The Freeware and Open Source Software Thread

[Geoffrey S]

Wing Commander Saga.
Homepage
OS: Windows, Mac OSX
Open Source: Yes
Description: Remember those Wing Commander games from years ago? This is a modern take on the classic, based off the Freespace 2 engine. Featuring the prologue campaign, excellent voice acting, and the Wing Commander gameplay updated for the 21st century this is a must for any fans of spaceflight games. It's even got good FMV!

[Bijo]

Notepad++
Homepage: http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm
OS: Windows 32-bit
Open Source: No
Description: a good fast-working replacement for Notepad, also capable of highlighting source code for many programming languages. It has some nice features shown on the website.


Windows Defender
Homepage: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...e/default.mspx
OS: Windows
Open Source: No
Description: a free spyware protection tool.

[TosaInu]

http://www.xxclone.com/

No experience yet, but seems quite interesting. Freeware version for personal use available.

[caravel]

I need to do some disk cloning next month so I'll be testing that, thanks. @Bijo: Notepad++ is a very good program, ideal for editing text files used when modding TW games (especially the unit and build prod files used in MTW).

[pevergreen]

This thread is for stuff you can legally download for free, yeah?

Ground Control.
Great Strategy Game, now free off fileplanet (not the D2D thing either, to normal, unpaying members)
Would provide link and stuff but fileplanet is down for me.

[The Foolish Horseman]

Incredimail Standard (notgold as that is $29.99)

os: Windows
Description: put some fun back into emails with fun emotions, backgrounds and tunes for the background
Website:http://www.incredimail.com/english/index.asp

This Program Is officially certified with the GBB stamp of approval

This is an amazing email client, so fun and easy to use...easy to set up too and with fun little email notifiers and too many things to write

It also has the added option of downloading new free content (not the gold things though) such as songs and backgrounds

Enjoy

[Stig]

Aevum Obscurum
Homepage: www.aevumobscurum.com/original or for the forums: http://www.squadra.ch/phpBB2/index.php
OS: Win, Mac and Linux
Open Source: Yes and no. Not every code is available, but for the sake of better development some codes are released
Description: It's a Mulitplayer Turn-Based Strategy Game. You can compare it to Risk or Europa Universalis (tho it's more difficult then risk and less difficult then EU). The new version has been running for a year now, but it's based on an old boardgame. It used to be 100% free, now you just can't make your own clan and you can't play SP campaigns if you don't pay, but that's not needed anyway, it's about the MP. Next to that you can get a free upgrade to full membership simply by "advertising the game" (that's having a sig with your stats, like I do).

[Pannonian]

Pegasus Mail
Homepage Wiki
Email program with powerful filter and other features. Won't be developed any more since it's taking up too much of the developer's time, so get it while you can. Re-reading the wiki, it seems Pegasus will still be freeware for single users, but people using it for several accounts will have to pay for a licence.

Mailwasher
Homepage Wiki
Email is initially sent to your email server, where it stays until you download it to your computer. AFAIK, MS email software doesn't have any way of checking your email without actually downloading it from the server. Mailwasher gets around that, by downloading the headers of the emails on your email server, before you decide whether to download them or delete them. This can save both bandwidth and provide security by letting you delete suspicious emails before they get to your computer. NB. Pegasus Mail has these functionalities built in.

XNews
Homepage Wiki
Newsreader, of the Usenet variety. If you read newsgroups, this is the reader for you. Completely free, as the creator developed it for his own use and provided it for anyone else who's interested.

Buzzys.net
Homepage
Not a program, but a site reviewing and recommending freeware programs. Add it to your bookmarks now.

[Caius]

Well, my 2 cents to this
Ad-aware
A proficient anti-spyware application. Note that Ad-Aware does not have the immunizing functions of SpywareBlaster or Spybot. But we love it anyway.

It comes with Ad-Watch, a program who catches many changes in the registry and let you know whats going on.Also you can download add-ons, some useful and some not.

[Dutch_guy]

Well, my 2 cents to this
Ad-aware
A proficient anti-spyware application. Note that Ad-Aware does not have the immunizing functions of SpywareBlaster or Spybot. But we love it anyway.

It comes with Ad-Watch, a program who catches many changes in the registry and let you know whats going on.Also you can download add-ons, some useful and some not.

Ad-Aware is already on the list, Caius

[Caius]

I know, Dutchie :)

Just adding something missing in the description

[UltraWar]

Aevum Obscurum
Homepage: www.aevumobscurum.com/original or for the forums: http://www.squadra.ch/phpBB2/index.php
OS: Win, Mac and Linux
Open Source: Yes and no. Not every code is available, but for the sake of better development some codes are released
Description: It's a Mulitplayer Turn-Based Strategy Game. You can compare it to Risk or Europa Universalis (tho it's more difficult then risk and less difficult then EU). The new version has been running for a year now, but it's based on an old boardgame. It used to be 100% free, now you just can't make your own clan and you can't play SP campaigns if you don't pay, but that's not needed anyway, it's about the MP. Next to that you can get a free upgrade to full membership simply by "advertising the game" (that's having a sig with your stats, like I do).

Looks like a great game which I've joined

[Dutch_guy]

I know, Dutchie :)

Just adding something missing in the description

Ugh, my bad.

I completely missed that.

[Caius]

Ugh, my bad.

I completely missed that.

Its ok.

