Free software

Bux.to

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:11:00 +0000

Bux.to At Bux.to, you get paid to click on ads and visit websites. The process is easy! You simply click a link and view a website for 30 seconds to earn money. You can earn even more by referring friends. You'll get paid $0.01 for each website you personally view and $0.01 for each website your referrals view. Payment requests can be made every day and are processed through PayPal. The minimum payout is $10.00.

Earnings Example
» You click 10 ads per day = $0.10
» 20 referrals click 10 ads per day = $2.00
» Your daily earnings = $2.10
» Your weekly earnings = $14.70
» Your monthly earnings = $63.00

The above example is based only on 20 referrals and 10 daily clicks. Some days you will have more clicks available, some days you will have less. What if you had more referrals? What if there were more ads available?

Overall: Bux.to is one of the two best PTC sites (the other being AdBux) around, get a few of your mates to signup under your name and you can be earning $30 a month in literally just 5 mins a day (plus just have it up when surfing).

(If you like PTC sites also signup to Adbux - see my review of it down further)

Join now and receive a $0.05 Sign-up Bonus

SCO Shares Plummet In Novell Ruling Aftermath

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:16:00 +0000

The business software distributor is considering its options in light of a judge's ruling denying its ownership claims on the Unix operating system.

By Paul McDougall
InformationWeek

Shares of business software distributor the SCO Group tumbled in early trading Monday following a judge's ruling that the company has no ownership claim on the Unix operating system.

As of 11 a.m. Monday, SCO shares (NasdaqCM:SCOX) were off about 70% to 47 cents.

On Friday, Utah federal court judge Dale Kimball rejected SCO's claim that an earlier deal with Novell (NSDQ: NOVL) gave the company full ownership rights over Unix. The ruling effectively gutted a lawsuit that SCO filed against Novell in 2004.

Kimball ruled that Novell owns Unix. He did not address SCO's claim that Novell's SUSE Linux product infringes on Unix copyrights.

SCO spent millions of dollars pursuing the case and in the past had warned investors that a courtroom loss could jeopardize its ability to continue operating.

Not only did SCO lose its claim to Unix, it also may have to repay millions of dollars to Sun Microsystems (NSDQ: JAVA) and Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT). Both of those companies had previously purchased Unix licenses from SCO. Novell also won the right to effectively order SCO to drop a breach of contract action against IBM related to Unix.

SCO officials on Monday said the company is considering its options in light of Friday's ruling. "Although the district judge ruled in Novell's favor on important issues, the case has not yet been fully vetted by the legal system," the officials said in a statement that hinted at the possibility of an appeal. "We will continue to explore our options with respect to how we move forward from here," said the officials.

For their part, Novell officials on Friday said they welcomed Kimball's decision. "The court's ruling has cut out the core of SCO's case and, as a result, eliminates SCO's threat to the Linux community based upon allegations of copyright infringement of Unix," said Joe LaSala, Novell's senior VP and general counsel, in a statement.

Shares of Novell (NadaqGS:NOVL) were trading up about 4.7% in late morning trading Monday, to more than $6.70 per share.

Ubuntu Linux Vs. Windows Vista: The Battle For Your Desktop -Part IV

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:00:00 +0000

Software Installation

Ubuntu has two basic ways to deal with adding software: the the Add/Remove Applications tool (easy) and the Synaptic Package Manager (for experts). Add/Remove Applications lets you search the entire directory of applications recommended for Ubuntu -- dozens of programs in 11 categories -- and install them with little effort. I added applications like Adobe Reader and the Thunderbird mail client without too much difficulty. It all compares pretty favorably to Windows's Add/Remove Programs system, which should be familiar to everyone reading this. (Linspire's CNR digital software delivery service is also set to be offered for Ubuntu in the future.)

Ubuntu also tries to simplify the process of adding programs that aren't installed through the above-mentioned package manager systems. For instance, if you insert a CD, Ubuntu attempts to detect the presence of valid packages on the disk, and offers you the chance to install them.

Another Windows-like feature in Ubuntu is the ability to set preferred applications for certain common functions -- your default Web browser, mail reader, or console application. Unlike the Removable Drives and Media Preferences console, though, the choices you can make are available from an existing drop-down list; you don't have to provide the name of a specific executable, although you can if you want to. Vista's way of handling the default programs issue is a little more central, via the Default Programs section in Control Panel; there, you can set defaults by program, file type, or protocol.

One thing I liked about Ubuntu was the way you could browse in the Add/Remove Applications list for free software hand-picked by the Ubuntu community. The closest thing in Vista is the Digital Locker feature, where you can purchase software online and download it in a protected fashion. In addition, a number of free / trial programs are available through their system (such as the free version of AVG Anti-Virus).

The Winner: It's a tie. Both operating systems show much the same centralization and efficiency in dealing with applications, protocols, and programs.

Networking / Web Browsing / E-Mail
Network setup in Ubuntu, both wired and wireless, was quite easy. My notebook's wireless adapter was detected and worked fine; all I had to do was supply my network name and I was in business. One thing that did worry me was how my unconfigured wireless card seemed to try and seek out whatever available connection there was without notifying me -- at first it attempted to connect to a neighbor's unsecured wireless base station before I redirected it back towards my own.

