digit FastTrack FREE PC SOFTWARE.pdf

VOLUME 10

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ISSUE 12

YOUR HANDY GUIDE TO EVERYDAY

TECHNOLOGY

To

FREE

PC SOFTWARE PRODUCTIVITY FILE SHARING AND CLOUD STORAGE BROWSERS SECURITY DEVELOPER TOOLS

A 9.9 Media Publication

SYSTEM TUNING DESKTOP CUSTOMISATION TOOLS ENTERTAINMENT MISCELLANEOUS DISCOVERY

FAST TRACK to

FREE PC SOFTWARE

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CHAPTERS FREE PC SOFTWARE DECEMBER 2015

06 PAGE

19 PAGE

31 PAGE

38

CREDITS

The people behind this book

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The quest for productivity We go on an exploratory trail to discover the smartest productivity tools available out there that will spruce up your daily work life

File sharing and cloud storage The data you proudly own is no longer limited to the space you have on your computer. With the advent of the cloud, data sharing has never been easier.

Browsers It’s time to think beyond Chrome. In this chapter, we introduce you to several web browsers you’ve probably never come across.

Desktop customisation The default applications have failed to live up to our expectations. We head out in search of their alternatives to exercise more power and control over the desktop.

EDITORIAL Executive Editor Robert Sovereign-Smith Managing Editor Siddharth Parwatay Technical Editor Jayesh Shinde Writers

Abhijit Dey Anand Nayaranswamy

Ashish Panigrahi

Associate Art Director Anil T

Copy Editors

Sr. Visualisers Shigil Narayanan Sristi Maurya

Dhinoj Dings Nikhil Punjabi

Infancia Cardozo Mrunmayi Ainapure DESIGN

Creative Director Tharakaram G Sr. Art Director Anil VK

Visualiser Baiju NV Sr. Designer Pradeep G Nair

CONTENTS

45 PAGE

54 PAGE

62

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Tools to protect your computer Security is the bedrock of computer usage. Without it, your PC is vulnerable to a number of perils, including viruses, trojans, spyware and phishing attacks. Prevention is the best cure. Let’s find out how to secure your PC with free software.

Developer tools In this chapter, we’ll look at a range of tools used for software and web development.

Tune-up your PC A Cheat Sheet For Fine-Tuning Your Computer

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70 PAGE

81

The one-stop guide to entertainment software Here’s a quick snapshot of the multitude of media software you can use to nurse your need for entertainment

Miscellaneous tools For those odds and ends that just don’t fit anywhere else.

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92 PAGE

Discovery Downloading software by referring to a list is easy. Discovering them across the interwebs is fascinating. We teach you the methods.

VOLUME 10

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FREE

PC SOFTWARE PRODUCTIVITY FILE SHARING AND CLOUD STORAGE BROWSERS SECURITY DEVELOPER TOOLS

Free With Digit December 2015

Custom publishing

FREE PC SOFTWARE

December 2015

12

TECHNOLOGY

To

A 9.9 Media Publication

SYSTEM TUNING DESKTOP CUSTOMISATION TOOLS ENTERTAINMENT MISCELLANEOUS DISCOVERY

COVER DESIGN: SHIGIL NARAYANAN

Published by 9.9 Mediaworx No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISSUE 12

YOUR HANDY GUIDE TO EVERYDAY

DECEMBER 2015

© 9.9 Mediaworx Pvt. Ltd.

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4

INTRODUCTION

Easy pickings

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t’s often said: there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. Our guess is, those who subscribe to this particular axiom have never really heard of free software. Freeware (and before that the open source software movement) has shaped the software industry since its very inception, debunking the belief that commercial or premium software can’t have fully functional free alternatives. We won’t bore you with a history lesson about how the movement started and what the rationale is behind the existence of free software – we’ve done that several times before in Digit – it’s sufficient to say that it exists and we’re pretty happy that it does. In that spirit, this Fast Track is dedicated towards celebrating free software and all that it encompasses. It might not be very apparent but free software was seminal in forming a legion of enthusiasts such as yourself who are never too afraid to install a cool new tool, a life saving utility, or even just a piece of software that will change the look and feel of your regular desktop. This very spirit of trying out stuff, going beyond “standard operating procedure” is what has fostered the spirit of tinkering within each and every one of us. In this FastTrack, we attempt to touch every aspect of computing that free software has to offer. The booklet has been neatly divided into subcategories (or chapters, if you will) such as File Sharing, Productivity, Cloud Storage and a dozen others. But more than just telling you that a particular software exists we aim to go a step beyond and give you our verdict on which is the best software in a particular category or for a specific use-case. Let’s

INTRODUCTION

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take for example a tool that can secure wipe, or if you don’t want to think of something so esoteric how about something more common like a BitTorrent client? Which is the best BitTorrent client out there? Is it still uTorrent? Since they’ve started bloating that one time elegant piece of software, one would think it doesn’t hold that title any more. This FT will tell you the answer. Beyond evaluating the “best” software in a particular category, this FastTrack also serves to be a tool for discovering great software that you didn’t really know about. After browsing through the buffet of software in each chapter, you’ll come across the modus operandi we employ at our labs to stumble upon software and tools in the wild. At the end of reading the entire booklet, you’ll realise how you can totally depend on free software for personal use and even professional use (to an extent). To make the deal even sweeter, we’ll save you some precious bandwidth and the trouble of downloading these killer tools. Our DVDs have you covered with more than 120 tools mentioned in the chapters. Happy Reading.

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CHAPTER #01

THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY We go on an exploratory trail to discover the smartest productivity tools available out there that will spruce up your daily work life

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n order to work efficiently, you require tools that enable you to perform the task at hand with minimum stress and effort and save valuable time. This chapter delves into the various options you can avail of.

Office Applications Apache OpenOffice OpenOffice includes tools for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases and graphics. It provides support for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. On installation, a screen is displayed which prompts you to select a tool. On clicking on ‘Text document’, the word processor dashboard pops up, on which you can perform various operations. It is also possible to open any new office application from within this processor by selecting the relevant option from the File menu. For instance, with the help of ‘draw’, you can create illustrations using boxes, arrows, rectangles, ovals, symbols and other visual aids. Selecting

THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY

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‘Database’ will lead you to a wizard where you can either create a new file or open an existing one. If you go for the former, a new dashboard lets you create tables, forms and reports, Create any office document from a single interface including query builder. The presentation tool consists of several templates and provides support for draw, outline, slides, notes, slideshow animations and effects. In addition to standard office tools, OpenOffice also enables you to create HTML, XML, Formulas, Labels and Business Cards. Prime Feature: The Impress presentation provides support for multiple monitors. http://www.openoffice.org

LibreOffice LibreOffice features the same set of tools as OpenOffice. You will be required to select a tool from the navigation panel to the left, instead of a dialog. The naming system is the same as OpenOffice. However, it includes a database application called Base. If you select ‘Writer’, you will be able to view a dashboard on which you can provide content and perform various operations using toolbar icons and menus. You can create new documents for application by selecting ‘File’ followed by ‘New’ as also scan them by clicking on the ‘Media’ option in the ‘Insert’ menu, which includes audiovideo embedding. The user interface of LibreOffice is more or less the same as OpenOffice, and thereby easy to work with. Prime Feature: LibreOffice enables you to save documents in Microsoft’s latest format, Docx. http://www.libreoffice.org

SSuite Office SSuite is a lightweight office tool comprising of word processor, spreadsheet, browser, image editor and tools for email, and multimedia network in addition to general utility features such as address book and PDF memo creator.

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THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY

The word processor dashboard includes text editor with icons on all sides of the screen. Other tasks can be performed by selecting relevant options on the menu. It also features templates for several purposes. The Accel spreadsheet program lets you insert emoticons, charts, random numbers, objects and even calculations. You can also connect to the database directly via the dashboard. Prime Feature: SSuite Office includes a client which you can use to send and receive emails. http://www.ssuitesoft.com

Softmaker FreeOffice

WPS Office Suite FreeOffice includes a word processor, spread(http://www.wps. sheet and presentation application. You will be com/wps-officeprovided with a serial number which you need to personal) is available type in during the launch of the application. The for Windows, Android, dashboard resembles a typical Windows applicaiOS and Linux plattion from which you can perform all the required forms. You can make activities using toolbar icons and menus. With use of NeoOffice suite the help of ‘presentation’, you will be able to create (www.neooffice.org) slides using the various objects on the toolbar, if you have access to and also arrange those slides by selecting ‘Slide Mac OS X. Sorter’ from the View menu. In order to return to the slide editing dashboard, you need to double click on a slide. The PlanMaker tool is the same as a spreadsheet application and comprises features such as conditional formatting. You can protect a spreadsheet by going for ‘Sheet Protection’ in the Tools menu. Prime Feature: FreeOffice enables you to open DOCX files created using Microsoft Word. http://www.freeoffice.com

Which one should you go for? We recommend OpenOffice because of the features it offers. Its user interface is similar to that of Microsoft Office in terms of appearance. You can easily create a PDF file from within the Writer tool by selecting the ‘Export as PDF’ option. We noticed that LibreOffice is bit slower compared to OpenOffice. Moreover, the latter includes Math utility which will be useful for school students. This feature is also available in LibreOffice but OpenOffice wins us over with its sheer simplicity.

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PDF Readers Foxit Reader With the help of Foxit PDF Reader, you will be able to read, create, annotate and print PDF documents. It provides Office-style ribbon Highlight content inside a PDF file easily toolbar, shared reviews, and commenting tools in addition to advanced features like Microsoft RMS, Group Policy and an XML editor. As soon as you open a PDF file, you will be able to view its table of contents on the left side and the main content on the right. The reader can zoom upto 6400%. It also enables you to create PDF documents using various options. Prime Feature: Foxit PDF Reader enables you to perform formatting functions such as highlighting, strikeout and underline by selecting the required option from the toolbar and dragging the content. https://www.foxitsoftware.com/products/pdf-reader/

Sumatra PDF reader With Sumatra, you can read not just PDFs but also ePubs, Mobis and various other formats. Language modification of the user interface can be easily done by selecting the ‘Change Language’ option from the ‘Settings’ menu. The ‘Page’ option Adobe Reader in Toolbar also enables you to jump to another (https://get.adobe. desired page. com/reader) is a Prime Feature: Sumatra provides support for popular tool used for preview of LaTeX documents viewing PDF files with http://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/ simple navigation and search functionality.

Nitro PDF Reader

Nitro PDF Reader enables you to view and create PDF files with advanced features such as intelligent display panes and 90 degree rotation. It also lets you preview PDF files on your email using Microsoft Outlook, to which you can add virtual sticky notes. While it provides support for as many as 300 file formats, you can also use it to convert a PDF document into a text file by selecting the ‘Convert to Text’ option. Moreover, you can extract images from a PDF file. The ‘Create’ option

10 THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY from File on the toolbar enables you to create PDF files from any document in three different formats. Prime Feature: With the help of Nitro PDF Reader, you can print from any application using the virtual print driver. https://www.gonitro.com/pdf-reader

MuPDF MuPDF provides support for transparency, encryption, hyperlinks, annotations and searching, including XPS and OpenXPS documents, besides forms, JavaScript and transitions. The reader doesn’t have a user interface and it prompts you to choose a PDF file upon opening the software. However, you will be able to perform all the operations using shortcut keys which you can find using the ‘About’ option by selecting the icon on the top left side. For example, if you apply the ‘Shift and >’ combination, you will be able to navigate 10 pages at a time. Prime Feature: MuPDF make use of anti-aliased graphics which renders the text with metrics. The tool reproduces the fonts with precision, as you can see in the printed text. http://mupdf.com You can easily merge and split PDF Expert PDF Reader files using PDFill PDF Expert PDF Reader enables you to revise existing Tools (www.pdfill. PDF documents and offers features like insertion com). For instance, of rubber stamps and annotation modification. if you have five difIf you select the ‘Review’ tab on the toolbar, you ferent PDF files, you will be able to add sticky notes and highlight, can easily merge all underline and cross-out content. You can also of them into a single insert custom stamp and signatures, for which PDF file. you need to browse for a signature file. Prime Feature: Expert PDF Reader lets you view two pages at a time with the ‘Facing’ option from the ‘View’ toolbar. http://www.visagesoft.com/products/pdfreader/

Which one should you go for? Our preference goes for the Foxit Reader over Nitro because of its intuitive ribbon style user interface and flexibility. You can easily perform various tasks by simply selecting the relevant option from the toolbar, whereas in the Nitro Reader, you need to pull the arrow to highlight content. Addition

THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY 11 of callouts with content from the Comments section is also easier with Foxit Reader. Moreover, the options in Nitro are fewer than Foxit.

Sticky Notes 7 Sticky Notes With 7 Sticky Notes, you can separate notes by categories with multiple desktops. It includes 7 color themes with support for drop shadows, snap notes, align to grid and fade effects. The tool includes a wide range of fonts and formatting options (including a powerful search capability) which 7 sticky enable you to create notes in several you can view if you double-click colors and fonts on a note. It is also possible to insert hyperlinks to notes and adjust their transparency by moving the slider to the desired level. Prime Feature: 7 Sticky Notes enables you to synchronize and share notes, as also attach files to them. http://www.7stickynotes.com

Hott Notes Hott Notes enable you to create short notes and place them on your desktop. The tool also enables you to modify fonts, opacity and themes by selecting the ‘Edit’ option or by double clicking the content. In addition, you can also create a checklist and scribble notes, as well as add points with checkboxes and draw something on the notes. Prime Feature: Hott Notes enables you to configure alarm at the appropriate time. http://www.hottnotes.com/

Simple Sticky Notes Simple Sticky Notes is a simple note tool. You need to write the note and then right click on it to view the various formatting options. For instance, you can insert date and time by selecting the relevant option. Moreover, you can add list type content and insert alignment features including line spacing. It includes an explorer where you can view all the existing notes. You can open

12 THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY it by selecting Explorer option from the popup menu by selecting the icon from the taskbar. It is also possible to backup the database so that you will be able to retrieve content at a later point of time from the Settings dialog. Prime Feature: Simple Sticky Notes provides support for hotkeys. http://www.simplestickynotes.com/

GloboNote With the help of GloboNote, you will be able to roll up notes by selecting ‘Properties’ from the pop-up menu – a useful feature if you have multiple notes and would like to save desktop space. The title displays clear descriptions like ‘Today’ instead of the date, which will help you remember when the task should be completed. It is also possible to insert images and files by selecting the ‘Insert’ option. Prime Feature: GloboNote enables you to assign notes to groups by selecting the ‘Assign to Group’ option from the menu. You can create groups as per your preference and tag them on the relevant parent category. http://globonote.info

Evernote Evernote is a simple sticky notes tool which automatically syncs your notes to the cloud. You can provide content and modify the background color by right clicking on the note. It is also possible to assign a different color, although not a different font, to each note. The tool provides support for multiple displays along with the ability to configure synchronization settings. Prime Feature: You can save a copy of your notes in Evernote, Dropbox or Google Drive. http://hosting.edo-soft.com/stickynotes/

Which one should you go for? We’d recommend 7 Sticky Notes because with it, you can modify the font name, size and other formatting options for each note. In Evernote, you can modify the overall font name and size, not for specific notes.

