Furqan offers his review for Ultra Explorer below. The author of the software calls it "the ultimate File Manager for Microsoft Windows". Furqan certainly seems to think it's good. I guess you'll have to try it and find out for yourself.
Note: Where Furqan mentions he'd like an FTP client and command line email, I recommend SendToFtp and CmdMail.
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WHAT KIND OF PROGRAM IS IT?
It's a Windows Explorer alternative that provides a customizable interface and additional features.
IS IT FREEWARE? Yes
WHAT VERSIONS OF WINDOWS ARE REQUIRED? 98 ME 2K XP Vista
WHAT WERE YOU USING BEFORE YOU FOUND THIS? Total Cammander - Shareware
HAS IT SOLVED A PROBLEM YOU WERE HAVING?
Yes. I don't have to see nag screen of a shareware anymore
WHAT PROBLEMS HAS IT CAUSED? None
IS THE PROGRAM EASY TO USE?
Yes. The interface is highly customizable making it user-friendly.
You can hide or show as many of the featured windows, dock them at different places or let them float as free standing windows. The same is true for the toolbars as well.
You can even move buttons among the toolbars and assign your own short-cut keys.
DOES IT COME WITH HELP FILES?
Yes
WHAT FEATURES DO YOU LIKE OR NOT LIKE?
Drop Stack Window: Use it as a temporary storage area for file manipulation. Drag indiviual or blocks of files from multiple locations and drop into the Drop Stack for quick access later.
Favorites Window: Build a favorites tree with any object you like from the shell. The tree is fully aware of drag & drop and the clipboard.
Easy Browsing: Browse folders in tabs or in dual-pane, filter folder content, quickly access recently used folders, change default view of folder display etc.
Assign 'Win-E' key to Ultra Explorer so that when you hit 'Win-E' Ultra Explorer opens instead of Win-Explorer.
and more ....
WHAT FEATURES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE ADDED OR TAKEN AWAY OR CHANGED?
I would love to have a built-in FTP client just like the one that Total Commander has.
CmdMail is a simple utility that lets you send an email using the command line in Windows. In many cases, it's used to send text results from the output of a program using a DOS batch file or any other scripting language.
The program includes a regular GUI (graphical user interface) that allows you to set up the details that the command line utility uses when it runs. The details are stored in a text file called sender.dat. Since a file holds the settings, it's possible to create several different setups for different uses.
I have recommended this one twice recently. I'm not sure what people are using it for but I've used it myself, years ago. I have a suspicion that the utility I used wasn't written by the same person, but it had the same name and did exactly the same job. I was not able to find any current traces of the older program that I used. I still have a copy of the old program at work and I'll see if I can include it in this article at a later time.
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Crunzh cmdMail is a command line email program that can be used to send email either manually from the command line or be called from other scripts and programs.
The reason for creating cmdMail was that we discovered that CrunzhMail was used by a lot of people just to send easy emails from other programs. As CrunzhMail primarily was created to send easy email from a graphical user interface we decided to create a new program better suited for inter program operations without the overhead of a graphical user interface.
cmdMail is very light and is completely multi platform. It runs on every platform supported by the python programming language including, but is not limited to: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista, MacOS 9, MacOS X, Linux, freeBSD etc.)
Last year, I reviewed the TorPark web browser. It's now called xB Browser and it's still free. The xB Browser will let you surf the internet in nearly complete anonymity if you use it properly. It's a little over 10mb to download and it will install as a portable application. I installed it on one of my flash thumbdrives for testing.
The xB Browser is actually a hacked up copy of PortableFirefox and uses Privoxy and the Tor network to keep your identity hidden online. The browser initially takes quite a while to set itself up. Once you are up and running, you'll notice that websites aren't popping in as quickly as you are used to. That's the price of freedom when you are using the Tor network to surf on. When you close the browser, it's supposed to clear all history and cookies.
