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Freeware Files: Widescreen Mania! Make the Most of your Monitor's Real Estate!

David Murphy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:30:35 -0600

Widescreen monitors are, in a word, awesome, and not just because they offer some kind of enhanced quality over their four-by-three ratio brethren. Depending on what you're using them for, like movie-watching, you'll simply see more of a given scene than you otherwise would on a standard display. The increased screen real estate (on the horizontal plane) also allows you to make more effective use of your desktop... provided you have the right software tools to create this enhanced productivity.

In fact, one of the biggest complaints surrounding the use of widescreen monitors is just that--the elongated desktop space is just too hard to navigate, and applications frequently don't make the best use of this additional room. I can't promise that everything out-of-the-box (or out-of-the-browser window) will look great on your widescreen display. However, what I can do is offer you a suite of tools designed to make your 16-by-9 or 16-by-10 experience as great as it can be. I've been using widescreen monitors for quite some time now. I know how it feels. That extra background space on the sides of every Web page you load? Maddening.

But I digress. Let's take care of that issue, and more, with some awesome widescreen monitor apps.

MiniMIZE

What's so great about MiniMIZE? If you have the extra screen real estate--and you do, if you're using a widescreen monitor--then why bother minimizing your applications to a tiny icon on your taskbar? The heck with that. Take that additional horizontal space on your desktop and pack it with big ol' thumbnails of the very programs you've minimized. It's a prettier treatment for organizing your active windows, although it would be nicer still if the desktop images of your windows were actually live, much like Windows' live taskbar previews.

Since this program is super-old and hasn't been updated since its third beta, you'll want to make sure that you're running it in compatibility mode for Windows XP (Service Pack 2), else you will see no new icons on your desktop whatsoever.

Download it here!

Widescreen Fixer

There are apparently a number of popular games that just don't approach the issue of widescreen displays with much tenacity. And by that, I mean that a batch of titles--including BioShock, the Call of Duty Series, and Wolfenstein--don't properly adjust the field of view when you switch to a widescreen mode. This results in your picture getting cropped, which gives you less visible playing space than a person playing on a 4:3-ratio display. Yuck.

Widescreen Fixer does exactly what its name suggests, correcting the field of view issues for these games (including those with PunkBuster-based multiplayer, which isn't apparently bothered by this utility) and opening up around 20 percent more of the picture than what you'd otherwise see on a 4:3-ratio display. More picture means more killing--or, to put it in friendlier terms, you unlock a greater hunk of the game's scenery to admire while you're dodging bullets from your online adversaries.

As for the picture above, The normal-looking part of the image is a shot of Battlefield 2141 in a typical 16:10 mode. The blue chunk of the shot is what you would see if the game was running in a default 4:3 resolution, and the red chunk of the shot is what Widescreen Fixer unlocks for a 16:10 display.

Download it here!

Edgeless

It doesn't get much lazier than this. So, you have this new widescreen monitor, and you've noticed that it takes a lot longer for you to traverse from one end of the rectangular screen to the other. You're tempted to turn up your mouse's sensitivity settings, but you just can't adjust yourself to the new sensation. What do you do? You install Edgeless, a little utility that removes the virtual borders of the left and right sides of your display. Like Columbus, your monitor has now turned from a flat map into a three-dimensional world. Move your mouse off the left-most part of your screen and it'll appear on the right. Move your mouse off the right-most portion of the screen and... can you guess what happens?

Edgeless 2 also allows you to wrap your mouse around your screen vertically. However, users below have noted some potential antivirus issues with said program. We can't determine whether this is a false positive or a warning flag, but if you've already installed this utility, then you'll want to run a quick anti-virus and anti-malware scan on your system just to be safe (in fact, let us know if anything pops up). As for the app, your best bet is to pick up the original, problem-free Edgeless utility. If you're running Windows 7 on a 64-bit operating system, you might need to drop this app into Vista compatibility mood for it to work.

Download it here!

WinSplit Revolution

To truly organize your widescreen desktop, you can always try partitioning it into zones. WinSplit Revolution is a handy little application that allows you to snap windows into preset configurations using a bevy of keyboard hotkeys. But don't think you're stuck to a basic, say, two-by-two grid of windows. You can have windows span multiple "sections" either vertically or horizontally, and if you find you need more room for more windows, you can quickly make space for an additional row or column using the built-in hotkeys. Although this application is really designed for the keyboard fanatic, an experimental "drag'n'go" mode lets you move your window around the screen while the program highlights the different places your window could end up.

