Wireless Sniffing Wireless Sniffing with Wireshark

1. Set ath card to monitor mode
sudo ifconfig ath0 down
sudo wlanconfig ath0 destroy
sudo wlanconfig ath0 create wlandev wifi0 wlanmode monitor

iwconfig
Don't know why ath2 is created ???
ifconfig ath2 up

ath2 IEEE 802.11g ESSID:"" Nickname:""
Mode:Monitor Frequency:2.422 GHz Access Point: 00:19:5B:10:4E:91
Bit Rate:0 kb/s Tx-Power:18 dBm Sensitivity=1/1
Retry:off RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Power Management:off
Link Quality=0/70 Signal level=-94 dBm Noise level=-94 dBm
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

2. run wireshark and choose ath2

Port to ARM Processor

http://www.ddj.com/architect/184405435

Portability & the ARM Processor

"ANSI C" doesn't always mean "portability"

Trevor Harmon

When porting a Linux application to the StrongArm-based iPAQ handheld computer. Trevor found out that "ANSI C" and "portability" don't always go hand-in-hand.

Trevor is a graduate student at the University of California, Irvine. His research interests include real-time embedded devices and distributed real-time networks. He can be reached at trevor@vocaro.com.

---

While we like to think of C as a "write once, compile anywhere" language, a recent experience writing code for the ARM processor reminded me that this isn't always the case. I was porting a Linux application to the iPAQ, a handheld computer from HP (formerly Compaq), and assumed that because this desktop application was written in pure ANSI C, I'd have no problem. In this article, I show why I was wrong about this and share tips on making code more portable to the ARM and similar RISC processors. I've also included several short C programs illustrating portability problems when programming for the ARM (available electronically; see "Resource Center," page 5).

The ARM processor comes from the lineage known as "StrongARM." This low-voltage RISC core was never manufactured by ARM Ltd., which instead tends to license its embedded processor designs to manufacturers. This is what the company did in 1995 when it sold Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC) the rights to build an enhanced version of the ARM core, which quadrupled the clock rate of the ARM while preserving its low-power characteristics. However, DEC eventually sold its design to Intel as part of a massive legal dispute. Today, StrongARM processors can run at 233 MHz without heat sinks or other cooling methods, making them suitable for CPU-intensive embedded devices such as the iPAQ.

Like most technologies, StrongARM earns these benefits by sacrificing a little bit of backward compatibility. Perhaps the most fundamental of these compatibility issues is the processor's endianess—the order in which it stores integers in memory. Fortunately, the ARM processor can configure itself, chameleon like, either as Big-endian or Little-endian. And because most Linux distributions for the iPAQ switch the ARM into Little-endian mode by default, developers porting x86 code to the ARM don't need to worry about endianess. (All x86 processors are Little-endian.) There are, however, three potential hazards you should still keep in mind: signed versus unsigned chars, data alignment, and floating-point emulation.

Signed versus Unsigned Chars

Can you predict what Listing One will do? On my Pentium laptop, this snippet prints c<0, as expected. When recompiled for ARM and run on the iPAQ, the code mysteriously prints c>=0. The reason is hinted at in a warning on the third line, signaled only by the ARM compiler: "Comparison is always false due to limited range of data type."

So the question is: What's the range of the char data type? The answer is "undefined." The ANSI C Standard specifies the range only for signed and unsigned chars. Signed chars are at least -127 to 127, while unsigned chars are at least 0 to 255. As for simple chars, the Standard lets the compiler decide whether they are signed or unsigned.

This ambiguity exists because compilers often have to promote chars to ints in arithmetic operations—such as the comparison in Listing One—and on some machines, the fastest way to do that is with a sign-extent instruction. The PDP-11, for example, on which Dennis Ritchie implemented the first modern version of C in 1973, had the instruction SXT for this task, so for historical reasons, most C compilers make chars signed by default.

Fast forward 20 years and you'll find no single "load character from memory and sign extend" in the ARM instruction set. That's why, for performance reasons, every compiler I'm aware of makes the default char type signed on x86, but unsigned on ARM. (A workaround for the GNU GCC compiler is the -fsigned- char parameter, which forces all chars to become signed.)

