Sunday Program Sketches

Free Software Summer Roundup

The question of favorite free software recently came up on an IT mailing list to which I subscribe. I thought I'd share my list of favorite free software that I've found very useful.

• 7-Zip - Don't download WinZip (that is so 1990's) or WinRAR. 7-Zip rocks! It handles all manner of archives (ZIP, GZIP, TAR, RAR, ISO, LZH, CAB, to name a few).
• Adeona - A free, open-source program to track a lost or stolen laptop that doesn't rely on a single third party. Mac, Linux, and Windows.
• Audacity - The best free audio editor!
  
• BOXEE - Time to convert that old computer into an open, connected, social media center! "On a laptop or connected to an HDTV, boxee's free software lets you navigate all your personal movies, TV shows, music and photos, as well as streaming content from websites like MLB, Netflix, Pandora, Last.fm, and Flickr from one screen with a remote." Windows client recently added.
• Burn - A simple but powerful app for Mac OS X for burning CD, DVD, VCD and other disc formats.
• Carbon Copy Cloner - Disk cloning, imagine, and backup for Mac OS X.
• Evernote - Sweet note-taking app, syncs to the cloud, iPhone/iPod Touch app. Almost as good as OneNote.
• InfraRecorder - My favorite free CD/DVD burning program for Windows. Handles ISOs.
• Inkscape - A vector-based drawing program and great substitute for Adobe Illustrator.
• Live Mesh - Sync 5GB of files between Windows or Mac machines with Microsoft's Live Mesh service for free. You can also access synced folders from the Live Mesh site, which comes in handy when you are away from your machines. I recommend disabling the auto start and only running Live Mesh when you need to sync files.
• Notepad++ - My favorite text editor.
• OpenOffice - I use Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate on Windows (purchased for $60 from Microsoft's Ultimate Steal last Sept. for the MBA program), but if you don't want to shell out any money, consider OpenOffice.
• OpenProj - An open source replacement for Microsoft Project for Mac, Linux, and Windows. Has a familiar interface and is compatible with Microsoft Project file format.
• Paint.net - Lightweight, robust image editor for Windows. Great for quick edits when you don't want to load up GIMP or Photoshop.
• Seashore - Image editor for Mac OS X. Great for simple image edits, but features layers, gradients, a clone tool, and other useful tools.
• Tunnelblick - An OpenVPN client for Mac OS X.
• VirtualBox - Robust, multi-platform virtualization software. Don't pay big bucks for Parallels or VMware Fusion.
• VLC Media Player - VLC is my new favorite media player. I don't use VLC to manage my media library (I use iTunes for that, along with iPod syncing). I use VLC for playing videos quickly without having to launch bloated iTunes or Windows Media Player.

Firefox Add-Ons:

• Adblock Plus - I just added ABP to FF this summer to supplement NoScript...Love it!
• FireFTP - My favorite full-featured FTP client is a Firefox add-on! Handles SFTP, FTPS and opens on a tab in my browser. Very handy!
• NoScript - No one should use "the Internets" without NoScript. Tell your grandparents!
• Xmarks - Sync bookmarks and other stuff on the cloud, keeping all instances of your web browser with the same bookmarks and settings. I recommend disabling the auto-recommend features.

What are some of your favorite freebies for Mac, Linux, Windows or iPhone/iPod Touch?

Find Free, Creative Commons Images with Google Images

Google announced a new feature in Google Images that will allow you to search for free, Creative Commons-licensed images easily. This is particularly handy if you are a blogger and you want to spice up your blog posts with some free stock photography and not have to worry about licensing or purchasing stock photos. The features can be accessed from the Advanced Image Search link on the Google Images page, which allows you to specify usage rights for the images that turn up in your search.

Pics and Details of Google's Chrome OS Leaked? Nope!

An unnamed supplier for computer manufacturer Acer apparently got a sneak peek at the upcoming Google Chrome OS and posted some interesting information. Obviously, Google Chrome OS is still in the early stages of development, but this early report sounds promising. The report states, "This beta was extremely stripped down. However, it was amazingly fast. They did one reboot and it rebooted from Desktop to Desktop in about 25ish seconds." The early preview of Google Chrome OS also notes a clock and a search box on the "Chrome bar" along with large icons similar to the Mac OS X dock, and a Chrome logo button that mimics the Windows start menu. So, Google is "re-thinking what operating systems should be." Hhmm. (Sources: Chrome OS Leak, Electronista)

UPDATE (21:29, CDT): It turns out that this was a hoax. Lame!

Google Chrome OS Announced

Google announced it will release its own operating system called Google Chrome OS. According to Google's announcement, the new operating system is Google's attempt to "re-think what operating systems should be." Google Chrome OS will be open source with an emphasis on "speed, simplicity and security." The project will be open-sourced later this year and netbooks with Google Chrome OS will be available the second half of 2010. Google Chrome OS is a separate project from Android, which is its mobile phone operating system, but will overlap in some areas.

Bring Back My Equate Medicated Acne Gel!

Pardon the personal and embarrassing nature of this post. For years, I have used Equate: Medicated Acne Gel (10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Cream) which I purchase at Wal-Mart for about $1.86 and came in a 1 oz. tube with a pink label. For the last few months, I haven't been able to buy it at any Wal-Mart stores as it is always out of stock. After months of searching Wal-Mart stores, I found out that the product has been recalled due to a bacteria-tainted sample. Equate: Medicated Acne Gel, which is manufactured by CSI USA, Inc. of Gallatin, TN, and sold at Wal-Mart, Dollar General, and Kroger stores, was found to have the "Burkholderia Cepacia bacteria, which is also known as Pseudomonas Cepacia." Yikes! Apparently I'm not the only one who loves this product, and can't find it anymore. I'm glad CSI USA, Inc. has issued the recall on themselves, but I hope that they clean it up and get it back on the shelf soon before I get mistaken for a 13 year-old. (What? I have an oily T-zone, OK?)

Here is the content of the recall from the FDA's site:

PRODUCT
10% Benzoyl Peroxide Gel marketed under the following brand labels: 1) Equate Maximum Strength, 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Gel, 28g (Net Wt 1 oz); 2) Kroger Acne Gel, 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Medication, Net Wt 1 oz (28g); 3) DG Maximum strength, Acne Medicated Gel, 10% Benzoyl Peroxide, Net Wt 1oz (28g); and 4) Hill Country Essentials, Medicated Acne Gel,10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Medication, Net Wt 1 oz (28g); Recall # D-129-2009
CODE
All lots
RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
CSI USA, Inc., Gallatin, TN, by letters on October 31, 2008 and November 13, 2008 and by press release on November 13, 2008. Firm initiated recall is ongoing.
REASON
Product may contain the bacteria Burkholderia cepacia.
VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
741,314 units
DISTRIBUTION
Nationwide

(Sources: Aboutlawsuits, Acne.org, FDA)