Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #540 issued March 26, 2010

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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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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

RecWar v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista/7
RecWar is a 2D top-down vehicle combat game for 1 or 2 players. It features a choice of 3 vehicles (tank, hovercraft or Hummer) with 8 weapons, there are 3 game modes (Deathmatch, Team War & Capture The Cow), it offers splitscreen & network play (even at the same time), you can have up to 64 players (2 human & 62 bots) & 11 teams, there are 17 included levels (more can be downloaded), the host automatically sends levels if necessary, it has configurable taunts, there is a level editor, good helpfile, and more. Short for "Recreational Warfare", the author says "the gameplay is more or less Grant (sic) Theft Auto meets Liero". RecWar has a compulsive aspect that compensates for its poor graphics' quality. In this game you must defeat the enemy units (doh!) but your equipment takes some mastering and you will probably find that initially you won't get too far without being clobbered. However, this changes as you master the controls. However good RecWar may be as a single player game, it is best in two-player mode, whether you are playing across the Internet or just on the same machine. If you like your shooters to be somewhat unique, you will enjoy playing RecWar. A "must have" for all fans of shooter-type games. We loved! Access this 1.81MB download from: Win95 General Games

Service Manager Plus v1.0.5.0 – WinXP/Vista/7
Service Manager Plus is an enhancement for the Windows Service Control Manager applet. It features control over the service configuration, improved service recovery configuration, displays a services' event log, offers smart service restart, you can display & edit kernel drivers/services, it has quick find, and more. This is an excellent tool for system administrators, software developers, system builders, and any PC user with some advanced knowledge who wishes to better control the various System services which are normally accessed using the Service Control Manager applet (services.msc). This enhanced version offers many more controls, plus access to a service's event log so you can easily see what has been happening with a particular service (inability to load, successful or failed operation, etc with their respective dates & times). If you are looking for hands-on control of your PC and have the knowledge to be able to make changes without crashing the System, Service Manager Plus is for you. We liked! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 818kB download from: WinXP Windows Enhancements

STOIK Imagic v5.0.5.1874 – WinXP/Vista/7
STOIK Imagic is a program that combines the functions of a thumbnail browser, a photo viewer, an image editor, and a video editor. It features a digital camera auto download wizard, calendar creation, geo-tagging, it organizes video & music clips, offers CD/DVD burning, e-mail sharing, HTML album creation, basic image editing (red eye removal, rotate, resize, flip, crop, adjust brightness & color, text, etc), an horizon tool for photo alignment, photographic edges & frames, step-by-step video editing, story board interface, video scene splitting & trimming, and more. This is an amazing suite of image and video tools. While it lacks some of the features of the Pro version, the features it does offer are exceptional and they should allow users to carry out most photo and video tasks. Of course, STOIK Imagic is not as powerful as the commercial photo and video editors, but it also doesn't carry their massive price tag. The interface is easy to use and the program has a high-end professional feel about it. For the first 30 days you get all the Pro features as well, and then it reverts to the cut-back free version. However, don't feel that this is a second-rate offering because those free features are exceptionally powerful. If we had a complaint about STOIK Imagic it would be that it tries to be all things to all people, and it falls somewhat short of that goal. However, the tools and functions it does offer are excellent and this is a real Swiss Army knife multimedia program. One aspect we really did like was the video editor which is more powerful than some of the commercial editors we have seen! While it is nice to have both photo and video functions in the same program, maybe two separate programs would suit users better... Overall, STOIK Imagic is a superb multimedia suite that tends to lean a little more towards the graphics side than the video side. If you don't mind its massive size, STOIK Imagic is definitely worth grabbing. In one word, awesome! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 78.8MB download from: WinXP Multimedia Programs

Unit Converter EX v1.0.B – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista/7
Unit Converter EX is a utility that makes metric conversion, between various units & measurements, easy. It features 40 categories (mass, length, temperature, etc), customizable output format (separators, scientific, engineering, number of decimal points, etc), you can create your own category, it includes a typing unit (for inserting positive/negative, degree, superscript 2, superscript 3, etc), it includes a Universal Gas Constant Converter, has a good Helpfile, and more. This is an excellent metric conversion tool that has an extraordinary number of categories in its default database, plus the ability to add (or subtract) an unlimited number of categories. Unit Converter EX also includes a Universal Gas Constant Converter in the Miscellaneous section which is used to convert the gas constant value (R) using the formula P*V = n*R*T with either Rankine or Kelvin as the temperature basis. The typing unit allows for the input of numeric characters (which can also be done by typing directly into the box) plus the insertion of symbols or formatting. To round out this impressive little tool is a comprehensive Helpfile. Some of the results have questionable accuracy, and this was a worry under some circumstances. For example, it says that there are 8,760 hours in a year, which is correct for a 365-day year, but there is no allowance (or option) for a Leap year. Likewise, in the same category of Time, the only monthly option is for 30 days – it ignores 28-, 29- and 31-day months. This minor issue aside, Unit Converter EX is one of the most comprehensive unit converters we have seen, and a worthwhile addition to any computer. Worth grabbing! Access this 804kB download from: Win95 Desktop Utilities

