Ruhani Rabin » Articles

How to Make Use of Friends List to Tighten Facebook Privacy

Ruhani Rabin — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:00:22 +0000

Facebook lately turning up the buzz due to many privacy issues. They even rolled out new features almost every week. Even though it is really tough to stay in line with Facebook’s updated changes on privacy, It could be managed by making use of the “Friends List” feature. I’m not going to talk a lot, rather I would do a pictorial (Pictured Tutorial) instead.

Facebook’s “List” feature allows you to group your contacts into various categories. You can assign permissions specific to these lists. I just want to show you a simple step by step way of implementing a permission setting to a “List“

Step 1

Click here to open and edit your Friends.

Step 2

Now create a new list to categorize a group of your friends. For example the only people you trust to show certain things.
Name the list according to your preference
Add your friends into that list

Step 3

Now you have a new list of friends. Lets go to the Privacy Settings to set specific preferences for this list.

Step 4

Privacy settings has been divided into multiple areas. The rule of applying friends lists are more or less the same for each of the segment. I will go through part of a segment which will essentially give you the Idea to Implement these into other places too.

Step 5

For our practice, we are going to implement a goal. The goal is to make certain things only visible to one or more of my “Friends List”.

Choose “Personal Information and Posts“ segment at the screen shown in Step 4
Right side of “Bio and Quotations” you will be able to see a blue box with either “Everyone“, “Friends of Friends” or “Only Friends” label
Click on that Blue box to see the drop down menu
Choose the “Custom” option and a window will appear
move on to the next step

Step 6

Now we are going to select the options for “Bio and Quotations“.

Under the “Make this visible to” select the Drop down and change it to “Specific People“
Now you will be able to see an edit box underneath it
Type the name of the “Friend List” you’ve created on Step 2
Click on “Save Settings” button and you are done!
So my “Bio and Quotations” section only visible to the my friends under the list “People I Trust“

You can use this list on the other segments of Privacy Settings page. Just repeat the steps from Step 3 to Step 6 on each of the parts of the segments.

Tip 1:

Many people asked me the question – How to hide all my friends my profile page from everyone? I have the answer for that. You can use a “List” to accomplish that.

Here is how:

Create a new list. Example: “NoOne”
Do not add any friends to that list.
Go to “Friends, Tags and Connections” segment of your privacy settings page.
Click on the blue box at the right side of “Friends” part and select the option “Custom” from the drop down box.
On the “Custom Privacy” window, select “Specific People” under “Make this visible to” label
Type in the “Friends List” named “NoOne” you’ve created which has no friends in it.
“Save Settings” and you are done! your list of total friends will not be visible to any of your friends.

Tip 2:

I’ve came through another question – How do I stop my friends tagging me in photos and videos? Unfortunately you can’t stop it but you can hide it on your wall. Here is how:

Go to “Friends, Tags and Connections” segment of your privacy settings page.
Click on the blue box at the right side of “Photos and Videos of Me” part and select the option “Custom” from the drop down box.
On the “Custom Privacy” window, select “Only Me” under “Make this visible to” label
“Save Settings” and you are done! Now any photos or videos of you tagged will not be visible on your wall. In fact nobody will be able to see your photos or videos where you’ve been tagged in. Having said this the person who tagged you, still would be able to see you.

If you are really concern about your privacy settings you could set your privacy for “Friends, Tags and Connections” segment as the example picture below. Remember this is just an Example. I am NOT asking you to do exactly like this. These settings varies from people to people.

Well, I did tried to keep this post not long but as it seems it turned out to be a bit longer than usual. Nevertheless, if you go through this post, you will get an overall idea of implementing privacy settings by groups of friends. Even if your relatives, family and college buddies are in Facebook all together, you can still play smart without being going insane.

I can give you some Idea about List names, which should point you to the right directions.

You might want to group your friends in this manner:

College friends List – You can assign photo albums permissions visible only to this list so you wont get burned by your mom, or even better not visible to your work mates.
Family members List – post family photos and videos visible only to this list, so your family life is secured from others
Colleagues List – post photos or videos related to your work only for this bunch of people

There I said it, now use your Imagination to tangle it on your end. Don’t forget to share your ideas on the comments!

Rating: 7.9/10 (15 votes cast)

62 Ways to show – I love you

Ruhani Rabin — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:20:58 +0000

Original image � by pbeens

As you all know when i browse through this big and wide internet world i always take lessons and i share it with you. I bet we all have relationships but how do we handle and appreciate our relationships? Having good relationships does take work. It's hard to be honest, and it's hard to accept the consequences of your honesty and authenticity. It takes time, energy, and committment to stay connected through all the problems that life and people bring. It can be painful, aggravating, and scary to stick it out through all the ups and downs….But the alternative is worse.

Here are the simplest things you can do with the person to show them that you love them so much. A little relationship advice can go a long way, and so can a list of relationship tips. Specific, practical ways of showing your love for your partner, kids, and friends can increase the communication, connection, and caring in your family. These are "equal opportunity" tips, which means they can be applied to any relationship in your life!

Hope these helps you to re-define and enhance your relationships. 62 Ways to Show "Love":

Say "I love you."
Don't compare them to anyone.
Be courteous at all times.
Embrace the present moments without fear or guilt.
Live by the Golden Rule (Do unto others….).
Give them your full attention when talking.
Become their biggest fan!
Toast each other regularly.
Tell them how they bring love to your life.
Share funny quotes or events.
Talk about your day during mealtimes.
Read books aloud together.
Say you're sorry.
Recall good and bad memories.
Let go any bad experience and anger.
Encourage health in all its forms.
Let the tears flow together.
Act silly together.
Be lavish in praise.
Ask questions about opinions, feelings, thoughts.
Forget about labels.
Encourage adventures and risks!
Show your joy when they come home.
Bake cookies.
Forget about past mistakes.
Use flannel sheets in the winter.
Solve problems together – crosswords or war.
Show your gratitude for them.
Be a good sounding board.
Take pride in them. Show your pride.
Compliment them in front of others.
Spend time with them.
Listen to them.
Ask for hugs and kisses.
Take vacations together.
Tell the truth.
Use pet names.
Practice self-acceptance.
Hunt for treasure together.
Be interested in their interests.
Let go of jealousy.
Accept their weaknesses and flaws.
Ditch work or responsibilities to play with them.
Share chocolates, ice cream sundaes, milkshakes.
Ignore slights.
Pray or meditate together.
Practice forgiveness.
Watch classic movies together.
Leave notes or send letters.
Buy a "for no reason" gift.
Don't gossip or judge.
Give the benefit of the doubt.
Give space when they're in a bad or sad mood.
Learn something new together.
Go dancing.
Keep your promises.
Make them laugh.
Consider their feelings.
Hide a treat in their lunch.
Make home a fun place to be.
Let them make their own decisions.
Say what you mean.

Rating: 9.1/10 (68 votes cast)

Ultimate Guide for Speeding Up your Windows 7

Ruhani Rabin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:09:58 +0000

Windows 7 is, finally, a great operating system.

Every version of Windows, has many services enabled, while many optimizing tweaks are not enabled by default. The reason this is so is because the installation is designed to support a very generic set of devices and hardware. The cool part of using Windows is the ability to fine tune it to your needs. Some call this tuning process “Hacking”, others called it “Tweaking”. I’m not really that worried about the name, instead I prefer focusing on the content…

Before I get all technical, it’s important that you check your hardware and choose the edition of Windows 7 that best suits your system:

Choose Windows 7 32-bit if you have:

3GB or less system memory
Dual core or single core processor
Built in graphic card
250GB or less hard drive

Choose Windows 7 64-bit if you have:

4GB or more system memory
i7, Dual core or Quad Core processor
Dedicated PCI express graphic cards such as Nvidia or ATI
250GB or larger hard drive

Now that that’s out of the way – on we go to the good stuff…

1.0 Disable Unwanted Services

Windows 7 enables services that aren’t necessarily required by default. You can relieve a huge amount of system resources by disabling these services or setting them to “Manual mode”. Configuring a service to this setting means, it doesn’t start automatically, but rather only when it is required.

How to Disable services:

Access the “Start Menu“
Type in “services.msc” in the search line and press “Enter“. (Alternately you can open the “Control Panel“, locate the “Administrative Tools” icon and click on “Services“.)
Go to a service property page to set it to Automatic/Manual or Disabled. Right click on the service name and choose “Properties” to access the properties screen.
Use the screenshot below as a reference:

Safe Services Configuration

The configuration listed below lists a range of services you can disable to relieve system resources and yet it should provide a great experience for 95% of users. There should be little or no side effects to configuring your machine this way.

What you can disable:

Application Experience
Computer Browser (Disable this if you’re not joining any network)
Desktop Window Manager Session Manager (Disable this if you don’t want the aero effects)
Diagnostic Policy Service
Distributed Link Tracking Client
IP Helper
Offline Files
Portable Device Enumerator Service
Print Spooler (Disable this if you do not have a printer)
Protected Storage
Remote Registry (Disable it for more Security)
Secondary Logon
Security Center
Server (Disable if you’re not running on any network or intranet)
Tablet PC Input Service
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Themes (Disable if you do not want aero and good visual appearance
Windows Error Reporting Service
Windows Media Center Service Launcher
Windows Search (Disable it if you hardly use Windows Search feature)
Windows Time (Disable this if you are not synchronizing system time with Internet time automatically)

Alternative method:

Another method for getting this done is by using the Game Booster freeware. It allows you to enable and disable using a single click.

2.0 Disable Unwanted Start-up Applications

Certain application put start up items on the Windows registry and start-up folder every time you install them. These programs are eventually hidden and they get started every time you start Windows. It’s not a bad idea to remove some of these because they aren’t really required to load during your boot-up. Disabling these applications decreases Windows’ desktop loading time.

Using MSCONFIG:

Go to start menu and in the search box type ” MSCONFIG”, press Enter. The Windows system configuration tool will open. It might ask you for Administrator password before continue.
Click on the 4th tab “Startup“, review each of the applications, decide which one to start at boot time and which one not needed to be started.
Click on the Check Boxes to enable to disable any startup application
Press Apply, MSCONFIG might ask you to pre-boot your computer.

