Articles about Free Software

DupeKill is a simple and fast duplicate file finder for Windows. The program manages to make NirSoft apps look bloated, thanks to a tiny 62.3KB download which unpacks to a single executable.

A very basic interface offers barely any search settings. There are no options to compare using file names or dates, no file specs to select, no file size ranges to specify, or anything else. All you can do is specify a starting folder and opt to search subfolders.

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Pdf Booklet is a free tool for reorganizing and rearranging the pages of a PDF file.

You could use the program to create a simple booklet. In a click or two it’ll shrink and rotate pages, then place two on each paper page, ready for assembling and stapling in the middle.

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The standard Windows "Photos" screensaver is a quick and easy way to create random slideshows of your own images, but it’s also very basic, with the bare minimum of features.

Endless Slideshow Screensaver uses the same core idea, but takes it much further, automatically building spectacular photo slideshows whenever it kicks in.

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Veteran video transcoder HandBrake has finally hit version 1.0.0, more than 13 years after development began.

The most obvious change is in the pile of new presets. Whether you’re after a quick general-purpose option (HQ 720p30 Surround) or something more device-specific (now including Chromecast, Fire TV and Roku), it’s only a click away.

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I’ve updated my Control Panel alternative nuePanel with five powerful new troubleshooting commands covering file monitoring, disk checking, DNS servers, filter drivers and keyboard testing.

You don’t have to download the program to try them out, though -- they all make use of regular Windows commands you can include in your own scripts.

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The superb freeware image viewer IrfanView has hit version 4.44 with a pile of tweaks and additions. A much-improved histogram is now modeless, and offers curves, RGB and other viewing selections.

The Batch Scan dialog supports scanning multiple pages to PDF files.

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Oculus Rift may be a powerful and well-designed VR system, but its file and application management abilities aren’t so smart. Early versions would only install on your system drive, games and apps are always installed to a library in the same location, and if you uninstall Oculus then all your software disappears as well.

AOMEI vrBackupper is a 64-bit Windows 10 program which can back up, restore or migrate your Oculus Rift installation or just your installed games and applications.

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If you own a Raspberry Pi, you’re probably familiar with PIXEL. The desktop environment is included in the Raspbian OS.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation describes PIXEL as the "GNU/Linux we would want to use" and understandably so. It offers a smart, clean interface, a decent selection of software, the Chromium web browser with plug-ins, and more -- and from today it’s available for PC and Mac.

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Cybereason has released RansomFree, a free anti-ransomware tool for Windows. The program uses behavior monitoring to watch your system for ransomware-like actions, detecting and suspending any malicious process once encryption starts.

RansomFree is exceptionally easy to install and use. There are no setup options, no scheduling tools, no lists of drives or folders: you just install the program and leave it to do its work.

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WordPress is a fabulous website builder, and it’s very easy to learn the basics. Just sign up for a free blog at WordPress.com and start to play.

If you’re a serious developer, though, you might prefer to run WordPress locally. There’s no data transfer delays, no waiting for connections, and you can be sure that no-one else will ever be able to see your work-in-progress. This can take a little preparation. WordPress needs a server, for instance. PHP. MySQL. Setting these up on a PC or Mac usually requires a lot of web experience -- but it doesn’t have to be that way.

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Ellp is a free tool which delivers very simple, script-free automation of common PC and other tasks. There are no menus, no complex dialog boxes, no command-line arguments, nothing to learn at all. You can get started in seconds and leave Ellp to do all the real work.

The program opens by displaying these ten cards, each representing a task you’d like to automate.

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Installing any good antivirus program will protect you from known keyloggers, but you’ll still be vulnerable to the very latest threats.

Specialist anti-keyloggers such as SpyShelter take a very different approach. Instead of trying to detect and remove malware, they focus on preventing anything intercepting your keypresses.

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AOMEI has released AOMEI Backupper Standard 4.0, the second major update of its freeware Windows backup, imaging and cloning tool in 2016.

Version 4.0 adds an additional arrow to the tool’s bow -- the ability to sync file changes in real-time. There’s also added support for a number of popular cloud storage devices as well as a number of more minor improvements.

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Vectr is a well-designed cross-platform vector editor with a strong focus on sharing and collaboration. The simple interface may look basic, at least initially: a few basic shapes, pen, pencil and text tools and not much else.

A bonus "More Shapes" panel is just one click away, though, giving you arrows, stars, lightning bolts, image and calendar icons, and assorted other clipart-type designs.

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Hot on the heels of Opera’s final release of the year comes Vivaldi 1.6, a new version of the world’s most flexible web browser from Opera co-founder Jon S von Tetzhner.

Version 1.6 -- available for Mac, Windows and Linux -- debuts three new features, all revolving around the browser’s flexible tab management system. The highlight of these is the new tab notification feature.

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