LiberKey Ultimate v4.8 – WinXP/Vista/7
LiberKey Ultimate is a collection of 168 portable applications in 10 major categories, each designed to run from a USB pen drive. It features huge variety of applications, auto-update of portable programs, 118 additional applications to add (including games), and more. The 10 major categories included with LiberKey Ultimate are Audio, CD/DVD, File Management, Graphics, Internet, Network, Office, Security, System Utilities, and Video. Each major category includes lots of sub-categories, many of which include multiple programs. This is a hard program to define because, in essence, it is simply a presentation of various software author's programs which cover all aspects of computing – from audio editors to video editors, from CD/DVD burning tools to anti-virus programs, from a file manager to font manager – and each one is a fully portable application. However, the author of LiberKey Ultimate has packaged them together, added an update feature so that you can keep each of the included applications up-to-date, and has also made available further programs to download. As long as you check for additional programs through the main LiberKey Ultimate program the Web page will acknowledge programs you already have and allow you to use the update feature within the program to get more. This is a sensational service and one that makes LiberKey Ultimate a "must have". We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 208MB download from: WinXP General Programs

CuzYa Free Website Builder v1.0 – WinXP/Vista/7
CuzYa Free Website Builder is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) Website builder and publisher. It features unlimited number of pages, 15 templates, automatically constructed site menu, drag 'n drop, built-in tutorial, and more. CFS was unable to review this program. The author says: "Cuzya Free Website Builder is an intuitively clear application with user-friendly interface. The features include visual HTML editor and smart image handling mechanism. There are no HTML knowledge or Web experience requirements: you can easily set up the structure of your Website, choose the style, heading design, make as many Webpages as you like, and finally, publish them via FTP." The author also advises that in the free version there is a watermark added to Web images. Free on-line registration is required to use CuzYa Free Website Builder. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 4.83MB download from: WinXP Internet Related

CintaNotes v1.0B – WinXP/Vista/7
CintaNotes is a lightweight personal notes manager. It features fast insertion of a new note using the hotkey, it has fast as-you-type searching, you can link notes to a Webpage, there are 8 built-in color schemes, it minimizes to the tray, there is a portable version available, it offers auto-saving of notes, there is a good Helpfile, and more. This is a handy little notes keeper that will save a clip as a note by simply pressing the Ctrl+F12 hotkey. There is provision to add a "link" to a note and, if that is a URL, you can click on it and that page will open in your Web browser. Neat. There is a portable version (no installer) also available for download. The structure of CintaNotes is somewhat awkward at first use, though you quickly learn to adapt to it. We would have preferred to see a more common note structure, possibly based off the Windows Explorer tree, but other users may prefer this layout. CintaNotes is a great way of collecting snippets of information from various sources and storing them in its database. Worth checking out! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 878kB download from: WinXP Text Programs

Nineball Solitaire v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista/7
Nineball Solitaire is a strategic solitaire cardgame (with a billiards theme) where you must think ahead to clear each "rack" of cards. It features challenging gameplay, no-further-moves notification, excellent graphics & sound effects, high scores, and more. Nineball Solitaire is an excellent solitaire cardgame which is lots of fun to play. The idea is to clear cards from the "rack" by matching up cards so they equal either 9 or 19 and see how many racks you can clear. When you click on the cards they become red until the correct count is reached, upon which they turn green and the "Shoot" button appears. There are great pinball style sound effects, and playing the game is an enjoyable experience so you want to come back for more and more. While there is a certain amount of chance in Nineball Solitaire, it also requires strategic gameplay. If you are bored with the regular solitaire games, try Nineball Solitaire. We don't think you will be disappointed! Access this 1.20MB download from: Win95 General Games
UPDATE
Free Internet Window Washer – safeguards your privacy by cleaning up the tracks of your activities on your PC and the Internet – has been updated to version 2.8 with a new, larger download size of 1.14MB. The author has advised that changes in this version include: added three languages; added support for Firefox new version; improved 64-bit support & performance; and fixed bug for IE8 on Win7. Get this updated version from: Win95 Internet Related
COMMENTS
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