Thunderbird - Best Email Client

Still using old way to get your email inbox?
Now get your email to your computer and read it whenever you want without have to open your web browser.

Mozilla Thunderbird 2 is reloaded and more powerful than ever. It’s now even easier to organize, secure and customize your mail.

Keep Your Vital Information Organized

Thunderbird 2 features many new enhancements to help you better manage your unruly inbox, and stay informed. Thunderbird 2 scales to the most sophisticated organizational needs while making it easy to find what you need.

Advanced Folder Views

Thunderbird 2 offers a variety of ways for you to organize and display your folders, whether by favorites, recently viewed or folders containing unread messages. As always, you can also set up RSS and newsgroup folders to stay on top of news and your interests. Thunderbird 2 also allows you to maximize your message view pane by opting for a folder drop down menu instead of the traditional sidebar.

Message Tagging

Thunderbird 2 allows you to “tag” messages with descriptors such as “To Do” or “Done” or even create your own tags that are specific to your needs. Tags can be combined with saved searches and mail views to make it easier to organize email.

Message History Navigation

Thunderbird 2 offers message history navigation that allows you to click “forward” and “back” much like in your Web browser. You can now quickly toggle between messages and folder views.

Improved Search

Thunderbird 2 features a find as you type pane that speeds up searches within displayed messages. Thunderbird also offers quick search, which starts showing search results as soon as you start typing in search terms.

Saved Searches

Do you find yourself searching for the same subject or message content over and over? Thunderbird 2 saves you time by allowing you to store this search as a folder. Rerunning the search is just a matter of clicking on the saved search folder in the folder pane.

Stay Informed

Thunderbird 2 has been updated to provide more informative and relevant message alerts containing sender, subject and message text for newly arrived messages. Folders provide a pop up summarizing new messages in that folder.

Easy Access to Popular Web Mail Services

Thunderbird 2 makes it even easier to integrate and use various Web mail accounts from one inbox. Gmail and .Mac users can access their accounts in Thunderbird by simply providing their user names and passwords.

Secure and Protect Your Mail

Mozilla has bolstered Thunderbird’s acclaimed security and privacy measures to ensure that your communications and identity remain safe. It’s like having your own security guard online.

Phishing Protection

Thunderbird protects you from email scams which try to trick users into handing over personal and confidential information by indicating when a message is a potential phishing attempt. As a second line of defense, Thunderbird warns you when you click on a link which appears to be taking you to a different Web site than the one indicated by the URL in the message.

Robust Privacy

Thunderbird 2 offers improved support for user privacy and remote image protection. To ensure a user’s privacy, Thunderbird 2 automatically blocks remote images in email messages.

Cutting Out the Junk

Mozilla has updated Thunderbird’s popular junk mail folders to stay ahead of spam. Each email you receive passes through Thunderbird's leading-edge junk mail filters. Each time you mark messages as spam, Thunderbird “learns” and improves its filtering so you can spend more time reading the mail that matters. Thunderbird can also use your mail provider's spam filters to keep junk mail out of your inbox.

Open Source, More Secure

At the heart of Thunderbird is an open source development process driven by thousands of passionate, experienced developers and security experts spread all over the world. Our openness and active community of experts helps to ensure our products are more secure and updated quickly, while also enabling us to take advantage of the best third party security scanning and evaluation tools to further bolster overall security.

Automated Update

Thunderbird’s update system checks to see if you’re running the latest version, and notifies you when a security update is available. These security updates are small (usually 200KB - 700KB), giving you only what you need and making the security update quick to download and install. The automated update system provides updates for Thunderbird on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux in over 30 different languages.

Get Your Mail, Your Way

Thunderbird allows you to customize your email to suit your specific needs whether it’s how you search and find messages or listening to music right out of your inbox.

Outfit Your Inbox

Thunderbird users can increase Thunderbird’s functionality and appearance using hundreds of add-ons. A Thunderbird add-on can let you manage contacts, place voice over IP calls, listen to music, and keep track of birthdates all from your inbox. You can even change the appearance of Thunderbird to suit your tastes.

Message Templates

Thunderbird 2 allows you to easily set up message templates to save you time – especially if you have to send the same mail message repeatedly.

Add-ons Manager for Extensions and Themes

The new Add-ons Manager improves the user interface for managing extensions and themes, making it even easier for you to customize Thunderbird 2. Install, uninstall, enable and disable your add-ons in a single place.

See Thunderbird Award

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Firefox - The Best Web Browser

With more than 15,000 improvements, Firefox 3 is faster, safer and smarter than ever before.