I've also used a portable version of Opera called OperaTor which gives you the same privacy features. I think OperaTor is a little faster while loading and surfing, but I haven't verified this, it's just a feeling.
Quote from Wikipedia: xB Browser works by routing Internet traffic through several "onion" servers, obscuring the originating address.
We believe security shouldn't be complicated. All XeroBank software is designed to be intuitive and easy to use. No configuration is necessary, and our software can be installed to your computer or any thumbdrive. Additionally, XeroBank software is all open-source, so you can see what goes into it.
xB Browser is the free and open-source anonymous web browser. You're just a click away from anonymous surfing right now! The benefits of xB Browser are that it allows you to securely and anonymously surf the internet, and bypass firewalls and website censorship. For enhanced privacy, xB Browser automatically clears surfing history and deletes cookies when you close the browser.
The main advantage compared to other anonymous web browsers is that xB Browser requires no configuration or technical knowledge in order to achieve anonymity. xB Browser is open-source so you can feel safe knowing what goes into xB Browser. Additionally, it is even portable on a USB stick so you can take it to work, school, or on vacation.
Here's a nice review from Claire. I missed posting this in the Newsletter back in April and finally noticed it when the authors of this software commented to thank us for posting it on the wiki.
IS THE DOWNLOAD LINK EASY TO FIND? right in the middle of the page
WHAT KIND OF PROGRAM IS IT? a screen sharing and remote control program used for web collaboration and free online meetings and file transfer.
WHAT VERSIONS OF WINDOWS ARE REQUIRED? I use it on Windows XP. A friend uses it on Windows Vista
DOES IT REQUIRE ANYTHING ELSE? (LIKE .NET) No, don't think so. You just connect to the internet and then start Mikogo.
IS IT A LARGE OR SMALL DOWNLOAD? about 1MB
IS IT AN EASY PROGRAM TO INSTALL? yes, very easy
DOES IT COME WITH AN UNINSTALLER? yes
WHERE DID YOU FIND IT? it was talked about in a thread in Google Groups. They were comparing it to another program called Logmein
WERE YOU LOOKING FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS? no, just happened
WHAT ARE YOU USING IT FOR? University papers. My friends and i are able to share our screens and work on our paper together
WHAT WERE YOU USING BEFORE YOU FOUND THIS? There was nothing before this! I was driving to University just to talk to a friend about a paper for 5min!!
HAS IT SOLVED A PROBLEM YOU WERE HAVING? Yes! I'm not wasting gas
WHAT PROBLEMS HAS IT CAUSED? none yet
IS THE PROGRAM EASY TO USE? even for me
DOES IT COME WITH HELP FILES? there is a userguide and videos on the homepage, but i didn't need them
WHAT FEATURES DO YOU LIKE OR NOT LIKE? screen sharing, the mouse pointer feature, and remote control
WHAT FEATURES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE ADDED OR TAKEN AWAY OR CHANGED? maybe a voice feature
Claire P.
From Andrew @ Mikogo:
Hey Clif and Claire, thanks for the post about Mikogo. Since we released Mikogo we've received some great feedback from our users, and it's always nice to hear from new users.
By the way, you mentioned that a voice feature would be nice. You can get the Mikogo Skype Extra. Then you can chat and share your screen all for free.
Enjoy your free online meetings!
Regards,
Andrew
The Mikogo Team
LemonScreen - just your smile is all you need to login
Rodney wrote in with a review of LemonScreen. This application is a screensaver that uses your webcam as a facial recognition lock for your computer. If it doesn't recognize you, it won't let you log in.
Lemonscreen is a simple Screen Saver in beta right now. From the faq: "With a simple webcam, facial features are captured to build a statistical representation of the face. No picture is stored on your harddrive (or anywhere else) but only your face model (binary format). You only need a correctly configured webcam and 5MB on your harddrive."
