Free software for Christians in ministry and at home

Have you been looking for software that would be useful for you as a believer? Like a program to help you memorize verses? Or maybe a way to keep track of your internet use for your family? Or organize your music ministry with ease? All these things are now possible and more for free. Christianfreeware.org has complied a myriad of Christian software and have made it available on their website via an ISO image you can download or loaded on a CD for only $1 which I would imagine covers shipping and the cost of the CD. If you want to see all the software included on the disc, you can do so here. Unfortunately most of the software is only available for Windows users, but I would imagine that is what most churches use anyways. I've spent a bit of time looking thru this software and there are a number of useful titles available.

"TechMission's Christian Freeware CD is a collection of free ware and open source software that would be of use to Christians, churches, ministries including church software, ministry software, accountability software, open source software, free Bible study software for Windows, Palm and PocketPC. This software is beyond cheap software, shareware and discounted software because it's completely free. Here is a list of all the software that we have included on this CD-ROM.

This CD-ROM also contains free software to enhance your computer using experience as well as bible study software."

GooSync adds another great feature!

One of my favorite programs for my late Lifedrive was GooSync. It would allow me to sync my Google Calendar with my Lifedrive. Worked quite well and I truly love this service (especially since it is free!). If you are a Google Calendar pastor, you really ought to check out GooSync as it is a great way to use your cellphone as your calendar.

"There have been some exciting developments here at the GooSync offices, please see the following for details:

**********************************************
Contact Support On The Way: Beta Testers Required
**********************************************
The most requested feature is now well and truly on its way! GooSync contact support has been in development for some time, we are now looking for volunteers to test our beta release due later this month. Anyone interested please e-mail beta@goosync.com with your details. Only 100 testers will then be randomly selected from all those who apply.

GooSync Contacts will be fully released sometime during September and will only be available in the advanced GooSync account.

To view details of the current status of contacts support please visit http://www.goosync-forum.com/showthread.php?t=45

Full feature support and release date will be available soon.

*****************************************
NEW GooSync Forum Available NOW!
*****************************************
Many of you have been taking advantage of the GooSync Google Group for latest news, updates and support. We are pleased to announce that you can now get all this and more from our new dedicated forum. So to keep up to date with all the latest GooSync gossip and to receive any help or answers to your questions please visit www.goosync-forum.com

Do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information or assistance.

Thank you,

Kindest Regards,

The GooSync Team."

Make your Windows XP start menu look like Window's Vista's start menu

I really liked Window's Vista's eye candy. It made Windows look way better to me and I sure wished, I could have got it running right on my PC. However, if you have Windows XP you don't need Vista, but you might be like me and want that eye candy. Well, Lifehacker points to a freeware application that will turn your XP start menu into a Vista start menu. The application is called ViStart. With the app, you'll get a transparent menu, search functions, skins, and that feel of having a Windows Vista that works! Take a look at it here.

Source: Lifehacker

Find free WiFi hotspos with WeFi (Windows only)

Here is a great little Windows application that will find free wifi hotspots in your location. The application relies on users to upload known free hotspots in their area. Several malls and parks here in Buffalo offer free wifi hotspots. So one could submit these free wifi hotspots so other users can be made aware of them. I think many would be surprised at how many free wifi hotspots are available to them. Since I have wifi on my Macbook, I've found quite a number of free hotspots. It has proven to be quite helpful for me. By the way, this is a freeware application. No cost for you! Mac users have a version coming soon.

Source: Lifehacker

Frozen Bubble for Linux

I've been using Ubuntu as a second OS on my desktop. I do not think I'll totally make the switch to it, but I most admit that it is tempting. One of those temptations is Frozen Bubble. It's a highly addictive game that will keep you entertained for hours. I've played it already too much! If you are a Linux user or you tinker with ubuntu, you need to check this game out.

"Colorful 3D rendered penguin animations, 100 levels of 1p game, hours and hours of 2p game, nights and nights of 2p/3p/4p/5p game over LAN or Internet, a level-editor, 3 professional quality digital soundtracks, 15 stereo sound effects, 8 unique graphical transition effects, 8 unique logo eye-candies.

More than ever, you really need this game."

15 great utilities you've never heard of by PC World

PC World has compiled a list of 15 not-so-well-known software titles. From security to Graphics and media to system tools, they have it covered for your PC. My personal favorites from the list are Windows Advanced Care which I have mentioned here at TGP before, Undelete Plus as this has bailed me out several times, and Eusing Free Registery Cleaner. Definitely apps I would recommend and could easily help you and your PC be more productive.

