Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #504 issued March 27, 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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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

RiftSpace v1.888 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
RiftSpace is a freeform mercenary and squad based space sim where you select contracts, travel to other planets, and customize/upgrade your ship and squadrons. It features exceptional 3D graphics, non-linear gameplay, huge choice of weapons & ships, choice of contracts, extensive range of options (screen resolution, keyboard commands, etc), interactive tutorial, excellent HTML Helpfile, and more. This is a superb space sim with a huge variety of options from which to choose. The gameplay is so involved there is a serious learning curve before you can master all the various tools and functions you have at hand. The storyline is also extensive and the author says: "A non-mandatory story was mixed with the freeform gameplay and gave clues to the player on how to locate a mysterious system known as RiftSpace." You travel between planets through a ring that looks a lot like the Stargate from the MGM movie/TV franchise. We really enjoyed becoming involved in the RiftSpace sim. It is much more than simply a space shooter, and it offers a mature freeform game that players should love. A "must have" for all gamers. Access this 9.50MB download from: Win95 General Games

Super Free Youtube Video Downloader v3.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Super Free Youtube Video Downloader is a small program to download and save YouTube videos. It features support for multiple downloaded clips, save clips in either FLV (standard quality) or MP4 (high quality) file format, it is simple to use, and more. This is a nice little YouTube downloader. To download you just click on the "New task" button, paste the YouTube address of the clip you want to save into the dialog box, and the location and name of the clip, and click the OK button. Super Free Youtube Video Downloader will then download the clip to your computer, saving it as the nominated filename in the nominated location. When you open the program it asks you if you want to check for an update, but all it does is to open the company's Website in your browser (assuming you are on-line). You must still manually check if the version you have is the latest version. We were also a little critical of the requirement to nominate a filename for your YouTube clip – it doesn't automatically take the name used by YouTube which is a shame. Fortunately, it does return to the last used folder on your computer (handy if, like us, you have a special folder just for YouTube videos). The best part of Super Free Youtube Video Downloader is that is it is really easy to use – even a complete novice would have no trouble with this program. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 970kB download from: Win98 Multimedia Programs

Comodo Internet Security v3.8.65951.477 – WinXP/Vista
Comodo Internet Security is the award-winning Comodo Firewall with HIPS, and Comodo Antivirus which defends against over 1 billion executables, including viruses, root-kits, Trojans, and zero-day attacks. Unfortunately, CFS was unable to review this program. About the firewall, the author says that it "features a friendly graphical user interface; highly granular configuration options; easily understood and informative alerts; wizard based detection of trusted zones and much more. Comodo Firewall delivers enterprise class protection and can be used 'out of the box' - so even the most inexperienced users will not have to deal with complex configuration issues after installation." About the antivirus software, the author says that it "detects and removes threats that are present on your machine and forms an additional layer of security on top of the threat prevention offered by the Firewall component of Comodo Internet Security." When installing, the user can choose to install just the firewall, just the antivirus component, or the full security suite. Good Internet security is essential, and Comodo has an excellent record in this field. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 45.2MB download from: WinXP Internet Related

NGView v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
NGView is a portable image viewer that also offers support for small MPG & 3GP video files. It features slideshow, supports all major image formats (BMP, EMF, GIF, ICO, JPG, WMF & TIF), displays EXIF information, multi-rename, image rotation, zoom, provision to add comments to JPG images, "export to smaller" function for e-mailing images, and more. On paper NGView ticks all the main boxes, but it sometimes does not deliver as well as it might. All the main functions are there, but it seems to require more effort to use than some other image viewers. That said, NGView has the advantage that it is fully portable – it requires no installation and can be carried around on a USB pen drive or even e-mailed to another person. Probably the most annoying aspect was the requirement for it to be registered, or you get a nag screen every time it opens. Registration is free and requires that you send an e-mail to the author who will, within a few days, e-mail you back the registration code that will unlock the program. We are not lovers of registration for free programs as we don't want to give our e-mail address to just anybody. If you don't mind the nag, it can be used without registration. Overall, NGView is an acceptable image viewer with some handy features. Worth a look. Access this 1.62MB download from: Win95 Graphic Programs

Feudalism v1.03 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Feudalism is a medieval-based RPG style combat Flash game where you must conquer the entire known world, one village or city at a time. It features dozens of weapons & skills, a huge variety of units to recruit or battle against, lots of battles to win, good 2D graphics, 3 levels of graphics' quality, tutorial, optional on-screen help tips, and more. This is a terrific part RPG and part combat game with a medieval setting. You must conquer the 30 or so villages and cities in your known world, buying more soldiers when need be (you gradually lose your men in battle and they must be replaced), getting gold and weaponry (including magical weapons) from the soldiers you slay. The tutorial is helpful to get you started, but there is no better instruction than getting your hands dirty at the sharp end of a battle. Throughout the game you can carry out quests which are obtained from the city halls of towns and villages, but not all are cost effective. We loved Feudalism. It is a great game that will keep you playing for hours. A "must have" for anyone who loves medieval RPGs or combat games. Grab a copy now! Access this 1.29MB download from: Win95 General Games

SMath Studio Desktop v0.78 – WinXP/Vista
SMath Studio Desktop is an on-screen mathematical workbook with matrices, vectors, fractions etc. It features 2D & 3D plot creation, numeric & symbolic calculations, reference guide, support for parameters (constants & user-defined), data export to HTML format, unlimited size of worksheets, availability of inserting text regions into a worksheet, and more. This is an amazing on-screen workbook for anyone working with mathematics. It allows you to create detailed equations, and solve them, and you can present your data with a 2D or 3D plot diagram. Not only can you quickly add various symbols and signs from the side panel, or from the Function or Operator dialog boxes, but you can save your work to a native format SM file for later retrieval. Your worksheet can also be exported to HTML. Unfortunately, it does not have a print feature so it is not a simple job to get a hardcopy of your workings. SMath Studio Desktop is for students of all ages (though mainly high school and college), for engineers – in fact, for anybody who works with mathematical equations. Users will be pleased to see that there is a mobile version for Pocket PC 2002 or later (Smartphone & PDA). Awesome! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 651kB download from: WinXP Desktop Utilities

