Top 30 Adobe AIR Apps for Designers and Developers

Many people think of Twitter apps when they think of Adobe AIR, but there is a whole other world of useful applications out there beyond microblogging.

Designers and developers in particular get a lot of love from the AIR community with tools to help them with just about every aspect of their jobs. Here are over 30 great Adobe AIR apps for designers and developers that can help you do everything from tracking your time to measuring pixels, and more.

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Billing & Invoicing Tools

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Klok – Klok allows you to not only track time by clients and projects, but what kind of work you do for each. You can also manage contact information for clients, edit time spent and a slew of other features.

Ora Time and Expense – Ora will help you generate timesheets, expense reports and invoices.

Timeloc – Does everything you could ask of a time keeper such as manage multiple clients and jobs, edit the billing so you see a running tally of how much a job has earned you, add notes to a billing period and a whole lot more.

Vertabase Timer – Allows you to track time by clients or by project.

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Color & Pattern Tools

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Color Browser – Allows you to import color palettes you have created elsewhere, create new ones locally, and put as many colors as you like into any you create.

COLOURlovers Desktop Color Finder – This app will let you search the COLOURlovers database for an astonishing 1 million named colors and more than 300,000 user created color palettes.

Kuler Desktop – This app allows you to browse and choose color palettes for any project you’re working on. When you’ve picked one you like, you can then import it to Creative Suite 3 Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.

Random Patter – Allows you to render patterns based on set parameters and then save as an XML document, and images can be saved as an SVG document.

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Design Tools

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Alcon – A debugging tool for users of ActionScript 2 and ActionScript 3.

BetaDesigns Caliper – This tool floats above your other applications so that you can measure any item on your screen.

designview – Gives you the ability to use Flex Builder Design View.

Dojo Toolbox – A toolbox to work along with the open source Dojo JavaScript tools. Allows you to view your work, cross-reference, use the build tool and a whole lot more.

e2vector illustration app. – Allows you to create new images and export them to SVG, or you can import existing ones to work on.

htmlText Editor – A WYSIWYG editor for htmlText that allows you to design visually for Flex.

Icon Generator – Allows you to generate icons in three steps for CS3 or Web 2.0 style. All icons are generated as 128×128, 48×48, 32×32 and 16×16.

pixDIF – Allows you to measure pixel differences easily between comps and design implementations.

Pixus – Allows you to easily measure the size of a screen object, set size presets, preview your design and more.

Shrink O’ Matic – Drag your JPGs, GIFs and PNGs into the app and then resize them as one batch.

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Miscellaneous Tools

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.merlin – A manager for fonts that will make sure they are named correctly, sort them into folders by letter, allow you to delete duplicates and more.

Balsamiq Mockups For Desktop Demo – An application for designing mockups of software before going to coding. Teams can work in real time on a project and it also integrates with Atlassian Confluence, Atlassian JIRA and XWiki.

ConceptShare Desktop Companion – A web tool that allows you to create workspaces for a project and then share it with others so you can collaborate on the project.

LibraryManager – Allows you to dump SWF files, see the class information, create information and compare versions.

QR Code generator for mobile tagging – Helps you generate QR codes for your sites and projects.

QuickLoader – Allows for quick uploading and downloading of files from any PHP enabled server. You can define multiple users with different folders, as well as browse & modify files on your server. Has several other features such as an image editor.

Simple Flash Filter Generator – Allows you to generate flashfilters and code in real time.

SlideRocket Player – Allows you to make offline presentations of your work and set up a marketplace to sell more services. Also will allow you to sync with your desktop to make offline presentations, but this requires a paid account.

Snippely – Allows you to store, label and organize various snippets of code in one centralized location on your system.

SQLFury – Aids you in testing an SQL database for possible injection vulnerabilities.

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Screencapture Tools

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Snapshooter – Enter a valid URL and this app will take a snapshot of the web page to save to your system locally.

SWFShot – Allows you to capture Flash images as JPGs or PNGs in huge screen sizes.

WebKut – A website screen capture tool that allows you to capture the entire page, the viewable area or just a selection.

Websnapshot – Simply enter or drag the URL of that page you want to snapshot from your browser. Select thumbnail, browser size or full page, and it is saved to your gallery. (via)

Top 30 Best Tools for Writing Online

Whether you’re new to the world of authorship or a veteran trying to make the most of Web services and applications, there are a number of online tools for writers of all types. From blogging platforms to networking hotbeds, and job boards to real-world gatherings, and more, the supply of utilities is comprehensive, to say the least.

But finding them all can be hard-going, so we’ve taken the liberty to make the discovery process easier by arranging our top finds here for your perusal. Here are 35 of the best social media tools for writers.

Word Processing

As a writer, you may have grown comfortable with applications like Microsoft Word, the Open Office equivalent, or more basic text editors like Notepad for Windows or the Mac OS X mainstay known as TextEdit. But as you spend more time consuming information in your web browser, you might have a growing interest in producing material through the same piece of software. In that case, here are several that will likely suit most, if not all of your needs as narrator:

Google Docs – This is perhaps the most frequently mentioned processor of its kind, simply for the fact that it is a Google property. Whether the name association is good or bad in your eye, Google Docs is quite capable of replacing virtually all common tasks that your typical desktop-based whiteboard can manage.

Zoho Writer – This application is superb in all sorts of ways. It runs neck-and-neck with Google Docs insofar as features go, yet it’s got the added appeal of being an independent option. In a manner of speaking, Zoho Writer has big talent without the big title.

Adobe Buzzword – Like Google did with Docs (formerly known as Writely), Adobe purchased Buzzword. And like Google Docs and Zoho Writer, Buzzword happens to be a solid option. The most obvious difference with Buzzword is that the visual environment is considerably less light in tone. Adobe gray seems there to stay. Which has its appeal, we won’t deny.

