You must ensure that the applications you purchase are compatible with the operating system of your computer. Most prebuilt PCs come preinstalled with an operating system. This will likely be Windows XP or Windows Vista. If you are building your own PC, from components, you will have more choice over which operating system you install. You may decide that you’d prefer to install Linux. Linux is freely available under the GNU license agreement. There are more and more applications becoming available for Linux and best of all, most are opensource, which means they cost nothing.
You’re not going to be able to do much on your new PC with just an operating system installed. You are going to need some applications to run on top of the operating system. The applications you’ll need will depend on what you will be using your PC for. Even light users, wishing to write the occasional letter or do some basic accounting, will require some type of productivity software. Productivity software includes such programs as word processors and spreadsheet applications. Microsoft Office is an example of an application suite offering such productivity applications. Such applications are perfect in assisting you to run a small business.
There are other programs that you will likely want to install. For example: an Internet browser, to surf the Internet; an email client, to compose, send & received emails. If you are a creative person, perhaps involved in graphic design, then you will likely need some type of graphics application.
Don’t install too many unnecessary applications on your PC, otherwise it will be become cluttered. The effects of which will slow down your PC. You may also run in to problems with getting your registry corrupt – this may require a total reinstall of your operating system and all installed software. You can help to keep your system in tiptop shape by running regular PC maintenance software which will defrag your registry and cleanup your filesystem.
Another important software investment is a descent anti virus and anti spyware application. These programs will protect you against any malicious viruses and spyware.