Download it here!

Always on Top Maker

The site isn't the prettiest, but don't let that deter you from the simple functionality presented by Always on Top Maker. If you don't want to fiddle with applications that split your screen into sections, or applications that dump your windows into icons on your desktop, or any other software craziness, then Always on Top maker is the no-frills utility for you. After all, the best way to make use of your widescreen desktop is to simply park something on one side while you do something else on the other--like, say, watch YouTube videos while you write freeware roundups. This normally results in your active window taking precedence over your inactive window and makes such a task impossible unless you literally isolate one program to one side, one program to the other.

Always on Top Maker lets you stick a window anywhere you want on your desktop, which will always remain on top of the active window you're working in. You toggle this functionality on and off with a simple keyboard shortcut. That's it. It's simple, it's easy, and it's a great way to multitask on your widescreen display without having to resort to fancier organizational applications.

And, no, this doesn't work to stop Plants vs. Zombies from auto-pausing your game when you switch to a different window. Sigh.

Download it here!

David Murphy (@ Acererak) is a technology journalist and former Maximum PC editor. He writes weekly columns about the wide world of open-source as well as weekly roundups of awesome, freebie software. Befriend him on Twitter, especially if you have an awesome app or game you're dying to recommend!

Freeware Files: Five Mozilla Jetpack Add-ons to Fuel Your Firefox

David Murphy — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:30:00 -0600

What, you ask, is Jetpack?

Right now, it's just an add-on for Mozilla Firefox. But it could also represent the future of browser-based extensions as we know it, depending on how much developers can twist and craft this new open framework to their advantage. Unlike normal Firefox add-ons, which require a decently skilled knowledge of Javascript and XUL, Jetpack add-ons use a combination of HTML, CSS, and Javascript to deliver new features and functionality directly through the browser. According to Mozilla, one could theoretically write an easy-to-use Jetpack add-on in "under a dozen lines of code." And the benefit for the casual Web browser? Jetpack add-ons promise universal compatibility with different versions of Firefox and, the kicker, require no browser restart to function.

Mozilla just launched the official gallery for this new framework last week. As you might expect, there aren't a ton of browser add-ons to play with. However, I'm going to take a look at five of the more innovative, interesting, and downright install-worthy of the Jetpack add-ons that are currently available in this week's freeware roundup. And remember--you can install and uninstall these add-ons without mucking up your browser session whatsoever, so feel free to be a Firefox Rocketeer and grab as many as you want to try out!

Thumbtabs

One of the fussier points of Firefox is that you can't natively get a thumbnail view of a site when you hover your mouse over its tab in your browser. Thumbtabs adds this functionality into your Web surfing experience by building a little, clickable arrow on the left-hand side of your tab toolbar. When you jam it with your mouse, a sidebar pops open to show you exactly what the pages represented by your various tabs look like. It's not quite as slick as, say, a mouseover window popping up, but Thumbtabs certainly gets the job done.

Download it here!

JetWave

If you're one of the many who use some variant of the Firefox Gmail Manager add-on to show you when you have new messages in your Inbox, you'll love JetWave. In short, it borrows the same functionality from Gmail Manager and pops a little Google Wave icon in the lower-right corner of your browser. When someone adds a message to one of your Google Waves, a little window pops up and lets you know. Clicking on the icon itself will take you right to the Google Wave home page, giving you a quick, easy way to add a reply. You can also access individual waves via a handy little sidebar on the left side of your screen.

Download it here!

Jetstatus

That didn't take long. Of course, Jetstatus is the Twitter tie-in of Jetpack add-ons. Just like JetWave, little pop-up windows appear in the lower-right hand corner of your browser whenever one of your Twitter followers posts a link. If you're popular like Associate Editor Nathan Edwards, then your browser should be a flurry of activity each time you open the window. Although you can't reply or otherwise engage your "Tweeps" via these Jetstatus pop-ups, you can at least use the add-on's built-in sidebar window to jump to the homepage of any of your followers, as well as any links they've posted in their Tweets.

Download it here!

