We recently found a freeware word processor called DevVicky Word 2010, and like it very much. It has some great features, especially when you consider that it is free!
The user interface and toolbars will be familiar to anyone who has ever used almost any modern word processor:
(click image below to open enlarged in a new tab or window)
DevVicky Word 2010 will create, edit and save files as .rtf, .htm, .docx, .doc, and .txt:
An ODF to Word and Word to ODF converter is included as well.
For web editing, HTML stylesheet options are configurable from the Menu Bar via Options… HTML…
DevVicky Word 2010 will also export created files as .pdf and as .css:
PDF settings are configurable from the Menu Bar via Options… PDF…
Another nice feature is the Doc Reader, which uses the Microsoft Text-to-Speech Engine to read your documents to you. The machine-read text can also be saved as a .wav file:
Click the green Play arrow below to hear Microsoft Mary talk about us:
As a free, standalone word processor, we think you’ll find this program hard to beat. Interested in finding out more? Details and a link to download the program are on the DevVicky website.
Different kinds of malware have been infecting computers since 1988. Here’s a breakdown of the different kinds, what they do and where they come from, courtesy of the Intac web hosting blog.
(click the image below to open it enlarged in a new tab or window…)
So, how do Windows users avoid getting infected by malware? Here are a few basic steps:
Keep Windows and all installed sofware up-to-date.
Just over a year ago, we blogged about free website builders aimed at non-technical users. This is a subject that we get questions about all the time. Here are more resources:
What’s a portable app? A piece of software that can be run and used from a portable drive - typically a USB flash drive - without installation on a host computer. They can be handy if you use multiple computers or if you use public computers.
This list is aimed at college students, but the general public will find many of these useful as well.
Megan Jones (the author of the above-linked article) writes:
The following portable apps cover everything from documents to note-taking to organization to security to helpful tools and more, are all small enough to go anywhere, and cost absolutely nothing.
Now there’s a portable version of this software, packaged to be run directly from a USB drive without installing anything nor leaving a footprint on the host PC.
It can be downloaded free of charge from the Keepod Store. This version will run from any USB storage device; ownership of a Keepod is not necessary. You will have to register and give a valid email address to get to the 188 MB file download.
Be advised that this version weighs in at a beefy 493 MB unzipped:
Like many portable applications, it doesn’t start up as quickly as the installed-to-the-hard-drive version. The portability factor is, in our view, a reasonable tradeoff for a slower-than-expected start up. Once the suite is open performance is on par with the installed version.
Many free software programs are licensed for home, non-commercial, or non-business use only. Our Links to Free Software page contains a note about this which states:
Some free software licenses stipulate home or personal use only - read the license agreements and let your conscience be your guide…
Actually, school here in metro Birmingham, AL has been back in session since mid-August. However, since this is Labor Day weekend with tomorrow being the “traditional” start of school for many, we thought we’d note some resources that would be useful for students and parents.
“From staying organized to improving study habits to making sure you reference your research sources properly, the web can help you be a better student.”
“…recommended free downloads that will help you communicate, get those assignments done, have some fun, and manage and protect your system while you’re surfing the Internet.”
Bill mentions Open Office in his picks. We’ve pointed out several Microsoft Office Alternatives over the last few years. As we’ve said before, “free is good”, especially in this day and time of belt-tightening.
UsefulUtils Discs Studio is a free and lightweight disc burning software program for most Windows operating systems including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. The website is in Russian by default, but clicking the British flag in the upper right corner will change the page to read in English. This program has a ton of features generally not found in other free burning software.
Ashampoo/SoftMaker Office 2008 corrects this with a very capable presentation application that can also utilize templates originally created for PowerPoint.
The second link on the left side of that Ashampoo offer (the first black button) says “Download 30 days free full version HERE” Clicking that link in turn takes you to a CNET download.com page where the installation file can be downloaded and saved.
According to the Planete Beranger blog, A full license key to turn this 30-day version of Ashampoo Office 2008 into a full, non-time limited version can be obtained from Ashampoo by filling out this form using a valid email address.
Once you’ve obtained your key from Ashampoo via email, go ahead and run the installation file you downloaded from CNET download.com. Enter the name, email address, and serial number you received from Ashampoo in their reply email when prompted. After the installation is complete, download and install SoftMaker’s service pack from here, which will make sure your Ashampoo/SoftMaker Office 2008 installation is fully up-to-date.
Here’s how to make this very capable office suite save files in Microsoft Office (.doc, .xls, .ppt) formats automatically. You’ll need to do this in all three (TextMaker 2008, PlanMaker 2008, and Presentations 2008) programs.
After installation, click on Tools, Options… in the menu bar…
…and and then click on the Files tab at the top of the Options window.
The drop-down menu labeled Default file format (as shown above) allows the default file format to be set to your choice of Microsoft Office-compatible formats.
TextMaker documents will then be saved with a .doc file extension, PlanMaker spreadsheets will be saved with a .xls file extension, and Presentations will then be saved with a .ppt file extension automatically by default so they can be shared with Microsoft Office users.
Hopefully these links will all last. Either deal - free or five bucks - is pretty hard to beat for what you get. Take advantage of it before Ashampoo does away with it.