Both Vista and Ubuntu also let you create network profiles, although the way they're managed is markedly different. Ubuntu only lets you switch between profiles manually; Vista is semi-automatic (it makes a best guess to determine where you are), but can be manually overridden. Network connection sharing, though, is much harder to set up in Ubuntu than it is in Vista, since there's no GUI interface in Ubuntu for doing such a thing. I was able to connect to Vista's shared folders from Ubuntu, but you need to do so via a username/password combination that's valid on the Vista system you're trying to access.

Web browsing is another area where the playing field is relatively level between operating systems, thanks to the general success of Firefox. Firefox is loaded as the default browser in Ubuntu, and if you don't like Internet Explorer in Vista, you can swap it out for Firefox (or most any other browser written for Windows). The behavior of Firefox on both platforms is remarkably similar; in fact, I was able to get support for Flash plugins in Ubuntu by simply pointing Firefox at a Flash-driven page and letting it download the needed components.

Ubuntu's default e-mail client is Evolution, which connects not only to POP accounts and conventional Unix mailboxes, but can also talk to Exchange servers (via Outlook Web Access) and has a built-in PIM / calendaring / appointment system. Vista's Windows Mail application is a heavily rewritten version of Outlook Express, with a stripped-down calendar/appointment application, Windows Calendar, on the side, and integration with Vista's search system. If you want more sophisticated calendaring or a full PIM, you'd need to upgrade to Outlook -- so Ubuntu has another edge here in terms of what's possible right out of the box.

One thing I did have a fair amount of trouble with on both platforms was importing mail from another program -- especially e-mail from Windows. Evolution was allegedly able to import a .CSV mail file exported from Outlook, but the import somehow ended up reading everything as contacts, not e-mail. I eventually used a third-party program called Outport to move e-mail from Outlook into Evolution -- with some limitations, so I'm not sure if the problem lies with Outlook's CSV export or Evolution's importing.

Microsoft Mail had its own share of problems: The only way to import e-mail from a file was by importing from an Outlook Express store directory, or from a copy of Outlook already installed on Windows. If you have existing e-mail stores, be prepared for a migration hassle in both cases.

The Winner: Windows, but only by a hair. Windows has a bit of an edge in terms of sharing network connections -- but both platforms have possible mail migration complexities.

Ubuntu Linux Vs. Windows Vista: The Battle For Your Desktop - Part III

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:54:00 +0000

Hardware And PnP Support

Ubuntu makes it far easier to deal with hardware than previous, less user-friendly versions of Linux did, but only up to a point. The most common types of hardware and usage scenarios are handled the best, but the further you drift from that, the more complicated it gets. At its worst, Ubuntu's way of dealing with hardware often involves manual hacking to accomplish things that ought to be trivial (and in Windows usually are).

Vista's way of dealing with hardware is pretty centralized -- the Device Manager lets you browse all the installed hardware in a system, manage each device's driver and configuration, and so on. Ubuntu has a device manager, but it's just a static list, and can't be used for configuring devices per se. To do that, you often need to edit a configuration file, and the exact file to edit may depend on the type of device.

view the image gallery

The way printers are handled in Ubuntu can also be tricky, but I think this part says at least as much about hardware makers as anything else. In my case, I was using the HP LaserJet 1000, which uses a non-standard protocol that had to be reverse-engineered by Linux users to make it useable in that OS. Ubuntu had drivers for it, but they didn't work -- I had to dig around in the Ubuntu wiki for information, then download and compile a properly-updated set of drivers before I could print. Vista, by contrast, simply used the existing XP drivers provided by Hewlett-Packard (since no Vista drivers are available).

I give the Ubuntu (and Linux) people points for completeness, but I have to retract them for the sheer aggravation required to get it working. To be scrupulously fair, a generic PostScript printer will typically work as-is, but those of us whose devices aren't that universally supported may have to go through a similar ordeal.

Generic Plug-and-Play (PnP) devices in Ubuntu fare a lot better, but there are still some shortcomings. Most devices like cameras, external hard drives, or storage cards are recognized as-is when you plug them in. Ubuntu also has a central interface for handling PnP device events: the Removable Drives and Media Preferences console. Here you can set behavior preferences for removable storage and CD/DVD discs, as well as many other classes of removable devices: cameras, PDAs, printers, scanners, and input devices.

However, it's not like Windows where you can pick a device type and then assign one of a number of predefined actions from a menu; each device action is just a reference to an executable. And the default action didn't always run: when I plugged in my scanner (a Canon CanoScan N1240U), the default scanning application, XSane, didn't launch. That said, I launched XSane manually and it identified the scanner immediately and worked fine with it. A Dell A920 multifunction printer (made by Lexmark), however, wasn't recognized by XSane at all -- so a lot of what is and isn't supported often comes down to how much information about the device is available or has been provided by the manufacturer.

Power management, in both Vista and Ubuntu, is another topic about which there's been plenty of controversy. I could name about as many people in both camps who have had power-management issues, and I could name about as many more who haven't, so I will simply describe my own experiences. With Ubuntu, suspend and resume, as well as hibernate and resume, did work on my notebook, albeit very slowly. In Vista, the same functions worked as well and took a great deal less time. My desktop would not enter sleep mode in Ubuntu, although it did hibernate; Vista, however, slept and woke up without a hitch. So I suspect people's mileage will vary across the board.

The Winner: On the whole, Windows still deals with hardware more elegantly and efficiently than Ubuntu.

