Gaim is a multi-protocol instant messaging (IM) client.
I mainly use Gaim for AIM and Yahoo! messaging. It beats having two instances of the bloated standard AIM and Yahoo! clients running and it is just better than them for the reasons listed below.
Gaim is totally free (unlike DeadAIM) and is better than other Windows AIM clients because Gaim doesn't have ads, spyware, and let's you use multiple protocols such as Yahoo!, IRC, MSN, ICQ, Jabber and others (unlike AIM Triton); it has a very simple interface that supports themes; it has tabbed messaging windows that actually work right (unlike Trillian); and Gaim has many other great features that other clients like Miranda don't have, plus Gaim runs on more than just Windows so you don't have to learn and use a different IM client when you're using other operating systems.
To enable certain features in Gaim you need to go to "Tools->Preferences->Plugins" and check "Load" next to any plugin you want to use. Gaim comes with some standard plugins so you don't have to download them, just load them and you're good to go. Once you've loaded the plugin click its name in the preferences panel and then you can adjust its options.
Gaim's Features
Multiple Protocol Support
To use other protocols with Gaim such as MSN, Yahoo!, Jabber, ICQ, etc, just go to "Tools->Accounts" and add the account of the appropriate messaging service. Use the checkbox in the account editor to sign online. You will now see yourself logged onto multiple protocols in the buddylist.
Buddy Pounce
Gaim has a feature called Buddy Pounce whch is a like an event alert you can set on indidivual buddies and assign certain actions to take when these events occur. For example, you can make Gaim play a certain sound everytime your friend John signs on (kinda like ring tones). Buddy pounces can do more than play sounds though; read the manual for more info.
Finding
You can search for text in your conversations easily by clicking 'Conversation->Find' (or typing Ctrl+F) and entering a search string. Now you don't have to scroll up looking all over for things that were said in a conversation!
Spell Checking
Gaim has an optional spell checker.
Buddy Icons
To set your buddy icon go to the Account Editor (Tools->Accounts from the buddy list), and click to "Modify" the AIM/ICQ account you wish to have an icon. Enter the full path to the image you wish to use in the box labeled "Buddy Icon File." The file must be smaller than 4KB. It can have any dimensions, and can be in any format. However, if you wish Windows users to see it, it must be in a format Windows understands, such as .bmp, .gif, and .jpg.
Privacy
Gaim has many privacy settings, including invisibility. To go invisible click "Tools->Away->account->Invisible."
Transparent Buddylist and IM Windows
If you load the transparency plugin that comes with Gaim you can adjust the alpha (transparency/opacity) of both your buddylist and your IM window. You can also choose whether you want to show others that you've been idle based on your IM activity or your Operating System activity.
Plugin and Scripting Support
If you're a programmer you can write your own plugins and scripts for Gaim. Plus, since Gaim is open source you can even modify gaim itself. If you're not a programmer you can still download and use other peoples' plugins and scripts.
There are many more features but listing them would take forever but they're all in the gaim documentation.
So to summarize, Gaim is in my opinion the best IM client, not because it's perfect (file transfers don't work most of the time), but because it has more pros for me than any other IM client--mainly because it meets all the qualifications of being free, open-source, cross-platform, programmable, multi-protocol, has tabbed IM windows, is ad and spyware free, easy to use, is customizable and has good privacy settings. If you care about these things then you can't beat Gaim.
Oh yeah, there's also an IRC channel where you can talk to other users of gaim and the developers of it to ask questions about how to use it and make feature requests.
http://gaim.sourceforge.net/
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006
EAC (free CD ripper) and Monkey's Audio (lossless audio compressor)
EAC (Exact Audio Copy) is an audio grabber for CD-ROM drives. The main differences between EAC and most other audio grabbers is that it works with a new technology, reading audio CDs almost perfectly. If there are any errors that can't be corrected, it will tell you on which time position the (possible) distortion occurred, so you could easily control it with e.g. the media player.
I used to just use CDex but I find EAC much faster and able to rip CD's with scratches better, and it just does a lot of stuff that other rippers don't to ensure a perfect copy. If you care about quality then use EAC.
Depending on what you want, EAC can provide several modes. You could choose between speed and accuracy.
Monkey's Audio is a fast and easy way to compress digital music. Unlike traditional methods such as mp3, ogg, or lqt that permanently discard quality to save space, Monkey’s Audio only makes perfect, bit-for-bit copies of your music. That means it always sounds perfect – exactly the same as the original. Even though the sound is perfect, it still saves a lot of space. (think of it as a beefed-up Winzip for your music) The other great thing is that you can always decompress your Monkey's Audio files back to the exact, original files. That way, you'll never have to recopy your CD collection to switch formats, and you'll always be able to recreate the original music CD if something ever happens to yours.
