Software List
icekin — Tue, 2006/03/07 - 20:14
All the software here was tested on 32-bit processors. Mainly Windows XP Pro tested, but can also run on Windows 2000 and maybe Windows 98 and Windows XP x64 Edition. Many programs also run on *nix and I have specified so where applicable. Everything here is stable. There may be one or two betas, but they have been tested well and are stable enough. All the software listed is either free or open source, so you feel free to try them out.
If you have suggestions for a new program that you think is better to perform a certain task, contact me. I kindly ask that the program you recommend be freeware or open source. At least, it must be free for non-commercial, home and private use or provide a "lite" fully usable version instead of just a trial version.
Purpose
I believe in maximum utilization, meaning trying to use the least amount of programs in the most number of ways. Over time, this has developed into a small list of high quality software. I keep the software here of the low resource consuming, high efficiency type. None of the programs here are unnecessarily bloated. You may have barely heard of some of the programs here. Its okay, they are still reliable. I don't just use popular programs ; I try to see if there is a better way to do the same task. I rate programs based on quick loading times, ease of use and customization.
Contents
01) Archiving Utilities - Make and extract archives
02) CD Writing - Make CDs and DVDs
03) Coding - IDES, compilers, interpretors
04) Communication - VOIP, IRC and the like
05) Graphics & Animation - Image Editing, viewers, icon makers and 3D Animation
06) Multimedia - Play and edit multimedia
07) Network Utilities - Browsers, email, packet sniffers and privacy
a) Browsers
c) Email
e) Etc.
08) System Utilities - Anti virus, hardware monitors, service packs and patches
a) Anti-Virus
b) Firewalls
d) Spyware
09) Web Building
a) IDE
c) CMS
d) CMF
e) Etc.
10) Miscellaneous - Unique programs and exceptions
11) Software Related Links - Links to other software listings like this
01) Archiving Utilities
Below are various algorithms that are used for compressing various types of files. Some of the algorithms also have associated programs that can perform the task, like the LZMA algorithm and 7-Zip.
This program offers compression using the 7-Zip algorithm. Compression rate is quite high, certainly better than .zip and possibly rivals .rar and other formats quite well. The program can also open .zip, .rar (extract only) and other common formats. Supports password encoding of archives and splitting to CD and Floppy sized volumes.
UPX - Ultimate Packer for Executables
Mainly targeted at .exe files; offers excellent compression rate. Available as source code, precompiled for Linux and as Win 32 bit console edition.
This command line utility removes the relocation (".reloc") section from Win32 PE exe files to reduce their size. Certainly not as effective as UPX, but uses less memory.
a) Links about Archiving
There is no one single algorithm and compression format that can handle all types of files equally well. For more on data compression, see the below sites:
Jeff Gilchrist's Archive Compression Test (ACT) - detailed experiments and results of various formats.
M5 Online Compression Utility - This page by UCF lets you upload various file types and compare how the compression algorithms match up to each other.
Data-Compression.com - Detailed theory about data compression.
02) CD Writing
These are programs used to write CDs and DVDs, check CDs and recover data from damaged CDs.
There is no quality free DVD Burning program on the level of Nero yet. This however, comes close. Its slow on bootup, but performs well. Certainly excels over Deepburner Free, the other free CD burning suite. Also has some nice features like filtering by file type to add, dropbox etc. that even Nero lacks. The author has planned some major features in the upcoming versions, so watch this space.
Small but has enough for the most common tasks. Not as feature packed as CD Burner XP Pro, but loads in a flash. Only burns CDs. Can also erase CD-RWs. Some visitors suggested adding Burnatonce here, but I find this better.
BTTB - Burn to the Brim
Simple program that can supposedly fully utilize the capacity of a CD. Didn't work on my computer, but I've seen it in action and it seems decent.
Use this to check if a CD is still readable. If the CD is damaged, you can attempt to recover the data. Recovery is not guaranteed, depends on the condition of the CD.
03) Coding
These are coding related tools. Visitors have suggested adding Netbeans, Eclipse etc. But, I find these sufficient for the level of coding I do. These are fast, low resource consuming IDEs, which is important since compilation of large programs itself uses memory.
This is a suite that install Apache, php, mySQL, Python and related administration tools on Windows. Extremly handy for Website development, especially if you looking to learn a CMS. Is meant to be used as a full server suite for Windows, but I would recommend LAMP for that. I also use this for learning python. Install and uninstall work painlessly and with no errors. Far easier to configure than Foxserv or other WAMP tools. Over 85 MB in size, but well worth it.
