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Useful Applications

Free Microsoft Mathematics

Thanks to my friend Ira Wilsker for this one:

Microsoft used to sell a program called Mathematics, which was aimed at students. It was a very capable product, able to solve equations, draw graphs, do calculus, and much more. Ideal for anyone involved with mathematics, science, engineering, physics, and so on. So why do I say "used to sell"? Have they stopped producing it? No. They've merely stopped selling it, and are now giving it away! There's even a brand new version, 4,0, which was launched only last week.

It runs on all versions of Windows from XP onwards, and is available in both 32- and 64-bit flavours. The installer itself is an 18 MB download, although you'll also need .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, which is another 53 MB if you don't already have it. If you're a student, or you need to do mathematical calculations in your work, then check out Microsoft Mathematics. And if you use Word or OneNote a lot, there's even a version which works as an add-on in those programs too. You can get it from
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http://www.win7news.net/86KV3K/110128-MS-Math
 
Confessions app does not have power to absolve sins
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ire ... 23709.html
CÍAN NIHILL

Fri, Feb 11, 2011

THE CATHOLIC Church in Ireland has stressed that a new smartphone “confession” application is not a replacement for a priest despite receiving the approval of an American bishop.

“Confession: A Roman Catholic App” is available on iTunes for €1.59 and provides a step-by-step guide to the sacrament as well as advising on suitable acts of contrition.

It is the first iPhone application known to receive an “imprimatur” – a licence granted by a bishop certifying the church’s approval of publication.

The director of the Holy See’s press office, Fr Federico Lombardi pointed out that the Vatican did not regard the app as a replacement for actual confession.

“It is essential to understand that the sacrament of penance requires a personal dialogue between the penitent and the confessor in order for absolution to be given. This cannot be replaced by any computer application such as the iPhone,” he said. A spokesman for the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference yesterday gave the Vatican’s position which “succinctly summarises the issue from the Catholic Church perspective.

“The acts of the penitent and the absolution of the priest who, in the name of Christ, grants forgiveness and determines a way of repentance. The sacraments can never be substituted by technology,” he said. In their statement announcing the release of the application, the developers said the app “invited Catholics to prayerfully prepare for and participate in the rite of penance. “Individuals who have been away from the sacrament for some time will find ‘Confession: A Roman Catholic App’ to be a useful and inviting tool,” the statement said.
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Finally found a use for Google Chrome - it plays stuff from BBC iPlayer perfectly - it were just like watching the Tudors on telly. With sound and everything.
(Firefox fails to play sound for some reason.) (oh and TV and my PC monitor are the same thing, so watching streaming TV on a TV is almost as good as watching realtime TV on the TV. And after midnight doesn't eat into my download allowance.)
 
Mal_Content said:
Finally found a use for Google Chrome - it plays stuff from BBC iPlayer perfectly - it were just like watching the Tudors on telly. With sound and everything.
(Firefox fails to play sound for some reason.) (oh and TV and my PC monitor are the same thing, so watching streaming TV on a TV is almost as good as watching realtime TV on the TV. And after midnight doesn't eat into my download allowance.)
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Yep, Firefox is great, but the version of Flash it uses is frankly not fit for streaming video - Chrome uses the other version of Flash ;)
 
This came to me highly recommended

http://free-online-ocr.com/ (Does what it says in the URL!)

I've tried it on several of my photos, but only got two partial successes, however.

Maybe it'll work better for someone else. It's easy to use, so give it a try.
(No registration, etc, required.)
 
I've actually inherited some OCR software...still not sure what the hell I'll use it for though. As an independent program, it looks like it accomplishes very little.

Incidentally, I've just scanned a book (very hard to find and fairly expensive too) with Adobe Acrobat Pro (another program I "inherited") and find the OCR they keep touting to be...sub-par at best. Rather than worry about it, I'm in the process of turning the Index into a bunch of hyperlinks...that way I can just hit that and be taken instantly to the page(s) that contain the word/information.

It seems to be working well so far....

(And the book, which I now own, would be "The Rebirth of Pan". Great fun!)
 
Mozilla are pumping out new versions of Firefox and Thunderbird like crazy people.

Thunderbird now at v7.00 and Firefox 8.0 has had beta released already.
(Can't see much difference between these and previous versions tbh, but hey - updates.)
 
I've always been a bit behind the door - or possibly just lazy - when it comes to this sort of stuff, so I'm pretty sure most people here will already know about Deskpins. It gives you the ability to keep any desktop window you want always on top. Simple - but I'm amazed how incredibly useful such thing can be. It's completely changed the way I use my computer - or, if not changed it exactly, made it so much easier.

LINK
 
The longevity of Macs can encourage unadventurous users to keep their machines a long time so, when it is time to migrate, the difficulties can be horrid. At one time, Apple used to cushion the blow, somewhat, and enable legacy software to be used under emuiation in a so-called Classic Environment. Well that was then!

