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Monday, August 13, 2012

I Love Free Software

I Love Free Software


Free Online Task and Time Tracker: SlimTimer

Posted: 12 Aug 2012 03:30 PM PDT


SlimTimer is a free online task and time tracker which you can use in order to organize your work schedule with ease and increased efficiency. Main purpose of SlimTimer is to motivate people to do their tasks within the agreed upon time schedules, because after you add a task to the SlimTimer list, you can use a stop watch in order to measure the time that you’ve spent working on that particular task.

SlimTimer default window

This would be the main interface of SlimTimer, which is a browser application that only works in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Before you’ll be able to use it, you’re gonna have to register on the SlimTimer website. When you register you’ll have to click to open up the SlimTimer pop-up window, for you to start editing the list of tasks that you need to do.

Similar software: TimeGT, HoneyTask, TeuxDexu.

How to time your tasks and improve efficiency with SlimTimer

For using SlimTimer you’re gonna have to have either IE or Firefox installed, like we already mentioned. If you don’t have either one of these installed, your first step would be installing them, it doesn’t matter which one, even though if you’re on Linux it could be a bit problematic to run Internet Explorer. Next step would be registering a SlimTimer account on the main website. When you’re done with that and you’ve logged in, in the upper right corner there should be Open Timer link present, make sure to bookmark this link so that you can easily run this free task time later on.

SlimTimer task running

When you click on Open Timer, a pop-up window will appear, similar to the one that you can see on the first image above. The only difference will be that you will probably not have any tasks in your list. Tasks are added by clicking on the Add Task button, it can be seen on both of the images above, just below the actual list.

SlimTimer adding tasks

On this image we can see that a timer is running for a task. Both total time is being counted and the time for the current session. When you stop the currently running timer, time spent in this session will be added to the total time. When you finish a task simply place a check mark in the box which can be seen next to each task. Doing that will place the task to the list of completed tasks, and remove it from the list of the active ones, which still have to be completed.

Conclusion

A lot of people have troubles completing their tasks in time. Most of the time it’s because they are distracted by various different fun activities which can be found on every corner these days. Those who are working online, those that have access to the internet are especially in danger because internet can easily distract people. If you have a Timer running you’ll feel more motivated to complete the task, which you can also manage with the help of SlimTimer. This is a free web service and it’s available on every operating system.

Related posts:

  1. Free Time Tracker: Program to Track Time
  2. Android Time Tracker App To Track Time Of Job Or Task
  3. Free Timing Tool to Perform Timed Tasks: Time Task

Free Online Task and Time Tracker: SlimTimer was originally published at I Love Free Software

Online TV Channels, Radio Stations and Media Player: TvLive Player

Posted: 12 Aug 2012 02:00 PM PDT


TvLive Player is a great, free media player which gives you access to your favorite TV channels and online radio stations. You may even use this software to play media files stored on your computer. Therefore besides having the feature to watch TV online free you could actually play all your music or video files available on your computer. The other features include the integration with the Facebook pages while using the application or adding your favourite TV-Radio stations as well. There are several other cool things which you could do with this free online TV player making it fun viewing and playing Media files both online as well as offline.

Installing this free media player

To have this free online TV player on your system and enjoy your media files you need to browse to the link here and click on the download link available. Once you do so the download process would be started, after which you need to run the setup file. After you have this free online TV player installed on your computer the next step is to launch the application and start using it. You can also try Livestation, TV Player-7 and JLC Internet TV reviewed by us.

Using TvLive Player

The Moment you launch TvLive Player you would see a beautiful screen with numerous channel tabs on the right of the main window. Moreover, one thing that must be ensured while using it to play online Tv-Radio Stations is the availability of a good internet connection. In case you do not have a good speed internet connection you would not have a great experience.

However, when you start to use it the first thing to do is click on the channel you wish to see. You may select from the present channels available on the left side or add your favourite channels yourself. It can be a great option for people searching for tools to watch TV online free from their workplace. So switch on to CNBC or Bloomberg using this free online TV player and make it easier to refer to these channels without having to install a new cable line itself.

At the top of the screen on the right the software presents you with 4 radio buttons each of which represents different view respectively. Below that you have the tabs where you could browse, add, and delete the radio stations as per your choice.

