Freeware Freak

Vitrite - Free Windows 2000/XP Transparency Control

2005-12-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

It's not too often I find a choice piece of freeware and post it within ten minutes...

Vitrite allows total control of all open windows via a systray icon. Ctrl-Shift plus a number chooses between 10 different levels of transparency, and even more impressive is Vitrite's small memory footprint.

Download Vitrite

via Lifehacker

Gaim 2.0 Beta Released

2005-12-19T11:25:00.000-05:00

The massively awesome open source multi-instant message platform Gaim is now available in a tasty 2.0 beta flavor.

Minor changes to the interface layout, smooth scrolling, and a slew of other improvements indicate Gaim 2.0 is shaping out to be even better than the current stable version.

I've been using it for a couple days now and unless I run into a serious problem (none so far) I'll probably keep using this beta until 2.0 official is released.

Download Gaim 2.0 beta - Windows

Download Gaim 2.0 beta - gaim-2.0.0beta1.tar.gz

Download Gaim 2.0 beta - gaim-2.0.0beta1.tar.bz2

via linux edge/digg

VLC Media Player 0.8.4 Released

2005-12-01T13:55:00.000-05:00

Do I ever love finding a piece of freeware that takes over a lot of my various media activities!

I tried VLC media player a few months ago when it was a much rougher version and uninstalled it after a few hours of trying to use it. Solid intentions, but obviously still in need of improvement.

The latest version has a new, permanent home on my computer.

VLC can be used to play just about every digital video format, CD's, DVD's, VCD's, and you can also stream outbound content with it as a server.

I thought about transcribing the full list of platforms and operating systems that VLC is available for, but just click the link and see for yourself.

Download VLC Media Player

Mozilla Thunderbird - Free Cross Platform E-Mail Client

2005-11-30T15:39:00.000-05:00

Free Your Inbox With Mozilla Thunderbird

Did you know that the amount of junk e-mail you receive can be affected by which e-mail client you use?

Thunderbird, a free mail client from the Mozilla Foundation, is known for its tireless efforts to provide you with a fast, safe, and productive e-mail experience.

Manage junk e-mail with intelligent filters, customize the complete look and feel of the interface, read RSS feeds, HTML mail support, quick search, smart address books, and easy import tools make using Thunderbird a snap. A large amount of free extensions can also adapt Thunderbird to meet any demand.

Available for Windows, Mac OS X, and a variety of other operating systems.

Mozilla Thunderbird Information

Mozilla Thunderbird Download Page

As a bonus, Thunderbird 1.5 RC1 (release candidate 1) has been made available for public download. This preview version of Thunderbird (intended for computer professionals and experts) includes features that will be found in the next full release of the program such as as-you-type spell checking.

Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 RC1 Information/Download

Official Del.icio.us Firefox Extension Released

2005-11-29T10:34:00.000-05:00

Del.icio.us, the social/community bookmarks site, has released an official Firefox extension to help post, search, and easily access your del.icio.us bookmarks.

I'm a more recent del.icio.us convert, and in just one bookmark post I can tell you this extension blows all other bookmarklets and extensions out of the water (excluding perhaps the Flock browser).

Highly recommended for del.icio.us users, and, as usual, free.

Del.icio.us Firefox Extension Page

Paint.NET - Free Photoshop Replacement for Windows

2005-11-28T13:57:00.000-05:00

Paint.NET is a free .NET-based (you should've known that from the name) image editing program along the lines of Photoshop and the GIMP. Some GIMP users have complained that the GIMP interface is hard to figure out (some say checkout GIMPshop, but I never got it to run on my machine).

Like the other two previously mentioned titles, Paint.NET uses layers, has an unlimited undo/redo history, special effect filters, and all the usual paintbrush/pen/masking tools.

Open Source, Windows XP/2000/2003/Vista only.

Download Paint.net

via Download Squad

Symantec Kills Sygate Firewall

2005-11-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

SCREW YOU SYMANTEC!

That's right, I said it.

Here at Freeware Freak we try and avoid too much in the way of opinion, preferring instead to simply point you to the latest and greatest freeware titles.

But this is too much.

Sygate Firewall, which I have long recommended as the best in freeware firewall solutions, has been killed off by Symantec, less than three months after they acquired Sygate and all its holdings.

I'll be running my copy of SPF as long as possible, but if you need some alternatives here are some suggestions:

Zone Alarm

8Signs

Tiny Personal Firewall

Jetico

Google Analytics Available

2005-11-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

Google Analytics, a web service which can handle all site traffic info for your web site or blog, has gone live as of today. Google purchased this functionality from another company who was charging up to $200 per month for it, and has made it free.

The servers are taking a beating today as it just launched, but once it's up and running freely I will be using it to replace statcounter on Freeware Freak and J*Blog.

