An article by Andrew Ramadge at News.com.au highlights the often shocking price differences between download-only software for Australian customers and those buying elsewhere in the world. The most extreme examples come from games companies, which can charge up to five times as much, but Adobe and numerous security companies also come under the microscope.

Fortunately, asmany  Lifehacker readers are well aware, there are better ways to deal with most of these problems than trying to pretend you're downloading from Arizona. To keep your system secure, look no further than the five best antivirus solutions as selected by readers . And there's a huge range of options to handle your PDF creation, modification and reading needs for free.

Aussies paying five times more for software [News.com.au]

Windows only: Free, open-source application Copy Handler speeds up Windows file transfers up to seven times in addition to providing advanced features for copying and moving files, like pausing, resuming, and restarting transfers. Similar to previously mentioned TeraCopy, Copy Handler is a perfect tool for improving the default copy-and-move operations that your computer performs daily, especially if you're frequently moving large files. With optional integration directly with your normal copy-and-paste shortcuts and right-click menu, the app can even auto-resume transfers on error or on system restarts. Apart from all of that, Copy Handler is also wildly customisable and provides several different views depending on how much power you need for any given copy. Copy Handler is free, Windows only.

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All platforms: The Mozilla developers want to get the next Firefox milestone just right, so they've issued another release candidate for your testing pleasure. Firefox 3 RC2 includes bug fixes from RC1. If you haven't dipped your toes into the Firefox 3 pool, the RC2 water is warm—it's the most stable testing build they're likely to issue before the official release, which is on schedule to drop this month. Check out our complete field guide to testing Firefox 3. Firefox 3 RC 2 is a free download for all platforms, meant for willing testers only.

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Windows/Mac/Linux: Freeware application Deluge is a lightweight, cross-platform BitTorrent client. Aside from the standard BitTorrent functionality (you know, downloading), Deluge has a—dare I say—flood of great features for such a young client, including a web interface (like uTorrent and Transmission), full encryption, RSS support, and a plug-in system for adding even more functionality. In fact, if anything Deluge is an attempt at building a cross-platform BitTorrent client with the chops of the popular Windows-only uTorrent, and so far it looks promising. Deluge is free, open source, works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

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Web-based information manager MyGADs lets you create, share, and retrieve important bits of information like flight confirmation numbers, birthdays, phone numbers, and more. Store address books, calendars, tasks, and notes in personal or public "GADs" with text messages, instant messages, or using the web site. Need to remember Uncle Billy's birthday? Instant message it to your GAD. Forgot when it was? Ask your GAD. The interface is easy and conversational. Set GADs permissions so friends and family can edit and/or view your GAD (i.e., Mum sets the schedule, kids can check it.) Kind of like a lo-fi cross between Sandy and Google SMS, MyGADs isn't just limited to retrieving information you have already fed to it. Queries like "Weather in New York", "Population of Britain", or "Who is Albert Einstein" will return relevant answers from sites like Wikipedia or the national weather service, too.

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Windows only: X-Mouse Button Control, a free Windows mouse utility, is a highly-configurable tool that you set your extra mouse buttons, or even your standard set of three, to do all kinds of helpful tasks. Like the less-configurable X-Mouse Gizmo, you can add copy/paste functionality to a button, but you can also have a right rocker button perform a Print Screen capture, or set the two buttons to act as back and forward buttons only when Firefox is open. For those looking for more control over their pointers, X-Mouse Button Control is a powerful tweaking tool. X-Mouse Button Control is a free download for Windows systems only.

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Windows only: Robust backup utility AceBackup offers a host of features missing in most freeware backup apps, like file versioning, secure FTP, file-specific encryption, Windows shell integration, and backup compression. To set up a secure backup job in AceBackup, create a new project, select the files, choose the level of security, tell AceBackup where to put the files—local hard disk, network disk, CD/DVD, remote FTP, etc—and how often, and bam! You get automated, secure, local and remote backup nirvana that rivals the current Lifehacker favourite, Syncback SE. Ace Backup is a free download for Windows only.

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ISP Internode has added a local mirror of SourceForge, the repository for much of the open source goodness the world has to offer. This is good news for pretty much anyone downloading open source software locally, as it's bound to make things faster. It's doubly good news for Internode's own customers, as downloads from the mirror site are unmetered -- handy if you're constantly downloading new widgets and patches.

While most major ISPs offer various unmetered options (gaming and entertainment are the most common) software-centric choices like this are a bit rarer, especially on the open source side. If there's any other Aussie peering or mirroring arrangements you find especially handy, let us know in the comments.

Windows only: Outlook Duplicate Items Remover, a free Windows utility, does its namesake job pretty well, explains how it does it, and gives you the option of undoing its changes, making it a worthy tool for a tiring task. Simply install ODIR, activate it from Outlook's toolbar, and point it at a mail folder. The app finds anything it thinks might be a duplicate, then moves it into a marked sub-folder, which you can look through, back up, or simply delete. Easy enough, and much easier than brain-wracking filters or other such dupe-deleting methods. Outlook Duplicate Items Remover is a free download for Windows systems only.

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Apart from being the most useful application on my Mac, Quicksilver is also one of the most attractive. But that doesn't mean it can't be improved, either, and weblog MacApper has rounded up a few of the sexiest Quicksilver interfaces on the block. Aside from the eye candy, the other great thing about alternate interfaces is that many of them change the way you interact with Quicksilver—meaning that if you've never quite gotten the hang of Quicksilver, a new interface may be just the ticket. If you've got a favourite Quicksilver interface that you've been using, let's hear about it in the comments. If a new interface has you aching to dive into Quicksilver, check out our beginner's guide along with our many other Quicksilver guides.

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