Google signs death warrant for Gears, begins move to HTML5

Filed under: Developer, Google, Browsers

Over at ReadWriteWeb, Sarah Perez has blogged about one significant change to Google Docs that many of us missed when they big upgrade was announced a couple days ago. On May 3rd, Google will be temporarily disabling offline access in Google Docs and paving the way for something new.

"We are working hard to bring a new and improved HTML5-based offline option back to Google Docs," reads the official announcement. So yes, that does mean that Google Gears will soon be a thing of the past -- and it makes perfect sense. With HTML5 bringing Gears-like support for similar client-side abilities, Google has the opportunity to move to a standard and away from 3rd-party plug-in status.

After all, plug-ins can easily be blocked (as we've seen before with Firefox). HTML5 will provide restriction-free access to any offline functionality Google decides to build in to Docs regardless of platform -- as long as users run a compliant browser, of course...

...like Google Chrome, which could very well gain some new users when people find out their current browser doesn't fully support the reworked Offline access mode.

It's not too much of a stretch to call this is the beginning of the end for Gears.

Next stop: GMail?

Google signs death warrant for Gears, begins move to HTML5 originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook wipes out iPhone app access to its system

Filed under: Developer, Apple, Social Software

In a weird and unexplained turn-up for the books, Facebook has curtailed API access for a bunch of iPhone apps.

Information is pretty thin at the moment so it's impossible to say with certainty whether Facebook is acting alone, or as the scurrilous hatchet man of an over-zealous Apple -- but one thing's for certain, there seems to be little rhyme or reason for the app bans.

Speculation by CNET and the freshly-banned app developers points to trademark infringement -- the use of 'Facebook' in the app's name in 'Emoti for Facebook', for example -- but then there's 'iLoader', an app that simply has a non-stylised, non-trademarked 'f' in its icon.

I'm sure some more information will come to the fore, but for the time being we just have an amazing quote from a Facebook representative: "Applications that are in clear violation of our Platform policies around trademark infringement and affiliation will be removed from the App Store by Apple," she said in an e-mail. Apple is yet to respond to the situation -- but it sure sounds like this could be the beginning of Yet Another App Store Clean Up...

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Facebook wipes out iPhone app access to its system originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pusher is a developer framework for realtime "push" HTML5 webapps

Filed under: Developer

This one is for hardcore HTML5 and Ruby developers: Pusher is a private-beta HTML5 tool which helps developers create webapps featuring real-time collaboration a-la EtherPad, only faster (judging by the demo video, at least). For some reason the video cannot be embedded, but it shows two browser windows (admittedly on the same computer), and you can see the developer dragging "notes" around a calendar app. The note moves on the other window as they're dragged on the first window (without being dropped first). It seems very slick. If this is the future of HTML5 webapps, desktop developers definitely have something to worry about.

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Pusher is a developer framework for realtime "push" HTML5 webapps originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 18 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dexpot is an awesome virtual desktop app - now with Windows 7 superbar integration!

Filed under: Developer, Utilities, Productivity

Virtual desktops have long been one of those things that Linux has held over Windows (and Mac too, until recently). They're one of those things that you can't quite see the point of -- until you use them. You're then left wondering how you ever lived without them: alt-tab is for chumps! Why minimize windows when you can minimize your DESKTOP?

Enter Dexpot, undoubtedly the best virtual desktop solution for Windows. Virtual desktops always felt a little clunky to me, but with the new Windows 7 plugin SevenDex (it ships with Dexpot), you now have Superbar thumbnail Aero Peek access to your virtual desktops (of which you can have up to 20, but the default of 4 is quite enough for my needs).

The sheer number of options can be a little overwhelming, but they are all neatly organized in a way that best befits this German-engineered tool. You can setup shortcuts (but the defaults of Alt-1, Alt-2, etc. are about as fast and convenient as shortcuts get), move windows between desktops, peruse a catalogue of desktops (to see what you've got running) -- and you can even create 'rules', which seem to interact with new apps/windows in strange ways (I haven't worked it out yet).

