Recent Software Picks

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3/10/05 - I have decided to start to move the web picks and software picks to a blog format. In the future, you will find my "dailies" at http://www.robinsblog.com. I hope to eventually move the old "dailies" to the new site as well. This site will remain for tutorials and other resources.

3/8/05 - ieSpell is a Spell Check Extension for Internet Explorer. You can use this extension to check the spelling of messages that you are typing into forms. With the extension installed, just right click your message text and select Check Spelling. There is also a spell check module called Spellbound available for Firefox.

3/7/05 - For those of you who are using a Mac you may want to check out CSS Edit by MacRabbit. I put this CSS Editor on our Mac in the classroom. To see more CSS and HTML/XHTML editors visit CSSDiscuss. Right now I am trying out TSW's WebCoder for the classroom (freeware) and StyleMaster for home use.

1/26/05 - I found out that Google has a free photo organizer/editor called Picasa 2. I downloaded and installed it last night; it’s very easy to use and works well. Best of all it’s free!

11/9/04 - Some of you may be interested in this article at SitePoint on Swift 3D, which allows you to create 3D animations.

David just e-mailed me to let me know that Firefox has an FTP plug-in that you can download for free. Thanks David!

11/3/04 - I have been using the Mozilla web browserer called Firefox a lot lately. I really like the features, the fast downloads, and the overall appearance of this browser. Firefox is free and you can download it at their web site. There is also a Firefox Suite (Mac version is available also) which includes Thunderbird, their e-mail client.

10/22/04 - I discovered a really neat vector drawing program called Xara X. This is one of the coolest and easiest programs that I've played with. The software can be downloaded at the manuafacturer's web site. They also have a program called WebStyle that creates the graphics for web sites, banner ads, logos, and more in a snap. Xara X is around $89 at http://www.academicsuperstore.com and WebStyle is $59.00.

10/21/04 - Are you looking for a free image editor? Well look no more. GIMP, a popular image editor originally made for Unix/Linux, is also available for the Mac and Windows.

If you're on a tight budget and you need some software, I would recommend that you visit NoNags. At NoNags you will find tons of freeware applications. At NoNags you're not limited to web development applications either. The following software categories are available: audio, communications, coolware, desktop, disk, email, entertainment, essentials, file, graphics, Internet, MP3, network, office, schedule, system, text, servers, web development, and of course the famous "other" category.

9/6/04 - Swish - Can't afford Macromedia Flash, but you want to create create stunning fully interactive Flash animations? Check out Swish. Swish is a great alternative for easily creating Flash animations. The regular retail price for the program is only $99, the student version is just $33.95.

5/26/04 - If you try to send a link via Internet Explorer and Outlook you may receive an error message that Outlook blocked unsafe attachments. To edit Outlooks security settings you can download the Attachment Options Add-in at Slipstick.

4/29/04 - JAlbum is a free software program that makes web albums of your digital images. This program works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The various skins (layouts) for the albums can be viewed here. This small program is very fast and easy to us3.

The Macromedia Exchange also has two enhanced Web Photo Album extensions for versions MX and MX 2004. These are worth the time it takes to download them. To find these extensions visit the Exchange and search for photo album. Version 2.1 is for Dreamweaver MX and version 2.2 is for Dreamweaver MX 2004. I have already downloaded both of these extensions for classroom use. If you would like to use them, let me know. Because the Exchange is sometimes difficult to access, you can quickly download these extensions here: Version 2.1 or version 2.2. You can also download addtional themes/templates for this extension.

3/22/04 - I put together a page of spyware tools. Spyware is bits of software that helps a company gather information about a user or organization. Spyware can also come in the form of cookies and registry entries. Spyware is sometimes included in freeware, shareware, and even purchased software programs. The companies that use this spyware claim that their spyware is harmless; it's just used to gather demographic information about their users for marketing. Unfortunately, some programs will not run without the spyware installed, this is a tradeoff for using the software for free. Now spyware is also being used with viruses to cause numerous problems on infected user's systems.

2/17/04 - Photo Resizer is a handy little freeware program that Claudio shared with me. It allows you to easily resize and compress your photos for e-mail and web pages. There is also an e-mail option that allows you to send your resized photos to a friend from within the program.

12/3/03 - Color Wheel Pro is a utility that allows you to develop a color scheme for your web site, logos, and other documentation. This program is slick, one of the nicest color utilities that I've seen. "Unlike other color utilities, Color Wheel Pro lets you preview your color schemes on real-world examples - websites, logos, product packages - not just on a row of ordinary color boxes." This program retails for $39.95, but I am checking on the possibility of educational pricing for students. While you are visiting their site, take a look at their Color Theory Basics and Color Meaning articles.

11/12/03 - Denim is "An Informal Tool For Early Stage Web Site and UI Design" developed by U.C. Berkeley. You can use it for story boarding and web site planning in general. I think I will have to spend a little time reading the user manual, but the program is free.

11/5/03 - FontLister is a handy little shareware utility for viewing, managing, and printing fonts that are installed on a computer or stored in a folder. This program is $5.00.

UnzipThemAll is a utility that unzips multiple files in a directory. Freeware.

10/22/03 - I must use the Google Toolbar it at least 20 times/day. It adds a handy search bar to your browser. The newest version of the toolbar includes a pop-up stopper and an Auto Fill feature for completing forms. Unfortunately, this toolbar is only available for Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher.

10/13/03 - Style Master CSS Editor allows you to develop style sheets with a WYSIWIG interface. It's very easy to use and generates style sheets quickly. You can download a free demo, but the program costs $49.99.

10/1/03 - Photoshop CS (version 8) is now available.

9/11/03 - Macromedia Studio MX 2004 has been released. For more information, visit http://www.macromedia.com.

9/8/03 - Macromedia has announced the release of Studio MX 2004. To read more about this major software upgrade visit Web Monkey.

2/14/03 - Edit+ - A very nice Internet text editor. Some of the features that I like include: PHP, JavaScript, and other scripting syntax highlighting, a Match Brace feature to help you to find the missing { in your code, the ability to insert common tags quickly via a toolbar, a GoTo line number feature, Spell Check, Macro Recording, Clips of commonly used code snippets, FTP, and the ability to change case on blocks of text. This program is $30. You can download a 30 day trial version at the Edit+ web site.

Ariesoft Winsyntax - A small PHP Editor that includes syntax highlighting for PHP. If you don't want to spend the $30 for Edit+, this little program is free. Be sure to also check out HTML-Kit (reviewed below on 6/17/02).

WebAttack is a collection of shareware and freeware Internet tools. They list the top downloads for freeware and shareware. Nicely organized. Another site that offers a Freeware directory is FreewareFiles.com. Beware, unfortunately, it's loaded with popups. You can also check out The Free Site for more free software and other goodies.

2/13/03 - This isn't really a download, but it certainly is handy. Visibone, the makers of the Color & HTML charts that we use in the classroom, have a download called Visibone Popups. These are HTML files that contain all of the HTML codes and color charts for your desktop. Pretty cool. :)

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If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and you're interested in learning more about web design and development, graphics, or computers in general, consider taking classes at the Contra Costa ROP Technology Center. We offer affordable computer training in a variety of subjects. Visit our web site for more information.

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