Original Link:

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/60-useful-adobe-air-applications-you-should-know/

Adobe AIR was first introduced on 19 March 2007 with the name of Apollo and designed as a cross-operating system runtime that enables web developers to use their existing web development skills, code and tools to build and deploy rich web applications and content to the desktop.

With Adobe AIR’s rich features, developers are able to build application using HTML, Ajax, JavaScript, Flex and Flash. Therefore, we strongly believe that Adobe Air has unleashed the power to extend user experiences beyond the browser. Here’s our collection of 60+ Adobe AIR Application you should know. Full list after jump.

Google

Collection of Google product related AIR applications.

1. GMDesk

   GMDesk is an application that lets you run Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Maps as a stand-alone application to do all your mail handling, calendar event reading etc with.

2. ReadAir

   ReadAir is a desktop client for Google Reader.

3. Google Analytics Reporting Suite

   Google Analytics Reporting Suite brings Google Analytics to the desktop, with a host of features that help you understand how your website is performing and where you can improve.

Photo & Video

Adobe AIR applications that allow you to search, edit, save or upload photo and video.

1. Flickr Desktop Search

   Flickr
   Desktop Search is an Adobe AIR based utility which helps you to search Flickr images.

2. ImageDropr

   ImageDropr is a new tool for uploading your images to flickr. This application takes a unique approach towards preparing your content, titles, tags, etc. by creating tools that expedite this process.

3. Flickr Flipper

   Flickr Flipper allows you to search for Flickr photos and also search for photos from specific Flickr users. It uses Papervision to display the photos one at a time and even allows you to download the photo to your computer.

4. Snoto

   Snoto Photo is a desktop application for browsing your recent photos as well as the recent photos of others. You can also do a slideshow of the photos.

5. FLVPlay HD

   FLVPlay HD plays your local or remote flv and mp4 videos, as well as the ones from the YouTube servers which are available via the “Search” feature of the application.

6. AIRTube Video Downloader

   AIRTube Video Downloader allows you to download YouTube FLV videos by simply dragging or pasting in the video’s URL. After the video downloads the application will expand and show you a preview of the video.

7. RichFLV

   RichFLV allows you to read and edit FLV data. You can cut FLVs, convert the sound of the flv to mp3 and convert flv to swf.

8. uvLayer

   UvLayer is a social video application where you can discover, watch, collect and share video media. Searching currently focuses on videos from YouTube and Truveo.

9. mooFlair

   A desktop application that helps you to manage and watch both online and offline FLVs videos. More than a simple flv player, build your own FLV library and save your compilations in playlists.

10. Adobe Media Player

    Adobe Media Player allows you to queue up and download your favorite Internet TV content, track and download new episodes automatically, and manage your personal video library for viewing at your convenience.

Design

Adoeb AIR tools that sharpen your design skill.

1. Websnapshot

   Websnapshot allows you type a URL then take a snapshot using one of the three sizing methods; Thumbnail, Browser or fullpage view.

2. Shrink-O-Matic

   Shrink O’Matic is an AIR application to easily (batch) resize (shrink) images. It handles JPGs, GIFs and PNGs.

3. Colorpicker

   colorPicker is a widget-like AIR application that lets you either choose a “web-safe” color from a color grid or design a color using sliders to adjust the red, green, and blue values of the color.

4. ColourLovers Desktop Color Finder

   Desktop Color Finder lets you search our entire database of nearly 1 million named colors and more than 300,00 user created color palettes.

5. Font Picker

   Font picker allows you to find the right font for the job.

   Icon Generator

   Icon Generator is a little application that lets you generate a CS3 or Web 2.0 style icon, only 3 step. Pick color, type characters, and save it.

6. WebKut

   WebKut is an AIR application that allows you to capture web pages, or parts of them in a very simple way.

7. Color Browser

   Color Browser is a simple way to create and organize your favorite color palettes. Sets of colors are easily viewable in a clean interface.

8. Photoshop Express Uploader

   Photoshop Express Uploader lets you drag and drop photos from your desktop to upload to Photoshop Express.

Microblogging

Adobe AIR applications that allow you to communicate with microblogs easier and faster.

1. TweetDeck

   TweetDeck is an Adobe Air desktop application that aims to evolve the existing functionality of Twitter by taking an abundance of information.

2. Alert Thingy

   Alert Thingy allows users to see the data stream from people they follow on FriendFeed, and post new messages directly to the service.

3. Feedalizr

   Life streaming to your desktop. View, rate and comment on what your friends are sharing online, using one simple and easy to use desktop tool.

4. MySocial AIR

   MySocial is the newest Twitter/FriendFeed desktop app on the block, although MySocial has previously released a Firefox sidebar addon that offers similar functionality.

5. Twhirl

   Twhirl connects to multiple Twitter, laconi.ca, Friendfeed and seesmic accounts.

6. Posty

   Posty simplifies your microblogging. All you have to do is writing the message and clicking a button. Posty will automatically deliver your message to the services you selected.

7. Toro

   Toro is a very simple Twitter client that aims for a speedier Twitter.

8. Spaz

   Spaz is a Twitter client for users who value free, open-source software, attractive design, and customizability

9. bTT

   bTT lets you receive update from friendfee, post to friendfeed, send and receive tweets with twitter out of one application on your desktop.

10. Tweetr

    Tweetr lets you send files to your friends, but just dragging any file on to Tweetr. Tweetr will automatically upload your file and when it is done will provide a short url to send to your friends

Social Network

Adobe AIR applications that blend your favourite social networks into your desktop.

1. DiggTop

   DiggTop is an application for Windows and MacOSX that lets you view a blended list of your favourite Digg topic or keyword feeds.

2. Facedesk

   facedesk is an application that, when installed, becomes a stand-alone application to do all your Facebook surfing with.

