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April 2006
Rocking in the free software world
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The best things in life aren’t free, but you can get some great software without spending a dime if you have an Internet connection and know where to look.
Here’s some stuff worth checking out if you use Windows. If you know of more freebies, let me know and we can list them here.
1) Bill Gates has enough of your money already, thus we start with OpenOffice, which can replace the $500 Microsoft Office, a bloated product re-released every few years just for suckers. OpenOffice includes a word processor, spreadsheet, a basic drawing program, and a lot more. You can even open and save Microsoft doc files.
2) Mozilla’s web browser, Firefox, is better than the also-free Microsoft Internet Explorer because it is less susceptible to viruses and other attacks. It seems to have some Java implementation probs, however, so keep IE handy for the sites that require it (like mlb.com’s live scoring scripts).
3) Thunderbird is a better e-mail client than the default Microsoft offering, Outlook Express, because it, too, seems to have fewer security issues. Also, the filtering options can consume more Spam than a Roseanne Barr wedding reception.
4) When the boss tells you you can’t play solitaire on the office computer, it’s time to fire up Tight VNC, which allows remote access of your home computer wherever you are on the planet. I was in Romania and was able to use my home computer to check e-mail, reset a game server, look up information stored on my hard drive, and even fire up a compiler to fix an out-of-control C script. You can also freak out wifey-poo by moving the mouse cursor while she’s trying to use it. Fun for all!
5) Those seeking to violate copyright law need Quick and Easy FTP server, which can be used to “serve� files to online users. Usually, FTP is used for files too large to send via e-mail, such as uncompressed sound or video. The “lite� version is free and can handle most anything you will throw at it. I use Filezilla as an FTP client.
6) Release your inner geek and kiss your social life goodbye with Microsoft’s free Visual C++ Express, a compiler for making your own programs. It’s a good introduction to the world of programming and abstinence.
7) Those desperately still clinging to a social life like Chief Wiggum does donuts may want to check out PHP Coder, a simple but effective Intergrated Development Environment (IDE) for making web pages with PHP, a powerful web scripting language. Slackers can forget they ever heard of PHP and just use it as an HTML editor.
8) An anti-virus program is the first thing you should install on any new computer. AVG gets good marks, but I have used Avast’s free version for years with no complaints. You have to register the Avast version within two months of installing it and renew it once per year, but that is a small price to pay for preserving nerd dignity.
9) I use Photoshop, which is crazy expensive, but those whose employers are more penurious should try XNView to resize photos or convert images from one format to another. Those needing more editing power should check out GIMPshop, based on the venerable GIMP familiar to Linux users.
10) If you are young and need music and mom has started noticing you are taking twenties out of her purse, look no further than Limewire, probably the best peer-2-peer file sharing software out there. At one point they included spyware in the download, but I think the backlash gave them a well-deserved lesson. The basic version is free, but I bought the “pro� version. Limewire is pretty easy to use, unlike …
11) Azureus is another take on file-sharing, but using the BiTorrent protocol. This is a little more complicated than Limewire. You have been warned. And quit stealing from your mother!
12) Are the black helicopters getting you down? Want to surf the net anonymously? Look no further than JAP. Those really trying to foil Big Brother should employ the pricier version and bone up on anonymous proxy servers.
13) Ad-Aware does a good job of removing spyware, if you are so afflicted.
14) Software firewalls blow, but the best of the bunch may be ZoneAlarm. You are better off buying a router with a hardware firewall.
15) Power users should check out the free file management utility xplorer. You’ll never use the Windows version again.
16) Have multiple e-mail accounts but want to check them all at once? MrPostman will download all of your web-based e-mail (Hotmail, Yahoo mail, etc.) into your regular e-mail client (Outlook Express, Thunderbird, etc.).
17) The Windows clipboard stinks, Clipboard Recorder does not. Now you can copy up to 99 different items before pasting!
18) Yahoo Desktop Search will find stuff on your computer way faster than that stupid dog Microsoft foisted upon us.
19) Win-Rar is a powerful archive manager that will make your forget Winzip, which only clowns use. For the clowns reading this, an archive manger compresses and decompresses a file to save space, usually before you e-mail it. Now get back to juggling.
20) Zork, the classic text adventure, is only as far away as the nearest web browser! Strangely addictive for those of us unwilling to actually work while at the office. Enjoy!
Geekboy answers his fans!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I finally read my e-mail! I get a lot of good questions, this is not one of them.
AngryKeyboarder writes: Nothing irritates me more than misinformation from the media. Despite your statements to the contrary, Limewire, Gnutella, BitTorrent, Azureus, Kazaa, eMule and so on do not connect via the “World Wide Web”.