It's free to download for personal use, but I imagine the biggest gains are to be made by professional designers and developers. Still, it might be nice to keep all of your 'nefarious' apps open on one virtual desktop, and all your 'safe' apps on another... and just switch between!

[via Freeware Genius]

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Dexpot is an awesome virtual desktop app - now with Windows 7 superbar integration! originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Screenshot tour: Vimium Chrome extension provides ultimate keyboard surfing

Filed under: Developer, Productivity, Browsers

Vimium is an incredible Chrome add-on for keyboard-only Web navigation. Its basic shortcuts are modeled after those used in the ubergeek-oriented Vim text editor. The idea behind Vimium is that all of the most common actions (scrolling up and down, switching tabs, zooming) can be done using keys that are either on the home row of the keyboard, or otherwise very easy to reach (such as "zi" for Zoom In). Fortunately, they can be customized. That's one of the main things I like about it, since I use an alternative keyboard layout (Colemak). Once you get used to the shortcuts, you can do just about anything (navigate to links, find text, switch tabs, zoom in and out) without moving your fingers, much less reaching for the mouse.

Out of the box, Vimium is aimed at power-users. For example, you just need a single keystroke to close a tab - "d." Plus, if that's the only tab you've got open at the moment, hitting "d" will close Chrome entirely. There are no prompts. That can be disconcerting at first, but you'll get used to it very quickly (or unmap the keys).

I explored Vimium's interface quite a bit; join me after the jump for some heavy keyboard action (and a video from the Vimium guys).

Continue reading Screenshot tour: Vimium Chrome extension provides ultimate keyboard surfing

Screenshot tour: Vimium Chrome extension provides ultimate keyboard surfing originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IOGraph maps your mouse movements on Windows, Mac, and Linux

Filed under: Design, Developer

IOGraph is a Java application that traces your mouse movements while you work. The screenshot above shows about 1:20hrs of my work, during which I took a break (it shows up as the large blob near the middle).

The reason there's a large blank area on the right side is that I have a dual-monitor setup. I usually use the right-side (secondary) monitor for displaying information, while keeping my main work area on the primary monitor. If you work in one application for hours on end (such as a graphics editor or a work processor), IOGraph can also provide interesting usability data when overlayed on a screenshot of your window (Photoshop, in this case, by the application's developer).

While the application does perform its main function (and is the only one I know of, in this niche), not all options work. For example, there's an option called "use desktop for background," which just didn't work, no matter how I tried to activate it (while recording, before starting, etc). If you do get it to work, tell me how you did it in the comments (or, of course, if there's a better app for this).

IOGraph maps your mouse movements on Windows, Mac, and Linux originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mantis is an agile, simple bugtracker

Filed under: Developer

Bug trackers are a fact of life. The problem is that, more often than not, they can be really cumbersome. Take JIRA, for example. It's considered top-of-the-line, but my god, it's complex. Oh, and they don't really offer a free option anymore.

Mantis tries to offer a simpler solution. Granted, it's no beauty queen and seems devoid of any AJAX magic, but it does feel streamlined and lean (oh, and it's free). The screenshot above shows a demo bug, and I find it quite easy to read. The main Mantis page is quite easy on the eyes and light on text, again putting it in stark contrast to the commercial-looking page for JIRA.

If I had to deploy a simple bugtracker, I would definitely take Mantis for a spin.

Mantis is an agile, simple bugtracker originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The White House releases its open source code

Filed under: Developer, Open Source

If you've visited WhiteHouse.gov since its change of ownership back in 2009 you'll hopefully have noticed some very cool changes. The site itself was jazzed up -- CHANGE! -- and, as best befits this 'information age', accessibility has been greatly improved for all citizens and denizens of the USA. What you may not have noticed, however, is that the entire site runs on a customized version of Drupal, the open source content management system.

