You get what you pay for, right? Not always. At the start of a new year, everyone has their lists. Below is our list of free software that is actually extremely useful.

Organizing your photos: Picasa
Digital cameras are great, but what do you do with the hundreds of photos you take? Not only does Google have a great search engine, map system, email service, and free word processor and spreadsheet applications, they also have a free photo organization and editing program. Picasa is simple to use and will help you organize, edit, share, and print your photos. It also has a great photo screen saver.
Get http://picasa.google.com

Browsing the Web: Firefox
While Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) has come a long way, Mozilla’s Firefox is an incredible web browser. There are also a ton of "plug-ins" known as extensions that enhance your web experience. From RSS readers to FTP applications, Firefox is great alternative to IE.
Get www.firefox.com

Surfing protection: K9 Web Protection
Inappropriate material is all over the Web, from ads to just plain bad sites. While there is no substitute for hands-on guidance for what your kids see and do on the internet, every parent should have a tool at their disposal to help them monitor and protect. K9 Web Protection is a very powerful program that keeps a log of internet activity and prevents access to potentially inappropriate material--and it's FREE!
Get www.k9webprotection.com

2007: more viruses and more spyware: Active Virus Shield
At some point a virus will get you. It's a fact of life. But you don't have to pay for a good antivirus program anymore. AOL has a product that is completely free and excels at both preventing and cleaning infected files.
Get www.activevirusshield.com