An Idea for Alt.Comp.freeware

J

John H.

John H. posting from work here.

I just had an idea.
Call me crazy (ok, yeah, same to you), but what about a collection of
free programs from the PL specifically targetted toward enhancing
Windows?

Criteria for this collection would be - software that improves on an
existing version of the Windows default tool set. The program must
improve upon a capability that Windows has "out-of-the-box, or by an
O/S extension offered free by Microsoft.

Put into this collection - a notepad replacement, WordPad replacement,
calculator, file managers, program launchers, multi desktops, etc. All
the things that improve upon some capability that Windows does badly.

These could be lumped together in a single collection, put a menu front
end, and have it as a single file - free for the download from PL.org

Benefit would be that people could download this whole kit instead on
going to the PL list and getting each software piece one at a time. It
would boost the profile of PL.org I would think.

Would anyone be intersted in compiling something like this?
"Alt.Comp.Freeware's Ultimate Free Tools for Windows." or some such
name.

John
 
S

Susan Bugher

John said:
John H. posting from work here.

I just had an idea.
Call me crazy (ok, yeah, same to you), but what about a collection of
free programs from the PL specifically targetted toward enhancing
Windows?

Criteria for this collection would be - software that improves on an
existing version of the Windows default tool set. The program must
improve upon a capability that Windows has "out-of-the-box, or by an
O/S extension offered free by Microsoft.

Put into this collection - a notepad replacement, WordPad replacement,
calculator, file managers, program launchers, multi desktops, etc. All
the things that improve upon some capability that Windows does badly.

These could be lumped together in a single collection, put a menu front
end, and have it as a single file - free for the download from PL.org

Benefit would be that people could download this whole kit instead on
going to the PL list and getting each software piece one at a time. It
would boost the profile of PL.org I would think.
Click to expand...

I like the "special collection" idea. :) :) :)

How about. . .

A "special collection" for newbies. (I recall wondering where to start
when I first encountered the Pricelessware List. Several hundred
programs are more than a bit daunting.)

A "special collection" of Freeware apps that can be used by businesses.
(There have been a couple of question recently about where to find
business Freeware.) (I sent them to your site). ;)

There's space for apps on the PWH site. I think we'd be okay for
bandwidth but I dunno if all the programs we'd want to include would
allow redistribution. OTOH ISTM just creating "special collection" LISTS
would be a good first step.
Would anyone be intersted in compiling something like this?
Click to expand...

Not me Babe. ;)
"Alt.Comp.Freeware's Ultimate Free Tools for Windows." or some such
name.
Click to expand...

Please, NOT "ultimate" - IMO that's gonna be too complicated. Have a
thread to discuss/select apps - programs that make a nice package - not
necessarily PL programs. If we keep this simple ACF's resident experts
could suggest a Graphics collection, an MP3 collection, a Genealogy
collection etc. etc. etc. ISTM a "special collection" for any special
interest area would be helpful. KISS. . .

Susan
--
Posted to alt.comp.freeware
Search alt.comp.freeware (or read it online):
http://www.google.com/advanced_group_search?q=+group:alt.comp.freeware
Pricelessware & ACF: http://www.pricelesswarehome.org
Pricelessware: http://www.pricelessware.org (not maintained)
 
J

John H.

Snipage commences -
Susan said:
I like the "special collection" idea. :) :) :)

How about. . . A "special collection" for newbies. (I recall wondering where to start
when I first encountered the Pricelessware List. Several hundred
programs are more than a bit daunting.)

A "special collection" of Freeware apps that can be used by businesses.

There's space for apps on the PWH site. I think we'd be okay for
bandwidth but I dunno if all the programs we'd want to include would
allow redistribution. OTOH ISTM just creating "special collection" LISTS
would be a good first step.

Please, NOT "ultimate" - IMO that's gonna be too complicated. Have a
thread to discuss/select apps - programs that make a nice package - ... ACF's resident experts
could suggest a Graphics collection, an MP3 collection, a Genealogy
collection etc. etc. etc.
Click to expand...

Ok Suan , Not "Ultimate"
How about "A.C.F.'s Really Really Good collections?"

Maybe not package them (yet) but let's get them listed. I agree that
PL.org is so exhaustive that it can be overwhelming. Let's see if we
can break off some parts into smaller chunks and see if that helps.