Of course, speed comes at the expense of portability. In Listing Two, the comparison is between EOF, defined as -1, and ch, of type char. On x86, the code dumps the contents of textfile to the console, but on ARM, it enters an infinite loop. Basically, what's happening here is that an internal conversion copies the lowest 8 bits of -1 into an instance of char for the comparison, and in the complement notation, those bits are all on. Of course, if the char type is 8 unsigned bits, then those bits are 255 in decimal, which never equals -1; hence, the infinite loop.

The easy solution is to declare the variable as int instead of char. If you take a close look at the stdio functions, you'll see that they were designed with this fix in mind. They all take and return ints, even though they work with characters.

Depending on your point of view, the specification for the char type may be as hysterical as it is historical, but I think everyone can agree on some rules of thumb when following it. They apply not just to ARM developers, but to anyone who wants to write portable code in C:

• Use signed char when you need small signed integers.
• Use unsigned char when you need small unsigned integers or to treat a block of memory as a sequence of bytes.

• Use plain char for ASCII characters and string manipulation only.

As usual, write portable code first and worry about optimizations later.

Data Alignment

Making assumptions about data alignment is another way to shoot yourself in the foot while programming for ARM. As a case in point, I recently wrote a program that sends data from an iPAQ to my PC over a serial cable; see Listing Three.

When I examined the two values of sensor data on the PC side, I discovered that the first one came over fine, but the second was corrupted. I didn't realize what was happening until I looked at the return value of sizeof. On the PC, the size of the SensorData struct was, just as I expected, 3 bytes (three chars of 1 byte each). On the iPAQ, however, the struct was 4 bytes.

The problem was that I assumed the compiler would lay out the fields of the struct without any space between them, when in fact, there is no such requirement in C. The compiler knew that the ARM, like other RISC processors, is more efficient when loading data from memory on 32-bit boundaries, and it realized that any data following my 24-bit struct wouldn't fall on such a boundary. So, it added an invisible 8 bits to make the struct reach the next 32-bit address. Those extra bits were being sent over the serial cable along with the sensor data, and that's what caused the corruption.

Essentially, the compiler makes a judgment call to trade data space for smaller, faster code. Otherwise, data lying across a 32-bit boundary may have to be loaded piecewise then shifted and ORed together, a slower alternative requiring more opcodes. That idea is foreign to programmers who grew up on the x86 architecture (like me) and are used to the CISC style where alignments don't matter. One way to fix the problem is to do the shifting and ORing yourself and pack the struct's fields into a string before sending them through the wire. Listing Four is a simpler solution using the __attribute__ keyword, a GNU GCC extension. With this change, sizeof(struct SensorData) returns three on both x86 and ARM. Figure 1 shows another example of how this __attribute__ keyword can eliminate structure padding differences.

Unfortunately, the fix works only for structs, and data alignment bugs can waste your afternoon in other ways. Imagine networking code that packs a char and int into a 5-byte string, ships it across the network, then unpacks it at the other end. Listing Five is a mock-up of how the unpacking might work.

On x86, this code predictably prints 05040302, but on ARM, it prints 01040302. The discrepancy is due to the location of the int pointer, which lies on an odd-numbered address (buf+1). The x86 processors have no problem accessing words from odd addresses; there is merely a performance hit for accesses not aligned on a 2-, 4-, or 8-byte boundary. ARM processors, on the other hand, truncate the pointer to the nearest word-aligned address during a load. They will then rotate the data in a way that depends on the endian configuration and the offset of the address. The results are unpredictable.

These frustrating data-alignment problems are certainly nothing new. They're so common that the comp.lang.c FAQ (http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/top.html) has a section to address them. But it's not just beginners that step into the hole. Even experienced Linux kernel hackers sometimes produce nonportable code when they forget about structure padding. Listing Six is a struct from Version 2.4 of the Linux kernel's TCP/IP implementation. ETH_ALEN is 6, so the size of the struct is 14 on some architectures, but 16 on others. The alignment differences cause bugs in parts of the kernel that calculate offsets into network packets using sizeof(struct ethhdr). Luckily, Russell King, the maintainer of the ARM port of the Linux kernel, noticed the problem and submitted a patch that adds __attribute__ ((packed)) to the ethhdr struct, improving compatibility with ARM, SPARC, and other processors with strict alignment rules. The fix will be available in the 2.6 series of the Linux kernel.

