Here's a thread for sharing freeware (free applications). If you know of a free program you think other people might find useful, feel free (he he) to post details and download links here.
THREE IMPORTANT RULES FOR THIS THREAD:
- In accordance with the forum rules, post only links to legal freeware. No links to warez/pirated software or freeware hosted on unauthorized sites.
- only post links to freeware that you are sure is safe. Do not link to free programs that install malware (viruses, rootkits, spyware, etc.). If you're not certain whether a program is malware-free, better to err on the side of caution and not recommend it here.
- no spamming/advertising.
Here are my top freeware recommendations (click on the program name to go to the download page):
Computer Security
Comodo Firewall Pro (http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/): A step above the built-in Windows firewall and protects against most common on-line security threats. Isn't a resource hog like Norton's and McAfee's products. Also, unlike most other freeware firewalls, the license for this program actually allows a user to install this program on a commercial/business machine (most free security program licenses are restricted to "personal use" computers). Latest version works on Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista.
Avira Antivir Personal Edition Classic (http://www.free-av.com/): A decent antivirus program with a high detection rate. Use and installation is restricted to personal use/non-commercial PCs, however. Latest version works on Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista.
Internet Browser
Mozilla Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/): A more secure and less-resource intensive alternative to Internet Explorer. There are dozens of free add-ons available (such as in-browser internet radio tuner) that can allow you to customize how you browse the net. Latest version is available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux machines.
Office/productivity software
OpenOffice (http://www.openoffice.org/): Frustrated with the hobbled MS Works Suite that comes with most Windows PCs but don't want to spend the cash to buy MS Office? AppleWorks or iWork making it hard to share files with your Windows-loving peers? Try OpenOffice, an excellent alternative to Microsoft and Apple's offerings. It has everything you need in a productivity suite... a full-featured word processor, presentation software (a lá Powerpoint), a graphics editing program, spreadsheet software, an equation editor, and a database program, all in an interface that's easy to learn and similar enough to all the popular office suites. Best of all, it reads and saves in all the popular file formats (I can even use the word processor to open corrupted .doc files that are otherwise unrecoverable using MS Word). I can't recommend this thing enough, it's hands-down the best example of how open-source computing can create a product that is equal to, and in some ways superior to, paid programs. Latest version of OpenOfficeis available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.
Foxit Reader (http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php): One of the more common annoyances for anybody who's ever worked in an office or research setting is opening those ubiquitous PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is a resource hog, it takes a lot of space on your hard drive, takes forever to initialize, and is buggy as hell. Foxit Reader is a small-footprint program that trumps Adobe's bloat-ware in every significant way. Latest version of the program is compatible with Windows 2000 and higher.
Video-Editing Software
VirtualDub (http://www.virtualdub.org/): For most people, the built-in Windows Movie Maker that comes with Windows XP is sufficient for their video-editing needs. If you want more features in an editor but don't need all of the features of Adobe Premiere Pro, VirtualDub has got you covered. It's a powerful linear editor with support for all the popular codecs. Beyond the program itself, there are dozens of free community-developed mods and add-ons that can give you the versatility of a professional video editing program. VirtualDub is compatible with Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.
Sound-Editing Software
Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/): A powerful sound editing program. Audacity can turn your computer into a professional digital recording studio and allow you to unleash your inner Rick Rubin. Audacity supports VST, Nyquist, and LADSPA plug-ins so you can really nail down that sound in your head. Versions of the program are available for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Unix machines.
Graphics-Editing Software
GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/): I'm a Photoshop man myself, but I did have a brief dalliance with GIMP a couple of years ago. GIMP is a full-featured graphics manipulation program that can pretty much do everything that Photoshop can do, although the interface can be a tad confusing for Photoshop adherents... I imagine it's a lot easier to pick up and learn for somebody who's never used a graphics manipulation program extensively before. I'm seriously considering going with the latest version of GIMP if and when I decide to move on from Photoshop 7 (So I can finally have a fully open-source media manipulation suite on my PC). Versions of the program are available for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Unix machines.
3D-modeling software
SketchUp (http://www.sketchup.com/): a simple 3D modeling tool meant for those without a 3D modeling background. Its intuitive interface makes it easy to create models right off the bat. A great tool for designers and is also very handy for artists trying to figure out rotations and perspective (at least that's what I usually use it for).
Forgot to mention this one:
HijackThis (http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/tools/security_tools/hijackthis): A free security utility for manually rooting out malware. It's the perfect complement to the free Antivir antivirus scanner (because as effective as that program is at detection, its disinfection abilities leave a lot to be desired). Using this program safely and effectively requires some knowledge of your Windows PC's normal running processes, however (just like any program that lets you fiddle with your Windows registry), so use with caution.
AVG Antivirus-free good antivirus software
Spybot Search and Destroy- free good antispyware software
Zonealarm- free firewall software, opinions vary as to how good it is, some say its now a bit bloated and slows the system down. But hey, =free.
Quote from: zuludelta on January 13, 2008, 01:39:47 PM
Forgot to mention this one:
HijackThis (http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/tools/security_tools/hijackthis): A free security utility for manually rooting out malware. It's the perfect complement to the free Antivir antivirus scanner (because as effective as that program is at detection, it's disinfection abilities leave a lot to be desired). Using this program safely and effectively requires some knowledge of your Windows PC's normal running processes, however (just like any program thst lets you fiddle with your Windows registry), so use with caution.