Task Reminder Tools MiniReminder MiniReminder is a tiny program that enables you to create important tasks or events and is compatible with both Windows and Linux. You can create a new event by selecting Events > Add New, and modify the font styles and

THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY 13 colors from the ‘Preferences’ menu. The dashboard displays a list of all events created. This tool is useful for setting up renewals – for instance, you can configure the date on which you need to pay your phone bill. Prime Feature: You can set a reminder for either a few days before or after the event. http://www.minireminder.com

Desktop Reminder Desktop Reminder enables you to manage all your tasks and reminders. You can create new tasks by selecting the ‘New Task’ option. It is also possible to copy a previously created task. Detailed descriptions along with date, time and the recurring interval with an option to mark a task as urgent can also be provided. The tool enables you to divide the tasks into various categories and also lets you mark the task as completed. It includes 30 skins to choose from, to set which you need to select ‘Options’ from the File menu. Prime Feature: Desktop Reminder helps you configure alarms based on the time of day. http://www.desktop-reminder.com

Efficient Reminder Free Efficient Reminder Free includes 10 different interface styles and provides support for day and month calendar views. The tool enables you to create unlimited events with recycle Create reminders with all possible parameters bin, search, import, export, backup and restore functionalities. You can easily modify user interface colors by selecting Interface Style option. In order to work with the tool, you need to create a file and event on top of it, to which you could also add attachments. Prime Feature: Efficient Reminder Free lets you search for tasks and events based on several parameters such as ‘today’, and ‘next 7 and 30 days’. http://www.efficientreminder.com/freeedition.htm

Wunderlist Wunderlist enables you to create reminders and events and automatically

14 THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY syncs them on the cloud. It provides support for all platforms including mobile. You will be able to add tasks and notes including hashtags, which makes the search functionalities easier. In order to work with the tool, Schedule your tasks with Wunderlist you need to register on the website and login by downloading it. It is important to note here that your tasks are automatically synced to your account. Moreover, you will be able to get alerts if you had installed the relevant app on your mobile, even after you shut down the computer. The tool provides several background themes which you can use to modify its appearance. Prime Feature: Wunderlist enables you to print your tasks and lists. https://www.wunderlist.com

Which one should you go for? We prefer Wunderlist because with it, you can directly sync your daily tasks to the cloud and access them on the go (via smartphones). You can also generate a unique link for each task and share it across your team. It is also possible to create a task list. We tested MiniReminder and the interface didn’t attract us. If you want to stay productive and don’t want to forget reminders, Wunderlist is the tool you should explore.

Break Reminder Tools Big Stretch Reminder Big Stretch prompts you to take regular breaks between your strenuous work schedules. You can set the time and also select the sound you prefer. It alerts you as soon as the specified time is reached, with a friendly tip. For instance, if you set the

Relax your body in between work with Big Stretch Reminder

THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY 15 timer to ‘00.05’, you will be prompted by a message after every 5 minutes. The tool displays the amount of time left on the taskbar. Prime Feature: The tool provides tips to improve your work life via quotes or custom messages. http://www.monkeymatt.com/bigstretch/

Workrave Workrave helps you configure break intervals. It is a small program which can be easily configured by selecting the ‘Preferences’ option from the taskbar. You can configure micro and rest breaks with an option to modify the language of user interface. The tool also provides a list of tips with pictures which you can access by selecting the ‘Exercises’ option. Prime Feature: Workrave enables you to establish connection with your network. http://www.workrave.org

EyeLeo EyeLeo reinforces the importance of your eyes as an as crucial a body part as your muscles. With the help of EyeLeo, you will be able to give your eyes frequent breaks. The tool will be useful for bloggers who spend several hours in front of the screen. Select the ‘Settings’ option by right clicking on the icon from the taskbar. The dialog provides options to configure short and long breaks with an ability to preview them. However, the tool lacks the feature for providing a custom message. Prime Feature: The long break option dims the display with a friendly message. http://eyeleo.com/

MaToMaTo MaToMaTo is a timer based on the famous Pomodoro technique. The tool can be installed easily and requires .NET Framework 3.5 to run it. It is so hassle-free that you will not find any unnecessary options for this timer other than start and stop. The tool doesn’t produce any noises or sounds is therefore ideal for office environment. Prime Feature: It stays on the top of all programs and swings for the first 20 minutes, zooming in and out during the last 5 minute interval. http://www.vivasoftware.it/PomodoroTimer/MaToMaTo/

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Keep Focused Keep Focused enables you to manage time effectively using the Pomodoro technique. You just need to double click on the executable file to run the tool. Once you provide the details of the session, the tool will start to run in a session of 25 minutes. The tool can be dragged and placed anywhere on the screen. Prime Feature: You will be able to review your daily activities by selecting the ‘View Session Data File’ button. http://keepfocused.codeplex.com/

Tomighty Tomighty is a simple desktop timer based on the Pomodoro technique. In order to run it, you need to select the icon and click on ‘Start’. The user interface can be modified using four themes. Prime Feature: Tomighty enables you to specify a custom timer interval. http://www.tomighty.org/

Which one should you go for? We recommend the Big Stretch Tomighty enables you to specify custom Pomodoro time Reminder which enables you to configure tips either to appear as a balloon or inside a message box from the Display panel which you can set by selecting the ‘Settings’ option from the taskbar. EyeLeo is simply a tool which reminds you to ‘take a chill pill’. It is not possible to provide any custom messages on it.

Screen Capture Tools PC Screen Capture PC Screen Capture enables you to capture screenshots and save them in popular formats including PNG. In order to work with the tool, you need to select an option from the toolbar and a picture will be taken of the active window which can be saved by selecting the ‘Save As’ option. The tool is compatible with all editions of Windows and will be useful for students. Prime Feature: With the help of PC Screen Capture, you can capture screenshots in four different ways. http://www.pcscreencapture.com

THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY 17

TechSmith Jing Jing enables you to capture screenshots based on selection that involves dragging. You can store these on your computer or on the cloud. In order to work with the tool, you need to create an account with Jing after which a yellow circle will be displayed on the top center of your screen. Select the ‘Capture’ icon and drag the area which needs to be captured. The tool displays options with which you can save the image on your computer. You can also upload the image to your cloud account if you select the ‘Share via Screencast.com’ icon. Prime Feature: Jing lets you create five-minute videos based on the work you do on the selected area. Moreover, the free 2GB cloud account enables you to sync and store all screenshots. https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html

Which one should you go for? We’d recommend Jing over PC Screen Capture because with it, you can not only capture images but also produce short videos. Moreover, you can store all your media into your screencast account.

Website Blockers FocalFilter FocalFilter enables you to block the websites you find distracting during work using a simple block timer. Once the decided time lapses, you will be able to navigate those websites again. In order to work with the tool, select the ‘Edit MySite List’ button and provide relevant website links which you want to block. You can also select the timer duration for the period of which the websites will be blocked. Prime Feature: FocalFilter provides support for all major browsers including Safari. http://www.focalfilter.com

If you are on a lookout for a tool to create lengthy videos, you can make use of CamStudio (www. camstudio.org) or BB FlashBack Express (www.bbsoftware. co.uk/BBFlashBack_ FreePlayer.aspx).

Cold Turkey Cold Turkey enables you to block a staggeringly high number of websites and will affect all users on the computer. It also provides the ability to import domains from text files. This tool will be useful for students who want to

18 THE QUEST FOR PRODUCTIVITY do away with the distraction caused by web traffic and concentrate on their studies. The next step is to schedule the timing by selecting the ‘Schedule’ tab. If you have added domains to group ‘A’, you need to select the group, Block websites under each group separately set the timing, select the ‘Start’ tab and click on the ‘go ColdTurkey’ button. Prime Feature: Cold Turkey lets you specify If you are a Mac user, the required domains which need to be blocked you can make use of in three groups. SelfControl (www. http://getcoldturkey.com selfcontrolapp.com) to block distracting Which one should you go for? websites We recommend Cold Turkey because you can block websites in three different groups with separate timers. Moreover, if you attempt to visit a website which is blocked by Cold Turkey, a message will be displayed to you saying that the website has been blocked by the tool. These features are not available with FocalFilter.

CHAPTER #02

ON CLOUD NINE 19

FILE SHARING AND CLOUD STORAGE The data you proudly own is no longer limited to the space you have on your computer. With the advent of the cloud, data sharing has never been easier.

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n this fickle day and age, it isn’t too far-fetched to imagine losing all the important documents you have stored on your computer if your hard drive decided to crash all of a sudden – which, as we all know, it is quite wont to do. In most such cases, unless you have been prudent enough to store backup files in an external hard drive, you cannot recover the lost data. This is where the importance of cloud storage comes into the picture. With the help of the various services this wonderful technological innovation offers, you can store your data on a virtual hard drive and access it whenever required. This chapter examines the variety of tools at your disposal which facilitate transferring data from your computer to your cloud account, in addition to torrents and FTPs, along with security-related aspects for each.

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Cloud Storage Tools Dropbox Dropbox provides 2GB of space with support for Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Kindle Fire powered devices. It includes features such as forward secrecy, authentication cookies, HSTS and camera upload functionality. You will be able to manage files by selecting the Dropbox Share files easily with Dropbox icon from the system tray followed by the Open Dropbox folder option, where you can drag and drop files. You could also share the document using a link if you hover over each item and click on ‘Share Link’. Dropbox make use of 256 bit AES encryption, fragmented discrete file blocks and a 128 bit SSL/TLS tunnel. Prime Feature: DropBox enables you to retrieve deleted files within 30 days. http://dgit.in/DropboxDwn

Degoo The USP of Degoo is having the privilege to select your own backup folder during the initial configuration. For this, you need to double click on the folder name on the tool, and copy the files and folders you need to transfer. Degoo provides 100GB storage and makes use of 128 bit AES with CBC, PKCS5 padding encryption including TLS 1.2. Moreover, all encrypted data blocks are signed using an advanced cryptographic library called Keyczar. The passwords are protected using PBKDF2 and HMAC512 with a secret key. Prime Feature: Degoo stores several copies of each file and provides support for multiple custom folder selection. https://degoo.com/

MEGA MEGA provides a whopping 50GB of cloud space which is amply sufficient for storing plenty of documents, images and videos. Mega Sync

ON CLOUD NINE 21 Client enables you to upload files from your computer and store them on your account. All you need to do is select the ‘Upload to Mega’ option by clicking on the star symbol on the top right side of the tool. You will see a dialog from where you can pick the required folders or files which need to be synced. Alternatively, you can drop the folders into your system – the tool automatically detects them. You will be able to view the transfer progress by selecting the red icon on the taskbar. Prime Feature: MEGA offers a secure environment for storage management with support for usercontrolled encryption, AES-128, RSA2048, HTML5 WebCrypto API and RC4 entropy pool. http://www.mega.co.nz

Control your files with MEGA

If you are unable to access MEGA from your computer, modify the DNS of your Internet account to that of Google’s server which is 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

OneDrive Microsoft OneDrive provides support for a wide range of devices including Xbox. A new folder named OneDrive will be created inside your system into which you can drop the folders which you wish to sync. You can modify parameters such as automatic saving of screenshots by right clicking on the OneDrive icon from the taskbar and selecting the Settings option in addition to disabling auto-start. Prime Feature: With the help of OneDrive, you will be able to get up to 15GB of additional, bonus storage space, along with a facility to upgrade using local currency. http://dgit.in/OneDriveDwn

Box Box offers 10GB of storage space and enables you to sync the required folders using the drag and drop mechanism. A new folder named Box Sync is cre-

22 ON CLOUD NINE ated where you can store more than one lakh files with support for special characters in file names and paths with 256 characters. However, they don’t have the option for choosing a custom folder for sync. You can upload any number of files but a single file cannot be of a size more than 250MB. Prime Feature: Box provides the option of turning off the sync process using a slider. http://dgit.in/BoxDwn Turn off syncing easily with Box

CloudApp

CloudApp enables you to not just share files but also directly capture screenshots by selecting the Take Screenshot icon. The captured image gets saved automatically to your account without as much as the click of a button. You can also generate a short link in a secure 128-bit HTTP format, among other facilities such as password protecting each stored file, adding annotations, webcam video recordings and sharing files via email, HipChat and Slack. Prime Feature: CloudApp includes a feature using which you can destroy the files within a specified time interval. https://www.getcloudapp.com/

Google Drive

CloudApp enables you to capture screenshots instantly

Google Drive provides 15GB of storage space and is available for Windows, Android and IoS platforms. In order to store files, you need to drop them into separate folders which are created after installation. You will be able to configure proxies via Preferences. Google Drive makes use of 128-bit AES technology while transferring files. However, its lack of support to Windows Phone is disappointing and gives it a bit of a disadvantage.

ON CLOUD NINE 23 Prime Feature: You can make use of third party encryption tools such as Boxcryptor to integrate advanced security features which include AES-256 and RSA-4096 encryption standards. https://www.google.com/drive/

Which one should you go for? Dropbox will not display any progress bar after your drop files/ folders into the sync folder, although Configure advanced parameters with Google Drive it does have a green icon in each folder inside the drive to indicate that the items have been successfully transferred. MEGA, on the other hand, shows transfer progress along with percentage status, detecting addition of files instantly and performing the sync operation. With MEGA, you could either drop the contents into the folder or manually upload them, which Dropbox doesn’t provide support for, from your desktop. The sync folder of MEGA can be recognized by the red mark. However, individual files/ folders inside the drive are not marked. MEGA doesn’t consume heavy system resources and is hence compatible with old computers as well. For instance, we noticed that our test computer slowed down during the booting process after the installation of Dropbox. Also, while Dropbox provides only 2GB of storage space, MEGA provides 50GB of space, which is sufficient for normal usage. So as you can see, MEGA offers more features than Dropbox along with additional security which makes your work infinitely easier.

All-in-One Cloud Storage Tools odrive odrive allows you to manage all your

odrive helps you add various services easily

24 ON CLOUD NINE existing accounts on various cloud services including Dropbox, OneDrive, Facebook, Instagram and FTP directly from your desktop, by creating a new folder in your hard drive. You have to link your accounts by authorizing access to start the sync process. For instance, if you double click on Dropbox, the tool prompts you to authorize access. You will be able to view the content inside your account only if you grant this permission. Prime Feature: With odrive, you can configure the automatic download limit with an option to move your default folder. http://www.odrive.com

Cloud Explorer enables you to modify UI languages easily

Cloud Explorer Cloud Explorer enables you to connect to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box and Facebook. You can also view the files on each account after you establish connection by granting permission. It provides support for several languages which you can modify using the Option dialog. Prime Feature: Cloud Explorer provides support for a portable environment and you can therefore run it directly via a USB drive without installation. http://www.getcloudexplorer.com Security is important in cloud storage CloudBuckit since you never know CloudBuckit provides support for several cloud whether anyone storage services including Google Drive, Twitter can access your and Picasa. It make use of SSL 256-bit encryption, files without your OAuth2 and HTTPS over SSL and cloud drive knowledge. mapping for transferring data from your desktop

ON CLOUD NINE 25 to the respective cloud providers. You will be able to modify the download folder by selecting Settings from the Toolbox option. You will be able to configure and Drop and share in a single place with CloudBuckit schedule tasks from the dashboard which enable you to simplify file transfer process. Prime Feature: With the help of CloudCommander, you will be able to split the screen into two which facilitates easy transfer of files. https://www.cloudbuckit.com/

Which one should you go for? We recommend CloudBuckit because it provides support for several cloud storage providers and is equipped with its own dashboard (from where you will be able to perform all actions) instead of relying on the traditional folder. We even tried connecting it to Google Drive and could upload several files easily with a simple drag-and-drop job. Moreover, it has the option of splitting the screen using Cloud Commander which enables you to add files from your computer easily by selecting the required items from the left side and dropping them to the cloud account on the right. The built-in task manager and scheduler is a big bonus for geeks. Apropos odrive, there’s a folder where you can drop files – you need to right click on its icon in the toolbar to add new service.

