkably well-designed calendar and address book application will appeal to users who don't even have a PDA.

Pandora
Enter the name of an artist or song that you like and Pandora creates a custom "radio station" for you--and makes surprisingly good choices.

PBwiki
Create a free, password-protected wiki--a collaborative Web site--with PBwiki.
PDF Creator This printer driver lets you create Adobe Acrobat files from within almost any application.

Pegasus Mail
A longtime favorite of power users, this e-mail client provides a huge amount of control over your mail, with support for mail merges and flexible filtering options.

podAmigo
podAmigo works with the Podomatic Web service to organize and download your podcasts.

Project Gutenberg
Browse electronic versions of more than 17,000 books at this online library.

Putfile
This basic video sharing service works reliably and well.

PuTTY
This free utility allows you to create an SSH, Telnet, or Rlogin connection.

QNext
This universal instant messenger service includes robust music-sharing%252520and photo-sharing features.

Revver
This service--our Best Bet--is a video sharing site from which you can actually make money.
RssReader
RssReader displays your news feeds simply and cleanly.

SeaMonkey
This suite of Internet tools includes the Mozilla browser, an enhanced version of the netscape Messenger e-mail client, the ChatZilla IRC chat program, and an HTML editor.

SightSpeed
This video calling service is simple to set up, synchronizes lip movements and audio neatly, and offers easy in-call controls.

Skype
Skype offers free PC-to-PC voice calls with text chat and file transfer capabilities.

Spybot Search & Destroy
Spybot is a powerful antidote in the battle against spyware.

Steganos LockNote
Password-protect text files with LockNote, a simple notepad with strong encryption.

Streamload Mediamax
Streamload Mediamax is great for users who want to share lots of big files in addition to videos.

SyncNotes
This sticky-note application runs on your computer, but allows you to view and edit your notes from any Web or WAP browser.

System Information for Windows
This utility will tell you everything you need to know about your computer's hardware, operating system, installed programs, and more.

Ta-Da List
Stay organized with this straightforward to-do list manager.

The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
This freely distributed app includes tools for photo retouching, image composition, and image authoring.

ThinkFree Online Beta
This software runs in your browser and lets you edit Microsoft Office-compatible documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Thunderbird
The tighter security and robust stability of this e-mail client make it the top choice for managing e-mail on your PC.

Trend Micro HouseCall
This Web site runs software in your browser to scan for and eliminate malware on your PC.

Trillian Basic
This universal IM client lets you keep in contact with your friends whether they use IRC, AOL, ICQ, MSN Messenger, or Yahoo Messenger.

Vimeo
Of the video sharing services we tested, Vimeo is perhaps the easiest to use.

Wapedia
For accessing Wikipedia from a PDA or smart phone, try Wapedia.

Wikipedia
This online encyclopedia is a convenient way to find general information on almost anything.

Windows Live Mail
This Ajax-based service is still in beta, but you can put your name on a waiting list.

WordPress.com
This hosted blogging service offers a clean, fast interface.

WordWeb
This handy utility provides a dictionary and a thesaurus that work in any application on your computer.

WriteBoard
This service lets you create, edit, and share documents with others right in your browser.

Xanga Classic
Xanga offers 200MB of image storage and features plenty of blog-formatting templates.

Yahoo Briefcase
Yahoo Briefcase is one of the easiest ways we know of to store and share files online.

Yahoo Calendar
This ad-supported calendar is one of the best available online.

Yahoo Mail
With a traditional, forms-based Web interface, Yahoo mail is quick and easy to use.

Yahoo Mail Beta
Beta, not yet public.

Yahoo Widgets
This application puts "widgets" on your desktop that provide useful information, such as news updates, weather reports, stock tickers, or photos, or provide handy little services, like performing search engine queries, storing your notes, and more.
ZoneAlarm
Zone Alarm's free firewall keeps watch over inbound and outbound Internet connections, helping avert malicious attacks by hackers and spyware.

Zidane saves Materazzi from a sniper!

See it to believe it!!

Top 50 SEO Resources

Another post on SEO..

Information

These are sites that have general information on search engine optimization and search engines. They offer news, information, and search engine optimization tips.

Search Engine Watch
Marketing Terms - This dictionary will help you understand all of the search engine terms you come across.
Search Engine Relationship Chart - This chart shows you which search engines are connected to each other so you know what search engines to submit your site to and optimize for.
Search Engines - Tips on search engine optimization and promotion.
Google SEO Guidelines - Google's brief information on search engine optimization.
SEO Beginners Guide - Rand Fishkin writes a detailed guide on search engine optimization for beginners. It is a long read, but well worth it.
ISEDB
Search Engine Guide
Pandia
SEO Chat
Search Engine Colossus - This is a directory of all of the search engines in the world. If you are looking to target other countries, it is important to get familiar with the search engines in that country.
Thread Watch

Tools

Here is a list of tools that will be useful if you are looking to do search engine optimization. Some of the tools give you insight on search terms and others give you an idea of how well optimized your site is. These tools are great for research or for improving the optimization of your website.