When you download this its recommended to make a directory for it, such as C:\Program Files\HJT and then rename the program to analyse (spelled that way). This is because some malware such as Vundo recognize the executable and hide themselves from it. See my Livejournal (http://kosmic.livejournal.com/36012.html) entry on my war with Vundo, which has some tips on cleaning your comp.
Quote from: Kommando on January 13, 2008, 02:12:24 PM
Quote from: zuludelta on January 13, 2008, 01:39:47 PM
Forgot to mention this one:
HijackThis (http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/tools/security_tools/hijackthis): A free security utility for manually rooting out malware. It's the perfect complement to the free Antivir antivirus scanner (because as effective as that program is at detection, it's disinfection abilities leave a lot to be desired). Using this program safely and effectively requires some knowledge of your Windows PC's normal running processes, however (just like any program thst lets you fiddle with your Windows registry), so use with caution.
When you download this its recommended to make a directory for it, such as C:\Program Files\HJT and then rename the program to analyse (spelled that way). This is because some malware such as Vundo recognize the executable and hide themselves from it. See my Livejournal (http://kosmic.livejournal.com/36012.html) entry on my war with Vundo, which has some tips on cleaning your comp.
I remember having to use a different, but similarly effective workaround to fix my brother's Vundo-infected computer. Took me a while to find the solution on the net.
Quote from: tommyboy on January 13, 2008, 02:01:25 PM
Zonealarm- free firewall software, opinions vary as to how good it is, some say its now a bit bloated and slows the system down. But hey, =free.
I used to have ZoneAlarm before switching to Comodo... the problem I had with ZoneAlarm was it was causing system lock-ups when it went through its online update routine, not very often, but still often enough to be annoying.
Quote from: zuludelta on January 13, 2008, 02:34:21 PM
I used to have ZoneAlarm before switching to Comodo... the problem I had with ZoneAlarm was it was causing system lock-ups when it went through its online update routine, not very often, but still often enough to be annoying.
I had the same issue actually.
Good thread, zuludelta. I had a couple of good ones to share but they were both already on your list :)
Most of the freeware I use is concerned with audio/video processing, as I do a lot of that.
Glitch Girl reccommended an audio encoder program called Switch, that is most excellent. IT does nearly everything except for ac3. For that I got BeLight (BeSweet Audio encoder) which handles most of the things that Switch would, with the added ac3. Switch seems to do a much better job with the "run of the mill" encoding though.
As mentioned, VirtualDub is something I use occasionally, when needed for certain video files, or when making Divx/Xivid videos (I don't do it often, but it has happened).
Graphedit is another good one. Once you open a file in it, it gives you a breakdown of the chain of proceses that go into opening it. You can break these chains and insert others, provided you know what you're doing. Usually, I use it to make .wav files from video or other...more inconvenient sources. I open the video file (let's say a Quicktime or something) and sever the processes making it emerge as audio/video playback and instead, make the audio output write to a .wav file. The program is useful for a TON of other functions, but I don't need them.
3-D Modelling Software
1. Lightwave Discovery Edition
Would you like a feature-limited, free edition of Lightwave? Follow the following links (PC users, right-click and "save as"):
Lightwave Discovery Edition (via FTP)
ftp://ftp.newtek.com/pub/Patches/LightWave_Windows/lw75b/LW75bUpdate.zip
Sentinal Drivers (http://c3.safenet-inc.com/downloads/C/2/C2A77DC9-3E8B-483C-98B9-E67950B164D0/Sentinel%20Protection%20Installer%207.3.2.zip)
Unzip and install Lightwave Discovery Edition. Unzip and install the Sentinal Drivers. Now you have a working version of Lightwave.
The limitations:
* Only saves to LWO format (export features disabled).
* Objects are limited to 400 vertices.
* Certain geometry tools are absent.
The advantages:
If you like the quad-screen interface and tool set, you are good to go.
2. Autodesk Maya Personal Learning Edition
Maya Personal Learning Edition is a free, feature-limited version of the full commercial application for the purposes of personal or academic Maya training. You may download a copy of the programme at the Alias Maya PLE website (http://www.autodesk.com/maya-ple). Please note that the NIFTools import/export plugins will not work with Alias Maya PLE (one must own the full commercial version).
Features (taken verbatim from the Autodesk site):
* Modeling (NURBS, polygons, subdivision surfaces)
* Character rigging and animation technology including full body Inverse Kinematics (IK)
* Advanced Autodesk Maya Trax non-linear animation editor
* Full dynamics system including soft and rigid body dynamics
* Complete particle system
* Maya Paint Effects
* Maya Artisan brush based interface
* Toon shading capabilities
* Adobe® Photoshop® integration and Adobe® Illustrator® connectivity
* Four renderers: Autodesk Maya software, hardware, vector and the award-winning mental ray® for Maya renderer
* Comprehensive documentation
* The ability to import and export FBX files to and from Autodesk MotionBuilder 7 Personal Learning Edition
* Now available in Japanese!
3. Discreet gmax
I've said too much about this elsewhere to repeat it all again. Suffice it to say that this is a stripped down but still highly useful and totally free version of 3ds max. Download it here (http://files.turbosquid.com/Products/L567271/XFM83W83US/gmax12.exe). The best thing about it is that the NIFTools Project has developed gmax NIF exporters (http://downloads.sourceforge.net/niftools/niftools-max-plugins-0.2.15.1.exe?modtime=1183318913&big_mirror=0) that will create static meshes for use with Freedom Force and Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich. If you want to break into 3-D modelling AND have an interest in modding for Freedom Force (but you don't have an extra $3,000 lying around), this is your man.