Three Distinct Firefox Advantages

1. Security
Main point:
• Firefox is the safest way to use the Internet.

Supporting points:
• We start with safety – We engage security experts before we even start development so we can identify and address potential problems before a single line of code is written.
• We build Firefox to be safe – Keeping people safe online is a big reason why Firefox exists. We take security very seriously, which is why we open our development process to allow security researchers to contribute at any point and on any topic. If a critical bug is discovered, we’ll make it public so it can be fixed as soon as possible.
• We actively work to keep Firefox safe – Security doesn’t stop once the product has shipped. We’re constantly monitoring threats and releasing new Firefox updates to stay ahead of the bad guys. Because we’re open source, we have an entire community of users around the world who help us make your web browsing safer.

Other Considerations:
• It’s important to give concrete examples of potential threats rather than just mentioning the abstract concept of “security”. People can easily relate to the ideas of identity theft, stolen credit cards, viruses, spyware and phishing, so explaining how Firefox helps prevent these things is key.
• Specific Firefox security features include anti-phishing and anti-malware protection, one click site ID, protection from spyware, automatic security updates and more.
• The reality is that there are people out there who want to steal your personal information. That’s why we’re constantly refining Firefox with security updates every 6-8 weeks (and more often if a fix is needed to address a critical issue) to stay one step ahead.
• The main reason Firefox is safer is because of our open process, which allows us to identify, acknowledge and fix bugs more quickly than the competition.

2. Customization
Main point:
• When it comes to web browsing, we believe that one size doesn’t fit all.

Supporting points:
• Firefox has the most ways to customize your online experience specifically for the way you use the web.
• Add-ons (small pieces of software that augment Firefox to meet your unique needs) enhance the browser so you can be more productive, have more fun and be more creative online. For example, you can use the 3000+ Firefox add-ons to:
- communicate and stay in touch
- find the best shopping deals
- listen to music
- protect your kids from inappropriate sites
- access the latest news and weather reports
- and much more…
• There are also many different themes that let you express yourself by decorating your browser in a variety of ways.

Other considerations:
• The key challenge is getting people to think about the browser in a new way…that it’s more than just a utility. The browser isn’t just a static window to the Internet, it can be an active part of the Internet itself.
• It’s important to demonstrate the specific benefits of add-ons…the message isn’t customization, it’s why customization makes people’s Internet experiences better.
• It’s also important to remember the audience here…for consumer messaging, we want to focus on add-ons that are easy to explain and have the broadest possible appeal. In other words, this means referencing ones like eBay, FotoFox, FoxyTunes, etc rather than the more developer-centric ones.
• Using a familiar, non-technical analogy to convey a fairly technical concept is a very effective way of communicating the role add-ons can play in your web experience. For example, using add-ons is like designing your living space at work or building with blocks.

3. 100% Organic Software
Main point:
• Firefox is good for you: it stands for openness, innovation and freedom on the Internet.

Supporting points:
• We’re a public benefit, not-for-profit organization devoted to enriching people’s lives by preserving choice and innovation on the Internet (as opposed to being motivated by profits, shareholder value, usage of proprietary technology, etc.)
• We’re a global, grassroots effort – Mozilla’s products are a result of a collaboration between employees, volunteers, universities, foundations and corporate partners. Firefox was created by an international movement of hundreds of thousands of people from wildly different backgrounds, all seeking to develop the world’s best browser.
• Open source means a better browser for the 200 million regular Firefox users. We open up our process to anyone and everyone in order to encourage the innovation and development of exciting new technologies that will keep pushing the web forward and making it a better place for all.

Other considerations:
• The “100% organic software” concept sums up a fairly complex situation using a metaphor people can easily recognize. Organic stands for something that’s better for you, something trusted, something of higher quality…all key ingredients of Mozilla and Firefox.
• We need to focus less on the technical aspects of open source, which is hard for people to understand, and concentrate more on the tangible user benefits – innovation, accessibility, freedom, a better web, etc – to reach more potential users.
• A great example of the power of open source is the fact that Mozilla only has roughly 175 employees, yet is able to compete with some of the biggest companies in the world because of our amazing international community.
• Although the 100% organic concept really applies to the Mozilla organization as a whole, for our consumer messaging we need to show how this process ties back in to Firefox…the organic nature of our software development has created a healthier, higher quality browser that makes the web better for you.