Ubuntu Linux Vs. Windows Vista: The Battle For Your Desktop - Part II

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:43:00 +0000

Installation

Most people never have to deal with installing Windows on a new PC, since Windows typically comes as a preload. The few times you have to install it yourself, though, the whole thing needs to be as painless as possible. To that end, I installed both Ubuntu and Vista on three different test machines:

1. A Sony VAIO VGN-TX770P notebook computer, with 1GB RAM, an 80GB HD, and an Intel 915GM shared-memory integrated graphics controller.
2. A dual Opteron desktop computer with 2GB RAM, a 320GB HD, and an ATI Radeon 9550 graphics controller. (This is my day-to-day computer.)
3. A Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 session running on the desktop system, with 512MB RAM and a 16GB HD.

Vista and Ubuntu have roughly the same installation procedure. Pop in the installation disc, boot the computer, and run the setup process (which can take an hour or more). Both OSes let you manually choose disk partitioning schemes for an existing disk, or have the computer wipe everything down and sort things out.

view the image gallery
If you wanted to install Windows XP on a computer that used a mass-storage controller with no drivers available for it on the installation CD, you had to place the drivers on a floppy and go through a bit of rigmarole to get them working. Vista has improved this process enormously: You can read drivers needed for installation from any attached mass-storage device, like a USB drive.

This is particularly important in my case, since my desktop machine uses an integrated Silicon Image SiI3114 SATA RAID controller which has no drivers on the Vista setup DVD. I had to download the drivers from the manufacturer's Web site; once I did, I was able to provide them on a USB drive during Vista's setup routine. Ubuntu, however, detected the SiI3114 automatically at startup and had drivers ready for it. Other people haven't been as lucky, though: Folks who used the HighPoint HP370 controller under 6.10 had issues getting Ubuntu installed.

If you attempt to install Ubuntu on a system where Windows XP is present, the Ubuntu Migration Assistant will attempt to import your files and documents from your XP installation. IE settings, wallpapers, user avatars, and the contents of the My Documents / Music / Pictures folders can all be imported this way. Unfortunately, one key piece of the migration puzzle, e-mail (not just e-mail client settings, but the contents of one's e-mail), isn't fully supported yet. The Ubuntu people are working hard on it.

One of Ubuntu's biggest positives is its "live CD" mode. Boot the CD and you can run a full, working copy of Ubuntu directly from the CD without installing anything on the host computer. Obviously you won't get the full range of functionality possible with Ubuntu when you do this (you might not be able to persistently save files or settings, for instance), but you can get a very good feel for how things work without actually committing yourself completely to the OS.

You can also use this live-CD feature to perform system recovery to some extent. (Ubuntu 7.04 does have read/write support for NTFS partitions, although it doesn't support encrypted files or security groups.) The closest thing Vista has to something like this is the ability to install a full working version of the OS on a computer without a Vista license key, and to try it out for 30 days (extendable to 120).

Both operating systems include a few utilities on the CD itself. Ubuntu's install CD includes a self-test to determine if the disc has any burning errors and a memory test routine (the venerable Memtest86+). Vista includes a memory test as well, and the ability to restore the system from a backup, but no integrity check for the installation media -- for instance, if you downloaded and burned it as an .ISO from MSDN. You can also boot to a command prompt to do some basic recovery work -- get access to hard disks and CD/DVD drives, for instance.

Finally, I mentioned at the top of this section that most of us deal with Vista as a preload and will probably install Ubuntu manually. That said, it is possible to buy a computer through some PC vendors with Ubuntu preloaded. System76, for instance, offers Ubuntu 6.10 as a standard preload, and some of the other major vendors (Dell, for instance) are making noises that they might start offering some distribution of Linux as an option. It's not clear whether they'll offer Ubuntu, but it's one of the better candidates

The Winner: Ubuntu has a slight edge here, if only because it can be run directly from the CD and tried out non-destructively.

Ubuntu Linux Vs. Windows Vista: The Battle For Your Desktop - Part I

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 23:24:00 +0000

Is Linux finally ready to take on Windows as a desktop OS? We tried out both Vista and Ubuntu on individual PCs to see which works better. Here's who won.

The prevailing wisdom about Linux on the desktop runs something like this: "I'll believe Linux is ready for the desktop as soon as you can give me a Linux distribution that even my grandmother can run."

For some time, the folks at Ubuntu have been trying their best to make Granny -- and most everyone else -- happy. They've attempted to build a Linux distribution that's easy to install, use, configure, and maintain -- one that's at least as easy as Windows, and whenever possible, even easier. As a result, Ubuntu is one of the Linux distributions that has been most directly touted as an alternative to Windows.

In this feature, I'm going to compare the newly-released Ubuntu 7.04 (codenamed "Feisty Fawn") with Microsoft Windows Vista in a number of categories. To keep the playing field as level as possible, I'm looking wherever I can at applications -- not just in the sense of "programs," but in the sense of what the average user is going to do with the OS in a workday. Sometimes the differences between the two OSes are profound, but sometimes the playing field levels itself -- OpenOffice.org, for instance, is installed by default in Ubuntu, but adding it to Vista isn't terribly difficult.

Windows Vista

I tried to stick whenever possible with preinstalled software, although this rule sometimes had to be bent a little -- for instance, to see what backup solutions were available for Ubuntu through its own software catalog.