4. Wings3D
Another option for those who would like to do static meshing for Freedom Force or Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich but cannot surmount the learning curve involved in using gmax/3ds max. Wings3D is a very intuitive, very easy to learn, totally free 3-D modeller (no animation support) that is almost completely mouse driven (no cryptic buttons or complex tools to master). This is a great tool for those seeking an introduction to 3-D modelling, UV mapping, etc. Look at the unfinished tutorial (http://phantombunburyist.freedomforceforever.com/tutorial_Wings3D_to_NIF.html) by Symon and me that shows how to create a model in Wings3D and import it into NIFSkope (download links included in tutorial).
Enjoy! :)
ow_tiobe_sb
Phantom Bunburyist and [THIS SPACE AVAILABLE FOR LEASE TO NEW DUAL TITLE TENANT]
I've been using SpyDoctor and so far it hasn't let me down yet. Although the latest version does take up a lot of space.
http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/
And just recently, Privacy Guardian.
http://www.pctools.com/privacy-guardian/
Oh and the ever popular Ad-Aware. ^_^
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
Well here are few that I like:
All-in-one chat:
Pidgin (http://www.pidgin.im/") - It's works with MSN, Yahoo, AOL, and even QQ. Furthermore it puts them all in tabbed windows to make switching very easy.
"Anonymous" web browsing:
Torpark (http://www.download.com/Torpark/3000-2356_4-10586816.html) - I learned about this from an episode of Smallville when Chloe mentioned she used it to hack into some systems.
Foxyproxy (http://foxyproxy.mozdev.org/) - This a nice little add-on for Firefox that lets you use different proxys for different tasks
Konqueror (http://www.konqueror.org/features/browser.php) - If you use Linux with KDE then this is the best way to surf, IMO. This browser does everything and it does it well. In fact Foxyproxy is an attempt to make Firefox more like Konqueror, which switches proxies automatically. I wish I could get a version of this working for Windows.
Operating Systems:
Kubuntu (http://www.kubuntu.com/) - If I wasn't a gamer then this would be my operating system of choice. It's easy to use and very stable. Actually, I had it installed on my desktop before I sold it. When I buy a laptop I'm installing again. Like most Linux builds it comes bundled with Openoffice.
Media playback:
Xine (http://xinehq.de/) - I recommend this for Linux users. It's like having Windows Media Player, Winamp, Realplayer, etc. all in one easy to use app. It also comes in several flavors.
Media Player Classic (http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Media_Player_Classic.htm) - This is an awesome little piece of software that can play almost all media formats and it's small enough to fit (very comfortably) on a Flash disk so you can take it with you. No installation required.
Random order!
Opera (http://www.opera.com/) - My favorite browser; migrated to it after Mozilla's software started getting bloated and taking up too much system memory.
Notepad2 (http://www.flos-freeware.ch/notepad2.html) - This is a replacement for Notepad. Slim, fast, line and special character demarcation for coders.
Hamachi (https://secure.logmein.com/products/hamachi/vpn.asp?lang=en) - VPN software. I've been using it for a couple years now. Some people don't trust that the information you use passes through LogMeIn's private servers, but I don't transmit anything sensitive across it.
RealVNC (http://www.realvnc.com/) - Coupled with Hamachi, you can access any of your computers from anywhere.
VLC Media Player (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) - Screw codecs. Use this.
Aptana Studio (http://www.aptana.com/) - Web design interface. I've used this since the 0.2.0 build and even then it was full featured and stable.
Deep Burner (http://www.deepburner.com/) - I waffle between this and Ashampoo's CD/DVD burning software (which isn't free). Deep Burner is still solid burning software.
PuTTy (http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/) - SSH client. When I had a server set up, I used it in conjunction with Hamachi to run a headless box.
Sandra Lite (http://www.sisoftware.co.uk/) - Tells you what parts are in your computer. Good if you have a store-bought box that you want to upgrade, without opening the case multiple times.
I'm not really helping, but there are some things helpful here (http://www.dirfile.com/).
x2y (http://x2y.sourceforge.net/) is a free utility to convert images to many formats and as far as I use it, it can convert more than 30 images, I think.
Xnview (http://www.xnview.com/) is another nifty graphics viewing/converting utility. It can read hundreds of different formats, including game specific ones. So yeah, very nifty.
xvi32 (http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm) a useful hex editor, which I've used with FF and other things many a time.
anyone got anything to recommend for taking the audio off of videos. so that you have it on a separate file for audio clips etc
Quote from: the_ultimate_evil on January 14, 2008, 06:50:22 AM
anyone got anything to recommend for taking the audio off of videos. so that you have it on a separate file for audio clips etc
Quote from: Protomorph on January 13, 2008, 05:37:16 PMGraphedit is another good one. Once you open a file in it, it gives you a breakdown of the chain of proceses that go into opening it. You can break these chains and insert others, provided you know what you're doing. Usually, I use it to make .wav files from video or other...more inconvenient sources. I open the video file (let's say a Quicktime or something) and sever the processes making it emerge as audio/video playback and instead, make the audio output write to a .wav file. The program is useful for a TON of other functions, but I don't need them.
Or were you wanting something else entirely?