IDE with gcc compiler. Still beta, but works well out of the box. IDE has several advanced features and supports skins. Far better than proprietary compilers like Borland Turbo C++ and VC++.
Small but has syntax highlighting support for a large number of languages. Does not come with any compilers, but can be integrated to work with most. Does not have class/ object viewer tree and all that crap, so especially good for small programs and new coders.
IDE for PHP with a number of features. Also see Maguma Studio Standard, which is free, but not open source. Studio standard includes a CVS manager. Seems decent but I haven't tested it as much.
The Motorola 68HC11 is a good microprocessor to learn assembly language and other basics. This is a cross compiler for that and runs on windows and all *nix. When I learnt assembly on THRSim11, which is trialware, I was looking for a free or open source alternative. This was the only one I could find.
04) Communication
These are programs for communication over the internet.
Deserves to be called the king of IMs. Supports every major network including Jabber, MSN, AIM, Yahoo, ICQ and even IRC. Small and open source, extensible through plugins. Needs no setup. Doesn't support features like Yahoo audibles, IMvironments, voice chat and all that. But, good enough for basic, no nonsense communication.
One of the first programs with voice chat for linux. Been around long before MSN, Yahoo, ICQ and the like. Also has a windows client so people across both OS can talk with each other. Uses GSM and other compression formats. There are 2 versions, with and without encryption. US law says that the encrypted version cannot be used by other countries, so those people will have to either download the non-encypted one or download an encrpted one from another site hosted outside US.
Not been around long, but nice IRC client with good features. Only available for Windows, but source code is also available, so someone should make a *nix version soon. Meanwhile, check out XChat, available for *nix and windows.
05) Graphics & Animation
Image viewers, Editors, Ray Tracers, Modeling, Icon design and all things associated. This section has many programs and they are all good. The fact is, there's a plethora of free quality image editing, raytracing and modeling programs out there. Many of the programs are even open source. A more detailed list of software can be found at Web Reference. Graphic enthusiast sites like Highend3d and 3Dark are also worth visiting to know more.
a) Image Viewers
These programs are just to view images. They support several image formats and offer some basic image editing, but nothing hardcore.
Somewhat newer program that can run on Windows and *nix. Supports virtually every image format known, importing feature for about 400 formats and ability to export to about 50 formats. Has several photo editing features as well. Irfanview is another good image viewer that can also play media files, though I've found XnView to be better for image viewing.
Worthy of a mention here due to its easy interface and useful features, though its been too integrated with Google services like Blogger, Gmail and software like Hello or Google Desktop. Which is probably neat if you are a big fan of Google. Also tries to index all the images on your computer for 'easy searching' which takes up more hard disk space.
b) Image Editors
Need no mention. Can be used for editing images, photos and creating new ones. Limited to only 8 bit images as compared to Photoshop's 16 bit, but matches the latter in almost every other way. Excellent usability, full support on all windows and *nix. Dummies and Idiot books have also been published along with Sam's 24 hour guides. Still, one can get plenty of free gimp tutorials on the net. See GIMP-Savvy and this guide for beginners.
Originally written in Japanese, its popularity has made it widely translated into several other languages. Nice interface, not as fully packed as GIMP, but certainly a quality product. Other good programs for photo editing include Project Dogwaffle, of which version 1.2 has been made freeware. Serif Photo Plus 6.0 and Zoner Draw 3, both having been released as freeware, are also decent.
This is the free version of Icon Art, a tool used for creating favicons. Its also possible to create .png images with any other image program and then convert that to a favicon using png2ico.
c) Vector Graphics Editor
These are programs that can be used to make SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). Vector graphics are image formats where all the objects in the picture are traced as shapes. The picture thus carries more than just visual information; programs can recognize the shapes used and perform interesting edits on them.
The best free SVG editor out there. Actively being developed, will probably rival proprietary software like Illustrator and Corel soon. As Xara Xtreme has recently gone open source, code and ideas from Xara will possibly be used to further improve Inkspace. Also look at Xara, it was quite good as a commercial product before. Available for Windows and *nix.
A vector based drawing tool that used SVG natively. Runs on Windows and *nix. Relatively lesser known, but still a good product with high usability. Those on linux may also want to see Skencil and Karbon 14 (part of Koffice), both appear to be quite good.
d) Diagram Creation
These are programs that are used to create flowcharts, diagrams etc. like MS Visio. This can be used for UML, mind mapping, or drawing a tree or graph of nodes.
An open source replacement for Visio. Has special objects to help draw entity relationship diagrams, networks and circuits.
