here are a few i use often
im: pidgin great alternative to trillian and is open source
multimedia : mpc with k-lite mega codec pack
password manager : roboform
p2p : utorrent
what speaker exactly are you planning to buy???
you mentioned altec lansing 2.1 but unless you can get hold of a mx5021 dont go for it....
i recently bought an edifier c3 and am pretty satisfied with the sound...you should consider it an option
hey i bought a creative insprise 2.1 speakers about an year back....cost me 1600rs then...
model number m2600
sound quality is pretty decent for a speaker of this price range
has a bass control behind the sub-woofer and a wired volume conrol remote