Sign-up for a Google Analytics Account

Thunderbird 1.5 RC1

2005-11-07T10:13:00.000-05:00

I've been running Firefox 1.5 RC1 (release candidate 1, meaning this version is very close to a full, stable release) for about a week now, and I've been very impressed with the improvements and ease-of-upgrade path compared to previous releases of Firefox.

This morning Download Squad pointed out that Thunderbird is also out in 1.5 RC1 form, and now includes in-line as you type spell checking. As we all know in-line spell checking is the best thing since man discovered fire.

Theme Recommendation: I've been using Littlefox and Littlebird from Alfred's Themes for years now, and for the moment the direct link to his site seems to be the only way to install the latest version into Thunderbird 1.5 RC1.

Download Firefox 1.5 RC1

Download Thunderbird 1.5 RC1

Download LittleMozilla visual themes

Firefox Extension Spotlight: IE Tab

2005-11-05T13:10:00.000-05:00

IE Tab is a Firefox extension that allows you view pages with Internet Explorer inside a Firefox tab. Unfortunately there is no Mac version yet, but this is a must-have for Windows users.

Download IE Tab

Weather Watcher 5.6 Available

2005-11-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

The all new Weather Watcher 5.6 is now available from Singer's Creations.

As you can see from the screen shot, the default skin now contains much more information in a slightly larger layout.

My favorite addition is the moon phases. That way I can tell what days to not drive as much (I swear the full moon causes crazy were-drivers to come out).

Download Weather Watcher 5.6
Freeware - Windows 98, ME, 2000, NT, XP

Inkscape - Freeware Open Source Cross Platform SVG Editor

2005-10-30T14:38:00.000-05:00

We cross the Weekend OS X Freeware Marathon finish line with Inkscape, which not only works on OS X but just about every modern OS.

Inkscape is a free, open source, cross platform SVG (scalable vector graphic) editor. Think of it as Photoshop (or my favorite freeware photoshop replacement, the Gimp) for graphics which never lose their clarity or become distorted (this be the fabled magic of SVG).

Download Inkscape

Galerie - Freeware OS X Gallery Generator

2005-10-30T14:20:00.000-05:00

Onward with the Weekend OS X Freeware Marathon!

Galerie is an OS X application that builds web galleries out of all the major OS X media types. Generate the gallery locally on your computer using quicktime movies, iPhoto pictures, or other file types and upload it to your site with a FTP client. It even includes visitor counters and comment functionality.

Download Galerie

FireStarter FX - Freeware OS X Advanced CD Burning

2005-10-30T14:09:00.000-05:00

Continuing the weekend OS X marathon...

FireStarter FX is a freeware advanced CD burning application. Based entirely in Cocoa, FireStarter seems to be on the same level as any of the more expensive Mac CD burning options.

See the product page for the full feature list (and it's big!).

Download FireStarter FX

Dockyard - Freeware OS X Dock Switcher

2005-10-30T13:57:00.000-05:00

This is a must have for any dock-loving OS X user.

Dockyard allows you to setup multiple docks and switch between them depending on what you're doing. Keep one dock for home, another for work, one for image editing, another for sound editing, make as many as you want.

You will need a program like Menu Extra Enabler first as OS X does not allow third-party top menu extensions like this one by default.

Download Dockyard

Folding@Home - Fight Cancer With A Screen Saver

2005-10-30T13:47:00.000-05:00

Folding@Home can best be described by this snippet from their web site:

What are proteins and why do they "fold"? Proteins are biology's workhorses -- its "nanomachines." Before proteins can carry out their biochemical function, they remarkably assemble themselves, or "fold." The process of protein folding, while critical and fundamental to virtually all of biology, remains a mystery. Moreover, perhaps not surprisingly, when proteins do not fold correctly (i.e. "misfold"), there can be serious effects, including many well known diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease, and many cancers and cancer-related syndromes.

What does Folding@Home do? Folding@Home is a distributed computing project which studies protein folding, misfolding, aggregation, and related diseases. We use novel computational methods and large scale distributed computing, to simulate timescales thousands to millions of times longer than previously achieved. This has allowed us to simulate folding for the first time, and to now direct our approach to examine folding related disease.

If you're an Engadget reader like me you can join Team Engadget (team # 39227 in the application configuration), and if you have a spare machine cluster or two you can catch-up in the rankings and win a Tokyo Flash watch.

ColorBlender - Free Web-Based Color Scheme Builder

2005-10-27T15:41:00.000-04:00

While I no longer get a pay check for building web sites, I remember that one of the worst parts of when I did get that check was coming up with a color scheme. Choosing five to eight colors seems simple until you actually try to do it, especially if there's a customer looking over your shoulder who is very concerned about their web site.