See Firefox Awards

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Open Office - open source replacement for Microsoft Office

OpenOffice.org, now released in its long-awaited 3.0 version, is a free, open-source replacement for Microsoft Office—and the first and only application suite that can be seriously considered to be a substitute for the massive power and flexibility of Microsoft's suite. OpenOffice.org used to look clunky and work slowly, but the 3.0 version, which I tested in its final Release Candidate version (RC4), is sleek and fast. It still retains the essential look and feel of Microsoft Office 2003 and earlier versions, instead of imitating the new ribbon interface of Office 2007, but that's a plus for many users who want as much continuity as possible when switching to a new application. OpenOffice.org doesn't include all of Office's features, but it adds some conveniences that Office can't provide, such as built-in PDF export and a single interface for opening and editing word-processing documents, HTML files, worksheets, presentations, and drawings.

For governments and corporations that don't want to be dependent on Microsoft's formats and don't want to continue paying Microsoft's prices, OpenOffice.org 3.0 is a serious contender. If you're a private individual or small business already using Microsoft's product, I doubt you'll want to switch, but if your company or agency has been buying Office for thousands of desktops, or if you work for or with a government that requires open-source formats, download OpenOffice.org and don't look back.

OpenOffice.org 3.0 has six basic components: Writer, a word processor and HTML editor; Calc, a spreadsheet; Draw, a graphics editor; Impress, a presentations program; Math, an equation editor; and Base, a database application. When evaluating the product, though, I wasn't really aware of six separate programs, because all document types open in the same window, just with slightly different menus on the top line. The only exception is the Base application, where the form and query designer has created a separate interface—you work with the actual database forms, however, in the same window that you use for the other applications.

I like the way the interface hews closely to the familiar Microsoft Office 2003 standard, and it places some features more logically, so that, for example, headers and footers are on the Insert menu instead of the View menu. I'm less impressed with the word processor's view options. These are limited to a Web view (in which the text fills the window and there's no indication of what the text will look like on a printed page) and a full-page view, complete with top and bottom margins and a quarter-inch-thick gray bar between each page. There's no equivalent of a Word option that that preserves page layout on screen but doesn't waste space or add distractions by showing top and bottom margins. Nor will you find a matching capability for a powerful and little-known feature in Word that lets you view different parts of a document in two panes of the same window.

In OpenOffice.org's spreadsheet, I missed the graphic flexibility of Excel's conditional formatting, but I managed well enough with the low-frills, 20th-century conditional-formatting features. And I liked the simple elegance of the charting—it's almost as elegant as the charting in Google Docs—but got frustrated by uninformative error messages that told me nothing more than "This function cannot be completed with the selected objects." I was also disappointed that the charting feature was a lot less clever than Excel's in figuring out which columns to use as labels and which to use as data, but the resulting problems were easy enough to fix.

Compared with earlier versions, OpenOffice.org 3.0 marks an impressive, though uneven advance in features and performance—with some features potentially far in advance of the corresponding features in Microsoft Office. For example, when you insert a graphic in a word-processing document or HTML, you can attach automated actions to specific events that are related to the graphic. Clicking on the graphic will cause some programmed action, such as typing some text or opening a new window, to be performed automatically. In the Release Candidate version I couldn't get this feature to work reliably: Some of the supplied macros and some of my own recorded macros would run correctly, while others wouldn't, and I couldn't see any pattern to the success or failure.

Overall, I found performance to be impressively fast, on a par with that of Microsoft Office but with some limitations. On a Vista system with 4GB of RAM and a fast dual-core processor, I had to wait a surprisingly long time for the charting module to update a simple chart when I changed a display option. But file loading and saving, in all parts of the application, was almost instantaneous.

One attractive feature of OpenOffice.org is that it's the only major application suite that runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux with almost exactly the same feature set on all platforms. Microsoft stripped out support for Visual Basic macros when it created Microsoft Office 2008 for the Macintosh, but OpenOffice.org now offers limited Basic support in all versions, including a shiny new Macintosh one that runs natively as an OS X application. Earlier versions of OpenOffice.org for the Mac required the user-unfriendly X11 environment. A third-party OS X port called NeoOffice is also available, but it's always a few minor versions behind.

Earlier releases of OpenOffice.org used annoyingly cramped and uninformative dialog boxes better suited to the limited screen real-estate of nineties-era computers than today's generous screens. Version 3.0 tends to use more spacious and informative dialogs, but they're still not informative enough. For example, I had to dig deep into the help file to figure out what "Register-True" means in the Paragraph Format dialog (it means that the bottom of each line of type will be aligned to an invisible page grid).

The Help system looks as if it's rich in details, but in fact, some cross-references lead nowhere. The help page about the new version's very limited support for Office-style Visual Basic for Applications programming has a promising-looking link to a page on the "Basic IDE" (Integrated Development Environment)—but when I clicked on the link, it took me to a page containing a few sentences about programming OpenOffice.org and nothing at all about the Basic IDE. No doubt some of this will be fixed in the shipping version or in future updates.

