freewares

Freeware

An acknowledgement to the hard work and effort of the software developers

28th November 2007

Useful Freewares??

For every personal computer, there is a personal list of software that the owner desires. These software fine tunes the work/entertainment that the owner experiences. For me, here are some of my free softwares that i've used with a rating of 1 to 10 (poor to excellent).

    1. MikTeX [Rating: 8.5]
    2. This open source software is a typesetting software for Windows. It automatically creates the table of contents, list of tables/figures without any problem for LARGE documents. It also includes hundreds of packages including pdfTeX, package for thousands of mathematical symbols, etc. MikTeX creates DVI files while pdfTeX creates the output file as PDF files. Latest version works in Windows Vista. But you'll need to get used to the codings and syntax to use LaTeX efficiently. Typing-wise more complex than Microsoft Word due to the coding but scores high on reliability and text automation features.
    3. Crimson Editor [Rating: 9.5]
    4. This is a text editor with colour coding for source codes such as HTML, PHP, TEX, C, Basic, etc. Comes with a programmable keyboard shortcut that you can set to run external programs.
    5. For example:
    6. "Ctrl + 1" can be set to compile PDFLatex
    7. "Ctrl + 2" can be set to open the pdf file.
    8. This feature is VERY convenient to compile your programs.
    9. Works very well in Windows XP. More importantly, these features are very user-friendly. I did not need to hunt around for help. Each button is self-explanatory. Unfortunately, In Windows Vista, the saved shortcuts disappeared each time you close the program.
    10. Emerald Editor [Rating: 9.0]
    11. Successor to Crimson Editor since the last version of Crimson Editor. My sincere thanks to the developers of Emerald Editor and to the original creator of crimson editor.
    12. BullZip PDF Printer [Rating: 8.0]
    13. Awesome software. It creates a virtual PDF printer. It is free and requires only Ghostscript (another software). You can print any document like a real printer but the output is a PDF file. Save paper, save trees. It is as good as Adobe PDF Printer. Works in Windows Vista. I have only encounter 3-4 errors throughout since i first used it.
    14. Open Office [Rating: 6.0]
      1. The free version of Microsoft Office. I'm a very proficient with Microsoft Office but I am using Open Office Draw to create images in EPS or PDF files. Useful when working with MikTeX or pdfLaTeX. Works in Windows Vista too. My ratings is based solely on the use of Open Office Draw only.
    15. Hamachi [Rating: 7.5]
    16. This is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) software. This software creates a 'local' network through the internet. This allows you to connect multiple computers as long as internet access is available. There are two versions of Hamachi; the free and the premium version. The free is sufficient to support personal usage such as linking your home and work computers via VPN or for gaming purposes. With the free version, you can connect up to 16 computers. Works in Windows Vista. Not sure about security wise though.
    17. Avira AntiVir [Rating: -10.0]
    18. (Highly Not recommended)
    19. A free antivirus software. After using it for 2 months or so, my computer is FILLED with viruses!!! Sigh... Looks like i will be getting another antivirus. Here is an example of virus that i've identify:
      1. 1. W32/HLLP.Philis.ini, replicates using file "_desktop.ini". Identified by McAfee Security Center. This virus replicated itself all over my computer!!! ARGHHH!!!!
      2. .COM file was found in my pendrive AFTER emptying it in Windows and opening it in Linux.
    20. Comodo Firewall Pro [Rating: 6.5]
    21. A personal firewall software for your computer. GUI looks simple but it works quite well. Monitors any executable files created or copied to the system, even to the desktop. That includes installers that i download from the internet. Too much of a hassle for me.

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