Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #489 issued September 19, 2008

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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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

Cosmic Ball v2.1.1 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Cosmic Ball is a Breakout-style game where evil enemy robots guard the bricks you must destroy. It features 90 levels, 3 levels of difficulty, powerups, moving bricks, attacking spaceships, several types of balls & weapons, excellent graphics, and more. This is an excellent version of the popular Breakout game where, with a paddle and ball, you must destroy all the bricks to progress to the next level. There is a tremendous selection of brick types, ball types and powerups (yes, and powerdowns too!) and the whole package is professionally presented with excellent animated graphics. The inclusion of spaceships that fire at you adds to the game, and those ships normally have to be hit a number of times before they are destroyed (there is a red dot on each ship denoting the number of times that it must be hit). Our only real issue with Cosmic Ball was that there appeared to be no way of saving a game – if you choose to stop mid game then the next time you played you started back with a zero score, though the locked levels you had successfully completed would be available to you. We really enjoyed playing Cosmic Ball. Yes, the lack of a "save game" function was a major omission but the game was good enough to keep us playing in spite of that. An awesome Breakout clone! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 5.64MB download from: Win98 General Games

SmartCommand v2.1.4 – WinXP/Vista
SmartCommand is an easy-to-use GUI-based Command Run tool. It features 15 pre-prepared commands, help notes for some commands, quick access to 4 commonly used MS tools (MSconfig, Registry Edit, Disk Space Cleanup & Disk Defragmenter), alarm, and more. This is a handy tool that puts a more human-friendly face on the bland Run Command dialog box (Start/Run). Not only are there 15 pre-prepared commands you can use, but you can add your own, and even save them for later use. The MS tools are handy, though not hard to find – most are at Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools – but it is certainly easier to access them through SmartCommand. The Alarm function was most disappointing and this is one feature that we doubt will be much used. We set an alarm and, when it went off, instead of playing the tune it was supposed to play, it simply opened the 9-second WAV file in our audio editor – not exactly what we expected! Of course, if your default WAV program is a player then it should play the audio. Another aspect about the alarm was that the time is shown in 12-hour format in the display, but requires 24-hour format when you set an alarm. Most annoying. That aside, SmartCommand really has some value as a friendly GUI (Graphical User Interface) on top of the not-so-friendly Start/Run box. The other functions are nice, but not as valuable. If you use the Command Run functions then your will find that SmartCommand make life much easier. Worth a look! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 282kB download from: WinXP Windows Enhancements

Businesscardmonster Designer v1.3.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Businesscardmonster Designer is a business card designer, with the proof page delivered immediately by e-mail in PDF format ready for printing. It features over 900 backgrounds in 42 categories, choice of over 20 editable text layouts, full font control (type, size, color, etc), choice of 12 program skins (or none), and more. This is an excellent designer tool to create professional-looking business or introduction cards. You create the card by inputting your information and then select the background and the text layout. You can then tweak the text layout – adding color to the text, changing fonts, even moving the text around to conform to the text points already built into the program. Once you are happy with the look of the card you simply click on the "send me the Proof" button, include your e-mail address, and within two minutes an e-mail will arrive with an attached PDF document that contains your cards ready for printing. The PDF document contains 8 copies of your card, plus all trim marks, so you can simply print it (best on to 120 or 150gsm card) and then cut out the individual cards. Simple. Unfortunately you cannot simply add your own background image, though it is not too hard to overwrite an existing background with your own and have that display instead of the original. We were most impressed with Businesscardmonster Designer. It creates a truly professional looking card with the minimum of effort or artistic flair, but still allows the user to personalize the layout and appearance of the card. We loved! Access this 12.6MB download from: Win95 General Programs

Messenger Blocker v1.0 – WinXP/Vista
Messenger Blocker is a relatively effective tool to block on-line chat by preventing popular chat programs from operating. It features support for 13 chat-type programs (including Yahoo & MSN Messenger, Google Talk, Skype, ICQ, mIRC, Pidgin, Trillian, etc), selective user block, activity report logs, update button, and more. This is a good way of blocking chat on a PC. The blocking can be restricted to just some users, or can be for all users. You can also select which chat programs are blocked, and which are not. Unblocking can be carried out quickly so the password holder of the program can allow chat. We tried to use Yahoo! Messenger and were effectively blocked from doing so. However, we could have removed the startup entry through a program like RegRun (listed with CFS) and then re-booted the computer, allowing chat to be resumed. That startup entry could be then re-instated, the computer re-booted, and no-one would be the wiser – there would have been no record of the unauthorized activity in the log. That aside, we really were impressed with Messenger Blocker. Assuming that it is loaded with Windows it does provide adequate blocking of many chat programs (although not all versions of each). It cannot be uninstalled except through the program itself, and that is password protected. If you have children and wish to block on-line chat, Messenger Blocker is quite an effective way to do that. Worth a look! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 2.05MB download from: WinXP Internet Related