Quote from: the_ultimate_evil on January 14, 2008, 06:50:22 AM
anyone got anything to recommend for taking the audio off of videos. so that you have it on a separate file for audio clips etc
Graphedit's useful for that. My personal recommendation would be to use Audacity, since doing so is much more intuitive if your only experience with recording audio is with your old boombox. You just play your media of choice (whether it's a video on Youtube or a video playing in a media playback program) and press "record" on Audacity and it'll record any sounds coming off of PC. You can then edit the clip (cut off the empty spaces at the beginning and the end, etc.) and save it as a .WAV file. Audacity doesn't export to mp3 natively, you'll need to have the LAME encoder to do so. If you already have LAME installed, Audacity will allow you to export to mp3 directly, if you don't, you can either download LAME (a very small but useful audio tool) or just download any one of the hundreds of free audio conversion programs on the web (heck, there are even some that do it through your browser).
3D
Art of Illusion (http://www.artofillusion.org/) - Simple Java based 3D modeler that I find to be intuitively easy
Blender (http://www.blender.org/) - The original Freeware 3D program. Dificult User Interface, but powerful, full export capabilities, and a good chunk of the active niftools scripting/plugin development is being done for it currently
Audio
Reaper (http://www.reaper.fm/) - Full featured multitrack studio created by the guy who made winamp. It went $$ starting at 1.0, but I believe the 0.99 version (http://reaper.fm/download-old-0x.php) is under the free license, and is functional enough for basic audio stuff.
Wavosaur (http://www.wavosaur.com/) - Audio editor similar to Audacity
There is also Mcafee's site advisor (http://www.siteadvisor.com/) which helps you avoid known bad sites while you surf the internet. You guys might want to check it out. ^_^
Less worries while surfing the web. :)
Quote from: Panther_Gunn on January 14, 2008, 01:09:36 PM
Quote from: the_ultimate_evil on January 14, 2008, 06:50:22 AM
anyone got anything to recommend for taking the audio off of videos. so that you have it on a separate file for audio clips etc
Quote from: Protomorph on January 13, 2008, 05:37:16 PMGraphedit is another good one. Once you open a file in it, it gives you a breakdown of the chain of proceses that go into opening it. You can break these chains and insert others, provided you know what you're doing. Usually, I use it to make .wav files from video or other...more inconvenient sources. I open the video file (let's say a Quicktime or something) and sever the processes making it emerge as audio/video playback and instead, make the audio output write to a .wav file. The program is useful for a TON of other functions, but I don't need them.
Or were you wanting something else entirely?
Indeed, what type of file did you have in mind?
If you were wanting to rip the audio from a dvd, I usually use DVD2AVI. Once the DVD is loaded, save it as a project file with WAV audio and you can do whatever you want with it. I've done that with a few concert DVDs I own.
When recording from a stream source, like The Ultimate Evil I also record audio directly from my speakers using TotalRecorder (but that's not freeware...I paid $12 for it, and have never regretted it. Great little proggie!)
The List I currently refer to when reinstalling pretty much from scratch for a Windows PC. Obviously, the list is slightly modified for Linux and Macs, but most of them are crossplatform.
Reinstall Windows and outfit your system with all freeware programs (http://www.freewaregenius.com/2007/10/29/reinstall-windows-and-outfit-your-system-with-all-freeware-programs/)
If you get even more minimalist and want a list of stuff thats freeware AND portable (i.e. No installer, just extract and run from HD, Thumbdrive whatever..) I use this site:
http://www.portablefreeware.com/
Quote from: the_ultimate_evil on January 14, 2008, 06:50:22 AM
anyone got anything to recommend for taking the audio off of videos. so that you have it on a separate file for audio clips etc
Virtualdub (http://virtualdub.org). You can open the video, resample the audio in whatever range you want, and then save it as a .wav file.
How about an animated GIF maker freeware program? Any suggestions or recommendations? :P
Waaaaaaayyyyy back in the early days of HTML web based design I used to use Microsoft Gif Animator (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/win/13212). I haven't used it in a long time, but it was the best gif animator at the time.
Quote from: thalaw2 on January 17, 2008, 10:59:46 PM
Waaaaaaayyyyy back in the early days of HTML web based design I used to use Microsoft Gif Animator (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/win/13212). I haven't used it in a long time, but it was the best gif animator at the time.
Thanks. I'm not sure if it's still gonna work with Windows XP though. :unsure:
It works fine, as far as I can tell. Don't know why it wouldn't.
QuoteOperating System Requirements:
This product is designed to run on the following operating systems:
* Windows 2000
* Windows NT
* Windows 98
* Windows 95
I think he read this.
Quote from: randyripoff on January 15, 2008, 09:35:22 PM
Quote from: the_ultimate_evil on January 14, 2008, 06:50:22 AM
anyone got anything to recommend for taking the audio off of videos. so that you have it on a separate file for audio clips etc
Virtualdub (http://virtualdub.org). You can open the video, resample the audio in whatever range you want, and then save it as a .wav file.
cheers guys, i'll give it a try, does it also allow you to rip off dvds, i can say now with my hand on my heart its not for illegal use's.
Quote from: the_ultimate_evil on January 20, 2008, 03:30:37 PM
Quote from: randyripoff on January 15, 2008, 09:35:22 PM
Quote from: the_ultimate_evil on January 14, 2008, 06:50:22 AM
anyone got anything to recommend for taking the audio off of videos. so that you have it on a separate file for audio clips etc
Virtualdub (http://virtualdub.org). You can open the video, resample the audio in whatever range you want, and then save it as a .wav file.
cheers guys, i'll give it a try, does it also allow you to rip off dvds, i can say now with my hand on my heart its not for illegal use's.
