In Depth: The 10 most loved programs ever

10 most loved programs ever

Recently we discovered the most hated programs of all time, but when we hit the publish button we felt a little bit sad.

We're lovers, not haters, and software has brought us lots of great moments over the years.

There's only one thing for it: let's restore our happiness by talking about the good stuff, the programs that are - or were - loved by millions.

Have we missed any of your favourites? Let us know in the comments.

1. Napster

To the best of our knowledge, nobody's ever been sent to prison for using Excel - but plenty of people were willing to risk the long arm of the law to use Napster. The software wasn't exactly a design classic, but that didn't matter, because Napster offered its users something priceless: free music. Admittedly that was free, illegally copied music, but hey! Free music! Today only the logo lives on: it's been absorbed by Rhapsody.

[Image Credit: Johnrpenner, Wikipedia]

2. HyperCard

Male music fans of a certain age go all moony-eyed when you mention Betty Boo, and similarly ancient Apple fans do the same when you mention Hypercard. Bill Atkinson's application offered a kind of hypertext years before the World Wide Web was invented, and it made application development effortless. As Douglas Adams wrote: "it's a sensationally good idea, and I would dearly love to see something like it become the whole working environment for the Mac." Sadly HyperCard was shuffled around inside and outside Apple, and the much-delayed, unreleased HyperCard 3.0 was canned when Steve Jobs lost interest in it.

[Image credit: Creativeapplications.net, CC Attribution licence]

3. MS Paint

For some, MS Paint was the first time they'd ever drawn using a computer - and for many more, it was the tool that enabled them to draw as if it was the first time they'd ever drawn using a computer. The program's fundamental rubbishness made it a top tool for comedy - it's still the tool of choice for messageboard LOLs - but it also inspires awe whenever somebody draws something good.

YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8-gAnDw-7k

4. Netscape Navigator

With the benefit of hindsight, stomping around the place bellowing "Raargh raargh raargh we're going to kill Windows" probably wasn't the best idea, but you can see why Netscape looked like Microsoft's destroyer: in the late 1990s Netscape owned the internet to the point where it would introduce its own technologies and web designers would implement them. Fearing the future of Windows, Microsoft did to Netscape what a bazooka would do to a puppy. Netscape's DNA lives on in Firefox. Speaking of which...

5. Firefox

We'd love to know how many early Firefox users switched because of technological reasons, and how many for ideological ones. We suspect for many people it was a bit of both. Mozilla's Netscape-derived browser suite was rather lardy compared to the all-conquering Internet Explorer, so three developers started a project to make something that wasn't just an alternative, but a really good alternative. The soon to be renamed Phoenix became enormously successful and was loved by users and web designers alike.

6. Photoshop

Plugins, layers, cliches (lens flare, page curls) and the ability to make us question whether what we're told is real is really real or just really realistic - not bad work for a single program. Photoshop's effect on the wider world has been extraordinary, and while it's (ab)used by goons and the advertising industry to distort reality it remains an astonishingly powerful creative tool.

7. WordPerfect 5.1

In the days before Windows, there were two kinds of word processing software: WordPerfect 5.1, or the rubbish your boss made you use because he hated you and wanted to make you suffer. On Windows, however, it died on its arse: the first Windows version wasn't very good, and by the time WordPerfect 5.2 for Windows shipped Microsoft's Word for Windows was in the ascendant.

[Image credit: Ozzmosis, Wikipedia]

8. Lotus 1-2-3

If it weren't for Lotus 1-2-3, we might not have any of the tech toys we know and love today: the Visicalc-inspired spreadsheet package was the IBM PC's first killer app, and you can still see its influence in more modern applications such as Excel or Numbers. Like WordPerfect it didn't see Windows coming and was stomped by a Microsoft rival, in this case Excel.

[Image credit: Ozzmosis, Wikipedia]

9. Scrivener

Writers tend to fetishise things - Moleskine notebooks, say, or IBM typewriters - but when you hear them banging on about Scrivener they're not doing so because they think it makes them sound cool and interesting. If you have to write things - any kind of things - that involve lots of research or just lots of ideas, Scrivener will delight you. It's one of those programs where you keep discovering new, cool things it can do, and if you told us it had an attachment for getting stones out of horses' hooves we'd believe you. Check out our Scrivener review.

10. Solitaire

Has any program wasted more corporate man (and woman) hours than Microsoft's card game? Its presence on an office PC was a source of great joy to bored white-collar workers, as it's quiet enough and clicky enough to make it look like you're still working without giving the game away. If we'd used all the time we've spent on Solitaire to study science, we'd have cured cancer by now.

[Image Credit: Techmdrn, Wikipedia]

In Depth: The 10 most hated programs of all time

10 worst programs of all time

Programs can be our friends: they can help us express ourselves, can solve our problems and can do their very best to make our days happier.

Sometimes, though, they do the Devil's work, making simple tasks so complex and frustrating that you'd happily make everybody involved face a firing squad.

So which programs made everyone angry? Let's discover the software Hall of Shame.