ClicktoFlash

Are you ever bothered by Web sites that just bombard you with Flash content when all you really want to do is navigate a page? Yeah. ClicktoFlash is perhaps the world's easiest method for turning Flash on and off at your leisure. When you toggle the little button on the lower-right corner of your Firefox window to "off," or the big "F" with a circle and a line through it, then no Flash content will load on any page you surf to. If you change your mind and really want to see what a site looks like with the Flash content going crazy, then just click on the "Flash" button that now appears where Flash content used to be. Presto--up it loads!

Download it here!

Image Editor

This add-on is, in a word, crazy. All it really does is add a little menu option, "Edit Image," to the right-click context menu whenever you click an image on a Web page. From there, Image Editor loads said picture into a Lightbox of Pixlr. It's no Adobe Photoshop, but Pixlr is nevertheless a great way to accomplish a number of editing tasks--from drawing, to resizing, to screwing-up-with-lots-of-filters--straight out of your browser window. When you're done playing around, you can save the image directly out of Pixlr to your desktop just as if you were doing it in a standard, installed program. Awesome.

Download it here!

Freeware Files: Five Apps for a Windows 7 Desktop Makeover!

David Murphy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:30:00 -0600

There's nothing wrong with the Windows 7 desktop per se. But for freeware developers, that's no excuse not to tweak, hack, and otherwise modify every possible piece of your screen. And it's not that difficult to add new functionality to your desktop that doesn't otherwise exist in the operating system. The hardest part is finding software that makes a substantive change to what you already have. After all, the last thing you want to do is install a ton of different freeware apps and find your desktop in even worse shape than it was before (if you do, take a quick trip to Revo Uninstaller).

The intensity of the following five free applications ranges from apps that completely revamp your desktop's look and feel to programs that add new ways for accessing common apps and folders straight off your desktop. How far you want to go with your tweaking is entirely up to you--these are just some of the more interesting tools I've come across that should go a long way toward raising your "Windows Power User" level a few notches.

Desktop Media

Here's an easy one. Desktop Media emulates one of OSX's most basic and useful features. Whenever you stick a new CD in the drive, connect a portable USB storage device to your system, or fire up a network drive (amongst other options), Desktop Media slaps a shortcut to said device right on your desktop. Remove the device (or take the CD out), and the shortcut automatically disappears. Fire this one up in front of your friends and they'll swear that you've built some crazy Mac/Windows hybrid--you'll be the life of the Windows 7 party.

Download it here!

StandaloneStack 2

I've always enjoyed how Windows 7 has managed to simultaneously de-clutter and improve the usefulness of the default Windows Vista and Windows XP taskbars. However, every icon on the bar at the little bottom of your screen still only represents one program. Sure, you can get some added contextual items to select if you click on an application's arrow icon on the Start Menu, but this isn't a universal feature for all applications--and you're still only interacting with a single program.

StandaloneStack 2 allows you to move one step beyond these features and create program "stacks," or graphical lists, based off of a single icon. When you click on this icon, you can use the ensuing menu of items to launch new programs, folders, or settings options. It's like having a number of different Start buttons that you can customize as much as you'd like.

Download it here!

7 Taskbar Tweaker

This app might be limited in its prettiness, but it more than makes up for it with its usefulness. As you might expect, 7 Taskbar Tweaker is a simple utility for adding additional functionality into your default Windows 7 taskbar. For example, you can switch between either a default jump list or standard window menu when you right-click an icon, toggle application grouping on and off, and make use of new middle-click functionality that either opens a new instance of a taskbar program, closes the window, or focuses the window. You can also disable thumbnail previews, should you so choose. It's not a weighty list of items to play around with, but 7 Taskbar Tweaker's modifications aren't normally customizable options in the Windows 7 OS.

Download it here!

MenuApp

Speaking of the Start Menu, let's suppose you have a ton of different files, programs, favorites, and shortcuts that you want to be able to access from a single location. Let's call this set of objects "work." Normally, you'd have to make a folder somewhere on your system or desktop and dump all of your pertinent files in there, as well as all of your bookmarked Web sites, shortcuts to all the programs you need to access, et cetera. To organize this folder, you'd have to use subfolders related to the items you intend to store. Fun.

