Freewaremakers are usually enthusiastic computer users who do not program for profit, but use their skills to improve things. Thanks to the free programs, computing becomes more fun and convenient! We discuss the best freeware of the moment and new versions of “evergreens”.
Every month we list the best freeware for you. You can find the full list here!
Tip 01: Learned
Suitable for: Windows 7, 8.x, 10
We know the word “book wisdom” in Dutch, a derogatory term for knowledge gained from a book, but not in line with reality. Yet there is a lot to learn from (study) books, but every now and then those texts are unmanageable bricks. Perhaps that is one of the reasons for the popularity of flashcards; cards with a question on the front and the answer on the back. Ideal for all kinds of knowledge that needs to be stamped into it, such as strange words, conjugations, formulas, bones, muscles and tendons in the human body and so on.
The great program Anki is enormously versatile. The cards you make in it do not only have to contain text, but can also consist of formatted formulas and can even have images and sound. Although this does not mean that making a set of tickets for a certain subject is a big job. That is why it is worth checking first (from the program) which sets of cards have already been made by others, downloading them and adjusting them if necessary.
Tip 2: Photogenic
Suitable for: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8.x, 10
No shortage of free photo editors, but every user has a different need. Where one person only has to fix a photo once in a while and is looking for a simple program that does as much as possible automatically, the more fanatic hobby photographer would like to be able to release the entire toolbox with every conceivable trick on his plate. For the latter target group there is PhotoDemon. This program offers a huge collection of professional tools to brighten up photos manually and partly automatically. For that it contains a large collection of color filters, a wide range of effects and the possibility to work with layers and to mix them in all kinds of ways. PhotoDemon has the advantage over a number of competitors that it also works on older Windows versions and moreover the program is compact and portable. In short: highly recommended!
PhotoDemon offers a huge collection of professional tools to brighten up your photos
Tip 03: Literally
Suitable for: any system
Windows comes standard with a large number of fonts that are excellent for writing a letter, report or other type of text. Some fonts lend themselves to making an invitation or poster, but if you have a specific style in your head, chances are you won’t find it in Windows. Fortunately, there are plenty of websites where you can download fonts for free. A website where you can find more than 60,000 different fonts is fontspace.com. If you are looking for “something”, then that is such an impossible offer in such a huge range, were it not for the fact that you can search by name. But actually only printers and professional typographers know many names by heart. Fortunately, the colossal range is subdivided into sections. You can find them via the menu Browse. As you can see, each main category has its own subdivision. That’s how we find at Decorative styles such as handwriting (Handwriting) and typewriter letters (Typewriter) back. If you don’t see the style you’re looking for, scroll down and click all font categories. There you will find the complete range of categories, around 23,000. Does that mean that there are only a few fonts per category? No, often there are more than 100, because each font can be found via multiple keywords.
Tip 04: Greatness
Suitable for: Windows 7, 8.x, 10
When we use Windows Explorer in the detail view, the size of each file appears neatly. That column, however, remains desperately empty behind folder names. Fortunately, there are various programs available to gain insight into this. Some of them go completely graphic while others keep it a bit more sober. MeinPlatz belongs to the latter category. Sobriety is not synonymous with a lack of information. MeinPlatz namely displays the relative size in a subtle bar chart, but those who scroll further to the right also see the size in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes. In addition, the program shows the number of files and subfolders in a folder and data such as the creation date.
For example, if you use the program to find the total size of all video files, you can embed file types separated by a comma, for example * .avi, * .mp4. You can also exclude certain file types from the count. Unfortunately, it is not possible to save these criteria for reuse.
You can download MeinPlatz as a normal installation file or as a portable version in both a 32 and a 64-bit version.
Everything happens fully automatically on every PC, whether desired or undesirable
Tip 05: Waking eye
Suitable for: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8.x, 10
When you save a file in a folder or change a file in a folder, that is a deliberate action and you know what happened. But on every PC everything is done fully automatically, whether that is desired, such as making a backup or not, when you suffer from ransomware. The widely usable FolderChangesView keeps an eye on what is happening on your PC.
You would FolderChangesView (FCV) can easily be used to create a folder with bait files yourself and to monitor if you suspect that you have ransomware on your PC, but FCV can also check for you if someone did something on your PC when you were away for a while, or check whether a backup or automatic download is ready. FCV can also browse network folders (such as a nas). To get FCV to do its job, you must first specify one or more folders to be monitored. Unfortunately, the program itself does not have a dialog box for selecting a folder, but in Windows 10 you can go to a folder in Explorer, right-click in the address bar and choose Copy address as text to select the correct folder. You can specify multiple folders and even specify file types that you do or do not want to follow.
Tip 06: Spatial
Suitable for: Windows 7, 8.x, 10
Madame Tussauds made her first wax sculptures of celebrities who ended up under the guillotine as a result of the French Revolution. Later, the manufacture of such lifelike figures became a less lugubrious affair and the great ones of the earth allowed themselves to be immortalized. What used to be the wax image is now the 3D model. At various companies you can immortalize yourself for a few tens to hundreds of euros. Bit pricey though. Nowadays there are also options for do-it-yourselfers, such as the extensive but complex Meshroom. The theory behind Meshroom is simple: photograph an object of which you want to make a 3D model from all sides (preferably in small steps), put those images in the program and that then provides a model that you can import into 3D software and therefore also in programs that be able to control a 3D printer. The practice is of course a bit more complicated, because it is certainly not a simple job. You can adjust all kinds of settings to achieve the perfect result. The program requires some study, but there are many video tutorials on YouTube.
