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Software and information resources
Ulead GIF Animator 5 - No longer available. InterVideo bought Ulead, and Corel bought InterVideo. GIF Animator 5 is not officially Vista-compatible, and is no longer being supported, developed or sold by Corel. A big Thumbs Down for Corel.
Corel User To User Web Board - Web Utilities - This is a good place to find answers or post questions about Ulead GIF Animator 5. You will have to register to participate. The main site index is at http://forum.corel.com/EN/.
Photo-Impact International - This site offers resources, activities and a Spotlight page. The board organizes activities, challenges and contests throughout the year for it's members via their forum.
PhotoImpact Resource Center - a good source of tips, tricks and tutorials for Ulead's PhotoImpact & GIF Animator 5. There is also a link here to the PIRC Forum. You must register to participate.
MaCo Graphics - More tutorials for Ulead PhotoImpact and Ulead GIF Animator 5.
The Animation Station - Ulead GIF Animator 5 and PhotoImpact Tutorials.
The Plugin Site - Plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop-compatible software like GIF Animator 5 and PhotoImpact from Ulead, and Corel's (formerly Jasc's) Paint Shop Pro.
Burger's Transition Site - This site has a nice collection of free Video F/X features you can add to GIF Animator 5. Well worth a look!
Mike's Animations - A fellow Canuck with some great animations. Check out his site!
IrfanView - IrfanView Freeware Viewer - Indispensable! Besides using it as an image viewer, I also use it to make all the screenshot graphics in my tutorials, and my own custom icons for my computer.
Font Freak - A good collection of fonts is a must for making snazzy animations!
Sqirlz Water Reflections - animated water reflection freeware. Sqirlz Water Reflections is a way of adding pools of water to an image or AVI video. The pools can be animated to give gentle rippling reflections of the scene above them. Choose from a variety of ripples, and control details such as wave size and perspective. Animations can be saved as Macromedia Flash (SWF) files, animated GIF files, AVI video clips, and sets of bitmap, JPEG and TIFF files. Most cool.
AniTuner - Want to make your own animated cursors? This would be the program to do it with! Freeware.
CamStudio - Free Streaming Video Desktop Recording Software - This is a great little program indeed! I've used it now and then to make a few animated graphics in my tutorials, along with Ulead GIF Animator 5. Capture the action on your screen, save it in AVI format, and edit with GIF Animator 5. Give it a try!
GIMP
- GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of
software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages.
And you can't beat free...
Software and information resources
Alleycode - A dandy looking free WYSIWYG HTML editor. Well worth a look! It has several handy features to make building your website a lot easier. Alleycode was chosen as one of the best freebies on the Net. The entire list of the '101 Fabulous Freebies' was featured in the May 2006 issue of PCWorld.
Nvu - Nvu (pronounced N-view) is a complete Web Authoring System for Linux desktop users as well as Microsoft Windows and Macintosh users. It is based on the Mozilla platform and its Gecko layout engine. WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing of pages makes it as easy as using a word processor. Primarily made for Linspire and other Linux flavors, its cross-platform architecture makes it available on a wide variety of other platforms. Nvu binary test builds are now available for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X and FreeBSD.
Task List Programs - What is that process that's running? This is an informational database of processes that may be running on your PC. Some may be okay, others not. Recommendations are listed beside each process.
Doug's Windows Tweaks And Tips - All kinds of useful things for Windows 95 through to XP. Check out Doug's site!
CKDMD5 Checksum Utility - CKDMD5 is a Win32 freeware utility for generating MD5 message digests. It allows you to either select a file, enter a string of text or drag-and-drop a file from Windows Explorer on to the application. Useful for verifying the integrity or authenticity of a file if the MD5 hash value is known. MD5 isn't a foolproof method, but can be handy.
Microsoft Office Converters and Viewers - Need to convert a Microsoft Office document to a different version? Or has someone sent you a Microsoft Office document, and you don't have Microsoft Office? The converters enable you to open files created by people using different versions of your Office programs. The viewers enable people who don't have Office programs to see the document. Note that the viewers are viewers only, you cannot create or edit the documents.
OpenOffice - 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.
