The following links are to downloads, software, and internet services that you may find useful for work and play. Many of these sites provide products and services for free, but others may charge fees or provide you the option of upgrading from free products or services by charging upgrade fees.

Email 

Google email (gmail) account A gmail account is a wonderful tool that allows you to store Gigabytes of message content and other files. Through such an account you also gain access to online document storage facilites.

Hotmail email account Hotmail is a pioneer in providing free email accounts with generous storage capacities.

Yahoo email account Like Google and Hotmail, Yahoo provides free email accounts with large storage capacities.

 

Communication, Social Networking, and Messaging

Facebook Like Friendster and MySpace, Facebook is an increasingly popular social networking website.

Friendster This is a popular social networking website, allowing you to share photos and information about yourself.

Jott This service allows you to use your phone to convert speaking into e-mail and text messages.

MySpace MySpace allows you to create a page to post pictures and information about yourself.

Skype This is a useful service that allows you to make long distance "telephone" calls over the Internet. The rates are very reasonable.

 

Web Browsers

Apple's Safari web browser The Safari web browser is a new alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Mozilla Firefox web browser Another alternative to Internet Explorer is Mozilla Firefox, a critically acclaimed web browser.

 

Operating Systems

Red Hat Linux Red Hat Linux is another Linux variant. While it is not as easy to install as Ubuntu, it has other features (such as compilers) that programmers may find useful.

Ubuntu Linux Ubuntu Linux is a Linux variant that is incredibly easy to install.

Windows Vista The newest incarnation of the Microsoft Windows operating system, Windows Vista is currently the operating system being included with most computer purchases in North America.

 

Software and Internet Services

Ad-Aware Ad-Aware allows you to download free software that helps block pop-up ads.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition This AVG anti-virus software can be used to help protect your computer from viruses.

Baidu A Chinese-language search engine, Baidu is extremely popular with Chinese Internet users.

WordWeb A free dictionary and thesaurus program. 

eBay This site is the paradigm website for buying and selling new and used products online.

Kijiji This service provides free classified ads for many Canadian cities.

Open Office If you wish to create an MS Word or Excel document without purchasing Microsoft Office, you can download Open Office for free.

Second Life Second Life is a popular online game in which players populate a virtual world.

SourceForge.net Another excellent source of downloadable software is SourceForge.net.

Tucows software The Tucows site provides access to an incredible variety of downloadable programs.

Windows Live Local This site provides a useful online map and allows you to access step-by-step travelling directions.

World of Warcraft World of Warcraft is another popular online game.

YouTube This site, the Canadian YouTube website, allows you to view and post videos online. You can also access the global YouTube site from this location.