Linux users have long been familiar with PuTTY but Windows users have had to wait longer to enjoy the benefits of this remarkably simple but effective program mainly because it's tricky to use.

PuTTY Tray however is an attempt to bring PuTTY to the masses with a range of huge interface improvements and an excellent GUI. As the developers say, PuTTY is a free implementation of Telnet and SSH for Windows & Unix platforms and it comes bundled with an XTERM emulator. This version of PuTTY is much more Windows friendly however allowing you to minimize to system tray and this includes as many sessions as you want. The program includes a tray icon which animates whenever a bell is received and this version allows the long overdue option of hyperlinking. As added bonus with PuTTY Tray over PUTTY is that it's so small, it can be carried around on a USB stick for use anywhere.

If you're using PuTTY Tray to monitor a server, you'll need it visible at all times which is why this version includes a "Display at all times" option. The one thing it could probably do with utilising however is tabs. If you've got several windows open, they soon fill up your task bar and adding tabs would make things a whole lot cleaner.

Fans of PuTTY cannot fail to be impressed by PuTTY Tray and the fact that this version is far more accessible, means it may well attract even more fans.