"Looking at the price of software today is enough to send you into sticker shock. Sometimes it feels as if you need to mortgage your house if you want to get a full suite of tools.

Luckily, that's not the case. There are plenty of very good free programs that do everything from protecting you against spyware, to giving you a comprehensive look inside your PC, and cleaning your Registry, to managing your media, and plenty more.

We've scoured the Web and come up with 15 of our favorite free utilities that most people have never heard of. We've focused on three popular categories: security software, system tools, and graphics and multimedia. But we've also thrown in some personal favorites that defy categorization."

Source: PC World

Handbrake for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux

I've been waiting for the windows version of Handbrake and it looks like they have one out now. (It may have been out for a while, I don't know...) However, Handbrake allows you to rip movies from your DVDs so you can view them on your iPod, Zune, Apple TV, and many other mobile devices. I'll be trying this with my Lifedrive and see how well the converted file works with Core Player. I certainly enjoy taking a movie with me while on the go and many times it has been a life saving with my boys!
Handbrake is freeware and is still in beta.

Source: Lifehacker

Sunbird: Calendar Application for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X

Most people are aware of Mozilla's FireFox web browser and Thunderbird email application. Mozilla does have some other offerings and one of those I wanted to mention is Sunbird. Sunbird is a standalone desktop client somewhat similar to Microsoft Outlook. Sunbird does have some limitations as it has yet to see a 1.0 release, but if you are looking for an application that can keep your data on your PC or laptop and you need it for free, Sunbird could be the way for you to go.

I was able to sync my Google calendar by adding the ical address to Sunbird and using Sunbird's remote calendar function. I think I would have to manually reload the calendar if I want to update Sunbird. It doesn't look like there would be a auto feature for this. You can also have multiple calendars which would be a great way to keep your family events and church events separated.

You might be wondering why use Sunbird? I think it would be quite useful if you did not have a constant internet access on a computer. Maybe you use dailup at home or work or at your church. You would be able to backup your calendar information to Sunbird incase you cannot access Gcal or you lose data in Gcal. Overall, it's a nice app and I'm sure it could prove to be quite useful once it reaches version 1.0.

PC World's 101 fantastic freebies!

I must admit that I'm a sucker for freeware for my PC. I find it fun testing the software or having it improve my PC. PC World, one of my favorite PC websites, has compiled a list of freeware applications. It covers a lot of cool and useful software from email to system utilities to blogging tools, etc. So read and enjoy a more happy PC!

"Once upon a time you actually had to pay for great software and services -- hard to believe, but true.

We revved up our cable modem and searched for the most intriguing free offerings out there. After we took each download or service for a test-drive, we picked the very best, and came up with the following list of 101 great freebies.

Luckily, we no longer live in that world. The Internet is stuffed with great downloads and Web sites offering free software and services of every kind."

READ MORE

Freeware Download: Google Desktop

Unfortunately, Windows Vista did not take to my current PC. I'm still waiting on drivers for my video card from nvidia of which they said would be able later in 2007. I think it may be- never!
One feature I liked from Vista was the sidebar. I had tried other sidebars and never did like them all that much. The Vista Sidebar worked for me and now that I'm using Windows XP again, I miss the Vista Sidebar.
Well, I had never really gave Google Desktop a real good go and so today I installed it. My main reason for installing Google Desktop is to be able to view my Google Calendar on the sidebar and see my agenda for the day. Google Desktop can do this rather easily and it looks great. Having a widescreen monitor does help with a sidebar. So if you are looking for a sidebar like Windows Vista, consider the Google Desktop. It may not have all the bells and whistles of other sidebar apps, but it does look good and seems to keep things simple.

Advanced WindowsCare Professional for free!

Giveaway of the Day is giving away for free - Advanced WindowsCare Professional. I missed this earlier today, so your time is very short on this one. You must download install and activate the software in the next 6 hours at the time of this posting. I've used the freeware version of this software from IObit and it has helped my PC run a lot smoother. The best part about it is you can just about set it and forget it. Hope you get the chance to get this freebie!

Install other operating systems on your PC with Virtual PC from Windows (Freeware)

Virtual PC is a freeware program that allows you to run other operating systems on your PC. It's kinda like Parallels. You can't run the Mac OS X with it, but you can run another version of Windows, OS/2, and some folks have certain versions of Linux running with Virtual PC. Now why would you talk about this on TGP? Well, it's not just because it's free.