3. Flair

   Flair is a free, easy to install application that lets you know whenever you’re poked, or someone writes on your wall, or adds you as a friend – without having to constantly check the Facebook website or your email.

4. Babuki

   Now all your contacts are in one place wherever you are. There’s no need to create an account and you only have to add details for the other IM networks once.

5. MINI DIGG

   The Digg mini client brings the latest news from Digg to your desktop. It also allows you to store the stories to your computer.

Miscellaneous

Other useful desktop Adobe AIR applications.

1. Wordpress Comment Moderator

   Moderator is a WordPress Plugin and associated desktop application, built using Adobe AIR, that allows you to view and moderate comments from your desktop.

2. Apprise Reader

   Apprise lets you read all your news in one place, and share it all in one place, too. With built-in support for over ten different ways to share stories,

3. Ora Time and Expense

   Ora Time and Expense is a small easy-to-use application for tracking and generating timesheets, expense reports, and invoices.

4. Timeloc

   Timeloc is a desktop widget that keeps track of the time you have spent working on a job or project. It will no longer be a case of guess work as to how much you need to bill your clients or assign to a project

5. Doomi

   Doomi is a simple to-do-list application that designed to stay out of your way, be easy to use and look pretty.

6. Klok

   Klok is a tool intended to be used by individuals, who have a need to track the time they spend on projects, tasks or anything else for that matter.

7. MiniTask

   MiniTask is a FREE, fast and easy-to-use task management application that helps you with organising your daily todos more efficiently.

8. Agile Agenda

   Agile Agenda is a project scheduling utility focused on allowing project managers to enter data about tasks. The software is capable of dynamically adjusting to changing conditions that occur during a project life cycle.

9. Xdrive Desktop Lite

   Xdrive Desktop Lite allows you to easily upload files and folders right from your hard drive, desktop, USB devices, or removable storage drives directly into your Xdrive web storage.

10. AirTalkr

    AirTalkr is a multi-protocol Instant Messenger that connects to MSN, Yahoo!, GTalk, AOL and ICQ. Not only that, it also has connects to to various Web 2.0 services like Flickr and YouTube.

11. Pownce Desktop 2.0

    Pownce makes it even faster to read and send notes to your friends

12. CL Desktop
    - Craigslist is huge, and this application just makes sense. It’s easy to use and saves you time with saved searches and the ability to view pictures right from the original list.
13. EarthBrowser
    - EarthBrowser is a revolutionary new platform for viewing and creating geographically based information.
14. ebay Desktop
    - eBay Desktop is made for search, bidding, browsing, and watching. It’s all there, with a brand new interface.
15. Finetune Desktop
    - Finetune Desktop gives you quick access to your custom playlists and will keep track of your favorite music from Finetune.
16. Pandora Desktop
    - With the Pandora Desktop Application, you can play your Pandora stations right from your desktop – without opening a new browser window.
17. Snackr
    - Snackr is a RSS ticker that pulls random items from your feeds and scrolls them across your desktop. When you see a title that looks interesting, you can click on it to pop up the item in a window.
18. AIR iPhone
    - AIR iPhone is a desktop application created with Adobe AIR and Adobe Flex 3, it simulates the UI of the iPhone. It has the capabilities to make calls, receive calls, check voicemail, add contacts and even send voice messages.
19. Adobe Developer Connection Developer Desktop
    - Adobe Developer Connection Developer Desktop (ADC Desktop) is an Adobe AIR application that delivers a number of helpful resources for Developers.

Resources

Resources, tutorials and collections of Adobe AIR applications.

1. airapps Wiki

   A collection of Adobe® AIR™ applications out in the wild that the community can update.

2. RIAForge

   An online community site, built using their own products and targeted to support developers building open source projects for our products and platform.

3. Apollo Hunter

   A community to share and download Adobe AIR applications with no cost.

4. O2Apps

   The ultimate resource for enthusiasts of Adobe AIR.

5. Adobe AIR Marketplace

   Adobe AIR Marketplace is a place where AIR developers can publish their Adobe AIR applications for users to download.

6. Adobe Air Tutorials

   Adobe AIR Tutorials. Articles, resources, tutorials, and downloads.

7. Refreshing Apps

   Adobe AIR application showcase and resources.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/

The 70 coolest free applications in existence

Source: http://www.seopher.com/articles/the_70_coolest_free_applications_in_existence

At the end of August I created a list of the 40 coolest free applications around which proved quite popular. As with all lists of this type the wisdom of the crowds brought forward numerous other suggestions that I’d overlooked for one reason or another – so here is the revised list.

As with the original list, the purpose is to collate some of the best free applications (and sometimes online services) that can be found on the Internet. I spend a lot of time on the Internet (through my work as a web developer) so it’s always worth pooling a decent list of resources to those who are more fortunate to have time away from computers. See below for a brief list of what’s covered:

Image, Image Editing and Graphics
Office
Web and web development
Development Applications (IDE’s)
Operating Systems
Video Playback
Audio
Anti-Virus and Security
Downloading and Download Managers
Remote Access
Useful Applications that don’t get their own category
Games

Image, Image Editing and Graphics

GIMP – http://www.gimp.org
The GNU Image Manipulation Program is a Photoshop replacement that doesn’t have “quite” as much functionality but it’s excellent for free. It comes installed by default on many Linux distros and is also available in Windows. Worth a look.

Inkscape – http://www.inkscape.org/
Inkscape is an Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, Freehand, CorelDraw, or Xara X using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

Paint.net – http://www.getpaint.net/index2.html
A really good, lightweight alternative to Photoshop. It offers layers, unlimited undo, special effects and a wide variety of useful tools. The download is around 2mb too so absolutely worth a look – I use this when Photoshop is playing up.

