Top 10 Home Software Programs in 2006

Top 10 Home Software Programs in 2006

Word processing and spreadsheets were the first of the killer apps for home computers when PCs first started to propagate to the millions of households out there. Then, there were Internet Browsers that took everyone by storm. So what are the hot categories and hot products now? There are more products then ever out there for the home shopper and many of them not that good. We looked over many, many different products and product categories to find the best home products, the hot home product categories, and the best software products period. The list is neither exhaustive nor scientific, but the products listed here are definitely great! If you have a computer at home, take a look at these products!

The Hot Product Categories

When searching reviews and products out there on the web some of these categories were not the top on my list, but nevertheless, they are not only out there, but getting a lot of attention. Here are ten top selling software categories for the home computer:

• Home design and gardening software
• Spyware and Adware
• Family Tree Legends
• Video Sharing
• Website builders
• Speech to text conversion
• Parental control and Internet filtering
• Disk-imaging utilities
• Spam Blockers
• Internet Security


Top 10 Best Software Products

The home software market has never had so many choices and for the categories listed above there are too many products to mention. Below are ten standout products for each of these areas.
• Home design and gardening software - Home Designer Pro 7.0
• Spyware and Adware - CounterSpy 1.5
• Family Tree Legends - Family Tree Legend 5.0
• Video Sharing - Grouper
• Website builders – SiteMaker
• Speech to text conversion – Dragon Naturally Speaking 8
• Parental control and Internet filtering – ContentProtect 2.0
• Disk-imaging utility - Acronis True Image
• Spam - Cloudmark Desktop
• Internet Security - ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6

For each of these products there are additional information in the following articles. Take a look at these home software products!

Get Into the Zone

Malware. An odd sounding word created to lump all malicious software programs, including viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, and other malevolent codes into one cause-your-computer-serious-hurt category.

In 2005, Computer Economics released a report on malware. The good news was that for the first time since 2002, the total worldwide financial losses from malware actually declined to a mere $14.2 billion. The bad news was that the nature of malware was changing from overt threats to more focused, covert attacks. This definitely is not great news for the average computer user just trying to keep up with the hundreds of malware programs that bombard us daily.

It’s not an easy task keeping malware out of your computer system. In order to accomplish this, you need a strong antivirus program. One such program that can deliver the goods is ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6 from Zone Labs. Zone Labs is one of the most trusted brands in Internet Security for good reason. Their product, simply put, kicks serious malware gluteus maximus.

zone alarm has received more review recommendations that any other Internet-security software suite because of its superb firewall and anti virus protection. It blocks pop-up ads, protects against identify theft and provides adequate spam filters that are flexible. It even beats the market leader, Norton Internet Security, which is often criticized for excessive system drag.

Its newest version includes these additional features:

• Triple Defense Firewall to prevent spyware from sending your information across the Internet. It also makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Net.
• Smart Defense Advisor which can automatically adjust your security settings for maximum protection against the latest virus and spyware outbreaks.
• Advanced Identify and Privacy Protection to prevent your personal data from leaving your computer without your approval.

The bonus for the average user who cringes at the idea of setting-up one of these systems is that the interface is easier to understand and use in comparison to most if its competitors. If you choose to venture beyond the out-of-the-box default settings, and install a more elaborate filtering, know that this will require some additional time to set up on your part.

Overall, ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite is a user-friendly, comprehensive security solution that will have your computer safe from Internet hazards and cyber criminals within minutes of installation.