SEO ToolSet
GoogSpy - If you are interested in finding out what search terms your competition is ranked for or is adverting on, then this site will be a great tool for you.
SEOMOZ's Tools
Wordtracker - This is a keyword research tool that tells you the popularity of certain keywords across the major search engines. It also gives you suggestions on other related terms that are high and low in traffic.
Search Term Suggestion - This tool comes directly from Yahoo and it gives you an idea on how popular search terms are. This gives you good input on what terms you want your site to be optimized for. Be careful because the total number does not mean that a high ranking for that keyword will get you that amount of traffic.
Meta Tag Analyzer
Google Toolbar - If you want to find out your site's Google PageRank you will need to install this toolbar. It will show you your PageRank, but be careful because it is not frequently updated.
Marketleap Link Popularity Checker - This link popularity checker will show how many sites link to you for each search engine. It can also show you the number of sites that link to your competitors. They also have a neat feature that shows the growth or decline in your link popularity over time.
Digital Point SEO Tools
SEO Chat Tools/
We Build Pages SEO Tools

Blogs

You may want to pay attention to blogs if you are looking to keep up with daily search engine news, information, and the latest search engine optimization tips. Blogs provide a constant update of news and information about the latest ideas. This space is constantly changing, so it's important to stay current with what is going on.

SEOMOZ
Search Engine Blog
TopRank
Search Engine Roundtable - This is one of the more unique blogs out there. There are search engine conferences that go on every couple months and they write about each session. It's like being at the conference and listening to the speakers.
Search Engine Watch Blog
SEO Book
Matt Cutts - This is the blog by one of Google's engineers. He is their most popular engineer and writes about Google, search engine optimization, and gadgets.
Search Engine Journal
Search Engine Lowdown
John Battelle's Search Blog
Google - Blog News Channel
Traffick
SEO by the Sea
Cameron Olthuis
Google Blogoscoped - Covers the ins and outs of Google. Sometimes they have information about Google before it is released to the general public. There are also interviews with Google employees.

Search Engine Forums

Forums are a great resource if you need help, input, or are just looking for information on search engine optimization. You post your questions and can expect a response from other people with their thoughts. This is great for finding information and getting help.

Search Engine Forum
High Rankings Forum
I Help You Forum
Webmaster World - Unlike most of the search engine forums, this is a paid forum and you have to pay yearly fees to be part of it. There are thousands of members and they discuss search engine optimization, news, tips, and general Internet-related topics.
Search Guild
SEO Chat Forum
Digital Point Forum
Cre8asite Forum
Search Engine Watch Forum

Conferences

Conferences are a great way to take your learning to the next level and get deeper into the industry. Conferences allow you to listen to experts in the field, meet them in person, and talk to people from the major search engines.

Search Engine Strategies - They hold conferences every couple months all over the world. They have sessions for beginners and you can also meet people from the major search engines.
PubCon - This is a search engine related conference that covers everything from general information to search engine optimization tips. They have conferences every couple months and the price is cheaper than Search Engine Strategies. The downfall is that the conference is smaller with less attendees.

Google Ranking - Factors

Have you ever wondered why some sites are ranked so high on Google and why other sites are no where to be found? Over the last 5 or 6 years Google has been tweaking their algorithm to analyze on page (code) and off page (links) factors which affect how websites rank on their popular search engine. Here is a list of the factors that Google analyzes and a viewpoint that Google can take when analyzing a site:

Title Tags

1. Keywords - the keywords within the title tag should represent the content on the page.
2. Length - the title tag should be short and to the point.

Recommendations

* When creating a title tag make sure it is both unique and concise.
* Try to keep the number of characters between 60 and 80.
* If you have a blog try to make the title tag the name of the blog entry instead of the name of your blog.
* Do not try to stuff too many keywords in your title tag.
* Make sure that the title tag is readable and makes sense to your website's visitors.

URL

1. URL structure - the URLs of a website should be static with no extraneous characters.
2. Keywords - URLs should contain keywords as long as they are relevant to the content.

Recommendations

* Remove any extraneous characters from your URL strings (%&$?...)
* Try to add keywords in the URL strings but make sure that they represent the webpage.
* Make your URLs end with a .html or .htm extension or appear to be a subdirectory (about.html or /about).

Meta Description Tag

1. Keywords - the keywords in the meta description tag should represent the content of the page.
2. Length - the meta description should be short and to the point.
3. Unique - each page should have a unique meta description.

Recommendations

* Make the description a complete sentence so it is easy to read and understand.
* Try not to make the meta description tag longer then 120 characters.
* Do not use the same meta description tag throughout your site, each page should have a different tag. Many times it is best to just place the first one or two sentences from the content into the meta description tag.
* If possible, use only a couple of keywords in your meta description and try to place them towards the beginning.

Headings

1. Text type - sites should use H1, H2, and H3 tags
2. Keywords - the keywords in the heading tags should represent the content of the page.

Recommendations

* Use H1-H3 tags over H4 or lower tags.
* If you place a keyword in your heading tag, make sure that keyword is also in the content or at least related to the content of the page.
* Make headings short and to the point.