The moral of this story is that you'll need sharp eyes to spot alignment errors when developing for ARM. If you plan on using structs for network routines or writing binary files, your code must be carefully crafted to avoid holes. Remember that the minimum structure alignment is 4 on the ARM compiler and 1 on x86. Be especially wary when porting legacy code from the x86 world, which is known to be sloppy in this area.

Floating-Point Emulation

Although ARM Ltd. offers a floating-point coprocessor, it's not compatible with StrongARM in the iPAQ. Like most embedded designs, however, power consumption, chip size, and cost take precedence over speed, so the iPAQ probably would have left the floating-point unit out anyway. Instead, a software library emulates floating-point operations with integer arithmetic and the expected performance penalty.

In Linux, the floating-point emulator for ARM is a child of NetWinder, a low-power Internet server running Linux on a StrongARM processor. The makers of this turn-key "Internet appliance" decided that the costs of licensing a third-party emulator were too steep and developed one on their own. They derived this emulator from SoftFloat (http://www.jhauser.us/arithmetic/SoftFloat.html), a freely available IEEE floating-point library by the University of California at Berkeley student John Hauser, to which they added some ARM-specific inline assembly. When the iPAQ reaches a floating-point instruction, the StrongARM processor, having no FPU, throws an "undefined instruction" exception that the NetWinder emulator traps and reroutes to the appropriate SoftFloat algorithms.

The NetWinder emulator is now included in the official Linux kernel and licensed under GPL. This means that any Linux distribution for the iPAQ has floating-point support by default. Programs can simply define floats and doubles as usual and link in the libc math library for high-level functions such as sin or cos. (In fact, the NetWinder emulator contains only arithmetic, exp, and sqrt operations and lets libc handle the rest.) You should still be aware of speed limitations if you need floating point extensively on the ARM.

DDJ

Listing One

char c = -1;
if (c < 0)
 printf("c<0\n");
else
 printf("c>=0\n");

Back to Article

Listing Two

char ch;
FILE* file;
file = fopen("textfile", "r");
while ((ch = getc(file)) != EOF)
 putchar(ch);

Back to Article

Listing Three

struct SensorData
{
  unsigned char x_position;
  unsigned char y_position;
  unsigned char sensorID;
};
   ...
write(serial_port, sensor_data1,
 sizeof(struct SensorData));
write(serial_port, sensor_data2,
 sizeof(struct SensorData));

Back to Article

Listing Four

struct SensorData
{
  unsigned char x_position;
  unsigned char y_position;
  unsigned char sensorID;
} __attribute__ ((packed));

Back to Article

Listing Five

char buf[5];
int* i = (int*)(buf+1);
// Simulate data read from network
buf[0]=1; buf[1]=2; buf[2]=3;
buf[3]=4; buf[4]=5;
printf("%08x\n", *i);

Back to Article

Listing Six

struct ethhdr
{
 unsigned char h_dest[ETH_ALEN];
 unsigned char h_source[ETH_ALEN];
 unsigned short h_proto;
};

Figure 1: By adding GCC's __attribute__ keyword to a structure declaration, you can pack data tightly together at the expense of a performance hit.

The Best Free Software - PC Magzine

The Best Free Software

01.31.07

by Tony Hoffman

Most software is expensive and bloated. Yet free software typically does one task and does it with precision and elegance. Among the thousands of free apps available on the Web, how do you find the best, most reliable ones for your needs?

To produce this story, we asked PC Magazine staffers to share their best-loved free software and were inundated with responses. Our recommendations are the apps that real people use everyday, at work and at home, for all kinds of tasks—photo editing and DVD burning, database work and intrusion detection, VoIP calling and stargazing. They're tried and tested, the best tools you can get—and they're all free.

Many of the programs we cover are open-source, with their source code available for use and modification as others see fit. We also help you navigate ­SourceForge (www.sourceforge.net), one of the best sites for finding open-source software. But before you start downloading, make sure to protect yourself. In researching this story, we had an encounter with a Trojan horse, which is not unusual. So we turned to our security expert, Neil J. Rubenking, for tips on how to protect yourself from malware. And by the way, once you get started with free software, it's hard to stop.