ThinkFree Office Write – It doesn’t get spoken about very often, but ThinkFree’s Write application is able to swim with bigger fish if it’s tasked to do so. You may like or dislike it for various reasons, but technically speaking, it’s quite fortuitous.

picoWrite – Among picoScribe’s suite of applications, picoWrite is the one that makes wordplay happen. It’s not the most glamorous item listed in this first segment of services. You might think the toolbar provided is quite unattractive, in fact. Perhaps that adage of “don’t judge a book by its cover” is apt to restate here, however. Give it a go if you feel up to the challenge.

Microsoft Office Web – It’s not available for all to touch and see, but it’s coming. If you’re a Microsoft Word devotee, and can’t imagine having to transition to another brand for your writerly needs, just wait and you shall receive.

Blogging

Some authors write blogs to complement their long-form work. Sometimes bloggers’ work becomes a long-form product. Journalists, meanwhile, are increasingly required to write blogs to get closer and more familiar with their readers. Social media is the general idea. If you’d like to join this increasingly mainstream movement among the industry’s professional keyboardists, here are several great picks to choose from.

TypePad – One of the premier blogging services in operation today, TypePad, a Six Apart creation, puts a premium on ease of use and functionality. This month the company introduced an option for journalists to obtain a 1 year pro-level membership free of charge, ordinarily a $150 value. They call it the TypePad Journalist Bailout Program. In addition to membership, Six Apart promises visible placement on Blogs.com and enrollment in an advertisement revenue sharing program.

Movable Type – Also from Six Apart, Movable Type is more a business-level class of blogging platform, with emphasis on multi-user management and enhanced customization. If your fledgling blog turns into something of a phenom requiring incorporation and a full-time staff of 20+, Movable Type may be the thing to jump to.

WordPress.com – Renowned for its simplicity, openness and extensibility, WordPress.com is a hosted blogging service of immense popularity – largely because it’s free.

WordPress.org – You can roll your own blog with a custom WordPress.org installation on a server of your choice with a domain name of your choice. WordPress is the choice of many top blogs.

Squarespace – Customization is key with Squarespace, but it’s very much a visual experience. Almost everything can be handled with the click of a mouse, as opposed to WordPress.org’s sometimes granular, code-heavy makeup.

Blogger – Another simple and very popular blogging engine, Blogger is a Google-run platform that puts emphasis on the basics like none other. In fact, it might be considered too easy for some.

Microblogging

Taking the blogging thing one step further, microblogging restricts the writer to a 140-character-per-post exercise. As you might imagine, this requires inventiveness to produce qualitative and engaging material, whether it be conversational or promotional (or both). And there are a number of ways to go about engaging an audience in this fashion.

Twitter – The most popular and most recognized microblogging solution presently in play, Twitter has many functions. It’s used as a marketing engine. It’s used to talk to “followers.” It’s even used to chronicle poems and verse, as well as brief novella-like inventions. NYTimes reporter Matt Richtel is one figure who employed the platform for creative ends.

Laconi.ca – A microblogging service created in much the same way as Twitter, Laconi.ca allows users to do with 140-character messaging what WordPress.org is able to do with blogging. You create your microblog as you wish, invite whomever you like into the mix, and you’ve effectively got yourself a personal Twitter of your own design. It’s not easy to set up, mind you. But the challenge may prove worthwhile.

Facebook – A network of over 100 million people, Facebook is perhaps the largest purveyor of status updates on the Web next to nifty away messages posted by users of instant messaging services like AIM and Google Talk, et al. Status updates typically denote what a user is doing at a certain moment in time. But the ability to free-form one’s thoughts allows Facebook to act as a microblogging engine of sorts. If you establish a great network of people, the power of this can be extraordinary.

Jotting Ideas

Maybe you’re not ready to start on a book or short story or journalism piece. Maybe you just want to lay down your thoughts on certain matters to make better sense of your mission for a certain project. These services will keep those notes organized.

SpringNote – Founded on the wiki mantra, SprintNote is free, intuitive, enormously utilitarian, and even delivers an iPhone application to extend the experience. Because we all know that some of the best thoughts come when you least expect them – like when you’re walking a city street, without a notebook or desktop PC in view.

Evernote – This is a fantastic note management application that sports numerous access points, including the standard website, desktop applications for Mac and PC users, and even an iPhone-compatible application. All Evernote downloads can synchronize with a user’s account in the cloud.

Google Notebook – With desktop and mobile browser access, Google Notebook is simple, but powerful. Jot your ideas down quickly, wherever you might be, and have easy access when you get to your main terminal at home or at the office.

Zoho Notebook – Similar to Google’s application, Zoho Notebook puts emphasis on convenient information aggregation and collaboration. Need to run a concept by your editor for a manuscript or essay? This is a great way to do it. Wonderfully enough, login is provided for Zoho account owners as well as Google and Yahoo usernames.

Social Networking

Writers may not be the most social folks to roam the planet, but networking on the Web is all but a necessity for people seeking maximum exposure – and maximum sales! Here are several sites to occupy your time away from your word processor.

Red Room – A social network for authors to maintain pages and readers to get better acquainted with those they know and those they may not know so well. Red Room is packed with blogs, essays, videos, podcasts, events and more. It’s one of those places which, the deeper you delve, the more engaging it feels. And it’s still in beta!

Writer’s Network – What may seem a bit plain at first glance is in fact a surprisingly voluminous database of words and the writers behind them. It’s free, with plenty of tips, how-tos, and voting features to see how users rate your work alongside everything else.

Shelfari – A social network with emphasis on what you and others are reading, Shelfari is less about connecting authors to their fans than sharing recommendations and reviews. Of course, authors generally are avid consumers of content, and sometimes only reluctant producers, so sharing a personal library, even if you have an ISBN tag to call your own, might be a fun endeavor.

