PC/MAC Programs

Introduction

This page contains information related to PC/MAC programs. It also includes Linux and IOS and Android links when the same application is available for these platforms.

Some of the items in this page have been, or are in the process of being, moved to a new page - System tools. That contains the tools or information to look after your system. This section is/will be for the tools needed for normal day to day tasks.

Important Caveat

Many free programs are now including unwanted "optional extras". These typically install browser toolbars, change your home page to a strange search engine and worse. They often have check boxes that are set checked by default and which must be cleared to prevent installation of such unwanted features. Note that some of these extra programs are not uninstalled if the main program is uninstalled.

When this has been observed such behaviour is noted in the description but some programs add this behaviour when the version is updated.

You have been warned - be careful! Watch all steps of the installation carefully.

Definitions

The following definitions are used in the descriptions of programs:

Other notes

I have broken one of my unwritten rules on this page - there is a (usually small) charge for some of the programs listed here.

Updated:-2020-04-12

Category:- Annotation

Tools that can be used to annotate a document or drawing

App Name Links App Description Help
IrfanView internet-pc

IrfanView is a very fast, small, compact and innovative FREEWARE (for non-commercial use) graphic viewer for Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP/W7/W8/W10.

It will convert from almost any image format into any other as well as a lot more besides.

  • Batch reformat and/or rename. E.g. normalise the size of from a high definition image to a lower definition (smaller size) for web site publication on the web
  • Screen image capture - select whole desktop, a window, client area of a window or a custom selection using a "hot key"
  • Annotate an image (especially useful for a screen capture)
  • Play (but not convert) video files

Irfanview supports "Plugins". These provide additional functionality. These need to be download separately.

IrfanView is now available in 32 and 64 bit versions. The full range of plug-ins is not yet supported in 64 bit versions so currently it is recommended to use the 32 bit version.

Ask
Updated:-2020-04-12 Cost: Donation ware

Category:- Backup

Programs that will backup disk volumes/partitions, files, or folders to another location

App Name Links App Description Help
Aomei Backupper document-guideinternet-pc

Full Disk Backup

Aomei Backupper is a full disk backup and restore solution for Windows systems. It is designed to take a backup of the current state of your windows computer that can be used if ever you have an issue which corrupts or damages your commuter. It will backup all essential partitions on your system disk drive.

It is designed to backup to an external disk drive e.g. a plugin USB disk. It does support incremental backups so that only changes are from a previous backup are recorder.

The free (for personal use) version can successfully backup and restore computers. The paid for version has additional features

To access the correct download follow the link "For Home" and select AOMEI Backupper Standard from the options.

Backupper can create recovery media (on DVD or USB memory stick) that can used tbe booted up and used to restore a computer even if the internal disk drive has totally crashed and is irrecoverable.

While the bootable media (DVD or USB) can be easily created by Aomei Backupper it will probably not immediately work with a recent Windows computer as the security settings will normally prevent booting from external media. This is security feature but the setting can be changed if you access the "EFI Boot" settings in the computer BIOS. You will need to refer to the manufacture's documentation for instructions on how to access this setting menu. REMEMBER to change it back once you have corrected the problem!

Backupper is intended to be used to backup an entire disk drive. This only needs to be run occasionally e.g. after a Windows update or a software istall. It is NOT recommended for daily backup of user files. It does have a file backup feature for files but Cobian Reflector is designed and recommended for this regular task.

A Soroban Guide has also been provided to take you through how to use the program. This is still in draft so please inform the author if you find any errors.

Ask
New:-2023-12-01 Cost: Free for personal use
Cobian Backup internet-pc

File backup

The main advantage of this program over alternatives, and the reason I am using this program is that is can copy open files on all versions of Windows since XP.

A number of backup jobs can be created and run on a schedule when this is combined with the versioning feature it can provide a totally automated backup regime.

Versioning is very useful. A backup cycle can be created where it will take a full backup periodically. In between it can take differential (all changes from the previous full backup) or incremental (all changes from last backup) backups. You can configure how many backup cycles to retain.

The program author is very specific - the program is a backup program only. Many alternatives also offer synchronisation facilities. These can be dangerous - if you delete a program from your own computer then it may automatically be deleted from the archive. Recovery is not automated - you use Windows Explorer to copy files back from the backup.

Cobian support was shut down in 2013 although the program continued to be available for download. The original author has now produced a new version and it is now fully supported again. Full details are on his website.

Ask
Updated:-2023-11-24 Cost: Donation ware
DriveImage XML internet-pc

Disk partition image backup

This program will backup a complete partition, or a set of partitions, to another drive. This might be another partition on the same drive, an external USB drive, or a Network share on another computer or external drive.

The program will backup XP or later computers while they are running. The program takes an image of the drive. It is not a file by file copy but the program does keep an index of the files and will enable single files or folders to be extracted from the archive. It can use a feature of XP and later computers called Volume shadow copy enables it to safely copy open files.

Restoration of an image to an empty disk requires a bootable disk. The site gives a link to a Live CD (i.e. bootable) with DriveImage already installed. This is a Linux distribution and is the easiest option.

There is a downloadable Help file on the web site. You need to follow the instructions to "unblock" it to be able to read it.

Ask
Updated:-2023-10-09 Cost: Free for personal use
FreeFileSync internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

File Synchronisation/Web upload

A free/donation ware utility that can synchronise or mirror a folder structure to another device.

The source or destination can be a local or networked disk drive or an FTP server

The operation can be set to:

  • Synchronise - make both sides match each other
  • Mirror - make target match the source including deleting files that are no longer on source

The basic version is free with no adverts. They offer a donation ware version that releases further functionality (believed to be related to performance) that needs to be renewed annually.

This program is being used to mirror all files to this website from the master copy maintained on a laptop.

Ask
Updated:-2023-10-09 Cost: Free/donationware
Macrium internet-pc

Macrium is no longer a free utility for backing up a running XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers. Existing Macrium images can still be read by the latest version of Macrium! Use Aomei Backupper for all new backups.

Ask
Updated:-2023-11-24 Cost: No longer free
Syncback internet-pc

Although this program is still available I now use Freefilesync for maintaining my web site

Syncback is still an excellent backup utility and continues to be improved so return from time to time. FreeFileSync is however easier to configure and is now being used to maintain this website.