Also, while I was tempted to compare Vista's Aero interface to the Beryl window manager (which has a similar palette of visual effects), I decided that pretty graphics, while nice, had more to do with personal preference than efficiency. In addition, Beryl isn't installed by default in Ubuntu, and Aero isn't available on all PCs.

In each case, I've tried to look at practical benefits rather than theoretical ones -- what works, what doesn't, and what you have to do to get certain things done. I should also note that, despite being a big fan of Vista, I've tried to keep my enthusiasm for it from overriding my judgment. Everyone needs something different, and not everyone needs (or wants) Vista -- or Ubuntu -- so I've done my best to keep my mind, and my eyes, wide open. ........

Shareware

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 23:00:00 +0000

Shareware is a marketing method for computer software. Shareware software is typically obtained free of charge, often by downloading from the Internet or on magazine cover-disks. A user tries out the program, and thus shareware has also been known as "try before you buy". A shareware program is accompanied by a request for payment, and the software's distribution license often requires such a payment.

History

The term shareware refers to commercial software that is copyrighted, but which may be copied for others for the purpose of their trying it out with the understanding that they will pay for it if they continue to use it. In contrast, retail software is a term used for commercial software which may not be copied for others, and public domain software refers to software which is not copyright and may be copied and used without payment. Freeware generally refers to software that is copyrighted, but for which the author solicits no payment, even if the user continues to use it.

The first shareware program for the IBM-PC was PC-Talk, a telecommunications program, by Andrew Fluegelman, who used the term freeware. About the same time, Jim "Button" Knopf released PC-File, a database program, calling it user-supported software. Not much later, Bob Wallace produced PC-Write, a word processor, and called it shareware.

In 1984, Softalk-PC magazine had a column, The Public Library, about such software. Public domain is a misnomer for shareware, and Freeware was trademarked by Fluegelman and could not be legally used by others, and User-Supported Software was too cumbersome. So columnist Nelson Ford held a contest to come up with a better name.

The most popular name submitted was Shareware, which was being used by Wallace. However, Wallace acknowledged that he got the term from an InfoWorld magazine column by that name in the 1970's, and that he considered the name to be generic, so its use became established over freeware and user-supported software. [1]

Fluegelman, Knopf, and Wallace clearly established shareware as a viable software marketing method. Via the shareware model, PC-File and PC-Talk made Button and Fluegelman millionaires[citation needed].

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, shareware software was widely distributed over bulletin board systems globally and on diskettes (and subsequently, CD-ROMs) by commercial shareware distributors who produced catalogs of up to thousands of public domain and shareware programs. One such distributor, Public Software Library (PSL), began an order-taking service for programmers who otherwise had no means of accepting credit card orders.

As Internet usage grew, users turned to downloading shareware programs without paying long-distance charges or disk fees, spelling the end of bulletin board systems and shareware disk distributors. In addition to shareware libraries online, the authors of programs had their own sites where the public could learn about their programs and download the latest versions, and even pay for the software online.

The Internet also made it easier to locate niche software, as well as the best and most popular general software. During the early 2000s, and with the increasing popularity of Web 2.0, new ways to filter the software became available. Major download sites began to rank titles based on quality, feedback, and downloads. Popular software was sorted to the top of the list. Blogs and online forums further enabled individuals to spread news about titles they like. With this pruning in place, consumers can more easily find quality shareware products while still preserving the ability to find obscure and niche software.

Implementations

Free/open source software and shareware are similar in that they can be obtained and used without monetary cost. Usually shareware differs from free/open source software in that requests of voluntary shareware fees are made, often within the program itself, and in that source code for shareware programs is generally not available in a form that would allow others to extend the program. Notwithstanding that tradition, some free/open source software authors ask for voluntary donations, although there is no requirement to do so. Free/open source software is usually compatible with the strict Association of Shareware Professionals shareware guidelines.

Sometimes, paying the fee and obtaining a password results in access to expanded features, documentation, or support. In some cases, unpaid use of the software is limited in time or in features — in which case the software is vernacularly called crippleware. Some shareware items require no payment; just an email address, so that the supplier can use this address for their own purposes.

Shareware is available on all major computer platforms including Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. Titles cover a very wide range of categories including: business, software development, education, home, multimedia, design, drivers, games, and utilities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareware

Freeware

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:50:00 +0000

is copyrighted computer software which is made available for use free of charge, for an unlimited time. Authors of freeware often want to "give something to the community", but also want credit for their software and to retain control of its future development.

Freeware is different from shareware, where the user is required to pay (e.g. after some trial period or for additional functionality). It should be noted that although free software is sometimes used as a synonym for freeware, it is not the same as Free Software.

History
The term freeware was coined by Andrew Fluegelman when he wanted to sell a communications program named PC-Talk that he had created but for which he did not wish to use traditional methods of distribution because of their cost.[1] Previously, he held a trademark on the term "freeware" but this trademark has since been abandoned. Fluegelman actually distributed PC-Talk via a process now referred to as shareware.

Criteria

The only criterion for being classified as "freeware" is that the software must be made available for use for an unlimited time at no cost. The software license may impose one or more other restrictions on the type of use including personal use, individual use, non-profit use, non-commercial use, academic use, commercial use or any combination of these. For instance, the license may be "free for personal, non-commercial use." Everything created with the freeware programs can be distributed at no cost (for example graphic, documents, or sounds made by user).