XnView – http://perso.orange.fr/pierre.g/xnview/enhome.html
XnView is software to view and convert graphic files, apparently really simple to use and supports more than 400 graphics formats.

ImageMagick - http://www.imagemagick.org/script/index.php
A lesser known application but it offers the ability to “create, edit, and compose bitmap images. It can read, convert and write images in a variety of formats (about 100)”. Use it to “translate, flip, mirror, rotate, scale, shear and transform images, adjust image colors, apply various special effects, or draw text, lines, polygons, ellipses and B?zier curves.”

Blender – http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/
A 3D Studio Max alternative, very comprehensive and full-featured.

Artweaver – http://www.artweaver.de/index.php?en_version
Artweaver is a simple Freeware program for creative painting, i.e. Artweaver offers you all artistic effects which you need for your work. You can create sketches from photos and experiment with a wide range of brushes. The brush simulation is thereby so realistic as possible.

Office

OpenOffice – http://www.openoffice.org
It’s basically Microsoft Office so you need little else with this installed. It has MS Office support (in both reading and writing) so this fantastic suite is fully compatible.

Scribus – http://www.scribus.net/
Scribus is an open-source program that brings award-winning professional page layout to Linux/Unix, MacOS X, OS/2 and Windows desktops with a combination of “press-ready” output and new approaches to page layout. Underneath the modern and user friendly interface, Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK color, separations, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation.

Google Documents – http://docs.google.com/
Google documents is a free service that simply requires registration in order to use it. You create Microsoft-Office-esq documents in an online environment and they store them on their servers. You can export them and save the files to your hard drive too. In addition, Google allows multiple user collaboration which means numerous people can all be working on the same document at the same time and it will update in real time. Very cool stuff.

Foxit – http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php
Foxit Reader is a free PDF document viewer and printer, with incredible small size (only 2.1 M download size), breezing-fast launch speed and amazingly rich feature set. Foxit Reader supports Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/2003/Vista. Its core function is compatible with PDF Standard 1.7.

Web and web development

Andrew Sellick covered this in his comprehensive list Top 15 free and open source web developer tools so this part of the list is mostly his (he’s a friend so this content use was agreed).

Firefox – http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/products/firefox/
Firefox is arguably the second most popular browser available (sitting behind Internet Explorer 6). It’s extendable, customisable, secure and massively popular. You can develop plugins for it, other people develop plugins for it – it’s just worth having.

Opera – http://www.opera.com
This is my personal browser of choice, sexy tabbed browsing, customisable, standards complient and fast. As they put it themselves: “The award-winning Opera Web browser The coolest, fastest, and most secure free Web browser available.”

Opera web developer toolbar – http://operawiki.info/WebDevToolbar
The web developer toolbar is a menu and toolbar setup for Opera which brings together functions related to web development, validation services and links to standards and other documentation.

Amaya – http://www.w3.org/Amaya/
Amaya is a Web editor to create and update documents directly on the Web. Browsing features are seamlessly integrated with the editing and remote access features in a uniform environment. This follows the original vision of the Web as a space for collaboration and not just a one-way publishing medium. Amaya started as an HTML + CSS style sheets editor. Since that time it was extended to support XML and an increasing number of XML applications such as the XHTML family, MathML, and SVG. It allows all those vocabularies to be edited simultaneously in compound documents.

Notepad++ – http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm
Notepad++ is a free source code editor (and Notepad replacement), which supports several programming languages, running under the MS Windows environment.

Kuler – http://kuler.adobe.com/
A very powerful colour-picking tool, allowing for the easy creation of colour schemes.

Aptana – http://www.aptana.com/
The Aptana IDE is a free, open-source, cross-platform, JavaScript-focused development environment for building Ajax applications. It features code assist on JavaScript, HTML, and CSS languages, FTP/SFTP support and a JavaScript debugger to troubleshoot your code.

Color Cop – http://www.colorcop.net/
A very handy tool for capturing colours anywhere on your screen. Color Cop makes it quick and easy in those situations where you need to know what colour is being used.

Firefox web developer toolbar – https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60
The Web Developer extension adds a menu and a toolbar to the browser with various web developer tools. It is designed for Firefox, Flock, Mozilla and Seamonkey, and will run on any platform that these browsers support including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

Internet Explorer Toolbar – [another long url]
The Microsoft Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar provides a variety of tools for quickly creating, understanding, and troubleshooting Web pages. This version is a preview release and behavior may change in the final release.

Firebug – http://www.getfirebug.com/
Firebug integrates with Firefox to put a wealth of web development tools at your fingertips while you browse. You can edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page.

Watchfire WebXACT – http://webxact.watchfire.com/
WebXACT is a free online service that lets you test single pages of web content for quality, accessibility, and privacy issues. It is very similar to Bobby and usefull to anyone wishing to check the accessibilty level of their templates/site.

JsUnit – http://www.jsunit.net/
JsUnit is a Unit Testing framework for client-side (in-browser) JavaScript. It is essentially a port of JUnit to JavaScript. Also included is a platform for automating the execution of tests on multiple browsers and mutiple machines running different OSs.

Xenu – http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html
Xenu’s Link Sleuth (TM) checks Web sites for broken links. Link verification is done on “normal” links, images, frames, plug-ins, backgrounds, local image maps, style sheets, scripts and java applets. It displays a continously updated list of URLs which you can sort by different criteria. A report can be produced at any time.

Vischeck – http://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/vischeckURL.php
Vischeck is a way of showing you what things look like to someone who is color blind. You can try Vischeck online- either run Vischeck on your own image files or run Vischeck on a web page. You can also download programs to let you run it on your own computer.