VirtualDub won't allow you to back-up your DVDs, most people I know use it as a low-resource frameserver and linear video editor. The best (albeit borderline-illegal) freeware app that I know of that allows you to get data off of DVD-9 media (most commercial DVDs) is SmartRipper, but linking to/distributing SmartRipper has been against the law in most countries, particularly in the EU, since 2006 (after the guy who wrote the program lost a landmark case in Finland). The great thing about SmartRipper is that it allows you to extract the media data in vob format, so you've got greater flexibility in how you want to manipulate them.
However, if all you want to do is back-up a copy of the movie in a form that you can watch on your PC or for re-authoring into a VCD or (S)VCD, and don't really care about creating a 1:1 copy of the DVD, you can use DVDx (http://sourceforge.net/projects/dvdx/). It's legal (for now), and most people use it so that they can watch their DVD movies on their iPods or other portable video player of choice.
There are paid programs that allow you to legally back-up your DVDs, premiere among them 1Click DVD Copy (http://www.1clickdvdcopy.com/) and DVDNextCopy (http://www.dvdxcopy.com/dvd-next-copy-burning-software.html). I've never used them myself but from what I hear, they're almost as good as SmartRipper in file extraction. You can also browse used software shops and look for DVDXCopy, which was pretty much a pay version of SmartRipper that was taken off the shelves in 2004 (be wary, though... lots of sites allegedly sell DVDXCopy but they aren't... and if they are, it's illegal and you could find yourself in trouble).
i'm after one as i promised my sister i would get her a copy of the dance groups she's in lasts performance the instructor videoed it and burned it to a dvd but the still bugger no longer has the original file so i'm trying to get her a copy
What you can do is copy the contents of the DVD using DVDx into MPEG format. Any commercial DVD burning software (Nero, Roxio) that usually comes bundled-in with Windows XP can then create a copy of that MPEG file onto DVD+R/W or even a VCD (video CD) that should be viewable on DVD players.
My recommendation is, if the video is less than 80 minutes long, to just create a VCD or (S)VCD (Super Video CD... a VCD with a menu). My experience is that older DVD players have less compatibility issues with VCDs than they do with writable DVDs.
If you want a copy of a homemade DVD, there are a lot of programs that will do that. The best thing would be to either do a direct disc-copy in Nero (or other suitable burning software) or just copy and paste the VIDEO_TS folder to your hard drive and burn a dvd from that.
The sticky wicket of DVD copying is, of course, breaking the encription/protection of commercially marketed discs. But, if your original isn't protected, there isn't much to prevent the copy. I can think of at least 6 programs just off the top of my head that will extract unprotected video.
Breaking the protected discs' encription isn't a subject that we ought to be discussing on these forums.
thanks guys, i and just want to stress that we shouldnt be talking about copy protected dvds. so well just leave it at that. again thanks for the info
Ah... I glossed over the part where you said it was a homemade DVD on writeable media (the instructions I gave you were for getting video data off of commercial DVDs you own without actually copying the DVD - which is in the gray area in terms of legality)... in that case, you can just do a straight-up DVD to DVD copy using Nero or whatever your DVD-burning software of choice is.
Man, y'all have already plugged all the good stuff I use, but let me add my voice to the chorus in praising: VLC Media Player (so incredibly awesome), Audacity (without it, I wouldn't have ever made my voicepacks), Spybot, and Ad-Aware.
Up until the DCMA, Fair Use was generally the accepted rule. If you owned a copy of whatever, you were entitled to make a 'working' copy and save the master in case the working copy was destroyed. Making copies for the purpose of distributing commercial media has always been a no-no.
The grey area, which also involves Fair Use, is when you have multiple 'working' copies for the purpose of playing media in different formats or on different machines. It was never really much of an issue for non-software until MP3's came along. Nobody seemed to mind when you uploaded music from a CD for playback on your computer as wav files. MP3 players and downloading music off the Internet changed all that.
Which is why we have a DCMA and the like tromping all over the common sense of Fair Use. Now you don't 'own' your copy of music... you just license it, subject to any restriction the manufacturers care to impose. And thus why I don't buy a lot of music anymore.
TUE, reproducing even a dance performance your sister was in is problematical unless you got express permission to do it from the instructor... and even then if the performance featured copyrighted music you may not have permission of the owners of those copyrights to do so.
Which when you think about it is pretty nutty. Nobody should give a rip if you make a copy for private use.
Quote from: BlueBard on January 22, 2008, 09:26:38 AM
TUE, reproducing even a dance performance your sister was in is problematical unless you got express permission to do it from the instructor... and even then if the performance featured copyrighted music you may not have permission of the owners of those copyrights to do so.
[rant mode]
Yeah, the music and film industry's interpretation of "protecting" their IP rights is bordering on the ridiculous these days. There have been cases where small outfits that do video recordings of weddings/birthday parties/small sporting events and such have been forced to go back and record over the copyrighted music played at these venues with generic, royalty-free music under threat of litigation (the fact that they're being paid to record these events and are making multiple copies of the recording apparently excludes them from the whole "fair use" bit). How is that video then supposed to be an accurate record of the events?