ColorBlender.com builds excellent color schemes using a variety of methods, the simplest of which is just to pick a single color and let it do the rest. Easy export options, automatic RGB and HTML color codes, and a slew of other features make this tool a must for any web developer.

Free!

via Lifehacker

WavePad - Freeware MP3 Editor

2005-10-26T15:59:00.000-04:00

UPDATE 10/30/05:

I recently picked up a new cell phone and based on several recommendations I started using WavePad to create MP3 ringers (expect a guide on this soon). This program is also freeware and has much more advanced options for output and editing.

Definitely recommended over the vaguely-named application below.

Download WavePad

Continuing the Freeware Freak tradition of applications that have ridiculously simple names...

After I ripped an old CD to MP3 today (ripping can often help recover tracks that conventional CD players skip on, especially if you're using a decent ripper like CDex) I noticed a few tracks had a problem: During the ripping process the damaged surface of the disc caused CDex to jump back to a previous point in the track which was added to the end of the MP3 file. Otherwise the tracks were perfect. Take a closer look at the screenshot and you can actually see in the wave analysis where it takes place near the far right.

Simple problem, simple solution. This freeware MP3 editor/recorder (which, I'm not kidding, is called "MP3 Editor - Recorder") allows you to do simple highlight operations (which was all I needed) and throws in some more advanced features like direct recording, wave translation, effect processing, and accommodations for other popular audio file types like WAV, OGG, and CDA tracks.

Several upgrades are available if you need even more features and like the interface.

Download MP3 Editor - Recorder

Flocker - Convert Firefox Extensions To Flock

2005-10-26T12:31:00.000-04:00

Flocker is a small application courtesy of frobba.com that converts Firefox extension xpi files to (hopefully) Flock friendly extensions. Not guaranteed to work. Some extensions will work flawlessly, others have small glitches, many don't work at all.

As time passes this will become an unnecessary tool as coders update their extensions for Flock, but if you're itching to have mouse gestures back in your browser after trying Flock this is the only route to do that at the moment.

Flock Test Post

2005-10-21T12:02:00.000-04:00

This is a test post using the blog tool in Flock.

Flock Beta Available!

2005-10-21T10:55:00.000-04:00

Flock, the Web 2.0 browser developed by the same folks who brought us FireFox, is now available in beta.

Like FireFox, Flock is open source so you can download the source code and tinker around to your heart's content.

Download Flock Beta

UPDATE: After spending some time with Flock I think there's really only a couple reasons to use it at this point, especially considering the essential functions (i.e. Web Browsing!) are just like FireFox.

1. Bloggers. The blog integration looks promising but I can't make it work with Freeware Freak or my personal blog. Hopefully this will be fixed in a future release/update.

2. Flickr users. Flock makes it easy to drop flickr pictures into a blog post. Neat, but not necessarily a killer-app function. Really only saves you a few clicks compared to using FireFox.

3. Delicious users. I recently lost my bookmarks so I've been using del.icio.us a lot more lately. Flock can handle local bookmarks, but it integrates itself with your del.icio.us account. I got this part to work with no problems.

To be honest, the only reason to download Flock at this point is to play with it. The current version is basically FireFox tuned to work with the above services.

UPDATE: I just read this Wired article about Flock's release. A quote from the article given by one of the developers:

"We are not trying to do Firefox with five more features. We are trying to solve a very specific problem -- yet it's a problem commonly experienced by many users," says Decrem."

A couple thoughts on this comment:

1. At this point, "Firefox with five more features" is EXACTLY what Flock is. It has the potential to be what he's talking about, but right now it isn't.

2. If they honestly don't want Firefox with five more features then they probably should've waited a little longer to release a public version.

Yet another UPDATE:

I finally got blogger to work with Flock. When entering the URL be sure to put a / at the end of the URL. The whole time I was entering http://jasonrallen.blogspot.com and it wouldn't work. As soon as I tried http://jasonrallen.blogspot.com/ it went through without a hitch.

Scrub That Drive With WinDirStat

2005-10-19T19:32:00.000-04:00

WinDirStat - Freeware Open Source Disk Clean-up (Windows)

I just freed up a couple gigs of hard drive space with this very handy app. WinDirStat analyzes your target drive, folder, or other location and turns it into a visual map of the contents.

Very useful for finding old, large files you no longer need, especially if they were left by uninstalled applications.

Google Reader

2005-10-07T15:10:00.000-04:00

Hot off the Web 2.0 Conference news wire:

Will it tempt me away from Bloglines and Sage? Will Kira have O'Brian's baby? Will Snake Eyes rescue Duke from the evil clutches of Cobra?

Find out tomorrow, same time, same channel.

UPDATE: No, yes, and yes, respectively.