Twoccer World 2 v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Twoccer World 2 is a 3D "collecting" game where you must steal items lying around Shinebrook town. It features 4 modes of play (2 having 6 styles of playing each), timed gameplay, 3D graphics, fully created township to roam, powerups, on-screen map, and more. Before you ask, "twocker" is a slang expression for thief, taken from the expression "Taken Without Owners Consent" or TWOC. Having cleared that up, Twoccer World 2 is a strange game where you move a ball around a township (Shinebrook) and collect everything lying around (or floating in the air). Apart from playing the Free Mode, all other modes and styles (of which there are many) rely on timed gameplay and you must either see how many items to collect (there are about 50 different types), or carry out mission-based tasks, within a specific time period. Some items, like clocks, are powerups (clocks give you extra time to complete your level). Twoccer World 2 suffers from poor 3D graphics, and a questionable concept (unless, of course, you wish to emulate a thief). Its saving grace is the number of variations and options available through the various game modes. Even with those, we found it has a limited long-term appeal and this is probably not a game you would rush home every day to play. If you have an inclination to become a thief then try Twoccer World 2. At least you won't end up in jail... Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 2.63MB download from: Win98 General Games

Free WMA MP3 Converter v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Free WMA MP3 Converter is an easy-to-use audio file converter. It converts equally between 3 major audio formats (WMA, MP3 & WAV), offers adjustable output quality, supports ID3 tags, bulk processing, and more. This is an excellent audio file conversion tool that takes any of the three supported formats and equally converts between the other two (a total of six conversion options – WMA to MP3, MP3 to WMA, WAV to MP3, MP3 to WAV, WAV to WMA, and WMA to WAV). Conversion is quick and simple, and you only need click on the appropriate button, tell the program where the source file is located, and it will be automatically converted and the new file placed in the location specified in the Options dialog box. It should be realized that this is not "Free WMA to MP3 Converter", which is also listed with CFS. We were highly impressed with Free WMA MP3 Converter. It is a simple to use yet very effective tool. What it lacks in eye candy it makes up for in functionality. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 858kB download from: Win98 Multimedia Programs

Apex Text v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Apex Text is a Java-based ASCII text editor. It features infinite undo/redo, syntax highlighting, code templates, code completion (preview), tabbed documents, document templates, typed document, incremental search, highlighting search results, essential tools for Java programming language, document management, and more. On paper Apex Text sounds like an excellent text editor, with tools for both home user and programmer alike. Alas, like many Java applications, in practice it lacks the practicability of a well designed Windows program. Our first hint that Apex Text may not be the answer to a maiden's prayer was when we loaded our 10MB test file (with 470,000 lines of text). Rather than load our file in seconds, as do almost all modern text editors, it took a 3 yawning minutes to load (stare at a clock for 3 minutes and you'd be yawning too!). The search and replace function, always valuable with a tabbed document interface, only worked within the active (top-most) document – it did not apply changes globally or give the user the option to make changes across all open documents. As with the slow loading of our 10MB test file, making changes (search and replace) in a large document was painfully slow – the expression "walking pace" came to mind. Java started out with such promise, and the option to create a program that can be used on many different platforms is appealing, but in practice we have found that Java-based applications are generally slower than a lizard walking through a snow storm. Apex Text has many, many great features and, if you have plenty of spare time, could be what you need. However, it didn't suit us. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 975kB download from: Win98 Text Programs

Super Mario World v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Super Mario World is the original 1991 Super Nintendo (SNES) version of this run 'n jump classic. In this game Mario must save Princess Toadstool who has been captured by Bowser. It features 72 levels, original retro graphics & gameplay, numerous powerups to collect, and more. This popular side-scrolling platformer introduces Yoshi, a dinosaur that Mario can ride, and consists of seven main worlds and two secret worlds. The gameplay is just as much fun today as it was in 1991, and the bright music and cheesy enemies are lots of fun too. By default the game plays fullscreen but the graphics still look good, even when viewed on a 22" widescreen monitor. If you enjoy run 'n jump platform games then Super Mario World is a "must have". We loved! Access this 1.14MB download from: Win95 General Games
UPDATE
1-2-3 Spyware Free – a simple solution for finding & removing spyware & adware from your computer – has been updated to version 4.7 with a larger download size of 7.85MB. The author advises that this version has a new antivirus kernel. Get this excellent spyware remover from: Win95 Desktop Utilities
COMMENTS
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