2 months in the making… Ok, that’s sounding more dramatic than it really is.

Since my last 2 lists of Open Source software, I’ve been noting any further new ones that I discover. Finding “winsupermaximise” finished my 10, so here is, once more, 10 Open Source programs that you’ve probably not heard of…

calibre
Got an eBook? calibre includes library management, format conversion, news feeds to eBook conversion, as well as an eBook reader sync feature and an integrated eBook viewer.

Process Hacker
Process Hacker is a feature-packed tool for manipulating processes and services on your computer. Think of it as being like the Task Manager that appears when you press CTRL/ALT/DEL but a lot more detailed.

JavaRa
JavaRa is a simple tool that does a simple job: it removes old and redundant versions of Java.

TweetMyPC
Make use of Twitter in other ways – send commands to your PC, allowing you to shutdown, log off, transfer files, etc.

Xmind
Xmind is brainstorming and mind mapping software. You can even embed results in your blog.

MonitorES
A fabulous idea – when your lock your desktop, MonitorES will automatically put your monitor into standby and, optionally, pause any media players, mute sound and change your Instant Messaging status’.

Sweet Home 3D
This is a free interior design application that helps you place your furniture on a house 2D plan, with a 3D preview

iColorFolder
Bored of your folders? With a quick right click, iColorFolder will allow you to change their colour – useful for grouping together. You can also change your default folder icons with a selection of “skins”.

Data Crow
Weird name, but useful application. Data Crow is media cataloguing software – audio, software, book, film and photo collections.

winsupermaximise
This is another “simple but handy” utility. It adds a system tray icon which, once clicked (or you can press a hotkey combination), will “super maximise” the current window – that is, it will resize so the title bar is actually above the screen boundaries, thus saving those extra pixels that you don’t want to waste. A great utility for Netbook owners, in particular.

Hmmm. For those who remember my previous post about Digiarty Software contacting me for various software reviews, I’ve been contacted again.

Now, let me just state for the record that I welcome requests for reviews. The problem here is my bar for an acceptable quality level for those contacting me, stating to be a professional organisation. Having said that, they are now adding their contact details, including address, at the bottom of their emails which is a start.

Anyway, their new email. It gets off badly..

Thank you very much for reviewing on our Software.

I don’t think I have.

We are pleased to inform you that a good news.

Whatever made me think originally that they might be a foreign company?

The mysterious Sophia (mysterious because I don’t believe that is her name) goes on to tell me that one of their commercial products is available for free for the rest of the month. They then go on to provide me with a URL to use and tell me I can promote this on my site. Great. But then they finish with…

Please kindly let me know if you are interested in this offer. We would be more than happy to discuss with you further about this.

Oh. Ok. I have to tell them first? Or not. What do I need to discuss?

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I can promote this. I’ve not reviewed the product, but there’s lot of “awards” for it on the page – just make sure you check them out first¹.

So, here’s the details…

WinX DVD Ripper Platinum is a professional DVD ripping software tool which could backup your DVD video to your personal PC or put into your portable devices. It offers fast ripping speed, stable ripping process and best video/audio quality.

Use this link to get it for free – no registration is required. The offer lasts until September 30th.

1. I’m not singling out this company, you should obviously do this for any product [↩]

Many of the Linux powered Netbooks come with a simple “Easy Mode” front end – large, chunky icons, all categorised into tabbed menus for you to launch. However, their Windows XP equivalents usually boot to the standard desktop. A Windows version of these easy menus would therefore be useful.

I’ve come across 3 which, kind of, work.

EasyDeskXP

This I came across quite by accident – its SourceForge hosted site contains few details. And, I have to say, it’s still early days for this application.

It’s not easy to use, I couldn’t find any documentation and it has few configurations options. It also looks hideously ugly – particularly the carbon fibre “look” surround. Horrible.

Easy Mode XP

Next up, is a particular project aimed specifically at EEE PC users. The software is, therefore, branded accordingly but it’s not too bad. However, there are a few niggling issues here and there, including copious spelling mistakes.

The site is in German, but the link I’ve provided is via Google Translate.

FSL Launcher

Now, unlike the previous two applications, this hasn’t been designed for Netbooks, but any PC in general. It’s okay I guess – it’s not the prettiest thing, but not as ugly as EasyDeskXP. It also doesn’t take over the entire desktop, as these easy menus generally do (and whether you find that good or bad, is up to you). Personally, I’d prefer something more like the Linux versions – taking over the entire desktop experience, but allowing you to drop back to the Windows desktop when you want.

Having said all that, it’s the best one I’ve come across so far. Not that this is a huge collection – I was thinking  there’d be more choice.

My original list of, well, less popular Open Source software was reasonably popular, so I thought I’d pull out a quick follow up! Yes, I’ve found 10 more.

My original list was good. Kind of. One I’ve since found a better alternative to and the choice of Arora browser was a mistake. It may be replacing Konqueror, but after trying it myself I found it bland and a little lacking. Never-the-less, I’ve dug around and found 10 more morsels for your delight – again, not in any order.