Security

avast! 4 Home Edition
www.avast.com
This slick, skinnable antivirus app looks like a high-tech media player, but it's really a virus fighter. It scans files on demand and on access, including e-mail attachments. No scheduling—you have to pay for that—but it can send a warning on detecting malware. A boot-time scan option removes ­tenacious malware. And it's 64-bit compatible.—Neil J. Rubenking

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
free.grisoft.com
This program splits its user interface between Control Center and Test Center, which can be a bit confusing. But it does what an antivirus app should: It scans files on access, on demand, and on schedule. It also scans e-mail, both incoming and outgoing. According to Grisoft, it's totally Vista-ready.—NJR

Comodo Firewall
www.comodogroup.com
The new kick-ass choice for free firewall protection, Comodo Firewall keeps hackers out and keeps ­unauthorized programs from accessing the Internet, even tricky ones that sneak around normal ­program control. And it resists being forcibly terminated. It works as well as all but the very best for-pay firewalls.—NJR

McAfee SiteAdvisor
us.mcafee.com
McAfee's back-end servers crawl the Web to evaluate sites. Does the site host malicious software? Will it spam you? Are there exploits in the code? If SiteAdvisor red-flags a site you're visiting, get outta there! It evaluates all the links from Google and popular search engines so that you need never find yourself on a red-flagged site.—NJR

SpyCatcher Express
www.tenebril.com
When we last tested it, Tenebril's SpyCatcher did very well both at cleaning out spyware and at preventing further infestation. The free SpyCatcher Express edition has almost all the features found in the paid version. It lacks antiphishing and a few high-end tools, and you have to check for updates manually, but it does the job.—NJR

StartupMonitor
www.snpsoftware.com
StartupMonitor alerts you to programs that try to install themselves whenever you boot up Windows. Unlike most similar utilities, this one is unobtrusive and won't interfere with program installations that reboot automatically.—Ed Mendelson

SuperStorm Freeware
www.thegreatpuzzle.com/superstorm.php
SuperStorm Freeware protects a sensitive file (up to 200KB) by encrypting it and hiding it inside a JPEG image, and then securely deleting the original. A for-pay Pro edition has no size limit and can encrypt with a user-defined password. SuperStorm can extract anything hidden by the Pro edition, and it uses a simple drag-and-drop interface.—NJR

Windows Defender
www.microsoft.com
Microsoft bought Windows Defender's technology about two years ago, but the software colossus doesn't seem to have done much with it. The product's ability to remove entrenched spyware is mediocre, and it's not a lot better at keeping spyware out of a clean system. But it's free and built into OneCare and Vista, so use its on-demand scanner for a "second opinion."—NJR

ZoneAlarm
www.zonelabs.com
The venerable ZoneAlarm doesn't have all the features of ZoneAlarm Pro's firewall. Its program control asks you whether to allow programs rather than consulting the SmartDefense Advisor database. It doesn't have the component control or OSFirewall features, so it won't block "leak test" techniques. But it's tough as nails; malware can't disable it.—NJR

Productivity

EditPad Lite
www.editpadpro.com
Windows Notepad works—that's about the only good thing we can say about Microsoft's built-in text editor. EditPad Lite, on the other hand, has lots going for it, including a tabbed interface for editing multiple files, line numbering, auto-­indenting, and printing blocks of text. EditPad Pro ($49.95) does add a lot of goodies, of course, ­including spell-checking and syntax coloring.—Ben Z. Gottesman, freelance writer

Notepad++
notepad-plus.sourceforge.net
With Notepad++, you get many of EditPad Pro's advanced features for free. The interface is more cluttered, but this text editor, billed as a source-code editor, includes macros, collapsible sections, and syntax coloring for over 40 programming languages, from HTML and JavaScript to Fortran and Smalltalk.—BZG

OpenOffice.org
www.openoffice.org
If you're looking for an alternative to Microsoft Office, try OpenOffice.org. Though not as full-­featured as the offering out of Redmond, the suite includes a very capable word processor and spreadsheet that are compatible with MS Office files. There's also a presentation app, a diagramming tool, and a database. OpenOffice.org may be all the suite you need.—BZG

SQL Manager Lite
www.sqlmanager.net
EMS creates powerful database tools and applications for data management. Of particular note is the free SQL Manager Lite edition of its software for databases including MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and Interbase/Firebird.—Jennifer DeLeo