Today, the White House has released four of the modules it has developed back into the open source community. The first two are to improve scalability: Context HTTP Headers improves server efficiency, while Akamai as the name suggests integrates Drupal with Akamai's global cache network. Next, and probably of less use, is GovDelivery, which replaces Drupal's SMTP back-end and integrates with the internal governmental email system. The last module (and the most useful for the world at large) is Node Embed. As the name suggests, it lets you nest Drupal nodes inside other nodes -- Slideshows within Articles, an Author bio embedded within a blog post, and so on.

The wording would suggest that they are keen to share more of their code in due course. They are probably just making sure it's all commented and documented first.

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The White House releases its open source code originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTML5 + NES style 8-bit gaming = awesome

Filed under: Developer, Games, Browsers

HTML5 is the buzz word of 2010. Championed by Google and supported by Firefox and Opera, HTML5 is definitely here to stay. In itself HTML5 is still a bit of a curio -- the spec isn't even finalised -- but when strapped on to Javascript or other developing technologies like WebGL, the browser becomes a serious platform capable of impressive things -- cue Akihabara a set of libraries and tools for rapid in-the-browser '8 bit' games prototyping.

Named after the famed district in Tokyo of the same name (or 'Akiba'), Akihabara uses just a small subset of HTML5. Its primary purpose is for quick game prototyping, but there's no reason you couldn't use the libraries for other purposes. Because the engine is written in Javascript the games work on just about every browser, including the mobile browsers on the iPhone/iPad and Android devices.

Anyway, even if you're not a developer, you should give some of the sample games a go. Legend of Sadness, which is absolutely not based on the Zelda franchise, is probably the best example of what Akihabara is capable of. If you're more of the old school persuasion, give Pac, er, Capman a go.

Note: I forgot to mention, 'A' in the games is Z on your keyboard. 'B' is X!

[via @shanselman]

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HTML5 + NES style 8-bit gaming = awesome originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Loki is a minimalistic open-source WYSIWYG textarea editor

Filed under: Design, Developer, Text, Utilities

Loki is a Rich Text editor for the Web. The current leader in this arena is clearly FCKEditor (which is now called CKEditor), so why does the world need another WYSIWIG editor for HTML textareas?

The first thing that caught my eye was... the very first feature on the feature list. That wasn't because it was first either, honestly! It says:

• Hitting Return produces a new paragraph. Mozilla browsers like to interpret the Enter key as a line break. This is rarely semantically correct, but most editors use this method.

That is so true! The current FCKEditor installation that I use insists on using BR tags whenever I hit Enter to start a new paragraph, and I find that simply offensive. I don't know, maybe I'm crazy, but if a Web developer who was working with me consistently used BR's instead of para breaks, it would be positive proof that they don't understand basic HTML code. So, why should my text editor do that?

It's got a whole bunch of other cool features, including integrating with an RSS feed to provide point-and-click linking to previous posts (for blogs). However, it also prides itself on providing "no frivolous features," such as smileys, arbitrary font selection and text color selection. It may sound a bit sparse, but it's to the point.

To be honest, I don't know what the new CKEditor is like; I'm still stuck with the older FCKEditor. Loki seems like a very viable replacement, though. It's one that I would be happy to take for a spin, at least.

Loki is a minimalistic open-source WYSIWYG textarea editor originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft officially signs on as a Joomla open source code contributor

Filed under: Developer, Internet, Microsoft, Open Source

In an exalted, excited and exclamation-rife blog post, Joomla's development coordinator Sam Moffatt has just announced Microsoft's official status as a Joomla Contributor.

He makes it sound like Microsoft has never been involved with GNU GPL work before, but, while nothing could be further from the truth -- have you ever seen CodePlex? Nevertheless, Microsoft's involvement with the second largest PHP project in the world is surely a Good Thing.

From Joomla's point of view, the advantages are obvious --like better Microsoft IIS support. Joomla has long been Apache-oriented, but with Microsoft on board, full IIS support shouldn't be far off.