Meebo - Freeware Multi-Platform IM Client

2005-10-07T12:40:00.000-04:00

Meebo is a browser-based IM client that connects to AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, Jabber, and Google Talk IM networks. If your employer has locked out all connections excluding those on port 80 (default web traffic port) you can use Meebo to get online when the normal IM applications won't work. This type of blocking is usually accomplished using a firewall, but Meebo allows you to get around it.

Meebo is still in alpha, so it's a very early version that is basically still being tested. It may not be the smoothest solution out there, but if you're looking to IM and can't use the usual routes on your computer Meebo will get the job done.

Meebo Home Page (no download needed)

FasterFox - Extension Based FireFox Tweaking

2005-10-07T12:29:00.000-04:00

There's been a lot of coverage of the various tweaks you can make to firefox using the about:config option, but the FasterFox extension makes turbo-charging your browser even easier.

FasterFox allows you to manage several advanced browsing features in FireFox without having to use the cumbersome about:config environment, which is very similar to editing the registry in Windows. FasterFox can change prefetching parameters, HTTP pipelining, cache tweaks, and rendering tweaks; all of which combine to make your copy of FireFox perform faster than ever before.

To demonstrate its effectiveness, FasterFox includes a status bar based timer that shows you exactly how long it's taking to load and render each page.

It is highly recommended that you check out the FasterFox options after you install the extension. You will find these options in the regular firefox Tools -> Options menu as opposed to the usual extensions options button.

For my own setup, I went custom and turned off prefetching, enabled pipelining, and left the cache and rendering tweaks at the recommended settings.

FasterFox Installation Page

CoolMon - Freeware System Resource Monitor

2005-10-06T16:16:00.000-04:00

CoolMon is a Windows system monitor that tracks a lot of different stats including CPU usage, network traffic, RAM, hard drive space, and many others.

Like Firefox CoolMon uses an extension architecture so you can customize the application even more. CoolMon can also run in a server mode, and can be used to monitor several computers at once from a single station (ideal for network admins watching server clusters).

CoolMon Download

Ditto

2005-10-02T02:08:00.000-04:00

Ditto is an open source clipboard replacement for Windows.

Pretty straightforward: Copy plain text AND images, keep multiple entries, nice interface, and the ability to sync clipboards between multiple computers.

Download Ditto

Disable Active Desktop in Windows XP

2005-10-02T02:02:00.000-04:00

Via this fantastic Tom's Hardware article on tweaking Windows and the many freeware options out there comes this tip on how to disable the Active Desktop in Windows XP:

To open the registry editor, go to "Start, Run", type regedit and hit "OK". Find the entry "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" and create the DWORD values ForceActiveDesktopOn and NoActiveDesktop. To do so, right-click into the right-hand window and select "New, DWORD". Then change the binary value of the registry key called "ForceActiveDesktopOn" to 0 and that of "NoActiveDesktop" to 1. Now quit the program and restart your computer.

As always, be sure to backup your registry before attempting any tweaks. And if you can't figure out how to do that, you probably shouldn't be attempting this in the first place.

Gmail Delete Button via Greasemonkey

2005-10-02T01:49:00.000-04:00

Using the all-singing all-dancing wonder extension Greasemonkey with Firefox and this little user-script you can get something which all of us gmail users wish was standard: A delete button in the Inbox.

All this really saves you is a couple mouse actions (check the box next to the message you want to delete, choose Move To Trash in the drop-down menu) but any power user will tell you that every mouse action saved is a mouse action earned... or something like that.

Gmail Delete Button - Greasemonkey User Script Info Page

SkiFree is Back!

2005-09-30T15:26:00.000-04:00

via Metafilter

I remember when the various households in my family started getting computers. As Windows 3.1 machines trickled into our mid-west homes this young man spent a whole lot of time playing SkiFree, the closest thing to an action game you could find preloaded on Windows at the time. Hell, even though it's not included with Windows anymore it probably still is the closest thing to an action game they ever pre-installed.

http://ski.ihoc.net/ is a nice little one-pager web site that has a historical overview of the game, background information, fan fiction (wha???), and (most importantly) a new 32-bit version of SkiFree compatible with modern versions of Windows.

simul-posted on J*Blog

Manage Those Fonts!

2005-09-30T10:53:00.000-04:00

Every computer comes with dozens if not hundreds of fonts pre-installed and waiting for you as soon as you turn it on for the first time. Unfortunately most people interact with their fonts through very limited interfaces that make picking a font difficult if not frustrating.

If you find yourself spending a lot of time browsing through your fonts looking for just the right one, you should look into downloading a free font manager.