Using a freeware Windows 7 customization tool EnhanceMySeven:

Get the freeware EnhanceMySeven
Install and open the application, Click on the “Startup items”Icon.
It will list all the programs set to run on Windows start up. Use the check boxes on the right to Enable or Disable any programs.
EnhanceMySeven provides much more functionality than just managing startup programs, but use it with caution.

3.0 Boost Windows 7 Boot

Using MSCONFIG:

Go to the “Start Menu“, type “MSCONFIG ” in the search box and press Enter. The Windows system configuration tool will start. It might ask you for Administrator password before continue.
Click the “Boot” (2nd) tab
Click “Advanced Options” button
Select the number of processors you have and the amount of memory available. For example, if you’re using a Dual Core processor then you should select “2″ from processors drop down menu, if you have a Quad Core processor, you should select “4″ from the processor drop down menu, etc.
Now Press “Ok“, then “Apply“, MSCONFIG might ask you to re-boot your computer.

4.0 Disable Visual Effects and Windows Aero

Windows 7 comes with a wide range of visual effects which actually require a lot of system resources. If you prefer a fast and responsive machine you might want to free up the resources used by these visual effects.

Right click on “Computer” and choose “Properties“.
Click on “Advanced System Settings” from the left pane to open up the “System Properties” window.
Select the “Advanced” tab.
Under “Performance” click “Settings“.
Choose “Custom Options“.
Uncheck all the options except the last 4 in the list.
Apply and reboot the system to bring the changes into effect.
You will notice the significant difference in speed

5.0 Disable Search Indexing

Windows 7 comes with a search indexing feature but I’ve noticed I never actually use it. It takes up quite an amount of Windows system resources. Here’s how to disable it:

Right-click the “Computer” icon in the desktop and select “Manage”.
Click “Services and Applications” in the “Computer Management” window.
Click on “Services”.
Look for “Windows Search” in the list that appears.
Right-click the service and select “Properties“
Change the start-up type option to “Disabled” from the drop-down menu.

6.0 Disable the UAC feature

Although this feature is meant for security it can be a real nuisance sometimes. Here’s how to disable the User Account Control (UAC) Feature in Windows 7:

From the Control Panel open the “User Accounts and Family Safety > User Account“.
Click the “User Account Control” settings link.
Drag the Slider towards “Never Notify”.
Click “OK” and Re-boot.

7.0 Choose High Performance Power Plan

The Power settings in Windows 7 are set for balanced power consumption by the hardware. “Balanced” is not the same as “Optimal”…

Double click the “Power Options” in the control panel.
Click the down arrow showing “Show Additional Plans” to show the “High Performance” power plan
Select the “High Performance” plan.

8.0 Enable and Use Hibernate or Sleep Mode

When entering Hibernation your computer writes the contents of your system memory to a permanent storage medium (nearly always a hard drive). This allows the computer to power-off yet retain the current usage state. Once the computer is turned back on the memory is refreshed with the hibernation data allowing you to resume working from the past session. Documents, applications and the desktop state are presented as they were when you entered Hibernation.

The feature is primarily designed for laptop users because it’s a very handy power-saving feature that extends battery life when your computer is idle. However, desktop users may also find this mode handy as it allows you to save power and resume your session very quickly.

Hibernation might not be activated by default on some computers, so you’ll need to manually enable it:

Go to Start Menu, Type “CMD” in the search box
Right click on CMD, Select “Run As Administrator”
At the Command console, type ” powercfg /hibernate on”
Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options and click ” Change Plan Settings” on your currently selected plan.
Click ” Advanced Power Settings“.
Scroll down to “Allow Hybrid Sleep” and select “Off“
Click OK
You should now see the Hibernate option in your Shut down menu.

9.0 Optimize your Anti-Virus settings

Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware software can contribute to performance slowdowns. So much so that some users decide to go without real-time security software (not recommended for most users!).

A good way to achieve a sensible balance between protection and speed is to use an efficient anti-virus package that has a low resource footprint.

Most Anti-virus software comes configured for real-time scanning. Here are some tips to customize it for performance:

Select scan by executable extentions
Set no real-time scan for archives and big files.
Set the Heuristic scan mode to low level
Set the scan mode to “active” only when open any executable

These tips should be able to apply on almost any well known Anti-virus packages.

10.0 Turn off Unused Windows Features

There are many features in Windows 7 that most of us don’t use very often. Disabling them will really help in speeding things up:

Open “Programs and Features” from the Control Panel.
Click “Turn Windows features on or off” from the left pane.
Uncheck all the features you don’t use in Windows 7.
Restart the system for the changes to take effect.

11.0 Use the Tweak Power Tools

Many tweak and power tools already support Windows 7. Here are the best of them:

7Stacks

7stacks is an easy to use free app that lets Windows 7 (and Vista and XP) users have “stacks” of icons in their Taskbar (Win 7) or QuickLaunch Toolbar (Vista & XP). By using stacks, users can reduce icon clutter, and combine a group of related icons into a single icon.

For instance, if you use application suites such as Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or Adobe CS4, you can have all the suite’s icons combined into one icon!

You can also use it to browse and access documents within a folder very quickly. Usually when you want to edit a series of frequently used documents you’d have to either launch the app, and go to File|Open, or open the (My) Computer icon and go into your (My) Documents folder and pick the file you want. With 7stacks you just create a stack to the document’s folder and open it with a couple of clicks.

Enhance MySe7en

Make your Windows 7 faster and even more responsive with EnhanceMySe7en

This program offers tools that take care of the registry, disk space and defragmentation, installed software, HDD temperature and other things related to system’s health.

The clean and easy interface grants you access to a comprehensive set of powerful and well classified tools, settings and tweaks.

Ultimate Windows Tweaker

The Ultimate Windows Tweaker offers some basic tweaking tools. For example in enables you to add more options to your context menu, or to customize Windows Explorer. It’s a simple tool, but can come in very handy at times.

XdN Tweaker

A very simple tool – if you want to customize a few settings only this is a good choice. Enables you to customize your explorer context menus too.

TweakNow PowerPack 2009

TweakNow PowerPack is a fully-integrated suite of utilities that lets you fine-tune every aspect of your computer’s operating system and Web browser.
The Registry Cleaner module provides you with a safe and simple way to clean your Windows Registry.

To keep your computer at top performance we recommend you clean your registry at least once a month.

For tweak lovers the suite’s Windows Secret section provides access to over 100 hidden Windows settings. Using modules included in this section you can easily customize your Windows like a bona-fide geek.

The Virtual Desktop module lets you run as many as four custom-designed desktop configurations simultaneously allowing you to tailor your computer screen to your mood and your work requirements.

Last but not least the suite also gives you a complete picture of all the aspects of your computer’s hardware, including detailed information about your motherboard, processor, video card, memory, hard disk and network.

That’s all for now!

This is quite a long post but I think it pretty much sums up every tips, tools and tweaks you’ll ever need to enhance the performance of your Windows 7.

Heavy gamers might find other more tailored lists out there but my intention was addressing the needs of most average users. Feel free to share any further tips and tweaks you’re familiar with and let me know what else I could add here to make this list even better.

Have fun tweaking but always remember to backup before making any crucial changes to your system.

Rating: 8.7/10 (46 votes cast)

5 most Affordable Quality Canon mount Lenses

Ruhani Rabin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:39:26 +0000

The thing about Canon lenses, they are pretty much expensive. A good quality Canon lens gives optimum speed and quality of photos. But as a beginner or intermediate Photographer, you can’t afford to buy those expensive Canon Lenses. But fear not, there are alternative lenses that could aid you on your adventure in photography. This write-up is from my personal experience with the lenses mentioned. All these lenses are designed to work with APS-C (1.6x crop factor camera bodies).

I’m going to present 5 lenses that will not break your budget but let you enjoy the adventure of your photography. Few of them already from Canon. Lets get down to the list shall we.

1. Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II Prime lens

The Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II may be one of the cheapest lenses currently on the market, but its optics belie its lowly price. As befits a classic standard prime lens, it’s very sharp when stopped down (especially in the centre), shows minimal chromatic aberration, and has relatively low distortion; APS-C users will also benefit from extremely low vignetting. In most regards it comes very close indeed to its much more expensive bigger brother, the EF 50mm f1.4 USM, lagging marginally behind in corner sharpness at any specific aperture.

The Good:

Excellent photo quality in remarkable price

The Bad:

Doesn’t feature USM motor

Technical Details:

50mm standard lens with f1.8 maximum aperture
Traditional Gauss-type optical design is extremely sharp
Focuses as close as 18 inches for extreme close-ups
Ideal for natural-looking shots; excellent color balance
Measures 2.7 inches in diameter

Priced $99+ and More Details at Amazon (Sample photos from Amazon)

Sample Photo:

2. Canon 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 USM III

This compact and lightweight EF 75-300mm telephoto zoom lens is ideal for shooting sports, portraits, and wildlife. The lens is distinguished by a newly developed micro ultra-sonic monitor (USM) that makes autofocusing quicker and quieter, along with an improved zoom mechanism that includes a silver ring on the front for a luxurious touch. The micro USM makes this version of the lens particularly suitable for applications that require a fast autofocus, such as sporting events or wildlife shoots. Best of all, the USM version shares many of the same features that makes the non-USM lens so popular, such as a compact size, a close focusing range, and accessory compatibility.

The Good:

Features USM motor

The Bad:

Doesn’t have Image Stabilization

Technical Details:

Focal length: 75-300mm
Maximum aperture: 1:4.5-5.6
Lens construction: 13 elements in 9 groups
Diagonal angle of view: 32 degrees (at 11 feet) to 8 degrees (at 15 feet)
Focus adjustment: Front group rotating extension system with USM
Closest focusing distance: 4.9 feet
Zoom system: Rotating type
Filter size: 58mm
Dimensions: 2.8 inches in diameter, 4.8 inches long
Weight: 16.8 ounces

Priced $200+ at Amazon (Photo Sample from Amazon)

Sample Photo:

Below is the alternative to Canon 70-300mm USM III

2.A Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 macro

The high performance telephoto zoom lens is ideal for digital SLR cameras. This lens has two SLD glass elements in the front lens group and one in the rear lens group It is able to shoot with maximum magnification 1: 2 at the focal length of 300 mm. It’s the ideal lens for portraits, sports photography, nature photography, and other types of photography that frequently use the telephoto range.

