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The Top Freeware Apps Chosen by Maximum PC Readers!

David Murphy — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:00:00 -0500

One of the most rewarding parts of doing these weekly freeware roundups for Maximum PC is the sheer wealth of software that I get to play with each month -- applications that I not only use myself, but ones that I feel compelled to tell you about as well. But coming in a close second are the responses that you, the readers, leave in these posts. For as much as I scour the Internet to find awesome new programs for you to check out, you, too, have become my eyes and ears for finding the latest in amazing free software.

You might guess where this one's going. I'm jumping in the pool of Maximum PC users this week and highlighting programs that you, yourselves, have recommended in the various comments you've posted to these articles. For a number of you have left links and suggestions of compelling alternatives or hidden gems that relate to the programs I've posted. Although I'm featuring your best answers this week, don't let that stop you from joining the discussion. If a certain freeware application has really caught your eye, jump in the thread and say something! Or hit me up on Twitter and let me know when you've found something great!

Rocketdock

What it does: Feel like mimicking the dock in Apple's OSX? Turn over to the dark side with Rocketdock, an neat little application that lets you create a pretty floating toolbar on top the edge of your desktop. According to MPC user AntiHero, "Rocketdock is probably one of my top 5 favorite desktop enhancers." And it's easy to see why -- dragging and dropping the programs you use on a fairly frequent basis onto this auto-expanding launcher is a lot more fun (and eye-catching) then the boring ol' Windows Quick Launch section.

Download it here!

Fences

What it does: MPC users SEALBoy and SirBC love StarDock's Fences. I don't blame them. This desktop enhancement application is not only free (+10 points), but it's a great way to organize the icons on your desktop into moveable, resizable groupings. Stardock calls these chunks of programs "fences." To create one, you just have to draw a box around the icons you want to group. Create a "fence" of these grouped icons, or self-contained box that keeps said icons within a defined space. You can alter the size of the box, move the box around, or even use Fences to lay your boxes out using predefined templates. Take that, cluttered desktops.

Download it here!

Battle for Wesnoth

What it does: You might have heard of the Battle for Wesnoth, but I'm willing to bet that you're unfamiliar with the size and scope of this popular freeware turn-based strategy game. I haven't profiled it yet as part of these weekly freeware wrap-ups, and MPC user Loud let me know that fact. He thinks you can sink a lot of time into the Battle for Wesnoth, and I agree: the free game features both single- and multi-player modes, and the graphics are pretty good given its community-driven origins. As you progress through the game's many scenarios, you carry your hardened veterans through successive battles -- that's right, you can't (and shouldn't) just launch a ton of red-shirts (or zergs) at the computer, you have to think strategically

Download it here!

DriverMax

What it does: I've profiled programs that scan your system and tell you when the applications you've installed have updates that you should download. MPC commenter Nekollx was kind enough to point me in the direction of DriverMax, an application that performs the identical task for all of the hardware that's connected to your PC. While you could always rely on, say, Windows Update to tell you that new soundcard or videocard drivers are ready... don't. Windows' in-house upgrading tool is slow at best, quiet at worst. DriverMax tells you when it's time to install the latest updates for your hardware, and it's a must-have addition to any serious PC user's operating system... unless you really like scanning for and installing drivers manually. I don't.

Download it here!

Folding CD Generator

What it does: Want to contribute to the Folding@Home distributed computing experiment with some older hardware, but don't want to go through the hassle of installing operating systems (or hard drives)? MPC user kc7wbq has the answer: the hybrid Folding CD Generator online application / Live CD. That's a mouthful to say, but you'll be surprised at the simplicity of this crafty tool. When you hit up the Website, you'll be given a series of prompts that will ask you about your particular Folding@Home habits (as well as your user name and passkey for the service; important if you want to join the MPC team for the Chimp Challenge!). Fill out the questions, and the site will auto-create a customized ISO file for your information. Burn the ISO to a CD, boot off this CD when you go to run a computer, and you'll be doing your part to help cure diseases in no time!

"Download" it here!

Help Maximum PC's Folding Team Win the Next Chimp Challenge!

Norman Chan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:03:20 -0500

Three years ago the MaximumPC Folding Team challenged the team ranked above us in the global folding ladder to a race. Each team picked a folding name and tried to get as many folders as possible to fold for it. The race was to a set amount of total folding points, and team Maximum PC won that first contest. In the contest’s second year, the number of points required to win went up and we lost to the third place team. But as winning points went up again last year, we rose to the challenge and won the Chimp race, as it is called today.