For anyone thinking of switching from Office to OpenOffice.org, the biggest question is, How well will OpenOffice.org handle your old Office documents and worksheets? The answer is, astonishingly well, even with the new Office 2007 formats—but only when the original document includes no features that OpenOffice.org doesn't support. For example, I was deeply impressed by the way OpenOffice.org retained all the complex formatting and embedded images of a newsletter that I had originally created in Word. Every page break and column break was exactly where it belonged—a feat I hadn't seen in any other Office alternative. Inserted graphics in formats like JPEG and BMP imported perfectly. But OpenOffice.org ignores any Office 2007 Smart Art or any of the scalable line-art created by Office's drawing feature.

Similarly, OpenOffice.org managed to open most—but not all—the features in my spreadsheet-killer worksheet, a prize-winning monster created by former PC Magazine technical editor Ben Gottesman. OpenOffice.org displayed the complex chart and data without a hiccup, although it choked on the complex Excel pivot table in the original, and it didn't even try to convert it into the OpenOffice.org equivalent, called DataPilot.

PowerPoint presentations opened equally well if the original files were in the Office 2003 file format. OpenOffice.org could open presentations in the Office 2007 format, but Office 2007 presentations aren't officially supported, and the Office 2007–format presentations that I imported into OpenOffice.org had defective formatting and missing data. When I exported the same 2007-format presentations from PowerPoint 2007 into the Office 2003 format, OpenOffice.org opened them perfectly.

I don't plan on switching to OpenOffice.org 3.0 anytime soon, if ever. But for the first time, I'm ready to recommend this new version as a viable alternative to Microsoft's offering. It still has rough edges, but it has an impressive feature set, a generally lucid interface, pure open-source credentials, and—in the current economic climate—the decisive advantage of being absolutely free.

By Edward Mendelson

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Audacity

About Audacity

Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to:

Recording

Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from cassette tapes, vinyl records, or minidiscs. With some sound cards, it can also capture streaming audio.

• Record from microphone, line input, or other sources.
• Dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings.
• Record up to 16 channels at once (requires multi-channel hardware).
• Level meters can monitor volume levels before, during, and after recording.

Import and Export

Import sound files, edit them, and combine them with other files or new recordings. Export your recordings in several common file formats.

• Import and export WAV, AIFF, AU, and Ogg Vorbis files.
• Import MPEG audio (including MP2 and MP3 files) with libmad.
• Export MP3s with the optional LAME encoder library.
• Create WAV or AIFF files suitable for burning to CD.
• Import and export all file formats supported by libsndfile.
• Open raw (headerless) audio files using the “Import Raw” command.
• Note: Audacity does not currently support WMA, AAC, or most other proprietary or restricted file formats.

Editing

• Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete.
• Use unlimited Undo (and Redo) to go back any number of steps.
• Very fast editing of large files.
• Edit and mix an unlimited number of tracks.
• Use the Drawing tool to alter individual sample points.
• Fade the volume up or down smoothly with the Envelope tool.

Effects

• Change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa.
• Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises.
• Alter frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass Boost effects.
• Adjust volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize effects.
• Other built-in effects include:
  • Echo
  • Phaser
  • Wahwah
  • Reverse

Sound Quality

• Record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit (floating point) samples.
• Record at up to 96 kHz.
• Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering.
• Mix tracks with different sample rates or formats, and Audacity will convert them automatically in realtime.

Plug-Ins

• Add new effects with LADSPA plug-ins.
• Audacity includes some sample plug-ins by Steve Harris.
• Load VST plug-ins for Windows and Mac, with the optional VST Enabler.
• Write new effects with the built-in Nyquist programming language.

Analysis

• Spectrogram mode for visualizing frequencies.
• “Plot Spectrum” command for detailed frequency analysis.

Free and Cross-Platform

• Licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
• Runs on Mac OS X, Windows, and GNU/Linux.

Screenshot



source: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

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Pidgin

Pidgin (formerly named Gaim) is a multi-platform instant messaging client. The software has limited support for many commonly used instant messaging protocols, allowing the user to log into various different services from one application.

The number of Pidgin users was estimated to be over 3 million in 2007. Released under the terms of the GNU General Public License, Pidgin is free software.

Pidgin supports multiple operating systems, including Windows as well as many Unix-like systems such as Linux, BSD, Mac OS X and AmigaOS (through the X11 engine). It is notable for its support for multiple instant messaging protocols. It has built-in support for NSS, offering client-to-server message encryption for protocols that support it. The program is extendable through plugins, including "Off-the-Record Messaging" and Pidgin encryption, providing end-to-end message encryption.