Moving your cursor on the settings tab in the menu bar gives you a hosts of options where you could change the screen background, resize the player, set up an alarm, and much more. The TVM option gives you a drop down to select the channels as per geographic locations, Integrate your player with Facebook, Select a few channels depending on your subject you wish to see, and a lot more. Just when you thought these were the only things to make you enjoy this player, it has some more for you. You can actually play some great games which comes installed with this player. So this packs in all sorts of entertainment for you, when you actually need options to pass your boredom.

In order to play your media files, you need to click on Program at the top and select the option ''Open Media File'' and browse to your media file which you wish to be played through TvLive Player. Overall, this player packs in some of the great features which could easily help you pass your time or use it for accessing TV channels through your internet connection when you need them the most.

No related posts.

Online TV Channels, Radio Stations and Media Player: TvLive Player was originally published at I Love Free Software

Free Diagram Creator and Editor: yEd Graph Editor

Posted: 12 Aug 2012 12:30 PM PDT


yEd Graph editor is a versatile tool, which can be used to depict the flow of information expertly. The software is a very intuitive application, for representing information in pictorial form. By using this editing software, you can create graphs, illustrative diagrams, trees, flow charts, networks and many other visual representations.

The interface design

There are not many Graph editing tools out there, which can offer all the services that you may need! The presence of multiple tools in a software will obviously make it a bit complex. I found the interface quite intriguing to use at first, but after using the software for a couple of times, you pretty much get used to it. For a beginner, the variety of tools that are available; may cause slight confusion. It will take some time to use these tools properly, for obtaining the desired result. There is a help file kept in there to help you with the operation of these tools.

Grid and Snap tools are a must for any designer these days! yEd has a good grid option, simple zoom operation; which can be used with the scroll button of the mouse, label positioning and alignment. Simple details have been paid great attention to, by the developers.

Creation of diagrammatic illustrations


Simplicity of operation, is definitely the strong point of this software. You just have to drag and drop the various symbols, to create the desired illustrations that you may require! Apart from the connecting lines and mathematical symbols, you can even incorporate other figures. For those who want to depict UML presentations, actors and other roles can be easily assigned by choosing the UML option. Even computer networks can be depicted by selecting and dragging the various network nodes, provided in the Palette area. The ever so complex feature of business methodology can be easily illustrated with BPMN symbols.

The versatility of the software

It’s not about only creating diagrams and simple illustrations with this software. The same node which can be used for graphs, can be very easily used for a family tree depiction. Same symbols can be used for simple information depiction, while at the other end, they can stand in as complex entities in ER diagrams. It runs on most operating systems too!

The negatives

yEd by all means, is meant to be a simple information representation tool and its unfair to keep very high expectations from it. It is by no means a 'drawing software' like AutoCAD, as it has a completely different style of operation. Many people would find the scope of this software too limited, but it’s important to understand the objective of this software.

Our Verdict:

yEd Graph Editor is a strictly information representative software and is an excellent one at that. If you are looking for a fairly compact and solid software for depicting relationships visually, there is not a better option than this one! It can be used to depict any kind of information flow that you may have in your mind.

Related posts:

  1. Free Timing Diagram Creator and Editor: TimingEditor
  2. Creately: Free Online Diagram Software
  3. Free Texture Creator, Free Background Creator: Imagelys

Free Diagram Creator and Editor: yEd Graph Editor was originally published at I Love Free Software

Free HTML Editor for Website Creation: Tag Controller

Posted: 12 Aug 2012 11:00 AM PDT


Tag Controller is a free HTML editor which you can use in order to create professional looking websites the way they’re meant to be created, by mainly focusing on manual coding with just a hint of automatism being present. By automatism we are of course talking about the fact that you can insert some of the more common HTML tags by simply clicking on buttons present in the Tag Controller toolbar.