Content

1. Keywords - there should already be keywords within the content if content is written for your visitors. There should also be variations in the keywords (apple, apples) as well as additional related keywords (apple, fruit) within the content.
2. Prominence - the earlier the keywords appear in the content the more likely that the content is related to these keywords.
3. Font - Words within the content that are larger, bolder or italicized are usually considered more important.
4. User - The content should be written for visitors.
5. Links - links within the content should be related to the content.
6. Freshness - content that is updated more frequently may be more useful to searchers.
7. Uniqueness - content that is unique and original will generally rank higher then duplicate content.
8. Quantity - sites that have a only a few pages of quality content.
9. Themes - The content on a website should be based on similar topics or "themes".
10. Keyword density - the keyword density of a website should be similar on context to other related websites.

Recommendations

* Always write content for the user first and then the search engines.
* Try to place keywords throughout the content, also make sure that keywords are related to each other and the content on the page.
* Place links in your content to related websites as well as related conteont on your own website.
* Try to add content on a daily basis.
* Do not worry about keyword density, if the content is on "apples" then you will naturally mention "apples" multiple times within the content.
* Writing on related topics will show that your website is related to that topic and other keywords associated with that topic.
* Content should be unique, try not use content that is also on other websites.
* Use bold and italicized styled text when it makes sense for the readers, do not just do it for the search engines.

Alt Tags

1. Images - all images should have alt tags.
2. Keywords - words in the alt tags should be relevant to the image.
3. Length - alt tags should be short and to the point.

Recommendations

* Place alt tags on all images so you can improve the accessibility of your website.
* You can place keywords in your alt tags as long as they describe the image.
* Make sure your images are links when it makes sense, such as for a company logo.
* Do not stuff alt tags with keywords.
* Length of alt tags can vary, but usually the shorter the better.

Internal Links

1. Keywords - links that contain keywords should be related to the webpage they point to.
2. Titles - links should have titles that represent the anchor text of the link (tool tip).
3. Representation - link text should represent the linked page.

Recommendations

* You can place keywords within the anchor text of internal links but it is best to make sure they are relevant to visitors.
* Do not stuff your anchor text with tons of keywords.
* Keep the anchor text representative of the page you are linking to.
* Make the titles (tool tip) on each link the same as the anchor text.

Indexing

1. Links - by crawling all the links, all the pages of that website should be discovered and indexed.
2. Sitemap - a sitemap should contain links to important pages within a sitwebe.

Recommendations

* Link within your content to other pages within your website this can help Google index all of your pages.
* Create a sitemap that links to all or, at the very least, the important pages on your website.

External Links

1. Authority - if an authority website links to another website, then that other website will be considered valuable to people.
2. Keywords - if there are keywords within the anchor text of a link then it is normal for Google to consider that the website should be ranked for those keywords.
3. Age - the longer a link stays live on a website, the more valuable the link is.
4. Relevance - if a website links to you and another website, both websites, or at least web pages, should be related to the same topic.
5. Quantity - the more outbound links on a page, the less weight each link will have.
6. Extension - sites with important extensions such as .edu and .gov are considered to link to more valuable sites.
7. Freshness - if a site has outbound links and updates frequently, then even the old outbound links are considered to be valuable.
8. Link count - if a lot of websites link to one website, then that one website is considered useful to people.
9. Linking websites - links from related websites are better then links from non-related websites.
10. DMOZ - websites that are in DMOZ and link out to other websites are considered to link to good sites.
11. Placement - links within a website's content is considered better then links in the footer of a website.

Recommendations

* Try to get links from authority websites.
* Do not participate in link exchanges to build up your link popularity.
* Try not to purchase all page links.
* Do not go for links from high PageRank websites; instead go for links from related websites.
* Links from directories such as DMOZ and Yahoo Directory can not just help with search engine rankings but can also drive traffic.
* Use the new social websites such as MySpace, digg, del.icio.us, and YouTube to build link popularity.
* If you purchase text links try to keep them live as long as possible. The older the link, the better.
* Links from .edu or .gov websites will usually carry more weight and greater benefit.
* Stay away from websites and blogs that link out to non-related websites or that may seem spammy.

Code

1. Size - the size of the code on a website should be streamlined, the less KB it takes up, the better.
2. Clean - sites that are using web standards and have clean code usually load up faster for users.

Recommendations

* Use CSS to make your page size smaller.
* Use CSS to help improve the cleanliness of your code.

Website

1. Website Age - older websites are considered more relevant then newer websites.
2. Visit Length - in most cases the longer people stay on a website the great the chance that the website is useful to them.
3. Sandbox - websites in the Google sandbox are usually not as relevant compared to older websites.
4. 301 redirect - websites should do a 301 redirect from "yourdomain.com" to "www.yourdomain.com" or vice versa, depending on the circumstance.

Recommendations

* Try to register your domain name for more then 1 year.
* Use a 301 permanent redirect so that your website appears as 1 website instead of two separate websites. (www and the non-www are looked as two sites unless your do a redirect from one to the other)
* Try to grow at a natural rate; growing too fast may put you in the Google sandbox.

