Try these great Christian links – you won’t regret it!
The Completely Free E-mail Update #35
Issued Mar 24, 1998
Welcome to the thirty-fifth edition of the 'Completely Free Software E-mail Update'. Over the past week we've added many new programs, including the ones listed below.
The programs listed are completely free for non-commercial use, even though some may be shareware or commercial products. None are time-limited and all are fully functionable. If you know any that aren't exactly as specified, please let us know and they will be removed immediately.
COMPLETELY FREE SOFTWARE
FreePics – W95
Every now and again a program comes along which makes even the most jaded reviewer sit up. FreePics is one such program. Basically it is a photo image program with a built-in set of special effects filters which can turn your ordinary picture into a masterpiece (or vice versa – your choice!). It handles an ordinary array of bitmapped images (but not TIF which is a shame) but once loaded an image can be pushed, pulled, distorted, colors changed, etc – it can apply over 35 different effects to your picture. The interface is clumsy and the Effects menu is like a separate program within the main one. When you start, click on the Toolbar button on the bottom and work from there. Having opened your picture, go to 'Effects' and bring up the special effects dialog box which allows you to do all those fun things with your images. As a tip, try out the 'Pinch Hole' effect from the 'Deformations' menu under 'Filters and Effects'. When you are finished, click on 'Save and Close' which only 'saves' the picture to the main screen. Then you can click on the Save button on the toolbar and decide where you want the new picture to go, what filetype you want, and what the name of the new file is to be. Even with the cumbersome front end, you will love the raw power of this program, as we did. Access this fabulous 1.54MB download from: W95 Graphics Programs
Control Panel Control – W95
Accessing the Control Panel can be a real pain. You have to squirrel down through the Start menu to get to it, open the entire Control Panel, and access the icon you want. Control Panel Control will optionally place the Control Panel in the Start menu (the section above 'Programs' so it is easily accessed), in the Favorites menu, and/or on the Desktop. The 'Start menu' option allows you to access the individual programs within Control Panel without actually opening up Control Panel – to access, say, Install New Hardware you just click on the Control Panel menu item and then select Install New Hardware. Soooo easy.... The program is a 120kB download which is, surprisingly, not compressed and you can use it as it comes without going through a setup or unzipping regime. You might not use it every day but Control Panel Control is a super handy utility to get. Access it from: W95 Desktop Utilities
AutoZip – W95
AutoZip integrates with both Netscape and IE, automatically unzipping downloads and then (optionally) launching the setup program. With full support for long file names, AutoZip is a handy program for anyone who does a lot of downloading. It has a built-in text file viewer so you can look at text files without unzipping them, and it will also launch executional files by double clicking on them within an archive. Unfortunately it doesn't create zipped archives, just unzips them. If you have trouble using other unzippers – or you just want to save yourself time and hassle when handling downloads – AutoZip is just the program for you. Access this 393kB download from: W95 Internet Related
Behemot Graphics Editor – W95 (W31? see text)
Behemot Graphics Editor (formerly RT Editor) is a full-featured ray-tracing renderer and editor with an impressive list of features. These include: ray casting and ray tracing; antialiasing; depth bitmap for stereogram; VRML 1.0 output; texture mapping (from bitmap Windows BMP with 24 bit color); models of illumination; Phong; sources of light (lamp); point; cone; area; geometric models; box; sphere; cylinder; CSG general; boundary representation (with Phong interpolation); bezier mesh; and polyline. The program reads a text file, which describes the scene and returns a bitmap file. It can also import DXF files from 3D Studio. Complete with a vast array of textures, examples and a detailed instruction manual (in HTML format), Behemot Graphics Editor is an excellent ray-tracer and renderer for creating those sensational 3D scenes which we all admire (though possibly not for the raw beginner). One part of the documentation says that it will only work with Win95/NT, another that it will also work with Win 3.1 using Win32s and with Linux. We only tried it under Win95. Access this 2.71MB download from: W95 Graphics Programs
Mazel's All-In-One Search – W95
This is an interesting concept where you download a compressed file which contains HTML pages. Double click on search.html in Explorer and you will be welcomed by a page which offers to present a search query to any one of a number of major search engines – or to all of them at one time. Assuming you are on-line, your search query will processed by the search engines. It also provides a link to InfoSpace which is billed as the 'ultimate directory' and covers news services, white & yellow pages, businesses, chat rooms, lotteries, maps, etc. The search 'tool' is rounded off with a link to search Filez for software (though you have to know the actual filename of the program you're looking for). We were very impressed with not just the concept of All-In-One, but the simplicity. You can set All-In-One as your default 'home' page, or just provide a bookmark/favorites link to the location on your hard drive (use Ctrl-O in both IE4 and Netscape to search for the file on your hard drive, and then add it to your bookmarks like any other URL). Access this 44kB download from: W95 Internet Related
Hostage & Terrorist – W31
