Links to some handy software and tools I've come accross over the years. I hope you find them as useful as I have.

As you know the ultimate free learning tool coupled with your brain
www.google.com - So it begins
www.groups.google.com - Handy for more specific technical searches and solutions.


[u] Graphics Software
www.adobe.com - Learn some of their software if you want to a graphics job.
www.hash.com - Amazing 3D software at a great price check out the 3D blogs, Dogfight Blog Queequeg Blog
www.blender.org Blender is a very powerful FREE 3D application which I'm slowly learning As seen here

http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/ - Get yourself Gimp an amazing alternative to Photoshop. Also great for designing web layouts, check out http://www.gimpshop.com/ to give it that Photoshop feel.

Industry and discussion sites
www.cgtalk.com - Excellent discussion forum for almost every graphics application you can think of. Always a good place to ask or look for help when learning an application.

Office Software
www.openoffice.org - Rather good alternative to Microsoft Office with the exception of Access

PC Security Software
http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html - Need a free Virus checker this one is rather good free one.

Audio Software
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ - This is handy for editing and recording wav and encoding to MP3 via winLAME
http://winlame.sourceforge.net/ - A great free mp3 encoder which plugs into winLAME.
http://www.cdburnerxp.se/ - So you need to burn those CDs and DVDs (for free) this is the one for you

Web design
www.namo.com - Great cheap alternative to Dreamweaver. Allot of this site was put together with Namo
http://www.blumentals.net/webuilder/ - In my search for the ultimate source editor this is my current favourite It handles pretty much every web design syntax available. Not free but very good value.
http://www.jedit.org/ - Jedit this is another great source editor totally free as well
http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html - This little app is fantastic for finding those broken links
http://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver/ - WSWYG editor very handy to start with if you would rather keep your cash learn to edit source code or stick with Namo
http://www.smartftp.com/ - OK you've designed that site now you need to upload it. Handy free version available for non commercial stuff great for you students.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/phpdev5/ - So you've mastered html now you need to get into PHP but you have no where to test it. Download PHPdev
It sets up everything you need to give you a local test environment on your PC.
http://www.netbeans.org/ - A great free IDE for developing in many programming languages. It also reads and checks PHP syntax.


Shops
www.7dayshop.com - Get your memory cards and batteries here