A mind mapping software written fully in Java. Can hence run on any OS. Good for organizing thoughts and ideas easily or for studying.
e) Animation & Modeling
A previously commercial product that was purchased by the open source community :-) Since then, it has progressed considerably and is now being used even commercially. It has a bit of a learning curve, but is well worth the effort. Besides, it has among the best documentation I've seen, including hands on video tutorials. The community of users and developers are also quite active, so forum help is readily available. One can also find books and tutorials elsewhere on the net. Here is one list of tutorials : Flying Snail Blender Links. Blender is readily recommended as a starting point for those looking to learn about computer animation.
Maya Personal Learning Edition
Not open source, but its nice of Alias to offer a free version of their flagship product. This version has all the features, but includes a Maya logo on all exported files. Maya itself is with no doubt, the best in animation software and has been used in major movies and studios. Pixar Renderman has some addons for Maya.
Real time 3D modeling and animation tool with customizable interface. Free version has lesser features, but is still very usable.
A free, 3D modeling software that runs on windows and *nix. No match for Maya, but still has a good set of features to allow creation of even complex objects.
f) Raytracing & Rendering
Raytracing a technique of rendering objects by placing an imaginary light source and deciding how the light will pass through the object, bounce off it, refract etc. Here's a better explanation.
Clearly one of the best ray tracing programs, widely used and well supported. Also see MegaPov for a collection of extensions for POV-Ray.
A subdivision modeler with some nice features but does not do animations. Requires Open GL. Some sample outputs can be viewed here. A few basic tutorials are also available at the site.
3D Modeller and raytracer that is written fully in java. Runs on any OS. Basic features, but with good documentation and potential for becoming a lot better.
06) Multimedia
Audio, Video players, editors and mixers come here. Also includes some audio compressors and rippers.
a) Audio Players
These are programs to just play media files.
Among the best I've seen so far. I switched over to this from STP below. Has the ability to play songs in entire directories one by one so there is no need for a playlist. Can also load playlist if needed. Less than 100 KB in size and uses less than 1 MB of RAM when running. Also has Audio enhance feature to boost volume along with equalizers. Plays most major audio formats like .mp3, .wav, .ogg etc. Needs no uninstall, just delete the folder. Can hide away in the tray. The best of the lot by a country mile.
Used to be a reliable performer and used little RAM, but had some bugs on windows. Minimizes to tray. No install or uninstall. Written entirely in C. Original author has stopped development, but source code has been released and another author has started working on the new version. Last stable version can be downloaded here.
Loads quick and fits on a floppy, like the above two. Currently only available for windows, but is open source so one can compile it on their own for other systems. A good replacement for the now inactive STP. Some folks have recommended Trayplayer as a replacement, but it turned out to be trialware.
An open source audio player with advanced features and low memory usage. Has support for the replay gain algorithm, which is also used by MP3Gain. Might be beyond the needs of the average music listener, but certainly a useful tool for those dealing a wide variety of audio formats, including .APE which is used by Monkey's Audio or those seeking added control on music playback.
b) Audio Editors
Open source audio editor with a good set of features for most tasks. Not as powerful as the likes of soundforge, but the best free audio editor currently.
A program to adjust the gain of a set of mp3 files so that they all have the same volume. Adjustment is done through the replay gain algorithm rather than the usual peak amplitude normalization. The result is that the sound quality is no way affected and the gain can always be adjusted back to the previous level by using MP3Gain. I have found this program works best across a set of files all belonging to a particular genre, since most people would like them all to sound the same. It has 2 modes, adjusting all files to the same volume or to adjust all files to a certain specified gain level while maintaining the corresponding difference in gain within the files.
c) Audio Mixers & Synthesizers
A phrade sampler that can make music using sound samples. Allows you to edit and mix your own music.
This is a mixer for creating dance loops, mainly aimed at hip hop, techno, rap music etc. Especially good for mixing in drum beats in loops.
A fully featured, modular based software synthesizer. Tons of features and well documented, this is worth trying for anyone looking to learn about digital audio editing in detail. Good enough to be used as a serious tool for professional work as well.
A recorder, sequencer and mixer with many more features. Worth learning in addition to Buzz. The UI seemeed was a bit of an eye strain to me. But, no one else has complained the same.
d) Other Audio Tools
A compressor for digital music that is lossless. Instead of ripping music off CDs to .mp3 or .ogg, you can use Monkey's Audio to as your encoder. The resulting file will still be larger than .mp3 or .ogg but it will have no quality loss as compared to the audio CD. Files compressed by monkey's audio have the .APE extension. There are media players that can directly play such files like foobar2000 and Deliplayer. Wavpack is another good lossless audio compression format.