The newest EAC has built in support for Monkey's Audio, so you just need to pick "Monkey's Audio Lossless Encoder" as the parameter passing scheme for the external selection, then locate MAC.exe, pick the compression mode, and the other options, and off you go.
EAC can also decompress Monkey's Audio APE files into a WAV file ('Tools->Decompress') and it can split individual tracks of the file into multiple WAV files, based on its cue sheet. This means that you can have perfect sound by ripping a CD album into an APE file with EAC using the Monkey's Audio compressor, and then later decompress the APE inside of EAC into a WAV file--then, by clicking "Tools->Split WAV By CUE Sheet", you can split the WAV into multiple WAV's, based on the track numbers of the album. So, you won't have to listen to just the single APE or WAV file as one continuosly running file.
If you get an error in EAC when you choose "Tools->Split WAV by CUE Sheet" then open up the .cue file inside of notepad and make sure it looks like this:
http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
http://www.monkeysaudio.com/
I used to just use CDex but I find EAC much faster and able to rip CD's with scratches better, and it just does a lot of stuff that other rippers don't to ensure a perfect copy. If you care about quality then use EAC.
Depending on what you want, EAC can provide several modes. You could choose between speed and accuracy.
Monkey's Audio is a fast and easy way to compress digital music. Unlike traditional methods such as mp3, ogg, or lqt that permanently discard quality to save space, Monkey’s Audio only makes perfect, bit-for-bit copies of your music. That means it always sounds perfect – exactly the same as the original. Even though the sound is perfect, it still saves a lot of space. (think of it as a beefed-up Winzip for your music) The other great thing is that you can always decompress your Monkey's Audio files back to the exact, original files. That way, you'll never have to recopy your CD collection to switch formats, and you'll always be able to recreate the original music CD if something ever happens to yours.
The newest EAC has built in support for Monkey's Audio, so you just need to pick "Monkey's Audio Lossless Encoder" as the parameter passing scheme for the external selection, then locate MAC.exe, pick the compression mode, and the other options, and off you go.
EAC can also decompress Monkey's Audio APE files into a WAV file ('Tools->Decompress') and it can split individual tracks of the file into multiple WAV files, based on its cue sheet. This means that you can have perfect sound by ripping a CD album into an APE file with EAC using the Monkey's Audio compressor, and then later decompress the APE inside of EAC into a WAV file--then, by clicking "Tools->Split WAV By CUE Sheet", you can split the WAV into multiple WAV's, based on the track numbers of the album. So, you won't have to listen to just the single APE or WAV file as one continuosly running file.
If you get an error in EAC when you choose "Tools->Split WAV by CUE Sheet" then open up the .cue file inside of notepad and make sure it looks like this:
http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
http://www.monkeysaudio.com/
Audacity (free audio editor and recorder)
Audacity is free software for recording and editing sounds. Downloading Audacity is a great alternative to purchasing expensive audio editing packages such as Sound Forge and Adobe Audition, as well as being easier to use.
Note that if you want to export mp3s you will have to download the LAME MP3 Encoder called Lamenc.dll by doing the following:
1. Go to the LAME download page.
2. Click on any link from the list of links.
3. When you have finished downloading LAME, unzip it and save the file lame_enc.dll anywhere on your computer.
4. The first time you use the "Export as MP3" command, Audacity will ask you where lame_enc.dll is saved.
Audacity's Features
Editing:
:: Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete.
:: Use unlimited Undo (and Redo) to go back any number of steps.
:: Very fast editing of large files.
:: Edit and mix an unlimited number of tracks.
:: Use the Drawing tool to alter individual sample points.
:: Fade the volume up or down smoothly with the Envelope tool.
Recording:
:: Record from microphone, line input, or other sources.
:: Dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings.
:: Record up to 16 channels at once (requires multi-channel hardware).
:: Level meters can monitor volume levels before, during, and after recording.
Effects:
:: Change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa.
:: Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises.
:: Alter frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass Boost effects.
:: Adjust volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize effects.
:: Other built-in effects include:
:::: Echo
:::: Phaser
:::: Wahwah
:::: Reverse
Plug-ins:
:: Add new effects with LADSPA plugins.
:: Audacity includes some sample plugins by Steve Harris.
:: Load VST plugins for Windows and Mac, with the optional VST Enabler.
:: Write new effects with the built-in Nyquist programming language.
