Articles about Free Software

While Microsoft has made it so much easier to create PDF files in Windows than it ever used to be, the built-in option is still rather limited. You can use Microsoft's virtual PDF printer to quickly convert images, Office documents and other files into the ever-useful PDF format, but there are not a huge number of options that you are able to configure.

Things are rather different with Bullzip PDF Printer which has just been updated to version 14. It is a while since this versatile tool received an update, so it's great to see that it has not been forgotten and that development is on-going. Whether you're a new or existing user, there is a lot to look forward to in Bullzip PDF Printer 14.

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For anyone concerned about privacy and security online, Tor Browser is an extremely important alternative to mainstream browsers. Designed to help keep users anonymous and to bypass restrictions put in place by governments, version 11.5 has landed complete with even more powerful options.

Over the years, it has become easier and easier to use Tor Browser, with complex configuration options being made available to the average user without the need for special knowledge. With the release of version 11.5 of the software, things have been made even easier thanks to the introduction of automatic censorship detection and circumvention with the new Connection Assist feature.

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Renowned eBook management tool Calibre has a new landmark release. Calibre 6.0 makes its bow on Windows (64-bit only), Mac and Linux.

Version 6.0 unveils one major headline new feature -- full text search across entire eBook libraries. It’s also the first version to support Apple Silicon and Linux ARM64 architectures, but also drops support for Windows 32-bit users.

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Kodi 20 -- codename 'Nexus' -- is the next version of the popular home theater software. Builds for the successor to Kodi 19 'Matrix' were available to download for a while now, but as 'nightly' releases they weren't suitable for most users.

Two months ago, the developers rolled out the first Alpha build which, while stable, wasn't the best choice for people to use on a regular basis. Today, Kodi 20 hits another huge milestone, making it a more viable option.

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Who doesn’t like to get something for free, especially in these challenging times? There are always bargains to be had if you shop around, but why save money when you can avoid paying out anything at all!

Remote access company AnyViewer is giving away a year’s worth of its AnyViewer Professional software for free, a saving of $118.80, but it has also persuaded 15 other software firms to be equally generous. The result is a giveaway which makes it possible to download the likes of AOMEI Backupper Pro, Advanced SystemCare 15 Pro, Ashampoo Home Design 7 and VideoProc Converter for free.

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All archiving tools are not made equal, and this is precisely why there are so many of them to chose from. One of the most continually popular options is 7-Zip, and this powerful free compression utility has now hit version 22.

What makes 7-Zip stand head and shoulders above its rivals is the impressive 7z compressed file format which offers far smaller file sizes than the traditional Zip format. With the arrival of 7-Zip 22, we not only see numerous bug fixes, but also the addition of several options relating to Linux and Apple's formats.

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Kali Linux is a fantastic distro that is used primarily for digital forensics and penetration testing. Even if you’ve never used it before, you may well have seen it in movies and TV shows like Mr Robot. It comes with wide range of tools to help in investigations and incident responses.

Today the distro’s developer, Offensive Security, announces Kali Linux 2022.2, with new features and tools, as well as a number of impressive updates.

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Kodi 20 -- codename 'Nexus' -- is the next version of the popular home theater software. In development for around a year, builds for the successor to Kodi 19 'Matrix' have been available to download for a while now, but these have all been 'nightly' releases, and not suitable for most users.

Today though, Kodi 20 hits a big milestone and finally becomes a more viable choice for those who want to try out the next major iteration.

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In the world of system optimization and clean-up utilities, there are lots of names vying for attention, but it is CCleaner that wins the popularity contest. It has been a while since the app received a significant update but that changes with the release of CCleaner 6.

There is a lot to talk about in this latest release, but the headline grabber is the new, unique and patented Performance Optimizer feature. While many performance optimization techniques found in other apps make only a subjective differences, the boost given by this new feature can be measured in benchmarks.

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Toronto developer AgileBits has unveiled 1Password 8.7.0 for Mac, almost six months after it released 1Password 8 for Windows.

The app is the first Mac build developed using the cross-platform Rust and Electron tools, which has resulted in a brand-new design language -- code-named Knox -- that aims to provide a consistent user experience across Mac, Linux and Windows.

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For some people, taking screen grabs is a simple matter of hitting Print Screen and pasting the contents of the clipboard into an image editor, while others with slightly greater needs may turn to Windows' Snipping Tool. While of these options are fine, they are both quite limited, and this is why the likes of Screenpresso remain important utilities.

For the uninitiated, Screenpresso is an advanced screen capture tool that makes it possible to take grabs of what you see on your screen -- but it includes a huge range of tools and options that make it stand out from the competition. The app can also be used to capture video footage, and with the release of Screenpresso 2.0.0 even more powerful special features help take your screen grabbing to the next level.

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As enterprises have moved to make their systems more accessible to hybrid working during the pandemic, they have increasingly been turning to cloud-based solutions.

But this rapid growth of cloud infrastructure leads to problems managing and optimizing cloud resources. Which is why cloud networking company Alkira is launching a free tool to expose shadow IT and recommend ways to secure, optimize, and boost cloud deployments.

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If you’re looking for an all-in-one image viewer, editor and batch converter for your Windows PC, then FastStone is the tool for you. And with the release of FastStone Image Viewer 7.6, this powerful freeware app just got a whole lot better.

Forget the point release -- 7.6 arrives more than two years after version 7.5 and could easily have been version 8.0 given the number of new and improved features. Highlights include a new database engine, rating system and pre-scan folders option.

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With this year's World Backup Day on March 31st approaching fast, AOMEI is giving BetaNews readers the chance to get their hands on $109.89 worth of software free of charge.

AOMEI Backupper Professional allows Windows PC users to backup and clone their drives. It's a handy tool if you’ve been putting off upgrading to Windows 11 because it allows you to roll back to an earlier OS if the update fails.

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While security apps may not be the software that everyone gets excited about, there is no getting away from their importance. Despite this, there are a couple of things that stop many people from investigating security solutions. Firstly, modern version of Windows include protective features, and secondly there is the concern about additional cost.

With the newly updated Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows, both of these concerns are rendered moot. Not only is the software completely free of charge, the features and options it offers go far beyond anything Microsoft has provided with Windows. This latest version is notable for various reasons, not least of which is the fact that it has been completely re-engineered and re-architectured.

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