The following are some factors that Google may look at in a negative way:

1. Visibility - websites with invisible text might be trying to trick Google.
2. Over optimization - websites that are overly optimized may not be relevant for any search terms.
3. Keyword stuffing - websites with too many keywords stuffed into the content might be trying to trick Google.
4. Reciprocal links - websites that link between each other too many times might be trying to cheat.
5. Cloaking - websites that show Google a different page then what the viewer sees usually get banned.
6. Anchor text - if all the websites linking to a website have the same anchor text, those links will not be considered natural.
7. Doorway pages - if tons of 1 page websites filled with keywords are linking to another website, the ranking of that website can be affected negatively.
8. Frames - it is hard for Google to crawl and index a website with frames, which can make it harder to rank that website.
9. Flash - it is hard to read/crawl websites made fully in flash which will make it harder to rank Flash websites.
10. All page links - if tons of websites link to another website on every one of their pages then the text links may have been purchased, which is frowned upon by Google.
11. 301 redirects - websites that have tons of other websites redirecting into them might be trying to increase their link count to rank high, so Google may penalize these websites.

My 50 favorite design softwares/applications/resources

There are thousands of design resources on the web which can lead to an overwhelming experience when looking for inspiration or ideas, so I created a list of resources that I use on a regular basis. Here is a list of 50 design resources that can be helpful to any designer or marketer.

CSS Galleries

Sometimes it can be hard to come up with design inspiration. CSS galleries are a great place to get design inspiration and they can also be leveraged as a great source of traffic. If you can get your design on these galleries it can drive thousands of visitors to your website.

Unmatchedstyle
cssBeauty
cssvault
Stylegala
CSS Drive
css thesis
Styleboost
CSSElite
CSS Import
Web Creme
CSS Mania
DesignShack

Web Standards

Designing with web standards is a great way to keep your code clean and search engine friendly. Why design a site with a 1000 lines of code when it can be done in 100 lines of code.

Developing With Web Standards - This document explains how and why using web standards will let you build websites in a way that saves time and money for the developer and provides a better experience for the visitor. Also discussed are other methods, guidelines and best practices that will help produce high-quality websites that are accessible to as many as possible.
Roadmap to Standards
Web Standards Project - The Web Standards Project is a grassroots coalition fighting for standards which ensure simple, affordable access to web technologies for all.
Web Standards Checklist
Importance of Web Standards

Validators

Now that you know all about web standards, here are some tools that can help check if your site is compliant. These tools will also help you find errors in your code.

HTML & XHTML Validator
CSS Validator

Usability

Usability is probably the most important factor in a website design. Making your website usable can help improve the experience for your visitors as well as help improve your conversion rate.

What is usability
Usability First - An approach to web design which emphasizes usability.
Weblog Usability: The Top Ten Design Mistakes - Blogs are often too internally focused and ignore key usability issues, making it hard for new readers to understand the site and trust the author.
Web Design & Usability Guidelines - An 18 part online book that goes over usability and design guidelines.
Web usability - the basics
The Culture of Usability - How to spend less and get more from your usability-testing program.
90% of All Usability Testing is Useless
Ten deadly sins of web design - A list of ten huge mistakes no web designer or developer should be caught making.
Information architecture resources
Usability Views - Usability with a twist.

Blogs/Resources

Blogs are a great resource for up-to-date information on design and usability. Here is a list of blogs that you may want to subscribe to or read on a regular basis.

Stopdesign
Signal vs. Noise Blog - A design and usability blog by 37signals.
Digital Web Magazine - Digital Web Magazine is an online magazine intended for professional web designers, web developers and information architects. The magazine consists primarily of work contributed by web authors, as well as by others who occasionally delve into the web realm. We put emphasis on and provide recognition for contributed work. The Magazine is recognized by nearly all of the major web design agencies in the industry.
A List Apart - A List Apart explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices.
456 Berea Street - This is a site by Roger Johansson who writes articles on web standards, accessibility, or usability in one way or another.
mezzoblue - A semi-daily expository and exploratory on all things web, design, and typographic. It is also a personal portfolio site with works in any creative discipline the owner feels fit to publicize.
Adaptive Path
Jesse James Garrett - The blog of the founder of Adaptive Path.
Jeffrey Veen
Your Total Site - YourTotalSite touchs on a wide range of subjects that include usability, accessibility, visual design, online marketing, (X)HTML & CSS, JavaScript, Information Architecture, and more.
IxDG Resource Library - A repository of information about interaction design.
Apples to Oranges - A blog by Ryan Nichols.
Demystifying Usability - A blog by Frank Spillers, a usability consultant.

Color Resources

Color is an important factor in design. Color can separate your site from your competition and it can also convey a specific message to your visitors. If you provide a personalized service you may want to choose colors that are soft and personal or if you want a corporate look and feel you may want to pick hard colors. Here are several resources that I use to help me make color decisions.

Color Schemer - Online color scheme generator.
Color Meaning - An article that explains the symbolism and meaning of different color types.
The Meaning of Color in Web Design - How colors influence audiences when marketing products through the Internet.
Symbolism of Color
Color Matters - Explore how color affects emotions, appetite, vision, sexuality, design, and art.

Typography

There are many different types of fonts and they can greatly affect how readable your site is, so choose wisely.

