Filed under: Web services, Google, Googleholic, web 2.0

Welcome to Googleholic, your weekly fix of everything Google!

In this Ghoulishly-Google edition:

• Gmail supports gadgets
• Link to specific parts of a YouTube video
• Search Google profiles
• Google Toolbar turns 8
• Google promotes 'Take a Vote Hour'
• Ghoulishly Google Trick-or-Treats

Continue reading Googleholic for October 31, 2008

Googleholic for October 31, 2008 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

About four months after releasing Firefox 3.0, Mozilla is preparing to retire Firefox 2. The company typically offers support for older browsers for about 6 months after a new version is released. So after December, you shouldn't expect security updates or other improvements.

PC World reports that means the final version of Firefox 2 will probably be Firefox 2.0.0.19. The current version is 2.0.0.17, so we can likely expect two more updates before Firefox 2 goes off to that big software depot in the sky. Or you know, sticks around on millions of computers belonging to people who refuse to update to Firefox 3 for one reason or another.

Mozilla says that more than two thirds of Firefox users have already upgraded.

Mozilla prepares final resting place for Firefox 2 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Internet, Linux, Office, Web

Want to check out OpenOffice.org 3.0 but don't want to download the 142MB installer just to see if you like it? No problem. You can run it in a web browser thanks to Ulteo.

Ulteo takes an interesting approach to online desktop and office suites. Unlike other online desktops that offer some storage space and a few simple, browser based apps, Ulteo offers access to a virtual Linux-based operating system complete with a desktop and full Linux apps like OpenOffice.org. In other words, you get a lot more features from Ulteo than you do from Google Docs, Zoho Office, or EyeOS.

On the other hand, Ulteo relies on Java, takes a while to launch, and has a freemium model. You get 1GB of storage space for free, but sessions are limited to 25 minutes. If you want more storage space or more time per session, you have to pony up some cash for a subscription.

I first looked at Ulteo last year when the company began offering access to OpenOffice.org 2.3. While it's nice to see that Ulteo is continuing to develop its technology, some of my initial complaints still stand. It's a bit awkward to switch between program windows. And it takes too long to load. But if you're just looking for a way to check out OpenOffice.org 3.0 before you download it, Ulteo will let you do that. Or if you want to be able to access OpenOffice.org and your saved documents on any computer with a web browser and Java, Ulteo may be for you.

Run OpenOffice.org 3.0 in your browser with Ulteo originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Linux

It sure seemed like a good idea. CodeWeavers, the makers of CrossOver software that lets you run Windows applications like MS Outlook or games like Half Life on Mac andLinux machines, held a tongue-in-cheek promotion where the company promised to give away free copies of its software if one of a number of economic goals were met in the US. While it's likely that the US government had little to do with the recent dip in gas prices, this week CodeWeavers decided that $2.79 gas meant it was time to give away a copy of CrossOver to anyone who wanted it within a 24 hour period.

And then all heck broke loose. The story made the front page of Digg and was reported on countless tech blogs. The CodeWeavers website crashed, although the company quickly got the download links back online. When the smoke cleared, the company gave away about 750,000 copies of its software.

Let's let that sink in for a second here. A company that many people may not have even known existed, had its software downloaded three quarters of a million times in one day. CodeWeavers sent an email this week stating that the move expands the company's customer base by 400%. The value of the free software given away tops $45 million.

In other words, the whole thing might have backfired and ruined the company's bottom line. On the other hand, it could be awesome news in the long run for CodeWeavers. A whole lot of people who weren't aware of the software are now potential customers. Many of the people who downloaded free copies may not really wind up using it, but those who do may decide to upgrade when a new version is available or pay for another year of support when the 1 year of free support expires in a year.

Still, CodeWeavers has decided to cancel the promotion going forward. There had been plans to do another giveaway if housing prices fell, US job numbers went up, or Osama Bin Laden was captured. But that just doesn't seem like a good idea anymore.

CodeWeavers cancels free giveaway program, honors existing registrations originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Games, Freeware, Time-Wasters

Escape from Hell via Abandonware Dos

Think of Diablo, in reverse, with really, really low-fi graphics. That might still not be an accurate description of Escape from Hell, but it's as close as I can get to a modern comparison. It's an RPG, and you'll have to fight your way out of Hell, meeting up with all kinds of evil nasties along the way.

Watch out, there's even a (very) little CG nudity (!) in this one.

Continue reading Six classic horror-iffic games for Halloween

Six classic horror-iffic games for Halloween originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Business, Utilities, Windows, Productivity, Freeware

Network Notepad creates quick diagrams and flow charts originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Fun, Macintosh

You knew your Mac could detect wireless networks and Bluetooth devices, but did you know it can also detect spirits? If you want to scan for supernatural activity, download an app called EMF6742, from the Department of the Supernatural. This little program uses your Mac's wireless hardware to scan for anomalies in electromagnetic fields, indicating nearby spirits. A higher number means a stronger anomaly in the EMF.

