People have responded really well to the “Ten FREE OSx Apps that EVERYONE should have” article from yesterday, and since I’m a Windows User too, I thought it would a good idea to post a list of free Windows Apps too…

In making this list of ten essential applications, I decided not to include Firefox , Ad-Aware , or AVG Anti-virus , because my guess is that most of the people reading this are already well aware of them, and I’d rather show off some applications you MIGHT not already know about. If you’re not familiar with these three applications Firefox is the best Window’s browser ever…Ad-Aware is a fantastic spyware removal tool…and AVG Free is a great, FREE, anti-virus program.

Now…onto the 10…

Notepad 2 - If you’ve ever coded anything in Notepad (and you know you have) you need to stop what you’re doing and download this app. It’s small…it’s fast…and it’s everything Notepad should be.

Moffsoft FreeCalc - Another simple little program, Moffsoft FreeCalc is very similar to the standard Windows Calculator, but the addition of a paper tape history and a few other small features make this an essential replacement for the out-dated standard calculator application.

LiteStep - Tired of the way Windows looks? LiteStep is a complete shell replacement for Windows that allows you to customize just about everything involved in our User Interface. Much more than just a “skin” for XP, LiteStep allows you to make the OS your own. You can check out some great themes for it after you download it by clicking here.

NVU - Nvu is an open source WYSIWYG HTML editor (and was on my Mac list too ). As I am moving over more and more to CSS, I find myself using just Notepad 2 (when I use Windows), but when I need a little WYSIWYG assistance, NVU is a great resource, and a program I would recommend for people trying to get a grip on buiding their own webpages.

Sketch Up - The second (and last) app that appears on both my Windows and Mac lists, Sketch up is just awesome no matter what OS you’re using. This free app from Google is one of the easiest 3d modelers that I’ve ever used. It allows you to quickly bring your ideas to 3 dimensional life, and really gives you the freedom to let your creativity go wild. I love it.

Filezilla - Built with Mozilla, Filezilla is a great FTP client. It’s easy to use, and has a lot of great features.

Paint.Net - Paint.Net is a fantastic program that I’m surprised I don’t hear more about. This Photoshop-like MS Paint replacement is easy to use, and really powerful. If you use graphics programs only for basic functions, Paint.Net is an excellent, and FREE, alternative to dropping hundreds on Photoshop or the like.

StickyPad - There are a ton of Sticky-Note applications, but StickyPad “sticks” out with it’s great features, and nice interface.

Inkscape - More Corel Draw-like than Illustrator-like, this free vector based graphics program is a great, powerful, and full featured product. If you need an inexpensive (i.e. FREE) vector graphics solution, Inkscape is well worth a look.

Celestia - This one SHOULD have been on my Mac list (so if you’re running OSx or Linux, you’ll still want to give this a look, because it’s completely cross platform). Celestia is a free space simulator. You can truely explore the universe in 3D with this great application.