Thursday, March 12, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Computer Shopper - January, 2009
The Best Free Software
Office Productivity: you could buy MS Office for $399, or try...
-Google Docs (www.google.com): available anywhere there's Internet, no download, easy to use, easy to share with other Gmail users
-Lotus Symphony 1.1 (www.lotus.com): most closely resembles MS Office, packed with features, good help menus
-OpenOffice.org (www.openoffice.org): excellent bullet and numbering schemes, PDF button, very similar to MS Office, easy to use
OS for free: but you sacrifice tech support
-Ubuntu (www.ubuntu.com): among the most popular and easiest to use, Linux flavor most like Windows
-OpenSUSE (www.opensuse.org): courtesy of Novell, especially robust hardware and software support
-Slackware (www.slackware.com): one of the oldest Linux flavors, renowned for its stability and simplicity
Site with applications and information to get the most out of Linux:
-www.mythtv.org: turn your computer into a home theater PC for free
-www.winehq.org: provides an environment to run Windows software. Not compatible with everything, but an astonishingly wide scope.
-www.linux-drivers.org: when you're looking for drivers and compatibility lists
-www.linuxjournal.com: latest news about linux, as well as blogs, help, and other resources
-www.slashdot.org: tech-news site with an open-source and Linux-friendly spin
PDF Creation: you could buy Adobe Acrobat for $299 to $449, or try...
-CutePDF Writer (www.cutepdf.com): print-menu-based PDF creation, minimal footprint
-Online PDF-creation services (online.primopdf.com): no software install required, handy for use on public PCs
-PDF ReDirect (www.pdfredirect.com): print-menu-based PDF creation, PDF encryption, merge function
Photo Editing: you could buy Adobe Photoshop Elements ($99), or try...
-Picasa (www.picasa.com): quickly scans PC for pictures, large thumbnails and easy scrolling lets you find any picture quickly, comprehensive photo-editing download
-Picnik (www.picnik.com): offers advanced features that are easy to apply, red-eye fix works for both humans and animals, allows adjustment of all special effects
-Photoscape (www.photoscape.com): good auto levels
Photo Management: you could buy Adobe Photoshop Elements ($99), or try...
-Photobucket (www.photobucket.com): easy online sharing, simple access to embed codes for images, lots of editing options
-Flickr (www.flickr.com): easy-to-use, multifeatured organization tools, allows for social-networking, useful editing tool
-Kodak Gallery (www.kodakgallery.com): lots of products to choose from, easy to share albums with family and friends
Top 10 Free Games
-Rails: micromanage cargo delivery, train upgrades, and track building as you grow a railroad empire
-Rumble Box: beat the stuffing out of impassive humanoid agressors made of cubes and spheres
-Trackmania Nations Forever: auto-racing
-N: propel stick-figure ninja trhough perilous levels in pursuit of gold
-War Rock: Counter-Strike-style first-person shooter
-Synaesthete: control a futuristic Gumby lookalike through a vector-style music world
-Kingdom of Loathing: control stick-figure warriors as they bludgeon monsters like Candied Yam Golems
-Sauerbraten CTF Edition: lightning-fast first person shooter like Unreal Tournament
-Crayon Physics: use mouse as pen to draw tumbling boxes, planks and lines that collide with a little red ball you're trying to move to an objective
-Command and Conqure: Red Alert: this original hit is available for free online
Security: you could buy Norton 360 ($79.99), or try...
-Avast Home Edition (www.avast.com): full of features including antirootkit detection, email and IM message scanning
-AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition (free.avg.com): no-nonsense detection and protection, spyware fighting
-Avira AntiVir Personal (www.free-av.com): antiphishing features, thwarts dialers
Five Must-Have Utilities
-3DMark06 Basic Edition: 3D benchmarking software will put your video card through a workout to help you decide if it's time for an upgrade
-Belarc Advisor: great way to get to know your PC's insides
-Free RAM Optimizer: sits in your system tray monitoring memory use and forcing unruly apps to return your resources
-SpeedFan: displays system temperatures from your internal sensors
-WinDirStat: scan your drives and show what's taking up space
Office Productivity: you could buy MS Office for $399, or try...