MenuApp removes the ugliness from this organization by allowing you to create Start Menu-like hierarchies based off of a single icon on your desktop. Now, you can simply click on your newly created "work" icon and pull up all of your files, shortcuts, and other objects of interest via an easy-to-access system of menus without having to move a single piece of data around your PC. Just tell MenuApp where the documents you want to access are located on your computer and it'll automatically create menus based on the contents of those folders--from there, you can shuffle and create organized pathways through your data at your leisure.

Download it here!

Rainmeter

For the ultimate in desktop skinning without a ton of crazy configuration files to wade through, Rainmeter is an excellent tool for changing the look of your entire desktop without sacrificing a large amount of system resources. A recent update to the application adds a little feature called RainBrowser, which lets you run through the different skins you've installed for the application and tweak their settings or preview their look before you start changing up your desktop en masse. The Rainmeter developers do the best job of summarizing the coolness of this free app: "Every inch of a skin is completely customizable."

Or, in other words, the sky's the limit. Ha-ha!

Download it here!

Freeware Files: ASCII Zombie Games, Nethack Doom, and Huge Space Adventures!

David Murphy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:00 -0600

There's one thing I think of when Daylight Savings Time hits: zombies. Seriously. All that extra time in the dark just fuels the undead flames for an eventual takeover by our semi-bulletproof, plant-hating masters. It only makes sense, then, that I use this weekly freeware roundup column to provide you with some kind of effective training for fending off the gruesome hordes. And beyond that, you'll also find a few more fun freeware games to busy yourself with as the angry, moaning masses slowly overwhelm your pitiful human defenses.

Now that we've established the plot, let's check out the titles!

DoomRL

It's no secret that Nethack is one of the greatest roguelike games of all time. Roguelike, for those not in the know, is a word that's used to describe this particular gaming genre of ASCII-based dungeon crawls. The "rogue" part of the description is actually a game--a 1980s graphical adventure title that's widely regarded as being one of the first of its kind. In this interesting little mashup, we have a combination of Nethack-style gameplay with plot elements from the popular Doom game, which is itself widely regarded as being one of the biggest catalysts for the first-person genre style of gameplay.

Like Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant, these two titans are meeting in an epic battle of text-based dungeon stomping. And yes, this game even comes with achievements of-sorts.

Download it here!

Darkwind

Fans of the MMO genre will surely remember that one failed attempt at a vehicle-based shooter that pretty much went from launch to death in short order. I believe the name of the game was Auto Assault, a far more alliterative title than "Darkwind." Still, this turn-based title is what you'll have to work with if you want to relive the glory days of driving around and killing stuff. And if that's not your bag, be sure to check out the game's economic functions as well. Hey, someone has to drive the truck.

Download it here!

Bombie Zombie

I know, I know--this is the game you were waiting for this whole time. Well don't let me take any more lengthy paragraphs to explain the subtle nuances of this zombie-killing game. In Bombie Zombie, there are a ton of zombies running around. Your job is to kill them, only... you have but one weapon to use: land mines. If only classic Atari games were this cool.

Download it here!

Strange Adventures in Infinite Space

This space exploration game is a bit of a misnomer, because it's not quite as infinite as the title might have you believe. Actually--for better or worse--the game is designed to take only 15 minutes or so to make it through each playthrough. Like a Diablo dungeon, every new adventure you take starts with randomized variables, making no two space explorations entirely alike. More than 21 ship types and 70+ weapons, gadgets, and other ship add-ons await you!

Download it here!

Magnello

Lead a ball into a hole. It's the classic theme behind any number of puzzles you can find in the real world today. But here's a twist I bet you don't come across as often. In Magnello, the ball is magnetic and the hole is electric. And did I mention that the levels are far more challenging than you might except from such a simple concept? Yeah. Grab your nearest stress-busting device and give Magnello a whirl.

Download it here!

Download of the Week: Inkscape

Florence Ion — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:30:59 -0500

Vectors marked the beginning of the evolution of graphics for the Web 2.0 generation. Almost every button and rendered image an Internet traveler sees on the web these days is a vector image drawn with expensive professional software like Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw. For non-designers looking to venture into the vectorizing sphere of the World Wide Web, we suggest Inkscape, an open source vector graphics editor with the same tools and resources as other drawing applications.

Art is not really our forte, but you get the idea.