These days they simply drop software. Anyone with data in an Apple Works 6 database was left high and dry.

Thank God for FileMaker Pro! Not only do they support migration from previous releases of their own software - and enable you to keep the files unchanged, in case of error - but their 30-day trial versions can help you rescue data that looked trapped in Appleworks 6. Not that it will open those files directly but it is easy to import ASCII files (more or less all AW6 provides) into a new database and then export into a range of standard formats. Phew!

Luckily, the vast majority of the files I have amassed over the last eight years have been in easily-portable formats such as HTML or JPEG. I'm also fortunate that the Hard Drive of my old machine eventually responded to repair and enabled me to rescue pretty much all the contents, including Mail contacts and browser bookmarks.

Now I am more or less ready for the brave new world of Broadband, which is all happening tomorrow.

On the plus side, I have to say, I was mightily impressed by the way the new Mac Mini immediately cooperated with the Samsung DVD and played movies in the software player with some dream features, enabling open=matte non-anamorphic pictures to be expanded to the full width of the screen in a more cinematic ratio. Dweeb-heaven!

The old laser-printer seems happy enough to print with a generic driver. Whether the scanner will have that option, I'm still checking. It would be a shame to scrap it, as it has hardly been used. Ho-hum.

All this new-fangled stuff underlines the fact I have been living with hardware and software from eight years or more ago! I suppose some pain was inevitable and it looks as if nothing is totally lost. Things could have been much worse.

I know it is advice that goes unheeded until too late - but, kiddies, remember to back-up all your data! I was bad at following my own advice but seem to have escaped this time with only a few very anxious hours as punishment.

Edit, 10 pm: It looks like Epson have a driver for my scanner on Lion. Freely upgraded but not tried out yet. But all the other stuff in their old package belongs to 3rd parties so I doubt if Abbyy OCR software upgrades etc. come free. Not that I use OCR much - quicker to type usually - but one of those thingies it is nice to have around!

:)

edit 15th May, 15:37 pm. Broadband at last! Wheeee! :D
 
That tip about File Maker may come in handy. My mother is concerned about her AppleWorks documents, particularly the database.
 
Issues like that I can deal with! If you need any more ideas on the manipulation of data, I can probably help.

At the moment, I am wrestling with suddenly evil matters such as the way BT seem to have silently dumped personal webspace and my old e-mail ID.

Those were the main reasons I went with them on this Broadband journey! A crucial time for my website too!

At some deep, hideous level of their Help files, you discover the bland statement that BT Broadband does not supply free webspace. Though online you will find reassurances - not official - that they do, though choose not to highlight it. I had not realised how unfashionable personal webspace had become! I can have some free Yahoo Twonkville personal space online, it seems. Maybe that can be turned into a website. God, I feel old!

My website does seem to exist still, in limbo and I can contact the people who really need to know my new email address - not entirely a bad thing. But the shine has rather gone off what seemed a fairly painless transition.

Early days as yet. Never say die. :)
 
Welcome to broadband, James :D

What's the betting you'll disappear in the old film channels on YouTube..?
 
Predictable, moi! :oops:

For some years now, I have been dimly aware of the treasures I could not reach.

Two days into BB and I got a message to say I had used 70% of my usage allowance!

I think I can be allowed a honeymoon period.

Still, there is no need to download everything at once. I suppose I might learn to trust the idea that stuff kept elsewhere is probably going to be there tomorrow.

And I have managed to keep my old email ID after all. The website continues to exist - I know not for how long - and has even been updated.

Now maybe I shoould get out of the house for a bit of exercise! :)
 
I'm about to overhaul my computer, root and branch, and thinking about various applications I've used in the past, or thought I should try - and being a bit phased by the volume of stuff available - I thought I'd just be lazy and ask.

So, to all the tech-heads out there, keeping it simple, if you were to recommend one application (big or small, free or retail) for:

a) The general health, wellbeing and good running of your computer. (As distinct from its security.)

b) The security of your computer.

c) Your 'Desert Island' application - something which is neither of the previous two but which you find invaluable in a kind of general computery way.

What would they be?

(Okay, I know one choice in each of the first two departments is going to be considered limited, and that the last question depends very much on differing interests - but I'm trying to keep it simple.)
 
(a) Not so much an application, more of a website:

http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/

I used to work with the guy who runs this website. Even Microsoft tech support people use this website for reference.

(b) Norton Internet Security, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, Spybot - Search & Destroy, SUPERAntiSpyware.

(c) No idea what you want with this question. Google Chrome, Microsoft Office, Mozilla Thunderbird, Skype, Anthemion Writer's Cafe (excellent product for writing)...
 
Mythopoeika said:
...

(b) Norton Internet Security, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, Spybot - Search & Destroy, SUPERAntiSpyware.

...
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Not sure about Norton Internet security, but the other two are v.useful, indeed.
 
Pietro_Mercurios said:
Mythopoeika said:
...

(b) Norton Internet Security, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, Spybot - Search & Destroy, SUPERAntiSpyware.