What Microsoft stands to gain is a little more nebulous: it already has Sharepoint Server for enterprise customers, and an open-source ASP.NET CMS called Orchard. My guess is that Microsoft is using Joomla somewhere, either internally or for an as-yet unannounced site.

[via ZDNet. Apologies for not appropriately exclaiming each and every utterance of Joomla(C) I just can't do it. Incidentally, if anyone knows what the biggest PHP project is, let us know!]

Microsoft officially signs on as a Joomla open source code contributor originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs to Adobe: Get with the times

Filed under: Developer, Adobe, Apple

When Steve Jobs fires off a missive on the Apple site he's usually making a specific statement around a larger issue that we've all been discussing for months. Remember his rant against DRM when all the world called foul on FairPlay? Today Steve dropped a big ol' bomb into the Flash pool by stating Apple's frustrations with Adobe, Flash and their view of the mobile space.

In the letter, Steve points out Flash is a closed system, there are H.264 alternatives to Flash video and HTML5 and JavaScript are true open standards that Apple has embraced, while Adobe has continued to pour the juice into their proprietary systems. Yes, Steve points out that OS X is a proprietary OS. But despite Adobe's claims to have a proper, non-battery-sucking version of Flash on mobiles by 2009, they have yet to deliver and Steve calls them on it.

In a nutshell, Apple chastises Adobe for clinging to the past. In many ways they are right -- remember when Flash was a simple animation tool that created animations that were lighter than GIF animations?

Yes, at one point Flash was a simple, streamlined tool designed to bring balance to the Force. Instead, it has grown into a full platform when you factor in AIR, and I doubt Adobe has any intention to back down after spending a decade and billions on its continued development and success.

No matter how crufty the tool becomes, I'm sure Adobe will find a market for it for many years, like VRML or the Beatnik player. Either way it'll be interesting to watch these two elephants dance.

Steve Jobs to Adobe: Get with the times originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you code HTML, Zen Coding will change your life

Filed under: Developer, Productivity

If you write HTML for a living, and you don't know Zen Coding yet, you are missing out big time.

This is basically the coolest thing I've seen all week. I have been using it for a few days now; at first it seemed kind of gimmicky and I wasn't sure I could grasp the syntax, but today I really got to explore it, and woah is it awesome.

Okay, I'll stop tripping over myself with excitement over here and try to tell you what this thing does, in a nutshell: It expands abbreviations into complete HTML structures (divs, tables, cells, links, lists), and does it in the most freaking intelligent way I have seen in a long time. I'm serious!

For instance, that arcane-looking string of text in the screenshot expands with a single keystroke into this:

This thing leaves any other tag-completion method I have ever seen for HTML in the dust. It's light-years beyond anything else I've witnessed -- and autocompletion is something I've looked into deeply, with multiple editors and IDEs.

There are existing implementations for multiple editors, such as Komodo Edit (which is the one I'm using). The syntax is easy to master, especially if you're familiar with CSS.

There are easy ways to wrap existing lines with tags. For example, I can take the following text:

  Foo Bar Baf 

Select it in my editor, select Zen Coding > Wrap with Abbreviation (or hit a shortcut key) and then type ul>li>a>b and immediately get the following:

Seriously -- if that is not sheer genius, I don't know what is. If you're not fully sold yet, I've put a video introducing the system in further detail right after the jump. I have only touched briefly on what it can do -- there are many other features, such as automatic element numbering. I will certainly not author another single HTML document without the benefit of Zen Coding.

Continue reading If you code HTML, Zen Coding will change your life

If you code HTML, Zen Coding will change your life originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DLS Review: Why is Komodo Edit the best free PHP editor on the market today

Filed under: Developer, Utilities, Productivity, Open Source

I have strong feelings about text editors for programmers. I'm not talking about Vim or Emacs here; I'm talking about stuff for mere mortals -- PSPad, jEdit, Notepad++. Those are all editors I have used extensively over the years, and each time I become convinced that "this is it -- this is the last text editor I will ever need," only to then find out it wasn't quite as great as I thought.