Sound Quality:
:: Record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit (floating point) samples.
:: Record at up to 96 KHz.
:: Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering.
:: Mix tracks with different sample rates or formats, and Audacity will convert them automatically in realtime.
Analysis:
:: Spectrogram mode for visualizing frequencies.
:: "Plot Spectrum" command for detailed frequency analysis.
Import and Export
:: Import and export WAV, AIFF, AU, and Ogg Vorbis files.
:: Import MPEG audio (including MP2 and MP3 files) with libmad.
:: Export MP3s with the optional LAME encoder library.
:: Create WAV or AIFF files suitable for burning to CD.
:: Import and export all file formats supported by libsndfile.
:: Open raw (headerless) audio files using the "Import Raw" command.
Using Audacity as a freeware MIDI to MP3 converter
I like to convert my MIDI files to mp3 with audacity for use in my SWF files. It works well and is actually a good free way to do it. All you have to basically do is play the .mid file in your audio player then hit the record button in Audacity (for the Web use 22050Hz, at 32-bit float, Mono) then export as mp3.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Note that if you want to export mp3s you will have to download the LAME MP3 Encoder called Lamenc.dll by doing the following:
1. Go to the LAME download page.
2. Click on any link from the list of links.
3. When you have finished downloading LAME, unzip it and save the file lame_enc.dll anywhere on your computer.
4. The first time you use the "Export as MP3" command, Audacity will ask you where lame_enc.dll is saved.
Audacity's Features
Editing:
:: Easy editing with Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete.
:: Use unlimited Undo (and Redo) to go back any number of steps.
:: Very fast editing of large files.
:: Edit and mix an unlimited number of tracks.
:: Use the Drawing tool to alter individual sample points.
:: Fade the volume up or down smoothly with the Envelope tool.
Recording:
:: Record from microphone, line input, or other sources.
:: Dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings.
:: Record up to 16 channels at once (requires multi-channel hardware).
:: Level meters can monitor volume levels before, during, and after recording.
Effects:
:: Change the pitch without altering the tempo, or vice-versa.
:: Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises.
:: Alter frequencies with Equalization, FFT Filter, and Bass Boost effects.
:: Adjust volumes with Compressor, Amplify, and Normalize effects.
:: Other built-in effects include:
:::: Echo
:::: Phaser
:::: Wahwah
:::: Reverse
Plug-ins:
:: Add new effects with LADSPA plugins.
:: Audacity includes some sample plugins by Steve Harris.
:: Load VST plugins for Windows and Mac, with the optional VST Enabler.
:: Write new effects with the built-in Nyquist programming language.
Sound Quality:
:: Record and edit 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit (floating point) samples.
:: Record at up to 96 KHz.
:: Sample rates and formats are converted using high-quality resampling and dithering.
:: Mix tracks with different sample rates or formats, and Audacity will convert them automatically in realtime.
Analysis:
:: Spectrogram mode for visualizing frequencies.
:: "Plot Spectrum" command for detailed frequency analysis.
Import and Export
:: Import and export WAV, AIFF, AU, and Ogg Vorbis files.
:: Import MPEG audio (including MP2 and MP3 files) with libmad.
:: Export MP3s with the optional LAME encoder library.
:: Create WAV or AIFF files suitable for burning to CD.
:: Import and export all file formats supported by libsndfile.
:: Open raw (headerless) audio files using the "Import Raw" command.
Using Audacity as a freeware MIDI to MP3 converter
I like to convert my MIDI files to mp3 with audacity for use in my SWF files. It works well and is actually a good free way to do it. All you have to basically do is play the .mid file in your audio player then hit the record button in Audacity (for the Web use 22050Hz, at 32-bit float, Mono) then export as mp3.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Friday, April 28, 2006
Firefox (web browser)
Firefox is a web browser that blocks viruses, spyware, and popup ads--making it much safer to use than Internet Explorer. It has useful features like tabbed browsing, Live Bookmarks, and an integrated Search bar. There are tons of free extensions and plugins you can download to enhance Firefox even further. Most Web pages work in firefox; it is very rare when I really need to open IE. I find that microsoft.com is about the only site that I visit where I'm required to use IE. I also find that Firefox also has more useful features and a more intuitive interface than the Opera web browser.
There are many great extensiosn for Firefox but my absolute favorite is Tab Mix Plus because it enhances Firefox's tab browsing abilities with features like undoing closed tabs and windows and other useful tab options. It also has a session manager with crash recovery that can save and restore combinations of opened tabs and windows. So, with this extension installed you'll never have to worry about renavigating to the web pages you last viewing after the browser is closed.