Ask
Updated:-2023-10-09 Cost: Free version, enhanced versions require payment

Category:- Cloud

Cloud Topics and Programs

This section contains information about "The Cloud" including:

App Name Links App Description Help
TeamDrive (Synqion in USA) internet-androidinternet-appleinternet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

A free cloud based storage service. Now recommended in preference to SpiderOak.

The data is encrypted in the remote file store making its contents safe from prying eyes. It s designed to work as a shared team store. Many users can share the data and it is very easy to add new team members and control their level of access. It is also capable of sharing files between a phone and computer file store.

Any file changed is updated to the cloud store and then replicated to all registered users.

It is available for many platforms although the contributor has only tested PC and Android variants.

TeamDrive has been rebadged in the USA (for reasons unknown) to Synqion. It appears to be the same executable program. Attempts to access the Teamdrive site from the USA are redirected to Synqion. TeamDrive and Synqion are registered at the same address in Germany.

Ask
Updated:-2019-11-04 Cost: Free up to 2 Gbyte
WeTransfer internet-help

WeTransfer

This service can be described as a "cloud like" service. It enables a file, or the contents of a folder, files to be uploaded to a remote server for collection by another party.

The file or files will be retained for a defined interval. The default is 1 week.

The free version limits the total size of the uploaded files to 2 GBytes. There are options to pay for larger file limits.

Ask
New:-2022-11-08 Cost: Free up to 2 Gbytes

Category:- Document/Text Editor

Programs that can be used to edit system file. This includes:

App Name Links App Description Help
Notepad++ internet-pc

A comprehensive and versatile document/text/code editor. Key features include:

  • Syntax Highlighting and Syntax Folding depending on file type
  • User Defined Syntax Highlighting and Folding
  • PCRE (Perl Compatible Regular Expression) Search/Replace
  • GUI entirely customizable: minimalist, tab with close button, multi-line tab, vertical tab and vertical document list
  • Document Map
  • Auto-completion: Word completion, Function completion and Function parameters hint
  • Multi-Document (Tab interface)
  • Multi-Document (Tab interface)
  • Multi-View
  • WYSIWYG (Printing)
  • Zoom in and zoom out
  • Multi-Language environment supported
  • Bookmark
  • Macro recording and playback
  • Launch with different arguments
Ask
New:-2019-11-04 Cost: Donationware

Category:- Drawing

Drawing tools providing some equivalent facilities available using the Microsoft Visio application

App Name Links App Description Help
Inkscape internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

An Open Source feature rich Drawing package

An evolving, fully featured, drawing package. It contains may features that are provided by the Microsoft Visio drawing application.

Inkscape has a huge, and evolving, set of features that seem to work well.

Inkscape is designed to store it files in a standard format Scalable Vector Graphics (or SVG). Limited testing has been done to check that this file format can be imported directly into LibreOffice Writer documents and Visio. It is expected that if multiple layers are used these may be "flattened" to a single layer during the import. Feedback would be appreciated so this entry can be updated.

Note: Inkscape is capable of providing "connectors" but this feature is still immature and does not yet come close to the equivalent capabilities of LibreOffice Draw or especially Microsoft Visio. Other drawing features are however well supported.

Ask
New:-2022-05-18 Cost: Free
LibreOffice Draw internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

LibreOffice Draw is part of the LibreOffice suite

Please refer to the main LibreOffice entry

Ask
New:-2022-05-18 Cost: Open Source

Category:- Email

Email related programs etc.

Programs connected with processing emails and related items e.g. address books and calendars

Also tools to report Spam and to check whether your email address has ben compromised.

App Name Links App Description Help
Email compromise check internet

Have I been pwned?

Enter your email address to find it you email is known on a list of harvested emails

You are very likely to find your email in there! It does not matter too much if your email is in there as long as your email account is protected by a good password and that password is not shared with other

Ask
New:-2020-10-05 Cost: Free
Phishing report - UK internet

Report phishing to uk authorities. Forward the suspicious email to report@phishing.gov.uk

The link goes to the government site which gives more information and includes what to do about texts etc.

Ask
New:-2023-12-01
Spamcop internet

If you receive a Spam email you can report it using this link. Spamcop will forward it to the domain owner.

You will need to know how to copy the entire email, including all of the headers, into the Spamcop report. The actual steps will depend on which email program you use to read your email.

You do need to register with Spamcop make a report!

Ask
New:-2023-12-01 Cost: Free - you must register
Thunderbird Email internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

Thunderbird is a comprehensive email client that also incudes calendar and upcoming event features. It also incudes an address book. It also supports a range of "add-ins" that extend its functionality. It can import from a variety of email clients including the obsolete Microsoft Livemail.

It is available for Windows, Mac and Linux platforms and the download will (probably) pick the appropriate version. If not choose the System and Languages link below the download button. This also allows you to choose the platform and the language you want to work in. for me it selected en-GB!

It s very easy to configure for all your email accounts. I have six.

It has many other features I have not explored.

I have been using Thunderbird as my email client for some years after abandoning the obsolete LiveMail.

Ask
Updated:-2024-06-06 Cost: Donation ware

Category:- Encryption

Encryption topics and software

This section includes information about encryption including:

App Name Links App Description Help
Encrypto internet-macinternet-pc

File merge and encryption

This free program will combine a set of files or folders into a single file (similar to the widely used Zip program) but will then additionally apply encryption to the combined file. It uses a password to encrypt the data. The same program can be used to decrypt the resulting combined file.

A typical use of this program would be to generate a file that can be shared over a public Internet service such as WeTransfer, or stored on an USB drive that is then given to another person.

When used in this way the password must be shared using an alterative method to that used so share the encrypted file. To maintain security this password must NEVER be sent over the same channel as the data. Examples include a telephone call or text message.

Although compression is applied to the data the resulting single file may be too large to be shared over the internet. In this case a File splitting/combining program could be used to fragment the encrypted file so it can be shared, each fragment shared, and then recombined at the receiving end.

The native Windows Zip facility provides file compression to reduce the size but other tools would have to be used to combine compression with encryption., These tools tend to be Windows only but this program claims to be compatible with MAC as well.

Ask
New:-2023-08-23 Cost: Free
Peazip internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

File Zip, merge, split and encryption

This free program will combine a set of files or folders into a single file (similar to the widely used Zip program) but can then perform any of the following:

  • Will merge files/folders into a single ZIP file
  • Will encrypt the zip file or decrypt using a password
  • Can split a zip file into a configurable number of chunks and then merge back into the original zip file

This is the only free utility program that provides all of the tools needed for safe file sharing that I have found that will work on Windows, MAC and Linux platforms

A typical use of this program would be to generate a compressed file (containing a number of embedded folders/files) that can be easily, and safely, shared over a public Internet service such as WeTransfer, or stored on an USB drive that is then given to another person.

