Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #500 issued January 9, 2009

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This electronic newsletter is registered – ISSN 1441-6840
Welcome to the CFS Weekly Newsletter.
The programs listed here are completely free for non-commercial use, even though some may be shareware or commercial products. None are time-limited and all are fully functional. If you know any that aren't exactly as specified, please let us know and they will be removed immediately.
If the link below does not work (does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid. Please use the CFS Site Search facility (above) to locate the program.
COMPLETELY FREE SOFTWARE

Last Pilot vs Machine Aliens v2.0 – WinXP/Vista
Last Pilot vs Machine Aliens is a top-down, 3D-style mecho shooter. It features lots of powerups to collect, many weapons to fire (laser, rocket, plasma & bombs), frenetic fireplay, excellent animated graphics, fullscreen or windowed modes, and more. In this fun shooter you must destroy the invading alien machines and restore the rule of humans (yet again!). It offers a 2D landscape interpolated into 3D which, combined with excellent graphics and sound effects, gives a pleasing visual and audio effect. In other words, it is fun to play and is good enough to bring you back for more, and more. We were most impressed with Last Pilot vs Machine Aliens (except, possibly, the title!). It is an old fashioned shooter with a 21st century face. If you enjoy shooters, Last Pilot vs Machine Aliens should be very, very high on your list. Grab a copy now! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 15.0MB download from: WinXP General Games

Perkins Diesel Engine Screensaver – Win98/ME/XP
Perkins Diesel Engine Screensaver is a screensaver showing the animated 3D construction of a Perkins 1104D 4 cylinder diesel engine, from a bare casting, finishing with a translucent view of the operation of the engine. Using over 750 original CAD component files that were converted into 3D metallic surfaced objects and then animated, the Perkins Diesel Engine Screensaver is a "must have" program for anyone interested in motor vehicles, specially heavy industrial diesel engines. The entire presentation takes only 2 minutes 24 seconds and shows the installation of all major parts to create a finished engine, and then shows the engine in operation using a see-through translucent format so that both the entire engine, and its moving parts, can be clearly seen. For the mechanically minded, the 1104D is a 4 cylinder, 4.4 liter, Tier III-compliant diesel engine that utilizes a mechanical fuel management system. Because we are unsure if this screensaver is suitable for Vista, we have included an SWF (Flash) movie of the screensaver on our server so that Vista users will be able to view the action. A rev-head must have. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95 (and possibly Vista). Access this 28.8MB download from: Win98 Windows Enhancements

Audio CD to MP3 Converter v3.1 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Audio CD to MP3 Converter is an audio CD ripper that can convert audio CD tracks to MP3, WMA, OGG or WAV format. It features excellent output-quality settings, can rip scratched CDs, offers high speed ripping, supports IDE & SATA CD drives, has a built-in audio player, has an easy-to-use interface, auto-update feature, and more. This is a handy CD ripper that can convert audio CD tracks into any one of four popular file formats, including the ever popular MP3 format. It offers a huge variety of settings for three of the supported formats (there are no setting adjustments for WAV files), specially for MP3s. Unfortunately, Audio CD to MP3 Converter does not offer FreeDB track recognition so it cannot identify the CD you are ripping and rename its files. This is a major omission as automatically renamed tracks that includes the track name and, possibly, other information (ID3 tags, etc) is a real advantage when ripping audio CDs. Without the FreeDB information, Audio CD to MP3 Converter is simply a good CD ripper. If it offered FreeDB information it would be a great ripper. Still, it is worth a look. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 6.78MB download from: Win98 Multimedia Programs

FlipFlop v3.1.1 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
FlipFlop is a challenging board-based puzzle that is similar to Othello. It features play against human or computer, 2 to 4 players, 6 board sizes (from 6x6 to 12x12), Helpfile, English & German interface, and more. This is an unusual game where you must fill the board with pieces of your color (the more pieces of your color the higher your score) by moving vertically, horizontally or diagonally and you must convert an opponent's color to yours to move. Sound confusing? Once you start to play you will quickly pick up the rules. It can be played by two people, three people or four people, and you can substitute a real person for the computer so you can play one-on-one with the computer (which can be beaten!). The author talks about answering questions to move but we could not get this feature to work. It should also be noted that some options are only available from the toolbar. These aside, FlipFlop really is an excellent boardgame puzzle that will give many, many hours of fun to anyone who enjoys Othello-style games. We liked! Access this 1.01MB download from: Win95 General Games

