Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #437 issued June 29, 2007

Home > CFS Weekly Newsletter #437: issued June 29, 2007

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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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

Hurrican v1.0.0.3 – WinXP/Vista
Hurrican is a jump 'n shoot labyrinth game based off the 1990 C64 video game, Turrican (a cross between Metroid & Psycho-Nics Oscar). It features 1- & 2-player modes, 9 levels of action, tutorial level, 4 levels of difficulty, non-linear gameplay, lots of powerups, excellent graphics, and more. This is an amazing mecho-style game which is set in the future where you, as the lone survivor of a crashed ship, must kill the aliens and protect Earth. There is a huge selection of weaponry at your disposal and you must carefully choose each weapon for each scenario. Weapon controls are located on both sides of the keyboard (right and left Ctrl and Alt keys, each with different functions) and the arrow keys are used for movement. It takes a little while to get used to the keyboard controls but, once mastered, you can concentrate on playing this fantastic game. While it could be simply described as a jump 'n shoot game, this does not indicate the depth of gameplay – Hurrican is not just another jump 'n shoot game! As with the original Turrican game, the levels are not linear so you can go exploring and find new enemies to kill, get more powerups, but still get to the exit for each level (an exit sign appears during the game so you can follow it to get out). We were extremely impressed with Hurrican and consider it a "must have" for anyone who likes to kill an hour or three by playing action games. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 38.6MB download from: WinXP General Games

PC Security Test 2007 v7.2.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
PC Security Test 2007 is a utility program that checks a computer's security against viruses, spyware and hackers. It simulates virus, spyware & hacking attacks (no real viruses are involved in these tests), monitors the responses of the protection software, includes good help files & tips, and more. This is the stuff that paranoia is made of. Check the security level of your computer and you are likely to go into panic mode as it exposes weaknesses. It can also demonstrate what trojans and viruses (virii?) can do with your computer – the mouse cursor takes on a life of its own, CD drives open and close on their own, and more. But this is what we need. Most computer security is lax and this laxness is exploited by people who wish to steal from you. It is said that an unprotected computer will last only 20 minutes on-line before it is carrying all sorts of nasty bugs – bugs that will steal your credit card details, get access to your bank account, or that will simply create mischief on your computer. PC Security Test 2007 uses three tests to highlight problems: running fictitious attacks; waiting for reactions of protection software or user manual scanning; and checking for identified and neutralized attacks, and infected files. It does not fix security holes, it just highlights them. Included with the program is a PDF file giving some tips to help secure your data, and there is other information within the program to help you defend against outside attack. We ran the barrage of tests on the CFS test computer and were surprised to see that it did not perform as well as we would have expected. It is clear that we will have to beef up our security to close some potential holes... (Postscript: our security is now increased and the holes have been closed.) PC Security Test 2007 is an important tool in keeping your data secure. It isn't perfect, nothing is, but it has proven to be an excellent benchmark for your level of security. We were impressed! Access this 1.00MB download from: Win95 Desktop Utilities

NotJustBrowsing v1.0.10 – WinME/XP/Vista
NotJustBrowsing is a dual engine (Trident & Gecko) Web browser that incorporates unique new ways to organize and access the information available on the Internet. It features multiple browsing using tiled windows, tailored browsing (combine pieces from different Web pages to form your own page), linear browsing, computer control from browser, auto-browsing, skinnable, and more. Described as a "third generation" Web browser, NotJustBrowsing combines the browser engine from both popular Web browsers – Mozilla/Firefox (Gecko) and Microsoft's Internet Explorer (Trident). It offers many unusual ways of working the Net, including the ability to create your own tailored page from bits of other pages. Alas, all this comes at a cost. Browsing with NotJustBrowsing is like trying to swim in thick mud and sometimes you not only have time make a cup of coffee while it is working, but you have time to drink it too! We aren't sure why it keeps on locking itself up but, on our test computer, it did this constantly. It also doesn't like some of the standard Javascript HTML tags we use and it won't open up a separate window. The concept of using dual browser engines is terrific, but the execution of this Web browser is not so terrific. It has a sidebar which cannot be removed, and we could see of no way of changing the homepage to one of our choosing (CFS of course!). It lacks tabbed browsing and it has very few customization tools compared to the major browsers. NotJustBrowsing is supposed to be an all purpose tool that doubles as a file manager, program launcher, etc, but its execution of commands is so slow we nearly went to sleep while it was working. If you are looking for a serious replacement Web browser, then NotJustBrowsing is probably not for you. If you are looking for a browser that employs some lateral thinking, then grab a copy and see for yourself. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95 or 98. Access this 14.5MB download from: WinME Internet Related

AreaZoom v2.0 – WinXP
AreaZoom is a tool that selects, previews and magnifies an area of the screen. It features variable magnification using a slide control, the selected area can be copied to the Windows' Clipboard, the selected area can be saved as a 24-bit BMP file, it has a stay-on-top option, and more. This is a great little utility for getting a closeup of what's on the screen, and then copying or saving that area for later use. Simply open the program and drag the rectangle across the screen to the appropriate location. If the magnification is not correct adjust the slide control and try again. After a couple of attempts you can usually get the magnification correct so the image can be saved or used immediately. Probably the biggest problem with AreaZoom is that the magnification rectangle is relatively small, and there is no way of adjusting its size. This makes it slightly less useful if you want to use it to make reading the screen easier (mild magnification) though there is still a reasonably large area displayed within the program's window. While the program's main window can resized, this also enlarges the magnified text so you aren't really seeing much more of the screen, just larger text. While AreaZoom might have limited uses for day-to-day computer operation, it is one of those utilities that is very handy to have around for those odd occasions when it might be needed. Worth grabbing. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 318kB download from: WinXP Graphic Programs