When encryption is used then the encryption password must be shared using an alternative method to that used so share the encrypted file. To maintain security this password must NEVER be sent over the same channel as the data. Examples include a telephone call or text message.

Ask
Updated:-2023-08-27 Cost: Free
TeamDrive (Synqion in USA) internet-androidinternet-appleinternet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

A free cloud based storage service. Now recommended in preference to SpiderOak.

The data is encrypted in the remote file store making its contents safe from prying eyes. It s designed to work as a shared team store. Many users can share the data and it is very easy to add new team members and control their level of access. It is also capable of sharing files between a phone and computer file store.

Any file changed is updated to the cloud store and then replicated to all registered users.

It is available for many platforms although the contributor has only tested PC and Android variants.

TeamDrive has been rebadged in the USA (for reasons unknown) to Synqion. It appears to be the same executable program. Attempts to access the Teamdrive site from the USA are redirected to Synqion. TeamDrive and Synqion are registered at the same address in Germany.

Ask
Updated:-2019-11-04 Cost: Free up to 2 Gbyte
TrueCrypt - DO NOT USE internet

Truecrypt no longer exists. It was suddenly, several years ago, withdrawn without explanation

Veracrypt has ported this code and now supports a backward compatible product. See the Veracrypt entry.

Ask
Updated:-2023-08-23 Cost: Do not contribute!
Veracrypt internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

This program is a replacement for the now defunct TrueCrypt

Do you want to keep your information private?

This program allows you make a disk file (created by the program) appear as a new disk drive. All normal file accesses work. You can create folders within the "virtual" disk. The important thing however is that the virtual disk is encrypted. You have to enter a password/phrase to open the virtual disk. The encryption ought to be strong enough for most purposes and would prevent anyone who did not know the password from seeing the data.

Veracrypt is a Free Open Source encryption package. It creates one, or more, "disks" that, when the encryption key is entered, appear just like ordinary disk drives to the system. A bewildering number of encryption algorithms are supported. I am comfortable with the level of security provided by AES which is also one of the fastest.

The contributor has not evaluated this program, feedback welcome

Ask
Updated:-2023-08-23 Cost: Donationware

Category:- File Utilities

File utilities including splitting and encryption

App Name Links App Description Help
Encrypto internet-macinternet-pc

File merge and encryption

This free program will combine a set of files or folders into a single file (similar to the widely used Zip program) but will then additionally apply encryption to the combined file. It uses a password to encrypt the data. The same program can be used to decrypt the resulting combined file.

A typical use of this program would be to generate a file that can be shared over a public Internet service such as WeTransfer, or stored on an USB drive that is then given to another person.

When used in this way the password must be shared using an alterative method to that used so share the encrypted file. To maintain security this password must NEVER be sent over the same channel as the data. Examples include a telephone call or text message.

Although compression is applied to the data the resulting single file may be too large to be shared over the internet. In this case a File splitting/combining program could be used to fragment the encrypted file so it can be shared, each fragment shared, and then recombined at the receiving end.

The native Windows Zip facility provides file compression to reduce the size but other tools would have to be used to combine compression with encryption., These tools tend to be Windows only but this program claims to be compatible with MAC as well.

Ask
New:-2023-08-23 Cost: Free
File encryption internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

File encryption Tool

This tool is designed to encrypt a file using a secure encryption method. It is available for Windows, MAC and Linux platforms.

A typical use would be to encrypt a file containing sensitive data before exchanging it with another person. A new file is created that can only be opened, using the same program, by entering the password.

If sending the encrypted file over the Internet whether by email, or by some other form of file sharing, the password should be exchanged by a different method:

  • text message
  • telephone
  • post
  • etc.
Ask
New:-2023-08-18 Cost: Free
Free File Splitter internet-pc

Free File Splitter

There is sometimes a need to split a large (typically a video) file into smaller chunks so that it can be emailed. This program is designed to do this.

There will obviously as be a need recombine the files at the recipient's computer.

This program can perform both functions.

No installation is required.

If you want to combine file compression (e.g. Zip) together with file splitting (for sharing over a size limited link) and encryption (for privacy) then and need cross platform support then consider PeaZip as a viable alternative

Ask
Updated:-2023-09-13 Cost: Free
Peazip internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

File Zip, merge, split and encryption

This free program will combine a set of files or folders into a single file (similar to the widely used Zip program) but can then perform any of the following:

  • Will merge files/folders into a single ZIP file
  • Will encrypt the zip file or decrypt using a password
  • Can split a zip file into a configurable number of chunks and then merge back into the original zip file

This is the only free utility program that provides all of the tools needed for safe file sharing that I have found that will work on Windows, MAC and Linux platforms

A typical use of this program would be to generate a compressed file (containing a number of embedded folders/files) that can be easily, and safely, shared over a public Internet service such as WeTransfer, or stored on an USB drive that is then given to another person.

When encryption is used then the encryption password must be shared using an alternative method to that used so share the encrypted file. To maintain security this password must NEVER be sent over the same channel as the data. Examples include a telephone call or text message.

Ask
Updated:-2023-08-27 Cost: Free

Category:- FTP

File Transfer protocol (FTP) related programs

Programs related to copying files to or from an FTP server.

App Name Links App Description Help
Free Download Manager internet-pc

Free Download Manager speeds up the download process by splitting the download into a number or parallel "threads".

It organises the downloads in folders under different categories (although it does not always get this right!).

It allows the download traffic to be prioritised so that downloads do not hog the available bandwidth.

Downloads can be scheduled with the computer shutting itself down when completed although I do not use this feature very often.

A new feature is a Web site spider function which claims to support mirroring of web sites - see HTTrack entry. This feature has not been tested.

Ask
Updated:-2014-05-16 Cost: Free
FreeFileSync internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

File Synchronisation/Web upload

A free/donation ware utility that can synchronise or mirror a folder structure to another device.

The source or destination can be a local or networked disk drive or an FTP server

The operation can be set to:

  • Synchronise - make both sides match each other
  • Mirror - make target match the source including deleting files that are no longer on source

The basic version is free with no adverts. They offer a donation ware version that releases further functionality (believed to be related to performance) that needs to be renewed annually.