GoodReads – Similar to Shelfari but constructed in a way that more quickly grants users access to its various components and sections. Also, status updates were recently introduced to GoodReads. If nothing else, GoodReads can be highlighted for its independent role. Shelfari, alternatively, was recently acquired by Amazon.

Gather.com – This is a social network with wide-ranging subject matter, so it cannot claim to be the exclusive domain of readers. Still, Gather has its book clubs, which authors could certainly tap into.

LinkedIn – A website famous for its business networking acumen, LinkedIn could be where you introduce yourself to agents, editors, fellow writers and other valuable connections. Time spent here can be rewarding, for sure.

Facebook – You need only look to pages like that of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series, which have grossed roughly a half-million “fans” to see what kind of network effect you can get from Facebook. We mentioned it earlier in the microblogging portion of the roundup, and given the variety of active users, both in age and in occupation, it’s a clear fit in the social networking segment as well.

Jobs and Employment Resources

Hey, a writer’s gotta eat, eh? That’s the express reason for these two sites. Check them out, and if you’ve got suggestions for other services, shout ‘em out in the comments!

Freelancer’s Union – Want jobs? Want to meet important people? Want to advertise yourself and your business? Need insurance as an independently employed person? Freelancer’s Union delivers it all.

FreelanceWriting.com – It’s rough to browse and job leads can be a real pain to track, but FreelanceWriting.com presents lots of links. The more you frequent the site and watch the incoming streams of gigs offered to writers, the more you’ll get out of it.

Book Fairs/Shows

There are many book fairs that take place throughout the year, but there are some major hotspots that all but require publishers’ attention, and by extension, authors as well. Here’s a run-through of some of the majors.

Paris Book Fair – With a 2009 schedule of March 13-18, the Paris Book Fair is just one of the events each year in the French nation where celebration of ideas is the order of each day.

London Book Fair – This event takes places in the spring season (April), and is one of Europe’s largest and most important.

BookExpo America – Occupying the halls of the Jacob Javits Center in New York City for four days in May 2009, BookExpo America is perhaps the pinnacle of book gatherings in the US. Plenty of events occur in the American capital and places elsewhere to argue otherwise, but the name here speaks volumes. Pun intended.

Frankfurt Book Fair – Also one of the largest and most important of gatherings in Europe for the publishing industry, the Frankfurt Book Fair carries the torch for the global book tour each year in October. The 2009 schedule has it for October 14-18 to be specific. (via)

Top 10 Online Virus & Malware Scanners

There is no substitution for a quality antivirus solution, but how many times were you in a situation that you simply have none at your disposal? In such situation, the best you can do is use something that’s free and fast. We bring you a list of online virus and malware scanners which will do just fine for a quick scan of the system.

Avast – Online version of popular antivirus software Avast will scan individual files of up to 512kb in size.

BitDefender – An online version of the BitDefender software. Will scan your drives, files, and boot sector. Works only with Internet Explorer.

Computer Associates Malware Scanner – Browse your drives for a file you suspect of being malware and upload it for their scanner to check it for you.

Eset – Just simply click their terms of service and scan your entire system for occurrences of malware.

Freedom – Chck all of your storage inside your browser with this tool based on F-Port.

Jotti’s Malware Scan – Uses several scanners at once to scan files that you upload to detect malware that may be hidden.

NanoScan.com – Requires a small download and then accesses a constantly updated database of known threats. Extremely small an fast.

Panda Security – Searches your system for worms, viruses, trojans and more after a small Active X download.

TrendMicro – This service will not only scan for viruses, but also spyware and malware.

VirusTotal.com – Upload a file of up to 10MB in size and let the site run it through over 30 virus engines. If their server is overloaded, they also provide you the option to email the file to them. (via)

Top 100 Antivirus Tools

Internet is still far from a secure place, and viruses are still an annoying menace which we must fight on an everyday basis. Here’s our list of 90+ tools for removing virus, spyware, adware and other infections which affect system performance. The list is classified according to their functions(Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware), availability (online/offline), and platform (Cross-Platform/Windows/Mac).

Anti-Spyware

Ad-Aware – A very commonly used anti-spyware application providing advanced protection from spyware related problems. The free version sports all the major features.

AntiSpyware 2007 – AntiSpyware 2007 for Windows provides users a safe experience by protecting computer against spyware threats. The free version enables the users to scan the computer for infections.

ArcaClean – A free tool for removing all copies of internet worms (Blaster Beagle, NetSky, Sober and others).

Bazookaâ„¢ Adware and Spyware Scanner – Bazooka detects infections which are typically not recognized by Anti-Virus software. Examples of these are spyware, adware, trojan, keylogger, foistware and trackware components. Bazooka can remove CoolWebSearch, Gator, GAIN, Bargain Buddy, CommonName, FlashTrack, IPInsight, nCase, SaveNow, and WurldMedia.

CWShredder – CWShredder eliminates CoolWebSearch which is a type of browser hijacker. It is a small utility with very focused functionality towards eliminating this browser hijacker in instant time.

Dr. Web CureIt – Dr. Web is one of the most popular free anti-virus scanners for Windows. It removes all kinds of infections like spyware, malware and W32 viruses.

NoAdware – A real time protection solution for spyware and adware removal. Its special features include advanced level of protection for the IE browser.

Outpost Security Suite Pro – A fast and effective anti-malware, and personalized anti-spam solution. It keeps the computer updated against latest OSS that will keep user’s computer protected against all major Internet security threats.

Panicware’s Pop-Up Stopper and Blocker – A free popup blocker and spyware removal tool for both Windows and Mac OS X.