Font Xplorer Lite is a freeware font manager for Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP/NT4. You can remove fonts, copy fonts, compare fonts, print out a full character map of a selected font, and repair fonts with a built in repair wizard tool. If you enjoy Font Xplorer Lite the more powerful full version is also available for only $24.95.

Download Font Xplorer Lite
http://www.moonsoftware.com/freeware.asp

FontExplorer X is a full featured freeware font manager for MacOS X very much like Font Xplorer Lite, but it includes a built-in font store very similar to the iTunes music store. FontExplorer X requires MacOS X 10.3.9 or later, but earlier versions are still available at the developer's web site for older OS versions.

Download FontExplorer X
http://www.linotype.com/fontexplorerX

Minor site updates

2005-09-25T20:20:00.000-04:00

I added the now official link bar/icon/image to the right side navigation bar, and there is also a new "subscribe with Bloglines" button towards the bottom.

FF Link Button, Round 2

2005-09-25T00:49:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Adam Kalsey's online button maker, this snazzy new Freeware Freak button is now available.

Please use it on your page and spread the freeware love!

Stickies - Free Windows Sticky Notes

2005-09-25T00:28:00.000-04:00

For some people, sticky notes are indispensable. Stickies is a .NET based program that gives you simple, no frills sticky notes.

A few simple options are included, but the program does one basic thing and it does it well.

As a small review point, the only disappointing thing about this program is the memory load. It was running at just under 9,000K on my task manager when it was sitting idle in the system tray. Not a huge deal, but simple applications should have simple memory loads.

If you're looking for a nice looking sticky note program it's still hard to beat this one.

Alt-Tab Thingy

2005-09-22T16:30:00.000-04:00

A variation on a time tested theme: Microsoft tries to make a utility and somebody else does it better. A couple years ago Microsoft released the PowerToy Suite for Windows XP, and with it they released a new alt-tab tool. Sadly it was very underwhelming, but it had a good idea: Actually show a preview of the window as you alt-tab through the list.

Alt-Tab Thingy modifies the Windows Alt-Tab feature (keyboard shortcut for switching between open applications and windows) and gives you a preview window along with many, many other features including ghost windows, minimize windows to the systray, mouse wheel support, auto off, and more.

Alt-Tab Thingy is adware and spyware-free, and can be downloaded at Download.com.

FF Link Button, Round 1

2005-09-21T16:37:00.000-04:00

Round 1 attempting to create a Freeware Freak link button. I meant to make it 80 x 15 but I forgot to check the final size and this one is 110 x 15.

Updates to follow.

Unlocker - Windows "File In Use" Error Removal

2005-09-21T11:03:00.000-04:00

Any Windows user who has spent time trying to clean-up their hard drive has probably run across one or more of these error messages:

Cannot delete file: Access is denied

There has been a sharing violation.

The source or destination file may be in use.

The file is in use by another program or user. Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

There are a lot of programs out there which force Windows to trash files that give these errors when you attempt to copy, move, or delete them. The bonus to using Unlocker is that it shows you what programs are using the file (i.e. which program has locked the file) before it removes the protection.

Please note that using this program in the wrong place can cause more harm than good to your computer (I'm sure some poor fool has used it to try and move explorer.exe). Experienced users only.

Download Unlocker

via Download Squad

The GIMP

2005-09-21T10:50:00.000-04:00

GIMP is short for "GNU Image Manipulation Program". The aim of the GIMP project is to create a free, open source answer to popular photo/image programs like Photoshop and PaintShopPro.

I switched to the GIMP a few months ago after I tired of running an old version of Photoshop. Recent updates to Photoshop have made it very different from the program I originally learned, so I figured if I had to learn an update I might as well learn a whole new program.

Like Firefox the GIMP uses a plug-in architecture so you can download add-ins to the program for free online. All the tools you're used to in Photoshop are there, and the masking interface is essentially the same.

The GIMP runs on Unix/Linux, Windows, and MacOS X. Downloads for all platforms are available here (scroll down to "Binaries for various platforms").

ExplorerXP - Free File Explorer Replacement

2005-09-19T18:16:00.000-04:00

I just found my new file manager.

ExplorerXP is a freeware replacement for the built-in Windows file explorer.

I just started using it, but so far I'm already sure I'm going to stick with it. It loads faster via a quick launch icon than the regular explorer does after pressing Win+E. Move file to folder and Copy file to folder also operate faster than the built-in Windows tools in 2000 or XP. It also includes a column for folder size, something which is sorely lacking in Windows.

My only complaints:

- You can't minimize the program to the system tray.

- It'd be nice if it could include built-in archive handling.

ExplorerXP runs on Windows 2000 or XP and can be downloaded at http://www.explorerxp.com/.

