Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #511 issued July 3, 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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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

Star Wars v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Star Wars is a space shooter, based off the movie, where you must defeat the TIE fighters and destroy the Death Star. It features 3 levels of difficulty, 3 stages of play (Fighter Attack, Surface Attack & Trench Run), optional invincibility, excellent graphics, good sound effects, and more. This is a surprisingly good shooter, even if it is a little thin on gameplay. Action is, at times, fast and furious, and the gameplay addictive. As you start the game and get confronted with the TIE fighters, you are likely to have Darth Vader personally leading the attack. We were a little disappointed that the graphics are only 640x480 but are displayed fullscreen. For a large, widescreen monitor this means some degradation and distortion of the images. In spite of that, Star Wars is a fun way to kill an hour or two. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 12.1MB download from: Win98 General Games

TweakXPlorer v2.9.1 – WinXP
TweakXPlorer is a tool that visually enhances Windows Explorer. It adds a background to an Explorer folder, adds an Explorer toolbar background image, changes & resizes a folder thumbnail displayed in Explorer, change the taskbar transparency, Explorer context menu integration, drag 'n drop, and more. This is the ultimate eye candy tool for the Windows Explorer file manager. You can add a background image to an Explorer folder (and, optionally, to all sub-folders), and make other visual changes to Explorer. Unfortunately, it cannot resize the folder background image so, unless the image is the exact size, it is tiled – in most cases, not very attractive unless it is a single-color background. If a single color is used, only a 1x1 pixel of the color is required (softer pastel shades look better than heavy, sold colors) and you can set the color of the text so that it stands out from background (for example, red text on a light blue background). It is disappointing that the author has not included some background images with the download – specially one-color images – as many people would not have suitable images available. A "busy" image is much less suitable than a plain image. A suitable use for this function is to put a red "warning" background on any folder which contains files that should not be changed (like the Windows folder). We could not get the thumbnail changer to work which was a disappointment because that, of all the functions of this tool, was the one that we might have used. Overall, TweakXPlorer has some value if you are dissatisfied with the existing Windows look and want a little-oneupmanship. Note: we have been advised that this program is only suitable for Windows XP. Access this 4.01MB download from: WinXP Windows Enhancements

1site Lite v2008.19.250 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
1site Lite is a Web publishing tool that creates Websites and Internet pages. It features a fully visual interface (no coding, no HTML), simultaneous browsing & editing, it creates up to 20 pages, offers visual linking (with active previews), built-in publishing (FTP), visual shopping cart, easy Flash insertion, advanced functions available (insert HTML, etc), plugin capabilities (eg 3D buttons), automatic image gallery with photo album & thumbnail generation, and more. This is an interesting Website publisher that is a little different in operation from most other publishers. While the author claims that the "main functions [are] very similar to standard Word Processors" we found it rather awkward to use, and not as easy to resize frames by dragging (like most conventional WYSIWYG editors). 1site Lite includes seven basic templates, plus many other pre-prepared segments for easy page creation. The free version is limited to 20 pages, and each page has an ad for the publisher and a small notice stating that it was created by the free version. If you have no prior experience working with Websites, and therefore no preconceived ideas on what to do, then 1site Lite could be exactly what you want. If you know HTML codes, or have used a WYSIWYG HTML editor, then there is a learning curve, or an unlearning curve, before you can get the best from 1site Lite. It's worth grabbing just to see if it suits you. Access this 2.09MB download from: Win95 Internet Related

FlickFleck v1.0 – WinXP/Vista
FlickFleck is a program that transfers photos from a digicam memory card, then files are renamed and rotated using EXIF information. It features lossless image transfer so your images are not degraded, it supports JPG files, it sorts pictures to subfolders by date, it is simple to use, and more. Unfortunately CFS was unable to review this program. The author points out that this "version does not have any configuration user interface. All settings are in the file 'config.txt' located at the installation directory." He also says: "FlickFleck won't harm the original files. All operations are done in the copied version under 'todir' directory. Please verify the changes before you remove the original files." If you have a digital camera you would be wise to check out FlickFleck. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 5.21MB download from: WinXP Graphic Programs

Logyx Pack v3.07 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Logyx Pack is a collection of 25 different logic games with instructions. The games are: Puzz, Zookey, Bapp, Foldex, Hopper, Zoodoku, Mem Pro, Spiny Goo, Mips, Moc, Inrot, Zyx, Qwez, Zbam, Thux, Rotiz, Woosho, Newpy, Cossai, Sanno, Tac 3D, Symh, Geex, Micro Master Mind & Baca. They are suitable for all ages, and many have a number of options (game dependent). These include optional levels of difficulty, a choice of images, and variable board size. Graphics are generally minimalistic, though sufficient, and many of the games are quite challenging. Some of the instructions left a lot to be desired and trial and error was needed to play these games. Others had good clear instructions, though that often didn't mean that the game was easy. It is hard to review 25 different games without reviewing each game individually. Generally, they are relatively good logical puzzles with adequate graphics. If you enjoy logical puzzles then Logyx Pack is for you. Access this 362kB download from: Win95 General Games

