So far the most easily accessible program I've found is
Skyglobe (this link is just one of many - it is DOS-based and by an apparently defunct company so there are plenty of people distributing it on the web). It is great because it tells you precisely what's in the sky NOW. I'm new to the hobby and I located Orion with binoculars, confirming with Skyglobe. The only problem I have with it is when you switch to another window, Skyglobe seems to pause its keeping of time. A little annoying but otherwise an amazing app.
The only other one I've found worth noting so far is
Stellarium but it is uber-buggy. It crashed my laptop, and before it crashed it, slowed it down heaps. Couldn't even dim the screen. But what it does (edit: when it's working) is simply excellent - check it out, if you haven't already.
Do you have any software that you can recommend for beginners? DOS-based stuff would be great. Perhaps you know of something better than these two. Sharing is caring!
Also, are the pro apps like Starry Sky and TheSky any good? ($$$)
- DSB