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Big Seminar 12 is here!

August 8th, 2008 by Bob Stovall
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Big Seminar 12 logoArmand Morin has just announced his plans for Big Seminar 12 and has opened the Big Seminar website for registration. As always, Armand has an all-star lineup of marketing speakers ready to give your business a jump-start. This year several new speakers have been added.

One of the biggest benefits I have gotten from attending the Big Seminar is the contacts I have made. The networking is fantastic. In fact if all you did was network and never attended a seminar session, it would still be a bargain.

Big Seminar 12 is scheduled for October 3rd, 4th and 5th in Atlanta. The venue, the seminar and the networking are always fantastic. And the lunches and dinner that Armand buys you are always spectacular. Don’t miss it!

Want to sample some preview calls from previous Big Seminars?

We’ve set up a special website at BigSeminarGoodies.com that features replays of preview calls from Big Seminars 6 - X. Listen to them at your leisure and learn from some of the top names in Internet Marketing. But, don’t forget to register for this year’s free preview calls.

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Internet security issue that could effect you

July 30th, 2008 by Bob Stovall
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the New York TimesThis morning’s New York Times carried an article that outlined a serious security problem on the Internet that could effect you. If exploited, you could be redirected to a phishing site that mimics the bank or merchant URL that you typed into your browser - and that could cost you plenty if you give out any personal information.

There is a simple fix that also could speed up any broadband Internet connection. We’ve published more information and links to the New York Times relevant articles on OrangeCat.info.

This is far too important an issue to ignore. Read about it at the OrangeCat Info Blog ». Here is the permalink:
http://www.orangecat.info/go/post-080730.php

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Open-Realty® 2.5 still sets the standard

July 29th, 2008 by Bob Stovall
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The latest version of the Open-Realty® real estate listings software is Version 2.5. Open-Realty® has been the standard in Open Source Real Estate applications since it first appeared in 2003. With the release of Version 2.5, Open-Realty® has solidified it’s position as the premier tool for Realtors® and Investors to publish their property listings on the Internet.

Web hosting service with Open-Realty® pre-installed and configured is available from OrangeCat.net. Customization service is also available from OrangeCat. Investors and Realtors® who are members of the Association of Real Estate Investment Professionals (AREIP.org) can get a special package deal on membership and Open-Realty® hosting. AREIP Members have access to special Open-Realty® templates that display the AREIP Membership logo and link.

The list of features for the software and users below was originally published on the official Open-Realty® website, which contains a lot more information on the software, documentation, a support forum and more.

Open-Realty® v2.5

Open-Realty® is a professional, open-source, web-based real estate listing management system written in PHP that is provided FREE by Transparent Technologies, Inc. Designed to be flexible, powerful, easy to install and maintain, Open-Realty® has powered thousands of real estate web sites worldwide. Open-Realty® is a mature application that is actively developed, and has been community supported since 2003.

Features:

  • All dynamically generated site-visitor content validates to XHTML 1.0 strict and CSS 2.0 standards.
  • Graphical site administration interface.
  • Built in WYSIWYG page editor for creating and modifying the content of key pages, including the one presently being viewed.
  • Easy to use installer reduces installation time.
  • Keeps property listings updated — no special skills required to add, delete, or modify listings.
  • Built-in photo management — upload photos via a web browser. If photos are not uploaded for a property listing, a default “photo not available” image will be automatically displayed.
  • Automatically creates thumbnails — smaller versions of your photos are automatically created using the industry standard GD Graphics Library.
  • Optional “Search Engine Optimized” (SEO) page links, and optimization features.
  • Flexible database abstraction — compatible with mySQL, postgres, MS SQL, and Oracle via. the ADODB lite database library.
  • Secure — no one but the site Administrator or delegated Agents can modify or add listings.
  • Showcase specific properties — built-in featured listing management allows custom placement and arrangement of special properties.
  • Flexible search — Browse properties according to a definable criteria.
  • Configurable search forms and fields — All search forms and fields included in Open-Realty® are completely definable to meet any needs.
  • Template system — Designers can produce a sophisticated functional site template without any knowledge of PHP.
  • Integrated add-on system framework for application developers allows for extending or altering Open-Realty®’s capabilities without altering its source code, making upgrades to newer versions a snap.
  • Powerful and professional commercial add-ons available.
  • Established Community support forums.
  • Many, many, many more features.
  • Open-Realty® is written entirely in PHP, and utilizes a standards compliant XHTML template system, designing a new template from scratch or incorporating the look of an existing web site is greatly simplified.

