Top 10 Downloads Of The Past 10 Years
Original List by ZankRank

1. icq buy from 10
today instant messengers are ubiquitous, but when icq ("-i seek you"-) was first released in 1997, it was truly the first of its kind. though competitors such as yahoo instant messenger and aim have since encroached on icq's territory, this chat client remains enormously popular with international users, and it has remained one of's most popular applications since its launch.
2. winamp buy from 9
arriving fast on the heels of the emerging mp3 digital format, nullsoft's winamp was one of the darlings of the burgeoning digital audio scene in the late '90s. this free audio player quickly gained popularity, becoming one of the most popular files on, and nullsoft was eventually acquired by aol in 1999.
3. napster buy from 8
who doesn't remember this controversial file-sharing kingpin? developed by northeastern university student shawn fanning, napster was a groundbreaking application that enabled users to share mp3s painlessly for the first time through a peer-to-peer network. napster has since been sued, shuttered, and reborn as a subscription music service, but its legacy remains.
4. firefox buy from 8
developed by the open-source mozilla project in 2003, firefox was the first browser to show the promise of breaking microsoft's stranglehold on the browser market. lightweight, secure, and packed with useful features, firefox exemplifies the promise of the strengthening open-source movement.
5. winzip buy from 6
when cnet launched in 1996, winzip was among the first programs in our library, and in the past nine years, it has remained near the top of our most popular list. the reason is simple: for many years, winzip was an essential utility. you couldn't download or send large files without it. even the fact that windows xp now has built-in zip support hasn't diminished its popularity. the keys to winzip's success are its simplicity and its singularity of purpose: it does one thing--compressing and decompressing files--and it does it very well.
6. itunes buy from 5
apple's music player and organizer makes our top 10 list for the sheer beauty of its product design. itunes is not only a full-featured media player and library in its own right, it's also the gateway for apple's ipod and popular music store, creating an elegant and simple interface for buying and organizing music. if only all software were this easy to use.
7. ad-aware buy from 4
almost as soon as there was software to download, there was adware coming along for the ride. lavasoft did its part to hold the line with ad-aware, a spyware scanner and remover. its simple interface and excellent results have gained the program acclaim over the past five years, including a recent monopoly on the no. 1 slot in's most popular list. we wouldn't download files without it, and apparently, neither would most of you.
8. skype buy from 3
here we get controversial. wireless carriers (read: at&-amp-amp-t) hate voice-over-ip programs. but it would be crystal clear that apple is on consumers’ sides and “thinks different” if they were to bless a skype client for the iphone.
9. realplayer buy from 2
ten years ago, the web was full of static content. the 1995 debut of realplayer changed all that. streaming audio and video in a free media player was a bold step forward into making the internet a viable entertainment platform, and realnetworks was there. today the software plays almost every media format, and the online music store sells tunes compatible with most mp3 players--even the ipod. realplayer hasn't always been at the head of the class, but it was there first, and it keeps adapting to the developing world of online media.
10. adobe acrobat reader buy from 1 A down vote will remove this item!
bridging the gap between print and internet publishing, adobe's portable document format (pdf) lets publishers distribute their articles, newsletters, and documentation online without worrying about formatting problems or unauthorized alterations. by giving away the acrobat reader early on, adobe helped create a nearly unassailable market position. if you want to read magazine archives or software manuals online, you need acrobat reader--as its nearly seven-year occupation of the most popular list can attest.
Score: 0

Anything missing above?? Add it!!

Recent Rankings:
little girl names little girl names
funniest sign edits funniest sign edits
albums of 2017 albums of 2017
sexiest news anchors sexiest news anchors
flavored sparkling waters flavored sparkling waters
funniest websites funniest websites

Members who Ranked downloads of the past 10 years:

Think you could improve this list?
Add something!