The Good:

Sometimes provide better clarity than Canon lens mentioned above
Macro capability in tele-photo zoom

The Bad:

The motor is noisy
Doesn’t have Image Stabilization

Technical Details:

Multi-layer lens coating and lens design reduces flare and ghosting
Minimum focusing distance is 37.4 inches at all zoom settings
Features 14 lens elements in 10 groups
High-performance lens ideal for portraits, sports photography, nature photography

Priced $200+ at Amazon (Photo Sample from Amazon)

Sample Photo:

3.0 Tamron AF 17-50mm f2.8 XR Di-II LD SP

The SP AF17-50mm f2.8 is a lightweight, compact, fast standard zoom lens designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras, expanding the product concept of the popular SP AF28-75mm f2.8 zoom lens. In addition, portrait shots are made beautiful with the natural out-of-focus effect characteristic provided by the fast f2.8 aperture. Additionally, a broader photographic expression through the use of faster shutter speeds as a result of the maximum aperture offers enhanced photographic pleasure. The lens boasts one of the best close-up shooting performances in the class of fast standard zoom lenses designed exclusively for digital cameras and featuring an f2.8 maximum aperture throughout the entire zoom range, to ensure stress-free photographic shots at all focal lengths and distances.

The Good:

Excellent capability in that price range
Constant f2.8
Ability to focus on very close subjects

The Bad:

The motor is a bit noisy
No image stabilization

Technical Details:

Focal length: 17-50mm
Maximum aperture: f2.8
Angle of view (diagonal): 78 degrees (at 45 feet) to 31 degrees (11 feet)
Lens construction: 16 elements in 13 groups
Minimum focus distance: 10.6 inches
Maximum mag ratio: 1:4.5
Filter size: 67mm
Diaphragm blades: 7
Minimum aperture: f32
Standard accessory: Flower-shaped hood
Compatible mount: Canon AF, Konica Minolta AF-D, and Nikon AF-D
Dimensions: 2.9 inches in diameter and 3.3 inches long
Weight:15.2 ounces

Priced $440+ and More Details at Amazon (Sample photos from Amazon)

Sample Photo:

4.0 Tokina 11-16MM f2.8 ATX

The AF 12-24mm f4 AT-X Pro DX was a huge success for Tokina – it is one of the most attractive lenses from a price/performance perspective. The Tokina AF 11-16mm f2.8 AT-X Pro DX is currently the best ultra-wide angle zoom lens for Canon EOS APS-C DSLRs. The resolution is impressively high throughout the zoom range (albeit a short one) and across the image field. Vignetting is really only a problem at 11mm @ f2.8 but otherwise the issue is very well controlled. The level of distortions is comparatively low. Typical for most Tokina lenses it has one weakness: lateral CAs which are very high at all settings. The build quality is on a very high level and its a joy to handle the lens out there. All-in-all a very sound package especially when considering the quite affordable price

The Good:

Excellent capability in that price range
Constant f2.8
Ability to focus on very close subjects

The Bad:

Vignetting at 11mm @ f2.8

Technical Details:

13 elements in 11 groups inc. 2 aspherical elements and 1 SD element
Number of aperture blades 9
min. focus distance 0.30m (max. magnification ratio ~1:11.6)
Dimensions 84×89mm
Weight 560g
Filter size 77mm (non-rotating)
Hood supplied, petal-shaped
focus-clutch AF/MF switch

Priced $840+ and More Details at Amazon (Sample photo from Jashil@Flickr)

Sample Photo:

5.0 Sigma 50mm f2.8 EX DG Macro 1:2

Designed exclusively for Canon SLR cameras, this macro lens is specially coated to get the best possible color balance while cutting down on ghosting caused by reflections from the digital image sensor. The lens also includes a floating focusing system, which allows you to precisely photograph objects throughout the entire focusing range. Most importantly, this standard macro lens makes it possible to enjoy better communication with your subject. When viewing through the camera’s finder, you’ll be able to move the subject and make precise adjustments. For example, the lens offers a close working distance of 7.4 inches, making it extremely convenient to take close-up pictures of a fossil or other inanimate objects.
Other details include a minimum aperture of f/45 that provides a greater depth of field than most lenses, a screw-in lens hood that makes it easy to attach circular polarizing filters, and a 46.8-degree angle of view. All Sigma lenses carry a one-year warranty.

The Good:

Excellent capability in that price range
Constant f2.8
Ability to focus on very close subjects

The Bad:

Doesn’t have USM motor

Technical Details:

Focal length: 50mm
Maximum aperture: f2.8
Lens construction: 10 elements in 9 groups
Angle of view: 46.8 degrees
Number of diaphragm blades: 7
Minimum aperture: f45
Minimum focusing distance: 7.4 inches
Maximum magnification: 1:1
Filter size: 55mm
Corresponding mount: Canon
Dimensions: 2.8 inches in diameter and 2.6 inches long
Weight: 11.3 ounces

Priced $280+ and More Details at Amazon (Sample photo from Amazon)

Sample Photo:

There you have it. I’ve covered a prime lens for portraits, daily walk-around lens, telephoto lens, wide angle lens and a very affordable macro lens too. I believe as a beginner these lenses will provide you quality without breakdown your wallet. Of course some of them won’t be able to compete with the speed Canon ultrasonic motors but they are yet produce great photos. Also to be noted, it is not the lens but it is YOU and your Vision which matters the most. Now all the pros might not agree with me about the lenses. I would love to hear your thoughts. Even you can buzz me on twitter if you are there. Also you can visit my flickr and share your comments there too.

Rating: 8.6/10 (21 votes cast)

50+10 Things She Wishes You Knew

Ruhani Rabin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:45:57 +0000

Photo © Ronaldo F Cabuhat @Flickr

This is one of the most interesting article i found it on the MensHealth Magazine. Here are something for the guys that they should understand that What she really wants from you. Forgive me for the language which is not suitable for ages under 18. but this article requires it to be in it's original form.

Universal truths that all men should… but don't understand

Here are the Things She Wishes that You Knew

1. Saying "I love you" immediately before, during, or following sex doesn't count.

2. Real men drive stick shift.

3. I will leave if you lie.

4. You are cute in raglan-sleeved T-shirts (two-toned baseball undershirts).

5. I'm convinced I'm pregnant and obsess about it for a minimum of 24 to 48 hours before my period, even when I have no rational reason to think so.

6. I love it when you hug me from behind and whisper in my ear.

7. "Fine" is never an appropriate response when I ask you how I look.

8. Most of the time when I fantasize, it's about you.

9. I'm terrified of becoming my mother, even though I admire her.

10. I get turned on simply seeing that I have an e-mail from you.

11. I expect you to call me.

12. Only rock stars are allowed to wear leather pants.

13. I'm scared of losing my independence.

14. I'm more forgiving of you than I really should be.

15. Oral sex is your get-out-of-the-doghouse-free card. Manolo Blahnik shoes also do the trick.

16. You did something bad. I seem cool with it. I'm not.

17. If I'm not having sex with you,

I'm… a. …having a fat day.

b. …not feeling "connected" to you.

c. …blackmailing you to get something I want.

18. Shoes determine whether you're fashionable or not.

19. I own a Debbie Gibson CD, and I'm not afraid to use it.

20. When I compare my flabby tummy to a kangaroo pouch, say nothing.

21. A man I love plans the occasional fancy-schmancy dress-up date and impromptu weekend getaways, and he buys my favorite candy in advance when we're just going to the movies.

22. You look hot in hooded clothing items.

23. You should never tell me what to do.

24. If I slept over, you owe me breakfast.

25. My breasts love much licking and sucking.

26. If you ask me out directly, I will say yes.

27. I'm very impressed when you ask for my advice.

28. I'm unimpressed with a man who doesn't take the lead.

29. When in doubt, go with the shirt that matches your eye color.

30. I want to be Madonna.

31. Women get urinary-tract infections easily, so watch (and wash) your fingers.

32. I'm in heaven when you hold my hand.

33. You're sexy when you're shaving, fixing things, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, driving, eating a peach, holding a baby.

34. I need to hear how you feel about me. Often. Tell me now.

35. Surprises, especially gifts for moi = more loving.

36. I want to be the best thing that ever happened to you–and for you to recognize this.

37. If I'm not feeling loved, I will start looking….

38. Discussion of ex-gf's and ex-bf's should be avoided at all times.

39. I like it when you tell me what you're thinking, even if you don't know yourself.

40. Celebrating our anniversary, even if it's only been a few months, earns major bonus points.

41. I love it when you're sweaty.

42. It's best to consult your gal pals for gift ideas.

43. A lady should always be greeted with kisses.

44. I like porn.

45. I love holding your bum in the palms of my hands.

46. Even nice girls like hushed dirty talk in public.

47. It's cheating as soon as you're doing something with her that you wouldn't want me to see, hear, read…

48. For the record: I'd rather you break up with me than cheat.

49. I remember everything about our relationship.

50. You should know all this and more with-out my telling you.

Even more added by one of my loyal Reader

Chivalry is not dead. Opening and closing doors, pulling out a chair for her…remember all those things you did when dating? Still scores a lot of brownie points!
Although some men have issues with this point, holding a women’s belonging, i.e., purse, shows her you feel confident in your masculinity.
A romantic picnic that you prepared on the livingroom floor with candles will melt her heart.
Remembering her favorites, whether she went into specifics or casually mentioned…type of flower, artist, clior, book, foods, restaurant, etc.
Don’t direct your frustration or anger at her if you had a tough day. Too much of it, over time, will push her away. Rather talk to her like a friend.
Women love to see her man engaged with other people in public. Shows another side of him.
When at a party, an occasional sign to let her know he’s thinking of her.
Something about a man in sunglasses is hot!
Cooking for a woman (or at least attempting to) wins big brownie points!
Kissing her most self-conscious part of her body will melt her heart.

What is your take on this? Share your thoughts.

Rating: 9.5/10 (38 votes cast)

Lazy Blogger’s guide to Super Charge WordPress with 100+ Plugins

Ruhani Rabin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:42:17 +0000

Ask yourself a question, “Are you a Lazy Blogger?”. Even if you are not, these plugins will bring you to next evolution for your WordPress blog which will change the way you do blogging.