Pidgin features some of the standard tools for an instant messaging client, such as tabbed conversations, a Contact list, file transfer on supported protocols, and conversation and chat logging.

Tabbed conversations is an optional feature on Pidgin. The IM window consists of the message window, formatting tools, and an edit box.

Contacts (usually known as "Buddies") are added by the "Buddy List" window or by the IM window. As a client that supports IRC and other chat programs, it can also add different IRC channels and IM Chats. Contacts with multiple protocols can be grouped into one single contact instead of managing multiple protocols and contacts can be given aliases as well or placed into groups.

To reach users as they log on or a status change occurs (such as moving from "Away" to "Available"), Pidgin supports on-action automated scripts called Buddy Pounces to automatically reach the user in customizable ways.

Pidgin supports some file transfers, with the ability to pause, resume, and cancel transfers and observe multiple transfers in a separate window, lacking more advanced features like folder sharing from Yahoo. However, when used through the MSN protocol, file transfers are slow, as data is routed through MSN servers to the receiver, instead of utilizing a faster peer-to-peer functionality. A Google Summer of Code project aimed to add peer-to-peer functionality in 2007. Support for MSNP15 was added in version 2.5.0 but did not include support for peer-to-peer transfers.

Further features include support for themes, emoticons, spell checking and notification area integration.

Supported protocols

• Bonjour (Apple's implementation of Zeroconf)
• Gadu-Gadu
• Internet Relay Chat
• Lotus Sametime
• MySpaceIM
• .NET Messenger Service (commonly known as MSN Messenger or Windows Live Messenger) (no multimedia support)
• Novell GroupWise
• OSCAR (AIM/ICQ/.Mac)
• QQ
• SIMPLE
• SILC
• XMPP (Jabber, Google Talk)
• Yahoo! (only basic chat and file transfers)
• Zephyr

source: http://en.wikipedia.org

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CCleaner

PC WORLD Editor's Review of CCleaner

Somewhere under the layers of software detritus, your PC is vigorous and eager to work. CCleaner searches through a number of programs and removes useless files. It's highly configurable, allowing you to select which problems to look for and which items to ignore.

Many cleaners scrub out just your browser cache or your temporary files folder, but CCleaner goes further. It cleans temporary files from common third-party applications as well. The vendor's list of cleaned programs includes Adobe products (Flash Player, Photoshop, and Reader to name a few), Ad-Aware SE, eMule, Firefox, Google Toolbar, Kazaa, Microsoft Office, Nero, Norton Antivirus, OpenOffice, Real Player, WinAce, Windows Media Player, WinRAR, WinZip, and Google, Windows Live, and Yahoo Toolbars.

CCleaner goes beyond the basic wash and polish with extra mini-tools. A registry scanner removes old and unused entries, including ActiveX Controls, fonts, installers, shared DLLs, fonts, help files, application paths, icons, unused file extensions, and invalid shortcuts. CCleaner also includes an uninstaller and a list of deletable startup entry keys (the latter is something you'll want to evaluate carefully before removing a mystery key that turns out to be helpful.)

Note: CCleaner includes an optional Yahoo toolbar that you may choose to install along with the program. Installing this toolbar may trigger alerts from some antispyware programs. CCleaner's makers assert that CCleaner is spyware-free. This file is donationware. If you donate a certain amount (ten pounds sterling or 20 USD at the time I write this) through the vendor's site, the vendor pledges to send you links to all new releases before they're publicly available for download.

--Laura Blackwell

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Comodo Personal Firewall 2.3

Despite the fact that we're living dangerous times, especially when having a computer connected to the Internet, I don't feel the need to use a firewall yet. My world order is about to change each time I get a new good firewall to review, and today that time has come again...

Comodo Personal Firewall is a firewall that's completely free and claims to be a good one too, but I can't say that at this point. All I can tell you now is that its latest version is 2.3.6.81 and the setup package has 7.9MB in size. After finishing the install process, the only "difficult" thing to do is registering for a lifetime license, but this is completely free, so no worries! If you are going to wonder why this program comes for free, you can find the answer to this question on the producer's website, because now we have more important things to do...

First of all, the interface of this program deserves some attention. Did I say "some attention"? No, no, Comodo Personal Firewall's interface will get all your attention, I am sure of that. Today seems a good day, because I had a good looking program already, and this one is the second. Again, the only word that can describe this program's interface is "flawless", and I am not in a good mood today, this is the reality - excellent graphics, shiny and well organized, this is the long version of the story. OK, so we have a free firewall that looks good, but is it able to keep up with its commercial competitors? This is what we should find out next, so let's get the show rollin'!

