A colleague of mine in the Canadian tech industry asked some of us to share links to the tools (mostly free) that we consider essential on the internet. I thought these might also be of use to a few folks here, so I thought I'd share them in the following workspace:

Technology > Resources > Essential Tools

http://www.omidyar.net/group/issues-tech/ws/Essential%20Tools/

The tools that I cover include:

• Website Composing and Management Tools
• Publishing Tools
• Word Processing and Office Productivity
• File and Desktop Management
• Writing Aids
• Reference Tools
• Music and Book Sellers
• Consumer Information
• File Sharing Tools
• Internet Streaming Radio/Video
• Connectivity and Discussion Tools
• Multimedia Tools
• Website/RSS Feed Aggregation Tools
• Network/Community Builders and Expertise Finders
• Software Download Sites
• Investment Tools and Information
• Electronic Payment and LETS Tools
• Anti-Spam, Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware/Adware Utilities

Have a look. Suggest others. Hope some will be as useful to you as they have been to me.

Enjoy :^)