Feng GUI – http://www.feng-gui.com/
Find out how people View your website or image and which areas are getting most of the attention. The ViewFinder Heatmap service, is an artificial intelligence service which simulates human visual attention and creates an attention heatmap.

Fiddler - http://www.fiddlertool.com/fiddler/
Fiddler is a HTTP Debugging Proxy which logs all HTTP traffic between your computer and the Internet. Fiddler allows you to inspect all HTTP Traffic, set breakpoints, and “fiddle” with incoming or outgoing data. Fiddler includes a powerful event-based scripting subsystem, and can be extended using any .NET language.

browsershots.org – http://browsershots.org/
Browsershots.org is a free open-source online service providing screenshots of your web site in a multitude of different browsers. It is not as advanced as BrowserCam but a fantastic tool none the less.

Expresso 2.1 – http://www.ultrapico.com/Expresso.htm
Expresso is useful tool for learning how to use regular expressions and for developing and debugging regular expressions prior to incorporating them into your code. It provides a very cut down version of RegexBuddy but most importantly it is simple to use and free.

ColorJack - [very long url]
ColorJack is an amazing online application providing users with the ability to match colours that work well together. Perfect for those developers who struggle to get a good colour scheme together.

Development Applications (IDE’s)

Eclipse – http://www.eclipse.org/
Eclipse is an open source community whose projects are focused on building an open development platform comprised of extensible frameworks, tools and runtimes for building, deploying and managing software across the lifecycle. It’s quite hardcore in my personal opinion so certainly not one for beginners.

NetBeans – http://www.netbeans.org/
All the tools software developers need to create cross-platform Java desktop, enterprise and web applications. Runs on Windows, Linux, MacOS, as well as Solaris. I never got on well with NetBeans but it is a good application, just not one I choose.

Geany – http://geany.uvena.de/
Geany is a text editor using the GTK2 toolkit with basic features of an integrated development environment. It was developed to provide a small and fast IDE, which has only a few dependencies from other packages. It supports many filetypes and has some nice features

Code::Blocks – http://www.codeblocks.org/
A free c++ IDE built to meet the “most demanding needs of its users”.

SharpDevelop – http://www.sharpdevelop.net/OpenSource/SD/Default.aspx
A free IDE for C#, VB.net and Boo projects on Microsoft’s .NET platform.

Operating Systems

Ubuntu – http://www.ubuntu.com
The most popular Linux distro at the moment – offering astonishing performance, usability and support (from a massive online community) all for free.

PCLinuxOS – http://www.pclinuxos.com/
One of my favourite Linux releases; PCLinuxOS is very different to Ubuntu but powerful and usable in equal measures. I find it a lot more intuitive but purely though personal preference. It too is supported by a healthy community.

Fedora – http://fedoraproject.org/
I’m not a Fedora user but there are an awful lot of them. Fedora was the daddy long before Ubuntu appeared on the scene and therefore it inherits a lot of excellent features from how long these guys have been doing it. Excellent software, strong communities and worth a look. This is Linux too incase you didn’t know.

openSUSE – http://www.opensuse.org/
Quoted as being one of the more fully featured, usable editions of Linux – openSUSE has a lot of users and is one of the major players in the scene today.

Lots more Linux! – Distrowatch has info on lots more
Linux is free and it is becoming a viable alternative to Windows these days; here is Distrowatch – a site that links to reviews on each release as well as offering a brief description, background and links.

Video Playback

Media Player Classic – [long url]
Amazingly lightweight and incredibly durable – MPC succeeds where most others fail. It really will play anything and doesn’t even need installing.

VLC Media Player – http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
A very popular application; a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats. It will play just about anything too.

Youtube – http://www.youtube.com
Youtube is maybe an odd choice to put into the video playback area but there’s a good reason for it. You can upload your videos to Youtube quite happily for free and there are hundreds upon thousands of hours of footage on there. From the illegal to the completely random Youtube has more video playback options than your wildest dreams.

Audio

Audacity – http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Audacity is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems.

Winamp – http://www.winamp.com
While not open source, it is free and very good indeed. Far better than iTunes in my personal opinion.

Amarok – http://amarok.kde.org/
This is one of the best media players I have ever encountered, unfortunately it’s purely limited to Linux (KDE environments only) so it’s beyond the reach of Windows users and the “Ubuntu mainstream”. It’s amazing though and I highly recommend it.

Foobar2k – http://www.foobar2000.org
Foobar2000 is an advanced audio player for the Windows platform. Some of the basic features include full unicode support, ReplayGain support and native support for several popular audio formats.

Anti-Virus and Security

AVG - http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
A popular and comprehensive, free anti-virus application. I use it. Simple.

Avast! Home edition – http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
Also quite popular and available for free.

Antivir – http://www.free-av.com/
A free antivirus application (although it doesn’t detect spyware). It apparently has one of the best detection rates out of the free antiviruses on offer.

Clamwin – http://www.clamwin.com/
A free antivirus with a high detection rate for infected files. It’s not very invasive because it doesn’t do on-access virus scanning – you specifically need to say which folders to scan. This is both good and bad – good if you’re IT savvy because you don’t need on access scanning because you’re not stupid enough to do “dodgy” things unprotected. It’s bad if you’re not because it won’t tell you that there’s a problem until you tell it to look.

Comodo Firewall – http://www.comodo.com/products/free_products.html
Comodo Firewall, rated by PC Magazine Online as an Editor’s Choice, constantly monitors and defends your PC from internet attacks. It’s easy to install and use and passes the industry’s most stringent firewall “leak” tests.

Windows Defender – http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Windows Defender is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it’s detected and minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive. It’s Microsoft though, but good enough I suppose. Not my sort of thing but a lot of people use it.

Spyware Terminator – http://www.spywareterminator.com/
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Spyware gets terminated. End of.