You have to be careful not to just go installing every extension that looks good because a lot of them contain memory leaks and things that will end up crashing firefox. Tab Mix Plus has been tested as safe and free from memory leaks unlike other tab/session extensions.
And for the rare times when you'll need to use IE, check out this article.
To download Firefox please click the "Browse the Web faster. Get Firefox with Google Toolbar" button on the right side panel of this blog (on the main page). Downloading it this way helps support this blog. Thank you.
There are many great extensiosn for Firefox but my absolute favorite is Tab Mix Plus because it enhances Firefox's tab browsing abilities with features like undoing closed tabs and windows and other useful tab options. It also has a session manager with crash recovery that can save and restore combinations of opened tabs and windows. So, with this extension installed you'll never have to worry about renavigating to the web pages you last viewing after the browser is closed.
You have to be careful not to just go installing every extension that looks good because a lot of them contain memory leaks and things that will end up crashing firefox. Tab Mix Plus has been tested as safe and free from memory leaks unlike other tab/session extensions.
And for the rare times when you'll need to use IE, check out this article.
To download Firefox please click the "Browse the Web faster. Get Firefox with Google Toolbar" button on the right side panel of this blog (on the main page). Downloading it this way helps support this blog. Thank you.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
xplorer2 lite (freeware filemanager)
Okay, it's time to put away Windows Explorer for good. xplorer2 lite is a very fast and innovative freeware file manager for Windows. Unlike Windows Explorer it has a tabbed interface--so you will no longer need to have multiple Windows Explorer's open!
What's also great is that it remembers what folders/tabs you had open the last time you used it; so you won't have to renavigate to them every time you start the program. xplorer2 lite has many other features such as favorites, file previews, mass renaming and many other features you can find listed on its homepage.
I used to use ExplorerXP but it's buggy and doesn't seem to be developed on very often. Dragging files often didn't work, renaming by the typical 2-slow-clicks on a filename didn't work, and it didn't show my Gmail Drive, plus it seems to take twice the RAM to run than xplorer2 lite. I also tried other freeware file managers like FreeCommander, A43, JExplorer and others, but they either didn't support tabs or just didn't work as well as xplorer2 lite.
http://zabkat.com/x2lite.htm
What's also great is that it remembers what folders/tabs you had open the last time you used it; so you won't have to renavigate to them every time you start the program. xplorer2 lite has many other features such as favorites, file previews, mass renaming and many other features you can find listed on its homepage.
I used to use ExplorerXP but it's buggy and doesn't seem to be developed on very often. Dragging files often didn't work, renaming by the typical 2-slow-clicks on a filename didn't work, and it didn't show my Gmail Drive, plus it seems to take twice the RAM to run than xplorer2 lite. I also tried other freeware file managers like FreeCommander, A43, JExplorer and others, but they either didn't support tabs or just didn't work as well as xplorer2 lite.
http://zabkat.com/x2lite.htm
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
AntiVir (Free anti-virus software)
For anti-virus software I use AntiVir. AntiVir "PersonalEdition Classic" is free (no registration is necessary either) and protects you from viruses and malware. I like it better than other free antivirus programs like AVG, ClamWin and Avast and better than even non-free programs like Norton AV.
AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic features
• Control Center for monitoring, administration and control of the entire program.
• Central configuration with user-friendly standard and default configurations and context-sensitive help.
• Scanner (on-demand scan) with profile-based and configurable scanning for all known virus and malware types.
• On-access scan for constant monitoring of all file accesses.
• Integrated quarantine management for containment and handling of suspicious files.
• Direct access to detailed information on found viruses and malware via the Internet.
• Quick and easy updating of the program, the virus definitions (VDF) and the search engine via Single File Update from the Internet.
• Integrated scheduler for the scheduling of single or recurring tasks such as updates and scan jobs.
• Extremely high rate of virus and malware detection thanks to innovative scanning technologies (search engine) with heuristic scanning.
• Detection of all common archive types including detection of nested archives and smart extension detection.
• High performance via multi-threading capability (simultaneous scanning of many files at high speed).
Monitoring active files (on-access scan)
By default, AntiVir Guard scans files for viruses and malware on access before they are opened, read or executed or after they have been written to.
AntiVir Guard should be active continuously for effective protection of your computer from viruses and malware.
Targeted scan for viruses and malware (direct scan)
You have the following options for a targeted virus and malware scan:
• Via a scan profile - If you want to check a specific selection of drives.
• Via drag & drop - If you want to check individual files which you have placed on your desktop, for example.
