We are very fortunate to do business in a time and age where you can get business quality software for free or close to free. They are everywhere. For a long time, I’ve been saving these tools. Every time someone asks for a software they could use to do something, I whip out this list of tools. I have finally decided to compile them all into one convenient handbook. It was originally supposed to be only 100 then it grew and grew to the final 180 – there’s actually more than 180. I just didn’t count some of them.

The tools for a ton of different things. From project management and accounting to web conferencing. Get it from my site if you’d like a copy.

For me, this is great because I like the simplicity of using Google Sites to create a Wiki of our organization’s work flow, operating manuals and how-to’s. But the fact that the data is ’stuck’ on Google Sites made us re-think it because it takes a lot of my time to write these manuals and while I’ve not lost anything on Google yet, that’s the keyword – yet. Besides, what if something comes along I like better and want to switch? Data portability is crucial.

With the import/export tool, I can finally resume using Google Sites and create a backup of our documentation in HTML microformats. It is written in Java – which means you have to have Java (not to be confused with Javascript) installed. It is open source and you can download it here.

A favorite reason of mine to convert – so I can watch the video content I purchased or downloaded from membership sites on my phone, away from the computer. Love it.

The down side is, finding the download file for Super can be – let’s just say challenging and their web site is not the easiest to navigate to say the least. Unfortunately, I cannot link to the download file directly so I am going to direct you to the closest download page I can. The download link is small and easily missed towards the bottom of the page. Hint: hover your mouse over the link to make sure it is a .exe or lookout for “Download Super Setup file”,

Sadly, much of the software we use regularly is bloated, contains many more features than you’ll ever use. Sometimes that’s to be expected. If I were a graphic designer, I’d want the top of the line tool with all the bells and whistles even if it cost me a lot of computer resources. That’s because I will use the software a lot and use many of the tools in it. I need to be well equipped to do my job.

But sometimes all you want is something simple to do a task you won’t do regularly. For those, all you want is something that won’t lock up your computer and slow it down to a crawl. In those cases, you might want to check out TinyApps.org. The site lists software that are really small and stand alone apps. Many you can even run from your USB drive. Love that.

The site lists apps that are mostly Windows based but in the blog you’ll also find some for Mac and Linux, including Mobile platforms.

One of my biggest peeves is the fact I can’t seem to clear my RSS reader of the unread posts. There’s so much coming in daily and I don’t have a huge reading list either. Every time I get in there it’s like 1000+ plus posts. Usually, I end up skimming the headlines – which is why your blog subject line is so important but that’s a post for another time. And then fully reading the ones that catch my eye. Even then, speed reading helps.

Then I stumbled on Zap Reader. Wow! I just made it through a post and had plenty of time to leave a comment. I’m debating right now if I should add the plugin to my blog to help people read my posts faster. At the moment, I use the bookmarklet. On a post that I’d like to read, I select the text then click the bookmark. Hit start and I’m reading at 500 words per minute or more. I think this is fast becoming my favorite free tool. Check out the video below to see how it works.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uw6R3TkRf4[/youtube]

Now, I don’t claim these tools are sufficient to fire your graphic designer. Far from it. Keep your designer at all costs – I know I do mine. Keeping them real close. But sometimes when you want a quick button or graphic just to fill a space or get the task done, these can be helpful.

FreshBadge – I so love this one. One of my first finds in fact. Love the badges. I’ve noticed once in a while it gets flaky on me.

Tabs Generator – very handy for web designers.

My Cool Button – pretty neat.

Quick Web Creations – not free Been quite useful to me.

By default, you can set your computer to turn off the monitor, go into standby or hibernate by default, it only works if the computer is inactive. For example, you can only set it to hibernate after 3 hours of inactivity. You do this in the Power Settings under the PC’s Control panel. In my case, it’s hard to find a time when the computer is inactive for 3 hours. To force myself to shut down for the day, I wanted something that allows me to set a specific time.

I found these three free utilities that looks like they would work.

• Handy Tweakers
• Intelligent Shutdown
• Auto Shutdown

Whether you are in the same boat as her or just getting started and want a free software to get your feet wet with the basics of web page building, here are some free alternatives you can use.

• WebPlus SE. If you want, you can also upgrade to WebPlus 10 for only $19.99
• Evrsoft’s First Page 06
• Amaya from W3C
• KompoZer

If you’d much rather build a profitable blog quickly, without setup and technical hoops to jump through, check out Reliable Webs’ Free Blog Setup.