With jEdit, it was the lack of support and horrible forum system; with PSPad, the closed source and disorderly add-on system; Notepad++ was a long time ago, and I honestly can't remember what its main issue was. However, it's also true that my requirements change over time; for example, these days I code far more PHP than I used to.

When my current wave of PHP coding began, I spent some time evaluating different editors and IDEs. After running through the text editors I already knew, I started looking at IDEs. I checked Aptana; it actually seemed cool, but they ditched their own PHP extensions for Eclipse's PDT, which is really underdeveloped. I looked into Eclipse itself, too, and was horrified by its clunkiness.

I remember checking some other options, until I finally came across Komodo Edit. After spending a fair bit of time evaluating it, using ActiveState's forum system, installing add-ons and tweaking it, I can honestly say I feel it's the best free PHP editor available today. To see why (with lots of screenshots), continue reading after the fold.

Continue reading DLS Review: Why is Komodo Edit the best free PHP editor on the market today

DLS Review: Why is Komodo Edit the best free PHP editor on the market today originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Everybody Polka! Turn your Windows PC or Mac into a virtual accordion

Filed under: Audio, Fun, Windows, Macintosh

So you've played Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and DJ Hero but you're left wanting more? "Where's my Polka Hero?" you ask?

Well, we're not quite there yet, but thanks to developer William J. Farmer you can at least jam on the accordion using your PC or Mac and a plain old keyboard. Give the bellows a squeeze by tapping on the space bar and key your way to greatness!

You're not just limited to accordion tones, either. The instrument drop down offers everything from honky-tonk piano to sitar to helicopter. Yes, helicopter. Amaze and confuse your friends with your MIDI musicality!

Accordion is open source...and so is Frets on Fire...Any ambitious developers want to put together some kind of mash-up?

Everybody Polka! Turn your Windows PC or Mac into a virtual accordion originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft to bring Linux APT/RPM-like application publishing platform (CoApp) to Windows

Filed under: Developer, OS Updates, Utilities, Windows, Microsoft, Open Source

After a decade of vehement distrust for its open source cousin, Microsoft looks like it is finally ready to embrace one of the features that makes Linux and its variants so damn desirable.

Speaking frankly, Garrett Serack of Open Source Development at Microsoft laments the current state of open source package management and installation on the Windows platform. It's time for things to change, he says -- and, if you're a developer or open source aficionado, the Common Opensource Application Publishing Platform (CoApp) does sound pretty damn compelling.

For the longest time, open source development has been all but locked out of the Windows platform. Sure, it's possible to compile and run open source programs on Windows, but it's hard. Where Unix variants have autoconf, make and shared libraries with standardized locations, compiling code on Windows has always felt a bit... frankenstein. Serack's new project, CoApp, seeks to remove the rigmarole of building and compiling packages on Windows. To do this, Serack outlines a list of very Linux-like features for CoApp, while still staying well within the Windows architecture paradigm -- you won't see a bunch of binaries placed in c:\usr\bin, for example.

Basically, CoApp will seek to standardize library/header locations, while tying in more 'home user' technologies like easily-installable MSI packages and Windows Error Reporting. It should be as easy, or easier, to install open source packages on Windows.

It's a brave project, but judging by the very quickly growing list of developers, CoApp itself being open source, and consecrated by Microsoft itself, we might see CoApp's debut sooner rather than later -- exciting!

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Microsoft to bring Linux APT/RPM-like application publishing platform (CoApp) to Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New NASA theme for Windows 7 is intergalactic awesome

Filed under: Windows

The Windows 7 Personalization Gallery is packed with good looking themes, and there's something for everyone -- from dog and cat lovers to high-end auto enthusiasts. Today, a stunning new theme has arrived and it's packed with gorgeous images from the Spitzer Space Telescope.

