Most useful Windows programs of 2008

Secunia Personal Software Inspector
Secunia PSI seeks to address an often-overlooked software security issue: the out-of-date program. It makes sure that your applications are up-to-date, which is great not only for ensuring you've got the latest features, but it also takes care of any bug-fixes that might patch previously-unknown exploits. What's important about Secunia is that while it will notify you of updates, it only provides direct links. It won't automatically upgrade your software unless you tell it to.

Secunia PSI should appeal to both casual computer users and those who think they know what they're doing. If you're the former, the Simple layout provides basic information about the installed program statuses, with a chart to gauge their security over time and a simplified listing of any errors. Clicking on an error leads you through the proprietary Easy-to-Patch program update process, which automatically excludes more challenging updates.

If you're a power user, Secunia's Advanced layout tab exposes more details and more updates. It also checks your Microsoft XML, your Adobe Flash player installation, and others programs, looking for mission-critical holes and their respective updates.

Scanning isn't as slow as it could be, but for a program that runs in the background, we expected it to be a bit faster. It didn't slow down our computer's overall performance, though, and the update process went smoothly. All that makes this a highly-recommended freeware.