I apologize in advance for asking a question that has already been asked before. I successfully found a thread discussing this but I got interrupted and when I came back the next day I couldn't find it or any other again.

I've successfully built an LFS system, and I'm wondering what applications constitute the "core" of what most people do. I'm not running a server -- this machine is basically for desktop work and tinkering. Here're are the apps I think I'll need, and what I've got installed (if anything):

1. Window manager -- I'm using Fluxbox w/ ROX and I'm happy so far.
2. Instant Messaging -- Gaim. No complaints.
3. CD burning -- what do you like?
4. Video player -- MPlayer. Seems a bit buggy, but not seriously flawed.
5. Audio player -- I've got XMMS installed, it works fine.
6. Web browser -- Firefox
7. Word processor -- I was going to install open office
8. excel compatible spreadsheet -- ditto ... open office
9. Image stuff -- the GIMP
10. Eye candy -- GKrellm... any other good stuff?

I'm just curious to know what you folks think are must-have applications, or if you have comments or recommendations. Are there programs you like better than the ones I selected?

Also, on a related note to the mods -- in doing my research, I really wanted to see the nominated programs and the ensuing discussions for the members choice awards last year, but the best I could find was a thread that listed the winners. Are those forums available?

Thanks!

Mike

1. Fluxbox and Rox (both superb - the devel version of Fluxbox supports great looking pixmapped toolbars and titlebars and some cool transparency)
2. aMSN (I only use MSN so gaim is unnecessary)
3. Firefox - everyone needs to browse to LinuxQuestions.org!
4. XMMS - I don't ever work without music
5. MPlayer - I need SOME way of watching that Masters of the Universe DivX I downloaded!
6. AbiWord - Small but perfectly formed, MS Word compatible word processor.

That's it really...that's core for me.

1. Window manager - KDE, bit slow at times though it could be my specs to blame as well and it's only when loading stuff so I can live with it. It's quicker than windows often and a lot more stable
2. Instant Messaging -- Gaim
3. CD burning -- Not yet looked at.
4. Video player -- Have Mplayer installed, last time sound didn't work yet but that's probably cause it wasn't configured completely yet. Videos played OK
5. Audio player -- Used Noatun and I just discovered XMMS, think I'll stay with XMMS cause the skin is cooler and the whole has a better feeling than Noatun
6. Web browser -- Firefox
7. Word processor -- OpenOffice
8. excel compatible spreadsheet -- OpenOffice
9. Image stuff -- GIMP
10. Programming -- Python (later I will try c/c++ but I think it's already installed with all those clib, g++ things first learning python now though)

OpenOffice is good for powerpoint presentations as well. I still need to work with some windows formats so I'm glad I can in Linux

Goodness, how could I forget g++ as a programming tool! And Make! Totally, totally core.

1. Window manager -- fluxbox, blackbox, and GNOME.
2. Instant Messaging -- centericq -- command line IRC/ICQ/MSN/Y/Jabber [ more at http://www.thekonst.net ]
3. CD burning -- havent yet. planning on trying k3b. just havent gotten around to it yet.
4. Video player -- VideoLAN. streams across my network and works on both windows and linux [and others]
5. Audio player -- xmms
6. Web browser -- mozilla and w3m
7. Word processor -- open office, nano, pico, vi. [ dont do much in the way of 'office' related sutff ]
8. excel compatible -- open office [i guess. LOL]
9. Image stuff -- the GIMP
10. Eye candy -- root-tail, torsmo

Thanks! This is good stuff -- You've all mentioned apps that I haven't heard of before. I'll have to go check them out.

I expect I feel the same way some of you folks do with respect to office software -- I personally don't expect I'll use it much, but if I really want my Linux box to be mainstream, I need to be able to do the occasional spreadsheet.