Off the bat, Inkscape impresses —unlike other open source freeware, Inkscape actually supports the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format and incorporates SVG features like markers, clones, and alpha blending, as well as a streamlined interface that does not lag with every mouse click. The program itself is a bit of a hefty download, as this is not a light app. The toolbar interface includes medium sized icons with rollover descriptions for easy learning and every action is smooth and fluid. And, if you get stuck, Inkscape’s main site also includes tutorials in a variety of languages, so there’s no need to feel intimidated by the blank palette laid out on your desktop. Use Inkscape to create icons, design web pages, web buttons, and your own free-hand vector art.

Open source freeware may take awhile to finally catch on and become as all-inclusive and capable as our paid application counterparts, but for the graphic design world, it’s great to get a fresh start with something that is easy to use and supports the open source community’s efforts to make programs like these accessible to everyone, regardless of income bracket or computer abilities.

Download Inkscape here

Every Wednesday, we pick a new free or shareware download as our favorite of the week. Have a nifty application that you can't live without? Send suggestions to florence [AT] maximumpc.com with "Download of the Week" in the subject line.

Freeware Files: Auto-Installers for Your Favorite Windows 7 Apps!

David Murphy — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:45:00 -0500

I feel as if we just crossed this path the other day. But that's okay. On the grand scale of "pony-themed games" to "extremely useful freeware applications," automatic application installers--or package mangers--tend to fall toward the latter end of the spectrum.

I wouldn't be broaching this topic so close to a previous, similar roundup were it not critically important for you to check out some of the apps that I've recently found. Although a few package managers might slip into the mix, the freeware programs I'm about to profile today... aren't really programs at all. At least, they aren't installation packages in the way you're typically used to seeing them.

Unlike package managers, which require you to install a separate application that contains some fancy list of other applications to download, some of the apps I'm investigating today remove this extra step from the equation. When stumbling into the official Web site of said programs, you're given the opportunity to customize a list of programs you want to install before you have to download anything. Once you're ready, the site creates a single executable that--if all goes well--downloads and spits the applications onto your hard drive without so much as an extra mouse click of your time.

Of course, that's the best-case scenario. There are still a number of helpful "application packages" that are a wee less automated but still worth looking into. And if you need any further encouragement, one such tool cut my typical post-installation software installation time from around 30-45 minutes to a grand total of five--five hassle-free minutes, mind you.

Ninite

I won't bury the lede. Ninite--coincidentally released this past Friday--was the first program I turned to post-successful Windows 7 installation. Why's that? Because I, like you, don't enjoy wasting an hour or more hunting across the Internet for all the apps I frequently use. And after that, there's the installation process: Tedious, sequential steps of application installation routine after application installation routine. A few thousand mouse-clicks and ten computer reboots later... and I feel like I've wasted my entire day installing programs instead of actually using them.

Ninite delivers an easy solution to this mess. Go to the website and click on the apps that you ultimately want to install. When you're done, Ninite creates a customized executable that downloads and installs these apps for you. Each app is installed with its default settings to its default location--a boon for those who just want a "set it and forget it" dump of all their favorite applications, although picky purists who prefer to tweak an app's advanced installation options might find themselves slightly disappointed.

Download it here!

Google Pack

It goes without saying, but this tried-and-true set of applications from Google offers a wide latitude of variety for just a single installation executable. From the Chrome Web browser, to Google Earth, to third-party applications like Skype, you'll find a lot of functionality that's easily customizable to create your own personal Google Pack. Simply head on over to Google's Web site for the software and select which elements you want to appear in your customized download executable. Double-click on the file once you've downloaded it and Google, for the most part, will take care of the rest.

Download it here!

Allmyapps

Allmyapps has the slight ring of a package manager to it, in that the application you download is mainly a resource for processing specialized links from the accompanying Web site rather than a full-fledged installation package of its own. However, the functionality this site offers is comparable to Ninite... and there are a ton more freeware and open-source apps to choose from! Like an Amazon shopping extravaganza, simply add the apps you want to download to your shopping card, er, list. Register for the site and save your list, and you'll be able to grab all the programs at once using the site's downloadable installer application.

I'd much prefer to skip the registration process entirely and just get the apps a la Ninite, but it's hard to argue in the face of the site's comprehensive list of programs to pick from.