World Jongg v1 – WinXP/Vista
World Jongg is a Mahjongg-style boardgame where tiles are removed in pairs with the object of removing all tiles from the board. It features 55 tilesets & levels, undo last move, hint (once per game), superb graphics, highly addictive gameplay, and more. This is a terrific variation on the normal Mahjongg game. In this version you travel the world, starting in Spain and moving through France, Switzerland, etc as you complete each level. While the majority of the tiles are the same between the different levels, there are "local" tiles for each country – poodles for France, Swiss Army knifes for Switzerland, etc. The board layout also varies between each country. World Jongg itself has some unusual rules, which probably makes each level achievable, unlike most versions of this game. In this game you can place tiles into a holding pen, though you can only match up, and remove, the last tile added. Unfortunately, World Jongg is spoilt with a huge download (unspecified size) and advertising. To download this game you must first get a small 673kB helper file that, when launched, downloads both the game browser and the game. We are unsure of the size of these two programs, but the game itself claims to be 19.59MB, but we noticed about 70MB of traffic when this file was being downloaded and installed. The game browser (which you can use for other games from the same publisher) is of unknown size but we estimate that it probably over 10MB. This makes World Jongg a top-heavy download. The game browser installs itself in the Startup folder and loads every time Windows loads. We suggest that you delete the shortcut to this game browser so that it only loads when you want to play the game. The advertising is, at the time of writing, not very invasive and you get to view some comedic television ads (which has nothing to do this advertising – it appears to be an attention getter). At the time of doing the review, clicking on those TV ads simply tries to sell you some games (ie it is a house ad). This could change at any time. Even with all the negative aspects (download size and advertising), we loved World Jongg. It is one of the better Mahjongg variations we have seen and a "must have" for all fans of this genre. If you have the patience (and a broadband connection) try it for yourself. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 318kB download from: WinXP General Games

Sothink FLV Player v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Sothink FLV Player is a small player for Flash Video (FLV) files. It plays FLV video files encoded by different codecs (including Screen Video, Sorenson H. 263, On2 VP6, etc), automatically adapts window size to the video, has a fullscreen option, you can drag 'n drop files, and more. This is a simple little player for FLV format files (as used by YouTube). While it cannot download an FLV file (a major omission!), it can play almost any version of FLV file. Click Alt-Enter and it will even play fullscreen. Sothink FLV Player has all the normal player controls – play, pause, stop, rewind, etc – activated by both menu and hotkey. Options include automatically rewinding a film after it has played, auto-start playing, and auto-repeat. Sothink FLV Player is small, fast to load, and, best of all, free. Unfortunately it lacks the facility to download files from YouTube and other Web sites that use FLV files. Worth a look. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 1.43MB download from: Win98 Multimedia Programs

WinOverBoost v2.1.1 – Win9x/ME/XP
WinOverBoost is a tool that tweaks several aspects of a computer system to improve overall performance and Internet connectivity. It features RAM Optimizer, System Boost, Cache Boost, Internet Acceleration, LAN Optimizer, RAM/CPU defrag controls, and more. Unfortunately CFS was unable to review this program. The author says: WinOverBoost allows you to tweak several aspects of your system, in an attempt to improve your overall system performance and Internet connectivity. It includes a RAM and Swap file optimizer that offers a graphical display of current RAM and CPU usage and allows you to defragment your memory. In addition, the program can apply several operating system specific tweaks that are known to improve performance. The additional TCP/IP tweaking tool can optimize your Internet connection settings to take full advantage of your connection type. All the changes that are made by the program can be easily undone as needed, so it is safe to use and experiment. Additional features include automatic memory cleaning, interactive tray icon and a nice interface." Note: CFS is unable to confirm, or deny, speed improvement claims made about this program. Access this 462kB download from: Win95 Windows Enhancements

RadioWORKS v2.0 – WinXP/Vista
RadioWORKS is an RF (radio frequency) calculator for providing data on various items related to radio waves. It calculates the wavelength & proper antenna length for any given frequency, it includes an "Inverse Square Ratio" calculator, and more. This is the ultimate tool for anyone working with radio waves. It provides a wealth of data relating to frequency, various path loss calculators, and distance/power predictions. While it is a specialized tool designed for HAM radio operators and professional RF engineers, non-technical RF users (CB radio operators, etc) will find that it offers much information not easily obtainable through normal channels. If you use RF in your daily life you will probably get value from RadioWORKS. We liked! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 384kB download from: WinXP Desktop Utilities

Titanion v0.3 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Titanion is a vector-based shooter, with a typical Japanese look 'n feel, where you strike down super high-velocity swooping insects. It features 3 game modes (Modern, Classic & Basic), it is fast paced, has excellent animated graphics, and more. This is an awesome shooter with a decidedly Japanese feel to it. Using vector-style abstract images, you must shoot down hordes of insects (well, that's what the author calls them) as they swoop down on your ship. Controls and functions in the three different modes differ and, fortunately, there is a README file with the program which describes, in English, what the various controls do in each of the game modes. We preferred the Modern mode which the author describes as" "bullet hell; use a provocation beam to force an enemy to fire more bullets and earn a bullet multiplier bonus; when your ship collides against an enemy, nothing happens; and your ship and an enemy go through each other". In Classic mode he describes it as: "sporadic firing; use a capture beam to make a friend of an enemy; and when your ship collides against an enemy, your ship is destroyed". Titanion will keep you on the edge of your seat as you battle against the insects, using all the controls at your command to defeat them. The game is linear and gets harder and harder as you progress through each phase (level) until it becomes impossibly fast and furious. If you enjoy shmups (shoot 'm ups) then Titanion should be high on your list. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 5.29MB download from: Win98 General Games
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