Arovax Antispyware – http://www.arovaxantispyware.com/
Another free antivirus, another one that does what it says on the tin.

Downloading and Download Managers

Orbit – http://www.orbitdownloader.com/
Orbit Downloader, leader of download manager revolution, is devoted to new generation web (web2.0) downloading, such as video/music/files from Myspace, YouTube, Imeem, Pandora, Rapidshare. And to make general downloading easier and faster.

Utorrent – http://www.utorrent.com/
The single best torrent application available. I’ve used many many alternatives and this is the single greatest one around. It has a tiny footprint (only a few Kb of RAM) and doesn’t need installing. Excellent.

Azureus – http://azureus.sourceforge.net/
One of the most popular torrent clients available, this Java built monster does the job very well. My gripe with it is that it munches it’s way through your RAM at an alarming rate (being a Java application). Good though, just a bit hungry for machines are left online 24/7/365 like mine is.

Flashget – http://www.flashget.com/en/download.htm
FlashGet is a leading download manager and has the highest amount of users on the internet. It uses MHT(Multi-server Hyper-threading Transportation) technique, supports various protocols and has excellent document management features. FlashGet is a freeware without any adware or spyware.

Freedownloadmanager – http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/
FDM is a powerful, easy-to-use and absolutely free download accelerator and manager. Moreover, FDM is 100% safe, open-source software distributed under GPL license.

Remote Access

rDesktop – http://www.rdesktop.org/
rdesktop is an open source client for Windows NT Terminal Server and Windows 2000/2003 Terminal Services, capable of natively speaking Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) in order to present the user’s NT desktop. Unlike Citrix ICA, no server extensions are required.

LogMeIn – https://secure.logmein.com/home.asp?lang=en
Their website states “20 million users trust LogMeIn solutions for remote support, access & backup” so that probably says enough.

Useful Applications that don’t get their own category

CDBurnerXP – http://cdburnerxp.se/
This is an amazingly useful, free burner application. Although I don’t believe it works on Vista yet…

Notepad2 – http://www.flos-freeware.ch/notepad2.html
It’s basically notepad but more helpful for doing code and stuff in. It’s just notepad with more functionality; which makes life a bit easier. Code highlighting is handy and it doesn’t need installing and it doesn’t touch your registry. It’s safe, simple and very useful.

Thunderbird – http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/products/thunderbird/
Mozilla’s alternative to Outlook. It’s just brilliant, possibly the best email client I’ve ever used; which I use on a day-to-day basis.

7Zip – http://www.7-zip.org/
WinRAR and Winzip need paying for (eventually), 7zip is free and does the same thing. That’s it really.

Google Desktop – http://desktop.google.com/
This is a surprisingly useful application to have. It has desktop search (it searches through all your files and folders for what you’ve searched for, including your email – which is VERY useful). It will also do RSS updates straight to your desktop, news updates, weather information, to-do lists, notepads, you name it. It does it all.

Games

FreeCiv – http://www.freeciv.org/index.php/Freeciv
A free development of the popular Civilisation games created by Sid Meier.

FreeCol – http://www.freecol.org/
Exactly the same but for Colonisation.

Also here is a massive list of open source games for Windows that’s absolutely worth checking out.

20 Icon & Graphics Generators

Source: http://mashable.com/2007/09/21/icons-graphics/

You don’t need to be a great artist to get great looking graphics. In fact, sometimes you don’t even have to roll up your sleeves. We’ve put together a list of 20 sites that’ll help you create icons, favicons, animations and various graphics in no time.

256Pixels.com – Presents a daily favicon contest. Create a new favicon with their built in palette, and put it up for others to vote on.

Ajaxload.info – Create an animated icon to display during AJAX load times.

AntiFavicon.com – Allows you to create colored favicons with up to two lines of text.

Buddy Icon From Pics – Upload a picture and prep them to work with messengers like AIM, Yahoo, MSN and more.

ConvertIcon.com – Online service that allows you to convert ICOs to PNGs and vice-versa.

Dynamic Drive Favicon Generator – Upload your GIF, JPG, PNG or BMP and create favicons or desktop icons.

EliteNick.com’s Custom AIM Icon Maker – Use pre-made backgrounds and then add the text and colors you want for a unique AIM Buddy Icon.

Email Icon Generator – Generate an email address icon to display on your site. A safe way to show off your email address that spambots can’t read.

Favicon Generator – Upload a JPG, GIF, PNG or BMP and convert it in to a 16 X 16 favicon for your site.

Favicon Generator and Gallery – Upload your image and make a favicon in one of four different sizes, then add it to their gallery as well as using it on your site.

Favicon.cc – Create your own icon by importing a picture or start from scratch, browse the latest creations of others.

FavIcon From Pics – Upload your photos and make a favicon, including animated ones.

Favicon Icon Drawing Program Online Free – Draw your own icons and even make clear ones where necessary.

IconBuffet.com – A large selection of licensable Web 2.0 style icons you can use for your site.

Iconfinder.net – A search engine specifically for locating icons on just about any subject.

IconizeMe.com – A website of artists turning your pictures into icons you can use around the web.

MyCoolButton.com – Create buttons and icons with a Web 2.0 flavor to them.

StockIcons.com – Licensable, royalty-free icons with a professional look that you can use for your projects.

TerraIMS Map Icons – Generate icons for use with online mapping services.

Tiny Icon Factory – Lets you generate simple 13X13 black & white icons for your use.

Conversion Central:101 Tools to Convert Video, Music, Images, PDF and More

Posted on September 5, 2007 by Yoav Ezer 
at http://www.cogniview.com/convert-pdf-to-excel/post/conversion-central-101-tools-to-convert-video-music-images-pdf-and-more/

Few things are more irritating than having to deal with a format that is incompatible with what you need it to do. It doesn’t matter if it’s a media file, document, or shoe size; it’s just plain frustrating. To make your life easier, check out this list of 101 tools that will allow you to convert just about anything.

