Book in HTML + source-code tree and makefiles. Revision history at start of book.
NOTE: book only, no source code. Described in Thinking in Java, 3rd edition. Very early release; book is still in formative stages. Revision history at start of book.
A handbook on the art and science of success distilled into one simple but powerful life-changing guide.
We live looking for a way to have peace in our lives and we do not understand why many ...
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Great eBook. You will be making money off this 5 minutes after you download guaranteed. This eBook gives many ways on how to make money online, there is bound to be a method that suits your needs and character.
(Credit: CNET Networks)As users of the Internet we face security threats every day. Nefarious hackers (not all hackers), viruses, and spyware are rampant when online, and not taking precautions can mean lost data or even worse, identity theft. Frankly, if your computer is unprotected, you are rolling the dice every time you go online. Certainly many users already know this and are already using trusted software, or have other security measures in place to ensure safe surfing. This Killer Download is for those who don't or anyone who has questions regarding their safety online.
Whenever I get a new system or get the call to "fix" a friends computer (which more often than not is infected with some sort of system-slowing malware), I always download software from the security categories I refer to as The Big Three. The Big Three includes an antivirus program, an antispyware program, and a software-based firewall. There are certainly other, even safer methods (like using a secure external router instead of a software firewall), but most people can surf safely with these three program types on their system. At the bare minimum, every Windows user should have The Big Three covered.
There are several applications you can buy to fulfill these needs, but there are plenty of free alternatives which will keep you just as safe. Clearly, if your information is of the national security variety, or the plans for a working time machine, you may want to consider higher-end methods for protecting your data. But if you're just a regular computer user who surfs the Web, plays online games, downloads software, or does some occasional banking and bill paying online, this Killer Download is for you.
I should point out my favorites change as I find and test new applications, and you may have an even better solution to use as one of your Big Three. If so, make certain to let us know in the comments so we can all benefit. Here are my current Top 3 free applications I use at home.
The summary screen lets you know your firewall is up to date and operational.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Comodo Firewall Pro offers solid protection against threats by learning your computing habits and what applications you use. This way, if something out of the ordinary occurs, you'll get a notification giving you the option to block suspicious connections to your computer. The interface is easy to understand and guides you through the setup process to make sure you're protected. It's important to note that you will get a lot of notifications in the beginning as Comodo Firewall learns your habits. However, after awhile a window might pop-up which seems suspicious and you'll be glad you have the ability to lock out a potential threat. As an alternative, the free version of ZoneAlarm Firewall is another solid firewall.
Use the tabbed interface to get to all of this applications features.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Spyware Terminator is my current favorite for antispyware applications. It has a slick interface, performs relatively fast scans, and includes free real-time protection. So many antispyware demos scan, but don't remove malware before you pay the registration, or they do scan and remove, but the real-time protection is locked. Spyware Terminator has all the features of the paid applications, but it's absolutely free. One word of caution: I'm not fully sold on the real-time protection in Spyware Terminator because it seems to notify me a lot, even to the point of repeat notifications. Whether you choose to have real-time protection on or off, if you stick to a scan schedule, this application will keep your system clean. Another great alternative is the ever popular Ad-Aware 2007, but you won't get the real-time protection without paying.
Check this summary screen often to make sure you're up to date.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition rounds out my Big Three with solid antivirus protection at no cost. This reliable application quickly scans drives for every form of virus, trojan, and worm, letting you delete or quarantine anything it finds. It lets you focus your search to specific types of scans, and select drives if you have a hunch about a particular problem. This application also offers a real-time guard, so you can stop a virus before it takes root. Like any antivirus program (or antispyware program for that matter) AntiVir will only remain a contender if they keep updating their virus definitions, and so far they are perfect. Your alternative for the third slot of The Big Three is the well known AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition which is definitely worthy of any home computer security system.
If you don't have a program which fits each of these three security types, download and install them now. Though no security system can be foolproof, once you have the Big Three covered on your home computer, you'll be able to surf much more safely.
I fell in love with Zimbra's Ajax-style interface the first time I saw it.
Slick, powerful, and much more extensible than Microsoft Outlook ever dreamed of being. There was just one thing I hated about the Zimbra experience: the browser artifacts around the application that made me feel like I was stuck in a Web site, rather than living in an application that just happened to leverage the power of the Web.
No more. For the past few weeks I've been using Zimbra's new Prism-based Desktop. Verdict? It rocks. Take a look at the UI below:
Zimbra's new Desktop: It rocks
How did Zimbra do this? With Prism, which is a Mozilla project that basically lets applications borrow a tightly integrated, stripped-down version of the Firefox browser to run as standalone applications. This gives them all of the benefits of the browser (and the Web) without the browser artifacts. It's a match made in heaven.