They connect via proprietary protocols on completely different ports than “The Web.”
“The Web” is a means to communicate and share files over the Internet. It is not the Internet itself. The media almost never points out popular, useful and perfectly legal use of file sharing on the Internet. Most notably, via Bittorrent.
I don’t suppose you’ll point this out in your blog anytime soon eh?
Geekboy writes: Did you even read the file sharing column? I pointed out BitTorrent.
Programs used to share files are not illegal. You can download any and all of them, and as long as you are not downloading something that is copyright protected your activities are legal.
But sharing copyright protected software, music or movies is illegal, no matter what program (or protocol) you use.
You seem to think “the Web” is nothing more than the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) protocol.
Any protocol, especially those employing a distributed load scheme like BitTorrent, is using “the Web” to enable communication between remote computers.
What port any particular software uses doesn’t matter! It is funny you would argue such a thing.
HTTP (the protocol used by servers to disseminate Web pages) uses port 80, generally, but many servers use another port. Are these servers no longer part of the Internet because they are not using a particular port?
Thanks for the jokes!
Free and good
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Anyone that thinks “nothing worth having is freeâ€? doesn’t know much about computers. A recent blog got me thinking that you don’t need to pay a penny for software to have a fully-functioning computer. You surely don’t have to fork over any cash to Microsoft or Apple for an operating system.
Some folks heckle Geekboy because he finds a lot of his hardware at apartment Dumpsters. They usually quit laughing once, with a modicum of effort, I get the HP laser printer or Dell laptop working.
My Linux webserver was found aside a Dumpster, and has operated flawlessly for several years. I use it as a test bed for PHP/MySQL sites before moving them to a real web host. The computer and software were all free.
“Vintage hardware� can be redeployed in a variety of ways. If you have kids, you can likely find a computer that will be good enough for junior or granny to surf the web with. A 500mhz computer with 128 megs of memory and an Ethernet card is all you really need to start surfing. Sure, some sites will creep, but Dumpster divers cannot be choosers. I have made several of these and given them to friends so they can use e-mail at least.
If you are a programmer, a Linux machine with an IDE (integrated development environment) like KDevelop or Anjuta is fun to tinker with. You don’t need much horsepower for that either.
A lot of the “free software� out there is for true geeks. Don’t be alarmed at the first few entries on the list, we will be getting around to the fun stuff later. The first few entries are dominated by workhorse software, the type of stuff high-paying jobs are built around.
So, let’s start off with a bang! What is the best free software you can get on the Internet?
NUMBER ONE: Debian Linux (an operating system)
There are a lot of Linux distros out there, and Debian is the one I always turn to when it counts. Other are prettier, but none are more reliable. You can install Debian on a toaster, and when you do, you will have everything you need, including word processors, programming environments, MP3 players, chat programs, simple games, web browsers, e-mail clients.
There’s more free Linux software out there than you can imagine. And not only is it free, it is “militantly free,� whatever that means.
If you must have “pretty� check out Ubuntu (newer hardware), or Xubuntu (Dumpster hardware). Both are based off Debian but are designed to appeal to those who think pretty equals good.
I was kidding about the toaster, but you can install Debian on almost any computer you find in a Dumpster, including old Macs. I created a dandy web browsing machine using an old 333-mhz iMac. It would be perfect for a kid’s room.
NUMBER TWO: Apache (a web server)
Apache serves most of the web pages you read on the Internet, including this one. It is the standard against which all other open source software is measured. Apache is included with most Linux distros, including Debian. There’s really not much to say about Apache other than it rocks.
NUMBER THREE: PHP (a server side scripting language for websites)
PHP basically supercharges HTML (which is used to make websites). PHP allows for the manipulation and redisplaying of information on the fly, creating something called “dynamic websites.� HTML is not a programming language, it is simply instructions for displaying text and images. With PHP, you can do some really great stuff, like create and store text files generated from user input, dynamic sorts, resize pictures, create forums, all kinds of stuff. And, it is fairly simple to learn – similar enough to the C-family that most programmers can churn out PHP code quickly.
NUMBER FOUR: MySQL (a database)
As you can tell, I am quite fond of the LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySql, PHP) environment! And why not? You can build a LAMP server on 10-year-old hardware and it will serve more web pages than a home internet connection can deliver. Even the largest websites on the planet use LAMP servers to deliver content, the only difference is newer hardware (with multiple CPUs and drives and oodles of memory) and a fatter pipe connecting their servers to the Internet.