Mega Tools

There are lots of specialized tools out there, but sometimes you just need one good tool to get the job done. These mega tools are great for general conversions.

1. Zamzar: Zamzar does all sorts of conversions, ranging from documents and images to music and video. In addition to its versatility, this tool boasts the ability to do all of your conversions without downloading software.
2. SUPER: This aptly-named tool offers a simple and efficient way to convert any multimedia file to any format you need. You won’t need to download any additional codecs or deal with any time or function limitations.
3. CZ Document Converter: CZ Document Converter is a powerful batch document converter. It supports every popular document file you may need, including PDF, HTML, DOC, XLS, and WPS.
4. Media Convert: This tool is another great all-around converter. It can take files from your computer or a webserver and convert them into pretty much any format. The tool is web based and full of versatility.
5. Image Converter Plus: Image Converter Plus can professionally convert graphic files, photos, drafts, finance documents, and any image format. It supports more than 120 graphics formats and more than 800 dialects of these formats. You can convert files in a batch while also altering and enhancing images.
6. Quad-Lock Unit Converter: The Quad-Lock Unit Converter does conversions for more than 650 units. With this all-inclusive library, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for.

Media

If you use an MP3 player, download movies, or even just rip CDs, there’s a good chance you’ve had to deal with the frustration of having a format that’s incompatible with your device or software. These tools will make it all better.

Audio

7. Audacity: Audacity is a great tool that can be used to convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs. Check out their site to see what else this audio powerhouse can do.
8. RM to MP3 Converter: If you’ve got a bunch of Real Media files, but want to be able to listen to them on other players, check out this tool. It will convert RM files to MP3s individually or in batches. You can even save them with space-efficient VBR.
9. OSS Audio Converter: This tool is an audio format converter with a high level of customization. Using the OSS Audio Converter, you can select the coding method for VBR compression, fine-tune settings, and choose a range of frequencies to filter.
10. All Converter: Use All Converter to switch your files between popular formats like MP3, APE, AAC and many more. Files can be converted in batches, even if they’re not the same media or convert-to type.
11. Audio Converter: Audio Converter has lots of formats for conversion, including AIFF, Vorbis OFF, MP3 and more. You can convert files one by one or do them in batches, all while editing options like volume normalization and silence removal.
12. Intelliscore Polyphonic WAV to MIDI Converter: With IntelliScore, you can convert MP3, WAV, and WMA files to MIDI. It has lots of additional features, like vocal track removal and sheet music.
13. Free WMA to MP3 Converter: With this tool, you can take any Windows Media file and turn it into an MP3 that can be used with a variety of different players.
14. Zune Multi-Extension Support Mod: With this hack, Zune users can covert formats that the player doesn’t normally recognize, like AAC, DVR-MS and MPEG.
15. FreeRIP: This freeware application allows users to convert files between MP3, FLAC, WAV and more.
16. dBpoweramp Music Converter: The dBpoweramp can be used to rip CDs and convert audio files to pretty much any format you might need. This can all be done without altering tags.
17. Acoustica MP3 to Wave Converter Plus: Acoustica’s converter makes it easy to convert MP3 files to WAVs so that you can create custom CDs or edit audio.
18. Direct Audio Converter and CD Ripper: Music lovers can use this tool to convert music files to popular formats while keeping folder structures and tags intact.
    

    Video

19. Koyote: This tool can covert FLV, DIVX, AVI and other formats to an iPod video format. That means you can download YouTube videos and put them directly on your video iPod.
20. MediaCell Blackberry Video Converter: If you want to view videos on your Blackberry, check out this tool. It converts all popular video files to Blackberry video while maintaining a high standard of quality.
21. Videora: With Videora, you can convert pretty much any video file into an iPod format. The tool includes an auto-resize feature that chooses the best resolution for you.
22. VidDownloader: This simple tool allows users to save streaming video and convert then to DivX AVIs.
23. Avi2Dvd: Avi2Dvd is a freeware program that converts AVI files to a format that works for DVDs, VCDs, and SVCDs.
24. iSquint: Mac iPod users who want a way to convert videos to something that works for their device will be happy to find iSquint. This tool converts videos to the correct format and also optimizes their resolution.
25. Any Video Converter: Using AVC, you can convert any video format to any other video format. The tool supports AVI, DIVX, FLV and more. You can create custom profiles that for devices like the iPod and PSP.
26. Tube Sock: Tube Sock is for Mac OSX users who want to download, convert, and copy YouTube videos to their iPod, Mac, or PSP.
27. Zune TVWatcher: Use this tool to convert recorded TV shows to a Zune-ready format.
28. Grand Theft Auto Mission Converter: Use the Grand Theft Auto Mission Converter to convert GTA1’s INI mission to GTA2’s .MIS mission.
29. Mplayer: Mplayer is an open-source video player, but it also has an interface called mencoder that allows users to convert between lots of formats, including TiVo’s tystream.
30. Lathe: With Lathe, you can convert TiVo files to play on a variety of media devices, including Archos, PDAs, smartphones, and more.
31. Hey!Watch: You can upload videos from your hard drive or online video sites to Hey!Watch, then use the tool to convert the files to pretty much any format you’d like.
32. PodTube: Mac YouTube enthusiasts will love the convenience of PodTube. It allows users to point to a URL, then let the program get to work by downloading, converting and adding the file to your iTunes library.
33. iTube: iTube is just like PodTube, but it’s made for Windows users.
34. HandBrake: HandBrake is a free, open source application that rips DVDs to a number of different formats, including those supported by Apple TV, PS3, Quicktime, and more.
35. MediaCoder: MediaCoder is a batch media transcoder. It can be used to convert to and from different formats as well as compress files.

