Looks like phpBB3 is finally out of beta today and ready for production. I have been running this all semester for my classes and had no issues and updated all the way through the development process. Its super easy to use and has a nice clean interface and easy to manage. My only qualm is the lack of RSS feeds from the forum but I can survive without that. I have come across a website that has free Templates for you to use instead of the default one (phpBB3Styles). With some minor modifications it now more closely resembles my blog template. Amazing what software you can get for free these days. This was a super easy repository to use for school and very helpful for keeping all teammates on the same page as to where the project is. Also provides an easy medium to share documents and keep everyone on the same version.
Tag Archive: Applications
So my new favorite web based documents site has updated their PowerPoint replacement to version 2.0. This site is great for a quick backup of those presentations or if you want to embed something online like a YouTube video. New features include a better interface, more themes, shapes support, clip art, and ability to integrate Zoho Chat. The new interface is a lot more slick and easier to use. I like this suite better than the alternate Google Docs as I am a big fan of Zoho Creator which allows you to create quick applications with no hassle. I introduced my girlfriend to the website and she built a nice little project management application and loves how easy it is with the drag and drop interface. I will do just about anything to get away from using Excel and Access!
I almost forgot probably my most used application! This one is a must have it allows you to batch add pictures and shrink them down in resolution. That way you are not uploading 1mb-12mb files to your site or trying to email large files. It also will convert image file types to just about any type. It will let you put watermark images into your pictures easily, you can also rename your files in a snap. This program has been super handy of the years. It also comes in a nice portable version so you can take it with you on your pen drive!
Just in case I have attached the portable version if they decide to go to a paid model only like they did with the screen capture.
I love when software venders are smart enough to let their old versions go out for free. This program is a pretty popular one for capturing images of your screen. It allows you to do many options such as selecting a certain window, capture a scrolling page, draw a box. Personally I like using FastStone’s Screen Capture which I posted in an older entry with the version that is still free as they seem to have jumped to a paid only model. These applications are great if you take a lot of screen shots to send off to your admin team for help, or if you are trying to explain something to your parents and you are pulling your hair out!
Filezilla has been around for a long time and probably the application I use the most for my daily FTP needs. It is super easy, light, portable and runs on any platform. It also comes with a server part so that you can run your own FTP server super easily.
WinSCP is a new application that I have been using and comes with a PortableApps version as well. The only difference is that WinSCP supports SCP file transfers while Filezilla does not. So typically I use Filezilla unless I need SCP. And oddly enough WinSCP is Windows only but will run under Wine in Linux.
As I am trying to write down all the applications I use on a daily basis I almost forgot the most important one. I use Notepad++ probably every day and it is great for quick easy changes to just about any type of file. I use it a lot to make quick changes to php files and stuff like when I don’t want to wait like 10 mins for this awesome dell laptop to boot up Dreamweaver. It is a great time saver and super light and easy to use. There is also a PortableApps version that is helpful to carry around on your pen drive.
This website allows you to upload images and then turn them into vector graphics. This is really handy for things like text images and stuff. Super easy to use and the interesting part is the domain of the website is Stanford.edu…nerds who get bored do crap like this I suppose, oh well its pretty helpful!
Well today my favorite blogging tool is out of beta and ready for the prime time. This application has let me increase my blogging ability by oh say 500% because it is just so much easier now. Also it lets you manage multiple sites. There are very few major differences in the beta and the final other then a heap of bug fixes and some extra features that well I just don’t use that much. So go out and grab the latest version today!
Well looks like FastStone has decided after version 5.3 to make this software shareware and lock up after 30 days. This is version 5.3 which is free for private use according to their rules. I use this program a ton and love it because it is super light and always running and allows users to select exactly what they want to copy to the clipboard. You can have it copy to the clipboard or you can have it create a .jpg or open an editor, it does just about everything you could think about.
So when I read that Mozilla created the Prism project I really couldn’t think of a valid application as I could just have tabs in Firefox always open. Well I have found a use for it and it is for streaming website’s like Pandora or Jango, so they always have their own browser window and I don’t have to worry about accidentally closing it and interrupting my music while I work. Isn’t technology great?