Download it here!

BaseShield App Store

Similar to a concept I've blogged about in the past--okay, it's exactly identical--BaseShield is the equivalent of an iTunes for freeware and open-source PC software. Install the App Store application and you'll be able to browse for additional programs as if you were searching for a new application for your iPod Touch or iPhone device.

To be fair, BaseShield isn't a carbon-copy of iTunes. In fact, it's really more of just a graphical package manager. I guess I was a little thrown off by the title. The pretty treatment and abundance of available (and updated) freeware and open-source software titles does set this package manager a bit apart from its peers. And since it's made by the same people who made the ever-awesome Ninite app you read about earlier, I have the utmost faith that this program will be as delightful a treat for your PC as its brother. Or sister. Take your pick.

Download it here!

Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0

Every now and them, I stumble across a piece of freeware for the hardcore developer crowd. I'll never use it myself, but Microsoft's Web Platform Installer 2.0 makes for a simplified way to download and install a whole bevy of components at once, including: Internet Information Services (IIS), SQL Server 2008 Express, the .NET framework, and Visual Web Developer Express, amongst others. Microsoft has even built a community of-sorts around the various Web apps that you can integrate into your site after-the-fact, including Wordpress, SugarCRM, and Gallery, to name a few.

Like I said, this is pure, geeky developer stuff. But, hey, automated installations are automated installations, eh? If your geek-fu isn't quite at this level, maybe you can start by playing around with XAMPP?

Download it here!

Freeware Files: Five Alternative Desktop Organizers (That Rock)

David Murphy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:30:00 -0500

The recent release of Stardock's Fences tool (version 1.0) got me thinking about desktop organization. While Fences is certainly neat--the program lets you divide your desktop real estate into individual sections, surrounded by "fences," amongst other space-saving features--this freeware app isn't the only game in town by far. In fact, some of you expressed disgust at Stardock's latest release. Be it the fact that one needs to install Stardock's Impulse client just to access Fences, or your simple dislike of an application whose functionality is mirrored by other freeware apps, Fences was hardly a shot hit out of the park.

So, here we are. I'm going to show you five different alternative desktop managers that will help you bring increased tidiness, prettier looks, and funner... er... more fun functionality to your typical workspace. Auto-arrange your icons one last time for nostalgia's sake, because I'm about to mix up your desktop crazy-style.

WinExt

This one's easy. WinExt expands the normal Windows shell to include an additional bar at the top or bottom of your screen. On this bar sits a number of additional features: menu buttons that you can theme by category to launch any number of applications (sure beats surfing around the Windows start menu!), quick-launch buttons for calling up all the apps you want, and an optional status bar that gives you a Resources Monitor-like look at your system's current CPU use, RAM use, and hard drive space, amongst other notes. You can customize the colors and alpha transparency of this new bar on your screen, making it just a tad more useful than the default Windows taskbar.

Download it here!

RocketDock

I've talked about RocketDock before, so I'm somewhat loathe to mention it again in a freeware update. However, a number of commenters have insisted that RocketDock is a stronger enhancement for one's desktop than Stardock's Fences, so I don't mind profiling it again just in case you missed it last time. Explanation aside, RocketDock is an application launcher that's analogous to what you'd find on Apple's OSX platform. A little, auto-hiding, transparent launcher hosts icons representing the program shortcuts that you want easier access to. Moving your mouse over said icons expands them into a larger size (again, OSX anyone?), and you can even see a live preview of your app (if it's running) similar to Windows Vista's default action.

Download it here!

ObjectDock

You got your ObjectDock in my RocketDock! You got your RocketDock in my ObjectDock! Despite the similarities of the names, RocketDock and ObjectDock--also a Stardock app, for those keeping score at home--are... almost every bit the same. ObjectDock offers a different style, same treatment for adding an additional, icon-themed shortcut launching bar into your operating system. It's a bit beefier of a resource-user than RocketDock. If you can afford the hit, you'll get a kick out of the unique icons and "docklets," tiny applications like a brand-new weather feed utility that you can launch straight out of your ObjectDock bar itself!

Download it here!

