Articles about Free Software

Malwarebytes has shipped Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 2.1.4, a significant update for its popular malware hunter.

The interface has been revamped for a cleaner look with a "toned-down" color scheme. The changes aren't too drastic -- you’ll find your way around easily enough --  and on balance the UI worked well for us.

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Animation is difficult. 3D animation is horribly difficult. But Plotagon offers an interesting shortcut, an easy way to build your own 3D animated movies, without requiring any technical knowledge or artistic ability at all.

There’s a catch, of course -- two, really -- but this free Windows, OS X and iOS app still has plenty of entertainment potential.

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Australian developer NCH Software has announced the release of MeshMagic 3D, a simple 3D design tool which can import and edit STL and 3DP models.

This is very much "CAD lite". The 335KB setup file doesn’t download the real files from somewhere else, it really is all you get: a single executable plus an installer, and nothing else at all.

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ManicTime is a free activity tracker which can monitor exactly what you’re doing on a PC, then give you a detailed breakdown of which apps you were running, when, and for how long.

The program is aimed at business users who need to bill others for their time, but it can have other benefits. If you’re easily distracted, say, then seeing exactly how much time you’re spending on desktop games could be an important reality check.

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PeaZip Software has announced the release of PeaExtractor, a PeaZip spinoff which can extract the contents from 150+ archive types: 7Z, ACE, BZ2, CAB, GZ, ISO, RAR, TAR, ZIP and more.

The program can’t create archives, it’s strictly about extraction only, keeping the entire process as quick and beginner-friendly as possible.

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Skytopia has released SunsetScreen, a free tool for Windows XP and later which automatically reduces the glare on your screen at night.

In theory, reducing your exposure to blue light in the evenings may help avoid problems with melatonin production, and so give you a more restful sleep. But even if that doesn’t work, having the screen match your current lighting conditions could make your computer more comfortable to use.

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Z-Cron is a free-for-personal-use Windows tool which advertises itself as a "task control tool", something which can "have programs of all kinds started automatically by the system even if no user is logged in".

This isn't the most compelling of descriptions, as Windows Task Manager does the same thing already -- but wait. Z-Cron is more capable than it seems.

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Tweaking.com has announced the release of Windows Repair v3.0.0 and Windows Repair Portable v3.0.0, the latest editions of its one-stop troubleshooting toolkit.

The package now comes in both Free and Pro editions. This doesn't affect the free version much -- nothing has been taken away, there are no nag screens -- but the $19.95 Pro build includes extras like performance tweaks, better disk cleanup and custom scripting support.

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Microsoft has updated its exploit blocker Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) to version 5.2 with some welcome tweaks and enhancements.

The Attack Surface Reduction mitigation has been extended to stop processes running malicious scripts via IE’s script engine. That’s good news as it’s a particularly powerful hack, and the basic "VBScript God Mode" idea has been around for quite some time.

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Do you have an unused Android smartphone? It might be yesterday’s model, but Alfred can give it new life, turning the device into your very own home surveillance camera.

Setup starts by running Alfred on the phone you’ll be using as a monitor. Configure it as the camera, and log in with your Google account.

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The easiest way to scan the occasional QR code is on your phone. Install one of the many QR Reader apps, point your camera at it, and you’re done: it’ll detect the code, read the text and maybe act on it, for example opening your browser at a URL.

ByteScout BarCode Reader is a free tool which brings the same QR-reading abilities to the Windows desktop, and adds a lot of other functionality as well.

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If you’d like to know what someone’s doing on your PC then you’ll probably start with any software traces: browsing history, recent documents, folders, whatever it might be. There are all kinds of options, and they might tell you everything you need to know.

While they’re not so obvious, hardware traces can also be extremely useful. If you could see that an unknown phone or USB key is being connected to your PC at a strange time, say, then maybe someone is using the device to copy your personal documents.

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IObit has announced the release of Smart Defrag 4.0, a major update for its freeware PC maintenance app.

A new Game Defrag mode brings program-specific speedups. Just point Smart Defrag at a shortcut or executable -- it doesn’t have to be a game, any bulky application could benefit -- and the program will optimize it for you.

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It’s been a feature of Firefox and Chrome for a while, but bookmark sync finally makes it way across to Opera FINAL 28, giving users of the Norwegian browser a convenient way to keep their bookmarks refreshed across all their devices.

The new feature isn’t restricted to desktop browsers either, with support for mobile platforms via Opera Mini for iOS as well as Android also implemented.

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What is a "programmer’s editor"? Some developers seem to think it’s essentially a regular text editor with syntax highlighting bolted on, but if you need more, you might want to take a look at the free PSPad for Windows.

The program doesn’t just open local text files, for instance. A built-in FTP client means you can edit files directly on the server. An "Open… from internet" opens any URL, and an integrated hex editor enables you to work on just about anything.

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