-Google Docs (www.google.com): available anywhere there's Internet, no download, easy to use, easy to share with other Gmail users
-Lotus Symphony 1.1 (www.lotus.com): most closely resembles MS Office, packed with features, good help menus
-OpenOffice.org (www.openoffice.org): excellent bullet and numbering schemes, PDF button, very similar to MS Office, easy to use
OS for free: but you sacrifice tech support
-Ubuntu (www.ubuntu.com): among the most popular and easiest to use, Linux flavor most like Windows
-OpenSUSE (www.opensuse.org): courtesy of Novell, especially robust hardware and software support
-Slackware (www.slackware.com): one of the oldest Linux flavors, renowned for its stability and simplicity
Site with applications and information to get the most out of Linux:
-www.mythtv.org: turn your computer into a home theater PC for free
-www.winehq.org: provides an environment to run Windows software. Not compatible with everything, but an astonishingly wide scope.
-www.linux-drivers.org: when you're looking for drivers and compatibility lists
-www.linuxjournal.com: latest news about linux, as well as blogs, help, and other resources
-www.slashdot.org: tech-news site with an open-source and Linux-friendly spin
PDF Creation: you could buy Adobe Acrobat for $299 to $449, or try...
-CutePDF Writer (www.cutepdf.com): print-menu-based PDF creation, minimal footprint
-Online PDF-creation services (online.primopdf.com): no software install required, handy for use on public PCs
-PDF ReDirect (www.pdfredirect.com): print-menu-based PDF creation, PDF encryption, merge function
Photo Editing: you could buy Adobe Photoshop Elements ($99), or try...
-Picasa (www.picasa.com): quickly scans PC for pictures, large thumbnails and easy scrolling lets you find any picture quickly, comprehensive photo-editing download
-Picnik (www.picnik.com): offers advanced features that are easy to apply, red-eye fix works for both humans and animals, allows adjustment of all special effects
-Photoscape (www.photoscape.com): good auto levels
Photo Management: you could buy Adobe Photoshop Elements ($99), or try...
-Photobucket (www.photobucket.com): easy online sharing, simple access to embed codes for images, lots of editing options
-Flickr (www.flickr.com): easy-to-use, multifeatured organization tools, allows for social-networking, useful editing tool
-Kodak Gallery (www.kodakgallery.com): lots of products to choose from, easy to share albums with family and friends
Top 10 Free Games
-Rails: micromanage cargo delivery, train upgrades, and track building as you grow a railroad empire
-Rumble Box: beat the stuffing out of impassive humanoid agressors made of cubes and spheres
-Trackmania Nations Forever: auto-racing
-N: propel stick-figure ninja trhough perilous levels in pursuit of gold
-War Rock: Counter-Strike-style first-person shooter
-Synaesthete: control a futuristic Gumby lookalike through a vector-style music world
-Kingdom of Loathing: control stick-figure warriors as they bludgeon monsters like Candied Yam Golems
-Sauerbraten CTF Edition: lightning-fast first person shooter like Unreal Tournament
-Crayon Physics: use mouse as pen to draw tumbling boxes, planks and lines that collide with a little red ball you're trying to move to an objective
-Command and Conqure: Red Alert: this original hit is available for free online
Security: you could buy Norton 360 ($79.99), or try...
-Avast Home Edition (www.avast.com): full of features including antirootkit detection, email and IM message scanning
-AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition (free.avg.com): no-nonsense detection and protection, spyware fighting
-Avira AntiVir Personal (www.free-av.com): antiphishing features, thwarts dialers
Five Must-Have Utilities
-3DMark06 Basic Edition: 3D benchmarking software will put your video card through a workout to help you decide if it's time for an upgrade
-Belarc Advisor: great way to get to know your PC's insides
-Free RAM Optimizer: sits in your system tray monitoring memory use and forcing unruly apps to return your resources
-SpeedFan: displays system temperatures from your internal sensors
-WinDirStat: scan your drives and show what's taking up space
Newsweek - February 16, 2009
Not necessarily a bad investment...
Canada does some things right, like...
Canada does some things right, like...
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