Now that Zimbra has full BlackBerry support, plus the ability to use my POP3 (.Mac, Comcast) and IMAP (Gmail) e-mail with Zimbra desktop, I'm scrapping Microsoft Entourage to use Zimbra full time.
After all, Zimbra gives me the full calendar/e-mail/address book suite that kept me with Entourage, but bombards me with an Internet-full of add-on applications/mashups (flight status, maps, and a range of other Zimlets). In other words, I finally have the "fat client" that I craved while being able to tap into the "fatter client" called the Internet.
It's very cool. You should give it a spin. This is the best e-mail "client" ever built...largely because of its successful marriage of the Web with the desktop. In the future, all applications will be like this--or should be.
Fans need no convincing: Slipknot rocks. Hard. The band's all about pounding drums, gritty guitars, growling vocals, and a loud, aggressive sound--though at the same time the songs sport undeniable hooks.
(Credit: CNET Networks)One of the best choices for online telephony for Mac just got better. The latest Skype update pushes the program to version 2.7.257 adding support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and higher-resolution video for face-to-face video calls. The new default resolution is 640x480 pixels at 25 frames per second. You are only limited by your Webcam, so get out there and upgrade so that your friends and family can have a bigger, crisper view of your smiling mug on their desktop.
The chat client-like interface makes it easy to browse and call contacts.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Skype has always been one of my favorite applications for its familiar chat-like interface, and the capability to talk with users worldwide for free (provided they're also using Skype). For a little extra money, you can sign-up with Skype and make calls to anyone in the world (including land-lines) at a fraction of the price of regular long distance. Got a friend in another country? Skype might be just the solution you need.
What do you think? Have you made any video calls on your Mac? Do you chat with friends in other countries using Skype? Let us know in the comments!
This Java-based freeware program synchronizes files and folders, even across network drives. Light but lacking any personalization features, Directory Synchronizer is an early beta, but looks promising.
Directory Synchronizer lacks a pretty face.
(Credit: CNET Networks, Inc.)Befitting a program possessing such a small footprint--the EXE doesn't require an installer, since it's only 22 KB--there's not much to this application. Directory Synchronizer can be set to sync based on either date or content. Users can preview two folders that they're thinking about syncing with the Compare tool, and simply check off a box to exclude a subdirectory from the process.
Directory Synchronizer gives you the results you want.
(Credit: CNET Networks, Inc.)Users can also save sync tasks, and use them again with the "Open sync task" tool. Provided that the folder names and locations on their respective drives haven't changed, this should work without a hitch. I found synchronization to be reasonably fast, as syncing more than one gigabyte of files from a network drive to my local hard disk took about five minutes.
Certainly, there are larger and more powerful sync freeware tools, my favorite being SyncBack. But if you're looking for tiny, free, and effective, and don't care about the interface, you should give Directory Synchronizer a try.
Do you have a favorite freeware backup tool? Let us know about it in the comments.
PhotoScape comes with templates for arranging image collages.
(Credit: CNET Networks Inc./Photos by Seth Rosenblatt)If you're looking to put together a Valentine's Day collage for your sweetie, it's mighty late to be worrying about creative gifts from the heart. So get a jump on that photo mashup (or is that car crash?) you've been planning for next year's Valentine's Day with PhotoScape, a freeware image editor that's surprisingly feature-rich.
PhotoScape distinguishes itself from the crowd with an impressive set of features. Although it eats and leaks about as much memory as Firefox, it's aimed squarely at the at-home image editor who's making the jump to dSLR cameras and the wide, wonderful world of high-density RAW image files, but isn't quite ready for the full-on Photoshop or GIMP experience.
Besides RAW conversion support, PhotoScape can handle all other major image formats from JPEG and PNG, as well as animated GIF creation. It comes with prebuilt templates for users to create photo collages, fumetti, and Web comics, and has a standard set of red-eye removal, light/shadow, and contrast-editing features.
PhotoScape can convert RAW files, but not edit them directly.
(Credit: CNET Networks Inc./Photo by Seth Rosenblatt)One warning about the RAW processing: Although it looks like you can drag and drop, the converter doesn't change RAW to JPEG unless you load the RAW file from within the native file browser. It's a minor bug, but one that can lead you to believe that there's no RAW support at all if you drag and drop from Windows Explorer. You can also batch edit images, combine them, and print them out one at a time or several at once.
The program loads fast and possesses an interface completely different from those familiar with Adobe's industry-leading tools. Users are greeted by circular navigator complemented by a tabbed nav on the top of the main screen. Most, but not all main features are accessible from either nav. It might take some people time to get used to the unusual layout, but it's only unusual for an image editor; otherwise it's intuitive, fast, and lacks only the most advanced of image editing features.
Overall, the program is a nice piece of work for budding photographers on a tight budget, and those who want to be able to learn a program in a matter of minutes, not days.