[/rant mode]
I forgot to post a link to a very useful programme for map makers:
Spiral Graphics' Wood Workshop: 100% freeware texture generator specialising in cut and uncut wood patterns. One can make 1000s of different seamless, resolution independent textures for use with flat surfaces on FF level maps! Export to jpeg, png, bmp, or tiff and convert to tga with your favourite 2D graphic editor/converter. :) Download your free copy here (http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/ww_overview.htm).
ow_tiobe_sb
Phantom Bunburyist and [THIS SPACE AVAILABLE FOR LEASE TO NEW DUAL TITLE TENANT]
the instructor has said if anyone wants a copy they can do so, so there is no problems there. just wondering do any of the programmes you guys recommended have the ability to do menus for the dvds. i want to learn how to do this its a nice way of sending out my photos for jobs along with a cv.
thanks again guys i know i have hogged the thread and if a mod thinks these should go then go for it. i've been here long enough that i dont want to start going into unwanted territory
You might want to check VideoHelp (http://videohelp.com). There's tons of information there, and you should be able to find the information you need to complete your project.
Where can I find a software that gets music from FLVs?
Quote from: GGiant on February 06, 2008, 06:56:02 AM
Where can I find a software that gets music from FLVs?
Try Orbit Rich Media Downloader (http://www.orbitdownloader.com/). It works very well for me.
ow_tiobe_sb
Phantom Bunburyist and Fop o' th' Morning
Thank you. :D
I'm trying out Open Office, and it seems pretty good so far, but the spell check doesn't seem to do anything, guys got any ideas on that?
Quote from: Podmark on February 07, 2008, 01:57:22 AM
I'm trying out Open Office, and it seems pretty good so far, but the spell check doesn't seem to do anything, guys got any ideas on that?
That's probably because you don't have any dictionaries installed (the dictionaries aren't installed by default to keep the size of the installer smaller).
Here's how you do it in OpenOffice 2.x:
Go to File --> Wizards --> Install New Dictionaries
That should bring you to a mini-app that will walk you through the process of selecting and installing dictionaries of different languages (in my experience, you're better off just installing just the spell-check dictionary... the hyphenation dictionaries aren't all that useful and the thesaurus is a large download, it's better to just use Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/) for your thesaurus). Choose the languages you want your spell-checker in (any more than 10 might affect OpenOffice's performance, though) and it will install them automatically (you need to be on-line for this to happen).
If you want the spellcheck to be automatic or if you want to tweak the spellcheck and other language features, go to Tools --> Options --> Language Settings
In there, you'll be able to customize OpenOffice Writer's writing and formatting aid features to fit your needs.
Hope that helps.
Ah ok. Thanks. I figured it was something like that, but I wasn't sure which menu to look in.
ok this is annoying, I went through the mini app and downloaded them but it didn't seem to do anything. I'm probably just missing some step
Here are my settings, see if they match up with yours... assuming you downloaded and installed the dictionaries correctly, following these should make the spellchecker work (note that I'm using the Canadian English dictionary... you might have an American English one installed):
Make sure the squiggly thing is active if you want the mis-spellings pointed out to you as you type (if it isn't you'll only be able to spellcheck your document by pressing F7)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/opoffhelp.jpg)
Here's what my language settings look like (go to Tools --> Options --> Language Settings)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/opoffhelp2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/opoffhelp3.jpg)
I usually use Excel files. Does openoffice have any problems opening Excel files?
I also read this article while I was trying to look for an answer.
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/news/2154626/microsoft-dismisses-openoffice
Is it true that openoffice can override passwords in Excel files?
Quote from: Outcast on February 09, 2008, 01:47:06 AM
I usually use Excel files. Does openoffice have any problems opening Excel files?
In my experience, it has complete compatibility with Excel files (you'll want to double-check with the developer forums just to be sure, though), Powerpoint files, and basically most any other file MS Office produces.
QuoteI also read this article while I was trying to look for an answer.
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/news/2154626/microsoft-dismisses-openoffice
Is it true that openoffice can override passwords in Excel files?
Not sure about that one but I do know that it can open certain corrupted Word and Excel files. You know when you're typing something in Word and sometimes you get a process interruption that renders the file corrupt and unusable? I've been able to use OpenOffice to recover the text from corrupted .doc files.
I see. Thanks Zulu.
I also usually use some passwords to protect some of my excel files. But if open office could override those passwords.... :o....
Off the MS Office replacement topic but;
Songbird (http://www.songbirdnest.com/) is intended to be an iTunes killer. It's still in pre-beta, but has some amazing functionality. If you're willing to deal with random crashes, it does really neat stuff, like parsing mp3s out of HTML (good for mp3 blogs), autodownloads podcasts via RSS feeds, and interacts with most mp3 players seamlessly.
Time to show Linux some love!
Knoppix is a free Linux distro that can be run off of a CD/DVD drive as a bootable system (just make sure that you've set one of your CD drives as a bootable device). This makes it an excellent tool for accessing computers with failing Windows/Mac OS installations. Can't access your files because your OS is sick? Boot from your CD drive and back-up your files using Knoppix before nuking your Windows install. It's also a good way to try out/familiarize yourself with the Linux OS without having a dual-boot PC.
Get it at http://www.knoppix.org/
I was just reminded of IrfanView (http://www.irfanview.com/), which I use to view graphics files of many formats, create thumbnails and contact sheets, watch image slide shows, do very basic editing, etc. It is fast, easy to use, and has a nice interface. I have it set as the default program for opening an image file on my system.
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools (http://www.majorgeeks.com/Western_Digital_Data_Lifeguard_Tools_d2855.html): It's a general hard drive utility program specifically designed for EIDE (Fast ATA) Western Digital hard drives. It allows you to migrate data (including boot partition info) seamlessly from your old hard drive, set up partitions using a simple interface, and do basic diagnostics and maintenance. Available for Windows and DOS systems.