Cool Text - Easy Logos

2005-09-19T17:48:00.000-04:00

Cool Text: Logo Generator and Web Design tool

My first job in the computer industry (pre-Internet economy crash circa 1999) was as a web developer. Anyone who knows a bit of HTML can tell you there are varying levels of web design, ranging from spending hours fixing a one-pixel alignment problem to those who prefer WYSIWYG editors like Frontpage (*shudder*).

My personal favorite was always Dreamweaver, but for this task I wanted something simple, easy, slick, and oh yeah - made online for free.

A quick search on Google for "online logo maker" yielded Cool Text, a site I've seen before but never tried to use. I wanted a logo for FreewareFreak (my freeware blog) so I decided to give it a shot.

This is the result:

The entire process is implemented using javascript and a little bit of active server stuff, but it was very easy to do and took literally less than 5 minutes. The site uses a queue system so you may have to wait for your rendering job to complete after you finish your design, but I had one person in front of me and the job took maybe 30 seconds total.

So if you've got the skills but not the drive, Cool Text is a good option :)

Simul-posted on J*Blog

PDF to TXT Converter

2005-09-15T15:39:00.000-04:00

I read a lot of ebooks on my palm. While I still prefer reading a good paperback, there's just something about being able to carry around a few dozen books in one little package that I can't pass up.

I'm usually only one or two steps ahead of my reading, meaning I only have one or two ebooks I haven't read waiting on the palm at a time. Yesterday I finished reading a piece of short fiction from Futurismic so I needed something new.

I found a book I wanted on my palm, but it only came in a full PDF format meant for regular computer/laptop reading or printing. I really don't want to try and run the Acrobat Reader palm application (my palm is trusty but old), so I spent some time today looking for a freeware PDF converter.

"Free PDF Text Reader" is the result. A free version from a company offering more powerful applications, this application is simple, guaranteed spyware free, and it translates PDF to TXT quickly. A 125 page PDF file took approximately 8 seconds to convert on my P4 2Ghz machine.

Wntipcfg for Win2000/XP

2005-09-12T14:52:00.000-04:00

If there's one utility that dial-up support technicians in call centers use more than any other it's probably winipcfg. Type it into a run command prompt (Win+R, keyboard shortcuts rule folks) and you get instant IP information for any network connection. Very handy for troubleshooting cable modem connection problems to see if the problem lies with the NIC card (169.x.x.x address), the modem (192.x.x.x usually, unless you're on a router), or the service provider (you get a valid IP address but still can't get online).

In Windows 2000 and XP this information is only available via a command prompt. Both routes have their advantages and disadvantages from the call center rep's perspective, but in a lot of cases this is a sorely missed utility for 2000/XP users.

Microsoft has made the utility available for download on their site. Dial-up users don't need to worry though, it's only 152KB.

via Download Squad

Genius 3 - Internet Toolkit

2005-09-06T16:43:00.000-04:00

When I was a tech support call center rep this application was indispensable. Genius3 is a tray-based program which contains every internet tool you could possibly need (short of a malicious port scanner, if you're into that kind of thing). Best of all, every single tool can be assigned a hot key (for example: Win+W for Whois).

Genius3 can check your e-mail, download news, ping, ftp, http, POP cleaner, password generator, note utility, keep-alive for dial-up... the list of features goes on and on.

Originally Genius was shareware, but after the project became too much to deal with the developer released it under the GPL and posted a license key on his web site that anyone can use.

While Genius definitely still has bugs, it is the only collection of internet utilities this large I've ever seen rolled into a single application.

http://www.indiesoft.com <- Genius3 Download/Free registration info

Synaptics Touch-Pad Fun

2005-09-06T16:08:00.000-04:00

If you use a laptop with a touch-pad mouse, chances are the touch-pad was built by Synaptics. Not only are they responsible for the majority of laptop mouse interfaces, they also build the ubiquitous iPod scroll wheel. But did you know that you can turn that touch-pad into a musical instrument?

Most people don't know that Synaptics seems to have a sense of humor. Not content to merely create highly accurate touch interfaces, they've released several applications over the years which allow you to have a little fun with your touch-pad.

You can download a Theremin for your laptop, a drum machine, a sketch program, and a "TouchPadSays" game in the spirit of Simon Says, all freeware.

Synaptics Touch-Pad Utilities Download Page

Creating soundtracks for 1950's era sci-fi films was never easier.

Tray It - Minimize Windows To The Systray

2005-08-31T12:36:00.000-04:00

Tray It via Lifehacker

Tray It is a tiny (112k) application which allows windows to be minimized to the system tray (see screenshot) instead of standard task bar buttons next to your Start menu.

If you have a lot of applications that you leave running throughout the day but don't always have to have them open this is a great way to keep your desktop organized and save some space.