There is some software which may be considered freeware, but which has limited distribution; that is, it may only be downloaded from a specific site, and cannot be redistributed. Hence, this software wouldn't be freely redistributable software. According to the basic definition, that software would be freeware; according to stricter definitions, it wouldn't be.

The term 'freeware' may include public domain software and proprietary software. However, freeware does not include such loss leaders as crippleware, adware, shareware or demoware, where there is hidden cost to be paid to use the software. Such a cost may be having to give up part of your screen in order for the program to display advertising; continually being reminded about a "pro" version of the program via nag screens; having to use the program quickly before it becomes disabled; etc. Note that there are other types of costs than monetary when describing the term "free" as in "freeware."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware

Website Downtime Monitoring Tool 2.0.1.5

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:41:00 +0000

Size 1.23Mb
Updated 2007-11-02
Price $0.00
OS Win 9x, Win ME, Win NT, Win 2k, Win XP, Vista

Software Description:
Website monitoring software can monitors and analyze many parameters that shows how your website responds to web browser, measurements are made by ping, uptime or downtime status of your website placed on a remote location. Most of the businesses uses website for promoting their business and if their websites goes down at most 1% in a month it means their customers canâ€™t reach them up to 7 hours per month, so it can decreases their customers and money. This tracing application can notifies you if your website goes down any where in the world through any reason like host or sever not found, low bandwidth or connection lost. It is capable to find pinpoint location of that fault and send a notification through email, beeps alarm or runs a specific program.
Software time to time checks your internet connection to ensure that test results which are measured are accurate or it is skewed due to poor internet connection, if the fault is in internet connection then it automatically paused the report until connection returns to normal. Monitoring tool uses simple to use graphical user interface with support of all windows operating systems like NT, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, server 2003, 2008 and longhorn. Checking tool checks the performance of HTTP, HTTPS, POP3, SMTP, FTP sites, remote server and other internet protocols. Utility comes with an inbuilt help option which makes this application easy to use by those who are beginners or experts.
Important Features:
* Monitors uptime and downtime status of all your sites.
* You can maintain different profiles for knowing the status of all your sites.
* Checker utility checks the actual location of your fault and sends notification.
* You can monitor your webpage from remote location also.
* Supports simple to use user friendly GUI.
* Trace all type of internet protocols like SMTP, HTTP, HTTPS, POP3, FTP, etc.

Download Recovery Software

PaRaMeter

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 14:14:00 +0000

Current version:
1.4
Jul 25, 2007

Operating system:
Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista

Size:
1.3 Mb

PaRaMeter stands for "Page Rank Meter" - a free Google PageRank checking and monitoring tool. PageRank is one of the methods Google uses to determine how relevant and important a page is. PageRank is a "vote", by all other pages on the Web telling Google how important a particular page is. It is one of the parameters of search engine ranking. With PaRaMeter, you can easily check the page rank of multiple pages with one click.

PaRaMeter is a free bulk PageRank checker.

Download

Google Talk 1.0.0.104

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:34:00 +0000

Size: 1.00 MB
License: Freeware
OS: WinME,Windows2000,WinXP,Windows2003
Publisher: Google

Google Talk is a lightweight Jabber-based instant messaging client with voice capabilities. Google Talk is easy and intuitive to use. All you need to make free calls is an Internet connection, a microphone, and a speaker. After you download Google Talk, sign in with your Gmail username and password. Invite your friends to download Google Talk, and once they do, you'll be able to talk or IM with them instantly.

Google Talk currently does not encrypt chats or calls. When you use Google Talk, you can choose to have your IM chats stored locally on your own computer so that you have a chat history. Google does not collect the content of instant message chats or voice conversations.

Download Google Talk 1.0.0.104

Spybot

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:19:00 +0000

Spybot
License Freeware
Size 4.8 MB
Updated 2007-06-11
Price $0.00
OS Win 2k, Win 9x, Win XP, Win NT, Win ME
Author Safer-Networking Ltd
Support Spybot Support

Spybot - Search and Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behavior to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies and this is where Spybot comes in.

If you see new toolbars in your browser that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware.

Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.

Download Spybot

RegCleaner

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:10:00 +0000

RegCleaner
License Freeware
Size 540 KB
Updated 2007-09-17
Price $0.00
OS Win 9x, Win ME, Win NT, Win 2k, Win XP
Author RegCleaner
Support RegCleaner Support

With RegCleaner you can easily get rid of those old and obsolete registry entries created by software that you have destroyed ages ago.

You don't have to be an expert to use this program. Note that this program is not like those other so called registry cleaners, they search any filenames from registry, then if the file doesn't exist anymore they remove the registry key or value where this filename was.

But RegCleaner shows you the list of software that are registered in the registry and by checking checkboxes you select which software you don't have anymore and RegCleaner removes all registry created by those programs automatically.

You can also remove start up programs that are started behind your back and can dramatically decrease your computer's performance.

Download RegCleaner

Software Freedom Day ! ! ! !

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:38:00 +0000

Software Freedom Day (SFD) is on Saturday September 15th and is just around the corner, next week folks! This year, thanks to the help of Inigo Tech, the Kuala Lumpur team for SFD will be situated in KL Central, accessible to just about everyone.

So what is SFD?

Software Freedom Day (SFD) is a worldwide celebration of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Our goal in this celebration is to educate the worldwide public about of the benefits of using high quality FOSS in education, in government, at home, and in business — in short, everywhere! The non-profit company Software Freedom International coordinates SFD at a global level, providing support, giveaways and a point of collaboration, but volunteer teams around the world organize the local SFD events to impact their own communities.