This program is being used to mirror all files to this website from the master copy maintained on a laptop.

Ask
Updated:-2023-10-09 Cost: Free/donationware
HTTrack Website Copier internet-pc

Copies the contents of a web site to the local disk for off-line browsing. Works very well.

This program was used to capture the entire GXCC web site prior to it being moved to a new host.

The web site has since been substantially revised.

Ask
Updated:-2022-11-10 Cost: Free

Category:- Games

This section contains links to games

App Name Links App Description Help
Windows 7 Games for W10/W11 internet-pc

Install Windows 7 Games on W8, W10 or W11

Please be aware that if upgrading from W10 to W11 you MAY need to reinstall the games as there is an issue with the older version running on W11. The new version is backwards compatible.

The installer includes:

  • Solitaire
  • Spider Solitaire
  • Minesweeper
  • FreeCell
  • Hearts
  • Chess Titans
  • Mahjong Titans
  • Purble Place

I have not tried them all! It also includes Internet versions of spades, Checkers and backgammon which I suspect do not work.

You can be selective and choose which games are installed.

Ask
Updated:-2023-11-01 Cost: Freeware

Category:- Image Processing

This section includes programs for manipulating images including

App Name Links App Description Help
GIMP internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

Powerful Image processing

Whether you are a graphic designer, photographer, illustrator, or scientist, GIMP provides you with sophisticated tools to get your job done. You can further enhance your productivity with GIMP thanks to many customization options and 3rd party plugins.

This is a powerful and well regarded editing tool aimed at professional use. It requires some knowledge of image processing terminology to use effectively.

Ask
New:-2021-01-14 Cost: Free
Image Composite Editor internet-pcinternet-pc32internet-pc64

Stitching Images

A free program from Microsoft that stitches individual images into one composite image. It seems to work extremely well.

Note that the Microsoft download link no longer works. The links shown are alternative download links for 32 and 64 bit versions.

Please note however that this program is no longer supported!

The Microsoft site however still has a very brief description of the program.

The 32 bit link will download a 32 bit version. This does NOT work on 64 bit computers

The 64 bit link downloads a ZIP file that does contain the 64 bit installer (MSI file) along with other irrelevant data.

Ask
Updated:-2021-03-16 Cost: Free
IrfanView internet-pc

IrfanView is a very fast, small, compact and innovative FREEWARE (for non-commercial use) graphic viewer for Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP/W7/W8/W10.

It will convert from almost any image format into any other as well as a lot more besides.

  • Batch reformat and/or rename. E.g. normalise the size of from a high definition image to a lower definition (smaller size) for web site publication on the web
  • Screen image capture - select whole desktop, a window, client area of a window or a custom selection using a "hot key"
  • Annotate an image (especially useful for a screen capture)
  • Play (but not convert) video files

Irfanview supports "Plugins". These provide additional functionality. These need to be download separately.

IrfanView is now available in 32 and 64 bit versions. The full range of plug-ins is not yet supported in 64 bit versions so currently it is recommended to use the 32 bit version.

Ask
Updated:-2020-04-12 Cost: Donation ware
Nikon Free Photo Management Software internet-macinternet-pc

A number of free Nikon utilities for photo and video management

These are all contained in a single download

ViewNX-i

View, sort, edit and archive stills and movies with ease. Nikon's ViewNX-i is an intuitive image hub that makes it simple to organise, process and share stills and movies from one central platform.

With three dedicated workspaces, you can switch instantly between image sorting or map and web upload operations. The integrated ViewNX-Movie Editor makes it easy to edit, trim and manage movies, and ViewNX-i works seamlessly with Nikon's Capture NX-D for instant access to more advanced functions. Sidecar files ensure non-destructive image processing, and you can post images to social sites directly from the ViewNX-i platform.

Capture NX-D

Capture NX-D is a basic photo processing software, it can be used to enhance JPEG and TIFF images through adjustments to brightness, contrast, tone curves, and much more

Nikon Transfer 2

Is an application to transfer RAW and JPG images from camera or SD card to a location on a PC or Mac such as the My Pictures folder or Finder folder. It has various options that users can specify before transfer of images. These include setting the primary destination of the images, renaming, synchronizing image information like the data and EXIF data and if required deleting the original from the SD card after it's been transferred

Ask
Updated:-2020-08-28 Cost: Freeware
Xnconvert internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

XnConvert is a batch image converter program. This is from the same vendor as XNView but according to the website it is enhanced and has multi-platform support.

The site indicates that some conversions require 32 bit components. It is not too clear what the implications are but it suggests that for now you should use the 32 bit versions.

This version has not been evaluated by the contributor - feedback would be appreciated.

Ask
New:-2020-06-20 Cost: Freeware for non commercial use
Xnview internet-pc

Xnview is an image converter program.

There is an alternative program from the same source that appears to be more flexible and is multi-platform that appears to have additional functionality but has not yet been evaluated.

Ask
Updated:-2014-05-16 Cost: Free for home use
XnviewMP internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

XnviewMP is an image converter program. This is from the same vendor as XNView but according to the website it is enhanced and has multi-platform support.

This version has not been evaluated by the contributor - feedback would be appreciated.

Ask
Updated:-2020-06-20 Cost: Freeware for non commercial use

Category:- Message, Voice, Video

Instant Messages, Voice and Video

This section includes information about Messenging and related services including:

App Name Links App Description Help
Skype internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

Skype is Microsoft's version of Instant Messaging, Internet telephony amd Video calling.

A version of Skype is preinstalled on Windows 8 and Windows 10 or downloadable from the Windows App store but this is the App version. This link is for the Desktop version. For Windows 8.1 and windows 10 where the App can be run in a resizable Window (rather than full screen) there may be less need to install this version.

Ask
Updated:-2018-02-06 Cost: Free

Category:- Office Automation

Office Automation programs that can support

App Name Links App Description Help
Apache OpenOffice internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

Open Office is an office suite that rivals Microsoft Office. It can open Office 2003 documents (in particular Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

This program is falling further behind LibreOffice. The author strongly recommends installing, or migrating to LibreOffice as soon as possible, as this is more likely to be able to open/save in the latest Microsoft formats.

Ask
Updated:-2019-07-22 Cost: Donation ware
LibreOffice User Guides - Alternative internet-help

Alternative list of LibreOffice help and tutorial Documents

An alternative download site containing a comprehensive set of documents and tutorial information for download covering all aspects of LibreOffice including example documents in many cases.