Snippy - Tray-Based Screenshots

2005-08-30T13:29:00.000-04:00

As you can tell by every post on this page, screenshots are important. They can be used for many different things, and there are many different ways of getting them. The easiest is the PrtScrn button on most Windows keyboards (yes, that button does something folks). Pressing PrtScrn takes a snapshot of whatever is on your screen and copies it to the clipboard. Open Paint, Photoshop, Gimp, or any other image editing program and choose Edit - Paste. Instant screenshot.

This process creates a screenshot of your entire screen, and based on what you're doing you may only want a certain section.

Snippy makes this easier by letting you create a mask around what you want. It copies the highlighted region to the clipboard and also includes export features to save the image in a variety of popular formats.

Snippy is primarily meant for Windows XP but can be run on any Windows computer that has GDI+ installed. See the Snippy download page for more information.

Lego Factory

2005-08-30T13:16:00.000-04:00

I remember the first time I walked into an actual Lego store. Not a store carrying legos, but the full-fledged Lego Store selling the best of the best and other lego items I never knew existed.

While I was impressed by the huge amounts of building sets they had (as well as many copies of the largest and most expensive kits), it was the custom bins containing every lego piece known to man that really made me realize where I was. For serious lego builders, Lego Stores are like craft shops. Need a white 3x4 brick? Not a problem. They'll even custom order pieces for you.

Lego Factory takes this idea one step further by allowing you to create you own custom build plan with a snazzy 3D interface. The application is downloadable for both Windows and Mac computers, and after building your model you can purchase all the pieces you need to build your new Lego masterpiece.

Lego Factory

Sygate Personal Firewall

2005-08-29T12:27:00.000-04:00

If you just finished formatting your computer what's the first application you install? If it's a computer connected via broadband to the internet it should be a decent firewall, especially if it's your home machine and there isn't a hardware firewall built-in to your router.

(If you have no idea what any of this means, chances are you need to install a firewall, so keep reading)

Windows XP SP-2 includes some important improvements over the original XP firewall, but a lot of users (like me) want something a little more flexible and customizable. Sygate offers many products including an excellent professional package, but their free personal firewall is top-notch.

Like most freeware applications that I recommend to family and friends, Sygate Personal Firewall is simple on the surface but powerful under the hood. Through the menus and right-click context menus you'll find advanced features usually seen in more advanced firewalls like back tracing, service filtering, and packet information.

If you are a Windows XP user be sure to disable the built-in firewall before installing a new one. To make sure you're fully protected, download the installation file while the old firewall is still on, disconnect from the internet entirely (this means disconnecting your ethernet or wireless connection, not just shutting your browser), disable the built-in Windows firewall, install the new one, and reconnect to the internet.

Download Sygate Personal Firewall

Safarp - Add/Remove Programs Alternative

2005-08-28T12:24:00.000-04:00

Safarp via Freeware4PC

Safarp, short for "Small And Fast Add/Remove Programs" does away with the long load time most Windows users see when they try to uninstall a program. While the new Add/Remove Programs panel seen in Windows 2000 and now Windows XP added a lot to the process, it also added a lot of new information to load and increased loading times.

Safarp simplifies the process via customization. You can choose whether or not you want program icons in the list (I left it off and it did save a lot of time), and you can sort by columns to make disk clean-up easier. Safarp also includes a fast mode, which only retrieves the minimum amount of information necessary to uninstall, further decreasing load time. It also includes an option to include Safarp in your Control Panel.

If you're looking for a quick and easy solution to uninstalling then Safarp is what you're looking for.

Download Safarp

Google Talk Review

2005-08-27T23:38:00.000-04:00

Google Talk

I downloaded the new Google Talk instant message app today and so far I'm very impressed.

First impressions

The Good:

- The systray-based "toaster" pop-ups for new messages in the background (or while minimized) is very cool.

- Single clicking on the top of a chat window turns toggles a winshade mode. Handy for saving desktop space.

- Includes Gmail checking. The Google Talk install even asked if I'd like to uninstall the Gmail Notifier already on my computer. Good thinking there. Makes me wonder if they'll update the Gmail Notifier in the future or if this will be your only choice.

- Doesn't seem to affect any third party Gmail services (like the FireFox extension checker that I use).

- Per the Google usual, the interface is minimal and very easy to use. Windows dock nicely against each other, and if you have several chat windows docked together the program automatically adjusts the winshade mode to work within the same space it's already using.

- Contact status indicator directly beneath their name in the title bar of the chat window. Very cool.

- As of now, you don't even need to run the official Google Talk application to use the service. Just add talk.google.com to your Jabber-enabled IM client and login with your Gmail user/password.

The Bad:

- You cannot change your status via a right-click on the systray icon, only through the main contact list window.