“Why do you need these plugins?”. Because, WordPress is the best and the most expandable blogging platform in the world, the plugin architecture simply gives you the power to add engaging features, improve communication and build a strong relation between you and your blog readers. Savvy? No?

Blogging is about writing great content and if your spend all your sweet time modifying your blog by hard coding then “When will you find the time to write the great content?”. Makes you think? By the time you reach over this post, you might be so proud of yourself that you have actually 23 plugins installed on your WordPress and you begin to think like you are getting professional. Well my friend, I can tell you one thing -

“Quality matters over Quantity”

Today the mission of this post is to guide you to discover the most useful, smart and efficient plugins for WordPress. These plugins will let you concentrate more about writing your content rather than spending time over managing the blog.

Carefully hand picked and incredibly handy WordPress plugins to power up your blog are included in this list. Among some popular WordPress plugins you also will discover new, not so well known or underrated but extremely useful WordPress plugins.

Just a few Notes before continue :

Spend enough time to understand your need and purpose of your blog. An example would be a photo blog. A photo blog will require image gallery plugins etc. So sort out first what kind of blog and then add appropriate plugins.
Do not install all of the plugins, it will simply overload your WordPress configuration. If possible test it out on your local system.
Not all the plugins listed here are the very best but they do “get the things done”.
Ah I just found out someone simply stolen the content and image of this article and changed the image to claim it as their own.

‘Nuff said, lets continue…

Blog Management Plugins

Managing your blog can be tedious task. Lets see how we can simplify the process of managing your blog using these plugins.

WordPress Backup – Wordpress Backup is an essential plugin for all Wordpress blog administrators. It performs regular backups of your upload (images) current theme, and plugin directories. Backup files are available for download and optionally emailed to a specified email. Don’t get caught without a recent backup of your theme or images or plugins.
You can adjust the interval between backups and the email address to which the backups are sent.
Note:
a) As the size of the zip files increase, it may not be possible to email the files due to limitations of email servers.
b) It requires some editing on PHP.INI at your server, but not all hosting service provider allows you to access that feature.
Why do you need this?
On a Rainy Day this will save your life.
WP Database Backup – Database is the crucial part of your blog system. WordPress database backup creates backups of your core WordPress tables as well as other tables of your choice in the same database. It can backup database to your server as well as it can email the database directly to your inbox. Nifty? Yup, it is pretty sweet when you can also schedule the interval between the backups.
Why do you need this?
On a Rainy Day this also will save your life.
WP Super Cache – A very popular and easy to use caching plugin which generates static html files from your dynamic WordPress blog. After a html file is generated your web server will serve that file instead of processing the comparatively heavier and more expensive WordPress PHP scripts. Yes, it is a noticeable performance improvement tool. Pretty easy to setup and configure.
Why do you need this?
This generates static files and reduce loads on the server dramatically.
Alternative would be:

W3 Total Cache – This is another alternative to the WP Super Cache plugin. Trusted by many popular blogs like: mashable.com, pearsonified.com, webdesignerdepot.com, freelanceswitch.com, briansolis.com, css3.info, tutsplus.com, yoast.com, noupe.com and others. W3 Total Cache improves the user experience of your blog by improving your server performance, caching every aspect of your site, reducing the download time of your theme and providing transparent content delivery network (CDN) integration.
Benefits:
* At least 10x improvement in site performance (Grade A in YSlow, when fully configured)
* “Instant” second page views (browser caching after first page view)
* Reduced page load time: increased visitor time on site (visitors view more pages)
* Optimized progressive render (pages appear to load instantly)
* Improved web server performance (easily sustain high traffic spikes)
* Up to 80% Bandwidth savings via Minify and HTTP compression of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and RSS feeds
Note: This plugin is designed for very advance users.
Why do you need this?
I’ve moved from WP-Super Cache to this one for some specific performance reasons but as a general blogger you can always use WP Super Cache plugin.
Maintenance Mode Plugin – Adds a splash page to your blog that lets visitors know your blog is down for maintenance. Logged in administrators get full access to the blog including the front-end. A great tool to use while you upgrade your blog.
Why do you need this?
Definitely you don’t want your visitors to end up on some error page while you are upgrading your blog
Plugin Manager – lets you to view, download and install plugins from wordpress.org from an AJAX’ed interface, instead of manually downloading, extracting and uploading each plugin. A real time saver you can say.
Another alternative would be:
Plugin Central – Automatically installs WordPress plugins by name and URL. Provides automatic update of multiple plugins.
Why do you need this?
It makes you life much more simpler for installing and updating plugins.
Role Manager – allows you to assign different levels of access to different contributors to your blog – for example, only allowing a user to contribute to a particular category. Comes with very detailed and exclusive options.
Why do you need this?
This one will give you the flexibility of managing multiple level of permissions on your blog. If you run a multi-author blog, this will become your Swiss army knife.
No Self Ping – Prevents your blog from sending pingbacks internally to your other posts.
Why do you need this?
Self-Pinging is simply annoying
WP-Optimize – Oh yeah, this is kinda shameless plug. I know. But Remember WP-Optimize can clean your database overhead in one simple click, cleans up your post revisions, additionally allows you to change your username and enables you to clean up your spam queue comments in a flash.
Why do you need this?
Enables you to cleanup your database overhead, easy and simple to use. Compatible with all Wordpress 2.x databases and keeps your database in a optimal condition without going through PhpMyAdmin interface. You should run it at least once every month.
WPML Multilingual CMS – Allows building complete multilingual sites with WordPress
Pretty Link – Shrink, track and share any URL on the Internet from your WordPress website. You can now shorten links using your own domain name (as opposed to using tinyurl.com, bit.ly, or any other link shrinking service)! In addition to creating clean links, Pretty Link tracks each hit on your URL and provides a full, detailed report of where the hit came from, the browser, os and host. Pretty Link is a killer plugin for people who want to mask their affiliate links, track clicks from emails, their links on Twitter to come from their own domain, or generally increase the reach of their website by spreading these links on forums or comments on other blogs.
Sidebar-Login – has both a widget and a template tag to allow you to have a login form in the sidebar of your wordpress powered blog.
WordPress.com Stats – Automattic created its own stats system, to focus on just the most popular metrics a blogger wants to track and provide them in a clear and concise interface. Installing this stats plugin is much like installing Akismet, all you need is to put in your API Key and the rest is automatic.
Feedburner Feed Replacement – Forwards all feed traffic to Feedburner while letting through some important User-Agents.
Adminimize – Visually compresses the administrative header so that more admin page content can be initially seen. Also moves ‘Dashboard’ onto the main administrative menu because having it sit in the tip-top black bar was ticking me off and many other changes in the edit-area. Adminimize is a WordPress plugin that lets you hide ‘unnecessary’ items from the WordPress administration menu, submenu and even the ‘Dashboard’, with forwarding to the Manage-page. On top of that, you can also hide post meta controls on the Write page and other areas in the admin-area and Write-page, so as to simplify the editing interface. Compatible with WordPress 2.5 or later. Configure all metaboxes and other areas in the write-area. The new theme move the Tags- and Category-box to the sidebar, switch off optional metaboxes and other areas in the write-area. Scroll automatically to the Textbox, when you click the write-button. Many options for menu, submenu and all areas, metaboxes in the write-area, separated for all roles in WordPress. Screen Shots.
WordPress Mobile Edition shows mobile visitors a mobile version of the site. You have to install the theme as well
Google Analyticator makes it easy to enable Google Analytics on your blog and measure where visitors are coming from, what terms they are searching for, etc.
Another strong alternative is:
Ultimate Google Analytics – Plugin to add Google Analytics JavaScript to each page on your weblog without making any changes to your template. The plugin can also add tracking to outbound links, downloads from your own site and mailto: links.
Branded Login Screen for WordPress – Lets you use custom login screen instead of WordPress default. Branded Admin which lets you change the admin area is also available
WP Sentry is a plugin for access-restricted posting, allowing bloggers to discuss sensitive subjects without being exposed to Google or non registered users. With WP Sentry you can create user groups, specify which users or groups have access to the post. Setting any access restrictions forces the post to be listed as �private� in WordPress, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to hide a sensitive post. Users may be members of multiple groups.
Absolute Privacy for WordPress provides you with the ultimate user moderation. It’s perfect for family blogs, private communities, and personal websites. It could force users to enter first and last name during registration, let users to choose their own passwords, get emailed every time an approval is waiting (with a link for quick approval), lock out all non-logged in views from your website.
Co-Authors Plugin – When you have a blog that is being run by multiple authors, there are times that more than one person contribute to an article. Co-Authors that will let you associate multiple authors to a post in WordPress. Co-authored posts appear on a co-author’s posts page and feed. Additionally, co-authors may edit the posts they are associated with, and co-authors who are contributors may only edit posts if they have not been published (as is usual).
Hide Dashboard – This plugin lets you hide dashboard features from some users. The title just say it all.
Pre-Publish Post Reminder – Always forget to insert your signature, thumbnail or maybe a category image? Or need a place to store your code where you can conveniently copy and paste into your post? Need to leave a note for co-authors? This is what this plugin is for – a handy reminder list on your Post Admin page.
Userextra On Blogs that have multiple authors, it is wise to assign authors to specific categories to avoid confusion. This plugin limits the user to publishing into the categories he/she is assigned.