BumpTop

Tired of staring at the boring ol' two-dimensional space of a normal computer desktop? All the application-launching utilities in the world can't break through your workspace's flat plane... hence BumpTop's usefulness. This app transforms your dull desktop into a three-dimensional, navigable space. Rotate this environment as if it were a Sims-like model of your bedroom, then attach your icons to the wall like a teenager's collection of rock posters. As you grow and shrink icons to reflect their importance, you can drag them around and nudge smaller, less-important icons out of the way. Clicking, dragging, and creating three-dimensional piles of icons has never been as intuitive as it is in BumpTop and--dare I say it--never as much fun, either.

Now if only there was a way to create additional themed "rooms" and pathways through your desktop a la an old-school Doom map...

Download it here!

KDE

Eschew the Windows environment entirely and play around with a LiveCD that incorporates KDE, or the K Desktop Environment. To be honest, a number of the fancier tricks and desktop management tools that you have to build into Windows with third-party programs are likely to already exist in KDE. It's the inspiration for many an aspiring Windows desktop enhancer--if not Windows itself. A number of the flashier features you'll find on Windows 7 desktops worldwide have already been known to KDE users for some time now. Get ahead of the desktop management curve; get KDE.

Download it here!

Linux Software Picks: Six Alternatives to Photoshop

Will Kraft — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:30:00 -0500

Although many graphics professionals turn to Windows or Mac OS to execute their designs, Linux is far from helpless in this area. While it helps that Adobe Photoshop, the undisputed gold-standard program that most professionals use for raster graphics, runs on Linux through Wine, there are several native Linux programs that offer some of the same functionality. Furthermore, there are many free vector graphics programs that can produce infinitely scalable graphics much like what Adobe Illustrator can do. Aside from the software situation, there is no reason why Linux could not be just as effective with graphics applications as OS X and Windows, since Linux supports many peripherals like tablets out of the box with full plug-and-play support.

Are the Linux programs drop-in replacements for Photoshop and Illustrator? The answer could be either yes and no, depending on the way you look at it and what your needs are. If you compare the Linux alternatives to Photoshop/Illustrator feature-by-feature, the free open source tools will come up short by a significant margin and there is simply no way to get around that fact. If you actually need those features on a day-to-day basis, then you should get your wallet out and purchase Photoshop and/or Illustrator. However, if you can get by with less, the free open source software tools may be enough to get the job done and save you considerable money in the process.

Raster Tools

These tools are meant to work with raster (pixel-based) images. This type of image uses a matrix of dots of varying colors to create an image. Rasterized images have hard limits as to how much they can be manipulated in certain ways, but they support for more detail than vector-based artwork. Image formats like PNG, JPG, TIFF, PSD, etc. are raster-based.

GNU Image Manipulation Tool (GIMP)

The GIMP is arguably the most well-known open source graphics tool, and is one of the most mature open source image manipulation tools around. GIMP comes pre-installed in most distros, so there is seldom a need to manually install it. GIMP is quite powerful, with a large toolkit and support for layers/layer masking, channels, and over 150 filters to provide various effects. GIMP can handle all common image formats like BMP, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, etc. and can read many proprietary image formats like Photoshop native PSD and the various RAW formats used by some digital cameras.

GIMP is also very fast and has very good automation capabilities. Those familiar with Photoshop will find the tool window and filter organization to be to be fairly straightforward. GIMP includes the necessary tools for image cropping/retouching and works quite well as a lightweight (and we stress lightweight) Photoshop alternative. Unless you're a professional graphic designer, GIMP will probably be adequate for your needs.

However, GIMP does have problems. To begin with, its interface relies on a multiple window model that can be rather cumbersome for those not used to it. It is often essential to flag the tool window as “always on top” to keep it from hiding behind other windows whenever it loses focus. Fortunately, the GIMP developers are planning to convert the program to a single-document window interface in future versions; such functionality is already available in a derivative of GIMP called GIMPshop. Furthermore, GIMP has no CMYK support while other similar tools do.

Krita

Krita is a KDE application and part of the Koffice suite. Named after the Swedish word for “crayon”, Krita's layout is roughly similar to Photoshop, with a tool panel to the left and layer/color selection panels to the right. Although Krita is not quite as capable as the GIMP (owing in part to Krita's relative immaturity as a fairly new project) it can still do quite a bit.