This site includes a web view of the documents, in some cases, in addition to the ODT and PDF download links

This set includes:

  • Getting Started with LibreOffice
  • LibreOffice Writer Guide
  • LibreOffice Calc Guide
  • LibreOffice Impress Guide
  • LibreOffice Draw Guide
  • LibreOffice Base Guide
  • LibreOffice Math Guide
  • and others
Ask
New:-2020-04-10 Cost: Free for downloaded versions. Printed books available for a fee.
LibreOffice User Guides internet-help

LibreOffice help and tutorial Documents

A comprehensive set of documents and tutorial information for download covering all aspects of LibreOffice including example documents in many cases.

The presentation of the downloads is more complex than the alternative site but it also includes earlier versions as well as the current versions

This set includes:

  • Getting Started with LibreOffice
  • LibreOffice Writer Guide
  • LibreOffice Calc Guide
  • LibreOffice Impress Guide
  • LibreOffice Draw Guide
  • LibreOffice Base Guide
  • LibreOffice Math Guide
  • LibreOffice Tutorial
  • LibreOffice Basic Reference cards
  • Plus "How tos" and Tutorials as well as Desktop Reference cards
Ask
Updated:-2022-04-15 Cost: Donation ware for downloaded versions. Printed books available for a fee.
LibreOffice Video Tutorials internet-help

This site contains a set of video tutorials covering most aspects of LibreOffice is considerable detail. It has several major topics which include multiple videos covering:

  • LibreOffice Base: Database software (note this is NOT compatible with MS Access)
  • LibreOffice Calc: Microsoft Excel compatible spreadsheet
  • LibreOffice Draw: Drawing package
  • LibreOffice Impress: Microsoft PowerPoint compatible presentation software
  • LibreOffice Writer: Microsoft Word compatible word processor

Each LibreOffice application has a series of well organised tutorial videos that take a beginner from first principles to advanced topics. Each topic has downloadable sample files.

This site is not directly associated with the Document Foundation, the owners of LibreOffice. They have however produced good quality tutorial information for LibreOffice. The video tutorials have not been updated for the current version of LibreOffice so some details may not be identical to what you see on the latest versions. For example the menus may have had some tweaks and the toolbars had cosmetic changes. I have found the Base tutorials very helpful.

This site has similar video tutorials for a number of further software packages that have not been evaluated

Ask
Updated:-2020-05-03 Cost: Free
LibreOffice internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

LibreOffice is a highly functional Office suite that provides most of the features of Microsoft Office. It can open Microsoft document formats and can also save in these formats. The conversion is not always perfect but inconsistencies are fixed in the regular updates.

A feature of LibreOffice is that if can export a document directly to a PDF file. This includes creation of Forms that can be completed in Acrobat Reader or other PDF readers that support form filling.

There is a regular update schedule where bugs and issues are addressed.

LibreOffice is designed to be platform independent and there are versions available for Windows, MAC and Linux.

Please note that LibreOffice has a database capability but this is NOT compatible with Microsoft Access.

LibreOffice has two alternative downloads:

  • The first download contains the latest features. To quote from the web site: If you're a technology enthusiast, early adopter or power user, this version is for you! The contributor uses this version.
  • The second download is slightly older and does not have the latest features, but it has been tested for longer. It is still maintained with any bug fixes.

Note that LibreOffice has a separate download for the Help Files. If you choose the UK English installer you do not also need the help file. If you need another language then you may need the Help file.

LibreOffice and Apache Open Office are both originally derived from the same source code .This was "forked" several years ago and have since followed separate development paths. LibreOffice has been actively maintained since the split. See Apache Open Office for more information.

Ask
Updated:-2020-08-29 Cost: Donation ware

Category:- Password

Password Management Utilities

App Name Links App Description Help
KeePass internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

Excellent Free Password Manager

This program will enable you to organise all our passwords if a safe manner. It protects the date with a password that you must be able to remember but that is the ONLY one. All others are held in an encrypted data store and are only accessible via the master password.

The program will store the URL of a website (or the field can store a shortcut to a program) and open the site or run the program. It can store a Username and password for access to sites where registration is required and it can then automatically type the username and password into the login fields on the login form. Furthermore it can store any number of custom fields and can type those in as well.

As it is so easy to make the program type the password there is no excuse to use weak or short passwords. KeePass can generate strong random passwords. Via a plugin it can generate passphrases that can be remembered.

The passwords can be organised into folders and these can be searched. What more you you want. In fact there is a chance that it can do it! It has some other tricks up its sleeve!

The program can synchronise a local database with another instance of a KeePass database on another computer so that the password file can be shared. It pairs well will cloud services such as DropBox or an alternative called TeamDrive (and probably others). The KeePass file is well encrypted so the passwords are probably secure but DropBox's security is known to be weak. I am currently using TeamDrive which encrypts all of the data written to the cloud server to share the password file with another computer.

Note that there are two versions of the program. Both of these are actively supported by the developer.

  • Version 1 is more portable (technically it does not use Windows specific libraries.
  • Version 2 depends on the Microsoft .Net functions and hence needs additional software (mono) to be installed to use it on Mac or Linux - see web site for details.

There are also ports to smart phones.

After using this program for several years I could not manage without it!

Ask
Updated:-2019-11-12 Cost: Donation ware
Mail PassView [Nirsoft] internet-pc

Mail PassView is a small password-recovery tool that reveals the passwords and other account details for the following email clients:

  • Outlook Express
  • Microsoft Outlook 2000 (POP3 and SMTP Accounts only)
  • Microsoft Outlook 2002/2003 (POP3, IMAP, HTTP and SMTP Accounts)
  • IncrediMail
  • Eudora
  • Netscape 6.x/7.x
  • Mozilla Thunderbird
  • Group Mail Free
  • Yahoo! Mail - If the password is saved in Yahoo! Messenger application.
  • Hotmail/MSN mail - If the password is saved in MSN Messenger application.
  • Gmail - If the password is saved by Gmail Notifier application.

For each email account, the following fields are displayed: Account Name, Application, Email, Server, Server Type (POP3/IMAP/SMTP), User Name, and the Password.

Does not need to be installed. Can be run from a USB memory stick.