Content Plugins

Empower your contents with these terrific plugins:

Customizable Post Listings – Display Recent Posts, Recently Commented Posts, Recently Modified Posts, Random Posts, and other post, page, or draft listings using the post information of your choosing in an easily customizable manner. You can narrow post searches by specifying categories and/or authors, among other things.
Organize Series – This plugin adds a number of features to wordpress that enable you to easily write and organize a series of posts and display the series dynamically in your blog. You can associate “icons” or “logos” with the various series. This version of Organize Series Plugin requires at least WordPress 2.8 to workAnother alternative would be:In Series – Allows you to easily group a series of posts into a series.Why do you need this?
If you have multiple posts that are part of a series, this plugin will help you out by automating managing the series of posts.
Post Template allows you to create templates for posts with the same structure – perfect for reviews and series, and also useful to keep a multi-author blog consistent.
ComicPress Manager – ComicPress Manager ties in with the ComicPress theme to make managing your WordPress-hosted Webcomic easy and fast.
WP-Table Reloaded – Enables you to create and manage tables in your WP’s admin area. No HTML knowledge is needed. A comfortable backend allows to easily edit table data. You can include the tables into your posts, on your pages or in text widgets by using a shortcode or a template tag function. Tables can be imported and exported from/to CSV, XML and HTML. Screen shots.
Quotes Collection – Ajax powered Random Quote sidebar widget helps you collect and display your favorite quotes on your WordPress blog.
Yet Another Related Posts Plugin – Returns a list of related entries based on a unique algorithm for display on your blog and RSS feeds. A templating feature allows customization of the display.AlternativeMicrokid’s Related Posts allows you to manually add related posts.
Yet Another Photoblog – Convert your WordPress Blog into a full featured photoblog in virtually no time. Use the full range of WordPress functions and plugins: Benefit from the big community WordPress has to offer
Add Signature Plugin for WordPress – This plugin lets you display a custom signature at the bottom of your posts. Simply type the text you want in the options page and configure it to display on every post, or manually display it by adding the trigger text wherever you like. You can also add in author information using the included variables – login name, first name, last name, nickname, email address, website, and description/bio. It get this information from the author’s account settings. It currently supports up to three different signature templates.
Insights WordPress plugin bring a powerful new way to write your blog posts. With Insights you can very quickly (in couple of seconds) do the following: search your blog for posts, edit them or insert links to them into the current post, insert Flickr Images, Youtube videos, links to Wikipedia, Google Map. Insights allows you to do all this using dynamic AJAX interface which loads the relevant information to your post in just a few seconds
Post By Author – This plugin will show the last X posts by the current author either at the bottom of every post, or where you manually specify in each post. Using the built-in options page, you can choose the number of posts to show, set the header text, choose to show the post dates, select the format of the date, and choose whether or not to include the current post in the list

SEO Plugins

SEO Plays a very crucial role in your Blog, so here are the plugins you need. For more SEO plugins and tools for WordPress, take a look inside the “Total solutions for WordPress SEO” post.

All in One SEO Pack – A must install. A very powerful Out-of-the-box SEO for your Wordpress blog.
Another alternative would be:

HeadSpace2 SEO – All-in-one meta-data manager that allows you to fine-tune the SEO potential of your site
Google XML Sitemaps – This plugin will generate a sitemaps.org compatible sitemap of your WordPress blog which is supported by Ask.com, Google, MSN Search and YAHOO.
AskApache Google 404 – Displays unbeatable information to site visitors arriving at a non-existent page (from a bad link). Major SEO with Google AJAX, Google 404 Helper, Related Posts, Recent Posts, etc..
Smart 404 – Rescue your viewers from site errors! When content cannot be found, Smart 404 will use the current URL to attempt to find matching content, and redirect to it automatically. Smart 404 also supplies template tags which provide a list of suggestions, for use on a 404.php template page if matching content can’t be immediately discovered.
Simple Tags – Simple Tags is the successor of Simple Tagging Plugin This is THE perfect tool to manage perfectly your WP 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7 and 2.8 tags. It was written with this philosophy : best performances, more secured.
WP Greet Box – Show a different message to your visitor depending on which site they are coming from. For example, you can ask Digg visitors to Digg your post, Google visitors to subscribe to your RSS feed, and more! Best of all, this plugin is compatible with various WordPress cache plugins.

Comments Plugins

3rd Party Hosted Commenting Systems

Disqus Commenting System: My personal favorite. It’s a total web comments management service integrated with many popular Social Media Platforms. Namely you can comment using your facebook login, OpenID, Twitter and others. Very handy moderation dashboard and a mature product. You will need to have an account with Disqus and you need to register your blog to it first. It also sync the comments with WordPress database so if you decided not to use it anymore, all your comments will be available to WordPress. Not to mention that this system also contains a WordPress Plugin for easier sync and manageably. All comments interface is hosted by Disqus itself.

Alternative Choice 1

IntenseDebate: Almost all the same feature as Disqus commenting system with some additional options. It has it’s own WordPress plugin as well. Created by the owner of WordPress systems. I still prefer Disqus though.

Alternative Choice 2

JS-KIT Echo: Well known JavaScript based hosted commenting platform which also integrates with WordPress, provides a good number of alternative login systems and Social Media interaction for commenting.

Verdict: Disqus Commenting System. Continue to the rest of this section if you are not interested on one stop solutions or you might like to customize the features of the comments section of your blog.

Blog Comments Plugins

Akismet Spam filter plugin (Requires a WordPress.org free account) is an absolute must for any blog, filtering out obvious spam and holding back the dubious stuff for moderation.
WP Ajax Edit Comments – The most powerful comment editing solution for WordPress. Users can edit their own comments for a limited time, while admins can edit all comments.
Note: Handy and Useful but resource heavy.
DoFollow is a plugin which disables the default ‘nofollow’ setting on Wordpress blogs (which tells search engines to disregard any links in comments). This means that links posted in comments benefit from ‘Google juice’.
Note: Personally I’m not using it right now because I am using Disqus.
CommentLuv – This plugin will visit the site of the comment author while they type their comment and retrieve a selection of their last blog posts, tweets or digg submissions which they can choose one from to include at the bottom of their comment when they click submit.
Note: It has been found to increase comments and the community spirit for the thousands of blogs that have installed it. With a simple install you will immediately start to find new and interesting blog posts, tweets and diggs from your own blog and community. Visit ComLuv for more information.
Gurken StC is an extension of the version from Mark Jaquith (txfx.net). It supports closed-loop authentication which means that you first have to confirm your mail address, before you’re able to receive notifications about subsequent comments.
Comment Rating – Allows visitors to rate comments in Like vs. Dislike fashion with clickable images. Poorly-rated & highly-rated comments are displayed differently
Comment Redirect – This plugin redirect your first time commentators to a WordPress page of your choice. This is an excellent plugin to use if you want to thank your first time commentators. You can send them to a page where you have written some kind words for them.
Comment Relish – This plugin lets you send out email to your new commentators and welcome them/thank them. This is a great way to initiate the process of interaction. Keep the message short and sweet. Tag with it some resources that might be helpful to your users. Often times marketers attach freebies and other products which makes the new visitor, a loyal user to your website.

Image Plugins

Scissors – Enhances WordPress’ handling of images by introducing cropping, resizing, rotating, and watermarking functionality.
Simple Flickr Photos – Displays Flickr photos based on your settings.
Note: This one also depends on what kind of focus you have on your blog. If you are a photographer and you host your images at Flickr then you might consider using this.
jQuery Lightbox – Image overlay plugin
Another alternative would be:
jQuery Lightbox For Native Galleries – Makes the native WordPress galleries use a lightbox to display the fullsize images.
Yet another alternative would be:
Lightview Plus – A wordpress plugin which implements lightview of Nick Stakenburg. Lightview does the same as lightbox, but in a much nicer way and since Version 2.0 much more. Now lightview-plus plays videos from YouTube and Vimeo.
Another alternative would be:
Lightbox Plus – Permits users to view larger versions of images from the current page and display simple slide shows, all in an overlay.
Nexgen Gallery – NextGEN Gallery is a full integrated Image Gallery plugin for WordPress with a Flash slideshow option. You need to check out the Demo Site.
Another alternative would be:
GRAND Flash Album Gallery – Full integrated (flash skin based, slideshow) Image Gallery plugin with a powerful admin back end.

Social Media Plugins

Lets you integrate your blog and interact with many social media platforms:

WP to Twitter – The WP-to-Twitter plugin posts a Twitter status update from your WordPress blog using the Cli.gs URL shortening service to provide a link back to your post from Twitter. If you have a Cli.gs API key, the shortened URL will also be filed in your Cli.gs account so that you can track statistics for the shortened URL. The plugin can send a default message for updating or editing posts or pages, but also allows you to write a custom Tweet for your post which says whatever you want. By default, the shortened URL from Cli.gs is appended to the end of your message, so you should keep that in mind when writing your custom Tweet. Any status update you write which is longer than the available space will automatically be truncated by the plugin. This applies to both the default messages and to your custom messages.
Twitter Widget Pro – A widget that properly handles twitter feeds, including @username, #hashtag, and link parsing. It supports displaying profiles images, and even lets you control whether to display the time and date of a tweet or how log ago it happened (about 5 hours ago, etc). Requires PHP5.
Sociable – Automatically adds links to your favorite social bookmarking sites to your posts, pages and RSS feed
SexyBookmarks – Adds an attractive social bookmarking menu to your posts, pages, index, or any combination of the three
Twitoaster – Twitter Conversations. Automatically retrieve Twitter Replies to your Blog’s Posts. These Twitter Replies are handled like Posts Comments, using WP built-in comment system.
Twitter Goodies plugin will show your tweets under Sidebar Area (Widget), Post and/or Pages
Twitter Friendly Links – The plugin creates a shorter link for every blog post, so instead of http://kovshenin.com/wordpress/plugins/twitter-friendly-links/ you can use http://kovshenin.com/712. Sweet, huh?
Digg Digg Wordpress Plugin Wordpress plugin that is used to generate social vote button, which include Digg , Reddit , Dzone , Yahoo Buzz , TweetMeme (twitter) , fbShare (facebook) and Polladium buttons.
WP FollowMe is a wordpress plugin that allow you to add a twitter “Follow me” badge on your wordpress blog.
BackType Tweetcount – The BackType Tweetcount plugin shows the number of tweets your posts get and allows users to retweet.
Another cool alternative would be:
Easy Retweet – Simple and effective retweet button for your blog posts.
Tweet Blender – Similar in functionality to Twitter’s own widget but has support for multiple authors, hashtags, and keywords all blended together. The plugin can show tweets from just one user (as all other Twitter plugins do); however, it can also show tweets for a topic which you can define via Twitter hashtag or keyword. But there is more! It can also show tweets for multiple authors AND multiple keywords AND multiple hashtags all blended together into a single stream. View Screen Shots.
Add to Any: Subscribe Button – Helps readers subscribe to your blog using any feed reader, such as Google Reader, My Yahoo!, Netvibes, Windows Live, and all other RSS readers. The button comes with AddToAny’s customizable Smart Menu, which places the services visitors use at the top of the menu, based on each visitor’s browsing history.
ShareThis – The ShareThis WordPress plugin provides a simple way for users to add your post to many social bookmarking sites, or to send a link to your post via email, AIM, Facebook, Twitter and more
Another alternative would be:
Add to Any: Share/Bookmark/Email Button – Help readers share, save, bookmark, and email your posts and pages using any service, such as Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Delicious, and over 100 more social bookmarking and sharing sites. The button comes with AddToAny’s customizable Smart Menu, which places the services visitors use at the top of the menu, based on each visitor’s browsing history
Gigya Socialize – Increase Registration and Engagement using Facebook Connect, Twitter and OpenID. Demo Site.
Facebook Connect for WordPress – Wordpress plugin that allows direct integration of Wordpress blogs with Facebook using Facebook Connect.
WordBook – Bring your WordPress blog posts into Facebook, and enabling users to comment and share those posts.
Last.Fm Records – This plugin shows CD covers on your WordPress weblog. It connects to last.fm and grabs the list of CDs you listened to recently and tries to find the cover images at last.fm
Postalicious is a WordPress plugin that automatically posts your delicious, ma.gnolia, Google Reader, Reddit, or Yahoo Pipes bookmarks to your blog. The exact details of how your bookmarks are posted are very customizable and are designed to meet your specific needs. Postalicious uses the pseudo-cron functionality introduced in WordPress 2.1 to schedule automatic hourly updates. If you do not have WordPress 2.1 or later installed, you will still be able to use Postalicious, but you will have to perform the updates manually
WP-Email – Allows people to recommend/send your WordPress blog’s post/page to a friend.