    Open-Realty® Features For Realtors:

  • Easy installation and configuration.
  • Ability to add an unlimited number of fields to listings.
  • Support multiple property classes in a single install. (Residential, Commercial, etc.)
  • Ability to define different fields for each property class.
  • You can define which fields are searchable, through our easy to use administrative interface.
  • Upload multiple images at once to listings.
  • Open-Realty automatically creates image thumbnail for you.
  • Upload Virtual Tours for your listings.
  • Visitors to your site can signup as members, where they can save searches and get email notifications when new properties are added that match their search criteria.
  • You can choose to display listing fields to all users, only members who have registered on your site, or to only other agents who have logged into your site.
  • Open-Realty Automatically places map, school, and neighborhood information links on your site for you.
  • Built in contact form provides an easy way for interested parties to contact you, without you having to place your email address on the site for spamers to gather and use.
  • WYSIYG Editor allows you to edit pages such as the contact and about us pages on your site, without any HTML knowledge.
  • Built in search engine optimizations help, ensure that your listings appear on the search engines, when buyers are looking.
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    How to comply with the new CAN-SPAM amendments

    June 30th, 2008 by Bob Stovall
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    How to comply with the new CAN-SPAM amendments

    AutoResponse PlusLast week we talked about the new amendments to the CAN-SPAM Act and how they could affect your business. Today, I’d like to offer a few simple ways to comply with the older regulation that requires a mailing address on all communications that are commercial in nature.

    The new amendments allow you to use a PO Box as your mailing address. This just clarifies the rules as many mailers were already using PO Boxes.

    One thing I have always believed when it comes to remembering to do things like backup files or include important “boiler plate” information in mailings - if it isn’t automatic, it isn’t going to happen. At some point, you’ll forget to include it - and that’s the email that some busy-body will use to report you to the powers that be.

    Both AutoResponse Plus (ARP) and aWeber have the ability to insert the required information in your emails. They go about it in different ways but they both accomplish the goal.

    Another very important provision of the amended CAN-SPAM Act is that you provide a “Single-Option Opt-out.” This is one that a lot of mailers have long failed on by creating complicated processes for unsubscribing - but no more.

    aWeber logoFrom here on in, you need to comply with the new amendments and both AutoResponse Plus and aWeber have long had the feature of single action opt-out.

    My email autoresponder services is one of the places where I’ve found that the available Open Source solutions come up short. There is a first-rate Open Source mailing list manager - PHPList - that does a great job for newsletter-type users where the autoresponder service isn’t necessary.

    If you need an autoresponder, the best choices by far are AutoResponder Plus if you prefer a self-hosted solution with no monthly fees and aWeber if you prefer a solution where someone else has the responsibilities of software management.

    Which ever of these solutions you choose, be sure to back up your mailing lists to your own computer. ARP has a simple export and download function that helps make the process very simple. aWeber has a more complex procedure, but one that anyone can master quickly.

    The new amendments are easy to comply with. Using ARP or aWeber makes it even easier.

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    CAN-SPAM Act amendments that you need to know about

    June 23rd, 2008 by Bob Stovall
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    Can of Spam imageNew emailing rules go into effect at the end of this month. Don’t get caught with your pants down on this one or you might have a problem. The changes aren’t earth-shaking but you will need to know and comply with them if you email any kind of commercial message to a list of virtually any kind.

    The Federal Trade Commission has now issued four new rules that amend the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. The amendments go into effect at the end of this month - June, 2008.

    The amendments affect all senders of any commercial email with a list of any size from 2, on up.

    Here are the rules:

    #1 The receiver of the email cannot be required to pay a fee, provide information other than his or her email address and opt-out preferences, and must be able to opt-out of the mailing list using a SINGLE ACTION.

    This may be by replying to the email - or by clicking ONE link to go to a SINGLE web page.

    #2 The use of the word “person” is defined in regard to whether the CAN-SPAM Act applies. “Person” is now defined to include non-companies. In other words, any and everyone can be liable for sending commercial email - breathing person, company, organization, etc.

    #3 You may use a post office box or private mailbox (PMB) - rather than the address of an actual private building - as the physical address in your commercial mailings to satisfy the CAN-SPAM Act.