WordPress
www.wordpress.org
Ready to start blogging? WordPress is among the most powerful of the many free personal blogging tools around. You can host WordPress on your own server or get a free blog at wordpress.com. Unlike most other free hosted blogs, you can have multiple contributors, customize the looks, and get the word out via RSS.—BZG

Utilities & PC Management

AllChars
allchars.zwolnet.com
AllChars lets you type foreign characters such as ñ or ü in any application. Just tap the program's hot key (Right Ctrl or any other shift-style key) followed by two characters such as n and the tilde or u and a double quotation mark, and the combined character you want appears in your document. It can also type boilerplate text such as your name or ­address.—EM

AnalogX MaxMem
www.maxmem.com
AnalogX MaxMem is the cure for when your older, slower system has the hiccups and needs a reboot. It saves you this annoyance by freeing up memory with just a click, giving your computer its second wind.—Whitney A. Reynolds

AutoHotkey
www.autohotkey.com
The open-source AutoHotkey lets you automate all of your repetitive tasks. Scripts can be compiled so you can share them with people who don't have the app. Not ready to create your own? You'll find dozens of user-contributed scripts on the Web site.—BZG

Clipomatic
www.mlin.net
Clipomatic is the most compact and usable of dozens of clipboard extenders. It stores text that you copy to the Windows clipboard for pasting into any application. You can also store boilerplate text such as names and phone numbers. But avoid it if you use version 7 of Acrobat or Adobe Reader, because it blocks them from saving to the clipboard.—EM

eCleaner
ecleaner.tripod.com
Ever need to extract text from an e-mail message or Web discussion, but the message is full of angle brackets (>) or other symbols? Or maybe it's got little bits of HTML strewn about. eCleaner quickly goes through these files and strips out the detritus. It's not fancy, but it works.—BZG

FileZilla
filezilla.sourceforge.net
FileZilla is a full-featured FTP client that supports Secure FTP, SSL, and other protocols in a slick interface, complete with a tree-structured site manager that lets you store settings for multiple sites. An option to set speed limits can prevent download quotas from being triggered on networks that monitor bandwidth usage.—EM

Foxit Reader
www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php
Adobe Acrobat, the ubiquitous software for PDF viewing, can slow older systems to a crawl—or even crash them. Foxit Reader lets you get your PDF goodness without the Adobe bloat. It runs small and swift, either as a standalone app or from within your browser.—WAR

Gaim
gaim.sourceforge.net
Gaim hooks into most any chat service you could possibly want. It's a multiprotocol instant-­messaging client that works with Google Talk, AIM and ICQ (Oscar protocol), MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, SILC, Novell GroupWise Messenger, Lotus Sametime, and Zephyr networks. With Gaim, you can talk with your boyfriend on AIM while chatting with a "friend" on Yahoo! Messenger.—JD

Google Desktop
desktop.google.com
Google Desktop includes a huge collection of widgets for displaying weather, news, file searches, Gmail, translation services, and more. Google's hard drive index searches only standard file formats.—EM

Mozy
www.mozy.com
Mozy is a Web-based backup system that gives you 2GB of free storage, or 30 GB for $4.95 a month. Sign up with an e-mail address at which you won't mind getting a Mozy newsletter, download the client, and let it automatically back up My Documents and any other folder you choose.—EM

MWSnap
www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/mwsnap.html
MWSnap doesn't let you capture scrolling windows or have all the features of the best capture tool out there—SnagIt—but it gives you a lot more control than Windows' native capture utility, and it throws in some cool tools, such as a screen ruler and color picker.—BZG

PopTray
www.poptray.org
PopTray is the premier pop-up mail checker for standard POP3 and IMAP mail accounts, including Gmail, and it can be coaxed to work with HTML-only mail such as Hotmail by following the instructions at the PopTray site. PopTray lives in the system tray, pops up reports of new mes­sages, can be controlled entirely from the keyboard, and can be customized.—EM

RoboForm
www.roboform.com
RoboForm automatically fills in username and password fields in your browser, with an option to password-protect some or all of the passwords it stores. So you get better protection than you do from the storage features in IE and Firefox. Its SafeNotes feature stores credit card numbers or other secret data. The free version stores ten log-ins; a $29.95 Pro version stores an unlimited number.—EM