I'll get to the features part right away, but I must tell you what amazed me the most before all that. This program passed the PCFlank Leaktest, and the only thing that you need to know about this test is that only two of the main commercial products were able to pass, these two being Outpost Firewall Pro and Tiny Personal Firewall 2005!

As most firewalls do, Comodo Personal Firewall may be a little annoying in the first minutes as it keeps displaying popups that ask you to decide what to do, but this time, the firewall can recognize over 10,000 applications that are known to be safe, so instead of waiting for the popups to jump on you, just scan for the known applications and the program will set up things the right way. Is this cool

or what?

It was a pleasure to see that Comodo Personal Firewall was recognized by the Security Center as the system firewall and so you can check its status using this Control Panel applet.

The three major areas of this program are Summary, Security and Activity. While the first one's purpose is obvious and has only one screen, the remaining two require some attention...

The Security area has five screens that can be accessed using the menu placed in the left part of the main window. The Tasks available in the screen with the same name allow you to define trusted/banned applications, add/remove/modify security zones, define a trusted network zone and scan for known applications, the action that I just told you about. Don't worry about the ease of use, because I am not a firewall expert either, but I managed to use all these tools easily.

Of course that if you ever run into any bigger problems, a comprehensive Help file that's only one click away can save your day, so don't hesitate to use it!

The Application and Component Monitor modules allow you to set control rules for the applications and modules, and I have to mention that the last one includes a Learn Mode that makes the firewall learn and build the component profile of the PC, so whenever an allowed application attempts to connect to the Internet, Comodo Firewall will add all the components it loads to the control rule list, and each of these components will inherit the applications 'Allow' status by default.

The Network Monitor helps you to add, remove and edit network filtering rules easily, while the Advanced area includes Application Behavior Analysis, Advanced Attack Detection and Prevention and a Miscellaneous section that includes alerts and general program settings.

At last, the Activity area allows you to check the currently active connections and their details, as well as the detailed activity logs. Do you need more? In this case, give this program a try and you'll see that Comodo Personal Firewall is just enough, and maybe even more!

The Good

Comodo Personal Firewall is a fast and reliable firewall that looks great and comes for free. Add the excellent features and comprehensive documentation and you obtain the best free firewall around!

The Bad

It was really strange to see that I was able to close this firewall easily using the Task Manager, although this shouldn't be possible...

The Truth

I am really impressed, and despite the fact that I am still not crazy about using a firewall, I will write down this name in my freeware hall of fame: Comodo Personal Firewall.

source: http://www.softpedia.com/
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Avira AntiVir Personal

PC WORLD Editor's Review of Avira AntiVir Personal

If you have good e-mail habits--don't open unknown messages, don't run mystery attachments without scanning them, etc.--then the free version of Avira's AntiVir is probably all you need to keep your computer free of viruses. Consistently rated in the top five for effectiveness, AntiVir is also low-profile. By that I mean it spawns only two background services and if there weren't a system tray applet to access the program, you probably wouldn't even know it was running. Despite this, it offers just about every basic AV feature you'll find in the major competition.

AntiVir's interface is easy on the eye and easy to use for beginners. Unlike some of its competitors which make it difficult to access advanced settings, it also gives you all these with a simple switch to expert mode. Probably AntiVir's neatest trick is auto-scanning directories as you navigate though them. After I've done a complete system scan, I turn this feature off, but I often turn it on before attaching untested external drives to my test PC.

Obviously, you're not going to get every neat feature with the free version of a pay program. Most notably missing in action is an e-mail scanner, though there is rootkit scanning. Rival AVG provides one of the former in its free version but last time I looked, lacked the latter. The 20-Euro premium version of AntiVir adds the e-mail scanner as well as faster updates, anti-spyware features, and a browser add-in that helps guard against malicious Web sites and downloads. It also kills the nag screen you see when you download updates.

Although its major free competitor, AVG Anti-Virus Free, may offer one or two more features, Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Free has been consistently rated as better at detecting viruses by AV-Test.org. If you're good about not opening strange attachments, AntiVir probably a slightly better choice

--Jon L. Jacobi

source: www.pcworld.com

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Foxit Reader 3.0 for Windows

An exclusive small and fast PDF Reader!

Overview

Foxit Reader is a free PDF document viewer, with incredible small size, breezing-fast launch speed and rich feature set. Foxit Reader supports Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista. Its core function is compatible with PDF Standard 1.7.

In the past, you've had to download a huge PDF reader from another software company, go through a lengthy installation process and wait for an annoying splash window to disappear just to open a PDF document. Moreover, if you want to annotate a PDF document, you have to pay US$299 to buy certain software.

