The first category I am going to discuss today is media player. Many programs are out there and more importantly, too many codecs. You see, when a digital file is made (movies for example) a certain codec is used to compress, encrypt and transmit the file. Therefore, when someone other than the one who created that file wants to see it, he or she would need that specific codec and, as I said there are many options out there.
Hence it is not wise to download each and every one you need, not long ago people looked for what there were called 'codecs packs' like for example "Ace Mega Codec Pack". But still, the amount of codecs were overwhelming and many users had problems in either viewing or maintaining their computers stable. It then arrived ffdshow which is a decoder and an encoder for mpeg4 video( encoded in Divx, xvid) and AVC (h.264) and many others.
Moreover, in this high definition world many people suggest the combining ffdshow with media player classic is the best way of viewing an HD video.
However, I have made another choice -> VLC Media Player.
It comes with many free codecs, it is pretty light and it is cross-platform. Practically, you download it, install it and watch every movie, video clip etc you want.I've been using it for some time now and have never been disappointed.
Every once in a while, everybody has to deal with an archive. Like movies, those files from the archives were compressed using a specific algorithm. Therefore, the other person has to use the same algorithm so that it can open it (this was 'encryption 101'). One of the most popular solutions out there is WinRar. However, it is not freeware. You only have a 30-day trial period. It is true that after that period you can still used it: you just have to press 'close' every time you open it.Therefore many users have nothing against doing this so many continue to use it. But, it is not legal. The alternative is called 7-zip. For any common user that does not depend on a specific format or basically on archiving as best as one could, almost any tool is good as long as it is not bloatware and supports a decent amount of formats.
People love to communicate. And the internet gave us this opportunity. Besides sending e-mails, most of us now send instant messages. To do that, of course, you need a client. Choosing what client is best for you is mostly a task of knowing what protocol you are using.
Me for example, I am using Yahoo!. Therefore I can either use their very own client called Yahoo! Messenger or I can use Trillian or Pidgin (formely Gaim) which support more than one protocol. The downside is that they do not support all the features a protocol has. In other words, while two people who are using Y!M can video-chat, two people who are not, can't. Even if one has it, they both need to have the same client so that it would work. Almost forgot, there is a webiste called 'ebuddy' I believe on which you can also connect on your favorite network without having to download any software. Currently, I am using an preview version of Yahoo! Messenger for Vista. It does not have all the features like audio or video chat but I'm sure in the end they will be supported.
Also, most of my audio communication through the internet is made using Skype. It certainly does not need any introduction from me.
The next software is used for making dvds or cds. Not literally of course, I am referring to writing data on them. For that you will need a burning software. The most popular solution out there is Nero. I know, it is not freeware but since I received a disc with a licensed Nero on it I am sure as hell I'm not going to miss it. However, it seems that in the last few edition, Ahead(the company behind this product) decided to make it VERY bloatware. luckily, you have a change to fix this. While installing, choose the Custom option and deselect whatever you don't need. I also noticed that the burning software that comes with Vista is pretty good so not many worries here ;)
It seems that the power grid failed (AGAIN). Fortunate for me I was writing this from the notebook which has it's battery full so I can finish up.
End of part II.
V
It comes with many free codecs, it is pretty light and it is cross-platform. Practically, you download it, install it and watch every movie, video clip etc you want.I've been using it for some time now and have never been disappointed.
Every once in a while, everybody has to deal with an archive. Like movies, those files from the archives were compressed using a specific algorithm. Therefore, the other person has to use the same algorithm so that it can open it (this was 'encryption 101'). One of the most popular solutions out there is WinRar. However, it is not freeware. You only have a 30-day trial period. It is true that after that period you can still used it: you just have to press 'close' every time you open it.Therefore many users have nothing against doing this so many continue to use it. But, it is not legal. The alternative is called 7-zip. For any common user that does not depend on a specific format or basically on archiving as best as one could, almost any tool is good as long as it is not bloatware and supports a decent amount of formats.
People love to communicate. And the internet gave us this opportunity. Besides sending e-mails, most of us now send instant messages. To do that, of course, you need a client. Choosing what client is best for you is mostly a task of knowing what protocol you are using.
Me for example, I am using Yahoo!. Therefore I can either use their very own client called Yahoo! Messenger or I can use Trillian or Pidgin (formely Gaim) which support more than one protocol. The downside is that they do not support all the features a protocol has. In other words, while two people who are using Y!M can video-chat, two people who are not, can't. Even if one has it, they both need to have the same client so that it would work. Almost forgot, there is a webiste called 'ebuddy' I believe on which you can also connect on your favorite network without having to download any software. Currently, I am using an preview version of Yahoo! Messenger for Vista. It does not have all the features like audio or video chat but I'm sure in the end they will be supported.
Also, most of my audio communication through the internet is made using Skype. It certainly does not need any introduction from me.
The next software is used for making dvds or cds. Not literally of course, I am referring to writing data on them. For that you will need a burning software. The most popular solution out there is Nero. I know, it is not freeware but since I received a disc with a licensed Nero on it I am sure as hell I'm not going to miss it. However, it seems that in the last few edition, Ahead(the company behind this product) decided to make it VERY bloatware. luckily, you have a change to fix this. While installing, choose the Custom option and deselect whatever you don't need. I also noticed that the burning software that comes with Vista is pretty good so not many worries here ;)
It seems that the power grid failed (AGAIN). Fortunate for me I was writing this from the notebook which has it's battery full so I can finish up.
End of part II.
V
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