Warning: the following advice is provided as-is, and I make no assurances that following it will not result in data loss, hard drive failure, erectile dysfunction, or any other undesirable side-effects
In my experience though, I've found that it can also be used to migrate data and do basic operations on hard drives other than Western Digital-branded EIDE drives. I've used it on Seagate and Toshiba branded EIDE drives as well as Ultra ATA and SATA Western Digital drives with no apparent ill effects. If you're looking to migrate your boot partition, installed programs, and data to a new hard drive but don't want to go through the tedious process of re-installing your OS, apps, and software updates, give this a try (if you like living a little dangerously) before going out and buying a commercial data migration program.
Let's put something fun on this list, shall we?
The Battle for Wesnoth (http://wesnoth.org)
Arguable the best freeware game on the internet. If you haven't already played it, or haven't recently, it's a TB Fantasy tactical strategy game with constantly improving artwork and campaigns, a large library of user-made mods, and a very large online multiplayer comunity with people in the lobby 24/7.
In fact, if anyone feel like challenging me, I'm fairly poor at this game, and wouldn't mind meeting some of my FR friends in this fashion.
Hmm I think I'll take a look at that Cat.
EDIT: Ok thanks Zulu, I got the spell checker working. The problem was the western language setting.
More free stuff:
CPU-Z (http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php): a small freeware utility for identifying your PC's components. Not sure what RAM your store-bought box needs? No idea what model motherboard you have? This thing will tell you.
RASPPPOE (http://www.raspppoe.com/): This nifty little bit of code has grown more obscure over the past couple of years, but it's an interesting tool for the hobbyist and the professional network administrator. It's PPP over Ethernet Protocol, which should allow older, non-broadband-ready Windows OSes like Windows 95, 98, and ME to access broadband modems the same way they would access dial-up modems. It's also compatible with Windows 2000 and XP, but for my money, whatever slim performance gains you might derive from it may not be worth the installation effort and any possible network compatibility issues.
Jetico Personal Firewall v.1 (http://www.jetico.com/jpfirewall.htm): I've yet to find a better free firewall program than Comodo Firewall Pro but Jetico Personal Firewall v.1 is designed for older PCs using legacy Windows OSes such as Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows ME, and Windows NT. It may not provide as much comprehensive protection as Comodo or ZoneAlarm, but if you want to go safely online with your old 600 Mhz Pentium III without it choking on the firewall's system requirements, this is probably your best option.
Is there anything got to recommend on fast downloaders?
I want to download UFO:AI but its 384.9mb according to Mozilla Firefox. <_<
To be honest, I don't trust any of the freeware "download accelerators" (high spyware/malware risk, embedded ads, non-compliance with other protocols) out there, and even the paid ones come off as a bit shady.
If I had to recommend one, though, it would probably be Orbit (http://www.download.com/Orbit/3000-2071_4-10600926.html?tag=toprated)... I haven't heard much negative feedback on this one, certainly no reports of it insidiously installing additional software or generating pop-up ads like other download accelerators, but there are also reports of it not improving download speeds all that much.
You might look into the Down Them All extension for Firefox.
MojoPac (http://www.mojopac.com/portal/content/hellomojo.jsp)
A nifty little application I found a few days ago. It's basically a way to install a pseudo operating system on a USB stick. Currently installed on both a 4 gig and 8 gig USB stick, and am able to run a few of the Adobe apps, with a few games and all the programs for file formats that are a bit obscure on the 8 gig (4 gig is too small, really. Planning to install it on an external 80gig harddrive, but its too new to me to do that yet).
The free version is nice enough, and I'm wary of installing the Enterprise Suite, as I wonder how they'd get around such issues as copy protection of licenced software, and, especially in regards to software developers, software protection.
do you know if it can run 3D software like 3ds Max and Maya??? I'm sure it can run Blender since thats a small program.
Mp3DirectCut: As much as I love Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/), there are a couple things that it can't do very well (without going through a couple of workarounds), chief among them the ability to work with music files encoded in mp3 format. Audacity needs to uncompress the sound data for editing, and then re-compresses the data for packaging into an mp3, which leads to all sorts of fidelity loss. Mp3DirectCut is a very small (the whole installation takes up 296 Kb, smaller than many Audacity plug-ins!) application that allows very basic, non-destructive editing of mp3 files.
Download Mp3DirectCut here (http://mpesch3.de1.cc/)
FreeRAM XP Pro (http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=1670)
Freeware application to free and optimize your computer's RAM (Random Access Memory), resulting in an increase in system performance and productivity. Automatically configures itself for ease of use and also features advanced options and customizability. FreeRAM XP Pro has been designed to be easy to use yet highly customizable by computer novices and experts alike.
Features and options include:
* Automatic, real-time memory monitoring and optimization
* Fast, threaded memory freeing with stop option
* AutoFree option intelligently optimizes RAM without sacrificing performance
* system metric and performance monitors
* Advanced tray support
* Memory reporting and diagnostic logging
* Simple, attractive interface
* RAM-cuts (RAM-freeing Windows shortcuts)
* Customizable Windows hotkey support
* Access to Windows memory-related tweaks that could enhance system performance (new in 1.50)
* Process memory usage reporting (new in 1.50)
* Unique memory compression technology directly reduces applications' "working set" memory requirements instantly and without swap file usage (new in 1.50)
* More options and customizability
VCDEasy: Most Windows computers already come with a bundled-in program that can author video CDs (VCDs) in a pinch, usually the promotional version of Nero Express or a similar application. However, these programs don't really offer much in the way of authoring options (unlike the full-featured versions that you can buy)... menu controls are limited, and there's no way to create chapters. VCDEasy has the ability to do those tasks and create commercial DVD-like menu interactivity. The program went from being freeware to a pay program back in 2004, but the last freeware version is still available for download.