In all, there are 14 images in the theme. Quality might be an issue for some users: at 7MB for the whole pack, each image is only about half a meg. That means on a true HD display you're going to see some noise on a few of the photos. On most laptops, netbooks, and sub-HD displays however, they'll look fantastic.

If you're a lover of interstellar imagery, head on over to the gallery and download the NASA Hidden Universe theme for Windows 7 -- you'll find it right at the top of the page!

[via Into Windows]

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New NASA theme for Windows 7 is intergalactic awesome originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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McAfee in court over misleading pop-up adverts, unwanted purchases

Filed under: Security, Windows

Advertising makes the Internet go round, but it's also become a tremendous problem. Between unsavory malware peddlers injecting their nefarious scripts into unsuspecting sites and misleading software ads tricking people into installing useless registry and driver tools, it's no wonder ad blocking has become so commonplace.

And now McAfee, longtime developers of security-related software, are being sued in a California court for misleading pop-up adverts that led to unwanted charges on the credit cards of two women. After buying products from the McAfee website, both were shown "recommendation" pop-ups provided by one-click purchase company Arpu.

According to their complaint, "The pop-up contains no obvious visual cues or conspicuous text indicating that it is an advertisement for another product, or that clicking on 'Try it Now' will lead not to the delivery of the McAfee product but rather to the purchase of a completely different product. Instead, all the visual cues suggest that 'Try It Now' is a necessary step in downloading the McAfee software."

In the end, both wound up being charged $5 per month for Raxaco's PerfectDisk (a defrag tool). When one of the women called to complain about the charges to McAfee, she was told there was nothing they could do. Hey, it technically wasn't them that sold the additional software, right?

Call me crazy, but if I was running a high-profile security company I'd want to make damn sure that I steered clear of any shady operations like this.

Confusing pop-up ads which allow a third party to charge additional purchases to your customer's recently-entered credit card info? Which they entrusted to your web store? That's bad business.

...and yes, IT guys, I hear you snickering. "Isn't any McAfee purchase unwanted?"

McAfee in court over misleading pop-up adverts, unwanted purchases originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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QSynergy makes cross-platform Synergy configuration a snap

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Freeware

Last month, I wrote about the Synergy+ project, which is an update to the original Synergy project. Synergy is a cross-platform tool that allows multiple computers to be controlled with a single keyboard and mouse. While Synergy+ has a lot going for it, one area where it is still lacking is configuration tools for non-Windows machines.

Luckily, there's a new Synergy configuration tool in town, and it's called QSynergy. The big selling point of QSynergy is ease of use. It offers a graphical interface for configuring the server machine on any of the three OSes that Synergy supports: Windows, Mac, and Linux.

QSynergy is not a complete Synergy distribution -- you still need to download Synergy itself from Sourceforge and install it, but once you've done that, you can do all the configuration tasks in QSynergy. As a Mac user this is a huge plus, since otherwise I'm stuck manually editing text-based configuration files. In contrast to previous attempts to use Synergy, I was up and running using my Mac as the server and my Windows PC as a client within about three minutes.

If you've ever wondered how to easily reduce the number of keyboards and mice you need to switch between in order to control multiple computers, particularly if your computers run different operating systems, Synergy with QSynergy is your ticket to a tidier desk.

[via Lifehacker]

QSynergy makes cross-platform Synergy configuration a snap originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Context Menu Enhancer v2 adds even more useful stuff to your Windows right-click menus

Filed under: Utilities, Windows

I'm a right-click junky, and I shudder to think about using Windows without that handy little context menu at my disposal. What's even better is my menu after tweaking it with Context Menu Enhancer.

The free program allows you to add loads of useful functions like copy and move to folder, open in Notepad, open an Admin command prompt, and even that God Mode shell folder everyone was buzzing about. You can also use CME to add additional folder and drive destinations to the send to sub-menu and add shortcuts to open your favorite directories with two clicks.