- "Toaster" pop-ups for new Gmail messages in your Inbox seem to be persistent and do not go away until you right-click on them. This should have a definable time limit in the application settings.

- I'm sure the AIM fans out there will want customizable fonts, font sizes, and font backgrounds eventually. Honestly, I hope they leave it out. I haven't changed my IM font in years, and I'm tired of trying to read pink-on-burgundy typing. You might as well go the Master Shake route and make it black text on a black background. Listed here only because it's a feature found in all other IM applications.

- The tray icon doesn't change at all as events occur. It'd be nice if it somehow changed color or appearance to indicate new Inbox messages and other common events like chatting or incoming calls.

The VERY Ugly:

- Ever since I've used Gmail I've loved how it was built with FireFox in mind. This being said, I was shocked at how badly it performed when I actually tried to view a new Gmail message through the application. It loaded the message in a non-standard Gmail window and when I clicked the Inbox link on the page it crashed my browser. Thank God for sessionsaver.

I don't have a mic or headset to connect to my laptop so I haven't had a chance to try out the voice call functionality, but I'll post another round of comments after I've been running it for a while.

You can reach me on Google Talk at jasonrallen [at] gmail.com.

Happy chatting!

Reprinted from J*Blog

The RSS Revolution

2005-08-27T23:29:00.000-04:00

Revamped Reading with RSS

Instead of checking and rechecking your bookmarks or favorites throughout the day wouldn't it be easier if your computer could automatically find the latest news and postings to your favorite web sites? Even better, what if your computer notified you every time it found new items you haven't read yet? RSS (Really Simple Syndication) makes this possible!

While not necessarily a new technology on the Internet, RSS has grown by leaps and bounds in the last year and every day thousands of Internet users start using it for the first time.

RSS works a lot like e-mail. Many web sites publish RSS feeds which can be read by an RSS reader you install on your computer. The reader connects to the RSS feed, compares the articles in the feed to what has already been read, and downloads any new articles that have been posted. You'll never miss a new article again!

The increasingly popular free web browser FireFox has RSS support built into it. FireFox users can learn more about its RSS capabilities here.

FeedReader is a freeware Windows RSS reader featuring an Outlook-style layout, a directory of hundreds of RSS feeds, tray icon notification for new items, and much more. FeedReader works with all versions of Windows excluding 3.1 and can be downloaded at www.feedreader.com.

NewsMac is a freeware Mac OS X RSS reader with many of the same features found in FeedReader. NewsMac includes over 120 built-in feeds to get you started. A Pro version is available but the regular version is free. Mac OS X 10.3 or above is required but users will also find OS 10.2 versions available. NewsMac can be downloaded here.

If you use several computers or want to maintain the same RSS feeds between the home and office or multiple home computers Bloglines is the perfect solution. Neither Windows or Mac software, Bloglines runs entirely online in your web browser. Tray icon notifiers for new items are available for download after you sign-up for an account.

RSS is a powerful, versatile tool that can make your web browsing a much easier and streamlined experience. Like any developing technology new RSS programs are coming out every day. If you're interested in RSS but don't like working with the programs mentioned here, you can find many more at http://allrss.com/rssreaders.html.

Avast Antivirus

2005-08-27T23:16:00.000-04:00

An Antivirus That Won’t Infect Your Wallet!

Antivirus software is as essential to your computer as oil is to your car. Unfortunately the cost of maintaining up-to-date virus software has jumped almost 35% in the last year, and as viruses become more complex and efficient that cost will only continue to rise.

Thankfully there is a better, less costly alternative available. Avast Antivirus uses the powerful ALWIL scanning engine and packs it into an easy to use interface. All updates can be handled automatically, keeping your computer safe from the latest viruses and worms.

Avast 4 Home is offered free to home users or non-commercials users and can be downloaded here:
http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html

Weather Watcher

2005-08-27T23:00:00.000-04:00

Is Spyware In Your ForeCast?

Everyday, tech support reps talk to many customers who share the same problem: A fascination with the weather. The Internet has made it easier than ever to check your local weather forecast, but with this convenience there is a potential for frustration.

Weather Watcher is a free application that runs in the system tray of your Windows computer. Features include automatic retrieval of current weather conditions, hourly forecast, daily forecasts, severe weather notifications, tray-based temperature indicator, weather maps and satellite imagery.

Most importantly, Weather Watcher is ad-free, spyware-free, and hassle-free! (And an excellent Weather Bug alternative)

Weather Watcher can be downloaded here:
http://www.singerscreations.com/AboutWeatherWatcher.asp
(beta versions available)

Large Screenshot

Hello Freeware World

2005-08-27T22:32:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Freeware Freak, a community blog dedicated to freeware. Here you will find links to the best free applications online, news, and updates.

If you would like to contribute please leave a comment and we'll get back to you.