powerZwitch's Top 10 FOSS: Windows

FOSS = Free Open Source Software

powerZwitch
powerZwitchList by powerZwitch, last updated 
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
  1. BleachBit icon
     Like

    Erase unnecessary files like cache and cookies, maintain privacy, and optimize disk space on Linux and Windows. Supports various applications and uses.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Blackberry
    • PortableApps.com
    BleachBit 1.9.3 on Windows 10 showing Firefox preview
    BleachBit 1.9.3 on Windows 10 showing the Preferences dialog
    BleachBit 0.8.2 on Ubuntu 10.10 (Kurdish translation)
  2. A feature-rich, simple-to-use app seamlessly integrated with a clean, minimal and modern user interface.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    ImageGlass screenshot 1
    ImageGlass screenshot 1
    ImageGlass screenshot 2
    +1
    ImageGlass screenshot 3
  3. Free and open-source office suite with advanced word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, vector graphics, math formula editor, and database tools.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Flatpak
    LibreOffice Writer on Linux
    LibreOffice Calc on Linux
    Main menu (old version)
    +8
    LibreOffice Writer on Windows 7
  4. Open-source browser with Gecko engine, supporting HTML add-ons and providing privacy features like Enhanced Tracking Protection and third-party cookie blocking.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    • Gecko
    Firefox Desktop (Light Theme)
    Firefox Desktop (Dark Theme)
    Firefox iOS (Light Theme)
    +7
    Firefox iOS (Dark Theme)
  5. PeaZip icon
     Like

    PeaZip is free file archiver utility, based on Open Source technologies of 7-Zip, p7zip, FreeArc, PAQ, and PEA projects, for Linux, macOS and Windows.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    PeaZip
    Archive creation
    Archive extraction
    +4
    PeaZip on macOS
  6. Pale Moon icon
     Like

    An open-source web browser forked from Mozilla Firefox. It focuses on security, efficiency, customization, and no data gathering.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Pale Moon screenshot 1
    Pale Moon screenshot 1
    Pale Moon screenshot 2
    +1
    Android Version (Discontinued)
  7. Simple DNSCrypt is a simple management tool to configure DNSCrypt Proxy icon DNSCrypt Proxy on windows based systems.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Main Menu
    Resolvers - DNSCrypt Mode
    Advanced Settings
    +1
    Settings
  8. Enhance privacy with a secure, portable browser that hides your IP and encrypts connections on multiple platforms, maintaining anonymity.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • OpenBSD
    • Tor
    Tor Browser screenshot 1
    Tor Browser 10.0.3 is now based on the new version of Firefox for Android.
    Tor browser for android alpha
  9. WindowsSpyBlocker is an application written in Go and delivered as a single executable to block spying and tracking on Windows systems.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    WindowsSpyBlocker screenshot 1
    WindowsSpyBlocker screenshot 1
    WindowsSpyBlocker screenshot 2
    +1
    WindowsSpyBlocker screenshot 3
  10. WordPress icon
     Like

    Open-source software for creating websites and blogs with an emphasis on accessibility, ease of use, performance, and security.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • PHP
    • Cloudron
    WordPress screenshot 1
    WordPress screenshot 1
    WordPress screenshot 2
    +1
    WordPress screenshot 3

Comments

ij7zx
-1

Ai doesn't waste a lot of energy per request It requires a ton of energy for its training but ones a model is released the energy output is minimal People here probably complain about its water usage too but eat vastly more water intense products like meat or avocados

01 z0
5

how is this supposed to work ? you support nature and help restore ressources and simultaneously suggest ai search in the browser knowing there is not much on this planet, consuming more energy than AI currently does ? An you DO know people ask search engines and AI the stupidest, most essential crap - just because they can and it's easier then using their brain ? So... I just give up at this point. this is beyond madness. PRO-Environment tools adding AI as a "feature" is sheer madness, unless they are fully solar powered and absorbing their own CO emissions somehow ..... so there goes ecosia off the list of the good guys. Sad evolution, happy to see 2025 end soon. Looking forward for some new players coming 2026 beeing considerable as REAL alternatives that won't burn the globe entirely.... sigh

1 reply
Lu9

if you were to Actually read the source article you would see that solar power (and more) is indeed the case here

Lu9
-2

I think they should've went with the Kagi approach where it's opt-in and overviews only appear if you append a question mark at the end of a query.

P.S.: "AI uses obscene amounts of water for power" is this decade's biggest piece of misinfo that will probably take decades to dissipate

2 replies
Naoe

"P.S.: "AI uses obscene amounts of water for power" is this decade's biggest piece of misinfo that will probably take decades to dissipate"

You're just objectively wrong, which is fascinating. We're on a post about a search engine update and yet you're too naive to use any search engine of your choosing to correct your own ignorance. AI fundamentally does use and pollute water, and does so even in regions where access to clean water is a struggle in the first place. This has been well studied and verified, and yet you actively CHOOSE to be uneducated. Interesting.

Lu9

its not using any more water/energy than a lot of activities people do regularly and daily like streaming, my guy one chatGPT query is equivalent to like. a few seconds of netflix you can be educated without the doomposting and fearmongering

ktugs
6

I wonder what we should call the opposite of green-washing... perhaps, tar-washing? Apocalypse-washing? What do you call it when an eco-friendly company decides to throw sludge in your face and tells you it's actually just compost?

Honestly, what's the point of reforestation, meadow restoration or anything else when you support AI data centers like this? It's disgusting.

4 replies
C. Harbon

Right??? I just groaned out loud. Yes, let's add the water-wasting slop machine in my eco-conscious search engine that I was sticking to because it was free from the aforementioned slop machine, that is CLEARLY what I want! Argh! I hate it. I will look for a feedback form or something to let them know, and find yet another AI-free engine I can switch to.

Lu9

Not to discredit your outrage, but you should probably read the article (and not just the headlines) to see exactly just how they're approaching this in a way that doesn't go against what they stand for (...completely anyway. I mean the search engine by itself already consumes energy, y'know). I don't like AI overviews myself personally, but I know some people do, and the very widespread claim that AI wastes huge amounts of water is simply not true.

BorisF

I read that AI text search, even on the lower side, uses 5-10 times more energy than regular search. From personal experience, I tried to run few low nodes AIs downloaded to my PC just for writing a story. Test results were obvious. On my lower powered PC, CPU level and hard drive usage level would spike to 85-100% from normal 10% levels. And as measured by power device, the PC was running on maximum power for the duration of AI work. Yes, it is unscientific, but even a blind person could see even lower level AIs are power hungry beasts.

I presume that lower level AIs use less power than higher level AIs. But it is like "holistic doctor" giving you 200mg pill instead of 500mg pill.

Naoe

Lu9 is some kinda shill that doesn't actually understand the scope of water usage and impact that generative AI usage has. Weird to be so confident yet so misinformed.

Gu