These are packages that I use and recommend on my Linux Ubuntu box.

System Tools

• Filelight
  Displays a circular graph of the space used by your files, so you know when you
  have big files (for example, images of your work) that if you backup them you’ll save space.
  sudo apt-get install filelight
• gdmap
  Displays space used by files, but with squares.
  sudo apt-get install gdmap
• gParted
  Interface for partitioning your hard disk drive, and make it a bit easier, without having to reinstall everything.
  sudo apt-get install gparted
• aptoncd
  Just for Ubuntu and Debian. Allows to backup your packages installed in a CD so you can have them ready to
  install in another computer.
  sudo apt-get install aptoncd
• htop
  sudo apt-get install htop

Programming/Editor Tools

• PDFedit
  Free (and open source) editor for manipulating PDF documents. GUI version + command line interface.
  sudo apt-get install pdfedit
• Bluefish
  sudo apt-get install bluefish
• Meld
  A simple but powerful small tool that can compare two files or directories and tell you the differences, or merge them.
  sudo apt-get install meld
• vim
  sudo apt-get install vim

Music Tools

• SoundConverter

Photo Tools

• sudo apt-get install xaralx

Networking Tools

• gFTP

Media Players

• Boxee
• Songbird
  How to configure songbird.
• VLC Player

Downloading Tools

• JDownloader
• Deluge, download it here.
  sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deluge-team/ppa
sudo apt-get install deluge

GUI

• Mac Dock For Linux?
• GnomeDo
  sudo apt-get install gnome-do gnome-do-plugins
• Compiz

Additional

• p7zip
  sudo apt-get install p7zip
• TaskCoach
• KeePassX
  sudo apt-get install keepassx
• ntp
  sudo apt-get install ntp
• ubuntu-restricted-extras
  sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

More Great Sites

This is great site to get applications

• Appnr

Other great lists of packages:

• Essential Ubuntu Productivity Apps
• Must have Ubuntu Packages from SuperUser.com
• Top 100 of the Best (Useful) OpenSource Applications

Virtual Machines software I recommend.

Linux I recommendations:
VMWare
Xen

I hear this is good as well, though I have never tried it:
VirtualBox/

My list of useful things you can do in Microsoft Excel 2007:

How to Create a Drop Down List

Validation with Lists:

VLOOKUP FUNCTION:

One of the best free add-ins I have seen for excel is ASAP Utilites.

Below are the Firefox plugins I generally use and recommend to people:

• AutoCopy
• ColorfulTabs
• Download Statusbar
• DownThemAll!
• external IP
• Firefox Showcase
• Flagfox
• Xmarks
• Groowe Search Toolbar
• LinkedIn Companion
• New Tab Homepage
• Session Manager
• ShowIP
• Speed Dial
• Tab Mix Plus
• Video DownloadHelper
• WebMail Notifier

Avast! antivirus is free software that I recommend for home use computers. It is great and protects you for free on a windows machine, you can’t beat that!

A few people asked me how to schedule a boot scan before letting window start.

To schedule boot scan using Avast, follow the steps below:

• Right click on the Avast system tray icon
• Click on “Start Avast Anti Virus”
• Avast anti virus window will pop up and run a memory scan
• Once memory scan finish, you can right click on the Avast anti virus window and select “Schedule Boot Time Scan”
• “Schedule Boot Time Scan” window will popup, select “Scan all local disk” and check on “Advanced Options” and you can go from there

…hope this helps

I’ll be updating this post from time to time.

Before doing anything I would recommend that you sync your iphone with google contacts and calender, this is how you would do this:
Google Sync: Set Up Your iPhone or iPod Touch

The best windows software for accessing your iphone is i-funbox, try it, it’s free! (I use it to remove videos from cycorder, just going to the directory: root/var/Media/videos)

Comparison of iPod Managers…there is more then just iTunes!

Below is the list of iPhone applications I have tested out on an iPhone, I recommend most of the programs listed.

Please note that if you want to install some of the jail broken apps below, please go check out this youtube video first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDDEN3zfQOg.

Web Searching Tools

• gSearch – Great for google searching
• Google – Great for google searching
• Quickpedia – Great for wiki searching

News

Newsstand – Great for RSS feeds
NYTimes – New York Times

Weather
Weatherbug – Great for weather

Maps
Google Earth – Great google map software
iTrans NYC – Great if you live in NYC

Find a Store, Bar…
YPmoble – Yellow Pages
Yelp – Reviews of merchants close to you
FF Finder – If you need fast food…fast
Urbanspoon – Resturant reviews
Where – Need a starbucks? Look here
SloshSpot – Need to grab a drink? Look here

TV & Video
What’s On? – A tv guide
MxTube – Download and play youtube videos anytime(from Cydia) *
cycorder – Record video (from Cydia) *

Sleeping Tools
Night Stand – Clock plugin
Clock 3D – Clock plugin
Ambiance – Helps me relax, best relaxing noise around
White Noise – Helps me relax

Management Tools
Mint.com – Money managment, everyone should use this
Todo – Time managment
Weightbot – Weight manager
FastFoodCal – Calorie counter

Social
LinkedIn – Networking with profesionals
Facebook – Networking with friends
Tweetie – Networking Twitter application, this is one of my favs
BeejiveIM – Instant messaging, there may be better ones out there
WordPress – Blogging with wordpress

Calculators
Tip – Tip calculator
CheckPlease – Tip calculator

Buying Stuff
eBay
Amazon.com
Deliveries – Track a delivery

Networking Tools
WinAdmin – Remote desktop
iSSH – Secure terminal
Terminal (from Cydia) *
OpenSSH (from Cydia) *
modem (from Cydia) *

Radio
WonderRadio – iPhone radio, this is the best one out of all of them, if you get one this one is it
Tuner – iPhone radio, this one is just ok
Radio – iPhone radio
AOLRadio – iPhone radio
Stitcher – iPhone radio
Pandora – iPhone music
Last.fm – iPhone music
finetune – iPhone music

Music Tools
Shazam – iPhone music determiner
Remote – Play your iTunes from your iPhone

Games
Fieldrunners – Game
Zombies – Game
Centipede – Game
psx4iphone – Play playstation games (from Cydia) *
NES – Play any NES games(from Cydia) *
Macman (from Cydia) *

Fun, Not Really Useful
iChoose – Flip a coin
Koi Pond – Koi fish
Spawn – Cool Screensaver like game
Dice – Role dice
Alpha Tips – Dating help for men

Math
PCalc – Alternate calculator
GraphCalc
Quick Graph
MissingCalc
Triangulator
Math Tricks

Additional Tools
Spanish – Learn spanish
Spell Check – Spell check anything
Txtpedia – Need to know what something means in txting speak, this is where to go
Clinometer – Leveler for construction
Flashlight – Flashlight if you need one
Gas Cubby – Ok tool for car, I don’t recommend it to most people
Conversions – Good for conversions
mSecure – Password manager
Intelliscreen – One of my favs this lets you config your locked screen with information like weather (from Cydia) *

Recorders
HappyTalk – Recorder
Voxie – Recorder
SpeakEasy – Recorder

Install & Backup Programs
AppBackup – Backup iPhone data (from Cydia) *
AptBackup – Backup iPhone data (from Cydia) *
Cydia – Installer for hacked programs, look on youtube for how to install, VERY IMPORTANT *
Installer – Installer for hacked programs, look on youtube for how to install *

* Cydia is a jail broken app installer that you get when you jail break your phone.

There are a ton of apps that I haven’t listed, the list keeps growing and growing!