Category: Geek Software of the Week

Anti-Virus and Spyware are no longer the ONLY things that we have to fight on the Internet! Now there are hijacking programs, Trojans, Worms, dialing programs that “take over� your system, and keylogging programs that record your keystrokes and allow people to steal your personal info. Here’s another tool in your arsenal to keep your system safe! It will detect these programs and does not interfere with the operation of your current antivirus or Spyware removal program! And, it is FREE!

Ewido Security Suite

Get it, scan your system, and don’t be surprised that it may find things that your current software didn’t find!

Have you ever needed to automate something in the Windows GUI? (Graphical User Environment) You need to be able to simulate a “click this, enter that, run this” when you aren’t even there at your PC and you want it to run in “the background?” Well, here’s the answer! AutoIt is a “BASIC-like” point and click environment that allows you to automate Windows operations!

AutoIt Scripting Language

Very cool, very flexible… you will like it!

OK, what if you need to get to a computer remotely, and you have no way to get a special port opened in the firewall (like you would for, say, TightVNC?) You just want a way to connect to a computer and “take over” the session and use it from “a far”… across the Internet, or do a quick file transfer.

LogMeIn.com

This is a FREE service for the “normal” version… and only $99.00 per year for the Pro version. The free version gives me all I need, at least in my tests. This is pretty cool technology! It installs a Java applet on your computer, and then you connect to it over the Web. Worth a try if you need a secure way to connect to a machine behind a firewall!

Being safe on the Internet can be a chore, and it shouldn’t be… however, real life is what it is! So, what we need are tools to help keep our systems safe! This week’s Geek Software is one of those tools. Unlike most of my recommendations, it isn’t free, but it is fairly cheap. There is a 15 day free trial, then you have to license it for $19.95. Check it out:

Prevx – Host Intrusion Prevention Systems

The idea is if ANY software tries to do something that you don’t know about, it will stop it and ask you if you REALLY want to do whatever it is trying to do… so, if you hit a site that tries to install junk on your system in the background… boom! You get a notice and can stop it. Sounds like it is worth the $19.95! And, if you want my recommendations on how to be safe on the web, check out this article:

How to be Safe on the Web

OK, some history first. I used and loved a tool called “RegCleaner” that was released some years ago by a gentlemen named Jouni Vuorio. He went on to create other tools that incorporated a lot of RegCleaner’s functionality into a tool that he then charged for… OK, good for him. But, it wasn’t as simple as the old tool… and it wasn’t free either!

Now, enter CCleaner! (Which, pardon my “French,” stands for “Crap-Cleaner”) It not only cleans the registry, it also cleans up after your browser, providing better privacy, and it does the following cleaning as well:

Internet Explorer
Temporary files, URL history, cookies, Autocomplete form history, index.dat.

Firefox
Temporary files, URL history, cookies, download history.

Windows
Recycle Bin, Recent Documents, Temporary files and Log files.

Registry cleaner
Advanced features to remove unused and old entries, including File Extensions, ActiveX Controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstallers, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help Files, Application Paths, Icons, Invalid Shortcuts and more… also comes with a comprehensive backup feature.

Third-party applications
Removes temp files and recent file lists (MRUs) from many apps including Opera, Media Player, eMule, Kazaa, Google Toolbar, Netscape, MS Office, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, WinRAR, WinAce, WinZip and many more…

100% Spyware FREE
This software does NOT contain any Spyware, Adware or Viruses.

Nice… nice… nice! Check it out! Here’s the link:

CCleaner

If you are considering becoming a Podcaster, then, boy do I have some software for you! Dewd! You gotta see this! There are packages out there that don’t do what this does and they cost hundreds of dollars! This is Open Source (and therefore, FREE!) Check it out:

PodProducer Open Source Podcast Studio

This software is updated regularly, so keep checking, as he keeps making improvements. The recording is clean and clear, and it has a lot of great features… I am “playing with it” to learn more, because there is currently no documentation, but it is falling down easy anyway. Try it, you’ll like it!

When you want to display PDF documents what do you do? Most folks download Adobe’s PDF Reader, after all, it is free, right? Well, less and less… why do I say that? The “newer” versions of the Adobe Reader try and get you to download all kinds of other junk as well, and they also try to get you to use their “downloader,” which is installed on your system and pollutes your computer… then there is the fact that it is constantly asking you to upgrade it, instead of just displaying the PDF… and now, on top of all this, they have advertisements in it! NO, thanks!

Small, Fast, Clean, and FREE PDF Reader for Everyday Use

The link above is a great FREE, no ads, simple, fast, and clean PDF viewer. And guess what? ALL it does is allow you to view PDFs! What a concept! Try it, you’ll like it!

First, remove your Adobe Reader (Start-Control Panel-Add Remove Programs), then install the Foxit Software PDF Viewer! Budda-bing! Now, you have a FAST viewer without all the junk!

This is a Geek Software recommendation that I have been waiting a long time to make! As a professional Webmaster, I know that web design tools are important and have been “so-so” at best. However, I have been watching the Nvu Open Source project since it’s inception, and they have just released the “1.0” milestone! You owe it to yourself to check out this FREE software with features that compete with Dreamweaver and Frontpage! Nvu is sponsored by Linspire Linux… and there are versions for Windows, Linux and the Mac.

New WYSIWYG Web Editor Has Improved Flexibility, Ease-of-Use

SAN DIEGO, June 29, 2005 – Nvu 1.0, the latest version of the free, easy-to-use Web authoring system for desktop Linux, Macintosh and Microsoft Windows users, was released today. Nvu (pronounced “n-view”) is the open-source equivalent to programs such as Microsoft FrontPage and Macromedia Dreamweaver. Nvu gives non-technical computer users the power to create, edit and publish professional, attractive Web sites without requiring programming or HTML coding skills. It is available for download at www.nvu.com.

Check out Nvu! You will be impressed! Here’s the link: Nvu

AviScreen

Ever wanted to capture a video of your screen so that you can show someone how to use an application? Try this cool, free software!

ServerWatcher

ServerWatcher is a Java application that allows you to monitor your web site (or any web site) and be notified if the site is not accessible. It is great if you have a site that absolutely MUST be up at all times and you MUST know if it is down. You can set it to send you email (or AIM or Yahoo! Messenger) if it goes down. The nice thing is it is totally free. Simply download it, unzip it into a directory, and run the .jar file. (Obviously, you must have Sun Java installed on your system. Free and Open Source! Enjoy!