Favorite Files

1. Everything
2. FastStone Image Viewer
3. FileZilla v2
4. GOM Player
5. ImgBurn
6. XnViewMP for Linux

Recent Posts

1. 
   Review - XnViewMP for Linux

   0.35 Beta (Apr 25, 2011)

   Excellent cataloguer, viewer of images (etc) for Linux. Even though it is still an unstable version and has a few quirks it is far better than any of the Ubuntu equivalents and ex-windows users will feel comfortable too. Less pretty than running Zoner in Wine (which is also more powerful editing wise) but I'm a heavy image devourer and it is my app off choice. Does need to move onto a more stable beta though with the range of options (especially thumbnail size) all working

2. 
   Review - GOM Player

   2.1.28.5039 (Nov 23, 2010)

   I was a long time (2 or 3 years) user of GOM. Sadly I started to encounter issues with playback (esp HD), low sound output and playing some files.
   Yet again I tried all the likely contenders on my Win7 setup. KMPlayer did cause me some heartache with its complex settings, but I went back to default and just tweaked a couple of preferences. It is the outstanding player available.
   I think WMP is a good player - I just don't like to use it and it lacks the capture features I demand. I tried this new GOM. It plays really well and is as feature rich as ever. I'm struggling to get sound working properly and I just can't be bothered fiddling. You may have better mileage.
   For now KMP is a winner at every level, it works out of the box and has advanced DVD and TV skills too.
   GOM has always had a problem interacting with its users, queries and bugs are just not addressed. KMP wins on this level as well.

3. 
   Review - The KMPlayer

   2.9.4.1437 (Aug 20, 2010)

   Utterly outstanding video player.
   Set up, as a non expert was and is a bit challenging but really none of the preferences NEED to be changed.
   For me the screen capture skills of the player far exceed anything else I've seen.
   It plays everything - subject to one issue with some wmv files which it races through. But it looks great, I love how unobtrusive it is (i use the default skin) and when I need to I can adjust - well you name it.
   VLC is a dog next to this and GOM a bit too buggy.

4. 
   Review - Zoner Photo Studio

   12.0.1.8 (Aug 17, 2010)

   It is hard to grasp how this excellent program (and there is a great free version also) is so under the radar. For image and video management it is straightforward, fast and intuitive. The viewer is fine (though ideally FastStone does the job marginally better imo) and the Editor is terrific. It is the poweful editor with its excellent tools - including on the fly web galleries, DVD slideshows, contact sheets, partial layer support, quick fix wizards, full function levels control, clone stamp, built in upload to facebook and flickr, ftp upload, HDR and panorama tools.
   Great, very well thought out program

5. 
   Review - XnView for Windows

   1.97 Beta 4 (Nov 25, 2009)

   Improved on the last version - but I still find FastStone better laid out and like its features better.
   Xn allows for filters and though I haven't tried it has HTML pages but apart from that they have similar powers.
   But where Xn takes a couple of steps to get to anything - FastStone has it's tools more accessible.

6. Comment - Ubuntu 10.04 LTS gives Linux even more mainstream appeal

   1.97 Beta 4 (May 1, 2010 - 12:55 PM)

   Once up and running this is an excellent, smooth, full featured OS. It is stable, has every bit of software available to it free and seamlessly updated. As OSs go it is very secure, virus free, and needs hardly any administration. If you mainly live in the cloud it matches and may even surpass XP, Vista, 7 and Leopard.
   
   Just in case anyone forgot - you get all this for free.
   
   But it isn't perfect and whilst installation truly is a cinch there are a few little hurdles to jump some licensing issues which is not Ubuntu's or Linux fault. But lets make this really really easy. Visit http://www.omgubuntu.co....-installing-ubuntu.html and click some buttons. Ta da. If you want to use Photoshop - you can't!
   
   I did a Wubi install from inside Windows 7. Easy peasy. I used Firefox add on FEBE to bring everything into Firefox in Ubuntu and promptly forgot which OS I was in. That is how it should be.
   
   It's pretty too.

7. Comment - Windows 7: Obviously I've struck a nerve

   1.97 Beta 4 (Aug 25, 2009 - 1:22 PM)

   Ah well, the site is pretty good, this article and its original are pretty bad and yes, things aren't very technical anymore. (I've been coming here forever), but then where does one go for tech stuff - Ars is flat, Neowin is empty(ish), Slashdot can be very good but I just don't have time to get thru all the comments.
   But - why you would recommend against installing Win7 just beats me entirely, more secure, better control panel apps, better memory management, great hardware compatibility and drivers out of the box, runs great on "legacy" systems, looks great etc!! Sure I'm not talking about a big commercial environment where there are a lot of other factors in play. But in a SMB environment I'd have to consider it for clients - maybe even NOW using the RC - dual booting, plenty of test time - its got a lot going for it.
   
   Carmi - you got it wrong and then gave a dreadful justification. Write a decent critique of one of W7s features - much more useful.

8. Comment - Windows 7 is coming: Don't upgrade

   1.97 Beta 4 (Aug 24, 2009 - 1:38 AM)

   What!? I upgraded to 7RC BECAUSE of my oldish hardware. Carmi is not just old fashioned but a troglodyte. I now run a fast, pretty secure, good lookiing OS which not only supports my hardware and latest software but runs BETTER than XP on the same machine.

9. Comment - Windows XP SP3 runs browsers 13% faster than Windows 7 RTM

   1.97 Beta 4 (Aug 12, 2009 - 10:45 AM)

   Bull! Not in the real world of my PC. I did some casual tests when this was last sold by Beta News for the RC of 7. I did it for FF and Chrome, by opening 12 tabs of various websites (same for each test) all at once in each browser in both XP SP3 and Win 7RC. For everyday use the results were indistinguishable across the board and at most a few seconds were the total differences. XPscored 2 wins, 7 scored 2 wins.

10. Comment - Murdoch: 'We intend to charge for all our news Web sites'

    1.97 Beta 4 (Aug 6, 2009 - 1:30 PM)

    Well, charge away Rupert-from-another-century. I can live without you and many of your rather poor and sensationalist sites. How many times have I heard that the free web is dead in the last 10 years. And each time I heard it nothing chnged.
    If you can offer something unique that a specific group really wants then charging can work. Maybe WSJ is an example. But mostly people will just go elsewhere and read the ads on a different site and the paid for site will just wither.
    You know if I knew that a subscription would give me better journalism and research I might put my hand in my pocket. But when sites (like news.com.au - a Murdoch site) is full of rumour, bad journalism and sensationalism which appears not to be edited - I just go there for a smug laugh, put a charge on it and I'd never miss it again.