What did we do last year? Well nothing really, though we pulled off a very successful FOSS campaign in the August PC Fair. I think it was a more than good substitute.

What will we doing this year? Judging from the wiki, it looks like nothing new really.

But we do need volunteers, or any FOSS related contributions! I most definitely think we need more CDs and volunteers.

Want to know how to help? Have a look at the wiki, and update it with any possible contributions you can think of!

See you at Software Freedom Day 2007! :D :P

Win Rar

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 23:32:00 +0000

WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can backup your data and reduce size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.

Version 3.71 beta 1

1. Archive names in rar.log error log file always include the full path.

2. WinRAR tray icon is compatible with high DPI display modes.

3. If you modified a file in archive with encrypted names using an external editor, WinRAR will not ask for archive password again when prompting to update a file. It will use a password which you entered when opening an archive,

4. Bugs fixed:

a) switch -tl and "Set archive time to latest file time" option could fail in previous version. Sometimes they set archive time to current system time instead of latest file time;

b) if -ag switch mask contained archive number, month and minute characters, WinRAR placed 'I' character instead of minute value into generated archive name for archive numbers exceeding 1;

c) high ASCII names in ISO files using ISO 9660 format without Joliet format extension were displayed incorrectly;

d) WinRAR could crash when decompressing some of corrupt RAR archives;

e) if "Turn PC off when done" option was set in "Convert archives" command, WinRAR turned PC off after converting the first archive in selected group instead of after converting the entire group;

f) if user specified a non-existent destination path in SFX archive in Vista, SFX could enter into infinite "create new SFX window" loop;

g) WinRAR could fail to unpack an individual file from subfolder of ACE archive using the drag and drop.

QuickTime 7

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 23:16:00 +0000

QuickTime 7 Player takes advantage of the latest video compression technology. It's called H.264, and it's an important new industry standard that's quickly garnered widespread support. Chosen as the industry-standard codec for 3GPP (mobile multimedia), MPEG-4 HD-DVD and Blu-ray, H.264 represents the next generation of video for everything from mobile multimedia to high-definition playback. H.264 icon.

The new QuickTime 7 Player not only delivers startling quality, but it's easier to use than ever. It requires no set up for content that streams over the network. Instead, QuickTime 7 Player automatically determines your system's connection speed and chooses the highest quality stream for the amount of bandwidth you have available. And if you ever lose a connection while watching streaming video, QuickTime 7 Player automatically reconnects.

QuickTime 7 Player delivers truly outstanding multi-channel audio. In fact, it provides you with up to 24 channels of audio, turning your home office into a home theater. Pop in a movie or video game that features surround sound and prepare to be amazed at the heightened audio experience you'll enjoy on your computer equipped with surround-sound speakers. A really good sport, QuickTime 7 Player supports a wide-range of industry-standard audio formats, including AIFF, WAV, MOV, MP4 (AAC only) and AAC/ADTS.

Opera 8.5

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 22:36:00 +0000

Opera 8.5 is now free. Opera has eliminated the ad banner and license fee completely. It has a pop-up blocker, multiple-window navigation, mouse gestures, keyboard shortcuts, an e-mail client with a spam filter, and integrated search for user security and speed. The cross-platform browser includes IRC-compatible chat, support for RSS newsfeeds, a password manager, and one-click customization and privacy-protection settings. Mouse gestures and keyboard shortcuts allow for accelerated Web navigation while the Fast Forward and Rewind buttons easy browsing. Users can run multiple windows as well as personalize the user interface with one-click skins. The browser also contains special elements for users with disabilities, drag-and-drop support, a notes function, user profiles, and a host of other features. Opera supports the latest in security and provides password and cookie managers.

What is Linux

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 08:21:00 +0000

Linux is an operating system that was initially created as a hobby by a young student, Linus Torvalds, at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Linus had an interest in Minix, a small UNIX system, and decided to develop a system that exceeded the Minix standards. He began his work in 1991 when he released version 0.02 and worked steadily until 1994 when version 1.0 of the Linux Kernel was released. The kernel, at the heart of all Linux systems, is developed and released under the GNU General Public License and its source code is freely available to everyone. It is this kernel that forms the base around which a Linux operating system is developed. There are now literally hundreds of companies and organizations and an equal number of individuals that have released their own versions of operating systems based on the Linux kernel. More information on the kernel can be found at our sister site, LinuxHQ and at the official Linux Kernel Archives. The current full-featured version is 2.6 (released December 2003) and development continues.

Apart from the fact that it's freely distributed, Linux's functionality, adaptability and robustness, has made it the main alternative for proprietary Unix and Microsoft operating systems. IBM, Hewlett-Packard and other giants of the computing world have embraced Linux and support its ongoing development. Well into its second decade of existence, Linux has been adopted worldwide primarily as a server platform. Its use as a home and office desktop operating system is also on the rise. The operating system can also be incorporated directly into microchips in a process called "embedding" and is increasingly being used this way in appliances and devices.