Tweak UI
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
Microsoft's super-tweaker tool for Windows XP is the program to install immediately after installing XP. Tweak UI fine-tunes Start Menu and Taskbar settings, helps specify which icons appear on your desktop, sets auto log-in so you can skip entering a password, and much more.—EM

Ultimate Boot CD for Windows
www.ubcd4win.com
This program helps you create a CD that boots into its own copy of Windows. The disc contains tons of useful utilities, from antivirus and antispyware to network and disk-repair tools. And if you're stuck, there's PacMan and Asteroids to pass the time. Rumor has it you can use UBCD4Win to create a bootable USB drive, too.—BZG

WinMerge
www.winmerge.org
WinMerge is for programmers who know that as code grows, it gets harder and harder to spot the differences between versions. WinMerge quickly compares two text files or two folders (including subfolders), highlighting all the differences and letting you keep everything in sync.—BZG

WnBrowse
www.ngthomas.co.uk
WnBrowse adds a super-fast, no-frills file viewer to Windows' right-click menus. It displays plain text or hex data—no formatted documents, spreadsheets, or graphics—but that's often all you need, and it opens instantly.—EM

Yahoo! Desktop Search
desktop.yahoo.com
If you want to index everything on your system, get Yahoo! Desktop Search. It does a brilliant job of sorting, characterizing, and helping you to find all your files and e-mail.—EM

Music & Audio

Audacity
audacity.sourceforge.net
This is a powerful audio editing/recording software package that doesn't require much training. It works on Linux, Mac, and Windows, and it handles many file types, including OGG, MP3, AIFF, AU, and WAV (but not WMA or AAC). Its features include 32-bit/96-KHz recording and editing (up to 16 channels), independent speed and pitch control, noise removal, a spectrogram mode, and tons of built-in effects. But it's also perfect for quick ­recordings and editing long files.—Michael Kobrin

Media Monkey
www.mediamonkey.com
A robust digital music player for organizing, ripping, burning, converting, and playing your tunes, Media Monkey also has smart tagging, Auto DJ, and a Party Mode that lets you make requests without modifying the library. The free standard version gives you most features but limits MP3 ­encoding and slows the burn rate. The Gold version is $19.95.—Erik Rhey

dBpowerAMP Music Converter
www.dbpoweramp.com
This do-it-all program for Microsoft Windows lets you rip CDs, convert files, and record audio. It supports MP3, MP4, M4a, WMA, OGG, AAC, APE, FLAC, Apple Lossless, and more. This app integrates with Windows, so you can simply right-click on a file to convert it.—MK

CDex
sourceforge.net/projects/cdexos
CDex is a CD-ripping and file-conversion app for the extremely picky. It includes many different ­encoders, including LAME MP3, Fraunhofer MP3, MP2, APE, OGG, WMA, WAV, VQF, and FAAC. It also has jitter correction for error-free CD ripping and works with the CDDB database.—MK

Video & Graphics

DVD Shrink
www.dvdshrink.org
This app backs up part or all of a commercial DVD by running your Nero burning software automatically to copy the DVD directly to a new one in compressed form. Or, if you don't have Nero ­installed, you can save the compressed files to your hard drive, then manually burn them to a DVD using your own burning software. For legal reasons, the site has no download link, but it helps you find DVD Shrink on other sites. To the best of our knowledge, using the software isn't illegal, as long as you're backing up your own legally bought files.—EM

Gallery 2
gallery.menalto.com
If you manage a Web site—be it a personal or community site, either on your own server or a hosted service—Gallery 2 is a great tool for organizing photos and integrating them into the site. Create and manage albums, upload photos, set permissions, and much more. (See our interview with Gallery's creator, below.)—Tony Hoffman

GB-PVR
www.gbpvr.com
With GB-PVR you can schedule and play back record­ings from almost any current video capture card or external video capture sources, but it works best with Hauppauge's popular hardware. It also records radio or Net radio and plays back DVDs. An elegant default skin and a set of default plug-ins give quick access to standard broadcast schedules, and a growing plug-in library lets you add weather and other special-interest sources.—EM

GIMP
www.gimp.org
It's not Photoshop, but GIMP is an amazingly powerful and efficient open-source bitmap-­editing package that can look just as confusing as Photoshop if you open all its floating toolbars and sidebars. You'll need to get used to its nonstandard menus. If you make your living from graphics or photo editing, you'll probably go commercial, but GIMP gets the job done free.—EM