1001 Free Fonts - A large selection of true type fonts for Windows and Macintosh.
The Anatomy of Web Fonts
Typetester - Typetester is an online application for comparison of the fonts for the screen. Its' primary role is to make web designer's life easier.

Disabling F1 in Windows Explorer

Many power Windows XP users who frequent the F2 key for renaming files seem to have the same problem hitting the F1 key every now and then, bringing up the rather slow Windows Help and Support Center. Since there doesn't seem to be an official registry-based fix without disabling F1 completely or running a background process to trap the key, I had to figure out a hack. Here's my solution, and I think it's pretty clean.

When you press F1 in Windows Explorer, an EXE called "helpctr.exe" is run. This makes it relatively easy to get rid of this behavior, by replacing it with a dummy executable that does nothing.

Of course, if your copy of Windows is somewhere other than C:\Windows, replace any references with the correct directory

• First, download the dummy EXE to C:\Windows\
• Run the Registry Editor: go to Start, Run, and type:
  regedit
• Navigate the tree on the left to the following location:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsCurrentVersion\App Paths\HELPCTR.EXE
• On the right side, double-click the word "(Default)" in the list
• Change the value in the text box to:
  C:\Windows\Dummy.exe
• Click OK and close the registry editor

To test the fix, just visit My Computer and press F1. Nothing should happen!

This solution seems to have no negative impact on other programs' Help systems, since regular Windows Help files don't use the Help Center.

The List of Lists aka The Baap of All Lists!!

A list of the most useful web-development-related lists you will ever find out there. Ajax, Social Bookmarking, Cheat Shees, CSS, Google, RSS, Web-Tools, Web 2.0, Wiki, Wordpress. On one single page.

In the era of Web 2.0 everyone is collecting, tagging and presenting bookmarks, images, videos, mp3s and, of course, links. Being focused on the most useful tools for web-developers, we’ve decided to collect something quite different - most useful lists, which include references to the best web-development-related resources. We’ve collected them, sorted them and listed in one single article. A quick overview of the most popular and useful lists for your web-projects. For web-developers and designers.

AJAX

• AJAX Toolkits and Frameworks
  Round-up of 50 AJAX Toolkits and Frameworks
• 30 AJAX Tutorials
  Round-up of 30 AJAX Tutorials - Max Kiesler
• 60 AJAX Tutorials
  60 More AJAX Tutorials - Max Kiesler
• AJAX Tutorials
  A list of good and well known tutorials for AJAX Applications. From simple widgets to entire application. Find it all here.

Bookmarklets

• More Must-Have Bookmarklets
  General, Web Design and Development, Search Engines, Specific Browsers

Social Bookmarking

• Social Bookmarking Sites
  Your bookmarks should go wherever you go. Here’s a list of social bookmarking websites.
• Social Bookmark Managers
  Social Services that can “Manage Bookmarks”
• Social Bookmarks
  Social bookmarking Sites

Calenders

• Best Online Calendars
  Systems that allow you to keep track of your calendar online, and/or share your calendar w/ others.

Cheat Sheets

• Cheat Sheet List
  compilation of cheatsheets for popular apps….over 90 Cheatsheets for web developers.
• Cheat Sheet Roundup
  Over 30 Cheatsheets for developers, Web Development Cheat Sheets, Databases / SQL Cheat Sheets, Language Cheat Sheets

CMS

• Content Management System List
  Open Source
• Comparison of content management systems
  This is a list of content management systems that are used to organize and facilitate collaborative content creation. Many of them are built on top of separate content management frameworks.

CSS

• CSS Design Galleries
  Huge list of css an design galleries (61 resources)
• CSS Galleries
  Get design inspirations from these showcases.
• Holy CSS Zeldman

del.icio.us

• Absolutely Del.icio.us
  Complete Tools Collection
• del.icio.us A-to-Z
  All 150+ hacks, links, tools organized by applications / languages / platforms / services

Digg

• All the digg-style applications
  There are 218 Digg-style applications….
• Complete Digg Tools Collection
  Huge list of digg tools
• Digg Tools
  Large list of various digg tools/links collected from around the web….

Editors

• List of HTML editors
  Huge List From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• WYSIWYG Web Editors - The List
  This list of WYSIWYG rich text web editors is being maintained as a general resource for developers who want to add a richer editing experience to web based applications….

Flickr

• The Great Flickr Tools Collection
  Huge List Of Great Flickr Tools!

Google

• Google Services
  A list about all the google services
• The Big Google Search Tools Collection
  Here is a list of Official Google Search Tools

Photoshop

• PhotoShop Massive List Of Plugins, Filters…..
  Brushes, Actions & Gradients

PHP

• PHP Related Links
  On these sites you will find tutorials, articles, example scripts, PHP related tools, jobs, web hosting services, etc.