Throughout most of the 1990's, tech pundits, largely unaware of Linux's potential, dismissed it as a computer hobbyist project, unsuitable for the general public's computing needs. Through the efforts of developers of desktop management systems such as KDE and GNOME, office suite project OpenOffice.org and the Mozilla web browser project, to name only a few, there are now a wide range of applications that run on Linux and it can be used by anyone regardless of his/her knowledge of computers. Those curious to see the capabilities of Linux can download a live CD version called Knoppix . It comes with everything you might need to carry out day-to-day tasks on the computer and it needs no installation. It will run from a CD in a computer capable of booting from the CD drive. Those choosing to continue using Linux can find a variety of versions or "distributions" of Linux that are easy to install, configure and use. Information on these products is available in our distribution section and can be found by selecting the mainstream/general public category.

What is Ubuntu

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 08:14:00 +0000

What is Ubuntu?

Ubuntu is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools.

Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing.

We issue a new desktop and server release every six months. That means you'll always have the the latest and greatest applications that the open source world has to offer.

Ubuntu is designed with security in mind. You get free security updates for at least 18 months on the desktop and server. With the Long Term Support (LTS) version you get three years support on the desktop, and five years on the server. There is no extra fee for the LTS version, we make our very best work available to everyone on the same free terms. Upgrades to new versions of Ubuntu are and always will be free of charge.

Everything you need on one CD, which provides a complete working environment. Additional software is available online.

The graphical installer enables you to get up and running quickly and easily. A standard installation should take less than 25 minutes.

Once installed your system is immediately ready-to-use. On the desktop you have a full set of productivity, internet, drawing and graphics applications, and games.

What is the GNU project?

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:54:00 +0000

The GNU project was launched in September 1983 by Richard M. Stallman to create a complete operating system of Free Software. Software development work started the following January.

Stallman established the Free Software Foundation in October 1985 to assist administrative, legal, and organisational aspects of the GNU project and also to spread the use and knowledge of Free Software. The main licences of the GNU project are the GNU General Public License (GPL) and the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL, originally called GNU Library General Public License). Over the years they have become established as the most widely used licences for Free Software.

The GNU project consists of numerous smaller sub-projects maintained by volunteers or businesses or combinations of the two. These sub-projects themselves are also called "GNU projects" or "GNU packages."

The name of the GNU project is derived from the recursive acronym "GNU's Not Unix." Unix was a very popular operating system in the 80s, so Stallman designed GNU to be mostly compatible with Unix so that it would be convenient for people to migrate to GNU. The name acknowledges that GNU learned from Unix's technical design, but also importantly notes that they are unrelated. Unlike Unix, GNU is Free Software.

Being Unix-like, GNU is modular in design. This means that third party components can be inserted into GNU. Today, it is very common for people to use a third party kernel called Linux with GNU systems. Many people use the name "Linux" for this variant of GNU, but this prevents people from hearing of the GNU project and its goal of software freedom. FSFE asks people to use the term "GNU/Linux" or "GNU+Linux" when refering to such systems.

For more information, see the GNU project's website at www.gnu.org.

Free Dvd Burning Software Guide

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:46:00 +0000

If you are looking for free DVD burning software downloads, then the good news is that there are hundreds of such freeware programs available on the Internet. The bad news however is that only a few of the available freeware programs are worthy of being downloaded and installed on your computer.

So, what is the solution? Well, before you get to the solution, you first need to realize the basic truth that there are no free lunches in this world. This realization is necessary because it will make it easier for you to curtail your disappointments, incase you do not find the right stuff, the very first time.

It may take you just a few seconds to find the desired freeware by using Google search, but before you actually click on the 'download' button, you need to ensure that the listed freeware is worth downloading. Freeware downloads may be the cheapest option available, but you always need to be careful while downloading because there are high chances that the stuff you are downloading might contain malicious codes in the form of viruses, worms, Trojans, malware, and spyware.

You may have installed the best available anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall on your computer, but still you need to be careful because even the best computer security systems do not provide hundred percent protection. There is always a chance of your computer getting infected and this is why you need to address caution while downloading free stuff from the Internet.

The best you can do is to opt for free trial versions available on reputed websites having a verifiable track record. Trail versions are normally offered as free downloads for a period of 15 to 30 days, after which you are required to buy it in case you wish to use the software further.

This may not sound like an appropriate solution, especially when you are looking for completely free DVD burning software, but the fact is that this is the best you can possibly do. However, if you still insist on totally free stuff, what you can do is download a new trial version every time your existing trial version expires. Not that it is recommended because most trial versions have limited functionalities and features.

To select and download the right stuff, you can take help from customer reviews provided by actual users. Getting inputs and feedbacks from family, friends and associates is also a good way of ensuring the reliability of free DVD burning software downloads available on the Internet.

The final decision will no doubt be yours, but if you avoid unnecessary hassles, then make sure that you follow the prescribed procedure described above. It will save you a lot of trouble, trust me!

They Tell Me Only To Use Microsoft Windows Not The Free Linux Operating System

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:52:00 +0000

Most people purchase computers to run programs - whether it is to send email, browse the web, meet friends of girlfriends on msn messenger, do office work or just play solitaire.

People buy computers to use programs for their functionality not to run operating systems be in Microsoft Windows, the new Microsoft Vista product , the Mac Operations Systems or the various Linux Operating Systems - be they Ubuntu Linux , Mandiva , Knoppix or Debian.

At the heart of most computer users is functionality and usability. It is as simple as that. It is an interesting situation that the Microsoft Corporation controls the vast lion's share of the computer operating system market. Indeed it even has a major share holding of the next player in line - Apple with the Macintosh OS (Operating System).