TagController default window

Size of Tag Controller is very impressive, with less than 1MB in size, it’s one of the most feature packed applications that we’ve come across, which can be seen on the image above. Majority of tools important for creating websites are located in the left sidebar and in the upper toolbar. Work area uses up the rest of the application window, and another great thing about Tag Controller is that font which is used in the code editor is very big, which makes HTML code editing in Tag Controller very easy on the eyes. Some of the more interesting features offered by Tag Controller would be:

  • Automatic insertion of common HTML tags – bold, italic, picture, hyperlink
  • Preview your work with inbuilt browser – Preview HTML code you’re working on
  • Font selector and Color picker – easily insert fonts and change colors
  • Add CSS files to separate CSS from the HTML

Lots more tools are available in Tag Controller, all of which can come in handy when it comes to creating websites. There are two ways of creating websites, one is by actually editing HTML code, we called this manual coding in the introduction, and there’s another, much more popular way of doing things, which would be graphical piecing together of websites in WYSIWYG editors. These editors will then translate what we created into HTML for us, but this is not good for beginners, those who are just starting to code in HTML.

Similar software: Mozilla’s Timble, Maqueta, Free Websites with Dropbox.

How to create professional websites in Tag Controller – free HTML editor

Using graphical editors, where code is hidden from you doesn’t teach you anything about HTML, and how things are done, that’s a big problem because you really cannot create efficient websites if you do not know HTML.

TagController preview website

What you can see on the image above is the image preview of a very simple website made in Tag Controller. We reached there by clicking on the Preview tab, which is located right of the Code tab. The actual code for the very simple screen which you can see above would be this:

TagController code preview

It doesn’t seem like much, but if you don’t understand anything about how HTML works, and if you used a graphical editor, you’re not gonna learn anything. Graphical editors are known for adding a lot of extra code, you won’t notice it, which is gonna slow down your website, and maybe even cause it to look different across browsers. By using Tag Controller you get the best ratio of manual code editing and automatism where next to creating websites, you will also learn a lot.

Related posts:

  1. DFM2HTML- Drag and Drop HTML Editor, Free Website Design Softwaare
  2. AceHTML: Free HTML Editor
  3. Download PageBreeze: Free HTML Editor

Free HTML Editor for Website Creation: Tag Controller was originally published at I Love Free Software

Free Software Update Manager: Gear Software Manager

Posted: 12 Aug 2012 09:30 AM PDT


Gear Software Manager is a free software management program. The software scans software installed on you computer to make sure they are all up to date. The program also can be used to download any new updates of programs found online. The program also maintains a list of vital software which one must have and offers to install listed programs not found on your computer.

Features of this free software update management program

  • Windows and registry cleaning feature
  • Automatic update searching
  • Must have software list to inform you of the most important software to have
  • Download buttons for available updates

How to use it

The installation is quite easy . The installer is bundled with the infamous Babylon Toolbar. The interface is very simple and very user friendly.

On first launch, the program prompts you to allow it to search for updates for installed programs. Search results are displayed in a list containing program names, current and new versions, download buttons and buttons for accessing more information regarding the update. The file list can be updated by clicking the Refresh button. To download a copy of the program update click the Download Now button. To view more information regarding the program and available downloads click the More Information button.

Gear Software Manager

The must have list contains a number of basic but very useful software update which is expected to be installed on any computer. The program generates a list of files which should be installed on any machine but are currently not installed. The list contains names, file sizes, version numbers and download links. On clicking the download button, the program automatically directs you to its homepage where you can download a copy of the software.

Gear Software Manager

Windows installations require constant clean up if their performance is to be always optimized. The clean windows feature allows user to clean up their windows installation. Cleaning option includes deleting windows temporary and internet files, deleting browser and system history, emptying the recycle bin, clearing the clipboard, deleting browser cookies and deleting windows log files among other things. To clean your windows installation, check options you want cleared and click the Clean Now button.

Gear Software Manager

The windows registry also requires constant clean up. The status bar below the program icons shows the last time the registry was cleaned. To clean the windows registry, click the Clean Registry button. The program cleans up orphaned windows registry items like shared DLLs, fonts, help files, settings and unused shortcuts. The program provides a registry backup feature which is activated by checking the Undo checkbox. In case anything goes wrong, you can always restore the registry to a previous correct state.

Opinion

The software update program generally makes you work very easy. However I was not convinced it works as it should. For example it listed a version 1.8.5 of UTorrent as a the latest version than the current installed version 3.1.2. Inclusion of the windows and registry clean up features allows you to manage your computer from one application. The presence of adware was not very good but keeping in mind that the software is for free, you wont have too many complaints.

