Utilities
Very new - will regularly add items and links
Here are some useful programs and services of use to researchers, Internet surfers, and computer users at large. Most are freeware or shareware, as well as some essential commercial applications and subscription services.
Submit your suggestions to:
| Utility/service | Description | Type | Source |
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Ubuntu |
Fed up with Windows? Try this: Ubuntu is a community developed, linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more. |
Free/open source |
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Open Office |
OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute. |
Free/donate |
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Agent Ransack |
Seems good to me: it beats the Windows search facility, and shows a snapshot of file content in context. Also FileLocatorPro version available, too. Good Stuff |
Free and to buy |
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Audacity |
Utterly brilliant sound recording and editing program. Even hissy old taped or vinyl music may be imported to your PC, cleaned and exported in a variety of formats including MP3. The results are truly outstanding, once you get used to the program. |
Free |
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| Simple OCR | Convert scanned images into text files or Word documents with Simple OCR. | Free | SimpleOCR |
| Microsoft Image resizer | Digital cameras abound, yet many people do not resize their pictures suitable for the web or sending by email, thus making life onerous for people with slow Internet connections. This tool reduces images to manageable data size with just a couple of mouse clicks. Excellent little utility, and everyone using a digital camera should have this. | Free | Microsoft |
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PDFCreador |
PDFCreator easily creates PDFs from any Windows program. Use it like a printer in Word, StarCalc or any other Windows application. |
Donationware |
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Adobe PDF ifilter |
By default, "Search for Text" won't work for PDF documents as Windows does not provide the filter for PDFs. Adobe's PDF ifilter opens pdf documents to scrutiny by the Windows search facility. |
Free |
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| SyncBack | SyncBack is a powerful freeware program that helps you backup and synchronise your files to: the same drive; a different drive or medium (CDRW, CompactFlash, etc); an FTP server; a Network; or a Zip archive. | Free/Donationware | 2BrightSparks |
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Small, unobtrusive utility that monitors for changes/updates to web sites that you specify. Hint: don't upset everyone whose sites you monitor by setting the updates for every few seconds or minutes - hours would do. Otherwise, you might be accused of being a bandwidth thief. |
Donation ware | ||
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Intellitamper |
Browse web sites' directory structure and files in a Windows Explorer-type interface |
Free | |
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Googlealert |
Service that notifies users of new sites and listings according to a wide range of criteria - essential for news junkies |
Free | |
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IPLookup |
IPLookup verifies ip addresses and domains - an excellent security tool for people thinking of transacting online, or for vendors wishing to research visitors to their sites. |
Free | |
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Database queries |
RIPE Whois database - most European IP addresses and domains can be identified here. ARIN Whois database - most US IP addresses and domains can be identified here. APNIC Whois database - most Asia-Pacific IP addresses and domains can be identified here. SamSpade |
Free |
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| HTTrack | Web site copier - download an entire web site to browse offline. Useful for mirroring web sites. | Free | HTTrack |
| Spybot - search & Destroy | Removes spyware, tracking cookies and other unwanted material gathered during web surfing. | Donation ware | Patrick Kolla |
| Wordweb | Lost for words? Free, downloadable dictionary/thesaurus | Free and subscription versions | Wordweb |
| The Gazette | Stay ahead of all the important computer news. Some fantastic tools and utilities, too. | Free | The Gazette |
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Total Edit Solutions |
A small but committed service from a really good wordsmith. Need some written words or professional presentations? Geoff Covey provides. |
Professional |
Totaleditsolutions Link broken, as at Jul 2007 |
| The Point | View or selectively delete your email messages on the server before downloading them. Ideal if you receive a lot of spam, or for checking attachments or a possible virus attack. Very useful. | Free | The Point |
| Ultraedit32 | Sublime, superlative editor program. Open and edit (almost) anything, with choices to spoil even the most discerning file wrangler. Thanks to Ian D. Mead. New version 11.10 now available. (June 2005) | Commercial, but so-oo reasonable. | Ultraedit |
| Gibson Research Corporation | Probably the best starting point for small office or medium sized business and organisations to learn about network security issues, problems and fixes. Safely test your systems online. | Freeware, commercial and professional | GRC |