AVI ReComp supports custom target file sizes
It’s been almost two years since the last release, but the excellent AVI compression tool AVI ReComp has finally been updated to version 1.5.6.
There’s only one significant addition in this build, but it’s a good one. When choosing a target size for the output video, you’re no longer restricted to the default choices. Click "Custom sizes", add whatever new sizes you like, and in future they’ll appear along with the standard options.
OpenClonk is a free, multiplayer -- and strangely familiar -- action game
It’s now almost 20 years since Clonk first appeared, a fun multiplayer platform and real-time strategy game.
The core program gave you control over "Clonks", "small but nimble humanoid beings". You moved them around a 2D horizontally scrolling world, reworking the landscape, setting up mining operations, managing your economy and taking part in "fast and fiddly melees".
View, edit and batch process your photos with Photoimp
If you’ve tried a few free photo managers then you’ll know that the vast majority are, well, disappointing. Most have absolutely no original ideas. And some don’t even match up to the basic functionality you get with Explorer, all on its own.
We didn’t expect very much from the image viewer Photoimp, then -- but it turned out to be a real surprise.
Manage offline Windows updates with Windows Hotfix Downloader
In an ideal world, updating Windows would never require any manual intervention. You’d set up your PC to install updates automatically, and get on with other things, leaving your computer to manage any patches all on its own.
Life isn’t always that simple, of course. If you need to update a PC which doesn’t have a fast (or any) internet connection, or maybe you have to manage the updates for several systems, then the regular Windows Update applet may not be enough.
Make your mouse cursor disappear with AutoHideMouseCursor
Go to work on the Windows desktop and the mouse cursor is normally very useful, a helpful guide which ensures you’re always pointing and clicking in exactly the right place.
Sometimes, though, it’s a little different. If you’re taking screen grabs, maybe watching a full-screen application, you might not want the mouse cursor around. And that’s where AutoHideMouseCursor can help.
TotalEdit Professional is a powerful -- and now free -- Notepad replacement
TotalEdit Professional is an interesting and very capable Notepad replacement. But it used to cost $29.99, a major issue when competing editors such as Notepad++ cost nothing at all.
It seems that the developers have also realized this is a problem, though. And as they’re looking to Android and iPhone products as a means to generate revenue, TotalEdit Professional is now available for free. (It still installs as a trial version, but just register with the license code 2D5B073C-93D0-6D40-8970-B041-C2C and it’ll be activated right away).
CopyCD is a straightforward CD, DVD and Blu-ray copier
Download a program called "CopyCD" and you're probably not going to expect very much. Copying discs is a very basic task, after all, and limiting itself to CDs makes the program seem even worse.
CopyCD's extremely basic interface -- like something written on day 2 of a "Learn Visual Studio" course -- doesn't help. You're able to choose your "master" drive (the source), and your "copy" (the destination); an "OK" button launches the copy process, while an "Exit" button closes CopyCD down. Can that really be it?
Comodo Internet Security 7 adds Viruscope, website filtering
Comodo has announced the release of Comodo Firewall 7.0, Comodo Antivirus 7.0 and Comodo Internet Security Premium 7.0.
The major addition to all three tools is the Viruscope, a new component of the Behavior Blocker which monitors running processes, records their actions activities, and may be able to undo some of them later.
Create and edit video subtitles with Aegisub
Most capable video editors provide at least some kind of subtitling ability, and this is usually very straightforward: position the video, type some text, it appears on the screen and is saved as a part of the clip.
Simple? Yes, but this approach has problems: the video must be re-encoded, reducing image quality; the subtitles will probably become a little blurred, and the file size is likely to increase.
Preme is a suite of time-saving window management tools
Preme for Windows is a clever free tool which extends your windows desktop with a host of time-saving tricks.
There are new ways to open files and applications, for example. You get special mouse actions to arrange, dock, maximize or minimize program windows. And there are functions to adjust volume, close windows, remap hotkeys, and more. A Settings screen helps you decide which of Preme’s features you’d like to use. Check "Scroll any windows", perhaps, and you’re able to scroll any window, even if it’s not active. Just move the mouse cursor over it, and spin the mouse wheel.
Kaspersky 2015 Technical Previews now available
Kaspersky Lab has announced the first public betas of Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2015 and Kaspersky Internet Security 2015.
There are no details on new features, as we write, but the most obvious change so far is the simplified, subdued interface. Plain buttons highlight four key task areas -- "Scan", "Updater", "Reports" and "Virtual Keyboard", for Anti-Virus 2015 -- and clicking any of these causes a new task pane to fade into view.
Find out who’s stealing your web content with Plagiarism Detector
The web is an amazing tool for research, with a vast amount of information available on just about any topic you can imagine. Unfortunately, some people don’t just learn from others: they’ll directly copy vast amounts of content from a web resource, and try to pass it off as their own.
This can be an issue if you’ve created web content, and others are stealing it. Or you might like to know if a document submitted to you is original, or partly "recycled". Either way, Plagiarism Detector ($30) can help.
Automatically back up your flash drives with USBFlashCopy
Backing up the contents of a USB key is simple enough: plug it in, open Explorer, select any important files and copy them wherever you like.
The process can become a little tedious, especially if you’re doing it all the time. But there could be a very easy solution. Just get the free-for-personal-use USBFlashCopy to automatically run any backups for you.
Fragment is an ultra-lightweight, cross-platform image viewer
The image viewer market is a tough and competitive place, and it’s extremely difficult for newcomers to stand out from the crowd. You might try to pack in the features, for instance -- but it probably won’t make any difference. A big-name contender like IrfanView has been around for almost 18 years, and creating something even a fraction as powerful would take a very long time.
Fortunately, Fragment Image Viewer took another route. It’s not crammed with functions, there are no editing or batch processing tools: compared to many viewers, it’s really quite basic. But the program does have a few interesting and unusual tricks, which might, perhaps, persuade you to give it a try.
Directory Opus revamps interface, adds new scripting powers
GPSoftware has announced the release of Directory Opus 11, the latest edition of its powerful Windows file manager. And perhaps unsurprisingly, with a three year gap since version 10, it’s absolutely packed with new features.
The interface has been revamped in many ways. There are thumbnails in the Details and Power modes; the breadcrumb path has a clickable "ghost" of your previous path; the folder tree is easier to navigate, and remembers which branches are expanded; and a new Jobs Bar helps you see and manage all your current file operations.
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