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May 9, 2009

By Greg Bott / guest columnist The Meridian Star Sat May 09, 2009, 10:43 PM CDT

I like free, don't you? Though there's no arguing with Milton Friedman's statement, "There is no such thing as a free lunch," it should not stop us from enjoying free utilities and programs on our computer. The "not free" part of a free program is often the requirement to endure advertising or give up some of your personal information. The following programs are completely free (lunch notwithstanding).

Here are seven free applications you can use today.

1. ObjectDock (www.objectdock.com). Get this one -- it's cool. ObjectDock is a program that enables users to organize their shortcuts, programs and running tasks into an attractive and fun animated task bar at the bottom of the screen. You can even add the current weather. It requires IE7 or later and the Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0.

2. Primo PDF (www.primopdf.com) - make PDF files on your computer for free. I covered this in a previous column, but it's still worth mentioning here.

3. AVG Free (free.avg.com) and Windows Defender (Google it). Still paying $50 or more for anti-virus and anti-spyware? Stop that. Get AVG Free and Windows Defender. AVG Free is a fully functional adequate antivirus program. I never liked paying Symantec for virus protection and I more than dislike the relentless pop-ups reminding me that my subscription has expired. Windows Defender is adequate anti-spyware. If you have Windows Vista, don't download Windows Defender, it's already on your computer.

4. Microsoft SyncToy v2.0 (Google it). Synchronize files between computers (e.g., your work and home computer) using Microsoft Sync Toy v2.0. I use SyncToy to keep an identical set of documents on my desktop computer and on my laptop computer. SyncToy enables you to create synchronizing folder pairs. For example, I have a folder pair called "My Documents" that consists of the My Documents folders on my desktop and laptop. When I change a document on my laptop, running SyncToy updates my desktop so my documents are the same on both computers.

5. Kiran's Typing Tutor (www.kiranreddys.com). Are you still looking at your fingers when you type? Really? How about numbers and symbols--can you type those without looking (I can't)? For good or bad, more and more of our lives are spent on a keyboard. Learn to type quickly and precisely. Can your children, grandchildren, nieces/nephews touch type? Most typing programs (including Kiran's Typing Tutor) have moderately fun typing games, so if your kids are going to play a game on the computer, why not gain a life skill at the same time?

6. Doomi (doominow.com). A sleek, elegant and non-intrusive To Do list for your desktop. I'm a list maker--I even make lists of lists--it's a sickness. For those of you like me, this little application is candy for the soul. Set optional alerts and archive old tasks--it's very simple and effective.

7. Browsers - my current favorite is Chrome, though there are others (Safari, Firefox, Opera, etc.). Microsoft's explorer still has the most features and is the most compatible browser on the market. For more information on Chrome see my column titled, "Chrome--Google's New Browser."

Regarding Milton's comment, I don't know who's paying for all these lunches, but it's much appreciated. Download and enjoy.

Technically yours.

Bott Technology Solutions helps small to midsize businesses with computer technology needs and may be reached via e-mail at

gregbott@bottinc.com or at 601-616-8509.

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