PestPatrol – PestPatrol is a powerful security and personal privacy tool that detects and eliminates destructive pests like trojans, spyware, adware and hacker tools.

Prevx CSI – Prevx is a very powerful scanner for home and business users. Its quick scanner will check your computer for infections in less than 2 minutes.

Spybot Search & Destroy – Spybot is a popular and free for personal use anti-spyware program. It is extremely effective for preventing adware and spyware from entering your system. The new version of Spybot also features support for Windows Vista, more compatibility with Wine and support for bootable Windows CDs.

SpySubtract PRO – SpySubtract PRO has recently changed its name to Trend Micro Anti-spyware and the latest version includes an enhanced spyware scanning engine. The trialware of Trend Micro Anti-Spyware is available for 30 days.

Spyware Begone Registered Edition – A desktop based free spyware scanner for removing adware, checking browser infections, preventing ID thefts and speeding up the computer.

Spyware Doctor – Spyware Doctor is recognized as the best spyware and adware protection solution with a very high degree of efficiency. It detects, removes and protects your PC from thousands of potential spyware, adware, trojans, keyloggers, spybots and tracking threats.

Spyware Guard – A tiny protection solution against browser-hijackers and malware. It has a quick real-time scanning engine, and most importantly – it’s free.

Spyware Nuker XT – Spyware Nuker is an anti-spyware software produced by Trek Blue. Its special feature called Active Protection tracks the execution of all programs at kernel-level and alerts if a program is suspected as a potential threat.

Spyware Terminator – A highly popular spyware removal tool offering thorough scanning of memory, registry, and drives. What separates Spyware Terminator apart from others is that it is a freeware utility (for both personal and commercial use) and it also has an option of antivirus integration with an open-source antivirus program ClamAV.

Spy Hunter – Spy Hunter is an extremely fast and efficient scanner for detecting spyware/adware in Windows machines. The scanner is available as a freeware.

Spy Sweeper – Spy Sweeper is a popular award winning software offering protection against dangerous spyware which infect system during internet browsing. It is available at a price of $29.95 for one year subscription.

StartPage Guard – A handy freeware protection mechanism for protecting the internet browser’s pages from unauthorized activities.

Sunbelt CounterSpy – Sunbelt CounterSpy is a top quality anti-spyware protection program. It includes a 15-days full version powerful trial which removes all types of Browser Helper Objects (BHOs) in its tests.

SUPERAntiSpyware – An extremely thorough application with the ability of removing spyware which is generally not detected by other scanners. The basic version is free for home users and the professional version comes at price of $29.95.

The Cleaner – The Cleaner is a collection of programs designed for safety from trojans, worms, rootkits, keyloggers, spyware, adware and types of malware. It is available as a freeware for personal use and the paid version costs $19.95.

Trojan Hunter – TrojanHunter acts as a complement for Anti-Virus software by searching and removing trojans residing inside the system. The 30-day trial version is available for free and the one year version can be purchased for $39.95.

Webwasher – Webwasher Classic clears unwanted ads, crushes cookies and prevents organizations from profiling surfing habits. The users of Webwasher can eliminate banner ads and new larger “skyscrapers” it takes to view Web pages.

WinCleaner – A freeware solution for protection of Windows computers. It provides protection against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware.

Windows Defender – A free program from Microsoft that enhances system performance by providing protection against unwanted software. The real-time protection provides recommendation action every time it detects spyware.

W32.Blaster.Worm Removal – W32 Blaster Worm removal from Symantec clears all infections of the Blaster worms which exploit the DCOM RPC vulnerability.

XoftSpySe – XoftSpySe by ParetoLogic is a good anti-spyware application that can remove about 43,000 deadly spyware and adware infections.

Cross-Platform

Norton AntiVirus – Symantec manufactures the world’s most popular and trusted antivirus program for Windows and Mac OS X.

RAV Antivirus – A powerful mail server providing antivirus and antispam protection to system administrators. The package is available for multiple operating systems including Debian, Ubuntu, SUSE Linux and other operating systems.

Sophos – Sophos security control provides cross-platform virus detection on Mac, Windows, Linux, UNIX, Net App Storage Systems and Mobile.

Virex – Virex protects Mac OS X systems against all types of viruses, malicious code and unknown threats.

VirusBarrier – A cross-platform antivirus solutions from Intego. A fully functional 30 day trialware is available and the single user licensed version is available at a cost of $79.95.

Desktop

Anti-Virus&Trojan – Anti-Virus & Trojan provides protection against all viruses. It scans for infected files and shows a warning message if it finds any.

avast! Home Edition – A free antivirus solution for scanning disk, CDs, in E-mail, HTTP, NNTP, IM and P2P.

AVG Free Edition – AVG Resident Shield provides real-time protection executions of files and programs. It features a smart e-mail scanner, virus updates and virus vault for secure handling of the files which are infected by viruses. The base version for windows is Free for private and non-commercial use.

CA AntiVirus – An antivirus program from Computer Associates for comprehensive security against worms, trojan horse programs and viruses. The basic version is available for a 90-day trial.

ClamWin – ClamWin is a free antivirus project for Windows.

CyberScrub AntiVirus – A powerful virus cleaner with a trialware version, while the paid version costs $49.95.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus – ESET NOD32 Anti-virus is available as an anti-virus for small businesses, individuals and for large networks. The trialware enables the user to try the application for a period of 30 days.

Fprot – A free ant-virus application for Linux, FreeBSD and DOS (personal use). It also provides a Windows Evaluation version.

HandyBits – A free for personal use virus ‘scanner integrator’ with features like auto-search which scans for already installed virus scanner. It scans for files using installed virus scanners there by utilizing the strengths of installed programs.

