So I get accused a lot of spouting off about applications I hate, and I've been asked what my typical system looks like. Good idea. I'll make two distinctions - between machines I setup for other people and my own system with the applications I need to get anything done.

My systems comprise of:

• Windows Vista Ultimate Edition SP1.
• Office 2007 Ultimate SP1:
Word 2007.
Excel 2007.
PowerPoint 2007.
Outlook 2007.
OneNote 2007.
• Expression Studio 2:
Expression Web 2.
Expression Encoder 2.
• Emeditor Free.
• Smart FTP 3.
• Paint Shop Pro 7.
• PhotoShop CS 2.
• Sound Forge 8.
• Virtual PC 2007 SP1.
• WorldWide Telescope.
• Virtual Earth.
• Windows Live Messenger.

Yes this list isn't including the games I've got installed at the moment - as they build up in volume as I decide to play different ones.

For other people it looks more like this:

• Windows Vista (whatever SKU they've got) SP1.
• Office 2007 (whatever SKU they've got) SP1:
Word 2007.
Excel 2007.
PowerPoint 2007.
Outlook 2007.
OneNote 2007.
• Windows Live Suite:
Windows Live Messenger.
Windows Live Mail.
Windows Live Writer.
Windows Live Photo Gallery.
• AVG Free 8.
• WorldWide Telescope.
• Virtual Earth.

Keeping your computer in good working order starts with not installing any old junk on your system, these applications are all good citizens. Well there are two acceptions: Windows Live Messenger and AVG Free 8 which need a bit of tweaking before I find them acceptable. I am always shocked at how much junk people have installed on their systems, so many little applications of varying quality all over the place cannot have a positive impact on system performance and reliability.

According to PC World magazine it is. When you think about it, it isn't that surprising is it? Toolbars and menus are so old and completely can't handle the hundreds of features that Office has.

Innovation? Microsoft? Yes, we were surprised, too, but the Redmond giant's latest upgrade of the world's most popular productivity suite introduces several new features that revolutionize how people work with documents. The most striking change is a "ribbon" at the top of the interface that replaces the traditional cascading menus and taskbars, and can expose functions you never knew were there. Through the suite's handy new Live Preview feature, you can see how formatting changes, for example, will affect your document prior to your making them. You get greater XML-format support, too.

I can actually find stuff I never knew existed before, and the geek in me likes the XML based file formats, not only are they smaller, they're easy to work with in other applications, you can open one up in a zip program, and browse through the XML in text editor.