Ask
New:-2014-06-10 Cost: Donationware

Category:- PDF Processing

Programs that can do one or more of the following:

App Name Links App Description Help
Apache OpenOffice internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

Open Office is an office suite that rivals Microsoft Office. It can open Office 2003 documents (in particular Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

This program is falling further behind LibreOffice. The author strongly recommends installing, or migrating to LibreOffice as soon as possible, as this is more likely to be able to open/save in the latest Microsoft formats.

Ask
Updated:-2019-07-22 Cost: Donation ware
Bullzip PDF Printer internet-pc

This program provides a means of creating PDF files by installing a PDF "printer". All you need to do is to print the document to the printer and a PDF document is created.

It gives several alternative options for output as well as PDF. These include PNG and TIFF. It also allows the print quality to be selected as well as more advanced options such as water4mark, background or foreground overlays etc.

During installation the program installs an additional program Ghostscript lite which actually does much of the work. Don't be fooled bu the initial download size of 8 Mbytes, Ghostcript is a further 9 Mbytes.

Windows 10 now contains its own PDF print software.

Ask
Updated:-2018-02-06 Cost: Donation ware
Foxit PDF Reader internet-pc

Foxit is a program that displays PDF documents in a similar way to Acrobat Reader. Recently there have been more security concerns with this product than with Acrobat

Although Foxit also provides a printer driver so that windows programs that do not natively support PDF output can "print" to the Foxit PDF printer, which will create a PDF file, this feature has been supported directly in Windows for some time.

Ask
Updated:-2019-07-22 Cost: Free
LibreOffice internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

LibreOffice is a highly functional Office suite that provides most of the features of Microsoft Office. It can open Microsoft document formats and can also save in these formats. The conversion is not always perfect but inconsistencies are fixed in the regular updates.

A feature of LibreOffice is that if can export a document directly to a PDF file. This includes creation of Forms that can be completed in Acrobat Reader or other PDF readers that support form filling.

There is a regular update schedule where bugs and issues are addressed.

LibreOffice is designed to be platform independent and there are versions available for Windows, MAC and Linux.

Please note that LibreOffice has a database capability but this is NOT compatible with Microsoft Access.

LibreOffice has two alternative downloads:

  • The first download contains the latest features. To quote from the web site: If you're a technology enthusiast, early adopter or power user, this version is for you! The contributor uses this version.
  • The second download is slightly older and does not have the latest features, but it has been tested for longer. It is still maintained with any bug fixes.

Note that LibreOffice has a separate download for the Help Files. If you choose the UK English installer you do not also need the help file. If you need another language then you may need the Help file.

LibreOffice and Apache Open Office are both originally derived from the same source code .This was "forked" several years ago and have since followed separate development paths. LibreOffice has been actively maintained since the split. See Apache Open Office for more information.

Ask
Updated:-2020-08-29 Cost: Donation ware
PDF995 internet-pc

PDF995 is a free PDF "printer" program. I use it now in preference to the Free PDF generator as it installs easier and has more features. In particular I wanted to be able to be able to merge two documents together to be able to produce invoices on company letter headed paper.

There is a downside - the free version of this program will always attempt to access the PDF995 website to display their home page. I can live with this but, strictly speaking, it is adware and not freeware. I would use Bull zip PDF or Foxit when I need a PDF printer.

Windows 10 now contains its own PDF print software.

Ask
Updated:-2018-02-06 Cost: Free version contains sponsor display

Category:- Remote Support

This category includes programs that can be used to control another computer over the Internet

The software may be run on PCs, MACs, Linux machines and Smart phones and can typically control PCs, MACs and Linux machines

App Name Links App Description Help
AnyDesk internet-androidinternet-appleinternet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

Remote Access

This program has not been exhaustively tested but provides a viable alternative to TeamViewer if access to TeamViewer has been blocked by an ISP.

Ask
New:-2020-04-12 Cost: Free for home use
TeamViewer - Full Version internet-androidinternet-appleinternet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

This program provides several remote access and sharing capabilities

TeamViewer enables Remote Support of a computer by a person sat at a remote computer. It can be used to control an unattended computer or to provide support to a user that has a problem.

TeamViewer is available in two versions. There us a Quick Support version which has its own entry. This version needs to be installed but has more features including being able to start with the Operating System enabling remote control to be available before user login. Note that this has not been tested on any platform other than Windows.

The computer being controlled has a computer ID which is always the same and will display a password which is deferent each time the computer is restarted. This is an important security feature.

When this installed version is being used on the computer being controlled a password can be preconfigured with its own account password to enable login immediately on boot. It is therefore useful for support on unattended computer systems. In this case TeamDrive must also be configured to start with the Operating System. This feature has not been tested on any platform other than Windows. This works even booting into Safe Mode.

This version can be used to connect to a remote computer which uses either Quick Support or has this version installed

As with all such Remote Access software - you have to trust the person that can connect in this way.

If there is additional information on the use of TeamViewer on other platforms, and in particular on the Start with OS, please email the contributor with details.

If the remote client is connected to the Internet using TalkTalk as their ISP you may find that this is blocked as many scammers have been exploiting TeamViewer and persuading inexperienced users to install the Quick Support option and gaining access to the unsuspecting user's device. TalkTalk block all access to TeamViewer unless you enable access via the TalkTalk web site or via a support call. In this case AnyDesk is a viable alternative.

Remote access can be made from Android, iPhones, etc. to PCs, MAC or Linux computers but not vice versa.

Ask
Updated:-2020-04-14 Cost: Free for home use
TeamViewer - Quick support internet-androidinternet-appleinternet-macinternet-pc

This program Allows this computer/Device to be accessed remotely

TeamViewer Quick Support enables Remote Support of a computer or device by a person sat at a remote computer. This version of the program does not need to be installed.

When run the program displays a Computer ID and a Password. This information needs to be given to the person who will be providing support. Note that the Computer ID will always be the same but the password will be different each time you log into to the computer.

As with all such Remote Access software - you have to trust the person that can connect in this way.

If this client is connected to the Internet using TalkTalk as their ISP you may find that this is blocked as many scammers have been exploiting TeamViewer and persuading inexperienced users to install the Quick Support option and gaining access to the unsuspecting user's device. TalkTalk block all access to TeamViewer unless you enable access via the TalkTalk web site or via a support call. In this case consider AnyDesk is a viable alternative.

Remote access can be made from Android, iPhones, etc. to PCs, MAC or Linux computers but not vice versa.