Widget/Presentation Plugins

My Link Order – Allows you to set the order in which links and link categories will appear in the sidebar.
Video Sidebar Widgets – A video sidebar widget using WordPress 2.8 Widgets API to display videos such as Vimeo, YouTube, MySpace Videos etc. Requires at least WordPress 2.8.1
About Me widget – Add an “About Me” widget to your sidebar.
Note: Not really necessary but it still depends on your choice. It’s not a good thing to clutter up your sidebar.
Advanced RSS – This plugin creates a new RSS widget. You can use this to replace the built in RSS widget or along side it. It is substantially more powerful than the built in widget in that you have complete control over how the feed is displayed via XSL templates. The plugin also includes an admin page for creating, editing and deleting the xsl templates, along with running tests to ensure your environment supports the required features. Additionally some plugin-wide options may be configured
Sidebar Photoblog – An easy to use photoblog plugin helps you to share your daily photos on your sidebar. With photo archive, nice effects and ability to show random photo.
Top Commentators Widget – Adds a sidebar widget to show the top commentators in your WP site. Adapted from Show Top Commentators plugin at Personal Financial Advice
Flexi Pages Widget – A highly configurable WordPress sidebar widget to list pages and sub-pages. User friendly widget control comes with various options.
Get Recent Comments – This plugin shows excerpts of the latest comments and/or trackbacks in your sidebar. You have comprehensive control about their appearance. This ranges from the number of comments, the length of the excerpts up to the html layout. You can let the plugin order the comments by the corresponding post, or simply order them by date. The plugin can (optionally) separate the trackbacks/pingbacks from the comments. It can ignore comments to certain categories, and it offers support for gravatars. It only gives extra work to the database, when actually a new comment arrived. You can filter out unwanted pingbacks, which originate from your own blog. And it is a widget.
Another alternative would be:
WP-RecentComments – Display recent comments in your blog sidebar.
Facebook Dashboard Widget – You can display your Facebook friends status updates, posted items and/or notifications on your WordPress dashboard. Require WP 2.5 or above.
List Authors Widget – This plugin display a list of authors in your WordPress Sidebar Widgets linking to the authors.php page

Banner and Advertise Plugins

AdRotate – Make making money easy with AdRotate. Add advanced banners to your website using the simplest interface available!
Easy AdSense – Easiest way to show AdSense and make money from your blog.
WP-Insert: Allows insert any type of content fragments inside your posts, can be used as a AD Manager also.
Sponsors Slideshow Widget – Widget to display a certain link category with images as slide show.
Author Advertising Plugin – Specially for multi author blogs. This plugin allows blog admins to create a revenue sharing program utilizing one of the many advertising programs out there i.e Yahoo, Google Adsense, Amazon, Allposters etc.

Other Plugins

PayPal Donations – Easy and simple setup and insertion of PayPal donate buttons with a shortcode or through a sidebar Widget. Donation purpose can be set for each button
Contact Form 7 – Simple, flexible but efficient contact form plugin
Another alternative would be:
cForms II allows you to create multiple and customizable contact forms across your blog, including multiple forms on the same page.
Wordpress Download Monitor – Manage downloads on your site, view and show hits, and output in posts.
WP-CodeBox – WP-CodeBox provides clean syntax highlighting and AJAX advanced features for embedding source code within pages or posts.
WP-PageNavi – Adds a more advanced paging navigation to your WordPress blog
PollDaddy Polls – The PollDaddy Polls plugin allows you to create and manage polls from within your WordPress dashboard. You can create polls, choose from 20 different styles for your polls and view all results for your polls as they come in. All PollDaddy polls are fully customizable, you can set a close date for your poll, create multiple choice polls, choose whether to display the results or keep them private. You can even embed the polls you create on other websites. You can collect unlimited votes and create unlimited polls
Category Icons – Assigns icons to categories with WordPress 2.3 or higher.
TDO Mini Forms – This plugin allows you to add highly customizable forms that work with your Wordpress Theme to your website that allows non-registered users and/or subscribers (also configurable) to submit and edit posts and pages. New posts are kept in “draft” until an admin can publish them (also configurable). Likewise edits can be kept be automatically kept as revisions until an admin approves them. It can optionally use Akismet to check if submissions and contributions are spam. TDO Mini Forms can be used to create “outside-the-box” uses for Wordpress, from Contact Managers, Ad Managers, Collaborates Image Sites, Submit Links, etc.
WP-Print – Displays a printable version of your WordPress blog’s post/page.
Another alternative would be:
Bunny’s Print CSS creates a stylesheet for printing so users printing pages from your blog can avoid endless pages of widgets, comments or other page furniture (including design elements).
Easy Popular Posts shows you your most popular posts – useful to install in a sidebar (you’ll need to put a line of PHP in the sidebar template for this).
GD Star Rating – GD Star Rating plugin allows you to set up rating and review system for posts, pages and comments in your blog. You can set many options for displaying the rating stars, and also add widgets into the sidebars for displaying top ratings and other statistics generated by the plugin. Plugin includes advanced settings panels that will allow you to control many aspects of rating. Plugin also supports multi ratings along with thumbs based ratings. Plugin supports use of cache plugins and dynamic loading of data using ajax
GD Press Tools – GD Press Tools is a collection of various administration, seo, maintenance, backup and security related tools. This tools can be integrated into the various WordPress admin panels, can perform maintenance operations, change some aspects of WordPress, see detailed server settings and information. Plugin can also track posts and pages views for various popularity lists. Some of the features don’t work with every version of the WordPress
RSSImport – Import and display Feeds in your blog, use PHP or the Shortcode.
Smart Archives Reloaded is an enhanced version of the Smart Archives. It’s easier to setup, there is no code editing required, it features better caching and now you don’t need to wait when publishing a new post and provides you settings page to choose how you want the archives displayed.
ProPlayer WP Plugin will help you to put videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Metacafe, Dailymoition on your blog in any FLV Player. It’s highly customizable with support of 27 skins and in addition you can play mov/mp4/h264/mp3 files too. Plugins includes Rating video, Visualizer for audio files, Displaying watermark. By default JW FLV Media Player is used.
Smart Youtube is a WordPress plugin that allows you to easily insert Youtube videos in your post, comments and in your RSS feed. The plugin is designed to be small and fast and not use any external resources. Smart YouTube also supports playback of high quality videos, works on iPhone, produces xHTML valid code and allows you to view videos in fullscreen.
WordPress e-Commerce Plugin is e-Commerce platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards and usability. This plugin makes it easy for you to accept payments online via Google Checkout, Paypal, Authorize.net, Payment Express. You can also tweak your site to look however you want utilizing WordPress PHP template tags, shortcodes and widgets.
Breadcrumb Navigation is an excellent supplementary navigation system specially for CMS because it helps in site usability. The plugin we are going to share in this article reveals page hierarchy. It is a very good addition to the design because of usability and it also provides SEO benefits because it links to the path hence increasing bot activity in page indexing.
WP-Typography – Have you ever wished that you can have rounded quotes, show ellipses, your hyphens don’t get mixed up, yes WP-Typography takes care of that. This plugin is not required for everyone, it is just for those who care about minor details.

Conclusion

This is my current list of smart, efficient plugins; yet it’s inevitable that there are other plugins out there which I am not aware of at this moment. Do you know one or maybe few? Feel free to suggest me your favorite plugin using the comment form. I will try my best to keep this post updated with your suggestions.

Rating: 8.7/10 (80 votes cast)

Best Windows Freeware – Servers

Ruhani Rabin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:13:40 +0000

Servers

Apache Tomcat – Apache Tomcat is the servlet container that is used in the official Reference Implementation for the Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages (jsp) technologies.
Apache Web Server – Web Server, the best one around.
Apache2Triad – Installs a developer preconfigured environment with Apache, PHP, mySQL with control panel/PHPMyAdmin, xMail, ftp, and a Apache Web based Control Panel, etc. Power packed with new cool things like Python/Pearl mods, ASP support, SSL and so much more. Highly recommended.

EasyPHP – Really nice Apache install with PHP and mySQL included and configured. If you need a heavy duty Apache web development environment look at Apache2Triad.
FileZilla – FTP Server and client. Highly recommended.
Instantrails – Instant Rails is a one-stop Rails runtime solution containing Ruby, Rails, Apache, and MySQL, all preconfigured and ready to run. No installer, you simply drop it into the directory of your choice and run it.
Uniformserver – The Uniform Server is a WAMP package that allows you to run a server on any MS Windows OS based computer. It is small and mobile to download or move around and can also be used or setup as a production/live server. Developers also use The Uniform Server to test their applications made with either PHP, MySQL, Perl, or the Apache HTTPd Server.
MoWES -Run a webserver based on Apache, MySQL and PHP from an USB Stick or any other writable media (harddrive, flash cards etc.) without installation under Windows (98 to Vista).
Web-Dev. Server Suite – WAMP-based [Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP] web-server distribution for Windows that is fully configured and ready to run. This has every thing from a Web Application firewall to ASP.NET Host Interface. Security hardened and even includes some open source CMS software, like Joomla.
XAMPP – Apache, MySQL, PHP web development environment install. Takes care of most configs and setup issues so you don’t have to.
EFTP – FTP client/server
WAMP – Apache, PHP5 and MySQL server

Rating: 7.6/10 (21 votes cast)

Best Windows Freeware – System and Desktop Utilities

Ruhani Rabin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:12:14 +0000

System and Desktop Utilities

nLite – Build your own custom Windows disk.
Comodo – Firewall, Anti-virus, anti-spam, malware utilities.
Ewido – Blocks spyware/adware and trojans.