This program is easy to use, but is by no means foolproof. Having checked their forum, I found that Ctrl+Alt+Del will start the Windows taskmanager. This will allow you to stop the LemonScreen service, hence giving you access to the system once again. I found a simple application at [http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_taskmgrenab.htm}Doug Knox's website] that will allow you to disable the task manager so that LemonScreen cannot be disabled. I also found out that the more you update your model, the easier it is for other faces to be reconized. When I am going to use this on my laptop, I delete my model and make a new one, updating it twice in the same sitting. This gives me good consistent response. Good lighting with no facial shadows also makes for a good model.
Please go to the forum for known drawbacks to this "Beta" program.
If I am out in public with my laptop I don't leave it unattended, even for a restroom break. I read that when a laptop was tethered to a table leg, one thief had been seen lifting the table to get it off the leg. The sad part is that onlookers at the time did not even try to stop him.
I found a good review of the SMOz (Start Menu Organizer) at the MakeUseOf web blog. I've got a feeling that I may have to start using it soon. My Start Menu is a real mess. My wife is pretty good at creating folders in her start menu to group programs for easier access.
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Quote from MakeUseOf
As a blogger and tech geek, I have found my start menu getting out of control from time to time due to all of the programs and applications that I download. SMOz is a great program that will help you easily organize your start menu and reduce your clutter.
SMOz is extremely easy to use and makes that start menu reorganization you’ve been wanting to do take just a few minutes.
I recently ran across this article about anonymous surfing. The author attempts to lead you seamlessly through the complicated issues of browsers, cookies, scripts, proxies, anonymization, encryption and lots of other stuff.
I don't think it has to be that difficult. I recommend the use of either OperaTor or XbBrowser.
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This guest article by Frank Richter (www.security-dome.eu German) deals with questions such as "Is it possible to navigate the Internet anonymously?" and "What anonymization methods can be used to leave fewer traces without endangering my own security?".
I recently saw this post at Malware Advisor. Temerc, author of Malware Advisor and operator of temerc.com anti-malware forum, has been keeping many of us informed about bad websites that we shouldn't be visiting.
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From Temerc:
Once again, the scum at Zango have been taken to task for their continued business model they claim provides some sort of content people want to see, but need to install their sh*tware for you to see it. (see Ben Edelman's website for details on Zango's misdeeds)
... in fact the exact opposite is true. They provide nothing but content that is either not what it purports to be, or taken from other sources, and illegally so says Ben and on top of that they also display sexually explicit content to those who view their site with no warnings at all.
The site title at Zango is "You're good to go". I'd simply say "don't go to Zango".
Last week, Tony the Webmaster of Top Freeware, told me about Musopen, a site that hosts royalty free music. One of the people reading the article commented that they also have a free music radio station. If you like classical music, this is a great find.
Musopen is an online music library of copyright free music (public domain music). We want to give the world access to music, without the legal hassles so common today. There is a great deal of music that has expired copyrights, but almost no recordings of this music is in the public domain. We aim to record or obtain recordings that have no copyrights so that our visitors may listen, re-use, or in any way enjoy music. Put simply, our mission is to set music free.
Gary at Internet Fixes continues to amaze me with hundreds and thousands of tips for your PC. Whatever your operating system, or how you use it, a visit to Gary's site will soon have you saying "So that's how you do this!".
Over the past month many things have been going on with this website. The ISP that has housed my Domain for the past 10 years sold to a new wanna be ISP several months back. I didn’t notice many problems because they just took over the equipment and didn’t make many changes.
Then they tried to migrate my Domain to a new Server (More Speed so they say.). I know all ISP’s have downtimes but normally they will give you a little notice before hand. Not this company! They just started the move and when they were done I ended up with a copy of the site that was two weeks old. Then I couldn’t access it because the company sited migration issues. After a week they said that was the best they could do. Sorry!
This happened on 05/17/2008. That morning I sent out my Weekend Windup newsletter only to find out that the page that most of the links pointed to were gone. Nightmare!