...
Click to expand...
Not sure about Norton Internet security, but the other two are v.useful, indeed.
Click to expand...

Other two? I listed 4 software apps in total.
Norton (mostly) does its job. I agree that it may be dubious, as it is the product of an Evil Corporation, but at least it's not as shite as that McAfee 'product'.
 
a) CCleaner
b)Avast! and Spybot-search and destroy
c)OpenOffice, Evernote.
 
A) CCLeaner - free
B) Comodo Internet Security - free
C) Notepad++ or Paint.NET or LibreOffice - free
 
I also use Ccleaner and Spyboy Search & Destroy.

Ccleaner will also clean up your registry and you can immunize your computer with Spybot. I do use Norton, its not as resource intensive as it used to be. If you go for Norton, buy a previous years version cheap, as the licence will automatically update you to the latest version anyway.
 
Mythopoeika said:
Pietro_Mercurios said:
Mythopoeika said:
...

(b) Norton Internet Security, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, Spybot - Search & Destroy, SUPERAntiSpyware.

...
Click to expand...
Not sure about Norton Internet security, but the other two are v.useful, indeed.
Click to expand...

Other two? I listed 4 software apps in total.
Norton (mostly) does its job. I agree that it may be dubious, as it is the product of an Evil Corporation, but at least it's not as shite as that McAfee 'product'.
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Ah! I thought two of those names, were part of the other two.

Our provider gave up on McAfee. and went over to F-Secure.

Using:
Avira Free Antivirus.
SuperAntiSpyware
Malwarebytes.
 
What antivirus software should I put on my new PC?
A reader asks what what antivirus software he should install when he changes computer?
By Rick Maybury
7:00AM BST 22 Sep 2012

For the last seven years I have been using a desktop PC, but it is getting rather tired and I would like to replace it with a laptop. My Internet provider is BT and its service includes anti-virus software and something called Ad Watch. What do I have to do to transfer the anti-virus software from the PC to a new laptop and how do I tell BT what I am doing to ensure continuity of service.
John Phillips, by email

There’s no need to tell BT that you are changing computers but you won’t be able to use your old anti-virus software on the new PC. BT now provides a McAfee based package called NetProtect Plus. It is free to users on Infinity and Total Broadband (options 2 and 3) tariffs, but Broadband Option 1 customers have to pay £3.49 a month for the privilege. Log on to your My BT account and follow the links to the download. However, NetProtect has received mixed reviews and there are rather a lot of forums with users reporting problems with installation, activation and billing issues. If you want to keep things simple I suggest that you try Microsoft Security Essentials (http://goo.gl/tdpPO). It’s a complete security package, every bit as good as most commercial offerings, and as an added bonus it’s absolutely free.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/a ... ew-PC.html

As recommended by rynner!

One of the Comments echoed my experience:
Good advice from the DT.

BT Netprotect Plus - - avoid it - - it is McAfee.

McAfee crashed internet access for many Netprotect Plus users recently at an alledged "update". Plus when it does work it keeps asking for account verification (or some similar words), and then will not connect and and will not "verify". Also it was making my PC run slower.

Had to uninstall it (but only after much nashing of teeth and finally professional advice).

No useful support from BT (but a very helpful and polite Indian call centre) when it fails except "uninstall and re-install.

Microsoft Essentials seems okay (so far). Keep away from anything with McAfee on the lable.
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Another says:
Here is a link to an independent survey of all the main anti-virus software. Kaspersky came out on top across the board.
http://www.av-comparatives.org
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MSE also comes out well (as of November last year).

Another comment says:
...Microsoft Security Essentials, in my opinion, is better than almost all of the non-free anti-virus software that's available. It's certainly better than Norton, and why you'd go and spend money on Norton when Microsoft Security Essentials is completely free seems crazy.
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Thanks for that, Rynner. I may consider using MSE if Norton really starts to irk me.

It seems to me that Microsoft has a vested interest in defending its operating systems and users from viruses and hackers, whereas the commercial antivirus companies have a vested interest in the spread of viruses continuing. They have different motivations, and that seems to be a good enough reason to use MSE.
 
Mythopoeika said:
It seems to me that Microsoft has a vested interest in defending its operating systems and users from viruses and hackers, whereas the commercial antivirus companies have a vested interest in the spread of viruses continuing.
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What a suspicious mind you have! ;)
 
rynner2 said:
Mythopoeika said:
It seems to me that Microsoft has a vested interest in defending its operating systems and users from viruses and hackers, whereas the commercial antivirus companies have a vested interest in the spread of viruses continuing.
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What a suspicious mind you have! ;)
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It's an educated suspicion. ;)
 
Mythopoeika said:
Thanks for that, Rynner. I may consider using MSE if Norton really starts to irk me.
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MSE's OK, but personally I swear by Avast Free. Always scores high on the test sites, doesn't hog resources or get in the way, and has a very clear and easy user interface.
 
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