9 Apps You Can't Live Without

Food, water, shelter…software? On an existential level, you really can live without the applications you love. But, as the rabbi in the old joke says, “You call that living?” To settle the argument (or actually start it) over which software is truly necessary to our day-to-day function, Ranker.com is inviting users to weigh in on its list of essential software. You probably could have predicted that a couple of Google innovations would be riding high, but it may surprise you to find out which ones dominate. And while you might have guessed that Microsoft Office made the cut, don’t assume that popular sentiment sides with the most recent version. Ranker.com is a site dedicated to teasing out superlatives within the worlds of film, TV, music, games, sports, automobiles, books and, of course, technology; it claims more than two million monthly unique users. The list is a moving target, given that new votes may be cast every day; to view the most recent version, or cast your own vote,click here.