Ask
New:-2020-04-14 Cost: Free for home use
TeamViewer - User Support Guide internet-help

Where a user has a problem with their computer and needs support from someone more experienced Remote Access from a more experienced person can help to resolve then problem.

This document describes how TeamViewer, a well regarded and safe remote support package can be used by another person to connect to your computer and diagnose or even correct the problem. In the document the person requiring support is called the "User" and the person providing support as the "Expert"

This document describes how to set up the User's PC or MAC as well as the Expert's computer (which does not need to be the same as the User's computer). This includes adjusting the security settings on the MAC to enable the program to run.

One unexpected aspect of using TeamViewer is that scammers have also started using the app and pretend to have identified a problem on your computer and offering to help. When connected they can make changes and demand money to fix the problems they have introduced. One UK internet Service Provider, TalkTalk, blocks access to TeamViewer. The document describes how to remove this block to enable TeamViewer to be used.

This document describes how to use TeamViewer on both Windows PCs and MAC computers. TeamViewer however is also available for other devices and, while some details of the user interface may differ, any of these platforms can be used in a similar manner.

Ask
New:-2020-04-27 Cost: Free for personal use
Zoom internet-macinternet-pc

Zoom

Zoom is an easy to use, cross platform, video based meeting/conferencing system that supports one to one meetings as well as large conferences. It is free for small meetings that last no more than 40 minutes.

Zoom has recently changed the free session behaviour. You can no longer reconnect immediately . There is now an imposed delay of about 10 minutes before you can reconnect.

There is a fee for larger meetings and to remove the 40 minute limitation.

Zoom enables a desktop, or individual Windows, from any participant to be shared to all parties in the call which makes it ideal for giving presentations when all participants are unable to attend in person.

A specific use for screen sharing is to enable remote support as Zoom enables one user to grant remote access to another so the remote user can take control of their computer.

Ask
Updated:-2023-09-17 Cost: Free for basic service, Fee for enhanced service

Category:- Screen Capture

Programs that enable all or part on a computer display to be captured. Typical uses would be for documentation where screen shots are useful and for reporting bugs to a program author.

App Name Links App Description Help
IrfanView internet-pc

IrfanView is a very fast, small, compact and innovative FREEWARE (for non-commercial use) graphic viewer for Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP/W7/W8/W10.

It will convert from almost any image format into any other as well as a lot more besides.

  • Batch reformat and/or rename. E.g. normalise the size of from a high definition image to a lower definition (smaller size) for web site publication on the web
  • Screen image capture - select whole desktop, a window, client area of a window or a custom selection using a "hot key"
  • Annotate an image (especially useful for a screen capture)
  • Play (but not convert) video files

Irfanview supports "Plugins". These provide additional functionality. These need to be download separately.

IrfanView is now available in 32 and 64 bit versions. The full range of plug-ins is not yet supported in 64 bit versions so currently it is recommended to use the 32 bit version.

Ask
Updated:-2020-04-12 Cost: Donation ware

Category:- Security Items

Website or programs related to keeping you safe.

App Name Links App Description Help
Email compromise check internet

Have I been pwned?

Enter your email address to find it you email is known on a list of harvested emails

You are very likely to find your email in there! It does not matter too much if your email is in there as long as your email account is protected by a good password and that password is not shared with other

Ask
New:-2020-10-05 Cost: Free
Encrypto internet-macinternet-pc

File merge and encryption

This free program will combine a set of files or folders into a single file (similar to the widely used Zip program) but will then additionally apply encryption to the combined file. It uses a password to encrypt the data. The same program can be used to decrypt the resulting combined file.

A typical use of this program would be to generate a file that can be shared over a public Internet service such as WeTransfer, or stored on an USB drive that is then given to another person.

When used in this way the password must be shared using an alterative method to that used so share the encrypted file. To maintain security this password must NEVER be sent over the same channel as the data. Examples include a telephone call or text message.

Although compression is applied to the data the resulting single file may be too large to be shared over the internet. In this case a File splitting/combining program could be used to fragment the encrypted file so it can be shared, each fragment shared, and then recombined at the receiving end.

The native Windows Zip facility provides file compression to reduce the size but other tools would have to be used to combine compression with encryption., These tools tend to be Windows only but this program claims to be compatible with MAC as well.

Ask
New:-2023-08-23 Cost: Free

Category:- Software Collections

Links to sites that have collections of useful programs. Some of these are listed in other sections but there may be many more where there are too many to list individually.

App Name Links App Description Help
Nirsoft - Comprehensive sofware collection internet-pc

A large and comprehensive collection of utility programs. Here is a list of the headings, each of these contains number of individual programs:

  • Password Recovery Utilities
  • Network monitoring tools
  • Internet Related Utilities
  • MS Outlook Tools
  • Freeware System Tools

In addition there are links to other Freeware sites.

The site asserts that are no adverts or sponsor links in any of the installers.

Note that some of the other links are also provided to other useful good, but not free programs.

Ask
New:-2014-06-10 Cost: Donationware

Category:- Tutorial and Help Documentation

This section contains useful tutorial and other help and guidance information including user guides

There may be other links embedded in the tutorial that can assist in investigation and remedial actions

App Name Links App Description Help
Have I Been Hacked - Guide internet-pc

A tutorial about finding out it your computer has been hacked. It contains links to a set of "toolkit" programs that can assist in assessing where there is any unwanted software on your computer.

Bleeping computers is a reliable source of malware identification and remediation.

Ask
New:-2019-01-01 Cost: Free
LibreOffice User Guides - Alternative internet-help

Alternative list of LibreOffice help and tutorial Documents

An alternative download site containing a comprehensive set of documents and tutorial information for download covering all aspects of LibreOffice including example documents in many cases.

This site includes a web view of the documents, in some cases, in addition to the ODT and PDF download links

This set includes:

  • Getting Started with LibreOffice
  • LibreOffice Writer Guide
  • LibreOffice Calc Guide
  • LibreOffice Impress Guide
  • LibreOffice Draw Guide
  • LibreOffice Base Guide
  • LibreOffice Math Guide
  • and others
Ask
New:-2020-04-10 Cost: Free for downloaded versions. Printed books available for a fee.
LibreOffice User Guides internet-help

LibreOffice help and tutorial Documents

A comprehensive set of documents and tutorial information for download covering all aspects of LibreOffice including example documents in many cases.