List of Lists - Need some software? Some information? This site has links to just about everything. From Ad and PopUp tools, HTML editors, Firewalls, and Spyware cleaners to Windows XP tools, you will find it here. A definite one to bookmark. This site is truly the List of Lists!
www.arachnoid.com - The home of many things! AboutTime, a program to keep your computer's clock synchronized with atomic-clock servers; Arachnophilia, a Java-based HTML editor that can be used on any operating system; and lots more! From free software to interesting articles and views, it's worth a look.
Unknown Devices - Very handy! Have you misplaced those driver installation files for a sound card, video card, or the like? Unknown Devices helps you find what those unknown devices in the Windows Device Manager are. By checking Device Manager for unknown devices and extracting information from it, this program attempts to figure out what the device is. You may not have to open your case or look up random numbers from PCI cards to figure out what they are. I have used this program, and it works quite well. It will even open your browser to Google with the search parameters pre-filled. Finding which web site has the best driver is the hardest part. Freeware!
MAX's HTML Beauty++ 2004 - Bills itself as "The BEST freeware HTML editor in the world!" If you know HTML, this is a rather handy program. It is an advanced HTML editor that can edit as many files at a time as you want, plus it has advanced customizable syntax highlighting, undo/redo, drag & drop editing, right-click tag editing, extended find & replace, template support, project management, auto updating code snippets, code library, tag case changing capability, spelling & grammar check and more. There are also 28 Tag Designers for almost every HTML tag, a Power Toolbar that contains almost all HTML tags, Built-In Image Browser/Viewer with GIF Optimize function and ability to convert images to WBMP image format which is used by WAP-compatible mobile phones, Built-In JavaScript Beauty Scripts (rollovers, slideshows, etc.), Built-In Support for HTML TIDY, Internal Preview using Internet Explorer and Mozilla and much more.
It also has Advanced Customizable Syntax Highlighting for 22 different file types: HTML, PHP, Cascading Stylesheets, JavaScript, VBScript, Perl, Python, Tcl/Tk, Ruby, XML, SQL, TeX, Pascal, C++, C#, Java, Visual Basic, x86 Assembly, INI, MS-DOS Batch, UNIX Shell and AWK files.
If I want to edit a web page's HTML directly, this is what I use. Nice bit of software, it is.
FTP Commander - is simple and easy to use FTP client. It's really the bare minimum with no extra frills or thrills. Freeware and Pro versions. This is what I use regularly. Loads quickly, no built-in advertisements or other clutter.
Sysinternals - Very cool programs for the serious computer geek. Freeware! The Sysinternals web site provides you with advanced utilities, technical information, and source code related to Windows NT/2000/XP/2K3, Windows 9x and Windows Me internals that you won't find anywhere else. Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell write and update everything here.
News flash, July 18, 2006: Microsoft has acquired Winternals Software and Sysinternals. As mentioned by Mark in his blog, "(Sysinternals) will remain for the time being while Microsoft determines the best way to integrate it into its own community efforts, and the tools will continue to be free to download."
Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) - This one is well worth a look. From their website: "The Secunia PSI detects installed software and categorises your software as either Insecure, End-of-Life, or Up-To-Date. Effectively enabling you to focus your attention on software installations where more secure versions are available from the vendors." Check it out! If you need a reason to check it out, see this Handler's Diary entry from the Internet Storm Center.
F-Secure BlackLight - the beta is over, but you can download the standalone Blacklight program from the F-Secure Security Center page. F-Secure says, "F-Secure BlackLight Rootkit Elimination Technology detects objects that are hidden from users and security tools and offers the user an option to remove them. The main purpose is to fight rootkits and all kinds of malware that use rootkits." The software is free. Note: F-Secure BlackLight works on Windows 2000, Windows XP (32 and 64-bit), Windows 2003 Server (32 and 64-bit) and Windows Vista (32-bit only). The current F-Secure BlackLight does not work on Windows NT, 95, 98 or ME.
Sophos Anti-Rootkit - Free rootkit detection and removal tool. Detects and removes rootkits; Runs via GUI or command line; Uses standard Windows install and uninstall.
Blink® - From eEye Digital Security®. eEye has one offering for the home user - Blink® Personal Edition with anti-virus protection.
Blink offer these features and more:
Blink seems definitely worth a look.