BitTorrent Clients uTorrent µTorrent provides support for bandwidth and remote management in addition to the scripting and creation of torrent files. The tool doesn’t consume too many system resources and works fast if you ignore the scammy ads. It provides support for the modification of several settings such as connections, bandwidth, transfer cap, queuing, scheduler, player, device pairing, custom search engine configuration and disk cache including an RSS downloader. You can also configure it in such a way that it performs actions like shutdown and restart after downloading files from the server. You will be able to set a random port number, configure windows firewall

26 ON CLOUD NINE exception and enable protocol encryption . Prime Feature: On uTorrent, you can provide a fake hostname to prevent other users from viewing your IP address. http://www.utorrent.com/

BitComet

uTorrent helps you to modify various parameters easily

BitComet provides support for not only torrents but also HTTP and FTP protocols. It includes an advanced accelerator which enables you to download files faster. The tool lets you configure the default directory and also features disk cache and allocation. It includes support for DHT network, internet connection firewall and sharing in addition to UPNP port mapping. You will be able to configure proxies, long term seeding, eMule settings, protocol encryption, scheduler, remote download, window integration in addition to enabling automatic virus scan of the file after its download. You also have the option to set a custom time for auto shutdown of the tool.

Shut down easily after torrenting at a specified time

Prime Feature: The powerful eMule plug-in lets you download and upload files to eDonkey and Kad networks resulting in cross protocol file sharing capabilities. http://www.bitcomet.com

ON CLOUD NINE 27

Deluge Deluge provides support for protocol encryption, private torrents, bandwidth scheduler and plug-ins. You will be able to configure proxies, web seed and tracker by selecting Preferences option from the Edit menu. You can also provide values for cache size and expiry time. It also supports an array of regular features such as BitTorrent encryption, DHT, magnet URLs, web interface etc. With Deluge, you can provide values for bandwidth management globally and per torrent. Prime Feature: Deluge can run on a remote machine while you would be able to control the downloads through Deluge on your desktop. http://deluge-torrent.org

qBittorrent qBittorrent is a lightweight tool with a simple user interface which provides support for Magnet/BitComet, Peer Exchange, DHT, UPnP and NATPMP port forwarding. You can modify the default download location, bandwidth values and security related settings which includes proxy configuration by selecting Options from the Tools menu. Prime Feature: You will be able to lock the tool by selecting Lock qBittorrent option from the View menu to prevent unauthorized access. http://www.qbittorrent.org

Tixati

Manage Upload and Download Speeds with qBittorrent

Tixati includes support for DHT, PEX and Magnet Link, RC4 connection encryption, IP filtering and event scheduler including four different themes. You can configure incoming ports, connections, proxies by selecting the settings icon on the toolbar. It displays a progress bar during the torrent download process. The tool doesn’t consist of any menus but the task can be completed using toolbar buttons. Prime Feature: The event logging and shell integration features are a real plus for advanced users. http://www.tixati.com/

28 ON CLOUD NINE

Work with the menu less dashboard of Tixati

Which one should you go for? While BitComet only displays percentage during the downloading process and doesn’t include a progress bar, uTorrent shows both. It also includes a built-in media player with which you can play downloaded media files, the lack of which in BitComet is disappointing. BitComet, however, provides a list of links to torrent sites on the left navigation panel. However, we stopped using uTorrent since it started throwing unnecessary and annoying advertisements. It was also reported to come bundled with a kind of junkware that used your system resources to mine Bitcoins. The best option in BitTorrent clients would be Deluge which essentially looks like uTorrent during its glorius days. The decision of shipping the client with a few essential features makes it a lightweight effective client. The option to install additional features through plugins definitely makes Deluge our favourite BitTorrent client.

FTP Tools FileZilla With the help of FileZilla, you can upload and download files to and from your own web hosting space. You need to create separate entries by selecting Site Manager from File menu. You can then select the drop down arrow located on the top left side and start uploading files. The tool displays the status of each action on the top window and the progress of the files being uploaded in the bottom section. Prime Feature: The tool provides support for FTP, SFTP, TLS and SSL protocols in addition to process queue, ASCII and binary transfer type. You will be able to upload files in active and passive modes. https://filezilla-project.org

ON CLOUD NINE 29

Configure advanced settings with FileZilla

Core FTP CoreFTP provides support for FTP, SFTP, SSL and TLS. You can configure FTP accounts using the site manager in addition to sessions, templates, SSL certificates, custom commands, file associations and filters from the Manage menu. You can view a log of events on the top of the tool but the font size, we found, was too small to be universally legible. Prime Feature: CoreFTP enables you to configure sounds and includes support for SSH Ciphers and Mac Algorithms with an ability to configure proxies in four different formats. http://www.coreftp.com

WS_FTP LE WS_FTP LE includes a connection wizard and site manager using which you can configure FTP accounts. It provides support for automatic restart, auto-delete files, email notifications, SFTP, FTPS, AES and FIPS 140-2 in addition to the ability to encrypt files upon transfer. Prime Feature: WS_FTP LE enables you to create SSL certificate using wizard including import of certificate. You can also configure firewall and browser integration from the Tools menu. http://www.wsftple.com

FTP Voyager FTP Voyager includes features such as synchronization, scheduled transfers, FIPS 140-2 validation, bandwidth throttling and MLST/MLSD. You can view folders inside your computer from within the tool just like on My

30 ON CLOUD NINE Computer. A new FTP connection can be established either by using the wizard or directly. You can configure sounds, font colors for display of logs and trusted certificates by selecting Options from the Tools section. Prime Feature: FTP VoyFTP Voyager enables you to add sounds for various events ager provides support for FTP, SFTP and FTPS, IPv4 and IPv6. The user interface is developed using ribbon format which looks similar to Microsoft Office. http://dgit.in/FTPVoygr

Which one should you go for? We recommend FileZilla because of its simplicity and regular updates. You can easily configure FTP accounts to upload files, and view a detailed status of various activities on the top panel and the transfer progress in both, the progress bar and the percentage in the bottom panel. In CoreFTP, the log details are displayed in small fonts which are difficult to read. In order to download WS_FTP LE and FTP Voyager, you need to provide your personal details as part of registration process. We prefer a FTP tool which can be downloaded directly – in this regard, FileZilla emerges as the clear winner.

CHAPTER #03

BROWSERS 31

BROWSERS It’s time to think beyond Chrome. In this chapter, we introduce you to several web browsers you’ve probably never come across.

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t’s said that the Internet is the gateway to just about everything. And, as we have all come to learn in the course of the past two decades or so, it’s largely true. But then, there’s a gateway to the internet as well – the web browser. And when it comes to the browser, you are spoilt for choice with old and new players vying for your attention. Here, we round up some of the most exciting browsers of the year detailing their pros and cons.

Vivaldi From Opera’s creators, something to please the power-users To call Vivaldi as just an offshoot of Opera is neither here nor there. Yes, the browser is created by Opera’s founder, Jon Von Tetzchner and there are nods to Opera that are evident in Vivaldi. But that’s not the whole story, not by a long shot. Let’s start by looking at what does bear semblance to Opera in this one. The grid of your favourite websites that automatically appears in every new tab is practically a replica of how it’s with Opera. The integrated mail client concept – not unique by any means to Opera was still a feature that

32 BROWSERS

The Vivaldi Browser

appeared in that browser, and which faithfully replicated in Vivaldi as well. As for deviations from the norm, the browser allows you to dock tabs on any side of the screen – on the top or bottom as well as right or left. One feature that helps make the interface less cluttered is the option to form groups of tabs. The groups can be formed based on the nature of the websites that fall under one – entertainment related tabs can fall inside one bracket. This is certainly a welcome feature given how we have to contend with a plethora of tabs with many current browsers. The creators of the browser seem to have an inclination to please powerusers, for the number of keyboard shortcuts available on the product is quite impressive. And it’s also heard that they are coming out with spatial navigation so that you won’t have to lift your fingers off the keyboard to navigate the web. Yet, another feature of interest is the one to create notes on web pages (one which, now that we think about it should have been there in many earlier browsers). That can certainly be useful; however, in the current version of the browser, we didn’t get a smooth experience with the feature. What’s special about it: Vivaldi certainly is one of the better browsers doing the rounds. With features such as group tabs and their experimentation with the interface (including, even filters that allow you to view pages in sepia or black and white) it’s a fun browser to use which aims at a clutter-free browsing experience. However, the current version of the browser comes across as more of a teaser for its greater potential.

The Tor Browser For the whistleblowers of all sizes and shapes On the face of it, the Tor browser may look like one designed to aid shady characters – for Tor’s USP is that it prevents other people from tracing your online activities. The browser effectively scatters your traffic route across relays spread across the world which makes tracing your IP address almost as tough as hitting a bullseye while blind-folded.

BROWSERS 33 However, all this technical bravado is not to aid less-than-honourable activities (at least, it needn’t be). Say, for instance if you have to report a misdemeanour of your employer, this is your go-to browser if you’re shooting a mail to the higher-ups from within the organization. You can even run the browser from a pen drive, making it unnecessary to install it in your

Want to be a spy? Use Tor. We kid of course.

computer. Yes, the browser’s creators seem extremely serious about you going incognito. On the flipside, we did encounter hassles – the most significant of which is that the browser functions at a lower speed than its peers. And, it’s logical to assume that since your location is rarely static while using it, services that provide you information based on your current location may fall short of your expectations. What’s special about it: The quintessential browser for whistleblowers is not meant for day-to-day browsing. It’s slower than most popular browsers and the list of features is also limited in comparison. We can’t help but wonder how it’ll be if they could improve on those counts and have the incognito mode embedded in it as an option at the same time.

3. Qupzilla There’s more than meets the eye Qupzilla looks pretty much similar to most mainstream browsers. But going beyond appearances, you do find certain subtle distinctions which are of value – there’s the feature which allows you to consolidate bookmarks, history and the RSS reader in one window. That, as you can imagine will make things clutter-free for you. Other features found in the browser include integrated Adblock and the option to send the Do-Not-Track header. With Qupzilla, you also have the option to browse in private mode – a standard with most browsers these days, the Speed Dial option to quickly access your favourite websites is also present. You can stylise Qupzilla with the multiple themes that come with the browser package. Though the Internet has quite a few articles praising the

34 BROWSERS

Discover a multitude of features with Qupzilla

speed with which the browser functions, in our review we found that while the speed is comparable with browsers including Chrome, it’s not exuberant. Why you should try it: A quality browser that’s user-friendly. Where Qupzilla falls short is in the number of extensions available, especially when you compare it with the likes of Firefox. However, if you don’t require as many extensions and could find satisfaction with a minimal set of add-ons, by all means go ahead with this one.

4. Chrome The world’s favourite browser is here to stay Everyone’s “Been there, done that” browser, Chrome still remains the most popular browser in the world and for good reasons too (not least of which is its incredible compatibility across platforms). Also, the minimalistic design which Chrome pioneered, works extremely well on multiple devices – be it a panoramic desktop monitor or a smartphone screen, the experience you get is seamless. One other factor that makes Chrome such a favourite is that your Chrome data will be made available across devices, thanks to the fact that you have a Gmail account – and it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t have one.

Ohhh extensions! Do we really need to tell you anything about Chrome?

Google has always displayed a knack for understanding their user’s wish to simplify matters and respond accordingly – the box which clubs the URL field and the search bar into one is a case in point – something that was introduced by Chrome and was picked up by everyone else. Why you’d want to stick to it: Chrome is a great browser for two reasons: its cross-platform compatibility and its ability to handle intense browsing sessions involving a large number of tabs rather well. Yes, you feed the monster more RAM and it’ll will treat you well but once you open

BROWSERS 35 up too many tabs it starts breaking apart. For those who are concerned about sharing sensitive data with the giant, it’s another matter altogether.

5. Firefox Fox-trotting towards better features For some reason, Mozilla calls its extensions as add-ons. Whatever be the name by which they are called, there are quite a few of them, most of which are meant to give you more customisation power. However, Firefox takes a beating on the appearance front, especially when compared to its main competitor, Chrome. For instance, in the latest version they have retained the additional Google Search field on the top of the window – something they could easily have avoided given how the address bar couples as the search bar too. Coming back to add-ons, the latest version – even though it boasts of many extensions doesn’t offer much in the way of unique varieties. But there is one feature of the browser which we particularly liked – Firefox Hello. It’s essentially a video chat service like FaceTime and Skype. So, we know what you’re thinking – why do you need it? Well, what makes Firefox Hello

Firefox - a one time favourite. For loyalists even so today.

useful is that with the interface, you can call anyone with a Chrome, Opera or Firefox browser, which when you think about it makes sense given how not everyone will have services like Skype on their system unlike a browser which is sure to be present. Our verdict: Even though its customisation tools are welcome, they fail to add significant value to the browsing experience. Having said that, it’s still one of the better browsers around, and with introduction of features such as Firefox Hello, it’s steadily improving.

6. Opera Looks aside, some unique features If you’re looking for a browser with a distinct visual interface, Opera is not that one. Adopting Chromium, the browser shares in terms of visual aesthetics with Chrome. But there are a couple of features here which make

36 BROWSERS

Ahh the good old days of Opera

Opera a worthy contender in the browser race. The Discover feature, for instance, is a useful tool for the news-hungry. It offers a selection of new stories that can be consumed without taking too much time – just the kind of thing that the pressed-for-time modern consumer requires. Then there’s the Speed Dial which enables you to open tabs alongside a grid of thumbnails of your favourite sites – not a unique feature but one that’s designed better than the ones in Chrome and Firefox. The Turbo mode is essentially what makes Opera stand out from the crowd though. Using this mode, you can improve the speed by saving bandwidth and compressing data-something that’s extremely useful in low-bandwidth conditions where many places still have less than great internet connectivity, particularly when it comes to Wi-Fi. Another feature worthy of mention is the one that enables you to restore browsing session as you boot it up – you can even set this feature as default. Our verdict: Though many of its features are identical to those of other mainstream browsers like Chrome and Firefox, Opera does offer distinct services that make it a serious option. In other words, you can do worse than choosing Opera to getting into the net.

7. Internet Explorer Still shows mettle The fact that Internet Explorer is soon poised to go obsolete – with Microsoft focusing more on the Edge browser for Windows 10 as its mainstay, is not necessarily a good piece of news for Internet enthusiasts. For, as we found out when reviewing the browser holds up pretty well when compared to its peers, and it does have some of the best intuitive designs incorporated in a browser. However, Microsoft Edge there’s no favourites tab to be found here but browser hasn’t been it’s possible to pin web pages to the Windows included due its unaTaskbar. The browser also has a unique feature vailability as a stan– Tracking Protection facility. This feature sends dalone downloadable Do Not Track requests to the sites that try to get web browser. in touch with your browser.