Images

Graphic designers, professional photographers, and point and shoot enthusiasts can all benefit from using these easy image conversion tools.

36. Photo To Sketch: This program takes your photographs and converts them into black and white sketches or watercolor paintings. Using this functionality, you can make your own coloring book.
37. Image Thumbnailer and Converter: Image Thumbnailer and Converter makes it easy to create thumbnail images, convert formats, adjust sizes, set folders, and create web pages automatically.
38. GIMP: The GNU Image Manipulation Program is a great program for easily changing the format of images.
39. Smart Converter: This multipurpose program allows users to convert, view and edit images, even in batch mode. You can apply over 100 image effects, watermarks, and use loads of supported formats.
40. Easy Graphic Converter: Convert image files to lots of different formats while at the same time taking advantage of features like previews, 50 different effects and filters, simple editing and more.
41. Advanced Batch Converter: Use Advanced Batch Converter to change the format of multiple graphics at once. You’ll also be able to do minor editing. This program supports about 90 file formats.
42. Image Icon Converter: Convert images of various formats into Windows icons using the Image Icon Converter. You can also use this program to convert icons into popular image files and do basic editing.
43. Image Converter .EXE: Take things a step further with Image Converter .EXE. This tool allows you to change the format of multiple files at once, plus apply affects to the files at the same time.

Documents

These tools make it easy to read and print all sorts of documents, so you can avoid having a difficult discussion with your boss about why you just can’t open his MS Works 1996 file.

PDF

44. Adobe Online PDF creator: For quick PDF conversions, check out the official Adobe online PDF Creator. This tool converts a number of different formats, including DOC, JPG, WMF and more.
45. ExpressPDF: If you need a high quality PDF output in a hurry, consider using ExpressPDF. Users can upload documents, choose an output quality, then receive an email with the new PDF. This is all done without downloading any software, so it’s great if you’re in a pinch on a borrowed computer.
46. CC PDF Converter: Install this tool as a printer subsystem. It will enable you to print pretty much from any Windows application to a professional quality PDF document. It will also allow you to set the copyright terms for your PDF file.
47. Scan to PDF: ScanToPDF is a simple tool that allows you to convert your paper based documents into PDFs. Just insert the pages into your scanner, press the scanning button and the paper document will be converted into a PDF file.
48. Cogniview’s PDF to Excel Converter: If you get a lot of numerical data you need for your work in PDF format, Cogniview’s PDF to Excel Conversion tool is the best solution for you. Open your PDF file, mark the data you need and it will be instantly pasted into an excel spreadsheet.
49. Solid Converter PDF to Word: With the Solid PDF Converter, you can open up PDF files in Word and edit text in the original document. Solid PDF will identify and maintain the formatting of the original document (tables, bullets and so on) which makes it perfectly suited for PDF to word conversion.
50. Easy PDF Converter: The Easy PDF Converter tool, like many others, converts various document formats to PDF. What sets this program apart is its ability to convert an entire batch of files in one click, eliminating the need for lots of user input.
51. PDF Converter Professional: Using PDF Converter Professional, you can convert static PDF files into fillable forms.
52. PDF to Image Converter: You can convert PDF files to lots of popular image formats using PDF Image Converter. The program will convert detailed elements like text, color, images, ellipses, and more.
53. RSS 2 PDF: Use this tool to convert your RSS or OPML newsfeed into a PDF file quickly. It creates a readable, formatted file that you can view offline.
    

    Word Processing

54. Docx Converter: The Docx Converter makes it easy to read Word 2007 files without having to upgrade your software. It extracts text and formatting from DOCX files and turns them into simple HTML files. You can even download their desktop widget for the tool.
55. 3A PDF to Word Batch Converter: If you have a PDF file that needs text editing, you may have a hard time getting it to do what you want. Use the 3A PDF to Word Batch Converter to convert PDF documents into Microsoft Word, where you’ll be able to edit as much as you like.
56. WordFast: This language translation tool can be used on any language that’s supported by Microsoft Word. You can also use it with external dictionaries and machine translation engines.
57. MS Works Converter: With this converter, you can turn Microsoft Works files into Excel files, even in batches.
58. Doc to Image Converter: This simple converter allows users to save Microsoft Word files as image file formats including JPEG, TIFF, BMP and more.
59. Babel Fish: If you’re looking for a light, web-based translator, Babel Fish is for you. The translations aren’t always perfect, but you should be able to get a good idea of what’s being said. You can translate a block of text or an entire webpage.
    

    Excel

60. Excel to PDF Converter: This spreadsheet converter is very simple. All you do is select “Save as PDF” in Excel, and the converter will create a document that can be read by PDF viewers.
61. XLS Converter: You can use this converter to take data from Excel files and turn them into formats like HTML, TXT, and CSV. It can be run in command-line mode, plus Excel isn’t required for it to work.
62. ABC Amber Excel Converter: With the ABC Amber Excel Converter, you can turn Excel files into PDF, HTML, RTF, DOC and more, all without the use of the MS Excel program. This tool offers command line support and batch conversion as well.
    

    PowerPoint

63. Presentation to Video Converter: If you’re tired of manually clicking through PowerPoint slides during presentations, you can convert them into a video that eliminates the need for your interaction.
64. Convert PowerPoint: With Convert PowerPoint, you can turn PPT files into PDF, HTM, TXT and more. This application can be run on a command line.
    