Now with Foxit Reader, you don't have to endure such pain any more. The following is a list of compelling advantages of Foxit Reader:

• Incredibly small: The download size of Foxit Reader is just a fraction of Acrobat Reader 20 M size.
• Breezing-fast: When you run Foxit Reader, it launches instantly without any delay. You are not forced to view an annoying splash window displaying company logo, author names, etc.
• Annotation tool: Have you ever wished to annotate (or comment on) a PDF document when you are reading it? Foxit Reader allows you to draw graphics, highlight text, type text and make notes on a PDF document and then print out or save the annotated document.
• Text converter: You may convert the whole PDF document into a simple text file.
• High security and privacy: Foxit Reader highly respects the security and privacy of users and will never connect to the Internet without users' permission. While other PDF readers often silently connect to the Internet in the background. Foxit PDF Reader does not contain any spyware.

Foxit Reader for Windows

Awards & Honors

• Foxit Reader listed in PC Worlds "Special List Issues" as one of the "50 Tools to Speed Up Your PC".
  PC Worlds editor Preston Gralla writes, “Strictly speaking, this isn’t an optimization tool, but it does eliminate a cause of system slowdowns for many people: the bloated Adobe PDF Reader software”. “The free Foxit Reader is smaller, loads quickly, doesn’t take up unnecessary memory, and has no instability issues”.
  
  Click here to read more details of the reviews on PC World.
  
  
• Foxit Reader was named to PC World's '101 Fabulous Freebies' list in Tune Up (Utilities and System Tools).
  "...Adobe Reader isn't your only option for viewing PDF files. Foxit Reader requires no installation--just run the executable--and it launches in about 1 second. Plus, it includes some desirable tools that Adobe lacks, such as a 'typewriter' that lets you edit any text in the PDF, not just in form fields." written by Dylan Tweney, an author of PC world. "In our experience, when it comes to viewing PDF files, Foxit Reader beats Adobe Reader hands-down."
  
  The article is featured in the May 2008 issue of PC World, on newsstands April 15.Click here to learn more about the article on PC world.
  
  
• Foxit Reader, was voted by PC Magazine as one of the best free software programs.
  "Perhaps the fastest PDF reader around, Foxit includes a free annotation tool. Add-ons enable support for new file formats and UI languages." commented by Eric Griffith and PC Magazine staff, the author of the article.
  
  Click to learn more about the article.
  
  
• Foxit Reader shown on PCWORLD.ca "Pick from the Pros: 3 Great Downloads", Foxit Reader was # 1 on the list of 3 Great Downloads.
  "…This little ray of sunshine is a PDF's best friend. It technically is a standalone application (meaning no install), but has been given a simple installer to place the files and give file associations. The main feature Foxit Reader has is speed, and it has lots of it, PDF's load in mere seconds! What's more, the memory (RAM) footprint of the application by itself is only 6-7MB making it ideal for older more memory restricted computers as well as laptops. It also supports forms and advanced editing/commenting tools, making it a surprisingly fully featured and well rounded PDF viewer. It will definitely make a believer out of you, and makes you wonder why Adobe doesn't hire these guys to make the reader for them. Anyone who reads PDF's should have this."
  
  Click to learn more about the article.
  
  
• CNET gives Foxit Reader a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.
  "Foxit Reader is everything that Adobe Reader isn't: lightweight, effective, and streamlined. Foxit's main purpose is to read PDFs, but it also has annotation tools. The interface mimics Adobe's, so you won't have to change your reading habits. Text readability is nearly the same, and the 1.6MB Foxit starts surprisingly fast compared with Adobe. It's a nice touch that it opens PDFs from the Internet in their own Foxit window, instead of sucking resources from within the browser."
  
  Click to learn more about the article.

source: http://www.foxitsoftware.com/

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Worship Software

Why OpenSong?

Many people have asked me, “Why are you doing this for free?” Well, I derive my response from a verse in the Bible. “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Mat. 10:8b) In this passage Jesus is sending out His twelve disciples, encouraging them to give freely, since so much had and would be given freely to them. While I don’t claim to be in the same category as the disciples, I find that the same principle can still apply to me. Out of the abundance of blessings that God has given me it is not asking much for me to give a little back to His kingdom–or anyone else for that matter. Therefore OpenSong exists as an offering. It is free to any and all. While it is not the extent of my service to the King, it is a part that I intend to continue providing, God willing. He could do it without me, but I am so glad that He saw fit to use me.