    #4 For any mailing containing advertisements from 3rd party advertisers, either the party who the email is “from” must have an advertisement in the email - or - all of the advertisers with ads in the mailing are responsible for opt-out requests.

    This is known as the “Designated Sender” rule. When the party listed in the “From” field has an ad in the mailing, that party becomes responsible for processing opt-out requests.

    Source: http://www.i-cop.org/journal/06-23-08.htm
    Author: jl scott
    You can read jl scott’s take on this in the June 23rd i-Cop Newsletter.

    In my opinion, these new amendments cover the places where people most often run afoul of the CAN-SPAM Act. The most common error is not having a “single option opt-out.” And since the term “persons” now includes non-companies (individuals, in other words), it is easy to be in non-compliance even if you are sending emails to a group from your AOL or Gmail accounts or even from your desktop if your email contains any type of commercial solicitation.

    Please be aware that complying with the Act and the new amendments is YOUR responsibility as a mailer. If you’d like to read the entire 109 memorandum on these amendments, you can get it here.

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    How-to videos help get you started

    June 20th, 2008 by Bob Stovall
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    HowDoIDoThatVideos.com logoVideo instruction helps shorten your learning curve when faced with using new software and shows you how to get the most out of your new tools. I use videos to learn new software, programming or any other challenges whenever it is available. And being able to download entire sets of videos on a single subject means they’ll be there when I need to review them.

    Professionally-produced video sets currently available show you how to get up and running with some of today’s most popular software. Start Blogging with WordPress. Set up and easily adminster your website with no knowledge of HTML or PHP using a Content Management System (CMS) such as Joomla!, Mambo or Drupal. Create a Membership site using the proven and easy-to-use DLGuard. Create, manipulate, correct and improve photos, graphics and images with theGIMP, and much more.

    The 7DollarVideoStore.com has dozens of how-to videos, all available for no more than $7. 7DollarVideoStore.com has created a resource for anyone needing to “learn and earn” on the Internet.

    Video instruction helps shorten your learning curve when faced with using new software and shows you how to get the most out of it. I use video tools to learn new software or programming challenges whenever it is available. And being able to download entire sets of videos on a single subject means they’ll be there when I need to review them.

    Drupal logoWe’re including a sample video from the July 2008 set - Drupal Content Management System to give you an idea of the quality of 7DollarVideoStore.com video instruction. This is video 3 of a 17 video set and shows you how to do a manual install of Drupal.


    Over 100 videos in 9 sets plus free videos and previews.
    New video sets added every month.

    NOTE: The Drupal Videos mentioned in this article are not yet available on the new website. Register at 7DollarVideoStore.com and we’ll let know know when it is. We are working hard to assure that all videos previously available at HowDoIDoThatVideos.com will be at 7DollarVideoStore.com soon.

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    Spelling the way to search engine success

    June 16th, 2008 by Bob Stovall
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    Spel-chek imageWhen I worked with the interactive (web and internet) departments of some ad agencies, we had at least one person whose whole job was quality control. They went through the code after we finished with it and cleaned up anything that wasn’t right. The age of Dreamweaver was sort of like the digital photography takeover. Almost anyone could do it, but overall quality fell. The error was believing that the search engines would find a way to tolerate the sloppy code and still produce great rankings - or even want to. That was quaint but not true.

    Good clean code still helps with search engine rankings. I have at times given in to quantity over quality and it’s bit me most every time. Haste truly makes waste. Google, Yahoo, MSN et al still black mark bad code and things like misspellings. It’s not that they have the tolerance for error of teaching nuns - they frankly have no idea what a "webstie" is - nor do they care. Quality control lives.

    Another problem with sloppy work is that once you discover it, you have to go through every page and correct the issues. Errors in spelling would be obvious to most of us, but errors in coding, while invisible to us, stand out like a flare to a machine reading the code as a text file - which is exactly what it is.

    I recently read a page where the writer used every version of “there” - “there”, “their” and “they’re” and used everyone of them in the wrong context. Another used “your” for everything. “Your a great person, but I have no use for your poor grammar.” If you know where the error was in that sentence, you’re one of the majority, but that’s not good enough.

    This is tough on those whose native language is not English, but some of the worst offenders seem to be those to whom English is a first language.