System requirements include "Mac OS X 10.5 or later, a wide variety of superstitions and/or a sense of humor." Yes, unfortunately, EMF6742 is just a joke. Apparently, some people downloaded it without realizing this, though, so if you're looking for something to show your friends to put the "trick" in trick-or-treat, give it a look!

Use your Mac to detect supernatural activity this Halloween! originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Security, Utilities, Windows, Freeware, Troubleshooting

SysInternals and Nirsoft make a lot of really, really useful applications, but they're all standalone. Keeping them organized for easy access can get to be a bit of a pain, and that's when Windows System Control Center comes to the rescue.

WSCC is a free, portable application designed to centralize and simplify access to these utilities. Think of it as the Swiss Army shell for your "knife blades."

Launch the program and enter the location for your apps. Relative paths are supported, so don't forget to adjust the directories accordingly if you plan on running it from your flash drive. On my drive, I created a WSCC folder in the root placed the other applications in two subfolders (NS and SI). I find it helpful to check the "hide missing items" box since I don't use every app WSCC supports.

The group buttons on the left side of the main program window make finding specific utilties fast and easy. At the top of the window, there's a search box - which is also a great help in quickly locating an app.

Keep in mind, the download is only the WSCC - you'll need to fetch the actual programs from Nirsoft and SysInternals yourself. Save some time, and grab the SI apps in a single file and Nir's from the Web Panel.

It's free for both private and commercial us, and should be a welcome addition to any Window's admin's flash drive.

[ via Freeware Files ]

Portable WSCC simplifies access to SysInternals, Nirsoft utilities originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Internet, Security, Utilities, Windows, Freeware

As a long-time fan of Comodo Firewall, I was glad to see the company developing a more complete Internet defense application. On October 28th, they released Comodo Internet Security.

Why the move? To quote from the press release, Comodo's president Melih Abdulhayoglu believes that "Safe computing on the Internet should be a right, not a privilege." He continues, "We are offering an advanced, intelligent Internet Security package at no charge in order to promote a safer, trusted Internet for everyone."

So far, I'm every bit as impressed with Internet Security as I was with their standalone firewall. Apart from rolling the usual antivirus and firewall features, Comodo's new product sports a number of interesting features and very low resource utilization.

The program's main window is uncluttered and informative, providing a vitals like the status of protection systems and updates, and the present level of network activity. It also features links to quickly lock down your system or set the program to install mode (which tells it ramp down the activity alerts temporarily).

Continue reading Free Comodo Internet Security is here - screenshot tour

Free Comodo Internet Security is here - screenshot tour originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Business, Design, AOL

Download Squad isn't alone when it comes to awesome redesigns -- today, Weblogs Inc.'s parent company, AOL, launched a totally redesigned AOL.com. It looks pretty great, especially when you compare it to the other portal offerings from Microsoft, Yahoo and Google. The biggest change comes in the form of allowing direct access to outside content -- including e-mail providers like Yahoo and Gmail, social networks like Facebook and MySpace and links to non AOL sites via a new RSS reader built into the site.

I had the opportunity to talk to James Clark, the VP of AOL Business, about the redesign process, both from a business and web development level, as well as ways AOL is hoping to use the newly designed page to help transform the AOL brand.

Redesigning a site of any scale can be a challenge, but redesigning a site that receives 115 million PVs a month opens up an entirely new set of both business and user challenges. Starting in 2007, the AOL team started doing research on how its competitors display the web and more importantly, how end users (not necessarily AOL users, just Internet users) use the Internet. James told me that what they found was that the "one size fits all portal was outdated and outmoded." In this day and age, even traditional AOL users get content from multiple services and expect a level of control that traditional portals just don't give them.

Last month, AOL addressed those needs by implementing the ability to check and view e-mail from other providers -- like Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail -- directly from the AOL.com page, the same way AOL users can access AOL mail. Today's redesign continues with that trend, offering access to MySpace, Facebook, and AIM (Twitter and Bebo support will be complete very soon) all from AOL.com. You can even update all profiles simultaneously directly from the toolbar.

Additionally, users can add their own links to pages right at the top of the screen (and you don't even have to register or login to access any of this stuff -- not even Google will let you customize stuff without logging in with a Google account). Probably the coolest feature is at the bottom of the home page. AOL has integrated an RSS reader into the page. It comes preloaded with categories and websites, but you can add your own categories and your own sites. Even more interesting, the sites aren't just AOL properties. In the Tech section, for instance, CNET, TechCrunch, Slashdot and Wired are all listed -- and none of those sites are affiliated with AOL.

Continue reading AOL.com launches a new redesgn and it doesn't suck!

AOL.com launches a new redesgn and it doesn't suck! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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