Eyeline – Professional Video Surveillance Software with multiple camera support.
Filseclab – Internet personal firewall
GPG4Win – File, email encryption and other encryption utilites, like a file shredder.
Hitman Lite – Hitman Pro is a freeware tool that combines a number of powerful anti-spyware programs in one integrated solution. Hitman Pro combines Ad-Aware SE, SpyBot Search & Destroy, Spy Sweeper, Spyware Doctor, CWShredder, Spyware Blaster, NOD32, Sysclean package. Most of the included programs are freeware.
Hotspot Shield – Hotspot Shield creates a virtual private network (VPN) between your laptop and the wireless router. This impenetrable tunnel prevents snoopers and hackers from viewing your email, instant messages, credit card information or anything else you send over a wireless network. Which means you remain anonymous and protect your privacy.
Kerio Firewall – Internet personal firewall. Highly recommended.
PowerGUI – an extensible graphical administrative console and IDE for managing systems based on Windows PowerShell. (Recommended by Reader)
My Lockbox – My Lockbox is a security software enabling you to password protect any folder on your computer. The protected folder (lockbox) is hidden from any user and application of your system, including Administrator and System itself. It is impossible to access the lockbox not only from the local computer, but also from the net.
Outpost – Firewall.
PGP – A free encryption software program that is the de-facto global standard for E-mail and file privacy. Pretty Good Privacy (or PGP) offers full-strength, 128-bit encryption. PGP has constantly been upgraded over the years and now offers loads of useful features, including secure file wiping; advanced keyserver searching; and seamless integration with Qualcomm’s popular Eudora E-mail client
Password Gorilla – Password manager.
Spyware Blaster – Blocks spyware/adware. Highly recommended.
Truecrypt – Open-source disk encryption software for Windows 7/Vista/XP , Mac OS X, and Linux. TrueCrypt is a software system for establishing and maintaining an on-the-fly-encrypted volume (data storage device). On-the-fly encryption means that data are automatically encrypted or decrypted right before they are loaded or saved, without any user intervention. No data stored on an encrypted volume can be read (decrypted) without using the correct password/keyfile(s) or correct encryption keys. Entire file system is encrypted (e.g.., file names, folder names, contents of every file, free space, meta data, etc).
Whisper32 – Password Manager with encryption.
WinPooch – Winpooch is a Windows watchdog, free and open source. Anti spyware and anti trojan, it gives a full protection against local or external attacks by scanning the activity of programs in real time. Associated with ClamWin antivirus, Winpooch keeps safe your computer against virus.
Zone Alarm – Internet personal firewall. Highly recommended.
Simple File Shredder – securely delete files
KeePass – password manager
LockNote – password manager
nPassword – password manager
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer – identify security misconfigurations
Spybot: Search & Destroy – anti-spyware
Windows Defender – anti-spyware
SpywareBlaster – anti-spyware
Spyware Terminator – anti-spyware
HiJack Free – system protection
HighJackThis – hijackers detector and remover
Black Box – Alternative Windows Shell. I found this to be more stable than XOBlite2. http://www.bb4win.org/news.php
Black Box Lean – Alternative Windows Shell.
Blueberry – Alternative Windows Shell in 3-D.
Clockwise3d – Alternative Windows Shell in 3-D.
Litestep – Alternative Windows Shell.
Project Looking Glass – 3D desktop. It reminds me of os x in three dimensions. Note: This is under development and requires lot’s of Java setup. I would not use this unless you want to test and develop and arn’t worried about your Windows installation.
SharpE – Alternative Windows Shell. More info and screen shots Here.
XOBLite – Alternative Windows Shell. Screenshot of my machine running XOBLite (blackbox) here
Madotate – 3D effects for Windows similar to those found in Project looking glass. This is a direct download link and is the english version.
Pitaschio – Pitaschio is the essential tool to use windows efficiently. Adds some interesting features.
RocketDock – Rocket dock is a Mac OS X like launcher complete with fisheye effect, taskbar features, and even themes well with other engines. They also have a cool icon enhancer for your desktop and file explorer with cool effects, plug-in based.
TaskSwicthXP – Task switcher (alt+tab) replacement.
Virtual Dimension – Multiple desktops in Windows. I love this app, it actually makes your desktop sessions separate and lots more cool features. Highly recommended.
VirtualWin – Virtual desktops in Windows.
Disclib – CD organizer
Dexpot – virtual desktops
DriveImage XML – create partition images
MozBackup – backup and restore bookmarks, etc.
SyncBack – system backup
Atomic Cock Sync – syncronize your clock
Citrus Alarm Clock – alarm clock
allSnap – make all windows snap
Sysinternals Tools – various system tools
StrokeIt – mouse gestures
Net Profiles – create profiles of your network settings
AveDesk – desktop enhancer
IconPhile – customize windows’s system icons
CursorXP Free – change mouse cursors
LClock – Windows Longhorn clock
Y‘z Dock – application launcher
Y‘z Shadow – shadow effect to the windows
Y‘z Toolbar – change the toolbar icons in Explorer and Internet Explorer
Taskbar Shuffle – rearrange the programs on the taskbar by dragging
Visual Task Tips – thumbnail preview image for each task in the taskbar
Badges – put badges on any folder or file
Folderico – change icons of the folders
Folder Marker – mark your folders
Folder2MyPC – add favourite locations to My Computer
Microsoft TweakUI – system settings
BricoPacks – shell packs
ShellPacks – shell packs
Tango Shell Patcher – shell patcher
XPize – GUI enhancer
CPU-Z – cpu information
CrystalCPUID – cpu information
Central Brain Identifier – cpu information
Everest – system information
SiSoft Sandra – system information
SpeedFan – hardware monitor
Memtest86 – memory test
PowerMax – HDD test
3Dmark 06 – 3D game performance benchmark
Aquamark – performance benchmark
rthdribl – 3D benchmark
Prime 95 – cpu benchmarking
SuperPI – cpu benchmarking
CPU Rightmark – cpu overclock
Core Temp – cpu temperature
aTuner – GeForce and Radeontweaker
RivaTuner – video overclock
Nokia Monitor Test – monitor adjustmets
UDPixel – fix dead pixels
Visual Tooltips – Enhance the Windows taskbar with thumbs ans 3D effects. Check out Yod’m while you’re there for a 3D cube virtual desktop.
WinRoll – Lets you shade your windows like in Linux.
7Zip – Zip utility with File Explorer support.
CabPack – compression program
Universal Extractor – extract files from any type of archive
AB Commander Lite – File explorer replacement.
Adaware – Spyware removal tool.
AlienGuise – Theme engine like Windows Blinds, by the same guys, and brought to you from Alienware computer systems.
AntiVir – Anti-virus. I have been using this for awhile and it kicks ass. Beats the shit out of Norton and it’s free! Highly recommended.
Avast – Anti-virus applcation. Free for personal use. I have not tried this software, but it works with Kerio so it can’t be bad.
BartPE – Windows live cd. Now you can boot Windows from a CD-Rom and have full read/write access to NTFS volumes!.
Boot manager/partition manager – Partition magic like clone and boot manager.
DeepBurner – CD/DVD burner
BurnAtOnce – CD/DVD burner
Express Burn – CD/DVD burner
Zilla CD-DVD Rip‘n‘Burn – CD/DVD burner
ImgBurn – ISO, BIN burner
DVD Decrypter – DVD ripper
Nero CD-DVD Speed – CD/DVD info and quality test
Burn4Free – CD/DVD burner application, works oh so well! p.s. Run Adaware after installing to remove the spyware piece
CD Image – ISO ripper. Like UltraISO, create convert disk images. Supports all the main images types.
CD burner XP – CD Burner.
Console – Terminal enhancement. Ever wanted a transparent background in the command prompt window like in Linux?
Crap Cleaner – Cleans up Windows, internet cache, temp files, registry entries, etc. Also has a kick ass uninstaller that works and a startup editor. Highly recommended.
xp-AntiSpy – OS setup
jv16 Powertools – system utilities
XP SysPad – system monitoring utility
What’s Running – process guard
Registrar Lite – registry editor
WinIPConfig – replacement for �ipconfig.exe� and �route.exe�
Unlocker – file eraser
Eraser – secure file eraser
Undelete Plus – file recovery
Duplicate File Finder – find all duplicate files
Ant Renamer – file renaming
ReNamer – file renaming
Icons From File – icos extractor
Chaos MD5 – MD5 generator
HashTab – MD5, SHA1 and CRC-32 file hashes
Cygwin – Cygwin is a Linux-like environment for Windows.
Cygwin/x – Cygwin/x allows x11 (Linux apps) to run on Windows.
Daisy – Windows updater replacement that does not use IE settings.
DoISO – Create and burn ISO disk images.
Download Checker – The Update Checker will scan your computer for installed software, check the versions and then send this information to filehippo.com to see if there are any newer releases. These are then neatly displayed in your browser for you to download.
Explore2fs – Let’s you see and explore a Linux partition, and do file operations, from Windows. Highly recommended if you dual boot.
ExplorerXP – Windows File Explorer replacement.
FS-driver – Mount Linux Ext2/Ext3 file systems on Windows.
Floola – Floola is a freeware application to efficiently manage your iPod or your Motorola mobile phone (any model supporting iTunes). Floola supports all common used iPod features including artwork, podcasts and smart playlists! It’s also able to convert audio or video incompatible with the iPod so that you can copy almost any file to it. It even allows adding youtube and myspace videos just entering the page url!
Free commander – File Explorer replacement. This is one of the best file explorer replacements I have ever used. Highly Recommended.
Mucommander – File Explorer replacement. If you liked Norton Commander you will love this.
ISOrecorder – ISO burn utility! Add an option to Explorer to burn .iso file to cd. HIghly Recommended.
IZArc – Zip utility. Opens everything and has File Explorer support.
Infrarecorder – CD/CDR burner.
Launchy – Launchy is a free windows utility designed to help you forget about your start menu, the icons on your desktop, and even your file manager. Launchy indexes the programs in your start menu and can launch your documents, project files, folders, and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes! Similar to Quicksilver on OS X and Katapult on Linux.
OpenVMS – Defrag and hard drive utility.
Partition Utilities – Partition resize, delete, create, etc…
Rainlendar – Very cool skinnable calendar for windows, will set events from Outlook/Exchange!
Registry Fix – Fixes the Windows registry.
Resource Hacker – Utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Win95, Win98, WinME, WinNT, Win2000 and WinXP operating systems.
Samurize – Another skinnable clock, system meters, weather, email, and trash indicators as well as music playback, but with so much more – like multiple machine support! Highly recommended.
Skin Calc – Cool skinnable calculator.
Spybot – Spyware removal tool.
Stickies – Post it notes for your desktop.
StickiesforWindows – Post it notes for your desktop.
Synergy – Synergy is like dual monitors, a kvm switch, and vnc on speed! If you want to operate multiple machines with one keyboard and mouse, move files between them, and have both screens at your disposal this is for you. Works between platforms also!
Sysmetrix – Very cool skinnable clock system meters with weather, email, and trash indicators as well as music playback.
Task Scheduler – Task Schedule replacement.
Tugzip – Zip/archive application. Really nice and opens most everything including rar.
UBCD4Win – UBCD4Win is a bootable CD which contains software that allows you to repair/restore/diagnostic almost any computer problem. Also see Win/Linux Version.
UltraExplorer – File Explorer replacement.
Unxutils – Linux/Unix command line tools, like grep, written natively for Windows.
VSpeech – Voice command your Windows computer.
WikidPad – wikidPad is a real-time wiki. wikidPad is not a web server, or application server, or groupware solution. wikidPad is a standalone notepad like application, albeit notepad on steroids. wikidPad is like an IDE for your thoughts.
ZScreen – ZScreen is an open-source screen capture program that allows for region/window/full-screen screenshots. It can FTP screenshots and put the URL in your clipboard in a single keystroke. It supports automatic custom naming conventions with variables. It can also interface with image editing software. It is a C#.NET 2.0 program hosted on Sourceforge.net and built by BrandonZ (inf1ni).
Zipeg – Zipeg allows you to open and explore content of zip, rar and other archives, preview files and images before you extract/unzip them. Extract only the files you want. Zip thru photo archives. See image thumbnails. Zipeg allows you to decide what do you want to extract. You can choose what to extract and where to put extracted files or just drag and drop them.
Zipgenious – Zip utility that supports all the major archive types, zip, s7, gz, etc. Skinnable.
PearPC – Run Mac OS X or Linux on Windows !
VirtualBox – VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware. Targeted at server, desktop and embedded use, it is now the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software.