CME doesn't stop at your context menu. Want to add shortcuts to the 'other' locations at the bottom of your My Computer window? No problem -- just check the box, click add folder, and browse for your selection.

Context Menu Enhancer 2 is a free download and runs on just about all versions of Windows. One minor knock against it: you do need to install it first. I'd love to see this turned into a fully portable app.

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Context Menu Enhancer v2 adds even more useful stuff to your Windows right-click menus originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clever app keeps your mouse from jumping between monitors too quickly on dual-display setups

Filed under: Utilities, Windows

Running dual (or triple, or quad) displays has gotten a lot more common of late, thanks in part to constantly falling monitor prices. Some things about multiple displays can be a little frustrating -- minding the divide, for example.

If you have Windows set to extend your desktop, your mouse moves instantly from one screen to the next. That can be bothersome when a program's controls (like a scrollbar) are near the edge of your display. Move a fraction of an inch too far, and you're mouse jumps to your secondary desktop.

Dual Display Mouse Manager offers a solution. Once installed, it creates a no-jump zone which prevents your mouse from leaving one display prematurely. It's like a weak force field -- you can still break out and get your mouse onto your other display, you just have to keep moving. The momentary pause provided by DDMM makes landing your pointer on those controls much easier.

DDMM is packaged as a .zip file and it's mostly portable -- .Net is required to use it, but you've got that already if you're using Vista or Windows 7.

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Clever app keeps your mouse from jumping between monitors too quickly on dual-display setups originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FixWin offers one-click fixes for loads of Vista and Windows 7 annoyances

Filed under: Windows, Troubleshooting

Microsoft's FixIt solutions generally work well, but sometimes they just take way too long to run -- especially on Vista and Windows 7. Some of them also require a little more interaction than I'd prefer: I know where the registry key is to fix that stupid bug where DVD drives disappear from My Computer, I just want a point-and-click way to do it!

Fortunately, The Windows Club has a nice portable app which provides much of the same functionality as FixIt.

FixWin is a tiny download which packs loads of helpful registry fixes for Vista and Windows 7. Everything from a disabled Task Manager or RegEdit to replacing missing shortcuts and fixing that CD problem I mentioned above. FixWin can also tackle a handful of Windows Media Player glitches such as messed up file associations, sync problems, and messed-up libraries. In total, the 173KB program contains 50 fixes.

As with any one-click fix program, it's a good idea to create a system restore point prior to making any changes. FixWin's developer has thoughtfully included a button on the app's main tab to make things easy on us.

FixWin is available for download from The Windows Club -- scroll down about halfway and look for the glowy arrow pointing at a hard drive.

Need a program like this for Windows XP? Check out XP Quick Fix Plus!

FixWin offers one-click fixes for loads of Vista and Windows 7 annoyances originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Transport Tycoon Deluxe clone OpenTTD finally hits version 1.0!

Filed under: Fun, Games, Windows, Open Source

They say good things come to those who wait. In this particular case "they" were the developers behind OpenTTD, an open source clone of Chris Sawyer's classic game Transport Tycoon Deluxe.

The wait is finally over! After six long years of development, OpenTTD has hit version 1.0 and it's now ready for download. Loads of bugs have been squashed, the maps have been embiggened, and multiplayer mode is ready for you and up to 254 of your closest friends!

If you're a fan of city-building games, OpenTTD is a must download. Just be prepared to flush your productivity down the toilet. Well, your meatspace productivity anyway...But reality be damned, there's virtual mass transit systems that need a-buildin'!

[via The H]

Transport Tycoon Deluxe clone OpenTTD finally hits version 1.0! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Multi-network chat app Trillian now shields users from NSFW and malicious links

Filed under: Windows, Social Software

I'm blown away by how many of my customers have three or four chat programs installed on their computers. I'm even more blown away by how many of them wind up with malware after letting their curiosity get the best of them and clicking a link some unknown user sends via those chat apps.