Firekeeper - Firekeeper is an Intrusion Detection and Prevention System for Firefox. It is able to detect, block and warn the user about malicious sites. Firekeeper uses flexible rules similar to Snort ones to describe browser based attack attempts. Rules can also be used to effectively filter different kinds of unwanted content. Note: This is an alpha release which main purpose is to get feedback from users about Firekeeper's functionality and to test if Firekeeper works well on various different systems.
Super AdBlocker - This not only blocks every sort of ad on the internet, but can detect and remove over 100,000 harmful spyware/adware application components... Free trial available.
a-squared Anti-Malware - In addition to the Anti-Malware program, these folks also have a few gadgets for cleaning up: a-squared Free, a manual scan tool without real-time protection; a-squared HiJackFree, which helps you detect, analyze and remove Malware manually; and a-squared Anti-Dialer, for keeping dialer programs from costing you a bundle in unexpected phone charges. Their website also has a free online scan (ActiveX based, IE required).
StopBadware.org - As the site's "About" says: "StopBadware.org is a "Neighborhood Watch" campaign aimed at fighting badware. We will seek to provide reliable, objective information about downloadable applications in order to help consumers to make better choices about what they download on to their computers. We aim to become a central clearinghouse for research on badware and the bad actors who spread it, and to become a focal point for developing collaborative, community-minded approaches to stopping badware."
Blue Security - Blue Security has pulled the plug on it's anti-spam effort, as of May 17, 2006. The spammers win this round, it appears. See the story Spam closes web security firm at The Guardian, this write-up at The Register, or this one from SecurityFocus. For an in-depth look at the battle, read Attack of the Bots from wired.com.
SiteAdvisor - If you want to avoid unsuspectingly downloading malware, this is highly recommended. A small unobtrusive toolbar that will let you know if a website is safe, and integrates nicely on the Google and Yahoo! search pages. Check out SiteAdvisor's website, you can't go wrong here. Note that SiteAdvisor was recently purchased by McAfee. For Internet Explorer and Firefox only as of this writing.
SANS Internet Storm Center - Keep up-to-date on what's really going on out there. There is a great deal of useful information here. I make it a point to check in several times a day. Be sure to read the Handler's Diary.
One item of interest here is instructions on how to safely start using your Windows XP computer. If you have a brand new machine or have just installed Windows XP, you should be reading this first! Windows XP - Surviving The First Day This is in Adobe PDF format - Adobe Reader is needed to view. You can get Adobe Reader at www.adobe.com.
SophosLabs Blog - the blog of the good folks over at SophosLabs. Keep up with the latest news on what the bad guys are up to.
F-Secure Weblog - the blog of the F-Secure Security Labs team. More good reading.
Symantec Security Response Weblog - the blog of the security researchers at Symantec. Some interesting items here, too!
Virus Total - offers a free service for scanning suspicious files, using several antivirus engines. Scans only one file you submit, not your whole computer. Not for cleaning an infected computer.
TrojanHunter 4.2 - from Mischel Internet Security. A thirty-day trial is available for this.
AV-Comparatives is an independent organization that rates anti-virus products. Click the "Comparatives" link on the left navigation menu of their site, and scroll down to locate the latest test results.
AV-Test.org, an independent testing group at the Otto-von-Guericke-University, has released their latest test results from January, 2008. Twenty four products were tested against 1,024,381 samples, which included Trojans, Worms, Backdoors, and Bots from the last six months. They also tested how well products performed against active and hidden rootkits. You can read the details at Sunbelt Software's blog. Links to PDF files of the test are at the bottom of that page. A review of the test results can be found at PC Mag's site, on this page.
There are many companies making security software these days. A list of some follows:
- Kaspersky
- McAfee
- Symantec
- Grisoft - Makers of AVG Free anti-virus.
- ewido anti-spyware - recently purchased by Grisoft. Free and paid versions. Formerly known as ewido anti-malware.
- Trend Micro
- ZoneAlarm - Free version of ZoneAlarm personal firewall is still available here, plus all other ZoneAlarm products.
- Sygate Personal Firewall - No longer available. Note that Sygate has been purchased by Symantec. Effective November 30th, 2005 all Sygate personal firewall products have been discontinued.
- F-Secure
- Norman
- Avast
- Avira
- ClamWin - Free. Please note that ClamWin Free Antivirus does not include an on-access real-time scanner - you need to manually scan a file in order to detect a virus or spyware. The Microsoft Outlook Add-in, however will delete a virus-infected attachment automatically.
- Computer Associates - eTrust EZ Anti-virus, Anti-Spam, PestPatrol, and others.
More can be found at www.virustotal.com.
Autoruns by Sysinternals - A nice bit of freeware, for advanced users. This utility shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and more.
RootkitRevealer by Sysinternals. Another rootkit hunter, for advanced to expert users. The RootkitRevealer page also has some good informational links at the bottom. Freeware.
SecurityFocus - is a comprehensive source of security information on the Internet. SecurityFocus is a vendor-neutral site that provides objective, timely and comprehensive security information to all members of the security community, from end users, security hobbyists and network administrators to security consultants, IT Managers, CIOs and CSOs.
Netcraft Toolbar - Anti-phishing toolbar. Versions for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.
HijackThis - A general homepage hijackers detector and remover. A tutorial for this tool is available here.
www.spywareinfoforum.com - Post your HijackThis log here. Within minutes of posting your log or question, an expert will be reviewing it and you will have the answer you seek within those very minutes. They are very quick, accurate, and friendly.
HijackThis Log Auto Analyzer - Paste your HijackThis log in the form on this web page, and it will parse it and return some information that should help you determine what needs to be removed and what you can keep. For advanced users.
Spyware Warrior - Plenty of good information on spyware, adware, and what programs are good and what are suspect.
Symantec SecurityCheck - Run a security check on your PC. You can test your computer's defenses, or run an on-line virus scan of your computer.
Spybot Search & Destroy - Top-rated spyware removal program. Freeware. Now offers protection for Opera as well as Internet Explorer.
SpywareBlaster - Prevents the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software. Does not run in the background. Blocks spyware, tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Firefox, restricts the actions of potentially unwanted sites in Internet Explorer. Freeware. Highly recommended.
Ad-Aware - Another great program for cleaning up adware and spyware. Free version available.
Windows Defender (formerly known as Microsoft AntiSpyware) - for Windows XP and Vista only. Still available for free. The previous beta version that worked with Windows 2000 expired on December 31, 2006, and will no longer work. Formerly known as GIANT AntiSpyware.
Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool - checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software - including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom - and helps remove any infection found.
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) - For Windows 2000 and XP. Although the following statement from Microsoft states this is for IT professionals, the home user can benefit from it as well. "MBSA is an easy-to-use tool designed for the IT professional that helps small and medium businesses determine their security state in accordance with Microsoft security recommendations and offers specific remediation guidance. Improve your security management process by using MBSA to detect common security misconfigurations and missing security updates on your computer systems."
More links can be found on my PC Security page.
The Viking Answer Lady - Plenty of interesting information here!
The Vikings by Jim Cornish. A bit of history and interesting facts.
For Vikings Only - and those who like to pretend. A little history, and some cool imports.
The Viking Wars - A journal by Barlekis the Wizard. A biased version of the friendly little feud between Vikings and Wizards that went on for some time at the Animation Station Forum at the PIRC (PhotoImpact Resource Center) Forum (later to become the Photo-Impact International Forum). Just so you know, Barlekis started it all. We Vikings had to defend ourselves to uphold the honour...
Dan Smith's Fantasy Fonts for Windows - For fans of Lord Of The Rings and all things Tolkien. Dan has created the most complete and impressive fonts based on Tolkien's alphabets. I recommend using his macro for Microsoft Word - it makes things easier.
Online Tengwar Translator - Are you a Lord Of The Rings fan? Then you must go here!
Amanye Tenceli - a very detailed look at the writing systems devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. This would be for the hardened Tolkien fan! Fonts are also available.
Google Earth - A very cool piece of software! The site says, "It's a globe that sits inside your PC. You point and zoom to anyplace on the planet that you want to explore. Satellite images and local facts zoom into view. Tap into Google search to show local points of interest and facts. Zoom to a specific address to check out an apartment or hotel. View driving directions and even fly along your route." Read the system requirements before you download and install.
Seti@home - "SETI@home is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data." ET Phone Home?
Yet another reason to run SETI@home - it can help recover stolen laptops.
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