RSS

• Online Feed Aggregators
  Read your news anywhere and everywhere.
• RSS Readers - Online and Offline
  List of RSS/ATOM feed readers/aggregators.
• RSS Feed Submission Sites
  Here is the site lists for RSS Feeds submissions

Software & Tools

• Analysis
  Validation, Accessibility, Checks, SEO Tools…
• Validators and Checkers
  The Web Design Group’s links to HTML validators and other document checkers.
• Color Tools
  Great color tool list
• Digital Artist Freeware
  Great alternatives to Photoshop and other Adobe or Corel products
• complete freeware collection…
  alternatives to expensive software
• High Quality Web Development Resources
  Specials - Browsers, Generators, Optimizers, SEO Tools…
• Online Generators
  Great list of available online helpers for web workers. CSS Layout and style generators, htacess generators,…..
• Online Tools, Generators, Checkers
  List of online free tools that help us to program, design, develope, optimize, etc.
• Open Source Freeware : 400+ free applications and utilities
  Extremely useful open source applications and utilities available free under various licenses.
• Protolize
  Essential web tools in one place
• Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List
  Scott Hanselman’s 2005 Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List
• Windows opensource and/or freeware
  List of freely available windows software. NOT SHAREWARE.

Web 2.0

• All Things Web 2.0 - “THE LIST”
  A huge list of Web 2.0 applications
• Complete List of Web 2.0 Applications
  Following is an alphabetically sorted list of popular Web 2.0 applications.
• List of Web 2.0 Lists
  a list of the web 2.0 lists and other helpful product data that I’ve found on the Web. I encourage you to add other sources in the comments…Richard MacManus
• Navigation Menus
  Collection of Web 2.0 Navigation Menus
• Web 2.0 Directory
  There are 1007 Web 2.0 sites/services/links in 50+ categories
• Web 2.0 Products and Services
  Complete List of Web 2.0 Products and Services

Wiki

• Wiki software
  Wiki software is a type of collaborative software that runs a Wiki system. This typically allows web pages to be created and edited using a common web browser.
• List of Wiki-Software
  This is a list of wiki software applications.

WordPress

• 805+ Free WordPress 1.5 and 2.0 Themes / Templates
  Comprehensive list of 805+ Free WordPress 1.5 and 2.0 Themes / Templates available for download
• Essential WordPress Plugins
  39 resources…..created by Mary-ann HORLEY
• WordPress Resources
  WordPress and blogging help, tips, techniques, and news for WordPress, Wordpress.com, and blog users

List of Best SEO Tools

What are the best ways to boost your position in search engines? What keywords should you use on your web-pages? And which tools should you use to improve the quality of backlinks, link popularity and Google Pagerank? We deliver answers. Here is the list of the most useful SEO-tools you might be willing to use, developing and optimizing your next web-site. Our personal choice: 156 Seo Tools - one of the most comprehesive lists with essential SEO-references and tools. For even more resources check out the SEO section of The Web-Developer’s Handbook.
Alexa

• Alexa-Ranking
  Alexa page-rank-and-rating-results
• Alexa Web Rank Checker
  Check your site’s current Alexa Web Rank, Incoming Links, Reach Rank & Average Reviews

Backlink

• Anchor Text Backlink Checker
  This tool is to check your backlinks and the anchor text used in those backlinks.
• Backlink Analyzer
  Research and analyze websites for link quality. Checks for Indexed Pages, Links to Website, EDU & .GOV Links, Domain Age & Expiration, Google PageRank, Alexa Traffic Rank, DMOZ Listing
• Backlink Anchor Text Analyzer
  This tools help you determine the backlinks of your website and link text used by your backlinks to Link to your website
• Backlink Builder
  Building Quality backlinks is one of the most important factors in Search Engine Optimization…

Domain Popularity, Domain Stats Tools…

• Domain Age Tool
  This tools displays the approximate age of a website on the Internet and allows you to view how the website looked when it first started
• Domain Dossier
  Investigate domains and IP addresses
• Domain Popularity
  This tool shows you all backlinks for the given domain, including up to 10 subpages per backlinking domain, host IP and Google PageRank
• Domain Stats Tool
  This tool helps you get all kind of statistics of your competitor’s domains. The statistics include Alexa Taffic Rank, Age of the domains, Yahoo WebRank, Dmoz listings, count of backlinks and number of pages indexed in Search Engines like Google, Yahoo, Msn etc.
• HTTP / HTTPS Header Check
  This tools allow you to inspect the HTTP headers that the web server returns when requesting a URL. Works with HTTP and HTTPS URLs
• View HTTP Headers
  This little tool lets you view the HTTP headers for a HTTP request
• View HTTP Path
  This little tool lets you view the path/redirects a request takes to get fulfilled

