Free and Shareware Favorites from March 2006
collected by Beth Katz

At our March 15, 2006 Lancaster County Apple Corps meeting, one topic we discussed was free and shareware that members enjoyed using. We used a fairly loose interpretation of shareware to mean software you can try out before buying, and even then, some of these may not have free demos. Note that most of these will require Mac OS X. Those that don't will be noted.

In addition, Bob Bair reminded us that USB flash drives are inexpensive and easy ways to back up and transfer files such as these programs that can be shared with others. You can explore the many options and get more information from the USB Flash Drive Alliance (http://www.usbflashdrive.org/).

Utilities

• PrintWindow (http://www.searchwaresolutions.com/products/printwindow) printing listings of folder contents; standard is free; advanced is inexpensive but provides ability to print CD and DVD covers
• VideoLAN (http://www.videolan.org/) reading various multi-media files; multi-platform; free

Creativity

• ClickBook (http://www.bluesquirrel.com/products/cbmac/) create customized booklets, brochures, day planner pages, and more; $50; versions for Mac OS 6 through 9 and well as Mac OS X and Windows

Exploring

• Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/) exploring the planet and sharing tours; free; enhanced versions available
• Earth Browser (http://www.earthbrowser.com/) interactive globe with current weather and earthquake information; demo is free
• A9.com Maps (http://maps.a9.com/ and search for 222 N 20th St, Philadelphia, PA) BlockView maps of some streets in some cities

Programming (only Beth uses these)

• Eclipse (http://www.eclipse.org/) integrated software development environment; free; multi-platform and multi-language; an example of substantial free software

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