Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 1/16/08 Section: Mixed Plate

Media Credit: courtesy of utorrent.com utorrentUI, while still in beta, allows you remote access and control of your downloads, even when you are away from your home rig.

Back in October, Wal-Mart released a Linux (Ubuntu) power system with enhanced graphics. The system retails for the low cost of $199. The reason that the gOP-powered system is so cheap is that the main applications are all Web-based. The reliance on Google apps lead some to wonder if the "g" in gOP stands for Google. A fact that Wal-Mart's PR department vapidly denies. Whatever your politics are on Wal-Mart, marketing an open-source, Web app-based computer to the casual target market was a surprisingly successful venture. Lifehacker.com has already reported that the unit has sold out of its online supply, well over the 5 percent new computer-buyer market they had estimated.

The future gets closer every day to a time when large HDDs and fast connections reduced our OSs to shelf space for our virtual life, though that day has not yet come. To celebrate your clumsy old operating system, we bring you our most essential freeware programs. In the future, Ka Leo will cover its choices for Web apps and other joys from the digital realm, but for now relish in the quick and downloadable. You may have Firefox and AVG, but treating yourself to these free apps will brighten your day and streamline your virtual world. From word processing to security, digital art and torrents, these programs will make your life that much easier. Take this as a beginning guide to the world outside of the Google pack.

Office replacement
Open Office: With Open Office you'll never miss Windows' darling processes. Nearly every Office suite is faithfully recreated and works in conjunction with Windows' program and formats. Power users may miss some of their Vista options and tabbing, but XP users will love the price. If you lost your Office disk or are installing on multiple computers, or heck, even if your not, there's no better or faster option. www.openoffice.org

Compression
7-zip: The look is a little Windows '95, but still a far faster, larger format and better shrinking alternative to WinZip. 7zip.org

Downloading
uTorrent: The best torrent client, with easily set upload/download limits as well as upload files in the window with saved preferences. Recommended above slower and ad-heavy BitTorrent. www.utorrent.com

Converting
VidDownloader: Batch processing moves this app to the top. Freely convert video for your iPod and PSP without having to load each piece.
www.viddownloader.com/
Media Encoder: The quickest audio converter.
mediacoder.sourceforge.net
XNView: Batch hundreds of art for conversion. Simple interface.
www.xnview.com

Maintenance
CCleaner: Indispensable. For every program you delete, there is always the cobwebs that stay over and slowly eat the lifeline of your computer. CCleaner removes those unwanted applications while also giving an improved add/delete system to your computer. Remove history, forms, broken links and much more. You might be surprised at just how much space one run will clear up. Highly recommended.
www.ccleaner.com/

PDF replacement
Foxit: Like the infamous freeware it borrows its name from, Foxit is the Firefox of PDF clients. Quicker, sleeker and with a multitude of extensions as well. For all those class and research PDF packets, you won't believe how much faster it moves.
www.foxitsoftware.com/

Movie viewer
VLC: Burn discs and watch nearly every video format made by man. Why use WMP, QuickTime and RealPlayer, when you can use this application in their place?
www.videolan.org/vlc/

Photoshop/Illustrator
GIMP: Proves that whatever Adobe spends years and millions of dollars doing, a crack team of geniuses will top within months. Effectively open-source Illustrator and Photoshop in one application. www.gimp.org/
Blender: The interface is different from Maya, but the results are the same. If you're interested in 3-D modeling, give Blender a chance. The system is gaining ground all the time on the bigger guys, and the system has proven to be relatively easy but highly capable of large projects, as you can tell from the movie section on their page.
www.blender.org/

Recovery
Recuva: From the makers of CCleaner. If your computer suffers a meltdown, recover data from any previous time with Recuva. Even after reinstalling your OS, Recuva can grab most lost music, movies and documents you thought were gone.
www.recuva.com/

iTunes helper
OurTunes: Grab music over any network. Offices, dorms, wireless, etc.
ourtunes.sourceforge.net/
SharePod: You never again have to fear the invisible bars surrounding your iPod, keeping those borrowed tunes hostage. SharePod easily and quickly transfers your iPod music back to your PC.
www.sturm.net.nz/

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools