Lessfeet

Here are my favorite must have free programs:

K-Lite Mega- I think contains all of the media CODECs that you may use and some and some you will never use. For Windows.
Firefox- Superior web browser with many features like the many extensions that I can’t do without. Windows, Linux and Mac.
Open Office- Has most of the functionality of MS Office but it’s does not cost many hundreds of dollars. For Windows, Linux and Mac.
Juice- Easy to uses podcast receiver. For Windows
Gladinet- Turn your Internet storage into virtual drives on your desktop. For Windows only.
Gimp- Powerful image editing program like Photoshop but it doesn’t cost $800. Windows, Mac and Linux.
Sandboxie- Sandboxie runs your programs in an isolated space which prevents them from making permanent changes to other programs and data in your computer. For Windows.
Jing- Free screen capture program from the maker of Camtasia. Windows
7 Zip- Best file archiver program. For Windows
Audacity- Free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. For Windows, Mac and Linux.
Gnu Cash- Free personal accounting software similar to Quicken. For Windows, Mac, Linux and everything else.
Truecrypt- Free open-source disk encryption software for Windows Vista/XP, Mac OS X, and Linux.
Infrarecorder- Free CD/DVD burning solution for Microsoft Windows

I’ve heard many rumors about the pricing of the new Window 7 operating system. (Should be released in the fall.) Rumored is anywhere from $49.99 for an upgrade from Windows Vista only and upgrade from XP for $99 which I believe is a fair price. (I believe the price will not be that low.) I have not heard much about non-upgrades till today. ARS Technica has reported that the rumored price for non-upgrades will be $259 for Windows 7 Home Premium. I consider this to be an extraordinary blunder. I may be forced to buy the upgrade because I have so many customers and friends that use Windows but I will continue my campaign for them to use Linux (Ubuntu).

I have been very psyched (delighted) about Windows 7. I’ve been beta testing it and is a great OS. The by far best Windows yet!

After working with Windows 7 and being totally blown away by it, a different project was presented to me. The project was to restore multiple laptops with Windows XP Professional for a non-profit. Each computer had it’s own product key for XP Pro. I have numerous full retail copies of XP Pro. I also have multiple OEM copies of XP Pro. Even though I had all legitimate copies on Windows XP Pro and I had legitimate product keys and I still could not activate Windows online. Apparently there is a third type of CD you can use that you can activate. I do not know what type that is but I have been told. The other alternative is to get a manufacturer’s restore disk that will make it like it was when the computer was new (Slow and full of “crapware”). They charge a lot of money for these CDs (Lenovo $80 or $90) though the CD cost them almost nothing and you’ve already payed for this software!!!!! This is so egregious the Attorney General or Congress should investigate.

Microsoft in an attempt to reduce piracy has made it so difficult for it’s users to do the most basic things like install Windows with a legitimate product key. Until I tried Windows 7 I was thinking of never buying Windows again and only using Linux. Now after this experience I’m thinking that this plan was a good one!

This is a photo taken with my new Canon 50D but what I am most excited about is the Photoshop skill the I perfected. You see this photograph had terrible clutter in the background. (I think there was even a guy with his finger in his nose back there. Otherwise it is a great picture.) The cure of course is you select the background and then blur it. The question is, “How do I make an accurate selection?”. The answer is “the Magic Wand Tool”. Just kidding! The correct tool to use is the “Pen Tool”. If you practice with the “Pin Tool” you can make a very accurate selection. It is very difficult to get use to and you kinda just have to figuer it out. Here are is a tutorial that will try to explain it.

You could buy a HP MediaSmart Server or any of the other Windows Home Server PCs or any of the other home-server products (one being Drobo). These work great but they cost $525 and up. I am going to turn a pc I already have in to one using Ubuntu Server. Ubuntu Server is free and I figure it might be a fun project. It will be harder to configure than an HP but it should be relatively painless. It is a good project and I really do need a home server.