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  • (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

Author Topic: Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion  (Read 12722 times)

Anonymous

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Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« on: January 13, 2004, 10:30:22 PM »

In this edition of http://www.gotthegeek.com/list.php?title=Geek%20Guides&listfile=geekguides_list.txt">Geek Guides: Help For The Modern Geek, we'll take a look at alternatives for expensive applications that the common geek uses daily.

Amidst the http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040106/ap_on_hi_te/downloading_music_11" TARGET="BLANK">RIAA suing people for illegally sharing their music on peer to peer networks, many people are now taking a look at the big picture and realizing that not only are they breaking the law by sharing music online, but as well as downloading warez, or serials from sites such as http://www.astalavista.com" TARGET="BLANK">Astalavista which will allow them to use a piece of software, such as Adobe Photoshop, for free, or in some cases allowing a product to be used after it's trial period has ended.

This doesn't have to be the case if you're a geek looking for some good applications that will get the job done like the professional versions of the programs do - there are other alternatives out there that are free and easy to use:
Microsoft Office
Retail: (About) $200.00 USD
Substitute: http://www.openoffice.org/" TARGET="BLANK">Open Office. This suite of programs has everything that Microsoft Office has, and even has the support to open and edit existing Office documents. Open Office is free to use and distribute.

Adobe Photoshop
Retail: (About) $920.00 USD
Substitute: http://www.gimp.org/~tml/gimp/win32/">GIMP for Windows. Instead of coughing up a nice lump sum of about 900 dollars, you can instead get almost the exact same thing as Photoshop for free without the need for any warez.

Outlook/Outlook Express
Retail: Bundled with Office and Windows
Substitute: http://www.eudora.com/" TARGET="BLANK">Eudora. Although Outlook Express already comes installed with Windows, you may not want to use Outlook Express due to the amount of security flaws in the program. Almost every worm out there targets Outlook and Outlook Express, so it's a good idea to stay away from it if possible. Eudora currently has a free ad supported version out that works very well.

Norton Anti-Virus
Retail: (About) $50.00 USD
Substitute: http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php" TARGET="BLANK">AVG Anti-Virus. AVG currently has a free program out that will let you scan your entire computer for virri and worms, as well as scan incoming email to your computer. The free version from AVG also allows for free automatic updates to the virus definition files, just as Norton has.

AIM
Retail: Free, With annoying ads
Substitute: http://www.trillian.cc" TARGET="BLANK">Trillian. Trillian does not have the annoying ads like AIM does, and not only does it allow you to connect to the AIM service, but it also serves as an IRC and ICQ client, and also contains the ability to allow you to log on to MSN and Yahoo at the same time.

Pop up Stopper
Retail: Anywhere from $30 to $80 USD
Substitute: http://www.panicware.com/popupstoppercompare.html" TARGET="BLANK">Panicware Popup Stopper. Panicware has a good free pop up stopping program available for download. It is very basic, but gets the job done and blocks out roughly 95% per cent of all pop ups. If, for some reason, you want a pop up to be loaded, simply re-click the link while holding down the "Ctrl" button.

CuteFTP
Retail: $40.00 USD
Substitute: http://www.smartftp.com" TARGET="BLANK">SmartFTP. SmartFTP has to be the best FTP client out there, period. It's interface is very easy to use, it's a very fast program, and it is also free.
The list is bound to grow longer as more and more freeware applications are released due to the increasing prices of mainstream applications. There's no need to pay extreeme prices when there are already free applications out there that will do the same thing for you.
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Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2004, 10:18:59 AM »

On the subject of OpenOffice[/url], it's worth pointing out that it can also do some things that MS office can't... like save documents as PDFs.  Definitely handy.


Also, speaking of pop up blockers, there is nothing better than a combination of a good browser with popup controls (or the much lauded Google Toolbar), and Proxomitron.

Alternative Browsers
MyIE2
Opera
Mozilla

Google Toolbar
On Google (duh!)

Proxomitron[/b]
Proxomitron



If you're still having problems with popups after all that, then you're doing something wrong, or you're infested with spyware (like most people who don't have much of a clue).

If that's the case, then you need to download Ad-Aware or Spybot: Search & Destroy and clean that crap off of your machine, you imbecile!

 :lol:




On the subject of FTP Clients, one of my favorites is WS_FTP, which is available for free here.  Easy to use, and free.  Can't ask for much more.  Personally, I think CuteFTP is crap.


It should also be noted that on the subject of Email Clients, both Opera and Mozilla can handle email, and both do it quite nicely in my experience.
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Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2004, 10:23:20 AM »

Quote from: Demosthenes
On the subject of OpenOffice[/url], it's worth pointing out that it can also do some things that MS office can't... like save documents as PDFs.  Definitely handy.


It can, but you need a plug-in from Adobe. I do it all the time.

Quote
On the subject of FTP Clients, one of my favorites is WS_FTP, which is available for free here.  Easy to use, and free.  Can't ask for much more.  Personally, I think CuteFTP is crap.


I use SmartFTP, myself. I'll find a link when I'm not in training. :)

I'm an avid user of Eudora. I refuse to use Outlook, and I despise Novell.
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Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2004, 10:26:44 AM »

Quote from: catwritr
Quote from: Demosthenes
On the subject of OpenOffice[/url], it's worth pointing out that it can also do some things that MS office can't... like save documents as PDFs.  Definitely handy.