1. Window manager -- Fluxbox/Ion
2. Instant Messaging -- Gaim/BitchX(IRC)
3. CD burning -- cdrecord/mkisofs/gcombust
4. Video player -- MPlayer
5. Audio player -- mpg321/XMMS
6. Web browser -- Firefox(online)/Links(offline)
7. Word processor -- none (Vim for anything text-related)
8. excel compatible spreadsheet -- open office
9. Image stuff -- gimp/gqview/imagemagick
10. Eye candy -- none

1. Windows Manager KDE 3.2 it's what came with my distro, and so far, has worked fine. Others have reported issues.
2. Instant Messaging-don't use it
3. Web Browser-Mozilla (of course.) The 1 time I tried Firefox, it didn't work as well (of course, that was on a windows box anyway.)
4. Word Processor-AbiWord
5. Spreadsheet-gnucash.
6. consoleone for linux
7. antivirus clamav (still haven't gotten klamav to work or even compile yet.), mcafee
8. cd burning-k3b came with Suse, and it works great! I encourage the rest of you to try it out!
9. music playing/multimedia playing, primarily in Linux mode at work (by my choice, not theirs)
10. dev tools, let see, make, configure, tix,

1. Window manager -- Gnome/blackbox
2. Instant Messaging -- Gaim, BitchX (IRC)
3. CD burning -- None
4. Video player -- Xine
5. Audio player -- XMMS
6. Web browser -- Firefox
7. Word processor -- OpenOffice, vim
8. Excel stuff - OpenOffice
9. Image stuff -- the GIMP
10. Eye candy -- Anna Kournikova
11. MS Money replacement - Gnucash
12. Programming - Perl

1. Window manager -- XFCE 4.0.5 (I stuck with KDE for about a month while they fixed that problem where the icons got clipped. Then came backt to Xfce)
2. Instant Messaging -- aMSN (I only use the MSN network)
3. CD burning -- When I need It I'm going to try K3B
4. Video player -- Xine and if the file doesn't play, MPlayer. (I use Xine for DVDs too as it shows the menus )
5. Audio player -- XMMS (It's on all the time and it's the first thing I start)
6. Web browser -- Firefox
7. Word processor -- OpenOffice (I was using KOffice up until this morning when I couldn't open a .doc so I installed finally installed OpenOffice)
8. Excel stuff - OpenOffice
9. Image stuff -- the GIMP
10. Eye candy -- I have random backgrounds, does that count?
12. Programming - Kate (I'm currently learning and programs such as KDevelop & Anjuta are overkill for the kind of projects I do)

1 Gnome
2 I don't use instant messaging (Andy-no-mates)
3 Nautilus CD Burner is excellent
4 Mplayer (and Totem)
5 Xmms (and Totem)
6 Firefox
7 Abiword for word processing
8 Gnumeric for spreadsheets
9 The Gimp for altering pictures
10 Thunderbird for email
11 Gtk-Gnutella for file sharing

1. XFCE4
2. mozilla
3. xmms
4. rox filer
5. rxvt/aterm
6. gkrellm
7. gimp
8. mplayer
9. gedit
10. sylpheed

1. Window manager
alternate between gnome/metacity, xfce, and fluxbox. kde only rarely.

2. Instant Messaging
do not use.

3. CD burning -- what do you like?
haven't tried enough to say, but lately, grip with lame.

4. Video player -- MPlayer.
haven't used much

5. Audio player
mostly xmms and gxine.

6. Web browser
firefox, opera, dillo, and to a lesser extent, konquerer

7. Word processor
open office, might start using tex again.

8. excel compatible spreadsheet
open office, but not happy with charting, getting better results with gnuplot.

9. Image stuff -- the GIMP
I use some of the smaller programs, too.

10. Eye candy -- GKrellm...
not important to me

(11). any other good stuff?

-gcc
-g++
-f77
-gnuplot
-lp_solve -- you can conquer the universe with this and it is free.
-bash
-and last, but certainly not least, vi. not vim, I think what I am actually using is elvis (slackware 10.0)