An audio CD ripper that extracts to several formats like .mp3, .ogg etc. Those looking to directly extract to .APE should try Easy CD-DA extractor. Both are good reliable programs.
e) Video Players
The best video player for windows and *nix. uses less resources and can play several file types. Also has a feature that will let you automatically download the codecs you need to play the file.
A program that installs all the most commonly used audio and video codecs, along with tools for encoding, editing etc. It comes as a basic, standard, full and mega packed version for suiting different users. Those who just watch movies should stick with the basic pack. The full and mega are suitable for those doing media encoding. I have read that this program bundles the full version of the Divx codec, which is still a commerical product. In any case, users do not have to worry about facing any consequences. The program is good and regularly updated with newer versions of codecs. Those who would like to look at other codec packages can visit free-codecs.com
f) Video Editing
Undoubtedly the best video editing tool there is under open source. Allows encoding into various formats, dubbing, adding of subtitles and many other advanced features. Detailed documentation and an active community make it easier to learn. There have been other good programs based on this like Virtual Dub Mod.
A collection of Open Source Tools for deep paint manipulation and image processing. Supports up to 32 bit channel depth compared to Photoshop's 16 bit and GIMP's 8 bit. Relatively new and still in active development stage, but has good potential and is well funded. Currently only available for *nix, but that will probably change soon.
Extra: There is a good video tutorial on enoding using Windows Media Encoder at the Typo 3 Documentation. Browse down to encoding screen capture videos.
07) Network Utilities
Programs that are related to the internet, packet sniffing, analysis and so on.
a) Browsers
If one thing is clear, it's that IE does not stand a chance anymore. Unless they do a major revamp, which seems unlikely. There are far too many better alternatives and firefox leads the pack. It's based on less popular Mozilla browser suite. But while mozilla is somewhat bloated, firefox just does the job of a browser and does it well. The community provides plenty of added plugins to achieve just about anything, including turning firefox into a music player and calendar management application. Galeon is another gecko based option. There are some guides on tweaking hidden firefox settings to make it faster:
Mozilla firefox documentation on settings
Tweakguides firefox guide
Hack A Day firefox tips
Many more firefox tweaks can be found by searching. Also check Ghostzilla, a mozilla based open source browser that can hide away and only display when a certain key sequence is pressed. Different levels of hidings can be set. Apparently useful in long boring meetings. Flock is another mozilla based browser that is relatively new. Flock has a goal of making a browser that is aimed more for text and photo blogging.
The other main competitor to IE (and firefox). Has the fastest page rendering engine, even faster than Mozilla's Gecko. Has some advanced features like voice commands, meaning you can actually give verbal instructions to your computer. I've seen that the voice recognition feature is promising, but still far from perfect. If only this was open source, every other browser, including firefox, would be blown away. There is also a version available for cellphones and PDAs. Recently, opera has gone from adware to complete clean freeware. The professional version has also been removed; all the features are now available for free. This move will probably see Opera increase its browser share on the market considerably.
b) Download Manager
An excellent small program that can manage downloads well. Supports multi threading with any number of threads. Accelerates downloads considerably over a 56 kbps or lesser connection. Sadly, the project has been inactive for a while and the author seems to have no intention of releasing the source code either. The program was officially never tested on Windows XP, but worked fine for me. Occasionally the program crashes, requiring an uninstall followed by a reinstall. I would recommend folks to look at one of the below download managers instead.
The only open source download manager with windows binaries that I could find. Didn't give any problems till now, but not as fully featured as DLExpert above. For one thing, it doesn't allow more than 8 threads, though usually any more than 5 threads doesn't quite speed up the download. Also loads quite fast, much like DLExpert.
The most feature packed of the lot, with an attractive, friendly UI. Also has ability to search of alternate mirrors using filemirrors, then find the fastest mirror (based on ping times) and download using any number of threads. The program does however display a small banner at the top, though its actually an advertisement for Free Download Manager registered version. The program's 'adware' does not fall into the malicious list and certainly does not report your surfing habits or mess with your registry, so its certainly worth looking at for its strengths.
c) Email
People keep raving about thunderbird, evolution and Outlook, but for those not looking for an overkill, ePrompter is just the thing. Small, sits in the tray and does the job of notifying arrival of new mails. Also lets you read the message and reply. No advanced features like Rich Text Editor or Spellcheck, but with one click you can be in the fully enabled compose interface of your email service.
Note : Rich Text/ HTML email is not recommended.
Small like ePrompter, but with a few more features. There are also added plugins for SSL connections, reading web mail and tweaking settings.
d) Network Analysis
These are tools to study network traffic, packet sniff etc. Its probably legal to look at packets being routed over your internet connection but I am no lawyer so someone with a clue should tell me about this.