BROWSERS 37 For the review, we tried it out on Windows 8, which is supposedly the best platform for the browser. Our verdict: IE may be on its way out but it’s still a cool browser, if you can overlook minor design glitches like the strip that appears just above the web content, making the portions above and below it look like they are in two different windows. Also, keep in mind that Microsoft has discontinued support for IE for Mac users.

UC Browser - the new kid on the block

8. UC Browser Built for low speed browsing, nothing more The UC Browser is getting a lot of traction in both China and India – meaning it’s supposed to work well in lower Internet speeds. And as we found, that assumption turns out to be true but there’s a catch. While you are able to browse faster with a slower connection, we had to keep closing other programs running in the background to facilitate the same. In terms of design, there’s nothing to gloat over here – the browser decisively adopts a non-minimal look, maybe to make itself look different from other browsers, but it doesn’t really help in any way. The browser supports all the Chrome extensions and the great news is that it syncs perfectly across platforms. But where UC scores the most is with downloads. As mentioned before, it works well even with low internet speed, which means that your downloads won’t get interrupted as it happens with other browsers. Our attempt was with the PC browser though. Our verdict: A clunky interface takes the charm out of this browser which is still a good choice for those with slow Internet connections. It’s recommended for PC but if you use your machine for offline CPU intensive functions, the browser may not function as well as it should.

38

CHAPTER #04

DESKTOP CUSTOMISATION The default applications have failed to live up to our expectations. We head out in search of their alternatives to exercise more power and control over the desktop.

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o one really admires a cluttered desktop. Eventually, a desktop overflowing with icons starts to hinder with your productivity. You could either choose to continue working on a bland desktop with sudden intervals of infuriating fits or you could turn your head to desktop customisation tools. These set of tools clean up your desktop and make you productive with the advent of shortcuts, effectively reducing the number of steps required to access important applications and software. The following tools are directed towards individuals who care about working on a good-looking desktop as well as a productive one.

Start Menu Reviver 2.0 The release of Windows 8 received a lot of flack from Windows users, pertaining to the onset of new alienating features. Microsoft had to eventually release an update (Windows 8.1) later, to bring back the good ol’ Start

DESKTOP CUSTOMISATION 39 button. If you’re running a Windows 7 or 8.1 system, you might start envying the design of the new Start Menu which also includes Cortana on Windows 10. Start Menu Reviver 2.0 does a good job in replicating the Start Menu from Windows 10 but sadly doesn’t include a Cortanalike assistant. Instead, you will only be able to search everything on your computer. The design is defiStart Menu Reviver replicates the Start Menu from Windows 10, adding more customisation nitely a complete revamp of the Start Menu from Windows 7. You can add apps and arrange the layout of the tiles on the fly. It also includes a column of useful shortcuts such as My Computer, Control Panel, Network, etc on the left, reducing the number of steps required to access them. The tiles aren’t only restricted to software and applications, you will be able to assign dedicated tiles to your favourite websites also. This tool is unnecessary if you’re already on Windows 10, but certainly will turn out to be quite useful on Windows 8.1 and lower operating systems. http://dgit.in/StartMenuRev

AquaSnap Windows snap to a pre-defined size on the desktop area to variable sizes of windows, a feature first seen on Windows 7 which eventually improved in Windows 10. AquaSnap further enhances the snapping feature by giving you freedom to snap a maximum of four windows to the entire desktop which is one quarter of the screen. Inside this tool, an interesting option called AquaMagnet makes the windows act as magnets towards each other and the edges of the screen (which can be enabled individually) and here, you can also change the distance at which the windows are attracted. After enabling this feature, AquaGlue lets you group certain windows, appearing as if they have been glued together. You can resize the entire group of windows while they are snapped to the edges according to your needs. Once grouped, you can move the snapped windows together as a group anywhere

40 DESKTOP CUSTOMISATION

AquaSnap makes it easier to manage too many open windows on your desktop

on the screen. While working on multiple windows, you could be accessing data on more than two windows. AquaGlass will let you turn any window transparent, making the content visible even when the window overlaps the other and it also has a changeable transparency level. If you want a window to always stay on top of the rest, you can enable AquaShake. This feature can be activated by holding the window and giving it a sudden shake. AquaStretch makes it easier to maximise a window horizontally, vertically or diagonally to the edge of the display. http://dgit.in/AquaSnapWin

Dexpot

Dexpot makes it possible to have virtual desktops

Virtual desktops emulate the sense of working on multiple desktops where you can switch between virtual screens and manage files and folders individually on each of these virtual screens. Already present on Windows 10, the Dexpot tool extends the virtual desktop feature to your older Windows 7/8/8.1 system, so that you can also

DESKTOP CUSTOMISATION 41 work on a clutter-free desktop. Using Dexpot is child’s play and after installation, an icon will appear in the taskbar by which you can switch between four different virtual desktops. The maximum number of virtual desktop can be pushed to 20 but incrementally it takes a toll on your system performance. You can also tinker around with the advanced features to select different type of views for the virtual desktops. A helpful add-on called Windows Catalog displays all the virtual windows in a single instance and lets you drag applications across any virtual desktop. It gives more granular control over assigning shortcuts to tasks such as switching between virtual desktops, moving a certain window to a particular desktop, changing transparency level etc. Dexpot supports official plugins to further expand the capabilities of the tool. http://dgit.in/DexpotWin

Switcher 2.0

Switcher 2.0 ensures you don’t find it frustrating to locate a particular window

After opening a number of windows on your desktop, it becomes quite frustrating to search for a specific window. Switcher 2.0 makes switching between applications and windows easier by displaying all the windows in a numbered grid, so that you can select the desired one. The tool will let you select the pattern in which you want your apps to be displayed. Of course, you can change the pattern to random sized tiles, dock or proper grids. You can assign your own shortcut to activate the task view as long as it doesn’t conflict with the existing shortcuts of the operating system. You’ll

42 DESKTOP CUSTOMISATION get complete control over the appearance right from the font to the colour scheme. You’re also offered certain advanced features to edit the delay of the animations, size of the grids, etc. Tweaking them might mess up the existing values but you don’t need to worry about them if you are comfortable with the default setting. Albeit, if you end up entering erroneous values, you’ll be able to revert back to the original settings in one single click. http://insentient.net/

ConEmu It’s about time that certain long-awaited changes were incorporated into the command prompt on Windows. Before the updated command prompt on Windows 10, you couldn’t resize the window since you were restricted to the screen buffer of 80, nor you could select the text with your cursor, leaving no room for copy and paste commands. This made it difficult while entering complicated commands. ConEmu is the default Windows command prompt functioning on steroids, featuring tabbed sessions, multiple consoles and a very high level of customisation compared to the improved one on Windows 10. This tool includes a number of extra features, enabling you to run many GUI apps in tabs for debugging, code checking and other services. You can even split tabs into different screens and you can navigate across them. The freedom of customisation on ConEmu is endless, serving you with control in minuscule tasks. If you’re a frequent user of Notepad++, you can launch the software inside a tab and further split the screen if you wish. http://dgit.in/ConEmuWin

AutoHotkey Shortcuts prove quite useful to get things done quickly. The number and variations of shortcuts present on the desktop screen is limited. To ramp up your productivity, AutoHotkey will bring in a lot of scripts, macro, shortcuts and more. This will enable its users to go all out crazy on assigning shortcuts according to their own preferences which will eventually reduce the time spent in opening up apps. Not just apps, but through scripting you’ll be able to set shortcuts to open your favourite folders with simple combinations of keystrokes. For example, if you access the Downloads folder of your system too frequently, you can assign the shortcut Windows Key + 1 to open the folder. Writing scripts might sound intriguing but it’s as simple as writing a note. The tool itself has an in-built help menu which gives you a short tutorial on how to create scripts and also explains the

DESKTOP CUSTOMISATION 43 various syntaxes. Your keystroke scripts will be stored in files with a .ahk extension. AutoHotkey is our favourite tool which will essentially speed up your time and make things easier. https://www.autohotkey.com/

Winstep Nexus Windows operating systems never sported a handy dock at the bottom as seen on the Mac operating system. Docks are useful if you prefer keeping your desktop clean from ugly looking icons. Winstep Nexus is a worthy option to check out if you plan on emulating the same on your Windows desktop. Apart from the default icons and shortcuts, the tool lets you insert links to any installed software on your system. It can be positioned anywhere on the edges of the screen and it also supports multiple monitors. You can change almost every aspect of the dock, right from its size to the theme and also the mouseover effects. It lets you pick different sounds for all the actions from a library and place several modules such as Clock, CPU Meter, RAM Meter etc. to display real-time data. Nexus comes on top over the other options solely because of the degree of customisation offered. http://dgit.in/WinStepNexus

Ditto It’s frustrating to lose out the last piece of text or image you had copied onto the clipboard. By default, Windows doesn’t retain your clipboard history but it can be achieved with third-party Clipboard tools. Ditto turns out to be the best one to offer features suited to maintain a list of all the items copied right since you switched on your system. Saved items can include text, images, html, custom formats etc. It has a simple and straightforward interface where you can search the required item across the history of previously copied items. One interesting feature about Ditto is that it can sync clipboards across multiple PCs. http://dgit.in/DittoClip

XYplorer In our quest of getting rid of the mundane default software shipped with Windows, we come across XYplorer, an alternative to the dull Windows Explorer. This tool has much more necessary features such as tabbed browsing and a file search engine powered by several parameters helping you to narrow down your search. Certain file formats or folders can be filtered using different colours, a feature which drives away the confusion

44 DESKTOP CUSTOMISATION while scrolling down a big number of files. When you open up the Settings, you’ll be presented with more options to tweak around. Again, a high level of customisation is offered which is expected in this tool. Once, you start using XYplorer, you can never go back to the default Explorer ever. http://dgit.in/XYplorer

Hard drive space visualisers help you to determine the amount of space occupied by folders

TreeSize Windows doesn’t include a hard drive space visualiser hence, you can’t precisely and easily determine which folder is taking up extra space. TreeSize is a simple visualiser which lists out the drives and all the folders, specifying the amount of space occupied by each of them. In the presence of too many folders, this tool comes in handy when you plan on clearing out space in your hard drive but aren’t sure about which folder to remove. This tool won’t just let you view your files but also let you cut, copy, delete, and move files, doubling as a simple file explorer as well. http://dgit.in/TreeSizeVis

SECURITY SOFTWARE 45 CHAPTER #05

TOOLS TO PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER Security is the bedrock of computer usage. Without it, your PC is vulnerable to a number of perils, including viruses, trojans, spyware and phishing attacks. Prevention is the best cure. Let’s find out how to secure your PC with free software.

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f you use PC extensively, you should take steps to establish the security of not only your system, files and folders but also web browsing. Nearly 80% of unwanted programs enter your system via the web. So make sure to avail of various tools to engage in safe computing.

ls AVG Antivirus AVG Antivirus enables you to block virus, trojans, spywares and malwares from entering your computer. It includes AVG Zen which protects all devices from a single dashboard. Moreover, you can scan and remove viruses in your computer using your mobile phone. You will be prompted to register

46 SECURITY SOFTWARE for an optional AVG Zen account. The dashboard helps you view protection, performance, privacy and identity and also includes a separate module called Web Tuneup, besides one to verify the performance of your computer. To avail Protect more devices with AVG Antivirus of it, you need to select the ‘Fix Performance’ option by right clicking on ‘AVG Antivirus’ on the taskbar. If you select ‘Click to protect more devices’ on the dashboard, you will be able to add additional devices such as Android and Mac phones and tabs, for which you have to make use of the credentials of your AVG Zen account. Prime Feature: With AVG Antivirus, you can scan social media links. http://dgit.in/FreeAVGav

Avast Antivirus Avast Antivirus detects and removes all kind of viruses, trojans and malwares. It also protects your home network from the claws of attackers, besides removing unwanted extensions, toolbars and including features to protect your system from phishing. It also includes VPN and has the ability to run on a ‘silent’ mode. Moreover, the smart scan utility helps you perform all kinds of scanning with a single click. Avast Antivirus automatically removes outdated software which pose a major threat to your computer. The dashboard enables you to perform either smart or quick scanning. You will also be able to add Sandbox, SafeZone and Firewall from the ‘Tools’ section. Moreover, the virus definitions are Perform smart scan easily with Avast updated regularly.

SECURITY SOFTWARE 47 Prime Feature: Avast Antivirus features a password manager, which enables you to store all your credentials securely. https://www.avast.com

Avira Antivirus Avira Antivirus automatically detects and removes not only viruses but also malwares, worms, trojans, spywares and adwares. More importantly, it also protects your privacy and includes a powerful browser tracking blocker, which automatically bars harmful websites and hidden applications which are commonly found in third party software programs. The Avira Launcher enables you to access system scanner, real time protection tool, firewall and quarantine. You can also configure Android security and manage scheduler, reports and events. The right side of the launcher lets you configure settings related to PC and firewall protection, which will be useful for web browsing. You can also enable/disable services by dragging the green tab, and select the specific ‘type’ of files that need to be scanned by selecting the ‘Open configuration’ option from the real-time protection row. Prime Feature: Avira Antivirus is equipped with cloud protection which protects your computer against the latest threats. http://dgit.in/FreeAviraAV

Which one should you go for? We’d recommend Avira Antivirus because it has a clean user interface and is easy to navigate. Avast Antivirus unfortunately lacks custom scan selection. We could not perform a full scan using Avast because it showed an endpoint mapper dialog box.

Malware & Spyware Tools Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is equipped with an advanced malware removal technology which detects and removes worms, trojans, rootkits, rogues and spyware. The tool updates database definitions from the web soon after installation. You can perform the scan process either completely or by custom configuration, where you need to select the relevant drive and options from the displayed page. The ‘Settings’ page includes various

Bitdefender Antivirus (http://dgit.in/ BitDefAV) provides HTTP scanning mechanism which gives protection from phishing attacks – a useful feature if you shop online or access internet banking frequently.

48 SECURITY SOFTWARE options such as notifications and language and you can also schedule scan processes at a time convenient for you. Prime Feature: The tool automatically repairs the damaged files and is available for all major operating systems including Mac OS X. https://www.malwarebytes. org

Scan for Malwares easily

AdwCleaner AdwCleaner removes adware, PUP, LPI, and unwanted toolbars including hijacker and is compatible with all editions of Windows. The tool is easy to install. You can start with the cleaning process by selecting the ‘Scan’ option. However, our testers were unable to stop the scan once it started. You can view the results by selecting various tabs from the bottom part of the dashboard. The tool places the infected files on ‘quarantine’ which you can access from the ‘Tools’ menu. Prime Feature: You can easily reset Winsock, TCP/ IP, Firewall and other related settings from the ‘Options’ menu. These options will be useful in case the settings get messed up by unwanted advertisement toolbars. http://dgit.in/AdwClnr Scan all areas of your computer for malwares

Lavasoft Ad-Aware Ad-Aware free edition provides support for antivirus, antispyware, malware and adware. It features real-time protection in addition to tools for safe browsing and gaming mode. With it, you can also block illegal and dangerous websites by configuring the optional Ad-Aware web companion during the setup process. The dashboard provides several options to manage the tool. You will be able to perform a virus scan by selecting

SECURITY SOFTWARE 49 the ‘Scan Computer’ option. It is also possible to enable web, email and network security. Prime Feature: The tool protects your computer from unwanted downloads. For instance, it scans the downloaded file and if found to be infected, the tool will prompt you to stop the download. This feature will be useful in case you download software from external download sites. http://dgit.in/LavaSoft

Which one should you go for? We prefer Malwarebytes Anti-Malware over Lavasoft Ad-Aware because of the sheer simplicity with which you can perform a scan using various options. Moreover, the tool doesn’t use huge memory resources.