1. Final Cut Pro X

Apple's movie editing software isn't a bad program, but this release turned even the most mild-mannered editor into an incandescent ball of sheer fury. It was sold as an upgrade, but it was really a brand new, version 1.0 product - and that means it didn't have all the features or compatibility that existing users expected, wanted or relied upon.

2. Adobe Reader

Everybody needs to open a PDF from time to time, but Adobe Reader is a sledgehammer sold as a nutcracker: it's enormous - on the Mac, the current version is 69.1MB - it keeps putting a shortcut on your desktop for no good reason, and once you've installed it seems to spend most of its time moaning that you haven't paid it enough attention or installed yet another enormous update. No wonder Windows 8 plans to whack it with a shovel.

GOING: OS X has its own PDF reader, and Windows 8 will do the same with the new Open Reader

3. Ask Toolbar

We're not fans of browser toolbars at the best of times, but the Ask Toolbar is a particularly poor one: it's been variously accused of installing itself without asking permission, making changes to users' browser settings and promoting itself to children. Many problems occurred because over-zealous software writers bundled the toolbar with their own applications but didn't ask whether or not you wanted it.

WHAT'S THAT JEEVES?: We don't like third party toolbars at the best of times, but the Ask one proved particularly unpopular

4. Lotus Notes

IT departments loved this popular messaging and collaboration system, but users were considerably less keen: in the mid-2000s the product was widely criticised for appearing to have been put together by somebody who really, really hated the entire human race and wanted to make it suffer. According to The Guardian, its popularity in business was partly because "the people who choose [business software] tend not to be the ones who use it."

NOT OF NOTE: Lotus Notes still exists, but these days it's very different from its much-hated mid-2000s incarnation [Image credit: Koman90, Wikimedia Commons]

5. Norton Antivirus

Symantec's desktop antivirus software generated enormous ill will through its unfortunate habit of slowing your PC down to a crawl. Part of the problem was that the software tried to do too much: scanning every conceivable thing you do on PC requires significant resources at a time when PCs weren't the flying machines they are today. Thankfully, Norton has addressed such issues these days.

PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS: Happy Norton Man won't be smiling when his system slows down and he can't uninstall the program

6. Microsoft Word

Some people say "I hate Microsoft Word because it's far too complicated!" Some say "I hate Microsoft Word because it introduced Clippy the bloody Office Assistant!" A few say "I hate Microsoft Word because it's often used by idiots to make really horrible-looking things!" Others say, "I hate Microsoft Word because its HTML output made web designers' lives miserable for years!" Still others say "I hate Microsoft Word because I keep sending .docx files that only three people on Earth can actually read!" We say, people! Come together! Let's hate Microsoft Word for all of those reasons!

OFFICE PEST: Aaagh! Aaagh! Aaagh! Aaagh!

7. Adobe Flash

Despite its many benefits - in web design circles it's a powerful and useful creative tool - Flash can be enormously annoying. In many cases the problem was with its users, not the technology - you can't blame Adobe for irritating splash screens, badly designed ads or appalling user interfaces - but for many internet users, a Flash blocker is the first thing they install in a new browser.

NOT JUST JOBS: Flash remains a powerful design tool, but in the wrong hands it can be a powerful force for evil

8. iTunes for Windows

Steve Jobs called iTunes for Windows "like giving a glass of ice water to someone in hell". The reality distortion field was strong that day, because rather than show Windows users the joys of Apple software, iTunes on Windows seems merely designed to depress them. As we've said previously, "the Windows version is a sluggish, resource-hungry mess. Apple has Windows users worldwide loving its iOS devices and despising iTunes, and this needs to change."

SLOOOOOOW: iTunes is proof that Apple doesn't always get it right. On Windows it's a donkey

9. Windows Me and Windows Vista

Yes, we know these are operating systems. This one's a joint nomination: Windows Me because it was a largely pointless update of Windows 98, and Windows Vista because it didn't work properly. Vista in particular should have been a great OS, but show-stopping bugs - copying a file could easily take four million years - and a lack of initial driver support turned a potential racehorse into a donkey.

WOW NOW: The wow starts... now! No... now! Now! NOW! Oh okay, let's just wait for Windows 7 then

10. Internet Explorer 6

Imagine a pristine swimming pool with crystal clear water. That's the internet. Now imagine an enormous poo floating past. That's IE6.

You know something's bad when even its creator dances on its grave. The problem wasn't the browser as such, which was fairly modern when it was released in 2001; it was Microsoft's refusal to update it significantly for years and years, breaking websites and leaving internet users vulnerable to all kinds of online unpleasantness. IE6 was Microsoft at its worst.

TERRIBLE: "Imagine an enormous poo... that's IE6". IE6 is officially pronounced "Aieeeeeee"

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In Depth: The 10 most hated programs of all time

10 worst programs of all time

Programs can be our friends: they can help us express ourselves, can solve our problems and can do their very best to make our days happier.