Our school uses the ACE curriculum and some of the ACE software needs either Windows 95/98 which means I've got to keep older computers running and both those operating systems are no longer supported by Microsoft. So, I'm hoping to install Virtual PC on a Windows XP computer and then install Windows 98se on that computer to hopefully support the aging software. I'd rather see some updates to that part of the curriculum, but it could be a bit before we do. In the meantime I'm hoping this creative solution will work. I'll let you know hopefully later this week.

Calendar Magic (Freeware)

Calendar Magic has several useful calendar features which could be helpful when you are studying or preparing for a lesson/sermon. You can compare the Hebrew calendar with our calendar. It makes for any interesting comparison, but there are a few odd things that come with it. Mainly to do with zodiac and biorhythm stuff, which most of us aren't interested in. However the other features I've found to be helpful and useful. Try and decide for yourself.

Here are comments from PC World. You can also download the app from them as well.

"There must be a lot of calendar geeks, because Calendar Magic is a perennial favorite, even though it's more of an educational tool than a scheduling tool. Any interest in calendars beyond the January half-price sales is amply rewarded by this program, which offers an astonishing 23 calendar systems for use, study and comparison. There are also numerous tools that calculate and convert data, from a global distance calculator to a pregnancy calculator.

Approximately 16 functions in the program deal with calendar- and date-related information. You can also chart the positions of the sun and moon relative to your physical location. Four tools deal with time: an alarm clock, a stopwatch, an addictive reaction timer, and another that reveals the current time almost anywhere on the planet. Five more tools manage your personal notes and event reminders, while another ten are primarily concerned with mathematical calculations and conversions. Kids in particular will enjoy the "Magic Square" calculator. One final button is mysteriously labeled, "For later use."

You could pay for other programs that provide some of the features in Calendar Magic, but you won't pay for Calendar Magic, because it's freeware."

Print your own PDFs for free.

On a weekly basis I send out a basketball standings report to the coaches in our boys and girls league. Once the report is done I email it to the coaches. Just to make sure that everyone could read the document, I print it off as a PDF document. How you may ask? With a simple program called PrimoPDF. It installs a virtual PDF printer on your computer. So instead of sending the document or spreadsheet to your paper printing, you select your PrimoPDF printer and it "prints" a PDF file for you. You can view it with Foxit PDF Reader or Adobe Acrobat Reader. The software is free and works great on my PC. I've even installed it at our church and school's computers. The secretary uses it to print out the church bulletin so it can be easily read by our website readers.
I also have used this to print off our yearbook pages so I could send it to the printer. Works great with my Publisher documents. Occassionally I have come across a format error with Publisher documents, but a little tweaking usually fixes the job. This is definitely a must if you send out documents from programs that others cannot open, but they need the information. Here are some features of the software.

• FREE PDF Converter - not a trial version.
• Print to PDF from virtually any application.
• Create PDF output optmized for print, screen, ebook, or prepress.
• No annoying pop-up ads, no registration requirement - no catch!
• High-quality, easy to use PDF creator for all users.
• NEW! Double byte character support, enhanced support for Microsoft Windows 98, ME, and NT, PDF viewing support for non-Windows environments, and full support for 64-bit machines (download separate installer here).
• Secure PDFs with 40-/128-bit encryption, allowing the highest level of security for your PDF files. Settings include password to open, password to change, disable printing, disable text/graphics copying, disable commenting, disable text editing, disable page addition.
• Add document information (e.g. title, author, subject, keywords) to converted PDF files, resulting in faster and easier searching of PDF documents.

Foxit PDF Reader

For a long time, I used Adobe PDF reader to view PDF documents. It was all right, but I did experience frequent crashes and it always seemed to want to update itself. I finally found a decent alternative to Adobe PDF. It's called Foxit PDF Reader (freeware). It doesn't do everything that Adobe does, but in my experience it has worked great with FireFox and Internet Explorer. It's also a lot smaller in size then Adobe. Foxit's download is only 1.5 mb while Adobe is 20.8 mb.
There is a paid version of Foxit PDF Reader that has a few more features, but the freeware version has sufficed for me. I even used Foxit PDF reader once to type my name into a rebate form and print it off. Since I was using the free version it did also print a watermark at the top of the page, but I didn't care.
It's a definitely warrants a test as it help me avoid my frequent crashes with Adobe. Did I also mention it is free?