When you first start Krita, you will be prompted with a preset template to use. There are several different sizes and color spaces (RGB, CMYK, and Grayscale) to choose from or you can define your own custom size and bind it to the desired color space. Once you have created or opened a document, you are able to use the toolkit panel (located to the left, just like Photoshop and GIMP) to work on it. Krita's layer and color management tools (and all the panels in general) are nicer than those in GIMP since they can be docked whereas GIMP's can only be free-floating.

Krita does have its deficiencies, but that is understandable since it is still fairly new compared to GIMP. Krita has about half of the filters that GIMP does, but the ones that are present work well.

Phatch

Phatch is rather unique. It is not an “editor” in a true sense, but is more like an image processor. Phatch has many preset image effects that can be applied to an image; these effects can be stacked on top of each other and be applied in a specific sequence if desired.

Phatch offers batch processing capabilities; if you need to apply effects like sharpen, add border, etc. to many images at once, it would normally take hours if you had to do it manually. In contrast, Phatch can process entire directories at once in minutes. Alternatively, Phatch offers drag-and-drop processing. Phatch may not be a tool you use every day, but it is invaluable in the situations where you do need it.

Vector Tools

Unlike rasterized images, vector graphics incorporate true lines, curves, etc. While rasterized images do not scale well since they are made of a finite quality of pixels (zooming in on a raster image will reveal jagged curves), Vector art may be resized or otherwise manipulated infinitely and still remain completely smooth. Linux has many programs that can create vector artwork.

Inkscape

Inkscape is in our opinion the best open source vector image editor that we have ever seen. We feel that Inkscape even gives proprietary tools a run for their money, based on the screenshots we have seen depicting what many talented artistic people have been able to do with Inkscape. Inkscape supports layers and has all the tools a program of its type should have, like freehand drawing, calligraphy brush, line/curve drawing, pen tool, path node management, circle/polygon drawing, gradients, color/stroke management, etc. All of these tools are logically placed and are easy to use. Inkscape also includes multiple color pallets and even some rudimentary flowcharting and 3d tools.

Additionally, Inkscape's native file format is Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), so no further conversion is necessary. It can also import many file formats, both vector and raster. The only deficiencies that we found with Inkscape are the dialog windows that control fill and stroke; they could be more prominently placed than they are. Even if you just dabble in artwork, you should spend some time playing with Inkscape.

XARA Xtreme

Xara is a formerly proprietary Windows vector drawing application that was later open sourced and ported to Linux. Unlike the other solutions mentioned here, Xara probably won't be found in standard distro repositories (although unofficial repositories may have it) and as such can be more difficult to install. The standard procedure to install the binary is to download the package file from the website, chmod it as executable, and then run it like a shell script. This will launch a graphical installation utility. We took a shortcut and installed the binary instead of compiling from source (which is what people are most likely to do) on Ubuntu 9.04. While the binary worked, it was very unstable and prone to crashing at random moments, especially when applying effects. Presumably, performance and stability would be better if the application were to be custom-built for each system.

Xara includes the standard tools and features of most vector graphics programs, but we noticed that the pen tool behaved differently than in other programs, which might put some people off. Xara included some nifty beveling, transparency, and contour tools in addition to the standard features, but the unstable nature of the program made us hesitant to experiment very much. (it was aggravating to repeatedly create something only to have the program crash without warning and take our work with it) Xara saves its native files in a proprietary format (.xara) but it can export to SVG and rasterized formats like PNG or JPEG. Like Inkscape, Xara can import many types of graphics. Xara shows promise, but for now, it would be best to stick with Inkscape unless you want to compile Xara yourself.

OpenOffice.org Draw

OpenOffice.org's Draw module is different from many of the other drawing tools we tested; while it can create simple line art in the right hands, it just doesn't have the flexibility of something like Inkscape or Xara. However, Draw appears to be a very promising tool for creating flowcharts as an alternative to Kivio (another flowchart utility). An added bonus to using it for this purpose is close integration with the rest of OpenOffice. We noticed that creating flowcharts with Draw is very straightforward and the various shapes fit the purpose nicely with pre-defined text areas.

Draw saves its native files in ODF Drawing format. While this is not a bad thing, it makes it difficult for other programs to work with it. While Draw can export SVG, it requires that a Java Runtime environment be installed. Draw's import functionality is adequate, but it can't handle as many formats as the alternatives we tested.