Posted 10/26/09 at 03:45:00 PM by David Murphy

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. I'll be exploring a host of automated installation offerings below, so click the link to get started! 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.

 Read on to check out these great apps!

Read More

Posted 12/17/08 at 08:21:40 AM by Paul Lilly

It's never easy telling that special someone who has been by your side for so long that you feel as though you're growing apart, and it gets even harder to break the news if you've already found someone new. Unless you're Google, in which case you dump Firefox as the default browser in your Google Pack and replace it with Chrome, but make sure to let Firefox know you can still be friends.

Google's new browser matured out of the beta phase last week after just three months on the scene, and apparently Google feels it's now ready for prime time. The Google Pack, which consists of a collection of google-made and third party applications, listed Firefox as the default browser up until Chrome dropped its beta moniker. Firefox still remains on the list, but is no longer selected by default as part of the download.

It's not surprising that Google would choose to include its own browser ahead of Firefox, but it could hint of things to come. Last year, 88 percent of Mozilla's revenues came courtesy of Google, who paid $60 million to be listed as the default search engine in the open-source browser. That relationship will last at least until 2011, as the two signed a three year extension back in August.

Read More