Probably the best packet sniffer cum analyzer there is with more features that a person could want. Still, well laid out interface and detailed documentation make this a joy to use. Open source and runs on all Windows and *nix.
Multithreaded network query tool to hunt down spammers and do lots more. For the full set of features, see the official site. Only runs on Windows.
e) Etc.
These are some other network related programs.
One of the oldest and still the best FTP server for windows. Well written and with advanced features, it has stayed in version 1.80 for quite a while. Development is still active though and the author has planned to release a version 3 soon. Free for private and individual use, governments and corporations may have to adhere to some policy. Go to download page and scroll down for version 1.80. There is also a good guide here in addition to the official help files. Those who find War FTP difficult to learn (really is not!) can try Guild FTP, which may be better for newbies. There is also a FileZilla FTP Server which I have not tested yet, but is reported to be decent. If you are looking for a secure FTP server, try freeFTPd.
This is a generally good open source FTP client with features like keep connection alive, auto resume and support for secure connections. There is a good online documentation available at the official site which I recommend reading if you are new to FTP.
Note: WinSCP, a great secure FTP client has recently gone open source (July 2003).
SmartFTP is also good for Windows. I was using it prior to FileZilla. SmartFTP is free for personal, education and non-profit use. It does however use a microsoft installer, so you may have to download the windows installer first. Most computers already have this.
Quite well known already; a small tool that when installed, integrates with Windows Explorer and lets a person use Gmail space for storage. Keep checking the site often for newer versions though since Gmail often change their login system and hence block out this tool. Xmail Hard Drive is another service that lets you use your Gmail as a storage space. It has the advantage of not having to install any software on the computer like Gmail Drive. The user logs into Xmail Hard Drive using the gmail username and password and adds files directly through the browser. Also, to clear any doubts, this is not illegal or in violation of any Gmail TOS, so your account won't be cancelled for using this. If it is, just take another invite.
KeePass Password Safe
Not strictly a network program, but often used in conjunction with the internet. Only windows binaries are available, but one can always compile from source for any other platform. Can remember passwords of various online accounts. There have been many such password safes, but this one is probably the best I've seen. Small and with an attractive interface (skins possible), it can even generate new passwords. Password generation allows a person to enter the number of bits and input randomness through a mouse or keyboard. The password entries are grouped into sections and subsections, with icons next to names. The database file is encrypted with Blowfish algorithm and protected by a master password. The database entries can also be exported to a text file if necessary. Password Safe is another popular open source program with the same purpose, but the UI is nowhere as good as KeePass.
A good SSH enabled telnet alternative for windows and *nix. No installation, just click and run.
A derivative of RealVNC with many added features. VNC is virtual network computing, used for connecting to a remote machine's desktop and being able to view and control it on your desktop through a window. Works across various OS as well, so the advantages are obvious.
08) System Utilities
Everything related to system maintenance and security.
a) Anti-Virus
One of the best lines of defense and quite necessary for personal computers. Some folks have pointed out that *nix systems don't need a anti-virus since they are harder to tamper with. But the *nix system can still act as a carrier to transmit a virus between two Windows machines. To prevent this, all systems should ideally have an anti virus installed. An anti virus is only as good as its database of virus definitions, which need to be regularly updated. Only one of the below programs is needed per computer; installing two or more will only eat system resources with only little added security.
Well known for being one of the earliest free anti-virus programs for windows. The free version lacks some features and only allows for one auto update per day, which should suffice in most cases. Manual update is also possible by downloading the virus definitions and telling the program to read the file. Has a resident shield to inform of a virus as soon as it enters the system. Recently, a 64 bit version has been introduced with free version 7.1.
The first free anti virus with a version available for 64 bit windows. Allows unlimited auto updates and has resident shield.
Initially Clam Anti Virus was installed on *nix mail servers to scan attachments in mails. Well tested and proven open source solution. Clamwin is simply a windows version of this anti-virus. Has unlimited auto update but no resident shield. Which means that you must manually scan a file or folder to know if there is an anti virus in it. Keep an eye on this, resident shield and numerous other features are planned in future versions. Those on *nix can also try Aegis Anti Virus, or one of the below.
Good program with unlimited auto updates and resident shield. Not as popular as the rest, but clearly as good. Also has a version for Linux, FreeBSD and Solaris.
The DOS, Linux and BSD versions are completely free for personal and home use; the windows version is not. The DOS version also works on Windows XP through the command line. Free support is provided through email.
b) Firewalls
This acts as a security measure against intrusions by crackers and script kiddies who like to look for open ports. If you have a router, it may already have a in built firewall that you can configure. This page has some related information about routers and blocking unused ports.
