12/07/2006

VLC Media Player : the ultimate video player

You can't play a video file with a non-common codec on your usual media player ? VLC Media Player may resolve your problem. This multimedia player is compatible with a huge variety of audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, ...), or even DVDs and VCDs. It can also be used for streaming a video to your computer, or from it in server mode. This free software is available for Windows, Mac OS X, Solaris, FreeBSD and almost all the Linux distributions.

12/06/2006

OpenOffice, a free competitor for MS Office

OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform office suite which is compatible with all other major office suites, including Microsoft Office. It's multilingual, completely free to download and the first office suite to use the new OASIS OpenDocument format, the future international standard for office software.

New in OpenOffice.org 2.0.4 :

  • Enhanced PDF management
  • Direct export to LaTex
  • New functionality in Calc and Impress
  • Mac OS X (X11) now uses system fonts
OpenOffice is available for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris, Linux PPC and FreeBSD.

12/04/2006

FileZilla, a free and reliable FTP client

Need to transfer files via FTP from your hard disk to a remote server, or the other way? Don't bother to pay for such an application. FileZilla will allow you to upload and download files to and from your FTP site or server, easyly and securely. It can even manage multiple file transfers at the same time.

12/01/2006

HTML Kit, a free and complete script editor

HTML Kit is a free and complete editor that enables you to create code in HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS and many other scripting and programming languages. It has an incredible number of functions to help you in your tasks: preview, split view, tags suggestions, batch actions, etc. It can be updated with simple plug-ins, available on the editor's website. A total of more than 400 free plug-ins are also proposed to enhance the software. HTML Kit works with Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4, 2000, XP and 2003.

11/29/2006

Create a Windows XP SP2 CD-Rom with nLite

If you own an "old" version of Windows XP, anterior to Service Pack 2, you know how fastidious it is to reinstall a new operating system and then have to apply the update. Fortunately, there is a free software called nLite which enables you to create a bootable Windows XP CD-Rom with SP2 included. A CD-Rom burning option is even available in this freeware but, in my case, the operation failed. I finally used an independent application to burn the ISO file provided by nLite and it worked perfectly.

11/27/2006

CCleaner 1.35.424

CCleaner is a free system optimization and privacy tool which removes unused files from your system. Thus, Windows runs faster and you free up a lot of hard disk space. This freeware also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. It is fast (just a few seconds to operate) and contains no spyware or adware.

11/26/2006

Avast Home Edition 4.7.892


You're fed up with commercial antivirus softwares which require you to pay each month for your PC's security ? I was too before trying Avast antivirus. This soft is totally free for a non-commercial use and provides you almost all you need to secure your system : antivirus scan, light firewall, intrusions detection, P2P protection, and so forth. This version 4 is fully compatible with Windows Vista RC1.

11/25/2006

Firefox 2.0

Firefox 2 is a major update to the open source Web browser. Firefox is developed by an international community of contributors who work together for the Mozilla Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the Internet experience for everyone.

Tens of millions of people worldwide have already adopted Firefox, which is translated into more than 35 languages. Firefox 2 is available as a free download for Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems.

New in Firefox 2

- Tabbed browsing
- Spell checking
- Search
- Web feeds
- Identity theft protection
- Proven security model
- Customization


iTunes 7.0.2


This Apple free software is not only a multimedia files player and manager, but also the tool that will let you buy some digital music on the iTunes Music Store. Even if you have no intention to use this non-free service, iTunes is a very good manager for audio and video files. It will make an inventory of all the musics and videos stored on your hard drives, so that you'll be able to sort them by genre, artist or alphabetical order. iTunes can also manage audio and video podcasts. Check out this functionality, many free video podcasts are available.

Windows Requirements

  • Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 or later or Windows XP
  • 500 MHz Pentium class processor or better
  • QuickTime 7.1.3 (included)
  • 256MB RAM
  • Supported CD-R or DVD-R drive to burn CDs
  • Broadband Internet connection (DSL/Cable/LAN) for buying and streaming music

Additional Video Requirements

  • 2.0 GHz Pentium class processor or better
  • 512MB RAM
  • 32MB video RAM

11/24/2006

Google SketchUp

This 3D modeling program enables you to easily create 3D models of houses, decks, additions, woodworking projects. You can add details and textures to your house to finally place it in Google Earth. The free version of Google SketchUp is a good introduction to 3D modeling.


Windows minimum configuration


Current version: 5.0.305



Mac OS X minimum configuration

Current version: 5.0.305


  • Microsoft Windows® 2000, XP Home or Professional Editions
  • 600 MHz Pentium® III processor
  • 128 MB RAM
  • 80 MB of available hard-disk space
  • Video card that is 100% OpenGL compliant
  • Windows compatible pointing device
  • Microsoft® Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
  • Windows® Media Player or QuickTime 5.0 and web browser for multimedia tutorial.
  • Mac OS X®
  • 400 MHz PowerPC™ G4
  • 128 MB RAM
  • 80 MB of available hard-disk space
  • QuickTime 5.0 and web browser for multimedia tutorials
  • Video card that is 100% OpenGL compliant
Recommended configuration: Recommended configuration:
  • 2 GHz Pentium® 4 processor or higher
  • 512 MB RAM
  • 3 button, scroll-wheel mouse
  • 1 GHz G5 or higher
  • 512 MB RAM
  • 3 button, scroll-wheel mouse