• Via the pop-up menu - If, for example, you want to check individual files in Windows Explorer and do not want to start the Control Center first.
• Automated - If you want drives to be checked automatically on a regular basis.
When using different virus protection programs with the reasoning the more the better, the following rules must be followed:
- Use only one on-access scanner (also called Guard).
- Before installing a second software package, decide which on-access scanner you want to trust. If you decide on a new on-access scanner, deactivate the on-access scanner currently in use. Serious errors can occur otherwise.
The parallel installation of scanners with which scans are started manually is usually possible. Under certain circumstances, error messages can arise if an anti-virus program uses unencrypted search strings for detection or has repaired a file only partially.
While AntiVir Guard monitors your system constantly (via on-access scan) you should still do a manual scan regularly for optimal security.
http://www.free-av.com/
AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic features
• Control Center for monitoring, administration and control of the entire program.
• Central configuration with user-friendly standard and default configurations and context-sensitive help.
• Scanner (on-demand scan) with profile-based and configurable scanning for all known virus and malware types.
• On-access scan for constant monitoring of all file accesses.
• Integrated quarantine management for containment and handling of suspicious files.
• Direct access to detailed information on found viruses and malware via the Internet.
• Quick and easy updating of the program, the virus definitions (VDF) and the search engine via Single File Update from the Internet.
• Integrated scheduler for the scheduling of single or recurring tasks such as updates and scan jobs.
• Extremely high rate of virus and malware detection thanks to innovative scanning technologies (search engine) with heuristic scanning.
• Detection of all common archive types including detection of nested archives and smart extension detection.
• High performance via multi-threading capability (simultaneous scanning of many files at high speed).
Monitoring active files (on-access scan)
By default, AntiVir Guard scans files for viruses and malware on access before they are opened, read or executed or after they have been written to.
AntiVir Guard should be active continuously for effective protection of your computer from viruses and malware.
Targeted scan for viruses and malware (direct scan)
You have the following options for a targeted virus and malware scan:
• Via a scan profile - If you want to check a specific selection of drives.
• Via drag & drop - If you want to check individual files which you have placed on your desktop, for example.
• Via the pop-up menu - If, for example, you want to check individual files in Windows Explorer and do not want to start the Control Center first.
• Automated - If you want drives to be checked automatically on a regular basis.
When using different virus protection programs with the reasoning the more the better, the following rules must be followed:
- Use only one on-access scanner (also called Guard).
- Before installing a second software package, decide which on-access scanner you want to trust. If you decide on a new on-access scanner, deactivate the on-access scanner currently in use. Serious errors can occur otherwise.
The parallel installation of scanners with which scans are started manually is usually possible. Under certain circumstances, error messages can arise if an anti-virus program uses unencrypted search strings for detection or has repaired a file only partially.
While AntiVir Guard monitors your system constantly (via on-access scan) you should still do a manual scan regularly for optimal security.
http://www.free-av.com/
About this blog
My name is Ryan Kulla and I've been a computer enthusiast and programmer for over 10 years.
This page is about me sharing the software for Windows that I use. These tools are what I recommend to my friends and family. I will also be offering some tips. All of the software I'll be discussing are freeware, which means it's software that is totally free to download and use.
I have spent a lot of time researching and trying out various tools over the years and I think you will save yourself a lot of time and energy by using this page as a reference point for finding the best of the best in software for Windows.
Of course, defining the "best" is hard to do but these are just my opinions. Feel free to comment if you agree or disagree. This is all about learning and sharing useful tools.
Note that a lot of the software I'll be discussing runs on more than just Windows. So even if you use Linux, Mac OS X, or whatever, you may still want to visit the Web pages for the software posted here to see if there's a version for your particular Operating System.
I will be adding new software to this page very often so check back often for updates.
This page is about me sharing the software for Windows that I use. These tools are what I recommend to my friends and family. I will also be offering some tips. All of the software I'll be discussing are freeware, which means it's software that is totally free to download and use.
I have spent a lot of time researching and trying out various tools over the years and I think you will save yourself a lot of time and energy by using this page as a reference point for finding the best of the best in software for Windows.
Of course, defining the "best" is hard to do but these are just my opinions. Feel free to comment if you agree or disagree. This is all about learning and sharing useful tools.
Note that a lot of the software I'll be discussing runs on more than just Windows. So even if you use Linux, Mac OS X, or whatever, you may still want to visit the Web pages for the software posted here to see if there's a version for your particular Operating System.
I will be adding new software to this page very often so check back often for updates.
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