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Songbird is an open-source freeware that functions as media player and web browser. Created by Rob Lord and developed by the same team who had worked on Winamp and Yahoo! Music, the first version of Songbird was launched in 2006. Here are some of its salient features:

Features of Songbird 1.4.3

This version released in 2009 is compatible with various operating software, such as Linux, Mac OSX v.10.5, Windows XP, and Vista. It also supports multiple audio file formats, including MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, Apple Lossless, and WMA. Its user interface makes it easy to add extensions, such as music site aggregators and Internet radio. Like the older versions, Songbird 1.4.3 has customizable, collapsible, and resizable displays, can download MP3, and automatically scan library files for new songs.

What you can do with Songbird 1.4.3

As a media player, it has the same multiple file and platform compatibility of its predecessors, although developers have improved its interface design and added a new skin (called “feather” in Songbird). Using Songbird allows you to subscribe to MP3 blogs, bookmark them, and sync audio files from these blogs to your Songbird library. Like other web browsers, Songbird allows users to add gadgets, such as mashTape and SongKick Concerts, to boost the application’s entertainment value effortlessly and seamlessly.

Being an open-source software, Songbird has the advantage of having multiple compatibility and support, as well as enabling faster innovation. For these reasons, music lovers can do more than just listen to their playlists with Songbird. However, you may experience slowdown depending on your Internet speed and the capacity of your system itself. Limiting your add-ons and disabling automatic Songbird updates are some ways you can avoid this.

Rogue antivirus software are called “scareware” for a reason. They display fake security notifications prompting you to do something to “fix” the problem. After doing so, you will realize that the real trouble has just started. Here’s how to tell if your current antivirus is rogue software:

Signs your free antivirus program is a rogue software

After running a free scan or downloading a file, you may get legitimate-looking pop-up messages notifying you that viruses, worms, and spyware has been detected on your computer. You might also notice that, after some time, your PC will start to slow down and even suffer from frequent crashes. Although in most cases, rogue antivirus software are just about scaring users off with fake alerts, some versions do install malware for real. Hence, they blackmail you into buying a “full version” of the antivirus to have it removed. You may also experience having your legitimate programs disabled.

Well-known rogue anti-virus software programs

Since prevention is better than cure, it’s best to know what you’re up against. Before downloading any freeware from the Internet, check out updated rogue software lists and see if the antivirus software you plan to get is on it. Some of the most widespread rogue antivirus families include AntivirusXPPro, PC-AntiSpy, SpywareGuard, SystemSecurity, XP Antivirus, and XpPoliceAntivirus, among many others.

Rogue security systems do more than just corrupting files and slowing down your PC’s performance. They can steal your personal information, such as credit card numbers, and deactivate legitimate applications, especially those that manage your computer’s Internet security. Your best defense is a good offense: installing a combo of legitimate antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall systems and keeping them updated and active at all times. Keep from downloading files you don’t recognize or those from untrustworthy sources.

With all the attacks on personal computing systems, an antivirus software has become essential. Nothing seems safe anymore. There are now a multitude of malicious attacks on both Windows and Mac computers. You definitely need to protect yourself with an antivirus software, regardless of the kind of computer that you have.

What to consider when looking for antivirus software

There are some factors to consider when it comes to getting antivirus software. First of all, you need to consider its compatibility with your computer. There are antivirus software configured for a Windows computer while there are antivirus software specially configured for Macs. You will only successfully install and use your software if you got the correct version for your computer. Next, you need to consider how good the antivirus software is. There are several reviews online. You need to decide on how often the company updates its list of viruses and how quickly they respond to new ones.

Top brands that offer antivirus software

Some of the known brands of antivirus software include AVG, Avast!, Kaspersky, McAfee and Symantec. These brands have made good names for themselves and have had a good following among computer owners.

Take time to select and buy an antivirus software for your computer. After all, the computer, these days, has everything and anything important to your life and career.

Free antivirus programs offer a couple of benefits: you get to protect your PC from malware and you don't have to spend any cent. However, there are drawbacks to using free antivirus programs. Read on to know more about these drawbacks.

Free antivirus software can slow down your computer.

Some free antivirus programs consist of very big files that may slow down your computer. Before you download a free antivirus program, check first the specs of your PC and see if it can support the freeware.

Free antivirus programs have limited time offer.

If you want long term virus protection, free antivirus programs may not be the best choice. This is because this type of antivirus program has a limited time offer. The program usually expires after 30 days or so, leaving your PC vulnerable to virus attacks.

Free antivirus online don't offer real protection from malware.

Unfortunately, several free antivirus programs can't provide protection from all kinds of malware. Keep in mind that many antivirus programs can only protect your PC from viruses, which is just one type of malware.

When looking for free anti-virus programs, weigh in first the pros and cons of using one. This is to make sure that you are getting the protection you need for your your system.