    I have no doubt that I’ve made many of the same type of mistakes. I try to look over each article more than once and proof-read after letting the article sit for a while (it’s ALWAYS a bad idea to proof-read your own copy, but sometimes we are all we have).

    The WYSIWYG editors of most of the Open Source web solutions we recommend have a built-in spell checker. That can help a lot.

    But don’t always rely on the spell check function. Spell check is great, but it can’t tell that “tome” is wrong when you meant “to me.” Some of the worst atrocities can be traced to copying from a spell- and grammar-checked Word doc and then pasted into a WYSIWYG editor. This would very likely produce mostly accurate spelling and grammar, but could also produce butchered code that would display very messily in a web browser.

    So take a little time before you hit the “Publish” button. Run spell check, correct any errors it finds, then save the page and walk away. Do something else before you proof-read. Or better yet, have someone else proof-read it.

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    Tracking your stolen laptop

    June 11th, 2008 by Bob Stovall
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    GadgetTrak logoLosing your laptop sucks. It isn’t just the money, it’s everything on the computer that should have been backed up but wasn’t.

    There are several tracking solutions that track the computer after it’s been lost or stolen and report important information back to a datacenter. But if the datacenter can track the computer and ne’er-do-wells who stole it, theycan also track you. And that raises some serious privacy questions.

    But what of you could track your Mac or PC laptop without the aid of a datacenter? Wouldn’t that be nice?

    GadgetTrak, anti theft for mobile devices, has solutions not only for your Mac or Windows laptop, but also for your Blackberry, Symbian or Windows Mobile device, Portable drives and devices such as iPods, MP3 players, flash drives, memory cards and digital camers can also be tracked using special USB software. And protection for your iPhone or Touch is coming soon. GadgetTrak’s pricing is very reasonable.

    There’s no guarantee that you can recover your missing device even with this software, but it sure increases the odds.

    GadgetTrak is at: http://www.gadgettrak.com

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    Open Source and Free Desktop Applications - Mac

    June 6th, 2008 by Bob Stovall
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    Great software that you don’t have to pay for.

    On Wednesday, we published a very useful, but admittedly incomplete list of Open Source software for PCs running Windows. Today, we have the list for Macintosh users.

    Here are a few of our favorite Open Source applications for Max OS X - most of which we use on a regular basis. We’ll list some our favorite free applications for Windows and Macs in later posts. In the near future, we’ll go in these great apps a little more in-depth, one at a time.

    In the meantime, download the ones that interest you and start using them. If you have any reservations about learning about how they work, visit HowDoIDoThatVideos.com and see if there is video for the software. If there isn’t now, there very likely will be in the near future.

    Web Browsers

    FireFox Open Source browserIf you’re not using Firefox, the Open Source web browser from Mozilla.org, you are missing out on some of the best the web has to offer. Faster and more standards compliant than Internet Explorer, extensible with add-ons that allow you to surf the net safer and easier, themes that allow your Firefox to look like you want it, and much more. Use more than one computer. There is a Firefox plugin that keeps your Bookmarks in sync on two or more computers, even if you have a mix of PCs, Macs and Linux boxes. Get Firefox here.

    Camino browser logoCamino is an open source web browser developed with a focus on providing the best possible experience for Mac OS X users. The Camino web browser is powerful, secure, and ready to meet the needs of all users while remaining simple and elegant in its design. Camino combines the awesome visual and behavioral experience that has been central to the Macintosh philosophy with the powerful web-browsing capabilities of the Gecko rendering engine. Get Camino here.

    Sea Monkey project logoSea Monkey - Web-browser, advanced e-mail and newsgroup client, IRC chat client, and HTML editing made simple — all your Internet needs in one application. Get the Sea Monkey suite here.


    Email

    Thunderbird Open Source email clientThunderbird from Mozilla.org is an extensible Open Source desktop email client that is at home on PCs, Macs and Linux alike. Just like web browser Firefox, Thunderbird has a ton of plugins and themes so you can get it to look like you want and do what you want. Pick up and send mail from multiple email accounts, set up signatures for each of your mailboxes, and much more. Like all Open Source software, Thunderbird is free for you to download and use. Get Thunderbird here.

    Calendar

    Mozilla Sunbird Open Source Calendar applicationOne more Mozilla product before we move on. If you have a need for a desktop calendar program (and who doesn’t?), you might want to give Mozilla Sunbird a try. Set appointments and alarms, get help remembering birthdays, anniversaries and other important dates. Schedule your days and weeks. Set reminders about dates far in the future. Then publish the calendars you choose to the web in standard iCal format. There’s even a 3rd party PHP application that can handle that for you. Get Sunbird here.