This year, 8 or 9 teams may enter, so the Maximum PC team faces some stiff competition. Each year the race stimulates new interest in teams across the world (Russia, Australia and England joined recently, for example). Two top teams from EVGA and overclock.net are loaded with new members and challenging our daily production total. In addition, the top ranked team right now, Horde, produces a million more points a day than any other team.

But we still have plenty of time to build our troops before the race begins in early May.

If you are familiar with folding and can help us attempt to make it three out of four, we would appreciate your help in joining our team! Of course, the folding you do will help Stanford's folding project continue to provide free research data into various diseases.

If you are not familiar with folding, stop by the folding section on the MaximumPC forums and the team will be happy to tell you all about it. The race will probably only last 5-10 days, and details are hashed out by all the teams a week or two before the start. If you’re interested at all, head over to our folding section and join the cause!

Overclocker Builds Folding@Home Farm with 51 GPUs!

Paul Lilly — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:44:20 -0500

Overclock.net forum member nitteo claims to have built a Folding@Home farm with no less than 51 GPUs, and he has the pics to prove it. In them are a mixture of 8800GT and 8800GS videocards spread out across a variety of MSI and Gigabyte motherboards. Final numbers are still be tallied, but nitteo estimates he'll pull in over 250,000 points per day on his new setup, and things only look to get better with the CUDA-based folding client.

That's all well and good for Overclock.net (and the Folding community in general), but that also means Team Maximum PC has to keep it kicked up into high gear. Maximum PC currently holds the 4th spot in team rankings and could use your help. If you want to Fold for your favorite magazine, add team 11108 to your client's profile, and drop by the forum for tips on how to optimize your production.

Image Credit: nitteo (Overclockers.net)

Daily News Brief: PS3 Folders Now Over 1 Million Strong

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:02:47 -0600

PS3 Contributes Big to Folding@home

Forget about Blu-ray movies, next gen gaming, or streaming content. For many, the real allure of the Playstation 3 console lies within its ability to fold proteins for the Folding@home project. More than one million PS3 owners are now using their console to fold, which Sony says is equivalent to 3,000 users per day, or 2 new registered users every minute. Put into perspective, it takes only 10,000 consoles to output the same amount of work as 100,000 PCs, which has helped the project breach the petaflop mark. Interesting in joining the cause with Maximum PC? Register under team 11108, then hop over to our Folding forum for tips and tweaks.

Silver Lining

In other Playstation news, Sony announced plans to release a 'Satin Silver' PS3 in Japan. The new unit will retain the standard 40GB hard drive, and will come with a silver controller to match the console. But the real news is in the release date. Sony plans to debut the third colored console on March 6, the same day Microsoft will unveil the Xbox 360 Arcade in Japan. Touché!

Apple Doubles Up

Twice as much is twice as nice, and both Apple's iPod and iPhone are about to get twice as fat. Or should we say, phat? Apple today announced a new 16GB iPhone and 32GB iPod touch. Each model represents a doubling of capacity in their respective lineup, but not a doubling in price. The new iPhone will sell for $499, compared to $399 for the 8GB model, and the new iPod touch will also command $499, compared to $399 for the 16GB model. Both are available immediately at the Apple Store.

It's a Guy Thing

Has your wife or girlfriend chastised you over how often you play video games? If so, she's obviously not familiar with a new study by Dr. Allan Reiss and his team at the Center of Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research. The study analyzed fMRI scans of two groups - 11 men and 11 women - while playing a specially designed video game. Participants were given no instructions. The fMRI scans showed more activity in the men's mesocorticolimbic center, which is associated with reward and addiction. Arm yourself with more details here, just don't bring up the NPD Group's findings, which show men and women split nearly evenly when buying video game software and hardware.

A Cutting Conspiracy

A week ago we reported of an undersea cable rupture disrupting internet access across several Middle Eastern nations, but was it accidental? Another cable was cut today, marking the fourth such incident in one week. Analysts remain confident that sabotage seems unlikely, but no one has been able to determine what caused the damage or if the incidents were related. According to the International Cable Protection Committee, undersea cables carry 95 percent of the world's telephone and internet traffic.

RIAA Targets...Songwriters?

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the RIAA's latest target isn't music downloaders, but instead they're going after songwriters. Specifically, HR reports RIAA is asking the Copyright Royalty Board to lower songwriter royalties on song file downloads. Songwriters currently fetch about 9 cents per song, or 13 percent of the wholesale price, and the RIAA wants that number dropped to 8 percent. Read more here.