Despite the fact that freeware allows you access to software without paying anything, freeware can actually pose several security issues. Read on and learn more about security issues you may encounter when downloading freeware.

Identity theft

Some sites that offer freeware have one goal: steal your identity and use it for other fraudulent activities. To avoid becoming a victim of these sites, always check first if the freeware source is a legit one.

Spread of virus and other malware

Some freeware may actually be sources of viruses, spyware, and other forms of malware that can infect your computer. Always scan a file first before downloading it into your PC.

Slowdown of your PC

Because some freeware may contain illegal content, malicious files, or too many files, you might experience a slower PC when downloading free software.

Due to these security issues posed by downloading freeware, it's always best to determine first if a freeware is really what you need.

Because computer software programs can get pricey, many people opt for free software downloads. After all, why would you buy a software that you can get for free? However, some free software downloads are rip-offs. Read on to know the risks you face when you download free software:

Free software downloads take so much time.

The catch for some free software downloads is that they take a lot of time when you actually download them on your computer. You may be getting a software program for free but if it takes hours before you can actually use the software, then maybe it's not a good deal after all.

Freeware online can affect your computer speed.

When you download freeware, this can actually slow down your computer. If you're doing other stuff while downloading freeware, you might encounter computer lags because of decreased computer speed.

Downloading free software can expose you to virus attacks.

Some freeware actually contain illegal content or malware, which can include viruses and spyware. Before you download any freeware, make sure it is from a legit source.

Downloading free software both has advantages and disadvantages. Before you download one, weigh in the pros and cons and determine if you're better off with a licensed software.

Consider me a convert when I first got acquainted with Intaglio. All the versions of Intaglio software works seamlessly with my Mac. With Intaglio, even a novice artist can feel like creating a masterpiece each time he/she opens up the Intaglio software interface. Unlike Adobe Photoshop, Canvas, Illustrator or any other Adobe products, Intaglio is super-friendly to th graphic artist since it doesn't mess with the fonts, it's a sophisticated vector app, and is very stable.

When a friend of mine (who is an established interior decorator in New York) introduced to me Intaglio, I was at first skeptical. I've been a Photoshop user all my life. However, since my projects had veered increasingly towards more "animated" and highly technical drawings, I'd begun to rethink my options and considered downloading Intaglio for free. Of course, if you got hooked, you can opt to buy the license in the demo so you can save your work.

Beginners will balk at the price of the Intaglio software for Mac, but eventually they will realize that the Intaglio does an awesome job when it comes to Mac graphics. I don't think it is paralleled by any graphics software just as yet. I'm looking forward to new version releases from Intaglio. The customer support is always very commendable. This time, I've incorporated all the aspects of my art: from architectural blueprints to watercolor canvasses and I had them all accomplished with Intaglio for Mac.

It is impossible for all computer users around the world to not know what shareware means. We are always using such tools in almost every aspect of our usage of computers. Some of us probably do not know what they are but we are always using them. We just don't know that some of the available dynamic software packages are really labeled as sharewares. Sharewares are copyrighted softwares available for anyone's use. Sharewares are free of charge on trial basis, but also have some necessary conditions for usage.

One perfect example of shareware is the "Vocabulary Trainer 4.0." If you love to travel and you want to learn a few phrases or so of the countries you long to visit, Vocabulary Trainer is a prime tool for you to download. In such shareware tool, you can learn thousands of words or phrases that are essential in understanding the languages of foreign countries. Now, once you have learned the languages you prefer to learn, retaining them in your memory is another important thing that you should do. The shareware has vocabulary drills on grammars that you can practice with.

The Vocabulary Trainer 4.0 shareware package includes finely arranged word stacks so as to have optimal learning on the part of the user. It also has superb scoring system, updated sets of words (once the previous phrases and words sets are mastered), all language designs, and several grammar drills, which you can use for practicing what you have learned from the selections. Now, if you want to improve your language vocabularies, you can easily search and download the demo version of the software from the Internet.

As you browse through the Internet for cheats and walkthrough for console and PC games, you would probably notice that the results for probable sites seemed endless. Just so you know, most of those sites are freeware-based network of information. The compilation of instructions and informations are viewed for free so Internet browsers can use the informations found in those websites. The perfect example of a cheat and walkthrough freeware is the CheatBook Database 2006.

The CheatBook-DataBase 2006 is a perfect example of freeware that contains cheats, hints, guides or walkthroughs for all Playstation consoles, Gameboy, Sega, Nintendo, and PC games. All the information are collected to make access from one main location easier. I know a lot of addicted gamers who drool over cheats and walkthroughs, so I believe they will find this cool freeware very helpful.

The freeware covers more than 10,000 games in one database. Imagine all that info stored into one location. The featured games represents different genres and there are also info regarding recent and future game releases. When you go over CheatBook, you will see that the games are alphabetically listed in the freeware's left window. To view the cheats related on the games, a single click and there unfolds all the infos and cheats you need. There are also links and buttons you can choose from that enables you to proceed to other infos or desired tasks.