Firewall Boxes
These are separate computers that can be used as dedicated firewalls. All your network traffic is sent and received through them. These give much higher security than software firewalls and are fully configurable. The good news is all the OS for these boxes is open source and will run on even old hardware like a 486 or Pentium 133 with 16 or 32 MB RAM and 2 network cards (PCI or even ISA). Those looking for information on running a webserver through a firewall can look at DSLWebServer.
The first firewall OS that I came across. Well tested and widely used, even by corporate level servers. Now has an easy configuration thus requiring no knowledge of UNIX command line. Based on Linux.
Initially based on Smoothwall and many folks have told me its also easier to use. Haven't personally tried it myself but it has been rated highly.
A newer firewall distribution which actually uses PHP scripts for startup configuration with XML for parameters. This makes it easy to edit and configure. BSD based and very light taking up less than 6 MB for install and boots under 40 seconds. Can even run off CD or flash card. There is also a derivative called pfSense that focuses more on packet filtering.
Software Firewalls
Initially had an appearance very much like Tiny Firewall. The new version has a intuitive interface with many customizable settings. By default, the product runs in full mode with all features enabled. After 30days, it switches to the freeware mode with limited features. Kerio Personal Firewall will be discontinued as of December 2006, but it is still usable after that.
Other Firewalls
Most people would know of these : Zone Alarm and Sygate. Both have a freeware version. I have not used these myself but I think Kerio is far better. I would recommend a firewall box or router firewall, but its better to have at least a software firewall than the Windows XP firewall or having nothing at all. You can find out more about firewalls at Firewall Guide.
c) Security Fixes
Most Windows OS have tons of security holes. Microsoft releases official patches, but to download these you need a high speed internet connection (broadband or DSL) with no download limits. You also need a valid CD-Key which is checked by the Windows Update site before you can download the patches. A better alternative is to download the patches and hotfixes separately and install them all at once so that you don't have to keep rebooting your computer in between hotfix installations.
This is a program that contains all the patches, hotfixes and updates ever released for Windows 2000, XP and 2003 to date. Hence, a large 185 MB download, but at least you can keep the Autopatcher install file and distribute it to your friends or use it again the next time you reinstall windows instead of having to re-download all the patches. Autopatcher releases a new version of their program every month or so as soon as Microsoft adds some new patches to their database. You can read the release info to know whether any of the new patches affect your OS. Autopatcher also includes some added tweaks which you can optionally install. Also check out Autostreamer, which can be used to make slipstreamed CDs with any other components.
Once you install a Windows with all device drivers and patches, it would be irritating if you had to do all this over the next time you installed Windows. NLite can solve that problem. If you have a Windows CD, it can load the CD and give you the option to remove some windows components (e.g. Minesweeper, Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer) and integrate device drivers directly. At the end, you can compile a new bootable .iso image and burn that to CD. And you have a Windows Install CD, completely customized for your own computer. The drivers and patches will get installed along with Windows. NLite also gives options to tweak some registry settings, remove default wallpapers and additional languages to save space.
d) Spyware Removal
The below programs will help to remove existing spyware on your computer and some will prevent newer spyware from being installed. However, the best defense is not to install it in the first place, even by accident. Before installing any new program, it helps to run a quick check against the Spyware Guide database. You can also talk to people at the Spyware Info Forums if you have queries. The programs below have a spyware database, not unlike the anti virus definitions of Anti Virus programs, which must be regularly updated. Free auto update is available for all of them.
A freeware program that removes spyware. It has a tea timer program that can be optionally installed and activated, Tea timer acts as a resident guard, blocking new spyware from being installed. This program has even surpassed Ad-Aware in several ways. Some people install both Ad-Aware and Spybot. I don't think this is necessary, though it doesn't hurt to have two checks instead of one. Ad-Aware does have some minor issues when working alongside Spybot. This is stated in the Spybot help files and will show up when opening the program.
This is newer than Ad Aware or Spybot, but has become quite popular. I haven't tried it myself, but it has received good reviews and should be worth trying.
e) Other Information
Trend Micro has an online virus and spyware scanner which is handy when trying to scan a file or folder without having to install something first. Wilders is a online group that has a lot of information on security. They also keep an extensive list of free firewalls and anti virus programs. Spychecker keeps a list of Spyware related information.
09) Web Building
These are programs that are used in conjunction with web building and development.
a) IDEs (Integrated Development Environment)
These are programs that provide features to facilitate web site building. All of them have syntax highlighting and support for XHTML and CSS.
