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Every week we pose a simple, focused question to the Lifehacker readership about a specific topic: Which is best? From netbooks and malware removal to home servers and wallpaper, here's a look back at the most popular Hive Five topics of 2009.
The Hive Five asks the question "Which is best?" in a variety of topics covering hardware, software, and sometimes even a combination of the two. Although sometimes it's easy to predict the winner—Ubuntu has had its share of wins, to be sure—the real value in the Hive Five isn't actually its ability to elevate a single winner to a pedestal but to highlight all the great options that are out there.
Between the four runners up in each Hive Five and the other options highlighted in the hundreds of comments on both the Hive Five Call for Contenders and the actual Hive Five every week, it's easy to discover new things. If ever you're not sold on the winner of any Hive Five always make sure to read over the comments and see if any of them tip you off to a new and awesome product you'd never heard of.
Five Best Netbooks
Some months have elapsed since we asked you which netbook was best, but the newer models of the winner and runners up in that Hive Five are still the forerunners in the netbook market.
Five Best Malware Removal Tools
Nobody likes having their machine laden down with malware. Check out this Hive Five to find great applications for keeping things running smooth and malware free.
Best Home Server Software
Media files, data synchronization, and remote backups, oh my! Home computing has advanced to a point where it's practical to run your own home server, and we're running down the five best tools for the job.
Five Best Linux Distributions
There are many, many Linux distributions, and a lot of unique reasons to like them. Read on to see which open-source operating systems inspired our readers to provide our biggest Hive Five response to date.
Five Best Wallpaper Sites
Nobody likes staring at a boring desktop when they fire up their computer every morning. Keep your wallpaper fresh with the five most popular sites Lifehacker readers use to satisfy their wallpaper needs.
Five Best Free Data Recovery Tools
The best way to recover from unexpected data loss is to be properly prepared. With one of the following tools on hand, you'll always be ready to save your data from the Reaper.
Six Best Video Editing Applications
You want to be the supreme ruler of your own virtual cutting room? Better break out the checkbook—your film-chopping powers aren't going to come cheaply.
Five Best Web Browsers
It's probably the most important and debated piece of software on the modern computer. See how your fellow readers get around the net, and vote for your favorite web browser.
Six Best MP3 Tagging Tools
A well tagged MP3 collection makes everything from organization to playback easier. Keep reading for a closer look at your fellow readers' favorite tools for cleaning up their MP3 tags in this Hive Five.
Five Best Antivirus Applications
Computer viruses are increasingly sophisticated and pervasive. If you can't afford to run your computer without some sort of antivirus software installed, check out these five popular options to protect your PC.
Five Best Live CDs
Live CDs (and DVDs) are versatile tools, allowing you to boot into an operating system without installing anything to your hard drives. Let's take a closer look at the five most popular live CDs.
Five Best Disk Defragmenters
Your computer is a busy beaver, rapidly accessing and utilizing files all in the name of bringing you what you want, when you want it. Sometimes it needs a little help tidying up, and that's where these five disk defragmenters come in.
Five Best Portable Applications
Whether you got a shiny new flash drive over the holidays or your old thumb drive is looking for a new lease on life, pack it full of goodness with these five killer portable applications.
Five Best Instant Messengers
Instant messaging has become so ubiquitous, an entire generation of internet users is probably unaware there was ever life without it. Check out the following five most popular instant messengers to to help you communicate across networks and the world.
Five Best Free System Restore Tools
Backing up data is a great way to minimize losses after a computing catastrophe. But what about restoring your actual system right away? Here are the five most popular reader choices.
Five Best People-Search Engines
Need to do a little online detective work? Track down anyone from long lost schoolmates to the new friend whose number you've lost with this assortment of powerful people-search engines.
Five Best System Tray Applications
The Windows system tray can be so much more than a parking lot for programs you don't want cluttering up your task bar. Read on to see the five most popular tray tools readers can't live without.
Five Best Online Backup Tools
Local backup is a useful and necessary part of securing your data against catastrophe, but with the advent of broadband and inexpensive online storage, you've got little reason to not back up critical files to the cloud as well.
Five Best PDF Readers
Adobe's free PDF reader has long been a standard for handling its extremely popular document format, but you aren't limited to using it to view your PDF files. Let's take a look at five of the most popular PDF readers.
Five Best Video Players
We've come a long way since animated GIFs and video-game-style MIDI files were considered cutting edge computer-provided A/V entertainment. Take advantage of today's high-quality video with one of these five most popular video players.
Hive Five: Five Best Mind Mapping Applications
Mind mapping is a great way to add structure to brainstorming sessions and visualize your ideas. Check out the applications your fellow readers use to do their best brainstorming.
Five Best Windows Task Manager Alternatives
The Windows Task Manager is a functional but basic tool for keeping an eye on what your computer's up to. If you want to go beyond the built-in tool and for more in depth information and control, check out these five alternatives.
Six Best Portable Operating Systems
Why restrict yourself to merely carrying around your data on a thumb drive? Take your entire operating system on your flash drive with the excellent portable operating systems you'll find inside this week's Hive Five.
Five Best Portable Apps Suites
Once upon a time, easy remote computing was a pipe dream, now people routinely carry gigs of data around on flash drives smaller than a modest pack of chewing gum. Manage your apps and data with these portable application suites.
Five Best Virtual-Desktop Managers
Long before multiple monitors were popular (or financially feasible), there were virtual desktops—applications that allow you to swap your entire workspace with another for easy compartmentalization of your work. Here's a look at five of the most popular virtual-desktop managers.
Five Best Application Docks
Remember the days of digging through folders of shortcuts and menus to launch applications? These days many users prefer customizable, attractive docks for launching and keeping track of their favorite apps. Here's a look at five of the most popular docks.
Five Best Time-Tracking Applications
Where does the time go? Whether you need to know for billing purposes or just want a better idea of how your work day is split up, you can always answer that question with a good time-tracking application.
Five Best Software Update Tools
Rather than wait around for your software to notify you of updates (let's face it, a lot of applications never will), these five handy tools keep an eye on your apps, alert you when an update's available, and streamline the updating process.
Six Best Exercise Planning and Tracking Tools
Technology and exercise make an excellent pair; you can now track, plan, and graph your workouts more easily than ever. We're here to take a look at six of the most popular tools for the job.
Five Best Alternative File Copiers
If you do any serious file copying on a Windows system, you'll quickly discover that there are substantial limitations to the default file copier. Ease your file copying frustrations with these five alternative copiers.
Which is Your Favorite Hive Five Topic from 2009?(polls)
Have a favorite Hive Five topic from 2009 that wasn't highlighted here? Let's hear about it in the comments. If you have a topic you'd love us to cover in 2010, make sure to send an email with your suggestion to tips @ lifehacker.com with "Hive Five" in the subject line so we can add it to our list.
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