(Credit: CNET Networks)After taking Candace Clicks to a nice dinner for Valentine's Day, Power Downloader thought it would be a good idea to go look at the night sky. To get the best view, Candace and Power made their way just outside of town where the lights from the city wouldn't detract from their view. Though the view was amazing, neither Power nor Candace knew much about which stars they were looking at besides the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and the North Star.
Access to several informative overlays are found on the left side of WinStar's interface
(Credit: CNET Networks)The next day at the Powerlair, Power Downloader decided to find a program he could send to Candace which would help identify the night sky as a way of remembering their night together. After some searching at Download.com, Power came across an application called WinStars. With this application, Candace could explore the galaxy in 3D, look at well-known constellations, and track any of a number of comets and satellites. Several different overlays would let Candace look at the names of stars, planets, and constellations. She could also retrieve detailed photos from the Internet if she wanted a closer look. For even more realism, WinStars would let her view the sky in Planetarium mode, which frames the stars nicely with an outdoor scene to simulate looking up at the night sky from earth. Included animation controls would put the stars in motion at the click of a button.
After sending off an e-mail to Candace with a nice note, Power Downloader delved further into Winstars' many features. He quickly realized the program was so packed full of features, Astronomy enthusiasts and students would appreciate all of the expert-level tools. Though Candace might not use Winstars more advanced features, Power hoped she would open the program and be able to relive their Valentine's trip to see the stars.
While most Notepad replacements expand on features, very few rebuild the concept of a lightweight text editor. Quicknote introduces an entirely unusual interface and features that don't exist in its cousins, importing the traditional concept of notes--as a mix of text and doodles--but in a decidedly unpolished package.
As you can tell from the screenshots, this freeware program looks very atypical. There's a small control panel in the right corner to control what can be best described as gross functions that determine overall program behavior. Fortunately, mouse-over labels save users from playing "guess the feature". The L controls focusless input, N determines the Quicknote list on the left half of the program, B shows and hides the toolbar, M is the main menu that hides Save, Print, Options, accesses tool buttons not available on the toolbar.
Quicknote is a Notepad replacement that offers an unusual interface and a transparent window, among other features.
(Credit: CNET Networks, Inc.)Some of these tools, like the Calculator, are accessible elsewhere. Others are unique to Quicknote, such as the function that lets you send a note--which can include text or drawing--to another computer, provided you have the computer's name or IP address. To receive a note, you need to go to M then Tools and click on Receive text from another computer.
To send a note, you need to highlight the text you'd like to send, and from the context menu access the Copy Text dropdown and select To other computer. After that, you'll be asked for the other computer's info. Type that in and you're on your way to low-fi note sharing, across the room or, one supposes, the world.
The last button in the right corner, the double box icon, minimizes Quicknote to a white bar. The default setting for the bar is in the upper left of your monitor, although that's configurable from the Menu/Options/Sleep Mode. The line's called the Wake Up bar because when you mouse over it, the program maxmizes to its previous position.
Quicknote lets users choose a variety of options related to Show/Hide behavior, as well as the transparency. I found it particularly useful to set the app to minimize when the focus program, the program that I was currently using, wasn't Quicknote. By sticking the Wake Up bar in an easy-to-mouse-to corner, I was able to wake the program with a quick shift of the mouse.
Users can set Quicknote to run on start up, and can control speaker volume using hotkeys while the program is the focus. The actual creation and use of notes is an entirely different workflow from Notepad and replacements, which often function as super-lite versions of larger word processors.
Quicknote's tiny and customizable Wake Up bar requires nothing more than a mouseover to re-open the hidden program window.
(Credit: CNET Networks, Inc.)Here, you're given a Main Note, followed by two category trees--one for Personal notes, and the other for Professional notes. Categories are customizable, and users can create new ones via any note or category's context menu. No matter the category, the notes all function the same way.
Users can create as many notes under as many categories as they like. Notes can only be sorted through the Category menu, but other than the menus are very similar. You can also drag-and-drop notes around to organize them.
Saving is a crucial feature in Quicknote, and users can choose different locations and different formats to save notes, or go with the default and save them internally as part of the program. Also important is the program's access to non-crucial but useful add-ons. It comes with a minimalistic drawing tool, where users can create freehand doodles. The only option there is to adjust the size of the pen.
There's also command line access from within Quicknote, a scheduler with alarms, a screen measuring tools that converts pixels to centimeters, a built-in task manager, all accessible from the upper-left corner's context menu. The buttons in the upper left are similar to those on the upper-right, in that they're small, gray and strange-looking, and give the whole program an unprofessional feel. You can use them to change the note being worked on, but that feels redundant since the navigation tree makes notes readily available.
Quicknote does some great things that other note-taking apps don't, especially the Wake Up bar, the doodling, and the ability to send notes to other computers from within the program. However, the interface will take most users some time to get used to, and some may never feel comfortable with the awkward layout. For the features it offers, though, Quicknote might be the only game in town.