Who would ever think that Linux operating system was created out of a student's hobby? Linux started out from the small UNIX system that eventually developed into Linux Kernel. Considered as the center of all Linux systems, the kernel is released and developed by GNU. Now, Linux is used by many people around the globe. Just so you know, Linux is now considered as one best alternative to Unix or Microsoft's operating system.

Just as I have said, Linux is now fully and freely distributed among computer and system users worldwide. Aside from that, the system is regarded for its adaptability, robustness, and functionality. As such, Linux is greatly referred as perfect alternative to Microsoft and Unix. Another interesting fact about Linux is its increasing application to other devices and appliances. Also, the system is utilized with microchips and in a certain process called as "embedding."

With the popularity of the Linux system as the best alternative system to Microsoft and Unix, many individuals who are very much interested with Linux formed certain groups to help develop its adaptation. Everyday, the use of Linux is significantly increasing in various sectors of the society, may it be in terms of arts, industry, or government. Also, many are not certain as to how the Linux is pronounced. Though numerous variations of pronunciation are applied, Linux is commonly pronounced with the short "i".

There are sites on the internet that offer audio files for a price. Yet, there are some of us who prefer to create good digital music ourselves. With this, there are lots of applications that generate MIDI files. But if you're a musician experimenting on Linux-based machines, you should steer clear from the program MidiMountain, for it has poor synthesizing functions! Despite its good MIDI editing features, this crap has minimal support for synthesized instruments.

Musicians are now using computers for their musical creations. With a good MIDI synthesizer and editor, you could create a good instrumental in minutes. That is, if you have the skills to do just so. Unfortunately, the MidiMountain program doesn't have enough support for synthesized instruments. Now you could do a good sequence with a few synthesized instruments. But if you're planning to create an orchestra-like piece in MIDI format, you won't even get a progressive-sounding instrumental with this shit!

MIDI synthesizers and sequencers are a musician's answered prayer when it comes to digital music creation. But the MidiMountain program has poor synthesizing functions. That's to state it as bluntly as possible. This is because with a good MIDI synthesizer and sequencer, you get about a ton of synthesized instruments. With this shit, you only get about a few which could help you generate MIDI clips of simple sounds. Yes, audio clips such as ring tones for those old mobile phones and other crappy-sounding players.

Things are certainly getting smaller and smaller by the damn minute! For instance, we now have the capabilities to become mobile printing shops with the use of good portable printers. Not only that, but a digital recording studio nowadays doesn't require huge recording consoles and other large recording equipment. Yes, these studios can now be simulated with a good computer, some additional hardware, and a good sound recording and editing program! But the SLab audio recorder is not among the best digital recording programs, for it has limited recording functions.

The SLab digital recording application is freeware, which means that it can actually be freely downloaded and subsequently used. It could even be modified to suit your needs since it runs on Linux-based machines. I think it would be best for you to tweak the features of this crap since it has limited recording functions, you know. I just wasted my time using this shit, for it turned up totally useless audio files that I recorded using it! Yes, even if you spend your money on an audio engineering crash course, you won't be doing anything significant on the recording settings of this crap!

The recording functions of the Slab digital audio recorder doesn't have the necessary features a good audio editor wants in similar programs. For instance, you couldn't possibly tweak the default settings so as to provide you with good sounding recordings! Tweaking the frequency monitor doesn't do any good, either. The recording equalizer does nothing much, quite the same as the graphic equalizer of Windows Media Player. Yes, a damn add-on for pure visual appeal! Plus, it lacks the knobs it aims to simulate from 64-track recording consoles!

Much like free wireless internet connectivity, freeware programs sometimes have compatibility problems with most computer system platforms. There are options for freeware programs to be used on a specific computer system platform, but there usually pop up lots more totally different problems. One such freeware application for Linux-operated machines is the amSynth synthesizer program, and you'd be getting these weird clicking noises from the audio files you have created using this crap.

Most digital synthesizer programs are generally useful for creating audio files of your own. But if you have a Linux-based computing machine, there aren't many options for a music synthesizing application. There are quite a few with good audio sampling and synthesizing functions, but you would usually have to tweak the coding of it so as for the program to run better with your machine. The amSynth synthesizer program has to be coded differently with each Linux-based machine to get rid of those damn clicking noises that you'd get from the audio files you have produced with this program.

I don't know why I got those weird clicking noises from the audio files I have produced with the amSynth digital synthesizer application. It had no noise whatsoever when the audio files I was creating with this program was playing within the same application. But when I burnt it on CD, the audio tracks had these weird clicking noises when I listened to it using my standard CD player. Maybe the coding sequences of this program should be optimized so as to get rid of the compatibility issues its output files have with standard CD players.