It can, but you need a plug-in from Adobe. I do it all the time.


We have people where I work that insist on doing it that way, and they have nothing but problems with it.

I don't really quite understand what's so complicated about it, but apparently it should be avoided if you can be categorized as "easily confused".

In OpenOffice, it's just a matter of clicking a button.  No plugin from Adobe, no goofy printer settings, nothing else.  If you can't figure that out, you should unplug your computer and go home.  :P
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Anonymous

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Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2004, 10:34:36 AM »

Now this is a fun thread because these questions keep being asked all the time. I got pop ups! What do I do??? I see it every week on HN (search function is apparently obsolete).

I have used smatFTP as well as WS_FTP and I like'em both. Since I rarely need to use them, I don't really care about getting the optimal FTP software anyway, so I can't comment much.

Spybot is a must on any computer that is connected to the intraweb. And since it's free, there's no reason not to download it.

I'm a big fan of proxomitron because it is very efficient and lets you write up specific scripts that you want to block. This means that when you get a pop up, you can look at the source code of the page and figure out how the pop up was generated. Then, you can add the code into proxomitron and all pages that use that coding will no longer block you. In the long run, you can end up with a practically 100% fool proof blocker. No such things exists, but proxomitron is hard to beat. And it's free as well.

I use Trillian for AIM, ICQ, MSN, IRC and I like it. You get one standard interface for all popular chat programs out there. It's easy to use and all your contacts get loaded up in one place. It's really nice and it's free.

Now I may look like a cheap bastard since I point out that I like all the free stuff, but the truth is that you can find free substitutes for almost any software. So why throw your money away?
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Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2004, 12:10:46 PM »

I also like to point out an alternative to Winzip to people... WinRAR.

Personally, I HATE Winzip.  It's awkward, counter-intuitive in many ways, and annoying.

WinRAR actually uses better compression (I've tested it with some really huge files, and using the RAR format is better than the best compression you can get with Winzip), and I have found is much easier for the average person to use... it doesn't try to extract files by default in some temporary folder that users have to go digging for, it has an option to extract things right where they are.  

Plus, the interface is customizable.  You can remove buttons that you don't use, and rearrange things to how you want them, and add buttons that aren't up there by default.  It also has a self-extracting function like Winzip, so you can compress things down to an EXE for your dumb friends who can't figure out how to unzip things (providing you can get an EXE attachment through their email filters if they're at work).

Screw Winzip.  WinRAR is better on all levels.   8)
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Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2004, 01:25:26 PM »

Quote from: Demosthenes
I also like to point out an alternative to Winzip to people... WinRAR.

Personally, I HATE Winzip.  It's awkward, counter-intuitive in many ways, and annoying.

WinRAR actually uses better compression (I've tested it with some really huge files, and using the RAR format is better than the best compression you can get with Winzip), and I have found is much easier for the average person to use... it doesn't try to extract files by default in some temporary folder that users have to go digging for, it has an option to extract things right where they are.  

Plus, the interface is customizable.  You can remove buttons that you don't use, and rearrange things to how you want them, and add buttons that aren't up there by default.  It also has a self-extracting function like Winzip, so you can compress things down to an EXE for your dumb friends who can't figure out how to unzip things (providing you can get an EXE attachment through their email filters if they're at work).

Screw Winzip.  WinRAR is better on all levels.   8)


True, but the guy who created WinRAR didn't drink himself to death like the creator of WinZip.  I like to reward that kind of commitment to one's vices.
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Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2004, 01:26:57 PM »

:lol:

Welcome to teh geekery JP!
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« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2004, 01:43:08 PM »

WhoO! Hey, JP. 8)
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Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2004, 02:32:26 PM »

Thanks for the tips.  I was thinking about buying a turntable with digital output that I could hook-up to my computer.  What is the best freeware recomended for recording CDs and MP3s?

Ron Starc

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Re: Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2014, 08:37:47 AM »

FTP Manager Lite is a better freeware FTP and SFTP client software. The clean interface is super easy to use. It will perform your files transfers quickly and efficiently. One of the best freeware FTP clients that also supports FXP.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2014, 10:01:48 AM by BizB »
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Re: Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #11 on: November 25, 2014, 10:02:01 AM »

Yes. Have some.
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Re: Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #12 on: November 25, 2014, 01:49:49 PM »

FWIW, I'm on my second digital turntable.  But I'm too lazy to rip LPs since you have to do it at 1X speed and have to indicate track changes so you have to stay there during the process.  I've ripped only five of my LPs.  Anyone want to take a sabbatical, and come out an do this for me?

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Re: Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #13 on: November 25, 2014, 08:47:15 PM »

I have to say, I'm really impressed at the number of newbies around here who link to Zombo.com.
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Re: Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #14 on: November 25, 2014, 09:01:39 PM »

No kidding.  Kids these days must be much more savvy than we were.  It took me years to find zombo.

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Re: Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #15 on: November 25, 2014, 09:03:23 PM »

Which is unfortunate.

You can do anything there, after all.  The only limit is yourself.
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Re: Inside The Geek's Toolbox: Warez to Freeware Conversion
« Reply #16 on: December 09, 2014, 11:25:08 PM »

Why the hell would somebody bump this old thread? I swear, some people are SO RUDE!  :x











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