By 06/06/2008 the migration to the new ISP will be finished and all should be back to normal.
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With this extended down time I have developed a new FAQ section that will go live at the end of next week.
CC wrote in to tell me he'd found a good free PIM (Personal Information Manager) program at konradp.com. I was more impressed with the wide range of other free programs I found.
Konrad has some really great free programs there as well as a few he'll sell you for a very small price. Stop by and take a look. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thanks for the tip CC.
Netopi - Express yourself! Share your opinions about any website. Read and add reviews of any website - Netopi is a mix of a desktop application and an online database, which makes it possible to share opinions about any website.
Ac Browser Plus Free Edition - a file manager for windows, with integrated image viewer and converter, FTP client, file finder, and encryption/compression/mass renaming tools.
Total Organizer - Store your personal information divided into folder tree structure and tags. Calendar, organizer, to-do list, notebook and contact manager software (PIM)
Ka Firetask - run windows applications, copy files and folders, display message dialogs, run so called DNM Scripts. The tasks can be triggered via hotkey, or on a regular schedule
Imgares - Image files from digital cameras are far too large to send over the Internet. With Imgares, in a few clicks you can shrink batch of photos, and reduce transfer times. Simply drag&drop your photos to the application's window, change the size and press "Start". That's all.
Key Launch - One application to rule them all. Forget your start menu and the icons on your desktop - launch programs and documents from your keyboard, with just a few keystrokes, by typing abbreviations.
Just type a few letters of what you are looking for and Key Launch finds it - enter e.g. 'calc' to open the 'calculator'.
Ka Type In - Quickly insert predefined text snippets into any application. Ka Type In lets you define frequently used text snippets, ready to be typed into any application, document, web form. Just create a set of items, like e-mail addresses, zip code, phone number, etc. and you'll never have to type it again.
In addition, you can create more sophisticated templates - with variables, which will cause a form to be shown, enabling you to setup those variables.
Autostart And Process Viewer - Manage your startup-programs and processes. Program also allows you to remove unnecessary autostart programs and notifies you when a new program appears in your autostart.
Here are a 6 links (out of dozens) from Mark's CoolSites Newsletter. Be sure to visit his site and see the rest of his links this week.
May 30 2008 COOLSITES Newsletter #167 by Mark Donaldson
• A to Z Teacher Stuff For Teachers FREE online lesson plans, lesson plan ideas and activities, thematic units, printables, themes, teaching tips, articles, and educational resources: http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/
COOLSITES is a list of safe, fun, useful, informative and just plain cool websites and programs that are FREE, FREE and FREE. All of the programs and websites I list are free. If I list anything that is so good but isn't free I will list the price with it.
Wow! Over 900 people and still growing! I invite all of you to record your locations on this map. You can include as little or as much information as you wish. I think you'll enjoy seeing yourself there.
Here's a small look at my frapper map.
Get Gmail! and Get Firefox!
You need a free 6 GB Gmail account to access many of the cool features at Google. After more than two years in beta testing Gmail is open to the public. Just go to http://gmail.com and sign up for an account.
I think Gmail works best in the awesome Firefox browser. It's free, easy to use, and it's way more secure than Internet Explorer. My favorite thing to do is to customize Firefox so that it does much more than IE ever could. You can select new button controls for your toolbars, install extensions to add new features, or change the look of your browser with themes - the way Firefox looks and works is under your control.
I get many of the reviews in the newsletter from the readers. You don't have to be a genius or computer guru. Just answer a few questions and send me a review. I'll probably put you in the newsletter.
What do you have to say?
Just tell me what article you are talking about and leave me your comment.
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Lemonscreen is a simple Screen Saver in beta right now. From the faq: "With a simple webcam, facial features are captured to build a statistical representation of the face. No picture is stored on your harddrive (or anywhere else) but only your face model (binary format). You only need a correctly configured webcam and 5MB on your harddrive."
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Quote from the website
Source - 
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