    Office Applications

    NeoOffice office suite for Mac OS XNeoOffice is the Mac OS X-native port of OpenOffice. NeoOffice can do anything that Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access can do. But it can do more. And it’s much easier on our wallet. NeoOffice is a full-featured set of office applications (including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, and database programs) for Mac OS X. Based on the OpenOffice.org office suite, NeoOffice has integrated dozens of native Mac features and can import, edit, and exchange files with other popular office programs such as Microsoft Office. Get NeoOffice here.

    AbiWord Open Source, cross-platform, word processorAbiWord 2.6.3 is an award winning, small, fast, full-featured and cross-platform word processor. Get your copy today to experience the state of the art in word processing. Light weight, easy to use and it can read and write MS Word and Open Doc files. Get AbiWord here.


    Bean word processor logoBean is a small, easy-to-use word processor (or more precisely, a rich text editor), designed to make writing convenient, efficient and comfortable. Bean is Open Source, fully Cocoa, and is available free of charge! MS Word, OpenOffice, etc. try to be all things to all people. But sometimes you just want the right tool for the job. That is Bean’s niche. Bean is not a replacement for MS Word. It does not do footnotes and is only partially compatible with the various Word formats (more here). Get Bean here.

    Image Processing

    Seashore logoSeashore is an open source image editor for Mac OS X’s Cocoa framework. It runs natively in Mac OS X - it does NOT require X-11. It features gradients, textures and anti-aliasing for both text and brush strokes. It supports multiple layers and alpha channel editing. It is based around the GIMP’s technology and uses the same native file format. However, unlike the GIMP, Seashore only aims to serve the basic image editing needs of most computer users, not to provide a replacement for professional image editing products. Seashore was created by Mark Pazolli who, together with a handful of other developers and helpful users, still develops it to this day. I have used it for basic image processing jobs like resizing images and adjusting color and it worked just fine. Get Seashore here.

    Wilbur, theGIMP mascot Open Source image creation and processingEver had a need for PhotoShop but couldn’t justify the expense of buying it. If so, you owe it to ourself to take a good look at theGIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program. The GIMP can do most of the things that PhotoShop can do and it’s Open Source so anyone can download and use it. There are hundreds of plugins and extensions developed by theGIMP Community. TheGIMP can read and write PhotoShop PSD files as well handle images in it’s native XCF format. As I write this, running theGIMP on a Mac requires the use of the X-11 system extension which is not very Mac-like. You can install X-11 from your OS X installation disks. An OS X-native version of theGIMP is in the works, but no date has been set for it’s release to the general public. Get theGIMP here.

    Video

    Perian QuickTime Swiss Army Knife plugion logoPerian is a free, open source QuickTime component that adds native support for many popular video formats.
    Perian enables QuickTime application support for additional Media Types:
    • MS-MPEG4 v1 & v2, DivX, 3ivX, H.264, FLV1, FSV1, VP6, H263I, VP3, HuffYUV, FFVHuff, MPEG1 & MPEG2 Video, Fraps, Windows Media Audio v1 & v2, Flash ADPCM, Xiph Vorbis (in Matroska), MPEG Layer II Audio
    • AVI support for: AAC, AC3 Audio, H.264, MPEG4, and VBR MP3
    • Subtitle support for SSA and SRT
    Get Perian here.

    VLC Media PlayerVLC Media Player (formerly VideoLAN Client) is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, etc.) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network. I have used it to play AVI files that have audio or video problems when played in QuickTime even with the Perian plugin. Get VLC here.

    Audio Processing

    Audacity Open Source AudioRecord, edit and output audio files in all of the popular formats including MP3, WAV, AIFF and Ogg Vorbis. Convert your records and tapes into digital recording and put them on CDs. Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds. Audacity is cross-platform and top-quality. Get Audacity here.


    HTML and Text Editing

    KompoZer Open Source website creation software KompoZer is a complete web authoring system that combines web file management and easy-to-use WYSIWYG web page editing. KompoZer is designed to be extremely easy to use, making it ideal for non-technical computer users who want to create an attractive, professional-looking web site without needing to know HTML or web coding. KompoZer has built-in FTP and site management capability. Get KompoZer here.