PeaZip
PeaZip is an excellent compression program, like WinZip and 7-Zip. It also has file encrytion facilities and a portable version is available. Of course, 7-Zip is also Open Source, but PeaZip does, at least, offer an alternative.

Scribus
Scribus is a desktop publishing tool, similar to Microsoft Publisher. It has an easy to use interface but Scribus also supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK color, separations, Spot Colors, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation.

Appetizer
This is an application launcher which allows organizing your shortcuts and folders into a convenient dock. It supports plugins and skins, so is completely configurable to your own taste.

Storybook
Storybook is novel writing software for novelists, authors and creative writers. It will help you to keep an overview of multiple plot-lines, records characters and locations and will generally assist you in structuring your book.

InfraRecorder
InfraRecorder is free CD/DVD burning software. It offers a wide range of powerful features, all through an easy to use  interface and Windows Explorer integration. A portable version is also available.

BonkEnc
BonkEnc is a free audio converter and CD ripper which integrates various popular formats and encoders. It currently supports MP3, MP4/M4A, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, AAC and Bonk files.

RedNotebook
RedNotebook is a graphical diary and journal helping you keep track of notes and thoughts. It includes a calendar navigation, customizable templates, export functionality and word clouds. You can also format, tag and search your entries.

Gminder
Gminder is a simple, but effective, desktop version of Google Calendar. It waits in your system tray and alerts you when you have an upcoming Google Calendar event. GMinder supports multiple calendars and allows you to configure how you want to be alerted. Since it downloads your events, it works offline and enables you to preview your agenda of events. New events can be added to your Google Calendars using a Quick Add feature.

Fwink
This is an excellent webcam application that takes still images from your camera at timed intervals and puts them on your web site with FTP. You can add effects like text messages, time stamps and an overlay image.

PopTray
PopTray is a full-featured, customizable, e-mail notifier which works with POP3 accounts but also has plugins for Hotmail, Gmail, etc. It includes spam management and will handle multiple accounts.

After a recent post on a forum, extolling the virtues of a number of  free Open Source program, I made mention that they were always the same problems being mentioned – OpenOffice, ClamWin, Audacity, etc. SourceForge alone holds over 150,000 Open Source projects, let alone those at Google Code, etc.

So, I was set a challenge – find some Open Source software that most people won’t have come across.

Ok, that was the plan. Now, the limitations (self set). Nothing too technical, nor niche. No games (otherwise I could just easily provide 10 of them). Oh, and they have to be Windows applications – no Linux, Mac, PHP scripts, etc.

I thought plunging into my Firefox bookmarks would yeald 10 but, sadly, most were either games or too technical for this list. Or I’ve covered them elsewhere in my blog. So, a number I’ve had to scourer SourceForge for (oh, I wish their search facility was better). And some goodies I’ve come up with too – I’m sure there’s scope for further list in the future but, in the meantime, here’s my 10 (in no particular order)…

TV-Browser
A desktop based EPG. It’s German in origin but includes UK channels. I’ve only had a brief play with it so far, but I’ve been impressed.

MP3Gain
This is something I’ve been using for years. Now, adding gain to MP3s (i.e. bringing them all up to a similar volume) is something built into many media players and burning products. However, MP3Gain is a standalone product designed to do this one task. And well.

DVDStyler
DVDStyler is a DVD authoring program for the creation of professional-looking DVDs. It allows not only burning of video files on DVD that can be played practically on any standalone DVD player, but also creation of own-designed DVD menus.

Arora
Yes, it’s another browser! Based on WebKit (like Chrome and Safari), it’s fast and available on a number of platforms. However, the fact that is has recently “elbowed out” Konqueror as the browser of choice in Kubuntu, has made news.

MuseScore
An excellent WYSIWYG musical score editor. It’s packed full of features, including importing of data and has a built in sequencer and synth.

SmillaEnlarger
Another simple idea, done well. SmillaEnlarger will magnify images in high quality. Useful for “blowing up” part of a photo. And it will go on a USB key as well.

AxCrypt
A file encryption tool that integrates directly into Windows Explorer. Simply right click on a file and you can quickly and easily encrypt it, with password protection (or without, for simple sending via email).

WindowsPager
If you’ve used Linux any time recently, you’ll probably have come across its virtual desktop environment, where you can easily switch between multiple desktops via an icon in the toolbar. Well, WindowsPager provides a similar facility. It’s not perfect, however, and I spotted a problem with Command Prompt windows, but it’s worth a try – as with most of these products, it’s still being worked on.

Synkron
Synkron is a relatively powerful folder synchronisation tool. How you use it, well, is up to you – for something as simple as synchronising a USB key to your PC, or as a quick backup tool.

Hugin
I said I’ve avoid anything too technical and, well, this isn’t. It’s just powerful. But if you’re a keen photographer, you’ll love this. It’s a photo stitcher (which can allow you, for example, to make panoramic images) which is a bit more manual that many (but, hence, it’s power).