Verdict

Gear Software Manager is a simple way to get all your software update and programs in latest version in one go.

Related posts:

  1. Free Software Update Tool to Update Installed Programs: Ketarin
  2. Free Software Updater to Automatically Update Installed Programs: SUMo
  3. Software Updater to Update Installed Software for Windows: Conloco

Free Software Update Manager: Gear Software Manager was originally published at I Love Free Software

Free Mind Mapping Software To Create Mind Maps: Edraw Mind Map

Posted: 12 Aug 2012 08:00 AM PDT


Edraw Mind Map is a free mind mapping software which helps you to create mind maps. Mind maps are basically a visual representation of ideas and thoughts that hit your mind. Edraw Mind Map is fully loaded mind mapping software which is loaded with various tools to assist you in mind mapping in the best possible way.

If you are a beginner and looking for a very basic, yet powerful mind mapping tool then  it's worth trying out this free mind mapping software. Edraw Mind Map

Edraw Mind Map has got an interface similar to Microsoft office, hence it gives user a familiar feel.

When  you launch this software the main window shows a getting started page with the available templates. These available templates are categorized under Mind Map, clip art and more templates. This mind mapping tool comes with several templates, examples, and high quality topics. So you can choose any of these templates for creating your own mind maps in a professional way.

Edraw mind map displays a libraries window, that lets you choose symbols, backgrounds, mind maps, borders , arrow shapes, bubble shapes, etc. So you can choose your desired items for creating a mind map. In this way, you can create your  own mind maps effortlessly. Don't forget to check out FreeMind reviewed by us.

Key Features Of This Free Mind Mapping Software:

  • Comes with several examples, templates and high quality topics.
  • Themes available to style the interface.
  • Mind maps with big size and topics that are collapsible are supported.
  • Insert links, font symbols, etc.
  • Mind map documents with multiple pages are supported.
  • Increase your productivity in mind mapping by adding multiple topics.

How to Use Edraw Free Mind Mapping Software:

  • Launch this free mind mapping software.
  • You will comes across the get started page.
  • Double click on any of the template for starting the mind mapping diagram.
  • Now double click the “Main idea” box to add your idea.
  • Place your mouse cursor on the the Main idea box and right click it for the context menu.
  • Now, select “Add multiple topics” from the context menu for adding topics to your main idea.
  • In the same way, you can add multiple subtopics to any topic.
  • You are allowed to select your desired background, border, arrow shape, bubble shape and mind shape from the libraries window.
  • In this way, you can create a mind map that visualizes your idea.

Edraw Mind Map is a creative software for creative people that helps you to visualize your thoughts in the form of mind map. Download Edraw Mind Map for free.

Related posts:

  1. Create Mind Maps Using Labyrinth
  2. Mind Mapping Software: FreePlane
  3. Free Mind Mapping Software: FreeMind

Free Mind Mapping Software To Create Mind Maps: Edraw Mind Map was originally published at I Love Free Software

Automated Online Data Backup with MyPCBackup

Posted: 12 Aug 2012 06:30 AM PDT


MyPCBackup is a free online data backup service which is gonna monitor your computer and automatically upload important files and documents to your MyPCBackup online account. Automated upload is made possible by the MyPCBackup application which has to be installed on the system where you want to have data backed up.

MyPCBackup default window

Default interface of MyPCBackup can be seen on the image above. As you can see the free account is a trial which gives you 15MB of storage for your files. It might not be much, but it’s enough if you for example are interested in only uploading text documents, which are for the most part be very large in size. Those who need more space are gonna have to upgrade to one of the paid plans where you receive:

  • either 75GB, 250GB or Unlimited file storage, depending on the price/plan
  • SSL encryption, so that your uploads are transferred securely
  • Automated uploads – the MyPCBackup application will do everything
  • All file types are supported

Last two features are also available in the Free account, for which you’re gonna have to register. Open up the main website and in the right corner enter your email and password, hit register and you should find yourself in your account right away:

MyPCBackup main account

once you can access your account, you’ll be offered to download the MyPCBackup application. For automated backup you’re gonna have to install it, but as you can see on the image above, if you want, you can upload files directly to your account by clicking on the Upload File button. In the MyPCBackup application, you’re gonna have to select which files and folders you’d like MyPCBackup to backup and also how often the backups should be performed.