Tip 07: Beastly good
Suitable for: Windows 7, 8.x, 10
Ever since the old dos era, people have found that file management with a double window works better than with a single window. That Microsoft has never put such a possibility in Windows remains one of the greatest mysteries of our time. However, this means that there is enough room for alternatives for Explorer, both free and commercial. The large free offer has even made it pay initially Atap Salamander is free nowadays.
Salamander is a very versatile replacement for Explorer. Of course you can use the program initially to copy and move files and folders in a much clearer way, but Salamander has much more to offer. This way you can see the contents of all kinds of file types, encrypt and convert files, rename and compare in different ways. Some of the advanced functions are provided by plug-ins and you can even expand this collection via the forum on the site of the makers. Finally, Salamander offers a script function with which you can automate common tasks.
Tip 08: 8 (8)
Suitable for: Windows 7, 8.x, 10
In Windows 7 we had gadgets, small programs that you could put on the side of the desktop to keep track of time or processor status, for example. Microsoft has stopped doing that, but anyone who likes something like that can go to 8GadgetPack. The name is a bit misleading, because where it once started with eight gadgets, there are now a lot more. There are not yet 88, but that number is coming up. In addition to the aforementioned components, the collection includes gadgets to monitor the weather, convert units, create memos and check e-mail. 8GadgetPack not only contains serious things, there are also the necessary entertaining gadgets, such as a radio, a picture puzzle and even a mini piano. After installation, the three most popular gadgets appear on the right-hand side of the screen and you can then add your own favorites. In addition, each gadget also has its own settings.
Tip 09: File info
Suitable for: Windows 7, 8.x, 10
In addition to the information that is shown by default in Explorer, such as file size and date, files often contain much more type-dependent information. For example, mp3 files often contain mp3 tags with information about the artist, the album, etc. and photos contain exif data in which things such as the camera used and shutter speed are stored. Who right-clicks on one of the columns in the detailed view of Explorer can choose from a large number of these so-called meta tags.
However, Metadata ++ has many more tags. Although the program is not only meant for viewing this data, you can also change it, delete it (think of removing exif data from photos that you put online), print, import and export. In addition to viewing and editing, the program offers the possibility to search through the metadata of large groups of files simultaneously and you can sort files based on tags. Finally you can with Metadata ++ even tag file types that do not normally support that.
Photopea resembles the mother of all photo processors in terms of appearance and functionality: Photoshop
Tip 10: Photogenic II
Suitable for: any system
The photo editor PhotoDemon (tip 2) is an excellent product, but it has two disadvantages for a user who rarely edits photos. First, the program has its own way of working, and second, you have to install it on your PC. If you only need to edit a photo every now and then, you will soon end up at one of the many online services. If you already think that you will be editing photos more often in the long term, for example because you are still a starting photographer, you will automatically end up at Photopea. This online photo editor has a user interface that is very similar to that of the mother of all photo editors: Photoshop. Many functionalities also match, for those who have worked with Photoshop. That means, among other things, that you can work with separate layers for both objects and operations. Such adjustment layers even make it possible to adjust contrast and color tones endlessly, even though you are many steps further in the editing process.
Tip 11: Hot key
Suitable for: Windows 7, 8.x, 10
Windows has an enormous amount of shortcuts to perform all kinds of actions without detours. However, most users only know a few by heart. Whoever devises shortcut keys for certain tasks, will remember them more easily and that is exactly what you are dealing with Lintalist can do. The nice thing is that you can not only link shortcuts to actions in Lintalist, but also small text fragments. For example, you could learn the program to always enter “the Netherlands” when you type “nl”. Shortcuts or text fragments that are linked to an action are called snippets and are stored in bundles. This allows you to use different collections for different purposes and you do not get through the available key combinations quickly. You can also create scripts – even with variables – that look at the context yourself (especially in which program you call the snippet) and then call up the correct bundle.
In Lintalist you can link both actions and small text fragments to shortcuts
Tip 12: At high and low
Suitable for: any system
In our low-lying frog country, it is a good idea to keep an eye on how fast (and if) the sea level rises, so that we don’t suddenly sit behind the pc with wet feet one day. On the Current Height Map of the Netherlands the height of every place in our country is recorded in detail and with the online AHN-Viewer you can view this data. The map is so detailed that you can zoom in on your own house to see if the street you live in is below or above NAP and how much is exactly. You can also click on buildings to find out their height and even with trees that works nicely. To simplify navigation, a road map and an aerial photo are also available.
Dangerous?
With some freeware you can expect a scary warning from your security program. Don’t be put off, but read carefully what is going on and if you find this logical. For example, programs connect to the Internet. Only this promotion can trigger a response from your security guard. For software that is relatively new or is referred to as ‘rare’, your security officer can also give a warning. Do you trust the download? Then have the program executed. Do you feel doubt? Have your download examined by www.virustotal.com, we do that too. This service checks your program with more than fifty security programs. This way you can quickly see whether you are dealing with a risk or with an over-extensive security program.
Don’t click too fast
Unfortunately we see it too often and it should be prohibited: installation procedures that bundle extra programs and make adjustments just like that. You try out a program and before you know it the homepage of your browser has been adjusted and you have a number of unwanted programs richer. This course of action is popularly underhanded, but the neat indication is “potentially unwanted program” (pup). More and more security programs are watching this when you try to install something. We use Unchecky to notice “wrong check marks.” You can also prevent the extras yourself. For example, download a program only through the website of the makers and always choose the advanced or customized installation. This way you can see for yourself which options are active. Remove the check marks from adjustments / programs that you consider undesirable or reject the adjustment in a different way.