Google Page Rank Checker, Adwords Keyword Tools,Google Banned Tools…

• Advanced Google searches
  Use this tool to search google in many special ways. A useful resource for search engine optimization (especially keyword research) among other things
• Check Google Pagerank
  Now you can check the Google PageRank of any web page without installing the Google toolbar
• Check PageRank by Google data center
  With this tool you can check the PageRank from different data centers
• Free Google Adsense Keywords & YPN Keywords Search Tool
  With the ability to search a growing database of tens of thousands of high-dollar Adsense keywords, Iotaweb allows publishers to find the keywords and key phrases that will allow them to focus their content to monetize their site most effectively.
• Google Adwords Keyword Tool
  Keyword tool from Google that provides Specific and Similar keywords.
• Google Banned Tool
  This tool uses two methods to check to see if a URL you enter is in the Google database. Its a great way to check to see if you have been banned by Google for various reasons….
• Google Keyword Ranking Tool
  Search with list of keywords from differnet Google search sites
• Google Page Rank Checker
  Instantly check the PageRank of any website or web page
• Google Page Rank Checker
  A simple tool that checks and your PageRank so you can display it on your website
• Google Sets
  Automatically create sets of items from a few examples.
• Google Synonyms
  Type in a keyword to get Google’s synonyms using the “~keyword -keyword” method.
• PageRank Authenticity Check
  This tool shows you the PageRank of a given domain. Also the PageRank will be checked of authenticity
• Page Rank Tool
  Our PageRank Tool will query and return the Google PageRank values for submitted URL from various Google datacenters…
• Poodle Predictor
  See your site like Google does. Simulate search engines and predict your Google listings
• Visual PageRank
  The Visual PageRank - Tool shows all links and there corresponding PageRanks

Keyword Analysis Tool, Keyword Density, Keyword Suggestion Tools…

• McDar Keyword Analysis Tool
  Enter URL and keyword, it will display Pagerank and Back links pages for the Top 10 websites.
• Keyword Density
  This tool shows you how often appears which word in content of given domain
• Keyword Density
  The keyword density tool is useful for helping webmasters and SEOs achieve their optimum keyword density for a set of key terms.
• Keyword Density Checker
  Keyword Density is the percentage of occurrence of your keywords to the text in the rest of your webpage. This tool will crawl the specified URL, extract text as a search engine would, remove common stop words and Analyze the density of the keywords.
• Keyword Difficulty Tool
  The keyword difficulty tool is used to analyze the competitive landscape of a particular search term or phrase, this tool issues a percentage score and provides a detailed analysis of the top ranking sites at Google and Yahoo…
• Keyword research service
  Type a keyword or phrase and get the top 10 Keyword Discovery listings
• KwMap.net
  A Keyword Map For the Whole Internet
• Keyword Suggestion Tool
  This keyword suggestion tool will help you with the choosing of the right keywords for your website. You can see which keyword combinations are more popular and also get ideas for more keyword combinations..
• SEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool
  Free Overture and Google Keyword suggestion tool
• Website Keyword Suggestions
  This tools tries to determine the theme of your website and provides keyword suggestions along with keyword traffic estimates.
• Ontology Finder
  Related Keywords Lookup Tool
• Overture Keyword Tool
  This tool, based on the excellent Overture and Wordtracker keyword search tools, gives similar data, including search figures from the previous month. It also adds statistics for average searches per hour, day, week, projected figures for the next 12 months and then also a figure to see how searches may look in 3 years from now.

Link Popularity Check, Site Link Analyzer, Link Value…

• Deep Link Ratio Tool
  This tool was created to analyze how the deep link ratio of a site affects its rank in search engines. We can use this tool to compare the DLRs for the best ranking sites for a search phrase.
• Link Popularity Check
  Link popularity check is one of the best ways to quantifiably and independently measure your website’s online awareness and overall visibility…
• Link Popularity Checker
  The Link Popularity Checker tells you how many websites are linking to yours…
• LINK VALIDATION SPIDER
  Free Online Broken Link Checker
• Link Price Calculator
  This tools will help you determine the approximate amount you should be paying (or charging) per month for a text link (ad) from each and every page of the specified website
• Link Value
  This tool calculates the link value per month of a given website.
• Reciprocal Link Check
  This tool helps you ensure that your link partners are linking back to your website. It also determines the anchor text used by your link partners to link to your website.
• Site Link Analyzer
  This tool will analyze a given web page and return a table of data containing columns of outbound links and their associated anchor text…
• The Link Reputation Measurement Tool
  Reveals backlinks pointing to your target url along with the following: Link Survey - Link Reputation Score - Text used in links pointing to you - Alexa traffic analysis for the site corresponding to each backlink
• Outbound Links
  This tool shows every outgoing link from the given domain. Separated in external and internal links

Meta Tag Generators

• Meta Tag Generator
  Our Meta Tag Generator will read the page you specify, remove common words from it, and pick the most used words on the page. It will then generate a Meta Keywords tag using the words it has found…
• Meta Tag Generator
  Use this tool to generate a search engine friendly Head Tag for your web site
• Title & Meta Tags Generator
  his code generator will build the title and meta tags for your site to help improve your website’s search engine ranking using our Meta Tag Generator