    Drafting

65. Universal Document Converter: Use this converter as a virtual printer to export any document to a raster PDF or image file. Doing so ensures that your document will be change-protected and viewed accurately. Universal Document Converter works with Adobe PDF, PowerPoint, AutoCAD and more.
66. AutoDWG DWG to PDF Converter: If you’ve been sent an AutoCAD drawing, but don’t have the software to open it, use this program to view it as a PDF. It has lots of options, including merged files and batch creation.
67. DWG2Image Converter: Convert DWG and DXF files to popular image files like BMP and JPG using the DWG2Image Converter. This program works without the use of AutoCAD.
68. Any DWG: Any DWG has lots of specialized tools that allow you to convert between lots of file formats, including DWG, PDF, DXF and various image types.
69. Raster to Vector Converter: Use this converter to take raster formats and create vector formats like DXF, ASCII, and AI. It will refine curves, create fine lines, and more.
70. Universal CAD Converter: This handy tool makes it easy to turn AutoCAD drafting files into pretty much any format you like, converting between DWG, DXF, PDF and DWF without using AutoCAD. You’ll also be able to convert any of these formats to images.
    

    Other Great Document Tools

71. QuickBooks Conversion Tool: If you’re switching your accounting software to QuickBooks, be sure to check out this conversion tool that imports your information from Peachtree, Microsoft Small Business Accounting, or Microsoft Office Accounting.
72. Print2Flash: For users that need to convert large amounts of PDFs or other printable documents, Print2Flash is an excellent choice. You can use it for batch processing and document options.
73. Google Docs: Google Docs features the ability to save documents in a number of different formats once you’ve opened them inside their software.
74. Bookmark Converter: If you want to switch browsers, but don’t want to lose your bookmarks, use this program. It can be expanded to a remote version with multiple users and command-line conversion.
75. Convert Doc: This tool is simple and easy to use, offering users a way to convert thousands of files into various file formats quickly. It also remembers your settings, so it’s great for users who do complicated conversions on a regular basis.

International Standards

These conversion tools are useful whether you’re traveling, baking, or just buying some nice Italian shoes on eBay.

Measurements

76. Metric Converter: If you often need to do complicated metric conversions, use this tool to get the job done.
77. FCC Conversion: This FCC webpage converts degrees, minutes, and seconds to decimal degrees in latitude and longitude, or vice versa.
78. EZ Unit Converter Wizard: This unit converter is highly customizable. You can add or delete the units that you’d like to use, with more than 130 units to choose from.
79. Unit Conversion: This tool does calculations for lots of different units, including Celsius to Farenheit and pounds to kilograms.
    

    Currency

80. Google Search: You can use Google to calculate currency conversions as well as units like gallons and liters. It’s great because you can get an answer by using a nationality if you don’t know the name of the currency.
81. Universal Currency Converter: XE’s UCC performs forex rate calculations with live currency rates. They offer conversions for the top 85 currencies in the world as well as special units and precious metals.
    

    Clothing Sizes

82. International Show Size Conversion Charts: These charts convert shoe sizes from Europe, Mexico, U.K. and more.
83. Ring Size Conversion: Use this ring size tool to determine what your size is in the U.K., France, Switzerland and more.
84. Women’s Clothing Conversion: With this tools, you can find out what size clothing you should buy for France, Italy, and a number of other countries.
85. Men’s Clothing Conversion: This tool works the same way as the women’s tool, but it comes in men’s sizes.
    

    Time

86. Time Conversion Tool: This utility from NASA makes it easy to convert from calendar dates and times to Julian dates, or vice-versa. You can also convert between featured world time zones and figure out what day of the week you’re looking at.
87. Time Zone Converter: Use this tool to convert time zones between two cities. It accepts dates for the past or future.

Web Development

These tools are great for converting between different script languages, databases, and more.

88. User Script Compiler: With User Script Compiler, you can convert your Greasemonkey scripts into Firefox extensions.
89. Advanced PDF to HTML Converter: Use this program to convert PDF files into HTML to make it easier for users to view them. It will preserve all graphics, hyperlinks, bookmarks and lines.
90. Access to Visual Basic Object Converter: Use this program to quickly convert Access Objects to Visual Basic.
91. Gmail: Using Gmail, you can convert most document formats into HTML. It’s as easy as sending an attachment to yourself and selecting the option to view it as HTML.
92. IRun RTF Converter: The IRun RTF Converter makes it easy to put your documents online by converting RTF files to XML or HTML. You can even generate HTML with CSS.
93. HTML to ASP Converter: This tool converts HTML code for use with ASP.
94. XML Converter Standard Edition: This converter takes data from MySQL databases, MS SQL Servers and more and turns them into XML documents.
95. IDN Conversion Tool: With the IDN Conversion Tool, you can translate an IDN or nameserver from native characters to RACE and Punycode or vice-versa.
96. C to Java Converter: This converter automatically translates C code source files into Java classes. It supports standard ANSI C runtime and L&R C libraries.

Mobile Tools

These tools let you create ringtones for your device and convert while you’re on the go.

97. Google SMS: If you need to get a short language translation or currency conversion on the fly, use your cell phone and Google SMS to get an answer. All you have to do is send a text message and you’ll get the information you need.
98. Ringtone Converter: This tool allows you to convert ringtone files from one format to another, like MIDI to Motorola. Ringtone Converter works with most makes and models, plus you won’t need any cables to get the tone on your phone.
99. Mobile Unit Converter: Do quick metric conversions on your Smartphone or PDA using Mobile Converter. It works for decides running Windows Mobile 5.0.
100. Coding Workshop Ringtone Converter: With the Coding Workshop Ringtone Converter, you can convert ringtones from one format to another. It supports most makes and models of phones. You can also trim and compress files as you convert.
101. Converter: Use your Palm to easily look up unit conversions like miles to kilometers on the fly.

http://court.shrock.org/sysinternals/

Free Menus

Whats running on your computer