MySQL is a database, and a fast one designed for use with websites. Why do you need a database? You probably don’t, and even if you do, you can fake a database using a flat file system with PHP. But, if you need to track a large inventory, like the CarMax auto dealership for example, you would use a database to store all the information in a central location. In this manner, customers from all over the country can search the database and see what autos are available. When a car is sold, it can be deleted from the database. Databases are very handy for sites with a lot of searchable information, like the AJC classifieds.
I will be adding to this list in the next few days. Feel free to offer up other good examples of free software. We will be covering everything from word processors to programming suites to video games with our list, the only requirement is that the software be FREE and GOOD.
Apple surrenders?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As most people know, the Intel-based Macs will run Microsoft’s Windows XP, but now Apple has announced they’ve released beta software that makes the process a bit easier. I am not sure what the software is, but I assume it is something like the GRUB boot loader, which on Linux systems allows the user to select which OS they want to operate in during the boot process.
While reading the article the thought entered my head that this is basically Apple surrendering the software development prize to Microsoft.
The fatal flaw of Apple has always been that the software available for their machines is rather pathetic and expensive.
You can download better free PC software than you can buy on an Apple. For example, Filezilla, a free FTP client, blows Fetch, which works with Apples, out of the water. And don’t even get me started on IRC clients, that’s the Internet’s longest-running software joke.
In a nutshell, Apple is encouraging people to NOT USE their operating system because they realize no one except them is developing software for OSX — and that the software they develop can’t compete with that of third party developers guided by Adam Smith’s “invisible hand.”
Try visiting Best Buy and buying a game for OSX, you will see what I mean.
Your thoughts?
A Spring cleaning for Windows
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Question: I bought a new computer about a year ago, and it seems to have gotten a lot slower. Does this always happen? What should I do? — Bob W., Atlanta.
Answer: The problem is probably fat, and, if so, it’s time you put your computer on a software diet.
After a year of regular use, the chances are you have installed too many programs that start up automatically when you reboot and eat up memory and CPU time.
A new computer is a lean, clean machine … and runs fast.
But once you load it down with Quicktime, Real Media Player, Yahoo Messenger, Napster, WinAmp and whatever else you’ve stumbled across on the Internet, things are going to move slower than Oprah Winfrey taking a stroll up Stone Mountain. These pesky programs are usually, but not always, listed as icons in the system tray, which is the area just left of the computer clock on your desktop.
The first thing I generally do to speed a slowed machine is limit the number of programs that automatically start up when you reboot.
First, let’s see how many programs are running in the background. To do this we will use a utility called Task Manager. If you press the “control,� “alt,� and “delete� keys on your keyboard, it will pop up.
Click the “processes� tab and it will list the programs running in the background and consuming memory and CPU time. If you have more than 25 or so “running processes,� you have too many.
The easiest way to lighten the load is to use the Microsoft System Configuration Utility, which is built into Windows 98, 98SE, ME, and XP.
GEEK NOTE: If you are running Windows 95, NT or 2000, you can download the free Startup Control Panel or the Window XP version of Task Manager. If you download Task Manager, save it to the c:\winnt\system32 folder. You may get some error messages when using Task Manager with NT, feel free to ignore them, it will work fine.
Task Manager is designed to help troubleshoot problems with your computer, but can also be used to stop programs from automatically starting whenever you reboot.
To use it, click the START button in the lower left hand corner of your desktop, then click RUN. When the box pops up, type “msconfig� and hit return.
Don’t click things willy-nilly. Bad things will happen.
Instead, go to the “startup� tab, which is the last one. This lists every remora-like program that has attached itself to your computer.
De-select EVERYTHING listed except your anti-virus program.
Click OK, and then, when the computer asks if you want to restart, click YES.
Your computer will restart and you will get an annoying message that says something like “You have chosen to make your computer run better.� Check the box that says “Do not show this again.�
Now, go back to the Task Manager and see how many running processes you have. You should have 20 or so.
Voila! Your computer should be running a lot faster.
Now, it there are some programs you just cannot live without, go back and select them from the list using msconfig. Geekboy only allows an anti-virus program and audio control to auto-boot, you would be wise to do the same.
What if this does not make the computer run faster? Then you have a different problem, my best guess would be a virus or adware that is not detected by msconfig. Run a complete scan with an up-to-date anti-virus program, or use an online scanner like Trend Micro’s excellent Housecall. If that doesn’t work, consider adding more memory, which is the cheapest bang for the buck. If you are running Windows XP, I suggest at least 512 megabytes of memory.
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