HijackThis Software – HijackThis is a small application for scanning and cleaning spyware, malware infections in computer. It enables the user to save the scan log in a txt file which can be examined later for system security analysis.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal Pro – A commonly used virus protection solution offering full protection against macro-viruses and unknown viruses. It offers reliable data integrity control and protection of e-mails from viruses.

MWAV – A free utility for scanning anti-virus, spyware, adware or other types of malware. The specialty of this utility is that it does not require installation and can be run directly.

Nanoscan – An instant scanner that can detect viruses, spyware and other threats in less than a minute.

noHTML – A service allowing users to access emails from Outlook Express in a secure way by converting them into simple text format and removing the dange of email borne attacks.

Norton AntiVirus – Norton AntiVirus is the most popular and secure virus scanner for checking boot sector records at startup. The live update feature automatically installs new updates for regular protection against viruses.

Panda Antivirus Platinum – A complete virus protection package for home and business users. It comes with an easy installation and automatic protection from latest viruses.

PC Tools AntiVirus – PC Tools AntiVirus is a handy free anti-virus program for Windows.

Protector Plus Antivirus Software – A perfect anti-virus solution for Windows systems against all types of viruses, spyware, trojans and worms.

PROTEA ANTI-VIRUS – Protea Antivirus works with Lotus Domino. It automatically cleans the body of the message, checks attachments and also the OLE mail objects. It is available in both trial and paid version.

Solo Anti-Virus – Solo Anti-Virus gives protection from new viruses on the internet and also scans the system for removing worms in the system. The unique unique System Integrity Checker provides protection to the user new Internet Worms, Backdoor programs, malicious VB and Java scripts.

Sophos – Sophos is a Windows anti-virus solution for removing viruses, worms, Trojan horses and other potentially dangerous applications.

Stinger – A stand-alone application for automatic detection and removal of viruses. It acts as more of an assistance for administrators and is not meant to be a full time anti-virus replacement. It is available as freeware for Windows.

StopSign – StopSign Threat Scanner is an effective protection solution against all types of internet threats viruses, spyware, trojans, adware, keyloggers, worms, browser hijackers and all forms of malicious code.

SurfinGuard – SurfinGuard constantly monitors programs with .exe file extension for malicious threats. It automatically blocks any Trojan or worm that violates the security norms.

Symantec Virus Removal Tools – Symantec offers suit of free virus removal tools for infections like: W32.Netsky.B@mm, W32.Beagle@mm, W32.Welchia.Worm, W32.HLLW.Anig, W32.Mydoom@mm and more.

Tenebria SpyCatcher Express – A powerful protection solution from unknown spyware. It provides powerful, immediate protection from known & unknown spyware as well as rootkits. SpyCatcher is available as a freeware for Windows.

ThreatFire – A feature rich anti-virus software for real time protections against viruses, worms and other types of malware. It is available as a freeware for Windows.

TotL.net – An anti-virus solution of a different kind. It is an effective human detector enabling users to scan themselves and their friends.

Trend ServerProtect – Trend Server features a windows console for management of viruses, updates, remote installation and removal. It supports Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows NT 4, and Novell NetWare servers.

Vexira – Vexira provides full protection solutions to organizations, websites, schools and government agencies from the attack of viruses, trojans, spyware, adware and spam.

Mac Anti-Virus

Agax – A free Mac antivirus program for Mac with features for standard and advanced scanning.

ClamXAV – A free virus scanner for Mac OS X. It uses the open source antivirus engine ClamAV for scanning.

Online Anti-Virus

a-squared Web Malware Scanner – a-squared enables users to scan for Trojans, Backdoors, Worms, Dialers, Spyware/Adware, Keyloggers, Rootkits, Hacking Tools, Riskware and TrackingCookies.

Authentium VERO – An online security solution built especially for site operators, financial institutions like banks and other service providers. In a nutshell, it provides a secure, private environment for trading, banking transactions and other activities being carried across the internet.

Avast! Online Scanner – An online virus scanner from alwil software for scanning files smaller than 512KB.

BitDefender Online Scan System – BitDefender Scan Online scans system’s memory, boot sector, all files and folders and also comes with automatic file cleaning option. Overall, it scans for over 70,000+ viruses, worms, trojans and other malicious applications.

CA Anti-Virus – A comprehensive virus scan utility for protection against all types of viruses, trojans, worms and malicious threats.

Dr. Web – Dr. Web is an online scanner for curing system viruses. Users can select viruses from system and can scan selected files.

ESET Online Scanner – ESET is a powerful user-friendly scanner for removing malware from user’s computer.

FortiGuard Center – FortisGuard online scanner allows users to check for malicious files by simply scanning the uploading files. The files have a size limit of 1MB.

Free online Trojan Scanner – An online scanner for detection and removal of Trojan horses.

Freedom Online Virus Check – Freedom Online Virus Check is an anti-virus scanner for scanning hard drives, diskettes, CD-ROMs, network drives, directories, and specific files for any hidden viruses.

F-Secure – An online virus scanner for detecting and clearing viruses.It supports Windows XP and Windows 2000.

Kaspersky Online Scanner – A fast and effective online scanner for checking individual files, folders, drives or even files related to emails.

Mcafee Virusscan Online – A trusted VirusScan service for search and display of infected files. Once the infected files are displayed McAfee scan provides detailed information about the virus, its type and removal instructions.

Panda ActiveScan – Panda ActiveScan is a powerful online virus scanner and provides detection of over 1, 85,000 viruses, worms and Trojans on user computers.

Pc-Cillin Trend Micro Housecall – Trend Micro is one of the very few online scanners to offer cleaning of infected files. Users can scan the whole system or choose from specific drives and folders.

Symantec Security Check – An effective online scanner for testing various types of viruses and threats on user computers.

