Articles about Free Software

We're constantly told to back up our data -- but if we're honest, very few of us actually get around to doing so. There are a number of reasons for this, the first of which can be not knowing quite what needs backing up. The next obstacle is knowing how to do it, which tool to use, and how much it will cost you.

Then, of course, there is the question of carving out time to get a backup configured and schedule updates so you don't have to think about it again. It's little wonder that so many people simply don't bother. To make things easier, FBackup 8.7 is now available and is our recommended tool for backing up your most important data.

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During 'shelter at home' many have had to resort to working outside the office. If your employer didn’t have the time or finances to provide new equipment, you may be forced to use your own computer(s) for a prolonged period on sensitive material.

Ask yourself: is your network safe? In the absence of your IT department, you’ll need to rely on your own know-how. Better still, install commercial-grade security software -- and there’s few better than Avast’s AVG Internet Security 2020.

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Laplink's PCmover tool has been around for a while now, making the process of migrating to a new PC easier and faster than ever. Now the company has launched the new PCmover - Windows Store Edition which has a key difference to other versions.

This particular edition of the software brings support for Windows 10 S. Also known as Windows 10 in S Mode this is a more secure mode of Windows which aims to improve security by only allowing users to install apps from the Microsoft Store. PCmover - Windows Store Edition is the first PC migration tool to offer support for Windows 10 S, so it's ideal for anyone who wants to move away from a computer that is in this mode, or who wants to migrate to a newer Windows 10 S system.

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Foxit Software has unveiled landmark updates across its range of PDF viewing and editing tools for Windows PCs. There’s the brand-new free Foxit Reader 10.0 for those who simply need a fast, lightweight PDF viewing tool with handy extras like basic annotation and editing tools.

For those looking for more functionality, Foxit Phantom Standard 10.0 offers more advanced tools for editing, creating and converting PDF files to other formats.

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The end of Wunderlist is nigh: from tomorrow, Microsoft will finally kill the brilliant task-management app in favor of its own Microsoft To Do application, which while introducing many of Wunderlist’s features has retained a distinct identity of its own.

If you’ve tried To Do and not liked it, then here’s the good news: you don’t need to put up with Microsoft’s replacement. Thanks to the good folks at Zenkit, an app exists that succeeds in retaining the Wunderlist look, feel and core feature set. That app is Zenkit To Do, and if you’re quick, you can transfer your data directly to it from Wunderlist.

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The current shift to remote work and distance learning has meant many professionals and teachers communicating for the first time using recorded video.

But the complex steps and costly tools required to capture high-quality presentations are a barrier to them sharing their videos with colleagues and students. Seattle-based Panopto is launching a new, free tool to help people make video presentations by simply visiting a website.

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Microsoft released a new application for Windows devices this week called Bing Wallpaper. Windows users may install the application to automatically download Bing wallpapers and have them set as the system's background image.

The application has not been released as a Microsoft Store app but as a desktop program. Users should not confuse it with the open source program Bing Wallpaper which Mike reviewed in 2017 here on BetaNews.

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It’s a day of double celebration for fans of the Vivaldi web browser. Not only does Vivaldi 3.0 get released for Windows, Mac and Linux, but the company -- led by Opera co-founder Jon S von Tetzchner -- unveils the first stable release of Vivaldi for Android.

Both releases come with a brand new feature in the guise of built-in ad and tracker blockers. The desktop release also unveils a new clock for its status bar, plus improvements to its pop-out video feature.

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Windows 10 isn’t a bad operating system by any means, but that’s not to say it couldn’t be better.

Each major update of the OS resets your privacy settings to default, and it comes with various apps you likely don’t want or use. There are plenty of free third-party programs available you can call upon to tweak Windows 10’s settings, but they can be complicated or confusing to use.

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Ahoy family historians! Chronoplex Software has released a landmark version of its free family history app for Windows users. My Family Tree 10.0, also available in 32-bit form, adds a brand-new interactive fan view that can also be used as a printable or shareable chart.

Other highlights include a new tool to resolve duplicate entries, various improvements to the user interface, a brand new progeny report and the ability to create placeholder entries in the tree for filling out later.

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As the world goes into lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic, staying in touch with loved ones both near and far has never been more important. The explosion in popularity for video chatting makes it entirely appropriate that Facebook should relaunch Messenger on the desktop platform with support for video group calling.

In addition, brand new versions of Facebook Messenger for Windows and Facebook Messenger for Mac finally bring all Messenger features to the platform along with some major new video-chat features.

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Great news for both sysadmins or anyone looking to keep a remote eye on multiple Windows PCs -- O&O Syspectr is now completely free for both commercial and personal use.

The software, a mere 6MB download, installs as an invisible service on each client PC and sits unobtrusively in the background. Users can then log onto their Syspectr accounts online to access a wide range of monitoring, maintenance and management tools.

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Next Tuesday is World Backup Day and to mark the event AOMEI is offering a 12 month free subscription to its Backupper Professional product. The offer is available from now until April 2nd.

With more people working at home on their own machines due to the Coronavirus, security and protection of data is more important than ever.

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There are a lot of VPN services to choose from these days, and a lot of reasons for wanting to use one. But there is the matter of money to consider. Whether you're strapped for cash, or just want to give a VPN a serious test drive before committing to it, the more generous the free data allowance the better.

hide.me is one of many VPNs that offers a free package, and it has just announced that the data allowance for people on this tier has increased fivefold. The increase to 10GB per month is generous, but the way the free tier works means that you actually get an unlimited amount of VPN traffic for free.

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Károly Pados has released TinyWall 3.0 for 64-bit versions of Windows 7 or later. The big change is that TinyWall is now its own independent, standalone firewall. Previously it was a companion app for controlling the main Windows Firewall.

The switch to a separate app is accompanied by numerous improvements -- previous annoyances have been resolved, plus the app is able to increase user security with new features like boot-time filtering.

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