    Smultron logoSmultron is a free text editor for Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 which is both easy to use and powerful. It is designed to neither confuse newcomers nor disappoint advanced users. It should work perfectly for a whole variety of needs - like web programming, script editing, making a to do list and so on. Versins are also available for OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and 10.3.9. Get Smultron here.

    FTP Client

    FileZilla Open Source FTP ClientOpen Source and cross-platform, we use this program all the time. It is fast and has a logical side-by-side interface. FileZilla supports FTP, FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). It supports resume and transfer of large files. Site Manager, drag-and-drop and remote file editing are just a few more of it’s features. Get FileZilla here.

    Cyberduck logoCyberduck is an open source FTP, SFTP, WebDAV and Amazon S3 browser licenced under the GPL with an easy to use interface, integration with external editors and support for many Mac OS X system technologies such as Spotlight, Bonjour, QuickLook and the Keychain. Very easy to use “drag-and-drop” interface. Get Cyberduck here.


    RSS Client

    RSS Owl Cross-platform and Open Source Client and ReaderApplications that collect data from RSS-compliant sites are called RSS readers or “aggregators.” RSSOwl is such an application. RSSOwl lets you gather, organize, update, and store information from any compliant source in a convenient, easy to use interface, save selected information in various formats for offline viewing and sharing, and much more. It’s easy to configure, available in many many languages and the best of all: It’s platform-independent. Get RRS Owl here.

    File Utility

    Unarchiver logoVery simple to use and install - simply copy it into your Applications folder or whereever you prefer, and then set archive filetypes to open using it. This can either be done the usual way, or by double-clicking the icon to show The Unarchiver’s preferences. Supported file formats include Zip, Tar-GZip, Tar-BZip2, Rar, 7-zip, LhA, StuffIt and many other more or less obscure formats. Support for so many formats is achieved by using the libxad unarchiving library. Get Unarchiver here.

    This is by no means a comprehensive list of Open Source software for the Mac platform. These are programs I’ve used and feel comfortable recommending. We’ll be reviewing more software as time allows. A more complete list of Mac Open Source software is available at: OpenSourceWindows.org

    FreeSMUG is the Macintosh Free Software Mac User Group. There’s a whole lot of info on free software for the Mac including update news on Open Source software. FreeSMUG holds events around the world and live streaming video of the events is available at the FreeSMUG website.

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    Open Source and Free Desktop Applications - Windows

    June 3rd, 2008 by Bob Stovall
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    Great software that you don’t have to pay for.

    So what’s the difference between Open Source and Free?

    Wikipedia describes Open Source software as “Open source software (OSS) projects are built and maintained by network of volunteer programmers. Prime examples of open source products are the Apache HTTP Server, the internet address system Internet Protocol, and the internet browser Mozilla Firefox. Yet, one of the most successful programs is the Linux operating system, an open source Unix-like operating system.”

    Free software is often created and maintained by commercial software developers who release a free version in order to let you try their application before buying a more feature-laden version. Often, the free version serves the user’s needs quite well.

    The web hosting offered by OrangeCat.net uses several Open Source applications including the FreeBSD operating system (also the underpinning of Apple’s Mac OSX) and the Apache web server software.

    Here are a few of our favorite Open Source applications for the Windows O/S - most of which we use on a regular basis. We’ll list some our favorite free applications for Windows and Macs in later posts. We’ll have our Open Source list for Macs later this week. In the near future, we’ll go in these great apps a little more in-depth, one at a time.

    In the meantime, download the ones that interest you and start using them. If you have any reservations about learning about how they work, visit HowDoIDoThatVideos.com and see if there is video for the software. If there isn’t now, there very likely will be in the near future.

    Web Browsers

    FireFox Open Source browserIf you’re not using Firefox, the Open Source web browser from Mozilla.org, you are missing out on some of the best the web has to offer. Faster and more standards compliant than Internet Explorer, extensible with add-ons that allow you to surf the net safer and easier, themes that allow your Firefox to look like you want it, and much more. Use more than one computer. There is a Firefox plugin that keeps your Bookmarks in sync on two or more computers, even if you have a mix of PCs, Macs and Linux boxes. Get Firefox here.