It would be hard to believe that this is free. The ultimate tool for serious web developers, it has support for every known scripting language and HTML. With features not even found in commercial applications like frontpage, like over a few hundred ready javascripts. Not suitable for HTML beginners but they can use it to create web forms or drop boxes easily and then copy over the code to another application. Those on *nix an check out Bluefish.
A very light and powerful editor for HTML. Doesn't have as many features as 1st page 2000, but is also a lot easier to use.
b) WYSIWYG Editors
"What You See Is What You Get" editors. These are more suitable for those who don't know any HTML and wish to build a website using a click and point interface.
The best of the free WYSIWYG editors. Initially based on Mozilla Composer. The best WYSIWYG editors are still commercial (e.g. Dreamweaver and Pagemill), but Nvu provides sufficient features for the novice to intermediate sites. Advanced users usually know HTML and are able to code directly.
Others: Never tested these myself, but they are the only other free WYSIWYG editors around. Amaya, Trellian, Mozilla Composer
c) Content Management Systems (CMS)
CMS allows for a person to build a website easily with little or no knowledge of HTML. Popular blogging software like Movable Type, Wordpress etc. are all examples of blog CMS. PHP-Nuke and Geeklog are examples of popular community site CMS. Most CMS and CMF require PHP, mySQL and Apache to be installed. On windows, installing them separately and configuring them can be a pain. I recommend using a installer like Apache2Triad to simplify the task.
This is used for setting up weblogs (blogs). Can also be used for a large community website, but I recommend another CMS like Drupal or Civicspace for that. Wordpress has tons of plugins and features. Nucleus is another popular blogging tool with a bit more learning curve than wordpress. Nucleus used to be better, but I find that Wordpress has matured into a very extensible product recently.
Started out pretty simply, but now one of the best CMS out there. Has a bit of a learning curve for the average PC user, but not difficult. The best thing is its system of modules, which allow for extended functionality. Every CMS has a similar system of add-ons, but Drupal's is the least buggy and error prone. The taxonomy system also allows every possible type of cross linking between nodes. The taxonomy also makes Drupal sites easily indexable hence giving them better placement on search engine results.
Recommended for personal sites, blogs and community sites up to a few thousand users. Civicspace is another CMS based on drupal that aims to be easier to use. Spread Firefox is one large site that was built on Drupal / Civicspace.
d) Content Management Frameworks (CMF)
These further extend the basic idea of CMS. They don't just provide a way to make webpages, but also allow for defining relationships between the various components that make up the site. Think of this as a manager for a set of standard html pages. The manager can decide permissions for viewing pages, access certain files etc.
Among the best CMF I have seen; even has video tutorials for easy and interactive learning. The Blender website is one example that was built on Typo3. Typo3 can do almost anything that you could want on a website. New versions are regularly released with improved features.
Haven't tried this one out so extensively myself. Its built on Zope technology which is written in Python. Quite a powerful CMF with many advanced features. Compares very well against Typo3.
e) Etc.
These are some other tools used to aid in website building. Also take a look at Graphics since making nice websites also involves some use of images.
This helps to arrange a set of pictures as a album and produces the relevant HTML code for use. Note that this is not the same as a proper online album that you might find on sites like Snapfish and Ofoto - Kodak Gallery. To make a full featured online album with logins and permissions, see Gallery or Coppermine, both of which are actually CMS designed towards image display.
This program is used to create a HTML calendar, much like how Jalbum creates a HTML album. Again, the advantage is that this can be hosted on any cheap old provider that provides even basic hosting. The problem is that it can't be given too many features. Many CMS provide advanced calendar features like Yahoo calendar. Webcalendar is a CMS fully designed to be an advanced calendar application.
Note: I am linking to the relevant Yahoo newsgroup for HTML Calendar Generator since the official site seems dead.
If you plan to offer downloads on your website, this will come in handy. It needs PHP and mySQL to run. Provides an interface with login permissions for users if needed. Importantly, the path to the actual files on your server are hidden, so no bandwidth leeching is possible.
This has little to do with website building, but uses PHP and mySQL to run. Official quote: "Traditional genealogy programs allow you to share your data on the internet by exporting it from the program to HTML pages. However, this creates thousands of files that are difficult to manage and even harder to find the data in. PhpGedView is a revolutionary genealogy program which allows you to view and edit your genealogy on your website. PhpGedView will also automatically hide or show private information based on who you allow to have access to it."
10) Miscellaneous
Everything else that doesn't quite fit in anywhere else comes here.
