This list of software products/packages includes only those items which we feel confident in recommending.  We do occasionally use other products, but too infrequently to justify inclusion here.  Please note that recommendations here are exactly that - recommendations, no more.  They were neither solicited by any product owner, nor the subject of any form of payment.  Please also note that a recommendation for  one particular product does not imply recommendations against  its competitors.

The "wouldn't be without it" software we use every day . . .

   "Ad-aware"  from  Lavasoft

A spyware removal utility designed for all Win9x / ME / NT40 / W2000 platforms.  We use the simple freeware version for personal use, but there is a more comprehensive "professional" version.  OK, so we don't actually run this daily - once or twice a week is more realistic.

   "Cookie Pal"  from  Kookaburra Software

A cracking little cookie blocker - and inexpensive (only $15)

   "Zone Alarm"

Our "always on" firewall; an essential tool these days.  There is a freeware version (which we employ for personal use) and a more comprehensive "professional" version for which a licence fee is payable.

   "Norton Anti-Virus"

If you don't have anti-virus protection, or if you don't keep it updated . . .  Another essential tool.  This one costs, but not excessively; worth every penny and readily available.

Yeah, yeah; we know.  Microsoft!!!!   But, quite honestly, we thinks its the best browser around.  It works (and very well, at that - probably has less "issues" than most other major Microsoft products) and, anyway, we like  it.

The software used in creating this Web Site . . .

The entire Erythos Web Site was written directly in HTML - no "page creation" packages were used - due largely to the terrific kick-start from Joe Barta's "Plain English" HTML tutorials.  These are freely available on the Web and are all anyone could ask for when starting out to build a Web Site; delightfully informal, even tongue-in-cheek, but very  effective.  Thanks a million, Joe!

The rest is graphics software.

These products/packages are listed roughly in order of how often we use them, includes only those items which we feel confident in recommending.  Note that we may well use two, three or even four different packages in the creation of a single graphic.  It's very much a case of using the best (or at least the preferred) tool at each stage of the job.

   "PhotoShop"

This is the graphics software which we use by far the most.  We use it for building the great majority of our graphics, and for much of the "preparation" of the photographs - clean-up, cropping, sizing, format conversion, etc.  It has a very considerable range of facilities (quite a few of which we haven't used) and is one of the best package of its type - and one of the best known - on the market.

   "Super BladePro"

Probably the most useful of all "plug-ins" for major graphics manipulation packages like PhotoShop (amongst many others).  Flaming Pear Software themselves describe it as a "surface and texture generator" which, although completely true, we feel rather understates its abilities.  Visit Flaming Pear's web site for more information - or have a look at the Super BladePro section of our own Free Stuff Gallery.

   "Microangelo GIFted"

Used during the building of a fair number of the GIF graphics on this Site.  We find it particularly valuable - sometimes even preferrable to PhotoShop - when creating small simple GIFs with limited palettes, say up to about 100 pixels square with no more than about 10 colours.
Sadly, GIFted has been withdrawn from the market - too many people downloaded the evaluation version, then pestered Impact with support queries without ever paying the very reasonable licence fee (only around 1-in-5 paid, which is just not commercially viable).  We continue to use it regularly; nothing else around matches its simplicity and effectiveness.  Impact have other first-rate software packages available ... but please be fair: if you download any of their evaluations, pay up before  you call for technical support or if you use them "for real".

   "Animation Shop"

We use this software package exclusively for all our animated GIFs (although we build their individual frames largely with PhotoShop).  It has many very useful features but, at its most basic, is so easy to use and gives such good results that we've never felt the need to look for an alternative!

   "Photo Paint"

Used occasionally as an alternative to PhotoShop, for its very valuable "colour replace" facility not available in PhotoShop (at least, not in the version we  use).

   from  Irfan Skiljan

A graphics viewer (and very much more) which we use quite often as a "quick graphics viewer", as well as for sizing, format conversion, etc.  This is a smashing little package which is thoroughly recommended - and it's freeware for non-commercial use.  Irfan's site is well worth a visit; he also has some very useful links!

   "All Thumbs"  from  Simflex Software

Another package which we use occasionally to create thumbnails - sometimes it gives a better result than Photoshop and IrfanView.  Simplicity and ease of use, in addition to the quality of the end results, are its great strengths; strongly recommended.  Now superceded, it appears, by a new product called ThumbNail Refinery.