Similar software: Gobbler, Primadesk, Commodo Cloud.

How to backup files automatically online with MyPCBackup

When you install the desktop application, and when you run it, it’s gonna ask you to enter your email and password with which you’ve registered so that it can access your online account. You’ll be asked right away if you’d like to backup your My Documents folder, or some other folder on the computer. Scheduling of backups is also available, you can for example set MyPCBackup to upload documents and files:

  • Every hour, hourly
  • Daily, backups data every day, at specified times
  • Specific dates – open up the calender and schedule backups

Settings can be changed by clicking on the Settings tab located in the right upper part of the application window. There you will be able to configure which folders will be monitored, if you’re not happy with initial selection and you can also change the scheduled backup times. By clicking on the Start Backup button, you can start backing up data manually.

MyPCBackup upload in process

Conclusion

To activate the scheduled backup, simply close the application, it will minimize to system tray and from there wait for scheduled backup times, to do its thing. Free trial accounts are a bit limited when it comes to space but for smaller files they are perfect. Simply register for a free account, download the free application, connect to your account, configure everything and you’re all set. Try MyPCBackup free.

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Automated Online Data Backup with MyPCBackup was originally published at I Love Free Software

Free Social Networking Google Chrome Extension: Cortex

Posted: 12 Aug 2012 05:00 AM PDT


Cortex is a unique, free Google Chrome extension that works fast and can help you to share your content through social media. The entire sharing process becomes much easier and it takes less than five seconds to share. People who like to use interesting new apps and are addicted to the social media should really look up to Cortex. It is an innovative social networking Chrome extension developed by Backplane and the best part is that you get all this for free. This free social networking Chrome extension does not consume much time and after you install it, Cortex extension will come up near the other extensions on your chrome browser. This social networking Google Chrome plugin does not disturb you while you are working on Chrome and you can easily access it.

Installing Cortex

To install this free social networking Google Chrome extension, you can visit here or go to the Chrome web store and search Cortex. After you find Cortex on the Chrome web store, you can click on the add button and it will be installed in few seconds. The installation does not take much time and it will be finished in few seconds. You don't need to follow any lengthy or difficult installation process for this. Once this free Social networking Chrome plugin is installed in your chrome web browser, you can start using it. While you install the extension you will get a page where you will be given an option to select the social networking site that you want to include in cortex. Then click on next button and you are finished with the installation. If you are interested to check out some more Google Chrome extensions, you can try Skip Ads on YouTube, Time Stats and Lock Tab.

Interface of Cortex

The interface of Cortex is simple as well as stylish. The user interface is pretty different from other apps. It is user friendly, stylish and you will love it while you are working on Cortex. The chrome extension is refreshing and brings something new in the world of apps. It changes the way you share and internet users will surely love it.

Using Cortex

To use Cortex you can click on the tab present on the top right of your chrome web browser. The tab has a "O" shaped icon and you need to click on the icon to start sharing. Once you click on the icon the cortex app will open in a new page and you are ready to share. Then you need to follow three step procedure to finish your sharing process. The app guides you through the step by step method to finish the sharing process.

First you will be asked to press the mouse button on the cortex app. Once you click on the app then the app will ask you to select the media through which you want to share. Once you select the media then you need to type the message and hit the enter button and the message will be posted or sent. For example if you are using the Gmail option in the app then it will be sent to a selected user but if you select the facebook or twitter option then it will be posted on your wall.

If you want to access the option menu of Cortex then you need to right click on the cortex tab in your chrome browser and click on the option menu. You can even click on disable menu and disable the Cortex app. It is as easy as it can be, you can just start using the software by using clicking on the ring shaped app. While you are using the app your mouse button will be surrounded within the ring you can post wherever you want to. It can be said to be a mixture of simplicity and innovation. Try Cortex free.

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Free Social Networking Google Chrome Extension: Cortex was originally published at I Love Free Software

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