If only they'd switch to something smarter, like a multi-network app...and maybe one that had some kind of feature built-in to prevent following malicious URLs hidden behind some shortener's random garble of characters. Like the new Trillian 4.2 beta, for example...

Among the other improvements in 4.2, Trillian now offers link previews and can unshorten all those bothersome little links that we love to hate. Apart from potentially helping users avoid malware, as stated on the official blog post it's also a little defense against Rickrolling...does anyone still do that? At any rate, the mouseover previews are a great way to keep users safe and prevent embarrassing stuff like accidentally opening that site with those two girls and that thing.

A number of other nice features have been bolted on, including the option to reply to new messages and status updates directly from Trillian's slide-up notifications -- no need to open the main program window!

Read more about the new Trillian beta for Windows and grab the download over at Cerulean Studios!

Word of warning: the Ask.com toolbar is piggybacked onto the installer, so make sure to uncheck it when the screen appears.

Multi-network chat app Trillian now shields users from NSFW and malicious links originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 21:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Double Driver 4.0 is an even better driver backup and restore app for Windows

Filed under: Utilities, Windows

One thing DIYers (myself included) often forget to do prior to reformatting a system is to take a few minutes to make sure all of the necessary drivers for their hardware are at the ready. You pull the trigger on the format option only to realize that, oh crap, you didn't save that .zip file for your TV tuner card, and you'll have to go sift through support pages...again.

Double Driver offers an excellent way to avoid driver download headaches: it painlessly backs up and restores your drivers with no more effort than it takes to check a few boxes and click a button. It's an excellent post-install app to add to your toolbox: fire up Double Driver, start a restore, and within minutes, you'll have done away with all of those annoying exclamation marks in Device Manager.

Version 4.0 is faster than previous releases, and it's also added a command line interface. With the CLI, I've now got a simple batch script that I can use to quickly back up drivers with a double-click. Double Driver has a few other tricks up its sleeve, too, like the ability to remotely back up the drivers from other systems on your network.

Double Driver is a free download, it's totally portable, and it runs on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 -- both 32 and 64-bit versions.

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Double Driver 4.0 is an even better driver backup and restore app for Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Infamous hacker applauds the security of Microsoft software; less than pleased with Apple and Adobe offerings

Filed under: Security, Windows, Macintosh, Adobe

Marc Maiffret, despite having a name that sounds uncomfortably French in origin, is one of the founding members of a special and elite club: he's a turncoat hacker. Once an infamous black hat, he's now the chief security architect for leading malware protection system developer FireEye. His list of notable accomplishments is many, but they will all be shadowed by his latest statement: Microsoft software is more secure than Apple's.

In a frank and interesting interview over on CNET, Maiffret spends a lot of time discussing how Microsoft has really shaped up in terms of producing secure software. Maiffret says that Apple is only now looking at improving its code review and auditing procedures -- something Microsoft has done well for a long time now.

Maiffret also notes that desktop apps are now the biggest threat to our security -- apps like Adobe's Creative Suite. There isn't a tried-and-test patching process for desktop apps: if a security hole is found in Flash or Photoshop it can be a long time until it's patched.

Meanwhile, it seems Apple's primary defense is still security through obscurity: "We've only seen a scratching of the surface as far as Apple vulnerabilities because nobody cares to find them." Ironically, Apple continues to claim that its OS X is more secure than Windows -- a very dangerous act, according to Maiffret: "... They try to market themselves as more secure than the PC, that you don't have to worry about viruses. Anytime there's been a hacking contest, within a few hours someone's found a new Apple vulnerability. If they were taking it seriously, they wouldn't claim to be more secure than Microsoft because they are very much not."

So, good news, Windows users -- you might not be aware that you're using the more secure operating system... but you very much are!

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Infamous hacker applauds the security of Microsoft software; less than pleased with Apple and Adobe offerings originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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