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| Applications |
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| Bullfighter | From Business Idiots LLC |
| Running within Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, Bullfighter uses a custom dictionary and the Flesch Reading Ease Index to flag newspeak, bafflegab, and just plain bloated prose. Requires Microsoft Windows 2000 or better, and Microsoft Office 2000 or better. Originally developed by Deloitte Consulting, this tool has taken a life of its own. |
| Excel Viewer | From Microsoft Corporation |
| PowerPoint Viewer | |
| Visio Viewer | |
| Word Viewer | |
| If you don't have Microsoft Office, or have an older version, and are tired of receiving e-mail attachments you can't open, these viewers are just the ticket. They allow you to open, view and print -- but not edit -- files created in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, and Word. |
| Firefox | From the Mozilla Foundation |
| An alternative to the browser that came with your computer, Firefox includes enhanced security, popup blocking, tabbed browsing, and other worthwhile features. |
| OpenOffice | From the OpenOffice.org Source Project |
| Based on StarOffice code donated to the project by Sun Microsystems, this open-source office suite features a word processor, a spreadsheet, a presentation package, a drawing package, and database tools. It boasts very good file compatibility with the "world's leading productivity suite". The version you'll want is the "legacy build". Warning - this is a 50+ MB download! |
PagePlus
PhotoPlus
WebPlus
DrawPlus
3DPlus | From Serif (Europe) Ltd |
| Serif offers older versions of its software as free downloads in order to promote its current versions. These products include software for desktop publishing, photo and image editing, web site design and publishing, graphic design and vector drawing, and 3D animation and modeling. Depending on the task at hand, the free versions may be all you need. |
| Pegasus Mail | From David Harris |
| Named by PC World magazine as "Best E-Mail Client" in their 2002 World Class Awards, Pegasus Mail and its companion product, Mercury Mail Transport System, are offered as free products, dedicated to serving all who need them. |
| Post-It Software Notes | From 3M Company |
| Post-It Software Notes lets you "stick" high-tech digital Post-It Notes on your Windows desktop -- notes with alarm clocks, hyperlinks, and pictures. You can even e-mail notes or attach them to document files. The Lite version is free, and has loads of functionality. |
| Thunderbird | From the Mozilla Foundation |
| A full-featured e-mail client with built-in junk mail filtering, integrated newsgroup reader, spell-checker, and HTML support. |
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| Games |
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| America's Army game | From the U.S. Army |
| The America's Army game was designed to give civilians an inside perspective and a virtual role in the U.S. Army by providing an accurate portrayal of soldier experiences across a number of military occupations. |
| Pacific War: Matrix Edition | From Matrix Games |
| Steel Panthers: World At War | |
| War in Russia: Matrix Edition | |
| Matrix Games has re-released several classic wargames as free software, including the very popular Steel Panthers. Warning - these are large downloads, especially for Steel Panthers! |
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| Security |
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| Anti-Spyware Utilities |
"Spyware" as been defined as software which employs a user's Internet connection in the background without that user's knowledge or explicit permission. Often, this is done in order to track web-browsing habits, the better to target the user with advertising, but some spyware has more insidious purposes.
Each of the anti-spyware utilities listed below is good; used together, they are a formidable defence.
The real-time features of these products may not play well together, so only enable one real-time spyware blocker. You can and should still use the other products for spyware scanning. |
| Ad-Aware | From LavaSoft |
| Ad-Aware detects and removes spyware from your system. The basic version is available as freeware. |
| SpyBot Search & Destroy | From PepiMK Software |
| SpyBot Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, and comes with extra features like real-time spyware installation blocking. |
| Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta) | From Microsoft Corporation |
| Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) is a security technology that helps protect Windows users from spyware and other potentially unwanted software. It features real-time protection and automatic updates. |
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| Antivirus Utilities |
| Viruses, Trojans, and worms, oh my! Antivirus software is essential to combat these threats to your work, your privacy, and to your computer's wellbeing. All three of the products listed below are full-featured antivirus products, designed to detect and remove viruses. |
| Avast! 4 Home Edition |
From Alwil Software |
| In order to reduce the spread of viruses, Alwil Software of Czechoslovakia has released Avast! Home Edition, free for non-commercial computer users. |
| AntiVir Personal Edition |
From H+BEDV Datentechnik GmbH |
| This free version of a German product is intended for private use on a single workstation. |
| AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition | From Grisoft, Inc. |
| AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is a full anti-virus product that both detects and removes viruses. The free version is intended for installation on a single computer by home and non-commercial end-users. |
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| Virus Scanners |
| Although these products are online scanners which detect but cannot remove viruses, they are great for making sure your full antivirus product is doing the job. |
| HouseCall | From Trend Micro, Inc. |
| An online virus scanner from the maker of PC-cillin. |
| Panda ActiveScan | From Panda Software |
| An online virus scanner from the maker of Panda Titanium and Panda Platinum. |
| Symantec Security Check | From Symantec Corporation. |
| This service consists of an online virus scanner and an Internet security assessment, both from the maker of Norton Antivirus and Norton Personal Firewall. |
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| Firewalls |
If you have a full-time Internet connection, you absolutely need a firewall. A firewall controls the content that passes through your Internet connection, keeping outside intruders from getting at your computer, and preventing any malware that might have invaded your computer from "calling home".
Originally, a firewall required a dedicated computer or a special hardware "appliance", but no longer. The personal firewalls listed below run right on the user's computer, requiring no extra hardware. |
| Outpost Firewall FREE | From Agnitum Ltd |
| A basic protection solution for casual web surfers and low budget systems. |
| Sygate Personal Firewall | From Sygate Technologies, Inc. |
| From a well-known security software company, this personal firewall has a good feature set, and is free for home/personal use. |
| ZoneAlarm | From Zone Labs, Inc. |
| The computer press has acclaimed ZoneAlarm as one of the best personal firewalls on the market. The basic version is free for personal and not-for-profit charitable entity use. |