What are the issues?

1) Linux is not really free. Linux, in its various flavors or distros, is given free of charge, whether it is on a cd, DVD or downloaded. You can install the program on your own compute or various computers , at no charge to yourself whatsoever

This is in direct contrast to a commercial product such as Microsoft Windows or the new Microsoft Vista which you to purchase a boxed version or a valid license which comes with most computer systems purchased. This license which comes on most new computers as a matter of course could be referred to as the "Microsoft Computer Tax" and is not an option you can forego, to reduce the purchase of your new compute - whether or not you wish to use another operating system such as Linux.

Linux is given free of charge to install. This is not a shareware or time limited version of the product which requires a registration fee after a period of time.

If you require product support or training commercial organizations do exist which will charge you for support of that product or for training or both. Indeed it can be said that Microsoft itself charges for product support, Symantec the antivirus / security organization charges for basic support by product, subscription fees - sometimes automatic subscription fees and 900 phone number and charge card "Priority Support".

Indeed you would not expect your local school or technical college to provide computer and compute software training free of charge.

2) Linux is complex and will force you to learn the Linux command line,

Not true simple as that. The various Linux distros all have GUI (Graphic User Interfaces) just like Microsoft Windows, Windows used to come as command line DOS. Windows users use pull down windows to operate the software. So can and do most Linux users

3) Compared to Windows , Installing Linux is Difficult

- The vast majority of computer users are computer neophytes and beginners.

These computer users purchase computers with the operations system Microsoft Windows or the Macintosh Operating System installed on their new computers. These people could not install the Windows Operating system and the device drivers necessary if their life depended on it. How the situation of a Linux is based computer any different.

It is only a matter of time until new computers come preinstalled with the Linux operating system. Imagine if Henry Ford had been told not to build new cars since there were few good roads available in America.

4) My Computer Hardware Just Works Under Windows

5) Again untrue in many cases and soon to be less of an issue as more and more computers will come preinstalled with a Linux operating system. Already Dell Computer (which was a Microsoft stalwart) is selling Linux based laptops. Interestingly the response to the Ubuntu Linux dell notebooks is quite positive, If you think Linux hardware compatibility is an issue try upgrading to the new Microsoft Vista from your previous Microsoft Windows product. You will find to your surprise that few if little of computer hardware are supported. You may have upgraded to the new Vista and found you have either no sound, good video or even internet connections via your network adapter device or wireless network adapter. And try undoing your upgrade to get back to your working windows version - it cannot be done.

Lastly you may say I run Windows since all of the programs I use are available only on the Windows operations system - since that is the dominant player in the market. You may well surmise that since Windows is the more than dominant player in the computer OS market that software developers write their product almost exclusively for the windows operations system and that market.

This is true. If you are using a specialized product for your job, industry, situation or preference you may well be locked in.

In the end most people buy and use computers for functionality and use. Most people use their computers for internet browsing , communication - whether it by email or messenger services (M.S.N. , Yahoo , Skype , Eyeball Chat) , downloading and burning music and in more than many cases for playing nothing more than computer games such as simple solitaire.

In these cases the functionality of Linux and its program base easily allows for this. Indeed many of the cutting edge programs and computer services come out of left field by computer software developers and enthusiasts whose preference of Computer Operating System is guess what - Linux in its various forms.

What Is Spyware And How Did I Get It?

noreply@blogger.com (jimel) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:37:00 +0000

There are three types of software you are likely to encounter whilst using your PC online. Spyware, adware and malware. Most people use a collective term to describe them. Either a virus or spyware. Strictly speaking they are designed differently to perform certain functions.

Spyware. Spyware does what it says. It spies on you. It can monitor your activities, surfing habits, credit card information, passwords etc. and send this data back to a central location so some unscrupulous people can use this data. Unlike adware, spyware usually runs silently in the background without making you aware it's there. Obviously the longer it goes undetected the more information it can retrieve from its victims. Spyware is a very serious risk and should not be taken lightly. Once an attacker has got your personal details such as credit card information, passwords for online banking etc. you stand a very real chance of identity theft and financial loss.

Adware Adware is generally used to force adverts in front of you. It will monitor your surfing habits and when you visit a site it recognises it will force a relative advert or pop-up. Let's say you visit a site that is selling second-hand motor cars. If the spyware recognises the site you are visiting it may well force adverts in front of you that are relative to that site. For example car insurance, vehicle recovery services etc. Other types of adware just force advertising in front of you whether it is relative or not. P*rn sites are of common use and can pop-up at the most inconvenient of times (usually when the wife is stood behind you) ! Some adware will change your home page, add links to your favourites, add shortcuts to your desktop. Not such a major security risk like spyware. But it can become extremely annoying to have adverts popping up when you least expect it and having to constantly change you home page.

Malware Malware is short for "malicious software". It is designed to destroy data on your PC or cause havoc on a network. Trojans, viruses, worms etc usually fall into this category. Obviously a major security risk and the results can be catastrophic. Unless immediate action is taken to remove you will more than likely lose some, if not all, data on your PC. It's not uncommon to have to completely reformat a hard drive to remove them.

How Did I Get Infected? There are umpteen ways it could have happened. But here are a few of the most common: * Attachments sent in e-mails. * Downloading free music. * Downloading free utilities. * Installing untrustworthy software. * Visiting certain types of websites (p*rn, warez etc.) * Installed when using instant messaging services.