Miscellaneous Tools

• 156 Seo Tools
  One of the most comprehensive lists with useful, essential SEO tools.
• Directory Submission Manager
  Use this free tool to track your submissions to various web directories….
• Copyscape
  Search for copies of your page on the Web
• Crazy Egg
  Get a clear picture of where your visitors are clicking and enhance your site’s results
• Site Analysis including Link Popularity
  This tool generates a complete site analysis e.g. amount of backlinks, indexed sites, Google PageRank and also if your domain is listed in DMOZ and Yahoo directory
• Sitemap Generator
  Create your Google Sitemap Online
• Browser Screen Resolution Checker
  The browser screen resolution checker shows what your web page looks like with the viewer’s monitor set to different screen resolutions
• Similar Page Checker
  Search Engines are known to penalize websites that contain Duplicate / Similar content. Your content could be similar to other websites on the Internet, or pages from within your own website could be similar to each other. This tool allows you to determine the percentage of similarity between two pages
• Speedtester
  This tool shows the duration of a given website. This value can be used for showing how long a website take to load and if it is better to optimize the website or change a (slow) ISP.
• mod_rewrite RewriteRule Generator
  Our mod_rewrite RewriteRule generator will take a dynamic url given to it, and generate the correct syntax to place in a .htaccess file to allow the url to be rewritten in a spiderable format
• URL Rewrite (mod_rewrite)
  With this tool you can generate dynamic urls to search engine friendly urls..
• URL Rewriting Tool
  Create Search Engine Friendly URLs
• User Agent Cloaking Detector
  This tool simulates the Googlebot (based on User-Agent) to detect cloaked content
• What is Hosted on that IP
  This little tool lets you view the virtual hosts on a particular IP

Search Engine Position Checker, Spider Simulator, Ranking Report, SERP Tracker

• Dogpile
  Search Comparison Tool
• Google vs Yahoo Graph
  This tool looks at the results from Yahoo and Google, finds the similarities and then gives you a graphical display of what results are in both search engines
• Search Engine Position Checker
  The Search Engine Position Checker tool will automatically query the search engines you specify and check if your URL appears in the first 50 results for your chosen keywords….
• Search Engine Simulator
  This service allows web authors to see what their pages will look like (sort of) to a search engine. This service ignores the META tags that some search engines honor.
• Search Engine Spider Simulator
  With this tool you see all informations a search engine spider receive from a website.
• Marketleap Search Engine Verification Tool
  Our verification tool checks to see if your site is in the top three pages of a search engine result for a specific keyword
• Number of pages indexed
  This tool will generate a report showing how many pages of your website has been indexed by the search engines so far. It supports all major search engines: Google, Yahoo, MSN, Alltheweb, Hotbot and AltaVista.
• Search Engine Ranking Report
  Input key phrase list get Google rankings
• Serps Position
  Use this tool to find out, on which position your domain is ranked for the given keyword and compare the first 100 results by Google, search.MSN and Yahoo.
• SERP Tracker
  The SERP Tracker reports on search engine results and charts performance over time

SEO Analyzer, Scanner

• Free SEO Tools
  SEOToolSet
• Cool SEO Tool!
  This internet marketing tool checks the top 10 sites that rank in Google. After that, it checks to see how those 10 sites rank in Yahoo and in MSN….
• SEO Analyzer
  The SEO Analyzer is a FREE tool that uses a sophisticated algorithm that detects how optimized your web design is for search engines
• SEO Scanner
  An all-in-one advanced SEO analysis, tracking, and reporting tool

Robots.txt Tools

• Robots Txt Generator
  Use this tool to generate a simple robots file for your website…
• Robots.txt syntax checker
  This robots.txt syntax checker checks the contents of a site’s robots.txt…

Best/Popular Web 2.0 Applications

Web 2.0 applications are available from anywhere with an internet connection for a small monthly fee and sometimes even for free. These software programs are designed for small and medium businesses or workgroups that don’t really have the budget or the need for enterprise class software.

Web 2.0 applications provide the user with an easy to use program that get the job done and done well. I have categorised the different systems to make it easier to find what interestes you.

If you know of other Web 2.0 applications,leave me a comment and let me know where to find it.
Web based Todo Lists

• http://voo2do.com
• http://www.tadalist.com
• http://rememberthemilk.com

Web Based Word Procesing

• http://writely.com
• http://writeboard.com
  
• http://www.rallypointhq.com
• http://zohowriter.com
• http://www.ajaxwrite.com

Online Calendars

• http://calendarhub.com
• http://kiko.com

Project Management & Team Collaboration

• http://basecamphq.com
• http://centraldesktop.com

Social Bookmarking

• http://del.icio.us
• http://www.blinklist.com
• http://shadows.com
• http://clipmarks.com
• http://www.stylehive.com
• http://www.simpy.com

Browser Home Pages - Start pages

• http://protopage.com/v2
• http://www.start.com
• http://www.goowy.com
• http://www.netvibes.com

Peer Production News Sites

• http://digg.com
• http://diggdot.us
• http://gabbr.com
• http://reddit.com
• Newsmap

Image and photo storage

• http://flickr.com
• http://zoto.com
• http://glidedigital.com
• http://www.shutterbook.com
• http://www.riya.com

Web Based File Storage

• http://openomy.com
• http://xdrive.com
• http://www.omnidrive.com.au
• http://allmydata.com

Blog Filters

• http://memeorandum.com
• http://findory.com
• http://www.topix.net
• http://blogniscient.com
• http://tailrank.com

Non Profit

• http://katrinalist.net
• http://d2.stevemagruder.com/hub.php

Drawing Programs

• http://www.ajaxsketch.com
• http://www.gliffy.com

Application Development & Databases

• http://lazybase.com
• http://www.musestorm.com
• http://sitekreator.com