The presentation of the downloads is more complex than the alternative site but it also includes earlier versions as well as the current versions

This set includes:

  • Getting Started with LibreOffice
  • LibreOffice Writer Guide
  • LibreOffice Calc Guide
  • LibreOffice Impress Guide
  • LibreOffice Draw Guide
  • LibreOffice Base Guide
  • LibreOffice Math Guide
  • LibreOffice Tutorial
  • LibreOffice Basic Reference cards
  • Plus "How tos" and Tutorials as well as Desktop Reference cards
Ask
Updated:-2022-04-15 Cost: Donation ware for downloaded versions. Printed books available for a fee.
LibreOffice Video Tutorials internet-help

This site contains a set of video tutorials covering most aspects of LibreOffice is considerable detail. It has several major topics which include multiple videos covering:

  • LibreOffice Base: Database software (note this is NOT compatible with MS Access)
  • LibreOffice Calc: Microsoft Excel compatible spreadsheet
  • LibreOffice Draw: Drawing package
  • LibreOffice Impress: Microsoft PowerPoint compatible presentation software
  • LibreOffice Writer: Microsoft Word compatible word processor

Each LibreOffice application has a series of well organised tutorial videos that take a beginner from first principles to advanced topics. Each topic has downloadable sample files.

This site is not directly associated with the Document Foundation, the owners of LibreOffice. They have however produced good quality tutorial information for LibreOffice. The video tutorials have not been updated for the current version of LibreOffice so some details may not be identical to what you see on the latest versions. For example the menus may have had some tweaks and the toolbars had cosmetic changes. I have found the Base tutorials very helpful.

This site has similar video tutorials for a number of further software packages that have not been evaluated

Ask
Updated:-2020-05-03 Cost: Free

Category:- Video conferencing

Programs that provide video calls and/or conferencing

App Name Links App Description Help
Zoom internet-macinternet-pc

Zoom

Zoom is an easy to use, cross platform, video based meeting/conferencing system that supports one to one meetings as well as large conferences. It is free for small meetings that last no more than 40 minutes.

Zoom has recently changed the free session behaviour. You can no longer reconnect immediately . There is now an imposed delay of about 10 minutes before you can reconnect.

There is a fee for larger meetings and to remove the 40 minute limitation.

Zoom enables a desktop, or individual Windows, from any participant to be shared to all parties in the call which makes it ideal for giving presentations when all participants are unable to attend in person.

A specific use for screen sharing is to enable remote support as Zoom enables one user to grant remote access to another so the remote user can take control of their computer.

Ask
Updated:-2023-09-17 Cost: Free for basic service, Fee for enhanced service

Category:- Video

Video Player or Format Conversion

Programs that can play formats that are not supported by native Windows tools or that can reformat or edit video files including DVD authoring

App Name Links App Description Help
Handbreak - video editor internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

Video editor

A comprehensive cross platform video editing program that can:

  • Change video format
  • Can change resolution/compression
  • Add titles/subtitles etc.
  • Clip and join video segments
  • etc!

The Handbrake website has comprehensive documentation available.

Ask
New:-2023-09-17 Cost: Donation ware
VLC media player internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

A versatile media player

VLC is a versatile, cross platform, media player that will play more or less any video format "out of the box".

It is regularly updated and supports pretty well every format available.

Ask
New:-2021-03-07 Cost: Donation ware

Category:- Web HTML/CSS Software

HTML and CSS software

Software that can assist in creating and modifying HTML pages and associated CSS stylesheets.

App Name Links App Description Help
Blue Griffin internet-macinternet-pc

This program is a WYSIWYG web page editor that facilitates editing of HTML Web pages and CSS style sheets.

This version looks promising, and is being used to maintain the HTML pages on the club web site. It does seem to fully support HTML5 and CSS3 standards as claimed. The preview pane renders the XML source correctly as HTML and displays it correctly.

The user manual is a separate, chargeable download. The contributor has managed without - any feedback?

Ask
Updated:-2023-01-24 Cost: The basic functionality is free. The user manual is 7.5 Euros Plugins are not free. See product page for details.
Visual Studio Code internet-linuxinternet-macinternet-pc

Cross Platform Code Editor

This program has evolved from the well regarded Visual Studio created by Microsoft. Microsoft made it Open Source and the community has enhanced its capabilities.

It supports many programming languages but has excellent support for all that is needed for Web Site creation and maintenance.

In particular it will:

  • Check the validity of each code statement and warn you if it is invalid
  • Supports HTML, CSS, etc. needed for web site development
  • Offer suggestions to "autocomplete" code elements as you type
  • Offer hints as to what code words might be appropriate depending on the context - called intelliSense
  • Allow you to test your code in your default browser without having to upload it to a web server (you do have to save it first)
  • and a lot more besides
Ask
New:-2021-07-12 Cost: Free

Category:- Wireless network tools

Tools to monitor or manage wireless networks including fault diagnosis.

App Name Links App Description Help
WiFi Analyzer internet-androidinternet-pc

The link goes to the generic product web site. Selecting the Windows option takes you to the Microsoft store from where it can be downloaded. There is also a link to an Android version. Unfortunately there is no version currently available for MAC computers, phones or tablets!

This program provides a comprehensive Wifi analysis tool. This can be used to investigate your signal strength and to see if any other neighbouring networks are also using the same channel that you are using which can lead to performance issues. You can use this information to decide whether an alternative channel might be better. Note that in urban areas some overlap is inevitable especially on the 2.4 Ghz band.

It can also plot signal strength with time. A typical use would be a "walk test" to see how your signal strength changes as you move through your home. This assumes you are usng a laptop of course (but an Android version is also available).

It can support both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz bands and provides links to comprehensive on-line help files from with the program.

This is currently my preferred WiFi monitoring tool.

Ask
New:-2023-10-10 Cost: Free for basic version

Category:- XML Software

These links point to utility programs used to manage XML schemas, XML Transforms and to edit XML data

App Name Links App Description Help
XML Notepad internet-pc

This free Open Source program was at one time provided by Microsoft and enables XML documents (like this one) to be created and edited.

Support is now provided by its own team and seems to be regularly updated.

This program does not fully support HTML 5 tags and the preview page, while still useful, does not show the page correctly. It is therefore helpful to save the file and preview in an HTML 5 compliant browser to see the full rendering of the page.

Depite the limition mentioned above this program is now being reguarly used for most of the changes to this set of pages on this web site.

Ask
Updated:-2018-01-25 Cost: Free