Category Archives: Computers & Internet

FLAC: our favourite multiplatform (Linux, Windows, MAC OS X) Free Lossless Audio Codec!

It is true! MP3 format is the most common format we normally use in our everyday applications but MP3 is a lossy compression algorithm and it is not comparable with the quality of uncompressed audio formats as Monkey’s Audio, ALAC, WMA. This week, in our Freeware page, we posted a brief review about some particular features of FLAC: a multiplatform (Linux, Windows, MAC OS X) Free Lossless Audio Codec. Nowadays, FLAC is well and constantly supported by many music player producer. We compared FLAC and MP3 formats using the “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major – Allegro” by Bach and the results were very interesting. For common listeners (as us) the audio quality was, more or less, the same but when we asked to a couple of friends (authentic music “hooligans”) to describe the difference between the two music files (FLAC and MP3) they spent more than 15 minutes of their (and our) time talking about “tones”, “pizzicato” and something else that I really do not remember at the moment! After the listening, when we compared the file extensions, we discovered that the FLAC file was five times bigger than the MP3 (25.6MB vs 5.1MB)… To conclude, we really think that FLAC represents a fantastic (and the best) lossless format for home stereo systems. On the other side, if you are not a music purist, MP3 could be the best choice for listening music on portable audio devices.

FEBE and CLEO the best solution to save (and reinstall) your Firefox settings: extensions, themes and bookmarks!

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Today, in our Freeware Page (traditionally in English) we have added an effective post (in Spanish) about FEBE and CLEO: two fantastic Firefox extensions which allow you to backup all your personal Firefox settings. FEBE is a multiplatform add-on (Linux, Windows, and OS X) easy to install and to manage. In fact, the “FEBE Options” is a complete menu where it is possible to choose: what to save, where (destination folders) and frequency of the backups. Personally, I do suggest to change the default options and not to backup your usernames, passwords and cookies using FEBE. In fact, the backup file, a .xpi, could be stolen and easily reinstalled on a third part computer. Last but not least I want to underline the key role of CLEO which allows FEBE to create the installable .xpi file with all your settings. Recommended!

WinFlip (part of Vista Transformation Pack): when your Xp has the same Vista graphical effects for active windows.

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Today, in our Freeware Page we have posted a short but (effective) review about WinFlip: a tiny program which allows you to have the same Vista graphical interface for active windows. Personally I do not believe thatWinFlip will change your way of working with XP but it could represent a good graphical solution for all that people who want to upgrade just some XP functions without changing their OS at the moment. Last but not least, since last December, WinFlip has been included into the Vista Transformation Pack the famous compilation of programs which allows to full enjoy the main Vista graphical effects on your XP. Anyway, I believe that the installation of the complete Vista Transformation Pack could be negative (in terms of slower performances) for many computer using XP.

Damn Small Linux 4.2.5: the new updated version!

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Today, in our Linux Page (in Spanish) we have posted a review about the new version (4.2.5) of Damn Small Linux. Damn Small Linux is one of our favourite distribution due to its capability to run on very old PC as 386/486/Pentium with very few hardware resources. This version has updated some features as Monkey Webserver 0.9.2 and is incredibly stable (as the previous ones, I must say). According to distrowatch.com, in the last 12 months Damn Small Linux has been the 10th most downloaded (and consequently used) Linux version also because, with no costs, many people are converting old Windows based machines to new up-to-date computers. Anyway, Damn Small Linux is based on Knoppix but is smaller and contains many improvements. Last but not least, I would like to focus your attention on the five different subversions available:

– dsl.iso is the standard isolinux version

– slinux.iso uses syslinux instead of isolinux (for very old PC’s)

– vmx.zip can be run in VMware Player

– embedded.zip contains QUEMU for running inside Windows

– frugal_lite.sh is the network install script and requires tomsrtbt linux: http://www.toms.net/rb/.

How to create free tutorials and presentations: the multiplatform Wink

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This week in our Freeware Page we have posted a brief but complete tutorial about Wink: the best free “tutorial and Presentation creation software” for Windows. We installed Wink with just few clicks and after a reboot (recommended) we were ready to try its features. Wink is easy to use, includes audio features and it is possible to add notes directly to every single frame. Anyway Winks has many output formats as Macromedia Flash, EXE, PDF, PostScript and HTML so you can decide if you prefer to create a video, a standalone .exe for pc users, a printable manual or a webpage. Moreover, Wink allows you to choose your best ratio between performance and video quality. Unfortunately its Linux version runs only with x86 computers and we have to wait next release to completely enjoy Wink’s features. Recommended!

QGRUBEditor: a simple but effective GRUB editor for many Linux OS

A new feature from our blog!

Ubuntu iES: a terrific -Spanish- Ubuntu on a pendrive!

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Today, in our Linux Page (in Spanish) we have posted a brief review about Ubuntu iES, an interesting Live Ubuntu which can be loaded on a small (1GB) pendrive. This particular Live version has been built for Spanish speaking users. Ubuntu iES is completely automatic, in fact its software completely manages the installation. Actually, when the pendrive loads the Ubuntu iES you can easily choose between Gnome, xfce4, Enlightenment; moreover, it is also possible to decide the right graphic card and the appropriate drivers for WIFI. Last but not least, Ubuntu iES website contains simple and clear instructions about saving all your settings and data for the next live session. Personally we recommend this live version of Ubuntu to all Spanish speaking users because it is not simple to find (around the web) a better Linux distribution on a pendrive. As usual, please, inform us if you know something better!

Open Source Living and Iconlet: two multiplatform open source “mines”!

Sage = how Firefox let you to easily read all the web feeds you prefer!

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This week, in our Freeware Page, we have posted a brief review about one of the most interesting Firefox add-on we have found in the Mozilla website: Sage. This particular add-on allows you to easily read and manage all your favorite web feeds directly using Firefox. Sage contains also a feed discover who allows you to find RSS simply typing a keyword, moreover it is possible to import and export your web feeds through the OPML format. The graphics is very enjoyable and complete and after few minutes you forget the RSS reader you have used till now. Something to try!