John H.
 
S

Susan Bugher

John said:
Ok Suan , Not "Ultimate"
How about "A.C.F.'s Really Really Good collections?"
Click to expand...

Whatever. :) Just suggesting "da rules" should be simple so we don't get
bogged down.
Maybe not package them (yet) but let's get them listed. I agree that
PL.org is so exhaustive that it can be overwhelming. Let's see if we
can break off some parts into smaller chunks and see if that helps.
Click to expand...

The lead is yours -> keep going. :)

Susan
--
Posted to alt.comp.freeware
Search alt.comp.freeware (or read it online):
http://www.google.com/advanced_group_search?q=+group:alt.comp.freeware
Pricelessware & ACF: http://www.pricelesswarehome.org
Pricelessware: http://www.pricelessware.org (not maintained)
 
J

JH

Snippage
Whatever. :) Just suggesting "da rules" should be simple so we don't get
bogged down.


The lead is yours -> keep going. :)

Susan
Click to expand...

Susan et al.
Project Name: "{category_name} Recommended Software"
Guidlines for submittal:
1: Software must at least have quilified for nomination for the PL List.
2: We're not looking for the "absolute best" as this is often a matter of
debate: More than one may be listed.
3: Nominations should include name of the app, the app it replaces (if any)
and maybe a short phrase that regarding why it stands out:

First project:
Windows Default Tools Replacements: Recommended Software:
Criteria: - software that improves on an existing version of the Windows
default tools. The program must improve upon a capability that Windows has
"out-of-the-box, or by an O/S extension offered free by Microsoft.

OK! As Nominations Stand:

Apps -
Firefox - IE replacement - Currently more secure than IE, tabbed browsing,
skinnable.
Thunderbird - OE replacement - Internal spam filter.
Pegasus - OE replacement (e-mail) - (description please?)
40tude - OE replacement (usenet) - Better multipart and binary post
handling than IE.
Metapad - Notepad replacement - (description please?)
Atlantis Nova - Wordpad replacement - More editing options
FreeCommander - Explorer replacement - Better file control and preview
Photofiltre - paint replacement - More options and formats than Paint
Media Player Classic - WMP replacement - (description please?)
IrfanView - WMP replacement - More options for file control.
Ultimate Paint Standard LE - Paint replacement (description please?)
TclockEx - clock replacment - Shows date and time.

Still looking for replacements for some accessories including:
NTbackup, Defrag, Disk Cleanup, Fax, Hyperterminal, MAgnifier, On-Screen
Keyboard, NetMeeting (Zip util? does it count if it;'s only in XP?)

John H.
 
R

Rednax

Take your pick.
Pegasus - OE replacement (e-mail) - (description please?)
Click to expand...

Pegasus Mail: Pegasus Mail is a free, standards-based electronic mail
client suitable for use by single or multiple users on single
computers or on local area networks. It is feature-rich and powerful,
and includes Spamhalter, a fully-fledged Bayesian spam filter
Overview: http://www.pmail.com/overviews/ovw_winpmail.htm
Latest version: http://www.pmail.com/v441.htm
Metapad - Notepad replacement - (description please?)
Click to expand...

Metapad is a small, fast (and completely free) text editor for Windows
9x/NT/XP with similar features to Microsoft Notepad but with many
extra (and rather useful) features. It was designed to completely
replace Notepad since it includes all of Notepad's features and much,
much more.
http://www.liquidninja.com/metapad/
Atlantis Nova - Wordpad replacement - More editing options
Click to expand...

A small word processor for RTF documents, which can also read Word
documents, with more features than Wordpad. (Latest version: 1.0.0.68)
http://www.freewarefiles.com/program_8_213_1094.html
DL: http://www.rssol.com/shared/download/exec/atlant10n_en.exe
Ultimate Paint Standard LE - Paint replacement (description please?)
Click to expand...