Tenebril Spyware Scanner – The free Spyware Scanner from Tenebril enables users to search for thousands of viruses, worms and trojans. For removing the infections users need to obtain the paid version which is available at a cost $29.95.

VirusChief – VirusChief is a free online virus scanner for detection of viruses throuhg multiple antivirus engines.

Virus.Org – Virus.Org is a malware scanning service that scans and upload files with several common anti-Virus tools to detect system infections.

Virustotal – An online scanner for files with size less than 5MB, it only detects threats, but doesn’t clean the infiltrations.

X-Cleaner Micro Edition – An online scanner from FaceTime Security Labs for different types of adware, keyloggers, Trojans and many other forms of unwanted software.The offline version includes a trial version of X-Cleaner and a deluxe version with a wide range of cleaning solutions.

Registry Cleaner

Abexo Registry Cleaner – A Windows registry defragmenter tool that can drastically improve the performance of your computer.

CCleaner – CCleaner is a free tool for system optimization and security. It clears system infections, cleans registry, removes unused startup items and allows windows to run faster by freeing hard disk space.

Clean My Registry – A freeware utility developed for keeping the system registry in perfect condiction.

Eusing Free Registry Cleaner – Eusing is free registry cleaner software that allows users to clean registry infections instantaneously with a few mouse clicks.

MISPBO Registry Cleaner – MISPBO Registry Cleaner is an advanced level registry cleaner for removing unnecessary keys from the Windows registry.

RegAuditor – RegAuditor gives a quick snapshot at the adware, malware and spyware installed on user’s system by showing colored icons. Icons in red indicate infections in computer and green icon means that a specific object is safe.

Registry Mechanic – Registry Mechanic can clean the registry, fix PC errors and optimize the computer for better performance. The trial version fixes bugs in specific sections of the registry and its usage is limited by time.

Registry Trash Keys Finder – Registry Trash Keys Finder removes unwanted data quickly by clearing out dead registry entries which are left by trial software. (via)

Top 20 Apple TV Plugins And Hacks

Leopard is coming soon, and some reports claim that the new Front Row is going to borrow its look from New-Digital-TV-Boxes Mar-08. In the meantime, Apple TVs themselves are cheaper then ever, but Apple is strangely quiet about it. Is Apple TV the future of home entertainment or is it Apple’s blunder which will probably disappear from the market in the years to come? You decide. In the meantime, we’ve created a toolbox with over 25 plugins and hacks to make all you AppleTV owners smile.

Plugins

Apple TV RSS Plugin – Configure and read various RSS feeds right on your Apple TV.

ATVLoader – Install many plugins from a large database. This one is great for those that want a simplified and easy way of installing plugins without a lot of hassle.

nitoTV – The biggest and best plugin of them all. Network and USB mounting, mplayer, and DVD playback with VIDEO_TS files or ISO files.

Road Trip – GPS plugin that works with any USB GPS adapter, fetches maps from MapQuest.

Sapphire – Best way to manage TV Shows and Movies.

Sports Scores – This plugin allows you to check sports scores.

Streamer – Stream internet radio through your Apple TV.

MPDControl – Control your MPD server easily from your Apple TV.

ATVTorrents – Finds torrents in your Home directory and automatically starts downloading them with rTorrent.

Firefly – Allows the streaming of music on your Apple TV to iTunes.

Omelette – A fun puzzle game designed to run on your Apple TV.

Perian – Although not truly a plugin, Perian allows playback of many file types.

JamanTV – Download movies from the JamanTV service onto your Apple TV.

ATVWakeOnLan – Wakes up remote media servers nearby.

Applications Menu – Run applications on your Apple TV easily with this launcher.

Hacks

Firefox – This hack shows you how to get Firefox up and running on an Apple TV, step by step.

Component to RGB – How to convert from component to RGB for TVs that don’t have component ports.

How to Play DivX From a NAS – Explains how to play DivX files on your AppleTV from a network storage device.

Color Output – How to easily get color output from the AppleTV’s component ports.

Asterisk – How to get Asterisk running on an AppleTV.

Keyboard/Mouse – How to get a USB keyboard and mouse working on an Apple TV.

Mouse Pointer – This tutorial explains how to enable the mouse pointer.

OS X – Install OS X on an Apple TV.

USB Drive – A tutorial that tells you how to boot your Apple TV from an external USB drive.

Enable VNC – Tutorial explaining how to enable Remote Desktop/VNC.

SSH and AFP – Explains how to enable SSH and AFP on Apple TV. (via)

Top 10 Free E-books For Bloggers

E-books aren’t as great to read as old school hard-bound books that you can cuddle up with in your bed. But, with some topics, like blogging, you’ll find more useful e-books than regular books. That’s why we checked out all the e-books for bloggers and handpicked ten contemporary ones that we think are the best of the lot.

Authority Black Book

Authority Black Book – What is an authority presence on the web? Why is it important to have an authority and how can you attain authority? What are the web 2.0 tools that you can use? Authority Black Book is a 64-page ebook by Jake Humphrey explaining how to get the best out of web 2.0 technology including blogging, RSS marketing, social bookmarking sites, social media marketing sites, and video marketing in order to attract more traffic to your site. There is also a list of web 2.0 resource sites.

You would already be aware of what is written about in the ebook if you have been blogging for quite some time. But the ebook is a good resource with plenty of links of the top sites and services in different categories related to blogging, and you can take it as a starting point if you are newly starting out in the blogosphere.

Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization

Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization – For many a blogger, search engine optimization is the next thing they want to understand once they set up their blog and are couple of weeks into blogging. If that’s the case, this is the ebook that they should get their hands on. Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization is a good newbie’s guide to SEO practices from SEOmoz explaining how search engines operate, how to conduct keyword research, building a traffic-worthy site, and growing a site’s popularity.

