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  Freeware & Shareware
June 2002

Tim Hoke

Tim Hoke is the Sr. Pastor at Faith Presbyterian Church, a long-time member of Alamo PC and an avid computer user who loves to try out new programs, especially shareware and freeware. He gets excited about a good deal.  More than that, he enjoys sharing good deals with others.

Why not send him a note about your favorite shareware or freeware programs.



I’ve been traveling the shareware/freeware highway and here are some interesting finds.  I hope you enjoy them!

Yahoo Messenger (formerly known as Yahoo Pager) is a free service that allows you to see when friends come online and send them instant messages. It can also alert you to new e-mail in your Yahoo Mail or Yahoo Personals account, or when you have upcoming events recorded in Yahoo Calendar. Yahoo Messenger offers firewall support, a standby mode that minimizes the program until an Internet connection is made, the ability to save and print your conversations, and a tabbed interface that provides quick access to your favorite stocks, news, and sports scores. Other features include the ability to create a chat room automatically, stock price alerts, the ability to send messages to friends even if they're not online when you are, a Quick Compact mode that hides the Messenger tools to maximize your viewing area, Messenger Themes, the Online Presence, a small HTML "button" you can put onto your Web site to allow your Yahoo buddies to instantly see if you are online, and voice chat, which allows you to talk free to anybody else on the Internet. If you have a microphone and speakers, you can talk to other people on Yahoo with no long-distance charges. Using a Webcam, you can see who you are chatting with, or view the Webcam of any Yahoo member who has granted you access. Version 5.0 introduces IMVironments, custom themes that you can add as backgrounds to your messaging window.  
 Yahoo Messenger 

LimeWire is a software tool that enables peer-to-peer file sharing on the Gnutella Network. Similar to the popular Napster service, it enables the sharing, searching, and downloading of MP3 music files. LimeWire also lets users share and search for all types of computer files, including movies, pictures, games, and text documents. Other features include the ability to push uploads and downloads, BearShare QHD compatibility, the ability to measure the speed of remote hosts and preview files while downloading, and a chat feature. Previous updates added the ability to send and receive metadata queries for more precise category-specific searching. Version 2.4.3 adds better and easier ways to search and makes significant changes the interface. This download includes additional applications that are bundled within the software's installer file, some of which may be provided by parties other than the developer of this download. These applications may deliver advertisements, collect information, overlay content or graphics on the Web site you are viewing, or modify your system settings. As with all downloads, CNET recommends that you pay close attention to the options presented to you during the installation process. Known third-party applications bundled with this download include Cydoor.  
Free from ZDNet

Exit Killer Popup Terminator 3.0 prevents any unwanted pop-up windows from generating on your computer screen. Based upon the sensitivity level chosen, it can detect and block a variety of the commonly-used advertising windows from running, while the highest sensitivity prevents any and all pop-up windows from appearing. This download works with Internet Explorer, Netscape, and AOL browsers. It provides a 10-day trial; if you decide to keep it the cost is $29.95.  
ZDNet

Download Accelerator 5.0 is a download accelerator/manager that can increase download speeds by up to 300 percent. It features multi-server connections to provide the best possible performance from your dial-up or broadband connection. Download Accelerator can also recover from lost connections, computer shutdowns, and other errors. This program even searches for mirror sites to maximize your download performance. It integrates fully into Internet Explorer, Netscape (including Netscape 6.x), and Opera, supports proxy servers, features automatic hang up after download completion, download scheduling, dial-up configuration, an AlwaysResume feature that will resume broken downloads from servers that do not support resume functions, and more. The newest version includes a convenient toolbar that integrates with Internet Explorer and includes a file leecher, downloadable link highlighter, integrated search bar, and more. DAP 5.0 also features the ability to import and export downloads lists, operate triggered sounds, password management, and the option to save files to different folders based on their file extension.  
Free from Speedbit

When I built my office I put a waterfall outside my window so I could see the water plummet into a beautiful pool.  At home I do not have the same beauty — until now.  Enter Living Waters Now, in my study at home I can be transported to a beautiful Tasmanian waterfall. Russell Falls comes alive on my desktop as never before.  Download version 1.2 be soothed by the sound and motion of cascading water along with the calls of local wildlife." It’s only seven bucks!
ZDNet

WebFerret 4.0 provides a handy and efficient way to find information on the Web. It's fast, easy to use, and available from your desktop and from the Search Web option. Enter your search words and choose from four radio buttons: all keywords, any keyword, exact phrase, or boolean expression. WebFerret will use your Internet connection to query popular search engines and will return an unlimited number of hits. You can validate selected results, save your search history, and filter out pornography and foul language. Advanced features let you set the closeness of the match and remove duplicates. The results are returned as a sortable list. Just double-click on a link to bring up your browser and launch the page. The latest version adds several new features, including improved speed and performance, a new uninstaller, bug fixes, and a new toolbar that integrates seamlessly with Internet Explorer. This free software contains advertising technology that will occasionally use your Internet connection to receive and display banner ads. The professional version does not include advertising and supports more advanced search features.
Free from Ferret


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