Firewall Tools ZoneAlarm Free Firewall With the help of ZoneAlarm Free Firewall, you will be able to protect your computer against web-based attacks. It has the ability to block popups, leak tests and harmful cookies. The main advantage, however, is that the traffic to and from your computer is constantly monitored for any suspicious activity. You can also block invasions and monitor hacker activity, as also modify options by selecting the ‘View Details’ button from the dashboard. You can Protect your computer against Intruders add news zones to the firewall by selecting the ‘View Zones’ option. If you click on the ‘Settings’ link in the ‘Application Control’ section, you will also be able to adjust the settings of your network. Prime Feature: ZoneAlarm Free Firewall secures your system from the eyes of malicious websites which attempt to steal your personal data and identity. It also provides 5GB of free cloud storage space which you can activate by selecting ‘Activate’ from the ‘Identity & Data’ section. http://dgit.in/ZAFirewall

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TinyWall TinyWall protects your computer without any unnecessary pop-ups. It includes built-in tamper protection, blacklists and temporary firewall rules. You need not have to know the details of various ports, protocols and other technical specifications thanks to which the tool will be ideal for beginners. It also provides support for protecting host files and blocks trojans, viruses and worms as well. Comodo (www. Prime Feature: TinyWall provides support comodo.com) is an for IPv6. advanced Firewall http://tinywall.pados.hu which includes cloud

Which one should you go for? We recommend ZoneAlarm Free Firewall since it is easy to get a hang of. Besides, TinyWall has fewer features.

Password Managers LastPass

based behavior analysis and whitelisting. It also enables you to generate personalized alerts for various activities.

LastPass enables you to store not only passwords but also attach documents and images such as, for instance, your Aadhaar card. It is also possible to share logins with your colleagues. You will be able to access the tool by selecting the red star icon on the top to the right. In order to add a new site, you should select the ‘Add Site’ option. A new dialog box will be displayed where you’d need to provide the required information. Moreover, when you try and login to your Gmail account after the installation of LastPass, you will be prompted to save the site. A new dialog will show up where you can add the site to a folder. If you try and visit Gmail, you will be able to view the username and password auto-populated. Moreover, your account will be synced to the cloud which enables you to access saved sites on the go. Remember passwords easily Prime Feature: You will

SECURITY SOFTWARE 51 be able to create secured notes for credit cards, memberships, WiFi logins and passports. https://lastpass.com

DashLane DashLane enables you to keep track of your passwords by importing them from browsers and storing them into your secure vault. The dashboard displays a list of recently visited websites. You can directly navigate to a site by selecting ‘Go To’ from the popup menu. If you select ‘Add New’, you will view a dialog box where you can choose the relevant site and provide credentials. It displays a list of popular websites in a drop-down box. You can add notes by selecting the ‘Secure Notes’ option from the navigation panel. Prime Feature: DashLane generates alerts when your website is compromised. https://www.dashlane.com

Manage Passwords with DashLane

Which one should you go for? We prefer LastPass over DashLane because it is credible and used by many people all over the world. It can be installed easily and doesn’t cover the entire browser window.

Hard Disk Tools Gilisoft File Lock Gilisoft File Lock enables you to lock and hide documents and media files with passwords. In order to work with the tool, you need to provide a master password and email ID. The dashboard displays three options

52 SECURITY SOFTWARE using which you can lock files, folder and hard drives. You can add a new folder by selecting the ‘Add Folders’ option. For this, you need to select the checkbox and click on the ‘Lock Folders’ button. Prime Feature: Gilisoft File Lock generates an alarm when a user attempts to provide the wrong password more than five times. http://dgit.in/Gilisoft

Lock file, folder or drive easily. But remember what you have done

DiskCryptor DiskCryptor enables you to encrypt all your hard disk and system partitions. It provides support for AES, Twofish, Serpent and dynamic disks, along with larger disks. Prime Feature: DiskCryptor provides support for PadLock extensions on VIA processors and SSD TRIM extensions which will be useful for advanced users. https://diskcryptor.net

SafeHouse Explorer Encryption With the help of this tool, you will be able to hide secret files and protect them from unauthorized access – which is especially useful if you share your computer with others. In order to work with the tool, you need to create a private storage area by selecting the ‘New Volume’ button. You can then drag and drop the files and folders you need to protect. If someone opens the folder, they will not view the files unless they input the correct password. Prime Feature: The tool can protect files from any sources including network servers and iPods. http://dgit.in/SafeHouseExp

Which one should you go for? We’d recommend SafeHouse Explorer over Gilisoft File Lock because it is easy to use and free. The options are clearly marked and you can protect files and folders without putting in much effort.

SECURITY SOFTWARE 53

Drag and drop files and live privately

Windows Login Security Tools Blink Blink enables you make use of the webcam to login to your computer instead of a password. It employs advanced face recognition techniques for reliable and secured login for multiple users. Prime Feature: Blink recognizes your face not just during both day and night, but also if you have modified your hair style. https://www.luxand.com/blink

KeyLock KeyLock locks your computer using a USB flash drive. To do this, you have to select the drive and provide the required unlock keys from the user interface, which you need to make sure to write down somewhere. Prime Feature: KeyLock disables the task manager and locks the mouse. http://dgit.in/KeyLock

Which one should you go for? We recommend Blink because it uses the web camera that is built into your laptop. KeyLock relies on your USB drive and if you lose it, then you will not be able to access your computer.

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CHAPTER #06

DEVELOPER TOOLS In this chapter, we’ll look at a range of tools used for software and web development.

D

evelopers require a wide range of tools to quickly complete all programming related tasks. These tasks include not only creation of source codes and their editing, but also management and deployment of applications. This chapter will reveal a wide range of tools used for software and web development. These tools daemand minimum system requirements and don’t consume massive system resources. With the help of the free tools discussed in this chapter, you’ll be able to minimise coding time and build responsive user interface windows and web-based applications.

Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) Visual Studio Community ‘Visual Studio Community’ enables you to design and develop apps using languages such as Visual Basic, C#, C++, F#, WPF and ASP.NET on platforms like MVC, Azure, Orubase, Android, iOS and Windows Phone. It includes a powerful code editor, debugger, version control, testing and reporting tools in addition to support for Apache Cordova, Xamarin and Unity. However, it doesn’t provide support for C and PHP. The code editor will be displayed upon double-clicking Design view and the resulting code can be executed by pressing F5. The Project menu enables you to add references and extensions. Visual Studio Community has one of the best features among all

DEVELOPER TOOLS 55 other IDEs – IntelliSense – which shows you all the possible options an IDE can have. Prime Feature: As a developer, you can design user interfaces simply by dragging and dropping controls from the toolbox to the design editor. http://dgit.in/VisualStudioCom

Eclipse

Microsoft has launched Visual Studio Dev Essentials (http://dgit.in/VSDevEssen) program which provides free developer tools, visual studio source code, cloud services including training and support.

Eclipse is a general purpose framework integrating JUnit test case and Gradle and is used to build Java applications. It includes a Git client, XML editor and WindowBuilder, and supports team management, shell scripting and Maven integration. However, the installation and usage of Eclipse is difficult compared to Visual Studio Community. The IDE will be useful for Java programmers, who’ll be able to leverage the plug-ins and add-ons available for Eclipse. Besides Java apps, you can also develop .NET applications, but it could get tricky considering you need to configure compilers manually. Prime Feature: With the help of automated refactoring, you will be able to create modern and compact code bases. https://eclipse.org

Code Blocks ‘Code Blocks’ can be used to develop C, C++, DirectX, GTK+ and OpenGL applications with the help of templates. It supports parallel builds, breakpoints and disassembly. The installer automatically detects compilers, and

Develop hardcore gaming applications with Code Blocks

56 DEVELOPER TOOLS you’ll be able to run and debug code by selecting the relevant menu options. The tool includes support for wxSmith and installation of new plug-ins. However, the lack of support for .NET is disappointing. The IDE includes separate tools for share config and code snippets and will be useful for the development of gaming apps. Prime Feature: With the help of DoxyBlocks, you’ll be able to create documentation from within the IDE. http://www.codeblocks.org/

CodeLite With the help of ‘CodeLite’, you’ll be able to develop C, C++, PHP, JavaScript and Node.js applications. As soon as the tool is opened after installation, it prompts you with a wizard with the help of which you can configure workspaces, plug-ins and compilers. We found it difficult to work with the tool because of its confusing user interface. However, the tool includes several themes which you can access in the Settings menu and an extensive collection of plug-ins.

CodeLite extends its functionality with plug-ins

Prime Feature: The Xdebug feature helps you perform advanced debugging and profiling, besides script execution analysis. http://codelite.org

Which one should you go for? We recommend Visual Studio Community because you’ll be able to develop, debug and deploy Windows and web applications using a single development dashboard. The advanced Intellisense feature adds to the process of

DEVELOPER TOOLS 57 coding. The user interface is simple to understand and has been organised into several dockable containers. With the help of Visual Studio, you’ll be able to perform advanced tasks such as establishing a connection with the SQL Server database without any code. It’s also possible to add third-party controls from the Project menu. Moreover, you can build and deploy LightSwitch, LINQ, cloud and mobile applications with the help of emulators. We also tested Code Blocks, but it doesn’t provide support for .NET based Windows and web applications. Hence, it lost the race. We also compared Eclipse, but it will be useful only for Java developers. Moreover, the user interface is not as user friendly as Visual Studio. From our point of view, Eclipse is inclined towards enterprise developers and not beginners.

Editors – Software Development NotePad++ ‘NotePad++’ enables you to write code for various languages such as ASP, C, C++, C#, HTML, Java, JavaScript, JSP (including Unix script file) and Fortran. It includes syntax highlighter and style configurator in addition

30+ file types and counting with NotePad++

to support for encoding and plug-ins. The tool enables you to execute the code, but you need to configure the compiler location from Run menu. The plug-in manager enables you to add and manage extensions. You’ll be able to open several tabs and work with multiple file formats simultaneously. Prime Feature: Macros will help you automate repeated tasks. Style configurator will enable you to set formatting rules for various languages. https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

58 DEVELOPER TOOLS

Programmer’s Notepad With the help of ‘Programmer’s Notepad’, you’ll be able to write code in C,C++, C#, HTML, Java, Lisp, PHP and Make. With this editor, you can utilise syntax highlighting, bookmarking, line numbering and code folding as well as access to PowerThe various possibilities of a simple text Shell. The auto-complete feature editor worked very well during our tests, and can be turned off when not required. It’s possible to customise various options from the Tools menu. Prime Feature: Regular Expressions, a search/replace function, allows you to perform pattern matching with various combinations. http://www.pnotepad.org/

Which one should you go for? We recommend NotePad++ because of its simple user interface and support for macros, debugger and plug-ins. We created several tabs and the tool worked without any issues. The syntax colouring works well and you’ll be able to run the code directly from the editor (although it requires a little work). We liked the fact that the tool is being updated regularly by the developer. We also tested Programmer’s Notepad, but won’t recommend it, because it doesn’t include a code execution and debugging engine.

Editors – Web Development Microsoft WebMatrix Microsoft’s ‘WebMatrix’ includes tools for the design and deployment of HTML5, PHP, ASP.NET, PHP and Node. js applications in addition to Windows apps with emulators. You’ll be able to create websites either from scratch using templates and wizards or via customisable apps from the Application gallery. Websites can then be published either to Azure or via FTP by selecting

Code Smart on the cloud with Microsoft WebMatrix

DEVELOPER TOOLS 59 the “Publish” option. It integrates with GitHub, CodePlex and Team Foundation Service, enabling you to manage projects effectively. Prime Feature: WebMatrix automatically creates a companion website in Microsoft Azure as soon as a new project is created. http://dgit.in/MSWebmtrx

Brackets ‘Brackets’ enables you to design HTML pages easily with support for inline editors, pre-processor and line numbering. It gives you syntax coloring and themes to work with, which you can access from View menu. Brackets includes a separate set of developer tools accessible from Debug menu, which helps you perform advanced tasks such as profiling and audits. Prime Feature: With the help of Code Hints, you’ll be able to extract colors, fonts and other parameters from a PSD file and turn them into a perfect CSS file. http://brackets.io

Which one should you go for? We recommend Microsoft WebMatrix, because it enables you to create a wide range of applications based on several technologies using templates and user-friendly wizards. You can also develop advanced websites with latest frameworks such as AngularJS. We managed to install the tool very quickly and liked the freedom to choose from the options of either creating websites from scratch or from customisable apps already provided in the galleries. Similarly, WebMatrix gives you easy ways to deploy websites, either via cloud or FTP. It also features IntelliSense, that not only eases the task of completing coding, but also launches Visual Studio directly from WebMatrix. We also tested Brackets, but were disappointed that it didn’t provide support for ASP.NET and cloud deployment.

Database Management Tools HeidiSQL ‘HeidiSQL’ enables you to manage MySQL, SQL Server and PostgreSQL databases. It features an advanced SQL syntax editor, database optimisation and repair functions, and supports SSL connectivity. The ability to export tables from one server to another will allow you to edit data in bulk. Tables, views, procedures, triggers and scheduled tasks can be managed from within the dashboard.

60 DEVELOPER TOOLS Prime Features: You’ll be able to create log files based on the specified number of lines and launch the command line interface for MySQL. http://www.heidisql.com/ Configure settings easily with HeidiSQL

EMS SQL Manager for SQL Server ‘EMS SQL Manager’ helps manage SQL Server databases. It features a visual query builder and supports sequences, column store and spatial indexes, along with custom server roles including Azure SQL database. From within the Services menu, you can perform various database operations. The tool also provides various options to control the functioning of user interface and SQL editor. Prime Features: The powerful debugger helps you trace procedures, functions and SQL scripts. It also facilitates import and export of data using wizards. http://dgit.in/EMSDMS

Which one should you go for? We recommend HeidiSQL because you can manage multiple databases from a single dashboard without any need to download separate tools. The tool enables you to run SQL commands and also import and export data as soon as you establish connectivity. Besides that you’ll be able to import and export databases – a useful feature if you migrate hosting providers.