The ebook can be downloaded in MS Word or Open Office Text Document format. There are single page and 9-page versions of the ebook as well that you can read online.

BlogBash: Deep Secrets of Successful Blogging – learn from 30 experts

BlogBash: Deep Secrets of Successful Blogging – learn from 30 experts – What can you say when you get 30 of the top bloggers from across the globe writing down their secrets in one free ebook? This ebook is a must-read for every blogger.

Some of the articles include – Synergy between SEO and traditional marketing by Aaron Wall of SEOBook, Driving traffic using Delicious by Neil Patel of ProNetAdvertising, 7 ways to make your content search engine friendly by Daniel Scocco of Daily Blog Tips, Staying Connected-the secret to keeping those loyal readers by Liz Strauss of Successful-Blog, Help me – my mom is my blog’s only reader by Darren Rowse of Problogger, Advertising in the blogosphere by Chris Batty of Gizmodo, among others. This ebook is a product of BlogBash – the 30 day event featuring expert bloggers from across the blogosphere.

Blog Profits Blueprint

Blog Profits Blueprint – Starting off with how he discovered blogging, Yaro Starak of Entrepreneur’s Journey explains in this 54 page ebook the strategies and tactics you require to start blogging successfully. Some of the subjects he talks about include key ingredients of attracting attraction to your blog, how to choose your blog traffic – passions vs profits, creating pillar posts, marketing your blog, etc.

Yaro also details blog monetization methods including Google AdSense and other alternatives. There is a section on RSS and blog advertising too. The writing is easy to comprehend and Yaro has included some genuine experiences that you can learn from.

Dive Into Web 2.0

Dive Into Web 2.0 – This is a comprehensive guide to Web 2.0 sites and technologies including search engines, SEO, wikis, blogging, social networking, social bookmarking, social media, tagging, web monetization, APIs, mashups, widgets, gadgets, RSS, web 2.0 business models, and rich media applications like AJAX, Silverlight, Google Gears, and many more.

Maybe you can say Wikipedia is there for all these terminologies. But what this ebook brings you is the entire set of web 2.0 technologies in one go, exposing many tools that you might not have heard about before.

Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber Dissidents

Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber Dissidents – Reporters Without Borders is an international organization that works for press freedom. In this ebook, the organization provides tips to blog anonymously and get round censorship for free expression in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure. In their own words, bloggers are often the only real journalists in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure. Sometimes, only bloggers provide independent news, at the risk of displeasing the government and sometimes courting arrest. Plenty of bloggers have been thrown in prison for their writing.
One unique tidbit that you won’t find anywhere else is the chapter on Blogging ethics that talks about thoroughness, accuracy, fairness, transparency, and independence. There are also personal accounts of bloggers who have been writing from Internet-censored countries.

The ebook also dedicates the final chapter to the countries that censor the Internet including China, Vietnam, Tunisia, Iran, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia. This is truly one read that reminds us that blogging is not all about keeping a personal diary or being just a business tool. It can play serious socio-political roles in different parts of the world.

Make Money Online with John Chow dot Com

Make Money Online with John Chow dot Com is a comprehensive ebook on everything you need to start a blog and maintain it successfully. Written by John Chow, one of the most outspoken bloggers on blogging, the ebook explains blogging tips for beginners and then goes into blog monetization tips with examples of various affiliate links, blog promotion tips, and Google Optimization. There is a chapter on WordPress as well.

The ebook has 9 chapters spread across 59 pages. A must read for beginners and something that even a veteran blogger might find useful.

Unleashing the Idea Virus

Unleashing the Idea Virus – This is a mega 197-page viral marketing ebook by marketing guru Seth Godin. He explains why ideas matter, and reveals the secrets on how to unleash an ideavirus. He also presented many case studies to prove his point.

The book answers tricky questions like why is it foolish to launch a new business with millions of dollars in TV ads, why the market leaders in every industry are more vulnerable to sudden successes by the competition than ever before, what’s the single most important asset a company can create—and what is the simple thing that can kill it, does the Net create a dynamic that fundamentally changes the way everything is marketed, and how can any big or small business use ideavirus marketing to succeed, among others.

Although the book is aimed at marketing professionals, it is also a must-read for professional bloggers, webmasters, and those who are out in the blogospshere to create a successful brand/product for themselves.

Web Style Guide

Web Style Guide – This is a newbie webmaster’s guide to page design, typography, editorial style, graphics, and multimedia. There are sections on web site accessibility, CSS, and flexible page design, information architecture, and site maintenance, coupled with illustrations and examples.

Who’s There

Who’s there – Seth Godin again in his unconventional style reveals a few truths about blogging, and defines three types of blogs – cat blogs, boss blogs, and viral blogs. He also lists down the four laws of blogs and the five components of a great blog.

This is one of those books that’ll make you stop and think. A must-read. (via)

Top 80 Open Source Content Management Systems

A content management system, or CMS, is the easiest way to get a content driven site up and running fast. Frequently, they’re also used for building social networks. We’ve rounded up more than 80 popular CMSs due to reader requests. For the sake of brevity, we haven’t delved too deeply into CMSs for personal blogging or wikis (although we recommend WordPress and Mediawiki, respectively).

Selecting a CMS is about selecting the right tool for the job. However, the most highly recommended general purpose CMSs tend to be Drupal and Joomla. We welcome your own recommendations and experiences in the comments.

Joomla – popular, award-winning CMS that will help you build powerful online applications.

XOOPS – extensible, easy to use; ideal tool for developing small to large dynamic community websites, blogs, portals and much more.

Drupal – equipped with a powerful blend of features, rich set of modules, very popular.

e107 – totally customizable content management system written in PHP using MySQL database.