Ultimate Paint is a reliable and sophisticated full-featured 32-bit
Windows image editor,graphics program for image creation, viewing and
manipulation. http://www.ultimatepaint.com/download.php


Rednax
 
S

Susan Bugher

JH said:
Project Name: "{category_name} Recommended Software"
Guidlines for submittal:
1: Software must at least have quilified for nomination for the PL List.
2: We're not looking for the "absolute best" as this is often a matter of
debate: More than one may be listed.
3: Nominations should include name of the app, the app it replaces (if any)
and maybe a short phrase that regarding why it stands out:

First project:
Windows Default Tools Replacements: Recommended Software:
Criteria: - software that improves on an existing version of the Windows
default tools. The program must improve upon a capability that Windows has
"out-of-the-box, or by an O/S extension offered free by Microsoft.

OK! As Nominations Stand:

Apps -
Firefox - IE replacement - Currently more secure than IE, tabbed browsing,
skinnable.
Thunderbird - OE replacement - Internal spam filter.
Pegasus - OE replacement (e-mail) - (description please?)
40tude - OE replacement (usenet) - Better multipart and binary post
handling than IE.
Metapad - Notepad replacement - (description please?)
Atlantis Nova - Wordpad replacement - More editing options
FreeCommander - Explorer replacement - Better file control and preview
Photofiltre - paint replacement - More options and formats than Paint
Media Player Classic - WMP replacement - (description please?)
IrfanView - WMP replacement - More options for file control.
Ultimate Paint Standard LE - Paint replacement (description please?)
TclockEx - clock replacment - Shows date and time.

Still looking for replacements for some accessories including:
NTbackup, Defrag, Disk Cleanup, Fax, Hyperterminal, MAgnifier, On-Screen
Keyboard, NetMeeting (Zip util? does it count if it;'s only in XP?)
Click to expand...

Perhaps recommendations should be OS specific for this group of apps -
Windows versions have varying capabilities or lack thereof - defrag for
instance. . .

Susan
--
Posted to alt.comp.freeware
Search alt.comp.freeware (or read it online):
http://www.google.com/advanced_group_search?q=+group:alt.comp.freeware
Pricelessware & ACF: http://www.pricelesswarehome.org
Pricelessware: http://www.pricelessware.org (not maintained)
 
F

Frank Bohan

JH said:
Snippage

Susan et al.
Project Name: "{category_name} Recommended Software"
Guidlines for submittal:
1: Software must at least have quilified for nomination for the PL List.
2: We're not looking for the "absolute best" as this is often a matter of
debate: More than one may be listed.
3: Nominations should include name of the app, the app it replaces (if
any)
and maybe a short phrase that regarding why it stands out:

First project:
Windows Default Tools Replacements: Recommended Software:
Criteria: - software that improves on an existing version of the Windows
default tools. The program must improve upon a capability that Windows
has
"out-of-the-box, or by an O/S extension offered free by Microsoft.

OK! As Nominations Stand:

Apps -
Firefox - IE replacement - Currently more secure than IE, tabbed browsing,
skinnable.
Thunderbird - OE replacement - Internal spam filter.
Pegasus - OE replacement (e-mail) - (description please?)
40tude - OE replacement (usenet) - Better multipart and binary post
handling than IE.
Metapad - Notepad replacement - (description please?)
Atlantis Nova - Wordpad replacement - More editing options
FreeCommander - Explorer replacement - Better file control and preview
Photofiltre - paint replacement - More options and formats than Paint
Media Player Classic - WMP replacement - (description please?)
IrfanView - WMP replacement - More options for file control.
Ultimate Paint Standard LE - Paint replacement (description please?)
TclockEx - clock replacment - Shows date and time.
Click to expand...

If allowed, I would like to add the last freeware version of XYplorer as a
Windows Explorer replacement.

===

Frank Bohan
¶ A kleptomaniac has the gift of the grab.
 
J

John Hood

Frank said:
If allowed, I would like to add the last freeware version of XYplorer as a
Windows Explorer replacement.

===

Frank Bohan
¶ A kleptomaniac has the gift of the grab.
Click to expand...
Sure, thanks Frank.

John H.
 
P

Peter Seiler

John Hood - 26.07.2006 06:20 :
Sure, thanks Frank.

John H.
Click to expand...

only for that a fullquoting (~90 fullquoting lines snipped) is not a good
idea. Please learn how to quote, shorten the quoting as far as possible. THX
in advance for your kind understanding.
 