Sometimes, though, they do the Devil's work, making simple tasks so complex and frustrating that you'd happily make everybody involved face a firing squad.

So which programs made everyone angry? Let's discover the software Hall of Shame.

1. Final Cut Pro X

Apple's movie editing software isn't a bad program, but this release turned even the most mild-mannered editor into an incandescent ball of sheer fury. It was sold as an upgrade, but it was really a brand new, version 1.0 product - and that means it didn't have all the features or compatibility that existing users expected, wanted or relied upon.

FINAL CUT?: Final Cut X isn't a bad program - far from it - but expert users mourned missing features

2. Adobe Reader

Everybody needs to open a PDF from time to time, but Adobe Reader is a sledgehammer sold as a nutcracker: it's enormous - on the Mac, the current version is 69.1MB - it keeps putting a shortcut on your desktop for no good reason, and once you've installed it seems to spend most of its time moaning that you haven't paid it enough attention or installed yet another enormous update. No wonder Windows 8 plans to whack it with a shovel.

GOING: OS X has its own PDF reader, and Windows 8 will do the same with the new Open Reader

3. Ask Toolbar

We're not fans of browser toolbars at the best of times, but the Ask Toolbar is a particularly poor one: it's been variously accused of installing itself without asking permission, making changes to users' browser settings and promoting itself to children. Many problems occurred because over-zealous software writers bundled the toolbar with their own applications but didn't ask whether or not you wanted it.

WHAT'S THAT JEEVES?: We don't like third party toolbars at the best of times, but the Ask one proved particularly unpopular

4. Lotus Notes

IT departments loved this popular messaging and collaboration system, but users were considerably less keen: in the mid-2000s the product was widely criticised for appearing to have been put together by somebody who really, really hated the entire human race and wanted to make it suffer. According to The Guardian, its popularity in business was partly because "the people who choose [business software] tend not to be the ones who use it."

NOT OF NOTE: Lotus Notes still exists, but these days it's very different from its much-hated mid-2000s incarnation [Image credit: Koman90, Wikimedia Commons]

5. Norton Antivirus

Symantec's desktop antivirus software generated enormous ill will through its unfortunate habit of slowing your PC down to a crawl. Part of the problem was that the software tried to do too much: scanning every conceivable thing you do on PC requires significant resources at a time when PCs weren't the flying machines they are today. Thankfully, Norton has addressed such issues these days.

PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS: Happy Norton Man won't be smiling when his system slows down and he can't uninstall the program

6. Microsoft Word

Some people say "I hate Microsoft Word because it's far too complicated!" Some say "I hate Microsoft Word because it introduced Clippy the bloody Office Assistant!" A few say "I hate Microsoft Word because it's often used by idiots to make really horrible-looking things!" Others say, "I hate Microsoft Word because its HTML output made web designers' lives miserable for years!" Still others say "I hate Microsoft Word because I keep sending .docx files that only three people on Earth can actually read!" We say, people! Come together! Let's hate Microsoft Word for all of those reasons!

OFFICE PEST: Aaagh! Aaagh! Aaagh! Aaagh!

7. Adobe Flash

Despite its many benefits - in web design circles it's a powerful and useful creative tool - Flash can be enormously annoying. In many cases the problem was with its users, not the technology - you can't blame Adobe for irritating splash screens, badly designed ads or appalling user interfaces - but for many internet users, a Flash blocker is the first thing they install in a new browser.

NOT JUST JOBS: Flash remains a powerful design tool, but in the wrong hands it can be a powerful force for evil

8. iTunes for Windows

Steve Jobs called iTunes for Windows "like giving a glass of ice water to someone in hell". The reality distortion field was strong that day, because rather than show Windows users the joys of Apple software, iTunes on Windows seems merely designed to depress them. As we've said previously, "the Windows version is a sluggish, resource-hungry mess. Apple has Windows users worldwide loving its iOS devices and despising iTunes, and this needs to change."

SLOOOOOOW: iTunes is proof that Apple doesn't always get it right. On Windows it's a donkey

9. Windows Me and Windows Vista

Yes, we know these are operating systems. This one's a joint nomination: Windows Me because it was a largely pointless update of Windows 98, and Windows Vista because it didn't work properly. Vista in particular should have been a great OS, but show-stopping bugs - copying a file could easily take four million years - and a lack of initial driver support turned a potential racehorse into a donkey.

WOW NOW: The wow starts... now! No... now! Now! NOW! Oh okay, let's just wait for Windows 7 then

10. Internet Explorer 6

Imagine a pristine swimming pool with crystal clear water. That's the internet. Now imagine an enormous poo floating past. That's IE6.

You know something's bad when even its creator dances on its grave. The problem wasn't the browser as such, which was fairly modern when it was released in 2001; it was Microsoft's refusal to update it significantly for years and years, breaking websites and leaving internet users vulnerable to all kinds of online unpleasantness. IE6 was Microsoft at its worst.

TERRIBLE: "Imagine an enormous poo... that's IE6". IE6 is officially pronounced "Aieeeeeee"

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