The concept of OpenSong started when I began searching for software to present song lyrics on our new projector at church. PowerPoint looked fine, but took a long time to setup, and changing songs and sets of songs on the fly was near impossible. The next best (read: cheapest) solution was PowerWorship which auto-creates the PowerPoint slides from the lyrics. This saved a lot of setup time, but on-the-fly setup was still very difficult. At that point, I began trying the church projection software ($$$) out there. I started with WorshipAssistant which also managed song chords. This was a great feature, but the presentation options were really lacking. Then I tried EasyWorship which had much more capable presentation options, but lacked any chord management. Of course, the price made the sell a bit harder too. I tried MediaShout. The price was impossible for our church to afford, but I thought I’d at least give it a try. It was... complicated. After a while I got the hang of it but it’s whole focus was on presentation. I wanted something that could also solve some pratical issues for my church. That was it. I decided to take the plunge and... do it myself. By the way, those other software programs are all great. If they meet your church’s needs, go with them. They all cost money (except PowerWorship) and I don’t blame them for that. They have to pay developers, or feed their families, or whatever. My family will be fine without me charging for OpenSong, but donations are always nice...

Since the first public release of OpenSong, there have been thousands of downloads and it isn’t even out of beta yet. In fact, it’s not really out of alpha yet. Apparently there are a lot of people out there who have hit the same issues I have. As such, I hope that OpenSong continues to evolve to meet the needs to churches and individuals throughout the years to come. It is licensed under the GNU Public License which means even the source code for compiling OpenSong is free and available and no one can improve upon it (not even me) unless their source code remains free and available as well.

There are a lot of plans in the works: a Linux version, PowerPoint integration, video, CCLI reporting, etc. Stay tuned! If you feel called to help... HELP!

Sean Lickfold

Features

This is not a complete feature list!

Chord/Lyric Sheets

• Automatically transpose chords to any key
• Print sheets with regular chords and capo-ed chords together
• Customize any font face, size, bold, italic, underline, etc. for any sheet elements including title, author, chords, lyrics, copyrights, and more.
• Keep track of a song’s title, author, copyright, ccli #, tempo, time signature, theme, focus, capo position, user defined fields, and more!

Live Presentations

• Present any song, specifying the order of slides, such as verse 1, then chorus, then verse 2, then the chorus again, etc.
• Present any passage of the Bible verse by verse
• Present a timed loop of slides, for use in situations such as automatically displaying announcements, verses, Q&As, etc.
• Present any combination of songs, scriptures, or loops back-to-back using sets.
• Fully customize font styles and sizes as well as shadowing and outlining for easy reading against colorful backgrounds
• Change the background color or background image to any image file

Download Link
source: http://www.opensong.org

Free worship software is:

• OpenSong [Windows AND Linux!!!]
• Lyricue [Linux]
• openlp [Windows, Linux-version planned]
• Easislides [Windows]
• DreamBeam [Windows]
• BeamIt [Windows, don't know if it is still under development...]
• Zionworx [Windows]
• PowerWorship [Windows]
• The Beamer Project [Windows]

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Ubuntu Christian Edition

Category : OS (Operating System)


About Ubuntu CE



Ubuntu Christian Edition is a free, open source operating system geared towards Christians. It is based on the popular Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. The goal of Ubuntu Christian Edition is to bring the power and security of Ubuntu to Christians. Ubuntu Christian Edition is suitable for both desktop and server use. The current Ubuntu Christian Edition release supports PC (Intel x86). Ubuntu Christian Edition includes more than 16,000 pieces of software, but the core desktop installation fits on a single CD. Ubuntu Christian Edition covers every standard desktop application from word processing and spreadsheet applications to web server software and programming tools.

Along with the standard Ubuntu applications, Ubuntu Christian Edition includes the best available Christian software. The latest release contains GnomeSword, BibleMemorizer, BibleTime, and much more.

Ubuntu Christian Edition also includes fully integrated web content parental controls powered by Dansguardian. A graphical tool to adjust the filter settings has also been developed specifically for Ubuntu Christian Edition. These features are truly what sets Ubuntu Christian Edition apart.




Features



* Based directly on Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron"
* GnomeSword Bible Study Software
* BibleTime Bible Study Software
* Dansguardian Web Content Parental Controls with graphical interface
o Can be used as a network proxy/filtering server by setting the other systems proxy settings to the IP address of the Ubuntu CE system and port 8080.
o Firefox proxy settings are locked down to keep users from bypassing the filtering.
o Access denied log viewable as text based and html based.
* GnuCash Financial Management Software
* GnomeOffice
* gVerse
* BibleMemorizer
* Virtual Rosary integrated using WINE
* Daily Bible Verse on desktop using gDesklets
* and much more...


Download Link

source: http://www.ubuntuce.com Read More...