J

John Hood

Peter said:
John Hood - 26.07.2006 06:20 :




only for that a fullquoting (~90 fullquoting lines snipped) is not a good
idea. Please learn how to quote, shorten the quoting as far as possible. THX
in advance for your kind understanding.
Click to expand...

Yeah, sorry about the full quote. I should have snipped more.

Descriptions like this:
Pegasus - OE replacement (e-mail) - More features. Internal spam filter.
Media Player Classic - WMP replacement - DVD player, QuickTime and
RealVideo support
Metapad - Notepad replacement - More features

John H.,
 
M

meow2222

John said:
John H. posting from work here.

I just had an idea.
Call me crazy (ok, yeah, same to you), but what about a collection of
free programs from the PL specifically targetted toward enhancing
Windows?

Criteria for this collection would be - software that improves on an
existing version of the Windows default tool set. The program must
improve upon a capability that Windows has "out-of-the-box, or by an
O/S extension offered free by Microsoft.
Click to expand...

very good idea.

Searching: win search can be much improved by using 2 search systems.
The first is something like Agent Ransack, and the 2nd is a lot more
low tech and way faster.

Use a utility to list all file names with the folder each is in,
putting it all in a txt file. Now if youre searching for a filename or
a word/string in a filename, opening this txt file and search is maybe
100x faster than using the usual search methods. This covers maybe 70
or 80% of searches too.

Also an online search engine page in html is useful, it can have a
whole load of different search resources on it.


So one search util is replaced by:
agent ransack
text list creator, eg 'LS'
text list itself.
online search resources page


NT
 
M

meow2222

John said:
John H. posting from work here.

I just had an idea.
Call me crazy (ok, yeah, same to you), but what about a collection of
free programs from the PL specifically targetted toward enhancing
Windows?

Criteria for this collection would be - software that improves on an
existing version of the Windows default tool set. The program must
improve upon a capability that Windows has "out-of-the-box, or by an
O/S extension offered free by Microsoft.

Put into this collection - a notepad replacement, WordPad replacement,
calculator, file managers, program launchers, multi desktops, etc. All
the things that improve upon some capability that Windows does badly.
Click to expand...

Its also handy to have at least 2 apps for each job, with files
associated with the lightweight one. Heavyweight app gives evey
conceivable function, lightweight app gives instant speed for max work
rate, and minimum resource use meaning opening large qties of docs at
once is not a problem.


NT
 
M

meow2222

John said:
John H. posting from work here.

I just had an idea.
Call me crazy (ok, yeah, same to you), but what about a collection of
free programs from the PL specifically targetted toward enhancing
Windows?

Criteria for this collection would be - software that improves on an
existing version of the Windows default tool set. The program must
improve upon a capability that Windows has "out-of-the-box, or by an
O/S extension offered free by Microsoft.

Put into this collection - a notepad replacement, WordPad replacement,
calculator, file managers, program launchers, multi desktops, etc. All
the things that improve upon some capability that Windows does badly.

These could be lumped together in a single collection, put a menu front
end, and have it as a single file - free for the download from PL.org

Benefit would be that people could download this whole kit instead on
going to the PL list and getting each software piece one at a time. It
would boost the profile of PL.org I would think.

Would anyone be intersted in compiling something like this?
"Alt.Comp.Freeware's Ultimate Free Tools for Windows." or some such
name.

John
Click to expand...


Coral task manager (gives W9x a 2k style taskman)
Painter25 or others to replace paint
Xnview for pic viewing
Opera or Firefox
perhaps even Lynx too - but not instead!
A replacement media player for winDOS
CSVed spreadsheet
NVU webdesign
win32pad
Xplorer2 - or if theres anyone left on the planet running a 486,
liteshell.

Really there are lots of utils that any win install ought to have as
well as the original win apps. eg
7-zip (not winzip)
Foxit or adobe pdf reader
plenty of graphics stuff
dictionary & thesaurus
alarm clock
nncron command line scheduler/alarm/pim, or cybermatrix reminder if you
need a gui.
DOS zip util & AV scanner in case of problems
Neutron atomic time sync
Spacemonger
taskill
unit convertor
KeepAss
Rainbow folders
Wintop
Tee chart office to complete any office suite
and perhaps floppy office, has some cute tools


NT
 

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