Get the final freeware version of VCDEasy here (http://www.aplusfreeware.com/categories/Audio-Video/VCDEasy.html).
Microsoft Calculator "browser": This is an old trick I picked up in university. You can actually use the "Help" function in Windows XP's free calculator (go to Start--> All Programs--> Accessories--> Calculator) as a browser. Pretty handy if you're at work or in school and the assigned user profile prevents you from using Firefox, Opera, or Internet Explorer from accessing the internet.
You're SOL if the PC is blocked in its entirety from accessing the internet, though, or if Internet Explorer is not installed on the machine or is inaccessible (the "Help" function uses the Internet Explorer renderer to access the web). You can also use this trick with any Windows application that has a "Help topics" function such as Wordpad, Notepad, or Windows Media Player, but it looks a lot cooler with the Calculator.
Here are screenshots on how to do it (I'm actually typing this post using the calculator's "Help" function):
1. Open Calculator (or Wordpad or Notepad):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/desk01small.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/desk01.jpg)
2. Click on help and select "Help topics"
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/desk02small.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/desk02.jpg)
3. Right-click on the yellow question mark icon that appears on the top-left of the "Help Topics" window and select "Jump to URL"
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/desk03small.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/desk03.jpg)
4. Enter the URL you want to go to (remember to type "http://" before the address)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/desk04small.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/desk04.jpg)
5. Surf when and where you're not supposed to
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/desk05small.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/dltesterzfd/desk05.jpg)
Any one know any good free FTP uploading programs? Didn't see any above and the one I'm using has expired.
I've been using WS_FTP for almost half a decade now. The current version is for sale for $39.95 at the publisher's website but the older, freeware version of the application is still available at this site (http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=wsftp) and it's perfectly useful for normal, everyday, personal FTP tasks.
Quote from: zuludelta on August 14, 2008, 02:57:03 AM
I've been using WS_FTP for almost half a decade now. The current version is for sale for $39.95 at the publisher's website but the older, freeware version of the application is still available at this site (http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=wsftp) and it's perfectly useful for normal, everyday, personal FTP tasks.
Thanks I'll try that out. Do you have a link for it?
I think the link was embedded in the post, Pod. Not sure. Also, as an alternative for a program you can use via firefox browser, I suggest fireftp. It's worked pretty good for the few times I've used it this year.
Quote from: Podmark on August 14, 2008, 02:07:41 AM
Any one know any good free FTP uploading programs? Didn't see any above and the one I'm using has expired.
Try Core FTP (http://www.coreftp.com/). Its free and pretty much drag and drop.
Quote from: Previsionary on August 14, 2008, 12:00:51 PM
I think the link was embedded in the post, Pod. Not sure. Also, as an alternative for a program you can use via firefox browser, I suggest fireftp. It's worked pretty good for the few times I've used it this year.
lol I totally missed it. Sorry Zulu.
Hmm might have to try a few, see which one I like.
I am shocked that no one has mentioned FileZilla (http://filezilla-project.org/) yet.
Quote from: randyripoff on August 14, 2008, 07:01:42 PM
I am shocked that no one has mentioned FileZilla (http://filezilla-project.org/) yet.
I was just about to mention Filezilla but I skimmed through the thread all the way to the end and wouldn't ya know...?
Get free writing application here: http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter4.html (http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter4.html) Beta version 5 is also available.
Just for fun get a free copy of Hal SpaceJock http://www.spacejock.com.au/Hal1Download.html (http://www.spacejock.com.au/Hal1Download.html)
(Presumably used yWriter to write it)
And not a download but get directions for "The world's deadliest paper plane" on the same site here: http://www.spacejock.com.au/PaperPlane.html (http://www.spacejock.com.au/PaperPlane.html)
I will keep my silence no longer!
Avast (http://www.avast.com/)is the best free virus scan out there. I've tried others and found myself going back to this one. It's the best of the best of the best, Sir! I used it for years but switched after buying a new laptop to another free program...after a couple of months I reinstalled it. Don't know why I ever bothered with anything else.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned www.ccleaner.com (http://www.ccleaner.com) yet.
It's an incredible little application that really cleans your computer. It will clear out your temp files, erase all of your cookies, and start menu shortcuts (recent docs etc.) Every computer or friends comp that i've installed it on has worked faster after the first clean.
Also included with it is a registry cleaner that goes through irregularities in your registry, like unused file extensions.
And especially helpful is an Uninstall programs function (replicates Windows Add/Remove) and a startup utility (replicates msconfig)
I find these really useful since i only use korean operating systems now (my pc, notebook, and computers at work)
Another good find is Gom Player The best video player ever. Think of VLC - that doesn't look like garbage. it's got a great looking and easy to use GUI and using the K-Lite Codec pack, i think its actually more versatile than VLC (it does dvds and .3gp files too). It also functions as a streaming TV too I think... i'm not too sure aboiut that feature
I've been using this program for a while now, it's originally Korean but there are English versions now, and just like winamp in the past, there is an active community making skins and themes for the player too.
http://www.gomlab.com/