My Desktop Therapist v1.2.1.0 – WinXP/Vista
My Desktop Therapist is a subliminal/semi-subliminal positive reinforcement therapy tool to improve your lifestyle, stop smoking, etc. It features up to 3,600 affirmations per hour, full control of delivered message (text, image, frequency, music, etc), includes "Change My Life!" module, and more. My Desktop Therapist works by flashing opaque text and images on to the screen so that the subconscious "sees" them even though they do not necessarily register in the conscious brain. The author says that: "You have 50-60,000 thoughts every day. Most of these are reinforcing your current reality; what bills need to be paid, problems at work, family troubles, etc. MyDesktopTherapist works by allowing you to address these core issues while you work. It helps reprogram old belief systems, remove old emotional patterns and assist you in focusing more fully on a new reality." The author also says that My Desktop Therapist is "the most comprehensive subliminal/semi-subliminal audio/text/image software available. For additional reinforcement it includes a 'Sessions' module enabling you to use EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) or Hypnosis type sessions right on your PC. Use a combination of text, video, audio and video to transform your thoughts, emotions, actions and ultimately your reality." While the potential of this software could be considered harmful, if used correctly it can reinforce positive concepts to improve your lifestyle. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that it will be used positively. To install My Desktop Therapist you must jump through a lot of advertising hoops, including the "suggestion" that you e-mail your friends to tell them about this program. Fortunately, all screens have a "skip" link so that you don't have to annoy your friends, or buy the products advertised. The author insists on you getting a registration key to activate the program before you use it, though the registration is not only free but is auto-mailed to you within minutes of you making the request. We do not like registering free programs as we do not know how the information will be used (privacy promises notwithstanding). My Desktop Therapist is a worthwhile tool for anyone who is happy having subliminal messages flashed on to the screen. They can be a positive force in someone's life, but they can also be misused. Be careful!!! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 10.0MB download from: WinXP General Programs

Viper Plagiarism Scanner v1.2.03 – WinXP/Vista
Viper Plagiarism Scanner is a plagiarism scanning tool for students and teachers. It checks 6 billion sources, features side-by-side comparison of text & potential source, has an option to save searches as HTML document, optional search in local databases, and more. Viper Plagiarism Scanner is a superb program for all writers as it checks your document against billions of pages of information on the Internet. It reports similarities and outright copies between text, and highlights common text. By using a Plagiarism Ratio score, you can quickly see how close your work is to other people's. It supports TXT, RTF, HTML and DOC input files. Viper Plagiarism Scanner requires that you establish an account with the "Scan My Essay" site, and user details (username and password) are required for the program to become functional. Every time you conduct a search it first checks your account on-line. As the information is being pulled from the Internet in real-time, it also requires an active Internet connection. We were most impressed with Viper Plagiarism Scanner. A quick check showed up a number of sites which used all, or part, of the text from one of our early newsletters. A further check indicated that most instances of "plagiarism" (actually you could call this "reverse plagiarism"!) were simply Internet addresses, etc which were the same as in the newsletter, plus our own archives of that newsletter. Unless huge tracts of text were the same, the PR (Plagiarism Ratio) score was often very low but you could click on the "Compare" button opposite a site you want to check and it will bring up a split window, with same text highlighted in red. You can also click on the Internet address and open that site in your Web browser to check further. If you are a student, a teacher, or even a journalist (do journalists really plagiarize? you betcha) then grab a copy of Viper Plagiarism Scanner. It could be the best thing you've done all year! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 662kB download from: WinXP Text Programs

Diver Dan v1.2 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Diver Dan is a fun little underwater, side scrolling, arcade game where you must manoeuvre the diver to collect sunken treasure, including coins, while avoiding mines, sharks, and other underwater hazards. This is an excellent little game that is lots of fun to play. It has very good graphics and is more challenging than it first appears. There is no installation required, just download and play. Your diver enters the water and you must keep him away from the deadly underwater obstacles. If you click on the left mouse button he sinks, and if you release that button he rises. And it seems so easy... One obstacle to watch for is the ink ball released by an octopus – if you hit that ink the whole screen goes black for a few seconds and you are likely to hit a mine, or get eaten by a shark. Diver Dan is really not suitable for very young children because, when the diver dies (always violently!) there is a lot of blood in the water and, for a second or two, you see the half body of the diver in the water. We don't know why we like Diver Dan so much. It is a simple game, with a simple concept, but with quite good graphics and acceptable background music. However, it has an addictive element to it that defies logic – almost everybody who played it, loved it. If you want to kill a quiet half hour or hour then grab a copy of Diver Dan. We think you'll love it! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 1.21MB download from: Win98 General Games
UPDATE
Read Aloud – a text-to-speech program that reads aloud text from various sources – has been updated to version 2.2.0.0.0 with a new, smaller download size of 306kB. This version has dropped the text-only Web browser tab in favor of a Textpad tab where text can be pasted from the Clipboard. Grab a copy of this excellent text-to-speech program from: WinXP Multimedia Programs
COMMENTS
We would like to thank the regular visitors to the CFS site who have told us their favorite freeware. If you have a favorite program which isn't listed on the CFS pages we invite you to share that information with everyone through this site and this newsletter. If you are an author of a freeware app (or would just like to suggest a program) and would like it listed on these pages, please fill in the Submit Software form.
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