A file manager is almost integral for efficient working. Unfortunately, Microsoft does not seem to be keen on ever improving Window Explorer much, and that too without connecting it to Internet Explorer. Fortunately, we don't have to put up with Windows Explorer's lack of features. xplorer2 offers a dual pane window layout which facilitates file transfer between folders. Tabbing is also present for each pane to allow browsing of multiple folders within a single window easily. Memory usage is also reasonable (about 4 MB).
Most folks are hesitant to use a file manager as they think it won't make much of a difference over Windows Explorer. I urge everyone to try a 3rd party file manager at least once. I myself dismissed file managers as unnecessary until a year ago when I started looking for an alternative to nautilus on my Debian machine.
EditPad Lite
There's one thing Mozilla has taught me: tabs increase productivity. EditPad allows several tabs to be opened at once; each one a separate text file. This is the lite version that is free for personal and non-commerical use.
Previously, I used to recommend Metapad, a good notepad substitute, but it has no tabbing. Both EditPad and Metapad use the same amount of memory (about 2.5 MB each) and have added features, including the ability to display everything with proper formatting like wordpad. Also makes http:// and ftp:// links clickable.
A replacement for the slow, resource consuming Adobe Acrobat Reader. Requires no installation and loads in a flash. Also doesn't have the Yahoo ads. It does however, have problems in selecting certain text, especially for pages designed with Adobe Pagemill.
Similar to Nero Imagedrive or Virtual CD. This tool lets you create a virtual CD/DVD Drive that shows up in Windows Explorer. You can now automatically load .iso, .nrg and .cue files directly without having to burn them to CD first. Useful when you want to check if a image is working properly without wasting a CD. Free for private use. Those with a 64-bit OS can check Filedisk.
There are times when even after uninstalling a certain program, the program entry remains under add/remove programs. My uninstaller can remove those redundant entries. The program first tries to find the program's original uninstaller. If that can't be found, then it gives of the option of deleting the entry from add/ remove program.
This can help to defragment the page file in Windows NT/2k/XP. The default defragment utility does not defrag the page file. Defragmenting the page file helps to improve performance noticably. Some third party defragment utilities like Diskeeper defragment the page file during a normal defragmentation run, so those using that won't need this tool.
An excellent replacement for MS Office, but consumes just as much resources. Any computer with over 128 MB of RAM should be able to easily handle it though. Those having slow computers and linux can try Abiword, KOffice and Gnumeric as alternatives for OpenOffice. If you are on a slow Windows machine, take a look at floppy office.
A small file splitting tool. Can split your files as floppy, CD or other custom sized parts.
There aren't too many high quality free windows accounting software packages. This is the best that I could find. Simple and with a decent number of features for personal accounts management. Also has ability to save the file database into a file and exporting to other formats. Those on *nix have the wonderful Gnucash to work with.
Once installed, adds an extra virtual pdf printer that prints out as .pdf files. Displays no ads but needs a ps to pdf convertor (e.g Ghostscript, free) to be installed.
11) Software Related Links
Some links to some other sites containing quality freeware. None of them contain software with spyware.
a) Software Directories
These are sites that maintain a list of software. Some of them also host install binaries.
This site contains an annual 'best software of the year' list that is compiled by the users of alt.comp.freeware by voting. All the programs are for windows, but some of them also have binaries for *nix. Some of the programs are a little outdated, but still work. There is also another site here.
This site focuses on applications that are small; generally floppy size or less. If you have a old computer that needs low resource programs, this is a place to start. Many of the programs here also don't need installation, they can simply be unarchived to a folder and run.
A site that focuses on finding and listing quality freeware replacements for shareware and commercial windows programs.
Contains a good selection of free coding and web development resources. There is also a decent list of freeware. Worth taking a look.
This site contains a decent collection of freeware and some shareware. They especially stock a good collection of graphics, overclocking and system utilites.
This site lists everything free, free software being only one section (abeit a detailed one) on their site. Top Quality Freeware, the freeware guide and the freeware network are other similar sites.
b) Software Sites
These are sites of some software developers (companies or individuals) who generally make decent, bug free, programs.
Good system utilities for password recovery.
Their programs for system maintanence for quite neat. They also give the source code of many of their programs, though I am not sure of the conditions for its reuse.
c) Individuals' List
These are collection of freeware links maintained by other individuals, much like mine.
Focuses on open source software of all kinds, including games. Still heading towards site completion, but usable already.
A list maintained by an individual, despite the plain appearance of the site, it has a good collection of links to nice programs.
This is maintained by the same person who makes Puppy Linux, a live linux distro that can boot straight from the CD and needs relatively minimal resources to run.
