There is a lot of great free software available for download on the internet but sometimes it is hard to find the programs that are really worth downloading. Below is a list of my favorites that I have found over the years and a link to where you can find them.

Electrical Engineering Programs

1. LT Spice: (Also known as Switcher CAD) This is my favorite free SPICE program. I've tried a lot of different versions of SPICE and this one is consistently the easiest to use. At my school I have access to PSPICE with all the features enabled, but I end up using LT Spice instead. You can find some tutorials to help get you started on my website here.

Programming

1. Code::Blocks: This is the program I use for writing and compiling C++ programs. It is intuitive to use and doesn't confuse you with badly labeled menus like some programs do.

Math Programs

1. Maxima: This is a good computer algebra system (CAS). It can solve algebraic equations, do calculus (Laplace transforms), matrices, etc. You can find some tutorials to help get you started on my website here.
2. Octave: This basically a Matlab clone where most code will simply work in both. It does, however, have different syntax for a lot of the more advanced code and it shouldn't always be thought of as just a Matlab replacement.

Utilities

1. 7-Zip: This is the best free zip utility I have found. It will pretty much zip or unzip any files you need. It can add a right-click menu for Windows and that makes it very convenient.
2. Firefox: My favorite web browser. It's constantly being improved and it just always seems to work the best out of all the browsers I have installed. It has great add-ons that let you add functionality to the browser. For example Ad Block Plus is an add-on that will pretty much eliminates all ads from your internet browsing experience. Many people say that if there is one reason to get Firefox this is it (not to mention that the browser is more secure and stable than its competition). Web developers love this browser too because it displays website like your code tells it too. Internet explorer is notorious for requiring "hacks" to make it display correctly.
3. ImageResizer Powertoy Clone: Resizing images can be annoying and time consuming, especially if you have multiple images to re-size. This program adds a right click menu option to re-size the image. You can also select multiple images at once and it will batch re-size all of them. Trust me, this one will save you a lot of time.
4. ImgBurn: This is a utility that will let you copy CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs. It also has the functionality to rip and burn .iso files. The reason I love this program is because it is bare bones simple. It has only a few buttons and it just does what it is supposed to. Also, it is free!