Caditor v3.1.1 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Caditor is an Open Source programmer's RTF & ASCII editor. It features encryption, syntax highlighting, tabbed document interface, FTP download/upload, plugin system, theme editor, line numbering, compiler integration, and more. This is a well presented text editor with good RTF capabilities plus some handy programming tools. Most modern ASCII editors can easily handle our 10MB test file (470,000 lines of text), but Caditor could not even handle our 1MB test file (47,000 lines of text). For someone writing a reasonably large program, this can cause a major problem. In all other areas, Caditor is a great little text editor that can also handle RTF (rich text format) files. Just a shame about the filesize limitation. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 1.24MB download from: Win98 Text Programs

FotoSketcher v1.8 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
FotoSketcher is a program that can convert digital photos into art in a few seconds. It features 9 customizable art styles (pen & ink drawing, pencil sketch, & various painting renderings), you can improve the original photo with simple tools (enhance, contrast, sharpen, simplify image, increase luminosity, color saturation, etc), it has image zoom, you can add text to the image, it offers image printing, you can use the image as system wallpaper, it is simple to use, has an English or French interface, and more. This is an amazing tool that really does turn a boring old photo into art. The author says: "If you want to turn a portrait, the photograph of your house or a beautiful landscape into a painting, a sketch or a drawing then look no further, FotoSketcher will do the job in just a few seconds." This is an easy program to use – you simply open the desired digital photo, select the appropriate art style (you can try them out to see the results), make any fine adjustments you think may be desirable (the default settings are generally excellent), and then "Draw" the image. You can then either revert to your original image, save the new image with a new filename, or overwrite the original image (not recommended). You can also print out a copy of the image you have created. We were most impressed with FotoSketcher. It offers a professional looking image with the minimum of fuss and trouble, yet allows the user to customize the output as much as desired. If you have a digital camera and want to turn your images into artistic masterpieces, then grab a copy of FotoSketcher. We loved! Access this 2.55MB download from: Win95 Graphic Programs

MPSV File Splitter v1.0.1 – WinXP/Vista
MPSV File Splitter is an easy-to-use file splitter that dices up a single large file and makes it easier to transport. It features a built-in segment calculator, it can split large files into up to 26,000 parts, and more. This is a simple file splitter that is very effective in breaking down a large file into more manageable parts. While you need the main program to be installed on the computer which is being used for the merge, it doesn't have to be open (just double-click on the main MPS file). To determine the number of parts required, input the size of the file to be split (in kilobytes) into the built-in calculator, and then input the size of the parts you require. It will calculate the number of parts you must specify to ensure that the individual segments of the main program aren't larger than the maximum size of each part. MPSV File Splitter lacks most of the bells and whistles found in other file splitters but makes up for this with its small size and its speed. Worth a look. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 342kB download from: WinXP Desktop Utilities

The Old Man Game Demo v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
The Old Man Game Demo is a comedy platformer where a little old man must save the babes at Corp Labs which has been taken over by Dr.Butthead. It features 7 levels of play, you use potions to transform into different modes, addictive pick-up & play gaming, hilarious characters & storyline, cartoon-style animations, and more. This is a pick-up and play style platform game where you, as the Old Man, must stop Dr.Butthead and his men. As the author says: "Terrorists have taken the building hostage, only one crazed old man stands in their way, sneak, climb and outsmart the terrorists with an array of gadgets and rescue those hostages." It features some adult themes that might not be suitable for younger children. Initially you are guided in what to do to proceed, but once you've been shown, say, how to jump (press the Z key), you are not shown again. The Old Man Game Demo is, of course, not the full game (which doesn't seem to be available yet) but is a very playable seven-level demo and, in some places, quite challenging. If you enjoy platform style games, and like a good laugh, then grab a copy of The Old Man Game Demo (unless you are easily offended). We liked. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 3.65MB download from: Win98 General Games
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