Make OpenOffice Work Better with Word
Feb 5, 2008 Software
I’ve used OpenOffice on occasion, and am quite happy with the features it has as far as word processing go. However, conversions back and forth to Word can be spotty. Cnet has an article about how to make OpenOffice play nice with Word docs. Won’t make it perfect, but some of the changes will definitely improve your chances of getting the docs exchanged with minimal formatting impact. Spotted at Lifehacker.
Tags: cnet, lifehacker, openoffice, PC, Software, word, word processing, writer
Batch Rename Digital Photos by Date
Jan 16, 2008 Software
Lifehacker posted a note about Namexif, a quick and dirty tool to rename your digicam photos based on EXIF date info. It’s a feature that you can get via other means (Irfanview and Picasa have ways to do it) buf if you don’t use either of those, you can try this. The comments on that post have a bunch more options, too.
Tags: irfanview, lifehacker, namexif, picasa, Software, windows
Lifehack Your Leopard Mac
Jan 14, 2008 Software
I know I have at least a few Mac readers based on my site stats, so this one’s for you. Lifehacker has a conglomeration of tweaks for Mac OS X Leopard, from killing the reflectivity and transparency of the Dock, to customizing Quick Look and Time Machine. Take a look, they may have a solution if there are any annoyances you have with your new OS.
Tags: leopard, lifehacker, mac, mac os x, macintosh, Software
GIMP Plugins
Dec 26, 2007 Software
TechZilo has a post with links to more than 40 very useful GIMP plugins. There’s a good mix of things, for example new filters, anti-aliasing plugins, the ability to stitch together panoramic images, and a Save For Web plugin. Some links at the bottom as well for folks who may wish to author their own plugin.
Lifehacker: Update Windows, Linux Style
Dec 19, 2007 Software
Appupdater is a executable that lets you run command line updates for a wide range of applications, going as far back as Windows 98. If you have used the apt or yum package management available in many Linux distros, it works in much the same way. Looks like it could be a real help to those of us who are a bit forgetful about making sure our software is fully up to date.
Tags: appupdater, lifehacker, linux, PC, pc software, Software, windows
Lifehacker’s Guide To Free Software And Webapps
Dec 18, 2007 Software
Lifehacker has a roundup for 2007 Free Software and Webapps they have featured (and like). Where applicable, they have linked to many of the guides and screenshot tours of the various apps. As usual, anything missed is pointed out in the comments. Some very useful stuff I need to check out.
Tags: downloads, firefox, free, lifehacker, Software, web apps
Free MS Software…Cost: Your Soul
Dec 11, 2007 Software
Spotted this at Gizmodo. You can get a free copy of Windows Vista Ultimate, Office Ultimate, Money Plus Premium, or other software, all for the price of letting MS track your computer usage for 3 months. That includes surveys every 2 weeks. It all stems from Microsoft’s Windows Feedback Program. To be honest, I am in for this as I wanted a legal copy of Vista. All MS will find out from the PC they track is that my wife loves Diablo II.
edit: Looks like they are all done with this…supplies didn’t last thanks to /. and Gizmodo.
Tags: free software, gizmodo, microsoft, office, office 2007, office ultimate, privacy, security, Software, vista, vista ultimate, windows, windows vista
VectorMagic
Nov 9, 2007 Software
I was surfing Lifehacker again, and found the link to VectorMagic, and online tool for taking your bitmap images and vectorizing them. It works very well, taking in .jpg, .bmp, .gif, .png and .tiff and giving back .eps, .svg or .png. I’m having a ball uploading various pictures and things and seeing what the output looks like.
Tags: Design, lifehacker, Software
Lifehacker: First Look at Firefox 3.0
Nov 8, 2007 Software
Lifehacker has a preview of the latest beta build of Firefox 3.0. They have updated bookmarking with STARS, saved searches, as well as the typical design updates you get with a new version.
Tags: firefox, lifehacker, Software
GIMP 2.4 Released
Lots of neat new features from the sound of it, too. Hit up the GIMP web site for details, and to ooh and ahh at their new design.