Virtualisation Tools VirtualBox ‘VirtualBox’ runs multiple operating systems simultaneously on the top of your existing environment. It provides support for USB, remote desktop protocol, PXE booting, open virtualisation format and disk image encryption using AES. Adding a new virtual machine (VM) is as simple as selecting the “New” option from Machine menu, while installing an operating system on the virtual machine only requires selecting “Start” after allocating

DEVELOPER TOOLS 61 memory and disk space using wizards. Prime Feature: VirtualBox includes support for guest additions, shared folders, hardware accelerated graphics, memory ballooning, page fusion and teleporting. https://www.virtualbox.org/

Hyper-V

Resource allocation made easy with VirtualBox

With the help of ‘HyperV’, you’ll be able to run more than one operating system from within Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 after enabling Client Hyper-V from the control panel. You don’t need to know the server version of Windows – the virtual machine will be located in an isolated virtualised environment. It replaces Microsoft Virtual PC in Windows 7 and doesn’t include Windows XP Mode. As a developer, you can use Hyper-V for testing purposes; for example, testing the installation of software in Linux from within Windows 10. Though the tool doesn’t provide support for Windows 7, it does give you access to graphics, virtual fibre channel and 32-bit SR-IOV networking. Prime Features: The diagnostics option which works by exporting virtual machines from a production system. The virtual networking feature that helps you create a stable environment for testing purposes. http://dgit.in/WSHyperV

Which one should you go for? We recommend VirtualBox, because it provides support for snapshots, seamless mode, 3D and port forwarding and can clone virtual machines. It enables you to create and configure as many virtual machines as required and is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac. The easy-to-use wizards allocate resources based on your system configuration. Also Scale mode that enables you to resize the screen of a virtual machine window is a helpful addition. Besides this, security encryption is another area where it shone. We noted that Hyper-V doesn’t include several advanced features, so VirtualBox wins the battle.

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CHAPTER #07

TUNE-UP YOUR PC A Cheat Sheet For Fine-Tuning Your Computer

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n this chapter of Fast Track, we walk you through some of the best system tuning tools that will help you identify the needs of your computer and make it more efficient. To get you started we have enlisted a range of software that can be used on the go to get more information about your rig and cleanse it of excess clutter, to give your system the boost it deserves. If you are feeling adventurous, fret not; for we also bring you a selection of the choicest software you can use to put your system under duress to find out how it behaves when the going gets tough.

System Information: The first step towards tuning a system is to know it inside out. Presently, there are plenty of software options that give you information about your system. The right software for you depends upon the detail or aggressiveness you seek. Do you just want to know the make and model number of your component or are you looking for a detailed report that includes the serial ID of the components as well? Answering these questions will help you zero down on the correct choice of software for you.

SYSTEM TUNING SOFTWARE 63 Speccy, CPU-Z and GPU-Z: These are the most commonly sought after software for gathering information. CPU-Z and GPU-Z mainly provide specifications and a few statistics about the CPU and GPU respectively. On other hand, Speccy is simple to use, light on your system, portable and compatible with 32-bit as well as 64-bit systems. Use this software if you want a simple, clean interface that gives you all the necessary details you may require. What we would love to see as an add-on to this software is real-time monitoring and an inclusion of benchmarking tools. If real-time monitoring and in-depth details of your system is what you are looking for then, AIDA64 and HWinfo are your best bets. HWinfo: Unlike its competitors, HWinfo provides realtime monitoring and displays temperatures directly from the sensors and your CPU. It not only summarizes your system’s Explore advance options with SlimCleaner information providing you complete details, but also delivers graphically arranged data that can be further customized by the user. Along with continuous reporting this software also alerts you if anything goes wrong in your system or if the temperatures rise beyond the maximum point set. Another feather in HWinfo’s cap is its neat, labelled and categorized two-window layout. Most other information providing software fail to run without errors or crashing and tend to stop responding in the midst of a monitoring session. With, HWinfo however, you can be sure to never run into these troubled waters. In the future we’d like to see HWinfo include a few benchmarking tools and more resource usage by applications. AIDA64: This software fills the gaps that its competitor HWinfo fails to address. Referred as ASMDEMO earlier, AIDA64 was essentially a 16 DOS hardware analyzer, a freeware that could perform basic functions. After going through a number of nomenclature changes, today it can be accessed in four different versions. The extreme version is intended for

64 SYSTEM TUNING SOFTWARE personal usage, the AIDA64 Engineer version, AIDA64 Business version and finally the AIDA64 Network Audit target professionals. You could head on to their product page to compare features: http://www.aida64.com/ compare-aida64-features. Apart from a stable software, the product also proves to be a treasure of information about the hardware installed, You can expect support for overclocking, benchmarking and analyze how your PC performs when it is stressed. AIDA64 comes with basic diagnostic support too! This software is a beast that is available on various platforms and is an all-in-one suite, albeit with a free trial that expires in merely 30 days. SiSoft’s Sandra (System Analyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant): Sandra is a great and free alternative for AIDA64 but it comes with limited services and shortcomings. You could look at two more software that may not be the best in the business but are definitely powerful and deserve a mention — Belarc Advisor. Belarc Advisor has the ability to gather information as detailed as the type, revision, software keys as well as the serial number of hardware components.

Which one should you go for? If getting in-depth information with real-time monitoring is what you desire then HWinfo should be your definite pick. Although, if you benchmark your PC often and don’t mind shelling out a few bucks (after its free trial period) then we highly recommend the AIDA64. In case you do not fit into either categories we’d suggest you start with Speccy and then upgrade.

PC Cleaning: Keeping your system clean by clearing up your cache, registries and cookies is a great way to ensure the security, pace and overall efficiency of your system. Websites too have now become rather open about their cookie policies. If you have never cleared the temporary folder on your computer then chances are that those huge temp files are engulfing your storage space, slowing your system down...To clear unwanted temporary files, registries, cache, cookies and history saved by various applications or browsers during long browsing sessions take a peek into our listing of software that help you keep your PC Clean. Internet Windows Washer: A basic software at its core, this will take care of your Internet cache and windows cache by deleting cookies, application as well as browser history. Functioning much like your personal, virtual recycle bin from the yesteryears this software requires the user to choose

SYSTEM TUNING SOFTWARE 65 what needs to be erased manually. While the software is light and simple, its user interface is reminiscent of the Windows XP. We believe, that just like Windows XP, this software too is past its prime. CCleaner: CCleaner is an advanced software that doesn’t require you to manually select files that need to be deleted or retained. Most people have either used or heard of this software. CCleaner can be summed up as the “windows disk cleanup on steroids with an advanced user interface.” Used widely for its primary function i.e. cleaning temporary files, it also offers a set of other utilities like registry cleaning which looks after unwanted registries, the uninstall manager that can be used as an alternative to the traditional program uninstaller in the windows control panel, the startup manager where you can choose what apps to start automatically on startup and a drive wiper that wipes the free space on your hard drive so that the deleted files cannot be recovered. The built-in disk analyzer in the software provides you with details of all file types in your storage. It also comes bundled with a duplicate file remover that has been added in recent updates where you can let it analyze and then take control to delete the duplicate files it finds based on similar attributes. The professional plus version also provides a hard disk defragmentation tool, a hardware analyzer and file recovery options. It also gives the user complete freedom to customize your right click menu i.e. the context menu. Another smart feature that CCleaner offers is to whitelist important cookies so you can tell it to skip those social media cookies or steam cookies so that your website and games load quicker. Armed with a user-friendly interface this software is a lethal combination of cleaning and other essential utilities, available for the price of one. SlimCleaner: This cleaner provides you with all the above features packed with its add-ons and completely different design approach. You get a HiJack Log tab that provides you access to logs of programs and plug-ins that are vulnerable to third party attacks and can affect Explore advance options with SlimCleaner the system. To make it sim-

66 SYSTEM TUNING SOFTWARE pler for basic users, it has a novice mode too. It also has a file and folder shredder that leaves files irrecoverable. It also has shortcuts to various windows utilities like the Device manager, system information, system restore etc. This software packs in various features slotted in categories that make navigating through features and tabs a breeze. You can also choose to schedule tune-ups to run periodically if you are just too lazy to do it manually every time.

Which one should you go for? Both CCleaner and SlimCleaner offer almost the same package. Look out for their additional utility features while choosing the right software for your system. If you are a user that wants a simplistic software interface, quick working and are looking to go with a tried and trusted brand, CCleaner is ahead of SlimCleaner in these aspects. Where SlimCleaner gets a lead is its functionalities and additional features that it offers advanced users. These software are just basic ones and probably of little use if you are looking for some advanced cleaning. Disk drives stores sensitive information even after it’s fully formatted and that information might prove to be very risky if it falls in the hands of a miscreant . To ensure this does not happen, you should securely delete all such files so they are just not recoverable using software, come what may. You should definitely check out these software - HDD LLF, Eraser, Hardwipe, SDelete and Darik’s Boot and Nuke CD. For your information, these extraordinary disk wipers use aggressive wiping methods like GOST R 50739-95, DOD 5220.00-M, Schneier & Gutmann etc. For example, DOD 5220.00-M is a US Department of Defense approved drive sanitization method that commands to overwrite all addressable locations with a character, its complement, then a random character and verify for clearing and sanitizing information and these software can do this process until 7 passes. Wiping disk drives using this methods and standards might take from hours or even up to days depending on the number of passes you choose, for example, in the case of DOD, its 7 passes and with Schneier & Gutmann is 35 passes. Eraser: Eraser can be set to securely delete any file or a folder and it can be even scheduled to destroy the specific folder following the schedule. You have all the access to select the number of passes and the method to be used to delete the file. This is one of the most solid performers with an equally well user interface and a task scheduler. It allows you to completely remove

SYSTEM TUNING SOFTWARE 67 sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected from a variety of patterns. It comes with a very detailed built-in help menu. It works with any drive (including IDE, SCSI, and RAID), and with FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS partitions but its only negative is that it uses a whole lot of memory. Hardwipe: This is yet another software utility that can be useful to deep clean files from your system permanently to prevent information from ever being recovered. One of the intelligent features of this software is that it uses the RAM and cache available intelligently so your computer remains responsive even during lengthy operations just where a lot of these tools might be working in the background but seem to be unresponsive. DBAN: DBAN stands for Darik’s Boot and Nuke is a really powerful program that requires burning it on to a CD and then booting your system from it to load the DBAN utilities. You can further choose what method or standard you want and then let it workit’s charm (for very long! probably hours or even a day!). It’s great for bulk disk cleaning of PCs and is also useful as an emergency tool for quickly removing sensitive information . However, one must not forget to disconnect all other drives that you do not want to wipe. he power of this app makes it a dangerous tool in the hands of beginners.

Which one should you go for? If permanent destruction of data is not a regular act for you yet you are using these data wiping softwares, you should go with Hardwipe. It’s got a much better and simple to use interface. Incase you want something portable, and don’t want to pay for it, Eraser is a good choice. Eraser also has the feature to schedule wiping your folder without you having to do it manually. DBAN is for advanced users who can work well with this heavy on functionality software and need to wipe data on a number of PCs. For an average user, Eraser or HardWipe should be good to go with.

Sweat your PC! There’s nothing worse than an overclocked system not performing up to the mark. Do you know what the actual potential of your rig is? Go ahead, run these PC stressing tests to know how stable your system is at any modified setting! Memtest86 and Prime95: They are one of the oldest options to check how your CPU performs by pushing it for several hours. MemTest86

68 SYSTEM TUNING SOFTWARE boots from a flash drive or a DVD to check how much load your memory can take, while having no OS running in the background to deliver accurate results. Prime95, on the other hand gives you the flexibility to choose from small FFT tests to complex Blend tests checking overall PC levels. OCCT: If you want to take this testing to a higher level and test how stable your PC is even when it goes through OCCT can test CPU, PSU as well as GPU serious exertion check out OverClock Checking Tool, popularly known as OCCT. OCCT comes free for personal use and has capabilities to check your CPU, PSU, as well as GPU. For testing the CPU, it includes an OCCT test, a LinPack benchmark test, a GPU test and the aforementioned power supply test. There is also a useful temperature and voltage-monitoring window where you can keep an eye on the values during any of the tests with the help of real-time graphs. HeavyLoad: It is a utility that aims to stress the main components, similar to OCCT. The advantage of HeavyLoad is that its disk space and free memory tests do not put undue stress on those components, but rather continually write a large file to the drive and pressurize the system simulating heavy load when all major components are utilised. A number of additional plugins can be added to add more stress to the hard drive by using Jam software or the Treesize tool to simulate more heavy disc access to check your PC more rigorously. StressMyPC: If you are looking for a compact and ultra-portable software to run a stability test on your PC look no further than StressMyPC. It provides you with all the necessary tools on the go! PassMark BurninTest: Just in case you want to check only one component, say for example the 2D graphics or the RAM or even any of the ports for that matter, PassMark BurninTest is what you are looking for! It is not a free software but it comes with a 30-day free trial. All these tests try to

SYSTEM TUNING SOFTWARE 69 push your hardware to levels ranging from 60% to 100%. Another test for hammering the GPU specifically is Furmark which is known for its lethal capacity of killing GPU’s if not used correctly. EVGA Precision X: EVGA Precision X is a robust software that proves to be a great utility for gamers. It has one of the best user interfaces, that resembles a speedometer of a sports car which is precise for displaying and monitoring scores. You can adjust the GPU clock speed, temperature as well as voltage settings in real time. It comes with a special K-boost profile that disables all power saving features and sets the GPU to run at highest set frequencies. A built-in fan speed controller, extensive GPU setting capabilities as well as a test button that tests your setting on the go for any application are too included. The OS Scanner X is an additional plug-in which offers multiple stress test and benchmarking functions. The Pixel clock feature and the integrated Nvidia’s monitor overclocking concept are always a positive while tuning your computer. EVGA Precision X offers you a wide range of system functionalities and Noobs are therefore said to research before you get your hands on this software. Additionally, AMD users can head on and check out Radeon Profile Tool as well!

Which one should you go for? StressMyPC is portable, can be used on the go t which is its unique selling proposition in this category. But if you are looking to put your PC under rigorous stress tests, you should opt for OCCT or give HeavyLoad a try. HeavyLoad also offers a portable version, but requires additional plug-ins depending upon the tests. However, if you are looking forward to test specific components of your rig, you should definitely go for PassMark BurninTest. EVGA Precision X specifically excels in configuring your graphic card just right for your use and if that is what you want to look out for, then your search ends here. However, be very careful when running this as well as other tests in ‘Xtreme’ modes as they are known to kill your graphic cards or even your systems in the whole! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

70 ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE

CHAPTER #08

THE ONE-STOP GUIDE TO ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE Here’s a quick snapshot of the multitude of media software you can use to nurse your need for entertainment Music Players Foobar Foobar provides support for all major audio formats with support for gapless playback, ripping including transcoding. You can easily add new files from your computer or CD from File Modify Advanced Parameters with Foobar Menu. The ‘Preferences’ option enables you to modify various advanced parameters. Prime Feature: Foobar lets you configure your own custom proxy address. Download link: https://www.foobar2000.org

VUPlayer VUPlayer provides support for a wide range of formats such as ProTracker, MultiTracker, MO3 Packer, MPEG and Musepack including multiple vis-

ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE 71 uals, Audioscrobbler, remote freedb and CD-Text. You can add new music tracks by selecting the ‘Add File’ or ‘Add Folder’ options, as well as modify the skin color by right clicking on it and selecting ‘Base Color’ option. It is also possible to get a media file from the web using the ‘Add URL’ option. Prime Feature: VU Player provides a nine band graphic equalizer. VUPlayer helps you add advanced http://www.vuplayer.com crossfader settings

Spider Player Spider Player offers either full or portable installation. The user interface is simple and the player starts to play the tracks as soon as you add files. It displays the scrolling title, movement graph and an equalizer which you can close by selecting the EQ button. It provides support for ID3 tag editor, CD ripper, skins, recording and a media converter. You can associate several file types including configuration of title formatting rules. Prime Feature: Spider Player enables you to select oscilloscope drawing style from the Options dialog. http://spider-player.en.softonic. com

AIMP

The small face of Spider Player

AIMP provides support for 30 playback formats and includes support for 32-bit audio processing and DirectSound, ASIO, WASAPI output formats. We had difficulty finding an option to add music track files to the player, however. You have to hover over each icon to know its function. The player displays the details of each music track with the title and size information. The package also includes a music converter and audio library. Prime Feature: The player provides support for CUE sheets and smart playlist. Convert your music tracks easily with AIMP http://www.aimp.ru/

72 ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE

DI Radio DI Radio enables you to listen to instant digital radio music streamed directly via the Internet. You can modify the themes by selecting ‘Visualization’ from the ‘Options’ page, as also the look and feel of the player with both built-in and downloadable themes. Prime Feature: DI Radio lets you modify buffer length to prevent frequent pausing of tracks. http://difm.eu/home

Which one should you go for? On VUPlayer, you can modify the font size of the progress counter. Its toolbar is bigger than that of Foobar and you can easily change the base and peak colors by right clicking on the meter graph. You’re able to view the elapsed or remaining time on VUPlayer but this feature is not available with Foobar. Hence, we recommend VUPlayer.