Rating: 7.3/10 (18 votes cast)

Best Windows Freeware – Portable Applications Suite

Ruhani Rabin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:09:50 +0000

Portable Applications Suites

PortableApps – Now you can carry your favorite computer programs along with all of your bookmarks, settings, email and more with you. Use them on any Windows computer via USB Flash device, iPod, or portable hard disk, and it works like a start menu. Includes Firefox, Open Office, VideoLan, to name a few.
Lupo PenSuite – Lupo PenSuite mashes up a familiar looking menu with a huge offering of applications. Taking a note from the LiberKey school of portable suite production, Lupo PenSuite throws everything at you but the kitchen sink.
Geek.Menu – Geek.Menu is a branch in the PortableApps development tree. Geek.Menu uses the same convenient installation files from PortableApps.com that the original PortableApps suite uses. The layout is similar but Geek.Menu has several key enhancements.

LiberKey – It might not have the polished menu found in the PortableApps suite, but its menu is functional and conveniently arranged by program type. And 250 programs packed under the hood.

Rating: 7.9/10 (18 votes cast)

Best Windows Freeware – Programming

Ruhani Rabin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:07:58 +0000

Programming

Frhed – Hex editor.
ActiveGrid Studio – ActiveGrid Studio enables developers to rapidly build enterprise-level Web 2.0 applications with a minimum of training, time, and effort. Supports Java, PHP, Python. Database supports is the best I’ve seen in an open IDE. Has built in Python and Java environments plus a built in running Apache web server. Highly recommended.
Aptana – Development environment geared towards web development, Ajax style! Autocomplete and assistance for HTML, CSS, Java Script.

Balthisar Cascade 2.0 – CSS level 2 editor available for the Windows platform.
BlitzMax IDE – Basic programming IDE for use with the Blitz game development environment.
Boa Constructor – A visual GUI designer and IDE for Python
Code:Blocks – The IDE with all the features you need, having a consistent look, feel and operation across platforms.
Cooktop – XML editor.
Cream – A modern configuration of the powerful and famous Vim, with full GUI.
Eclipse – Eclipse java IDE for Windows. It can be extended into many other platforms.
Entice – Entice Designer is a Form Designer for DFL and a rich code editor, and is on the path to becoming an IDE. D programming language
Envelop VBasic – Visual Basic clone; compiles to exe, gui designer!
FarPy – Awesome wxPython and .Net GUI designer.
Flashdevelop – Actionscript 2 IDE with seamless swfmill and MTASC integration. FlashDevelop is the first alternative opensource IDE to feature AS3 & MXML completion, including Flex2 compiler integration (the best compiler integration after Adobe FB) and AS3 syntax checking. Highly recommended. Requires .Net.
GNUStep objective C – Objective C lib, compilers, etc.
Groovy – Groovy is an agile, dynamic programming language for the Java Virtual Machine. Groovy includes features found in Python, Ruby, and Smalltalk, but uses syntax similar to the Java programming language.
Haste – Haskell TurboEdit – is an IDE for the functional programming language Haskell, written in Haskell.
IronPythonIDE – IronPython IDE is a GUI application written in C#. It is dedicated to the IronPython language which is a .NET implementation of the Python language. It is aimed at providing a nice, easy, full featured development environment for IronPython. Read up on or download IronPython.
IronPythonStudio – IronPython Studio is a free full IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for the Python programming language. It is based on the existing IronPython example that is included in the VS SDK. IronPython Studio is based on the Visual Studio 2008 Shell runtime (royalty free) and can be installed without requiring any version of Visual Studio.
Komodo Edit – Free, feature-rich editor for JavaScript, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby and Tcl, on Linux, Mac OS X and Windows.
Lazarus – Delphi/Kylix like programming environment using Pascal, compiles to exe and includes gui designer.!
NVU – HTML wysiwyg editor, supports CSS, Javascript, etc. Highly recommended.
Netbeans – IDE with the following features and language support Ajax | C/C++ | Databases | Debugger | Desktop | Editor | GUI Builder | Java EE | Java ME | Java SE | Javascript | Mobile | Profiler | Refactor | REST | Rich Client Platform | Ruby | SOA | SOAP | UML | Web | WSDL | XML.
OpenLaszlo – Flash creation, plus much more. Kind of like Macromedia Flex. For everything you need for this visit my Laszlo article.
PyScripter – A very powerful, full featured, professional Python IDE written in Delphi. Highly recommended.
Python Enthought edition – Scientific power packed Python install! This has wxWindows installed by default.
Python for Photoshop – Python Actions Plug-in for Adobe Photoshop
Python programming language! – So much power and easy to pick up! Has an included programming editor/IDE called PythonWin.exe
RadRails – Ruby On Rails IDE.
Rec – Decompiler, breaks exe files into C/C++ code.
SPE – If your a Python programmer working on Mac or Windows and your looking for a kick ass IDE Spe is for you! Highly recommended.
Scite – A free source code editor for Win32 and X.
Selenium – Web application test tool. Tests run directly in a browser, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla, and Firefox. Supported platforms Windows, Linux, and Macintosh. Languages include C#, Python, PHP, Ruby, etc.
Sepy – Flash Actionscript IDE. This is really nice! Has class list, auto complete, and compiler. Highly recommended.
SharpDevelop – IDE for C# and VB.NET projects on Microsoft’s .NET platform..
SimpleCSS – CSS Editor.
Spket – IDE for JavaScript, XUL/XBL and Yahoo! Widget development. It provides features like code completion, syntax highlighting and content outline that helps developers productively create efficient JavaScript code. Supports Laszlo and Silverlight. Requires Java.
TSWebeditor – HTML/PHP IDE. Has FTP, projects, and css support built in. Very nice! Highly recommended.
Vex – Vex is an editor for XML documents. The “visual” part comes from the fact that Vex hides the raw XML tags from the user, providing instead a wordprocessor-like interface. Because of this, Vex is best suited for “document-style” XML documents such as XHTML and DocBook rather than “data-style” XML documents.
WXWindows – BOA uses wxWindows backend
Webniac – HTML editor, CSS, ETC.
Xerlin – XML editor.
Xinha – HTML editor also has a Firefox extension.
ConText – Programmers text editor, supports most languages, shell scripts, plugin support.
Crimson editor – Programmers text editor. Features tabbed interface, html, php, c, python syntax highlighting, code output window, and built in FTP! Highly recommended.
Jedit – Jedit is a mature and well-designed programmer’s text editor with a big focus on Java. Has nice Jython support!
Notepad++ – Notepad replacement with tabs, plugins, no file size limit. Highlights many langauges included Python, Java, Html, etc. Highly Recommended.
AutoIt – task automation programming
SciTE4AutoIt3 – text editor for AutoIt
AutoHotkey – task automation
PHP Designer – PHP editor
PSPad – text editor
FoxEditor – text editor
Elfima Notepad – text editor
Notepad2 – text editor
Nvu – HTML editor
Alleycode – HTML editor
BlockNote – web page editor
Weaverslave – web page editor
TortoiseSVN – the best windows SVN client at your finger tips.
Visual Web Developer Express – A free edition of Visual Studio with the features of a full phase .Net web development IDE. A must have.

Rating: 7.5/10 (16 votes cast)

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