This is a simple but addictive game where the object is to save the hostages and kill the terrorists. The screen shows nine windows (that's the household type, not the Windows type) in which the head of a hostage or terrorist will randomly appear. Right click on a hostage to save her, left click on a terrorist to kill him. Kill a hostage (left clicking) will reset your score to zero, save a terrorist and, brother, you're dead! We would have liked to have seen a background image of a house or something rather than just have the nine windows 'floating' on the screen, but the game was fun in a simplistic way and turned out to be quite addictive. The download is not small at 1.24MB but is probably worth it for the times you want to just turn off the brain and have some mindless fun. Access Hostage & Terrorist from: W31 General Games
HTML Executable – W95
This is an interesting program – it's really a Wizard – which will turn a complete website into a self extracting executable file which, when launched, will create a 'website' in the C:\Windows\Temp directory of your computer and then open your default browser for viewing. When you're finished, it will delete the temporary 'website'. You can add animation and messages while the executable file is being opened, and also closing messages. Why would you want to create a 'zipped' version of a website? For starters, you can send a complete website – including images, Java applets, midi files, etc – to someone else for off-line browsing, you can do what the author of this program has done and make a HTML tutorial, or you can even create a HTML booklet or e-zine – with full HTML effects like Java, etc – for transmission to a third party. We found HTML Executable fascinating and not a little exciting. The possibilities for its use are nearly endless! You can access your own copy of this 1.39MB download from: W95 Internet Related
Launch98 – W95
Launch98 is a desktray icon which gives quick access to the contents of the desktop (added programs, not ones like OutlookExpress, Recycle Bin, etc) by right clicking, and a preset program by left clicking. It is a simple little program which sits in the desktray next to the clock and is easily accessed. Put it in the Windows Startup directory and it is there for ever more. Access this 152kB download from: W95 Desktop Utilities
AcsSoft Photo Album – W95
If you've ever wanted an electronic photo album to display your pretty digital pictures then AcsSoft Photo Album will probably do more than you ever thought you'd need. Apart from cataloging images, you can add personal detail to each picture, the date the picture was taken, even a voice recording of or about that person. Designed to act a stamp catalog as well, AcsSoft Photo Album is almost too good to be true. Images can be inserted directly from a TWAIN device (scanner or camera) or from a previously digitalized photograph, we were most impressed with the whole concept of this program. The author has seen fit to include a demo of the program which auto plays the first three times you use it, though it can be accessed at any time through the menu system. And if a quiet photo album is not your scene, it will even play background music for your listening pleasure. Not such a small download at 6.18MB (but still worth it!), access AcsSoft Photo Album from: W95 General Programs
JMK HTML Author – W95
An interesting, if simple, HTML source code editor with a nice array of features including support for tags up to 3.2 and for style-sheets, built-in previewer, built-in browser, color picker, etc. It misses out in some areas by not providing a 'browse' feature for images, etc (you have to know the actual location, name, details, etc) and in its presentation. Still, it does have some other features which make it useful. Access this 1.41MB download from: W95 Internet Related
INFORMATION ONLY
We received the following information about Fireworks, Macromedia's new web graphics production tool.
“Fireworks is the first production tool to provide a unified environment for creating, optimizing and producing high-quality graphics for the Web. Engineered from the ground up to address the needs of professional Web designers, the new tool incorporates such advanced features as a visual export preview, complete control over compression and color palettes, automatic generation of button states and Java Script rollovers, as well as text and effects which are editable all the time. Fireworks allows designers to create the most compact graphics and GIF animations in the fewest steps. A pre-release beta version of Fireworks for Windows 95, Windows NT and Macintosh PowerPC is currently available for download at no charge. Fireworks will be available Summer 1998 for an estimated street price of US $299.” We have been further informed that the beta will expire in June 1998.
The download is available at http://www.getfireworks.com
OzENews provides a great daily email news summary of events relating to the Asia Pacific region and Australia in particular. News sections cover Internet, IT, business, even sport. So if you like to keep up to date, you can see how it works and subscribe free at: http://www.moneysaver.com.au
UPDATES
Arachnophilia – the Win95 HTML source code editor we choose to use for the CFS site – has been upgraded to version 3.4 build 3775. The upgrade can be obtained by just downloading the executionable file (assuming you are already using the program) which is just a tiny 111kB download. The full download is now 1.76MB. Access Arachnophilia from: W95 Internet Related
ShowCalc – the desktop calculator with a ribbon-type display and print function – has now been upgraded to version 3.01. The new version also includes some scientific functions (eg Trig - hex converter and logarithms) and is now a 709kB download. You can access it from: W95 Desktop Utilities
Mr Notes – a post-it notes type program which lives in the desktray – has been upgraded to version 2.0. The new version can: manually paste in images, midi files, wave files, shortcuts, etc; export text as plain text (.txt) or as rich text (.rtf); insert date/time; change font size with keystrokes; and save text/images/etc. Access this 26kB download from: W95 Desktop Utilities
The Anfy Java Applets package has been upgraded to include 26 applets and the download size has been increased to 508kB. Please make sure that you use a Win95 unzipping program that recognises LFNs. Access these great applets from: W95 Internet Related
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 enjoy the Completely Free Software site please don't feel shy about letting others know.
ReturnTo E-mail Index
Member of the Software HyperBanner !
|