Aoao Batch Rename v2.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Aoao Batch Rename is a tool for renaming batches of files. It features an automatic incremental increase in digit or character, it can change the case of either the filename or extension (or both), it offers a visual representation of the finished filename prior to renaming, it is simple to use, and more. This is an excellent batch file renamer. Point it at a batch of files, specify what name, etc you require, and click on the Run button. Simple. Unfortunately it does not retain the old file date, nor does it give you an option to change the date on a file, but these are really its only major limitations. We would have liked to have seen the option to aim it at a folder and have it rename all files in that folder (and to recurse sub-folders). As mentioned above, it would also be handy to be able to specify the filedate and/or not have it change the original filedate to the current date/time. Even without those "druthers", Aoao Batch Rename is a fast, powerful file renamer that most PC users should find invaluable. We loved! Access this 544kB download from: Win95 Desktop Utilities

1by1 v1.68 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
1by1 is a small, fast audio player which can handle a file collection but with no need for playlists or databases. It supports MP2 & MP3, Winamp 2.x input plugin support (OGG, WAV, CD, etc), plays folder contents directly, remembers last track & position on resume, folder tree file navigation, file management (copy, move, rename, delete, date change), cue sheet support, very small size (low resource usage, portable), minimizes to tray, and more. This is one of the best audio players we have seen – specially for MP3 files. Instead of creating playlists, you simply aim it at a folder, hit the Play button, and it will automatically play all audio files in that folder. To create quick 'n dirty "playlists" simply copy groups of MP3s into a temporary folder and have 1by1 play them all. Tell the program to minimize itself to the tray as an icon and you will have as much background music as you could want without the player being "in your face". Sound quality is excellent and, if you have the Winamp plugins, it will even play CDs, WAV files, etc. 1by1 has some nice little features that may go overlooked at first glance, like being able to use the mouse wheel for the volume control. Cool. While it might be nice to have M3U playlist support, 1by1 doesn't really need it as it does such a great job of simply playing all tracks in a folder. If you like listening to music while you work, grab a copy of this fantastic little audio player. Sensational! Access this 125kB download from: Win95 Multimedia Programs

Mahjong City v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Mahjong City is a Chinese solitaire tilegame where you remove pairs of tiles until all are gone. It features 2 tilesets (traditional & rune-style), 5 board layouts (Traditional, Pyramid, Yummy, Abstract Building & Castle), in-game hints (up to 5 per game), timer, excellent graphics, and more. This is potentially an excellent version of a traditional solitaire game. It offers five different board layouts and two tilesets. There is even a hint feature in case you get stuck. Unfortunately, both tilesets are similar, and neither is easy for Western players who have not learnt to recognize the charactersets used. Fortunately this just takes some time and perseverance, and the hint feature helps. What makes us not very enthusiastic for this excellent game is the associated advertising – you must add the Ask toolbar to your IE Web browser and you must change your IE homepage to the Ask search engine. Even if you uninstall Mahjong City it does not remove those "features" in Internet Explorer. Of course, they can be manually removed, and we suggest that this is done, but any advertising that goes "outside" of the host program is, to us, highly intrusive. Mahjong City is a great game, and one we would be happy to recommend, but it is spoilt by the intrusive advertising. If you don't mind removing it later, or you actually like to have your IE preferences high-jacked, then grab a copy of Mahjong City. It is an excellent version of this traditional tilegame. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 5.66MB download from: Win98 General Games
UPDATES
PCB Artist – an integrated schematic capture & PCB (printed circuit board) layout tool – has been updated to version 1.2.4 with a new, smaller download size of 18.0MB. The author advises that changes in this version include: projects can now be created which enable Multi-Page Schematics Ability to bind other document types to the project (such as PDF, spreadsheets, etc); allows for larger & more complex schematic designs (up to 10 layer boards); allows for better schematic organization & clarity; and Netlist import capability from other platforms using EDIF format. It also includes a free component library of over 270,000 parts. Grab this excellent PCB board tool from: Win98 Graphic Programs
Snow Player – a multimedia player for both audio & video files – has been updated to version 0.98.51 with a new download size of 257kB for a Webinstaller (additional download approximately 2MB – a total of 4MB of files when fully installed). There is also a "tiny" version without plugins and skins, that only includes the required DLLs (673kB download). The author has not advised the changes made in this version. Get this latest version from: Win98 Multimedia Programs
1st AutoRun Express – a CD auto-start Wizard – has been updated to version 3.0 with a new, slightly larger download size of 1.04MB. The author advises that changes in this version include: auto-install software required for autorun documents; background pictures & customizable menu fonts; Web & e-mail links in the menu; burn right from the program; command line parameters; drag & drop; open folder menu entries; create new project made easy; and more. Get this latest version from: Win98 Desktop Utilities
COMMENTS
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