Best Compression\Decompression Utility
I registered Winzip when I first started downloading files. I've never been disappointed. A must have utility if you plan on downloading anything from the net.. Shareware. Windows 3.x and Windows 95 versions available.

Best E-Mail Program(s)

Eudora Light. My friend Craig may disagree, but what the heck...Easy to use. Windows 3.x, 95 and Mac versions available
Juno If you have friends who don't have an internet connection but have a 386 computer with at least a 9600 baud modem and Windows 3.x or greater this is truly a free e-mail program. It even uses an 800 number if there is no local number available.

Best Winsock Utilities
Dunce For those who want an automated connection to the net this works great with your scripting tool. Win 95 only.

DipstickFor all the download junkies, like me. This program allows you to check a server to see which is the best download site to use..another great Windows 95 freeware program.

Best HTML programs\sites
The HTML Reference Library...a must have for anyone making or maintaining their own homepages. Windows 3.x, 95
Homesite. Relatively new, but free, HTML editor (a shareware version with additional features is also available) and not too difficult to use. 95 only
Pixelsite..All the buttons created on my homepage were created using the pixelsite tools. The options are almost limitless....and it's free. All you need is a net connection.

Dynamic IP An extremely handy, freeware program. Multi-faceted. Dynamic IP has all of the following features:
Posts your dynamic IP address to web pages of your choice and uploads the modified files automatically to your web server using FTP. I use it to let others know I'm on-line.
POP mail checker Monitors up to 5 different e-mail accounts and informs you about incoming mail (works with POP mail accounts). Notifies you of new mail visually and with sound.
IPchat
PC clock synchronizer gets the exact date and time from an NTP server of your choice and then sets your PC clock accordingly.
Logging keeps track of all actions/events and produces a log file if you wish so.
The author also has a great collection of setup and troubleshooting tips.
DynamIP is a "multi-threaded 32bit application and runs only on Windows 95/NT".

WS-FTP LE I would imagine some seasoned veterans would ask why I am including this in HTML programs. The fact is, the primary reason I use WS-FTP is for loading and changing my web pages. Windows 3.x and Windows 95 versions available.

Page Count Many of us like to know how many times our web page has been accessed. (Call it ego or whatever). This free counter offers many additional features including Password protected weekly graphical and numeric stastics that tell you:
How many people viewed your page each day. A breakdown of page views by time of day. A list of where the requests for your page came from. The hostnames of the visitors! (up to 250 max).
and they keep adding more features all the time...another nice feature is that you can simply bookmark your access counter page, type in the password and get your info without increasing the page count. To see what it looks like, scroll to the bottom of this page.

Best Search Engine
Currently in beta but by far the best search engine I've found....return to my homepage to use it from there

Best Chat Program

Powwow Live text chat with up to seven people at once. Voice Chat (with 14.4 connection or above), send\receive files. "Cruise" the Net ( Cruising requires MS Internet Explorer or Netscape). Windows 3.x and above
Download and Install Powwow. Load Netscape or Internet Explorer and then "Powwow" with me.

Best Audio Program

Play audio on demand, without waiting for long file transfers. Both Mac and Windows Versions available. After you've installed RA check out Audio Net. Awesome!!!!!

Note: RA comes as a standard feature in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Miscellaneous

Toolbar 95 Toolbar 95 is, like the name suggests, a Toolbar for Windows 95. It supports up to 10 toolbars open on screen at once, with up to 255 buttons on each toolbar. Besides all this, it's free.

Search 4It serves as a "quick-launch" to four of the most powerful Search Engines on the web, in the form of a pop-up menu. After downloading and extracting the program go here if you are having difficulty configuring it for your browser. It comes in both 16 bit (for windows 3.1x) and 32-bit (Windows 95 and NT) versions. Very handy for those who are just beginning to browse the web and aren't certain which browser they prefer. Freeware