Give your PC a little extra care with Advanced WindowsCare Personal

Taking care of a PC is like remembering to get your car's oil changed. You usually forgot. Advanced WindowsCare Personal is a freeware application that will help keep your PC in tune. As servants in the Lord's ministry we don't have time to mess around with computers and keeping them in tune. This program simplifies that task and can be a huge help to elveate crashes, freezes, and other common issues with PCs. It checks for spyware, registry errors, analyzes your system, startup programs, and a few other checks as well. It's trustworthy and has been quite reliable for me on my PC. Since its free and it works, I can highly recommend this program.

Give it a try and finally tune up your PC.

VLC Media Player

One thing that will drive me crazy is not being able to play a particular video with Windows Media Player because I lack a certain codec or whatever. I've also been encountering a problem with Power DVD as it crashes during the playback of my DVDs. This happened a lot when I was using my PC to watch videos while I rested on my bed. So I began to search out for a new video player that would play lots of the different video files out there and DVDs. What I found was VLC Media Player. Here is the app's description from its homepage:

" VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, ...) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network."

So, far it has worked great and watching DVDs has been much more pleasurable then with Power DVD. VLC Media Player is freeware and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. There are well over 6 million downloads of this media player. I'm also glad it works on Mac as I will be switching to a Mac once the latest version of Mac OS X comes out later this Spring.
If you are looking for a video player that will handle most of the media files that you will come across, VLC Media Player will handle them just fine. BTW, Lifehacker is reporting that you can also rip DVDs with this program. Please be careful and know your country's copyright laws before ripping any copy protected DVD.

Alex Pruss makes slight updates to MineHunt and Hardball and releases a new program

I have several applications developed by Alex Pruss on my Lifedrive. My all time favorite is Fontsmoother and if you are still using the default fonts of your Pam or Treo device, you really need to take a look at Fontsmoother.

Alex Pruss has taken Minehunt and Hardball and given them a slight update. He mentioned this update over in the 1src forums and that's where I noticed it. Exactly what he updated I do not know. However, I use to play these games on my m100 all the time. I thought it was so cool to be able to play MineHunt wherever I went. Hardball was a lot of fun too and I lost many hours to it. Here is Alex's comments on these updates:

"Both very, very slightly updated for OS 5 (and still compatible with OS 3.5 and up). MineHunt was, I think, included with some Palm models. Both games are from the OS 4 example source code, so I can't take any credit or blame except for minor modifications.

http://www.palmgear.com/?xyz=129474
http://www.palmgear.com/?xyz=129514

Unlike many modern apps, these are refreshingly small, 18K for the one and 25K for the other."

Alex also released another app that I have installed on my app called Center Menu 1.0 beta. This app is quite handy and enables you to maximize your one handed use of your Palm or Treo device. On my Lifedrive it enables my center select button to activate the drop down menu in a program. All I have to do is hold the better for a second or so. This does disable the default action of the center button for my Lifedrive which is to show what alarms have gone off in the calendar application. Here is the program description from Alex:

"This software and its source code is in the Public Domain.
Use at your own risk.

CenterMenu on newer Palms (T5, TX, Lifedrive, TE2, Treo 650+)
replaces the not-very-useful notices viewing that you get by
holding down the center key on the navigator, by the ability
to trigger the menu by holding down the center key for a
second. You can hide the menu by holding down the center
key for a second again.

http://www.1src.com/freeware/fileinfo.php?id=1634"

ActionBible™ a free Bible program for your PC

ActionBible™ looks like a decent Bible program for your PC. It is freeware although you do have to submit your name, address, and email to them (they do keep your info private). I don't believe I've ever heard of this program before. I stumbled upon it while searching for some free software for my church. So, it does look to be a simple program and not much extras, but I'm sure some folks would appreciate a program with less bells and whistles. Here is the feature list:

• Fast, user-friendly layout and simple design
• FREE Download, FREE registration
• Featuring the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible
• Other free translations, including the King James Version, to download
• NASB and HCSB available as licensed modules
• No overblown study library features to slow things down and make it complicated
• Easy cut & paste options
• Quick study notes, verse notes, and daily journal features
• Right-click to compare translations, highlight passages or words, and bookmark favorite verses
• For those whose desire is to put the Word of God into action