As of 2010-08-07
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v9.3.3
v8.0.1
v3.6.8 / 4.0 beta 2
v7.0
v1.6_u21
v5.5.13
Linux
see beelow
v3.2.1
v10.6
PDF995
v4.2.0.169
v3.1.2
v3.2.8
v1.1.2
v5.58
v14.5.9095
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Open Office
Great news, OpenOffice keeps getting better.
Free office suite for Apple, Linux, Solaris, Windows and Unix. Open and save in Microsoft format.
New version includes export of Adobe PDF documents. Why use Microsoft Office? If you
lose your install CD then what - spend hundreds of $$$ to get a new one. Why not just
use the free, industry standard, multi-platform Open Office? It is the world's most
popular multi-platform office suite and quickly replacing Microsoft Office.
Bugs
Some fool forget to put the full version number in the >>about<< dialog. So when we
look at help->about, we don't know if we are running release candidate 1 or release
candidate 2.
www.OpenOffice.org
Java
Simply the most important software on your system.
Firefox
Simply the best web browser out there. By far the fastest and blocks spyware and other garbage.
Firefox.
Linux
The new Redhat Linux v9.0. Not just for servers, but for a desktop with some visual flair. Really does look much
better than windows - will it kill'ya to look.
Bugs:
Redhat forgot to give their product a version number (or they unclearly hid it somewhere). When we went to their
website we found they couldnt be bother to list their most recent version number, so we went to the download section, but
they still forget there too! Kinda like a Microsoft dumb dumb.
WinAMP
The new WinAMP is awesome - actually looks cooler than a real stero. Awesome skins. One of the best programs out
there. Continues to impress us.
Div X
With DivX Watch a movie in a little window while
your working on your computer, life doesn't get any more techno better.
WinAMP is great for music; but this is hands down the best
app for viewing DivX files.
However, don't buy anything from them they do not proactive support
their product, especially there creation tool which is two steps
less than garbage. I you buy DivX thinking you are going to make
or copy movied, wrong, it just doesn't work ! Also the download
doesn't contain the version number - dumb...
Adobe - Acrobat Reader
Read PDF files with ease. The professional touch for documents. product and includes download for the reader on Palm OS.
Bugs
There are two (2) major problems with this product. They are
with the Palm OS version. 1) crashes a lot when viewing an
enlargment of an image (so sometimes it is better to use
MS Word - and that is stupid). 2) the Palm OS version does
not use the full 480x320 screen on the Tungsten T3 model,
Adobe should know better, there is no excuse for this - just
lazy programmers (this is a turn off).
Win ZIP
Compress your data and save file space. Excellent for backups.
ICQ
Use the original chat - use the best.
ICQ
Limewire
Point-to-point downloads. Entirely built in Java, excellent product.
Limewire
Opera
They claim the fastest browser on Earth, well we tried it and it is certainly very faster and slick.
We give it A+, we think it is a great product and we use it. Too bad that is doesn't support Java properly,
maybe they say it does, but we have tried plenty and still no luck.
Opera
Skype - Internet Phone/Video & Chat
This is free Internet phone and it works very very well, talk with
associates on the other side of the world with clarity, no strings
attached, highly recommended.
www.Skype.com
Virtual Box (virtual computer)
If you are into computers you must have this. It allows you to create a virtual computer running
within the primary/host OS (operation system). For example: if you have windows, you can install
'virtual box' and then install a linux or Solaris operating system into the virtual computer, you
may setup as many as you like. Brought to you by Oracle.
www.virtualbox.org
VLC Media Player
Must have. Covers MPEG, DivX and the rest. HD,DVD,VCDS,Satellite cards.
www.VideoLAN.org
Microsoft XP
We will list three major bugs/problems here (of many), we would say that it definitely
has some advantages over Win2000 but it is still very unstable.
1) Sometimes when an application crashes that had opened a file, the
file is left in a locked state even though the crashed application
is completely shutdown. Even after a reboot the file is still
mysteriously lock. When trying to delete the file Windows XP
(and previous versions) keep saying _cannot delete, file is
locked by an application_ when in fact it is not locked. Microsoft
just has failed to clear a lock that should no longer exist.
Get this: in some cases you can go to the DOS prompt and delete
it, but as with Microsoft inconsistency, sometimes you cant.
Microsoft should have enough brains (but they dont) to first check
and see is the application which has the lock is still actually
running and responsive. And if it is, then (saving security issues)
should let the user know what application has the file locked and
offer to safely close the application, remove the lock and delete
the file.
2) Often when a program hangs, like Explorer or Netscape, you try to
close it by clicking on the X in the upper right corner. Then program
says program is not responding do you want to close it. Da???? Yes
of course just like how I wanted it closed when I clicked the X to
begin with. Yet it still doesnt close and you try over and over.
Sometimes after several tries maybe finally XP gets it and closes the
program. You would think that by now in 2004 that this nonesense
would have stopped. What is so hard about shutting down a program?
If it takes a few seconds then fine. Make it immediately disappear
from the active programs list, dont ask me a second time and then
just do it in the background - but just do it.
3) The printer spool does not work. This is a beauty - why does it
take so long for Windows to get rid of a print job. When I click
cancel I mean this year - there is no excuse - it shouldnt take literally
5 minutes and longer just to cancel a print job.
If the printer has been turned off awhile (maybe just before) cancelling
a print job then Windows XP will continue to try forever to cancel
the printjob unsuccessfully and use 75% of your CPU to do it and will
never time out, we presume that XP is trying to tell the printer
that it wants to cancel the print job...@#$%.