Plone – ready-to-run, easy to set up, extremely flexible, and ideal for project groups, communities, websites, extranets and intranets.

Zope – an open source application server for building content management systems, intranets, portals, and custom applications.

PHPnuke – established CMS featuring web-based administration, surveys, customizable blocks, modules and themes with multilanguage support.

Dotnetnuke – port of PHPNuke into Microsoft .NET platform.

Typo3 – flexible and extensible CMS with an accomplished set of ready-made interfaces, functions and modules.

PostNuke – fork of PHP-Nuke to make it more secure, stable, and able to work in high-volume environments with ease.

SyntaxCMS – simplify publishing , create and edit site content online, and approve it before publishing to the web.

jLibrary is a DMS (Document Management System), oriented for personal and enterprise use.

V2 CMS – simple CMS, easy to install and modify.

Website Baker – PHP-based CMS designed to make website creation easy.

Jahia – use the Jahia community edition for publishing, managing files, and workflow.

eZPublish – created by eZ Systems, which has a team of professional software developers responsible for creating and maintaining the CMS.

Magnolia – makes Enterprise Content Management simple by being user-friendly, battle-tested, enterprise-ready and open-source.

WebGUI – built to give average business users the ability to build and maintain complex web sites.

OpenCMS – helps content managers worldwide to create and maintain beautiful websites fast and efficiently.

PHP-Fusion – a lightweight, small and versatile CMS.

Collaborative Portal Server (CPS) – most complete platform for building Enterprise Content Management applications, built on top of the Zope application server.

SiteFrameâ„¢ – lightweight content-management system designed for the rapid deployment of community-based websites.

TribalCMS – includes multilanguage support, template architectures, AJAX User Interfaces and unique administration.

Xaraya – create sophisticated web applications; designers enjoy considerable flexibility.

Krang – designed to publish magazine websites.

MMBase – CMS with strong multi media features and advanced portal functionalities.

Pligg Рbased on Men̩ame (Spanish Digg clone), Pligg enables you to create Digg-like sites.

elevateIT – an extension of ZOPE/Plone server.

Cofax – manages your text and multimedia content, and simplifies the presentation of newspapers.

DBPrism – first open source CMS based on Oracle XMLDB repository.

Flux CMS – XML/XSLT based, easy to use, extensible and suitable for developers to fill specific needs.

Apache Lenya – Java/XML based CMS that comes with revision control, multi-site management, scheduling, and workflow.

Rubricks – CMS for Ruby on Rails fans, boasts simplicity and speed.

Silva – built on top of Zope, enables you to export to Word, stream media, store content as XML, and manage hierarchical and traditional websites.

YACS – build your online blogging communities.

Clever Copy – A scalable website portal and news posting system.

Fundanemt – focused on usability and aimed at small and medium sized websites.

Dragonfly CMS – feature-rich open source content management system, based on PHP-Nuke 6.

ContentNOW – simple to use, flexible, multilanguage, modular CMS.

Bitweaver – suitable for large-scale community websites and corporate applications.

Elxis CMS – professional free open source CMS released under the GNU/GPL license.

Etomite – allows you to remotely administer your website from anywhere.

fuzzylime – simple way for you to run your site and keep it up-to-date.

iGaming CMS – build your own gaming websites.

MODx – CMS that helps you take control of your online content.

PHP comasy – simple, multilingual and fast content management system.

Mambo – very well-known CMS. Can be used for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications.

Jupiter – one of the most lightweight portal systems available.

Ovidentia – integrate an environment for publishing content on the www or a groupware portal.

Jaws – build your own modules on the powerful Jaws framework.

Geeklog – out of the box blog solution with support for comments, trackbacks, multiple syndication formats, and spam protection.

CMS Made Simple – make a home page for your family or your multinational corporation.

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Eazy portal – solution allowing you to maintain your own online community.

Papoo – accessible content management system

phpWebSite – develop an interactive, community-driven website.

RunCms – portal system that includes most things a webmaster would expect from a CMS.

Exponent – allows site owners to easily create and manage dynamic websites without necessarily directly coding web pages, or managing site navigation.

SPIP – publishing system, use it freely for your own site, be it personal, co-operative, institutional or commercial.

Silverstripe – powerful enough for any website or intranet design and simple enough for anyone to use.

Pheap – created for folks who don’t like complex CMSs like Joomla and Drupal.

MDPro – an innovative and imaginative content management system.

TYPOlight webCMS – specializes in accessibility and uses XHTML and CSS to generate W3C/WAI compliant pages.

PlumeCMS – have multiple websites, multiple authors with different rights.

Xepient Open-Point – create a professional website quickly through the browser.

SlashCode – the original code for the Slashdot geek news service.

YaWPS – is a hybrid between a content management system and a web portal for medium or small-sized websites.

APC ActionApps – allow authorized users to easily update the content of their website.

Pagetool – suitable for people with limited technical skills to modify and contribute to an organization’s web site

OpenACS – toolkit for building scalable, community-oriented web applications.

ttCMS – build your community website with calendars, surveys, member management and authentication, file downloads, forum, articles, and announcements.

MySource – enables technically unskilled users to build and maintain their own web solutions.

Ariadne – web application server and content management system.

Mason CM – makes it easy to manage the workflow of information as it moves from staging to the live site.

Managee – comprehensive web based CMS.

ESY Web Builder – an intuitive content management system that allows non-technical people to create and manage websites and extranets.

PHProjekt – a groupware suite, for the coordination of group activities and to share information and documents via intranet and internet.

PROPS – extensible publishing system designed specifically for periodicals such as newspapers and magazines

Midgard CMS – internationalized set of tools for building web sites and networked applications.

Pivot – web-based tool to help you maintain dynamic sites, like weblogs or online journals. (via)