[Stig]

Looks like a great game which I've joined

It's played by a couple of Orgahs. I know Lucjan (from the minigame Rise of Civilizations) now plays it. Kraxis and I used to play it in the same clan.

[Xiahou]

Here's a simple, fun, free FPS game. It also has some really nice graphics for being open sourced.

Alien Arena
Homepage
OS:Windows, Linux, Mac(?)
Open Source:Yes!
Description:From the game's website:

Do you like fast paced deathmatch? How about rich, colorful, arcadelike atmospheres? How about...retro Sci Fi? Then you're going to love what Alien Arena 2007 has in store for you! This game combines some of the very best aspects of such games as Quake III and Unreal Tournament and wraps them up with a retro alien theme, while adding tons of original ideas to make the game quite unique.

Single player just involves you and bots in various deathmatches. But the game also supports online multiplay which adds deathball, CTF, and other team matches in addition to the deathmatch free-for-alls. Good, mindless fun.

If anyone has the interest/ability to run a server, this could be a fun one for orgahs.

[TosaInu]

http://www.blackviper.com/index.html

Helps to configure your XP install.

[sapi]

bblean
http://bb4win.sourceforge.net/bblean/
OS: Win, Unix (link to win version)
Open source: afaik
Description: Shell replacement. Lightweight and very customisable. Been using it for a few months and love it

[_Martyr_]

This thread is for stuff you can legally download for free, yeah?

Ground Control.
Great Strategy Game, now free off fileplanet (not the D2D thing either, to normal, unpaying members)
Would provide link and stuff but fileplanet is down for me.

Thanks a million for that! GC was one of my all time favourites, but I lost my CD years ago, so Im really happy to be able to play it again! :)

[TosaInu]

Speedfan http://www.majorgeeks.com/download337.html

This is a freeware tool that allows to monitor several temperatures, but more importantly to reduce the speed of CPU, PSU and case fans. My standard CPU fan was running at ~2600 RPM and made a lot of noise. Reduced it to 75%-1800RPM (make sure that the temperature is still in the safe zone). It's running at the same idle temperature and makes much less noise, will run Prime95 to test load.

Edit: 50-52% load, temperature is fine, fanspeed increased to 2140 (temperature controlled).

[edyzmedieval]

Thank you Tosa. Much appreciated for that link.

[Xiahou]

Speedfan http://www.majorgeeks.com/download337.html

This is a freeware tool that allows to monitor several temperatures, but more importantly to reduce the speed of CPU, PSU and case fans. My standard CPU fan was running at ~2600 RPM and made a lot of noise. Reduced it to 75%-1800RPM (make sure that the temperature is still in the safe zone). It's running at the same idle temperature and makes much less noise, will run Prime95 to test load.

Edit: 50-52% load, temperature is fine, fanspeed increased to 2140 (temperature controlled).

I've been using SpeedFan forever. Not to alter fan speeds, but just to monitor system temps and hard drive SMART info. It's a great, multipurpose utility.

Here's a link to the actual program's website: Speedfan

I don't know if it's open source or not... probably not- but definitely free!

[Bijo]

I need to do some disk cloning next month so I'll be testing that, thanks. @Bijo: Notepad++ is a very good program, ideal for editing text files used when modding TW games (especially the unit and build prod files used in MTW).

A very good one indeed :) Though it has many good features, it lacks one that's very simple and needed: a button to disable/enable global syntax highlighting. I like most of the features, except the forced highlighting. Is there a quick and easy way to do this with Notepad++ ?
If the standard Notepad only had tabbed browsing, I'd be happy already.

[Bijo]

CutePDF
Homepage: http://www.cutepdf.com/
OpenSource: No
Description: Create professional quality PDF files from almost any printable document. FREE for personal and commercial use! No watermarks! No popup Web advertisements! Now supports 64-bit Windows.



Btw, regarding my last post, I have a request. If you know of any Notepad-ish editor WITH tabbed file browsing and no other features, please let me know. I remember I used to use one that was perfect, but I forgot which one it was.

[Lemur]

AVG Anti-Rootkit
Homepage: http://www.grisoft.com/doc/download-...otkit/us/crp/0
OpenSource: No
Description: AVG Anti-Rootkit is a powerful tool with state-of-the-art technology for detection and removal of rootkits. Rootkits are used to hide the presence of a malicious object like trojans or keyloggers on your computer. If a threat uses rootkit technology to hide itself it is very hard to find the malware on your PC. AVG Anti-Rootkit gives you the power to find and delete the rootkit and to uncover the threat the rootkit is hiding.

[Lord Winter]

Btw, regarding my last post, I have a request. If you know of any Notepad-ish editor WITH tabbed file browsing and no other features, please let me know. I remember I used to use one that was perfect, but I forgot which one it was.

Heres
one I've been using with school that sounds the same.

[Beirut]

What's the best MP3-to-WAV file convertor I can get?

Thanks.

[Pannonian]

What's the best MP3-to-WAV file convertor I can get?

Thanks.

There's cdex from the front page. Another application that might be useful is mp3gain, which normalises volume on your mp3s.

[Beirut]

Thanks.

[Crian]

(The website you gave the link of has some pieces which are not actually "abandoned" by its producers. Abandonware refers to titles on those the producers do not claim a commercial and legal ownership anymore -therefore being free to share. Sorry, I had to cut the link out. - LEN)