    Email

    Thunderbird Open Source email clientThunderbird from Mozilla.org is an extensible Open Source desktop email client that is at home on PCs, Macs and Linux alike. Just like web browser Firefox, Thunderbird has a ton of plugins and themes so you can get it to look like you want and do what you want. Pick up and send mail from multiple email accounts, set up signatures for each of your mailboxes, and much more. Like all Open Source software, Thunderbird is free for you to download and use. Get Thunderbird here.

    Calendar

    Mozilla Sunbird Open Source Calendar applicationOne more Mozilla product before we move on. If you have a need for a desktop calendar program (and who doesn’t?), you might want to give Mozilla Sunbird a try. Set appointments and alarms, get help remembering birthdays, anniversaries and other important dates. Schedule your days and weeks. Set reminders about dates far in the future. Then publish the calendars you choose to the web in standard iCal format. There’s even a 3rd party PHP application that can handle that for you. Get Sunbird here.

    Office Applications

    OpenOffice word processing, spreadsheet, presentations, database, and moreOpenOffice can do anything that Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access can do. But it can do more. And it’s much easier on our wallet. In their own words, “OpenOffice.org 2 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.” Get OpenOffice here.

    AbiWord Open Source, cross-platform, word processorAbiWord 2.6.3 is an award winning, small, fast, full-featured and cross-platform word processor. Get your copy today to experience the state of the art in word processing. Light weight, easy to use and it can read and write MS Word and Open Doc files. Get AbiWord here.


    Image Processing

    Wilbur, theGIMP mascot Open Source image creation and processingEver had a need for PhotoShop but couldn’t justify the expense of buying it. If so, you owe it to ourself to take a good look at theGIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program. The GIMP can do most of the things that PhotoShop can do and it’s Open Source so anyone can download and use it. There are hundreds of plugins and extensions developed by theGIMP Community. TheGIMP can read and write PhotoShop PSD files as well handle images in it’s native XCF format. Get theGIMP here.

    Audio Processing

    Audacity Open Source AudioRecord, edit and output audio files in all of the popular formats including MP3, WAV, AIFF and Ogg Vorbis. Convert your records and tapes into digital recording and put them on CDs. Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds. Audacity is cross-platform and top-quality. Get Audacity here.


    HTML and Text Editing

    KompoZer Open Source website creation software KompoZer is a complete web authoring system that combines web file management and easy-to-use WYSIWYG web page editing. KompoZer is designed to be extremely easy to use, making it ideal for non-technical computer users who want to create an attractive, professional-looking web site without needing to know HTML or web coding. KompoZer has built-in FTP and site management capability. Get KompoZer here.

    Notepad++ Open Source Text EditorNotepad++ is a free (free as in “free speech”, but also as in “free beer”) source code editor and Notepad replacement, which supports several programming languages, running under the MS Windows environment. It features syntax color-coding and some nice HTML features. Get Notepad++ here.

    Crimson Editor Open Source Text EditorLast updated (v3.70) in 2004, Crimson Editor is an oldie but goodie. HTML and PHP syntax coloring, simple interface, light-weight text editing program, it is no longer in development, but is available for download. If your are comfortable hand-coding, Crimson Editor may be all you’ll ever need. Get Crimson Editor here.

    FTP Client

    FileZilla Open Source FTP ClientOpen Source and cross-platform, we use this program all the time. It is fast and has a logical side-by-side interface. FileZilla supports FTP, FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). It supports resume and transfer of large files. Site Manager, drag-and-drop and remote file editing are just a few more of it’s features. Get FileZilla here.

    RSS Client

    RSS Owl Cross-platform and Open Source Client and ReaderApplications that collect data from RSS-compliant sites are called RSS readers or “aggregators.” RSSOwl is such an application. RSSOwl lets you gather, organize, update, and store information from any compliant source in a convenient, easy to use interface, save selected information in various formats for offline viewing and sharing, and much more. It’s easy to configure, available in many many languages and the best of all: It’s platform-independent. Get RRS Owl here.

    File Utility

    PeaZip Open Source file compression, archiving and unarchivig utilityFantastic archiving utility to extract and pack archives of an extensive amount of formats. PeaZip also features password protecting archives, keyfile support, system integration, a lovely interface, and much more.Get PeaZip here.

    This is by no means a comprehensive list of Open Source software for the Windows platform. These are programs I’ve used and feel comfortable recommending. We’ll be reviewing more software as time allows. A more complete list of Windows Open Source software is available at: OpenSourceWindows.org

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