Music Organizers iTunes iTunes will be the perfect music companion if you have Apple-branded devices such as the iPod, iPhone or iPad. It includes Sync your tracks with iTunes features such as playlists, family sharing, iCloud integration, mini player, podcasts, audiobooks and on-demand radio stations. You can rate a music track or video by selecting your preferred rating from the popup menu. With the help of the ‘Up Next’ feature, you will be able to enqueue a music track while another song is being played without having to create a playlist. Prime Feature: You can integrate Apple Music into iTunes and stream music right from your desktop. http://www.apple.com/in/itunes/music/

Songbird Songbird is an advanced music player with support for playlists and equalizer which can be modified as per requirements. You will be able to create playlists and add the relevant music tracks to those lists. You can also

ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE 73 easily modify the skin of the player by selecting the ‘Feathers’ option from the ‘View’ menu. It includes a mini player which will only have a small toolbar. You can change back to the default player by right clicking on it. Prime Feature: Songbird enables you to import and export music tracks for iTunes in addition to supporting add-ons. http://getsongbird.net

Extend Songbird with Add-ons

Winyl Winyl is a simple music organizer with support for Gapless playback, WASAPI and ASIO audio outputs. It also includes a tag editor with which you can add lyrics, album art and multiple values. In order to add a track to a playlist, you need to right click on the title and select the desired playlist name. You can also create it by selecting the ‘To New Playlist’ option from the popup menu. Prime Feature: Winyl includes built-in radio stations. http://vinylsoft.com/

Jaangle As soon as you open it after installation, Jaangle automatically prompts you to pick the folder of your music tracks. The player includes an advanced search dialog and provides you with the ability to drag and drop tracks into the playlist section. However, we couldn’t find an option to create playlist folders. The user interface displays all relevant parameters such as bit-rate and year. You will also be able to view the progress bar on the bottom of the player with equalizer bars. Prime Feature: With the help Configure hotkeys for easy navigation of Jaangle, you will be able to allowith Jaangle

74 ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE cate hotkeys for various operations such as play, navigation and search functionality by selecting the ‘Options’ button. http://www.jaangle.com

MusicBee MusicBee enables you to add music, podcasts, audio books and radio. You can easily create a new playlist by selecting ‘New Playlist’ from the popup menu, then drag and drop the tracks to it. Otherwise right click on a track and select the ‘Send To’ option from the popup menu. The player includes a music explorer and the facility to search for songs on SoundCloud. Prime Fe a t u r e : MusicBee enables you to add songs from your CD/ DVD with the help of ripping technology from Tools menu. Rip easily with MusicBee http://getmusicbee.com

Which one should you go for? Songbird enables you to add music tracks easily by creating playlists. You can create several lists by selecting the ‘plus ‘symbol. With the help of MusicBee, you can perform a search via SoundCloud and navigate the whole system directly from the dashboard. It also provides support for podcasts, audiobooks, radio including ripping of CDs. Songbird lacks these features. Hence, we recommend MusicBee.

Video Players Total Video Player Total Video Player enables you to playback videos in several formats including Flash, Real, WMV and MPEG. In order to do so, select the ‘Open’ option from the File menu. You can also directly play clips from DVDs by selecting the DVD menu. It is possible to add videos in bulk with the help of the Playlist editor option in addition to four visualization options.

ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE 75 Prime Feature: Total Video Player lets you change the aspect ratio. http://total-video-player. en.softonic.com

VLC media player VLC media player provides Modify aspect ratio easily with total video player support for various formats including MPEG, FLV, RMBV, V10 bit codes, H.264 multi-threaded decoding, hotkeys, MPEG-4/Xvid and WebM. It enables you to convert media files, subscribe to podcasts including ASCII playback and is Stream your video content over Internet with equipped with the facility to VLC media player record desktop. The Media menu includes options to open file/folder. You can add videos to the playlist by selecting the ‘Playlist’ option from the ‘View’ menu. A small preview of the video will be displayed on the page where your Playlists are stored. Prime Feature: VLC media player enables you to stream media content over the web from your desktop. http://vlc-media-player.en.softonic.com

MPC-HC MPC-HC is a light-weight media player with support for all video formats. The player enables you to perform a tearing test by selecting ‘Renderer Settings’ from the ‘View’ menu. It also provides filters which can be accessed from the ‘Play’ menu. The video player can also be used as a DVB player with support for DVB, HEVC and DTS Music Disc. You can specify what to do post the video playback by selecting the ‘After Playback’ option from the ‘Play’ menu. Prime Feature: With the help of MPC-HC, you will be able to add several filters in addition to decoder by selecting External Filters from the ‘Options’ menu. The player makes optimum use of integrated graphics. It is also

76 ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE possible to configure audio and graphics options from the Output section. https://mpc-hc.org

SMPlayer SMPlayer provides support for various formats, filters, Thousands of filters at your disposal playback speed modification, video equalizer, codecs such as avi, mp4, mkv, mpeg, mov and divx, and of course, YouTube videos. It is possible to search for the latter from within the player using a plug-in from smtube.org. The player Configure processor threads for enhanced performance also lets you search for and download subtitles. Prime Feature: SMPlayer enables you to control the performance of the player by configuring the required number of processor threads – all you have to do is select ‘Preferences’ in the ‘Options’ menu. http://smplayer.sourceforge.net

Which one should you go for? VLC media player enables you to add effects and filters from the Tools menu. It is also possible to synchronize tasks with the additional option of streaming video content. MPC-HC helps you play videos but you have to open each file separately. It is not possible to create a playlist on it like VLC. Based on these factors, we recommend the VLC media player.

Video Organizers Potplayer Potplayer is a modern video player with support for enhanced hardware acceleration, text subtitles, DVD, Blu-ray, ASS/SSA animation, SMI Ruby tags, Direct3D9 Ex Flip Mode, unlimited custom playlists and Overlay. You can view various options if you select the Potplayer down arrow on the top left hand side. It is possible to modify aspect ratio and window size using

ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE 77 various options by selecting the relevant links. Prime Feature: Potplayer provides support for 3D glasses and touch display. https://potplayer.daum.net

Kodi Kodi enables you to play and organize not just videos Entertain yourself using touch enabled display but also music, pictures and options with Potplayer games. It is available for several platforms including iOS and Android and provides support for all major formats. You can easily add the required media files by selecting the required buttons. You will be able to view real effects when you hear a Find options without strain using Kodi music track. Moreover, you can extend the functionality of Kodi with community-created skins and plug-ins. Prime Feature: With the help of Kodi, you will be able to integrate audio books, radio stations, OneDrive, Shoutcast and Podcasts by selecting ‘Addons’ from the dashboard. For example, you can play a video directly from your OneDrive storage account. http://kodi.tv

My Movie Manager My Movie Manager automatically scans the folder in which you have stored videos and displays them in an orderly fashion, after which you can select a video to play. You can also add new folders by selecting the ‘File’ menu. The best part, however, is that the manager displays the movie parameters such as director, actors, plot and IMDB rating. Prime Feature: My Movie Manager enables you to search for movies based on their director, cast, year, language and country. You can also

78 ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE filter movies by selecting the options on the toolbar. https://mymoviemanager. codeplex.com

MediaMonkey With the help of MediaMonkey, you can easily add Search deeper with various options music tracks and videos by selecting the ‘Open URL’ or ‘File’ options. It shows the details of the track, progress meter and an equalizer. Moreover, you will be able to extend the functionality of the player with skins, plug-ins and scripts as also share tracks with any UPnP and DLNA player. Prime Feature: MediaMonkey enables you to sync music tracks to your iPod, iPhone, iPad and Android devices. http://www.mediamonkey.com

Comprehensive music and video management with MediaMonkey

Which one should you go for? Potplayer enables you to create playlist and add videos to it. If you select a video, the tool enlarges itself with the option to change the aspect ratio. With the help of Kodi, you can play not just music but also videos and pictures. The dialog boxes and buttons look bigger. It also displays powerful effects while playing the music tracks. Videos are also played in full screen with several options. We’d recommend Kodi since it fulfils your modern era entertainment needs.

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Media Streaming Tools Subsonic Subsonic provides support for a wide range of audio and video formats including MP3, OGG and AAC. It includes features like tag parsing and editing, SHOUTcast, HLS and Audioscrobbling. With the help of the player,

Manage Locally and Stream Anywhere with Subsonic

you will be able to stream music directly to your phone. The settings for the player should be configured from the web-based control panel and you need to make use of the relevant mobile apps to access media files on your smartphone. Prime Feature: Subsonic includes a transcoding engine which lets you stream several lossless formats by converting them to MP3. http://www.subsonic.org/pages/index.jsp

Plex Plex enables you to manage and stream all media files. With the help of a camera upload feature, you will be able to sync photos and videos from your portable devices. Plex also includes cloud sync which automatically syncs files to cloud storage providers. In order to work with Plex, you need to register on the website, download Plex Media Server and install the relevant app for your smartphone. If you select the ‘Settings’ option from the Plex web-based interface, you will be able to see two sections – Web and Server. You should select the ‘General’ option and provide the credentials you used while signing up. Finally, you should login to your Plex account using the app. That’s it. You will now be able to view all your music tracks on the smartphone.

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Easily control your media files with Plex

Prime Feature: Plex enables you to integrate SSL certificates which, in turn, lets you experience secured streaming. https://plex.tv

Which one should you go for? We recommend Plex because of its simplicity and the amount of features it provides. Speaking from our own experience, we could establish connectivity with Plex from an Android phone easily. Moreover, the interface looks modern and smooth. We found it difficult to manage playlists using Subsonic. For instance, after creating a new playlist, we were unable to find any option to add tracks to it. Not to mention, some of the features like sharing are available only for premium users.

MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS CHAPTER #09

81

MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS For those odds and ends that just don’t fit anywhere else.

S

o far this FastTrack booklet has weighed in on almost every category of software out there – from entertainment to security and everything in between. However there are certain tools that just don’t fit into a category. In that sense they’re pretty unique. Take for instance the numerous tools that aid you in accomplishing regular computing tasks such as tracking your network or finding owner information of domain names, better. Here, we list tools that add a deft touch to your daily computing needs.

Networking Tools Network Monitors Wireshark

Wireshark lets you examine your network at a microscopic level, and is a widely-used protocol analyser. It includes features like Live Capture, Offline and VoIP analysis, and supports Windows, OS X, and Open Source. One of Wireshark’s highlights is the ability to decompress gzip files, which are captured over the network. https://www.wireshark.org NetBalancer

NetBalancer helps you control and monitor Internet traffic for Windows. With

82 MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS this, you can configure download and upload priority of applications. Moreover, you will also be able to define network traffic rules, and manage limits for each network adapter, separately. NetBalancer can also synchronise locally connected networks, including global traffic limits configuration. https://seriousbit.com/netbalancer Glasswire

Glasswire is a graphical firewall tool which monitors your network activity by traffic type, application and geographic location. It can figure out reasons for sudden spikes in network activity. The tool also includes a threat monitoring module. https://www.glasswire.com Angry IP Scanner

Angry IP Scanner lets you scan IP addresses and ports within any range. The tool pings the provided IP address to check its status, and then resolves its hostname, MAC address and scan ports. You can also extend the functionality of Glasswire by using plugins. http://angryip.org HTTPNetworkSniffer

HTTP NetworkSniffer captures requests and responses exchanged between your browser and servers, and displays them in a table. You will be able to view hostnames, Manage your settings easily with Angry IP Scanner methods, user agents and response codes, including referer, content type and encoding information. http://dgit.in/HttpNetSniff

Wireless Network Tools WirelessNetView WirelessNetView automatically monitors wireless network activity around your location. The tool displays SSID, signal quality, detection counter, MAC address and channel data, including authentication and cipher algorithm. http://dgit.in/WlNetView

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BluetoothView BluetoothView displays information about various Bluetooth devices around you. You will be able to view device names, addresses, device types and detection times. The tool also notifies you when a new Bluetooth device is detected – either via audio alert, or on the taskbar. http://dgit.in/BTView

Internet Tools NetSpeedMonitor NetSpeedMonitor lets you monitor your network speed, and the amount of data transferred between your computer and the Internet. You can view detailed data traffic statistics, including information about all TCP/UDP endpoints, categorised by day and month. http://dgit.in/SetSpdMonitr

Download Accelerator Plus This tool enables you to boost download speed of files with an ability to pause, resume and schedule downloads. http://www.speedbit.com

FreeMeter Bandwidth Monitor FreeMeter measures the incoming Internet traffic on your computer, and displays it in a graph. You will be able to view various options, if you right-click on the tool. http://sourceforge.net/projects/ freemeter

Review your Internet traffic easily

DownTester DownTester enables you to test your internet speed, by adding relevant URLs. You can add a list of websites by clicking on the ‘Add URLs List’ option from the File menu, and select the green arrow to begin the test. You will be able to view the speed and download size, in addition to start and end times. http://dgit.in/DownTestr

84 MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS

Test the download speed of websites

DNS Tools DNSDataView DNSDataView enables you to view MX, NS, A, SOA records by providing relevant domain name. The tool can also save analysed data in various formats, including HTML and CSV. http://dgit.in/DNSLookupT

QuickSetDNS QuickSetDNS lets you modify the DNS servers used for your Internet connection. The tool displays predefined DNS addresses, which you can activate by selecting Set Active DNS from the popup menu. This tool is useful for users apprehensive about changing settings manually. http://bit.ly/QuickSDNS

DomainHostingView DomainHostingView shows you information about active domain names. The tool displays general data, DNS record details and IP address records, including raw domain data and registrant details. http://dgit.in/DmnHstView

NameBench With NameBench, you can test your current DNS servers, and test any server based on the provided IP address. The tool is available for all platforms, including Mac OS X. http://dgit.in/GNamebench

Hotspots Tools mHotspot mHotspot can create a WiFi hotspot using your laptop, and can connect upto 10 devices at one time. You can set your own name for the hotspot, view details

MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS 85 of connected devices, and check network usage. With this, you will be able to access Internet using smartphones, iPads, PDAs, tablets and other portable devices, through the hotspot. This tool is also available for Android. http://www.mhotspot.com

MyPublicWiFi MyPublicWiFi lets you turn your computer into a WiFi access point, and includes Firewall and URL Tracking. This tool helps you restrict user access to specific servers, and prevent usage of certain services like messaging and file sharing. You can also keep track of the pages visited from your hotspot, with the help of a generated log sheet. http://dgit.in/MyPublicWiFi

Windows Maintenance Tools Fbackup With the help of Fbackup, you can backup your valuable data, with automatic scheduling support. The tool uses ZIP64 compression, hence creating backup files of over 2GB. You can also restore data by following the instructions on the wizard. http://www.fbackup.com

Pandora Recovery If you delete a crucial work document from your computer, and happen to need it a week later, Pandora Recovery is the tool for you. It can restore deleted files from NTFS and FAT volumes. You can also select a custom folder where you want to store the recovered file(s), by choosing it in the ‘Recover To’ option from the File menu. http://www.pandorarecovery.com

Recuva Recuva helps you recover deleted files not only from your computer, but also from SD cards, USB drives and mp3 players. The tool can also recover files from damaged hard drives, by deep scanning areas that are hard to reach, even for advanced users. To recover the files, you need to select the relevant option under ‘Scan’. Once done, you will see a list of files that can be recovered. Choose the ones that are required, and select ‘Recover Highlighted’ from the popup menu. https://www.piriform.com/recuva

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Burning Tools Free ISO Burner Free ISO Burner helps you create a bootable DVD from an ISO file. Select the relevant ISO file, choose the DVD drive where the blank DVD is inserted, and select Burn to begin the process. The DVD drive will be automatically ejected after completion. http://www.freeisoburner.com

Rufus Rufus lets you create a bootable disk using USB drives. You need to locate the required ISO file by selecting Click to select an image. https://rufus.akeo.ie

WinCDEmu WinCDEmu lets you extract the contents of ISO files and other popular file formats like CUE and CCD, without burning to a disc. You will be able to mount the image files directly to your computer, and store them inside portable Create bootable USB disk with Rufus hard drives for future usage. You can also use Daemon Tools Lite, but have to pay for the full package. http://wincdemu.sysprogs.org

Audio & Video Tools Freemake Audio Converter Freemake Audio Converter lets you convert audio files to a wide range of other formats. You can also extract audio from video files. It supports lossless and batch audio conversion, including audio track merging. You can convert files easily by selecting Audio, and choosing a file format, following which you can select the desired quality and the location of storage. http://dgit.in/FreeAudioConv

Moo0 Video Converter Moo0 Video Converter helps you convert videos from one format to another. You can simply drop files into the box, and select the preferred file format. Alternatively, you can configure settings from Advanced Options. http://dgit.in/MoVideoConv

MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS 87

Convert audio from one format to another easily

Moo0 Video Cutter With Moo0 Video Cutter, you will be able to save a single movie into separate video files, without loss of quality. In order to work with this, drag and drop the movie file into the black area, and adjust the slider to required points, before starting the cutting process. http://dgit.in/MoVideoCuttr

Moo0 YouTube Downloader Moo0 YouTube Downloader lets you download video content from YouTube, and 180 sources across the web. The URL of the video will automatically appear inside the tool as soon as you copy it from the address bar. We have tested several similar tools including browser add-ons, but this one provided the best results. http://dgit.in/MoYTDwnldr

Compression Tool 7-Zip 7-Zip lets you compress and extract folders easily. The tool supports AES-256 and Windows Shell encryption, including a powerful file manager and command line utility. It also includes a plugin for FAR manager, with support for 80 languages. To compress a folder, you simply need to right-click on it and select ‘Add To’. You can also compress a folder, and email it directly. http://www.7-zip.org

CD Ripping FreeRIP MP3 Converter FreeRIP MP3 Converter lets you create and save music files from CDs, in a

88 MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS wide range of formats. This tool can be useful for users who want to save music files from old CDs, to prevent loss and damage. http://www.freerip.com

Voice Changeover Voxal Voice Changer Voxal Voice Changer lets you modify your voice while recording podcasts or screencasts. This can be useful if you do not want your real voice to be broadcasted over the web. You can create unlimited custom voice effects, and preview the changes before saving. http://dgit.in/NCHVceChngr

Webcam Enhancer ManyCam ManyCam enables you to add webcam effects and graphics to your videos and images. You will get to add crazy masks and facial expressions by using a wide range of effects included within ManyCam. It also includes a voice changer tool, which modifies your voice with several effects. https://manycam.com

Webcam Toy (https:// webcamtoy.com) enables you to capture photos online using 80 effects and filters with support for social media sharing.

Blogging Tool BlogDesk BlogDesk lets you publish blog posts directly from your desktop. The tool

Publish blog posts easily from your desktop

MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS 89 provides support for WordPress, MovableType, Drupal, Serendipity and ExpressionEngine. You can select Manage Blogs from File, and follow the on-screen wizard to configure your blog(s). http://www.blogdesk.org

Calculator Calc98 Calc98 is a simple calculator program with support for scientific and trigonometric operations. To install, you simply extract the file contents and place the shortcut on your desktop. Rightclicking on the empty area within the tool views the ‘Options’ dialogue. http://www.calculator.org/download.aspx

Web 2.0 (http:// web2.0calc.com) is a web based calculator with support for standard and scientific operations.

Windows Login Screen Customization Logon Changer Logon Changer from Tweaks.com allows you to customize the default logon screen image in Windows 7, and also the default lock screen images and colours in Windows 8. http://dgit.in/TwkLogonChngr

Color Picker ColorPic ColorPic enables you to generate Hex values, by selecting a colour of your choice. A tooltip helps you pick a colour, and the relevant code is copied to the clipboard. This tool can be useful for web designers, who create websites manually. http://www.iconico.com/colorpic

Periodic Table Freshney Periodic Table Classic Periodic Table Classic provides detailed information about chemical elements, along with images and a glossary. It also includes graphs and properties of all important elements, with

Generate Hex color codes easily

90 MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS biographies of the scientists credited for their discoveries. This tool can be useful for school and college students. http://dgit.in/DwnPeriodicTbl

Typing Tutor Typing Master Typing Master 10 helps you learn the art of typing with the help of three courses, divided into several lessons. A useful tool for kids and beginners. http://www.typingmaster.com

Voice Chat TeamSpeak 3 TeamSpeak 3 lets you create your own server to communicate with your team, or use OverWolf to add multi-client integrations like Facebook and Steam. TeamSpeak also broadcasts available groups in the client, and has password protection for preventing unauthorised access. OverWolf supports desktop sharing and recording gameplay to group members. Also, the in-game overlay of OverWolf is always accessible through the game, without creating any hindrance. Once TeamSpeak 3’s voice activation is calibrated, it can pick up your voice upon speaking just three words. It also has apps for iOS and Android. http://www.teamspeak.com/downloads (TeamSpeak 3) http://www.overwolf.com (OverWolf)

Video Chat Skype Skype is a standalone audio-video communicator client from Microsoft. Sign in with your Microsoft account, and connect to your contacts via Microsoft IDs or Skype usernames. Known for quality communication service, Skype can also share desktop screenshots and files via the chat screen. Additionally, the Skype Translator is capable of simultaneously translating voice calls to about 25 different languages. http://dgit.in/VCSkype

Team Productivity Slack Slack allows you to communicate with your work team with its Channel feature, or friends with Direct Messages. You have your own Slack domain that others can locate you with, and mobile registration is not required. While notifications

MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS 91 have different badges for groups, direct messages and favourites, the problem begins once you access groups – everything is cluttered, and getting hold of solitary comments is very difficult. One thing that we liked, however, is the slackbot notification for comments that you are mentioned in (@yourname). https://slack.com/downloads

Remote Desktop Access TeamViewer TeamViewer (v10.0.47484) is a free desktop sharing client, which also has a mobile client (with the same name) unlike Hamachi. You can send files to multiple users/clients unlike Tight VNC, which has a limit of only three users with the free version. http://dgit.in/TmViewr

Email Clients Mailbird Going past Outlook’s days, Mailbird (v2.0.1) has integrations like Evernote, Facebook, Asana, Wunderlist, WhatsApp and moo.do, and gives you options like changing the colour and layout of the client, and retaining Facebook/ WhatsApp login sessions. https://www.getmailbird.com/

Multimedia FT to Open Source Creative Suite If you couldn’t find multimedia editing tools in this, or previous chapters, don’t worry. Covering the vast range of creative suites needs an entire FT in itself. And, we have already done just that. Back in July 2015, we had written a FT to Open Source Creative Suites, covering topics such as Raster image editing, Open Source video editing, audio editing, web design and development, etc. All of the past issues of Digit and FTs have been included in this month’s DVD, and it also includes FT (July 2015) for you to refer to. Read on, and be fascinated by the number of free alternatives available to the commercial creative suites.

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CHAPTER #10

DISCOVERY Downloading software by referring to a list is easy. Discovering them across the interwebs is fascinating. We teach you the methods.

T

hey say,”Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” At this point, you might have already queued up several software mentioned in the previous chapters and called it a day. But wait, there’s more to this FT. Now, since you are well aware of our recommendations across various software categories, we will try to teach you how to discover software scattered around on the Internet. One important point to consider with this chapter is that we are giving away our highly finessed technique of discovering software which has been incorporated in our labs. You can either spend hours looking for that right software or you could simply read on to do it all by yourself.

Software indexes When you intend to search software for a particular task, you waste no time to enter a search query on Google or Bing (if you’re of the adventurous kind). The search results will obviously lead you to websites listing down software and tools divided into categories. We’ll be looking at such websites who aggregate and bump up software based on user ratings and reviews. At Softpedia, you’ll be greeted with trending software distributed across all the platforms on its homepage. This serves as a great section to discover new

DISCOVERY 93 kinds of tools to tinker around, with an added benefit of reading recent news and announcements related to software. The best part of Softpedia is the Download Hubs section – a collection of software compiled under dumbed down categories such as Typing Tutors, Text Editors, Download Manager etc. Software can be sorted by latest updated software, number of downloads and user ratings. Filters let you separate free and Download Hubs on Softpedia paid software. Overall, it offers the right features you would expect while browsing for software.

Filehorse If you’re already aware about the software you’re searching for or simply want to check out recently updated software along with popular ones, Filehorse should be considered. The software pages display detailed information about them along with screenshots. You can also download older versions from a dropdown list and select 32-bit or 64-bit versions if available. There isn’t much complexity to Filehorse, it’s a simple index of software.

Steam You might wonder why Steam is listed under software discovery. It is since the popular digital distribution platform doesn’t only operate as a platform to download games. Steam has a list of tools, mostly directed towards creative suites, covering categories of Animation, Audio, Game Development, Video editing etc. Steam’s advantage lies in its medium of distribution which ensures that patches and updates arrive early. A trustworthy review module which is easy to navigate, thanks to the tabs that filter out positive and negative reviews, serves legitimate opinions about them. Currently, Steam lists tools made available by the creators and hence, the variety is limited.

The best option The above options broadly index software under preset categories and

94 DISCOVERY also list out the most popular ones in a different section. Considering the options mentioned above, Softpedia comes out as your best bet to stay updated on upcoming software and discovering new ones using the New Downloads section. Note: You probably might be wondering why CNET’s Download.com or SourceForge hasn’t been covered. Although you can safely procure software from Download.com using direct links provided on their website, using their downloader isn’t advised since third-party software are bundled in certain tools. A couple of years back, we used to be highly dependent on SourceForge for open source and free software but since they started distributing applications that automatically install third-party tools unless declined, we stopped using their platform.

Alternativeto.net Software indexes list out both free and commercial software. Sometimes, or maybe every time, you would prefer to use free software over the expensive alternatives. Alternativeto serves as a great place to narrow down your search for alternatives to any category of software under desktop tools, mobile apps or web applications. It’s not restricted in suggesting only free alternatives to a particular software but even commercial AlternativeTo lists alternative tools across all platforms ones. This acts as a really helpful discovery tool for alternatives when you’re sick of using the same old tool and want a fresh new tool offering the same functionalities. An added advantage of landing on the front page of the website is the exposure to tools which are alternatives to existing popular tools. It’s an efficient method of keeping track on upcoming software which can be potentially better alternatives to replace the installed aging software on your system.

Wikipedia search Wikipedia has certainly helped us through our homework and assignments, but it can also meet your software discovery requirements. Google Search can be made more efficient with the inclusion of operators and the same

DISCOVERY 95 applies to Wikipedia’s search. After reading about alternatives for a category you might want to further investigate the features offered in them. You can prefix the Prefixing ‘comparison of’ in Wikipedia Search desired category with “comparison of” in the search box and you’ll be presented with a lot of information. Say, you’re searching for web browsers and want to verify OS support in them. Entering “comparison of web browsers” in Wikipedia’s search field will display a comprehensive table of general information, features, OS support etc. The extent to which users have gone to compartmentalise the various degrees of distinction in categories is overwhelming. This feature isn’t bound only to software but also extends to hardware components.

Bulk software installers This isn’t exactly a software discovery tool but it’s a lifesaver during system rebuilding. When you’ve got a new system built or you’ve formatted your OS, the first thing you’ll dive into is installing essential software. It’s pure pain to download each and every software individually which can be avoided by using bulk software installer services. There are several services available out there including Ninite, Allmyapps, Chocolatey, Npackd etc. We’ll not go into the details of each service and as for our recommendation goes, we suggest Ninite owing to its sheer simplicity of picking the desired software and downloading them instantly. If the choice of tools available in Ninite doesn’t impress you, we would recommend you to check out Allmyapps.

Ninite lets you bulk download and install software

96 DISCOVERY

Subreddits Reddit is the best place to discover almost anything and not just software. If you have visited Reddit once, you must have come across several subreddits or groups where like-minded people share knowledge. The are several such subreddits to discover software – popular ones being /r/software and /r/opensource. The advantage here is people recommending software they have used personally. Generally, there are healthy discussions about pros and cons, helping you choose the right one. Rarely, you will also come across obscure tools someone discovers out of nowhere. There are dedicated subreddits to particular software and users post relevant content on them.

Lifehacker Hive five When we find ourselves in a fix of finding out new alternatives or the best options in a particular category, we turn our attention to Lifehacker’s Hive five. Covering physical products as well, these listers of five products are quite helpful for a quick discovery of software. The tools listed in them are nominated by real users, and at the end are put to vote, deciding the final winners.

Digit DVD When there’s a chapter dedicated to elaborate on healthy techniques of discovering software, how can we withhold ourselves from pulling a shameless plug for the venerable Digit DVD? Right from its inception, it has been the source of all sort of software for many, ranging from development tools to productivity suites. We haven’t been blatantly packaging software for our readers as the curation process goes beyond fulfilling one’s knack for trying out new software. Every month, we plunge into the vast corners One stop shop for your of the Internet in search of new and interesting software requirements tools either whacky or useful. If procrastination is your favourite sport and laziness gets the best of you every time, all the methods mentioned above can be completely ignored. You can put your unparalleled faith to the DVDs to satisfy the constant urge of staying on par with the latest software there is to offer.