Google SketchUp
sketchup.google.com
This 3D modeling tool matches what its developers call the "pencil" stage of designing—when you make quick, slightly rough-edged drawings of ­solid objects, complete with shadows but without the photorealism of commercial packages. This is the least intuitive of Google's software offerings, but it's easier to use than any rival 3D programs.—EM

IrfanView
www.irfanview.com
IrfanView displays almost all standard bitmap image formats, is startlingly fast, and uses one-­keystroke commands for the quickest-possible access to features such as saving in a different format or flipping upside-down images. You don't get WordPerfect Graphics (WPG) support, but every­thing else is there. Make this one your default ­image viewer.—EM

Picasa 2.0
picasa.google.com
This photo-management tool from Google creates a library of the images on your computer (or on a particular drive), sorted by date. From Picasa you can edit images with a decent set of editing tools, send photos via Gmail, burn them to CD, or upload them to blogs, photo printing sites, or Picasa's own Web albums.—TH

QuickTime Alternative and Real Alternative
www.codecguide.com
These apps let you play QuickTime or Real videos without Apple or Real's bloated, in-your-face proprietary players. While you're at the download site, get the up-to-date, extensive codec package and check the FAQs for advice on MPEG decoders and demuxers.—EM

VLC media player
www.videolan.org
The recently upgraded VLC media player plays ­almost any multimedia file in almost any format, in a more compact and efficient interface than any commercial product. It can't handle Real Media and a few other proprietary formats, however. Even if you prefer Windows Media Player or QuickTime, keep this one handy for files that won't play in ­either of them.—EM

Winamp
www.nullsoft.com
This is a classic alternative music player, free but owned by Time Warner. It's tiny and infinitely skinnable, but the reason you want it on your system even if you use iTunes is that it supports virtually every audio format (except for DRM-encrypted ones) via its enormous plug-in library.—EM

Firefox Extensions

Adblock Plus
adblockplus.org
This extension blocks even the most persistent advertising from any Web page, and a toolbar icon lets you fine-tune pages if it blocks something you want to see. If you still use the old Adblock, replace it with Adblock Plus.—EM

Bookmarks Synchronizer
extensions.geckozone.org
Try this to upload and download your bookmarks to any FTP server or WebDAV site you can access, including sites protected by Secure FTP. Keep your home and office bookmarks synchronized, or synchronize your home machine with bookmarks added on the road. Firefox 2.x users need the version found in the French-language site listed here; choose Installer Bookmark Synchronizer 1.03 or later.—EM

FireFTP
fireftp.mozdev.org
FireFTP turns your browser into an FTP client, with a two-pane file manager for uploading and downloading. It doesn't yet support the increasingly common Secure FTP protocol, but it's useful for working with public FTP sites.—EM

FlashBlock
flashblock.mozdev.org
Replacing Flash animations with a tiny arrow icon, FlashBlock removes those distractions so you can enjoy fast, unmolested browsing. If you find a Flash animation that you want to see, click on the icon or use options to whitelist animations on sites where you want them.—EM

Forecastfox
forecastfox.mozdev.org
This weather station for your Firefox status bar shows anything from the temperature to a multipanel display of current and forecasted weather. A click takes you to Accuweather.com, and an ­option lets you create profiles for multiple cities and for displaying tooltips, labels, and alerts.—EM

FoxyTunes
foxytunes.com
FoxyTunes installs a miniature media-player control panel on the Firefox status bar. Click on a button to see what's playing in iTunes, Windows Media Player, or any standard music program. ­Besides the usual player controls, you can hide and display the music software or launch a floating FoxyTunes toolbar that stays open when you close the browser.—EM

Gmail Space
www.getgspace.com
Use your Gmail account as storage by uploading and downloading files through a browser-based interface. An optional status bar button brings up a miniature file manager that lets you drag files into or out of your storage space. A toolbar item brings up a full-featured file manager.—EM

Greasemonkey
greasemonkey.mozdev.org
With Greasemonkey loaded, thousands of user-written scripts work automatically when you visit popular sites. One script logs you into eBay; ­another displays only negative feedback for an eBay member; and another adds icons below a member photo on MySpace for e-mailing, deleting from favorites, and so on.—EM

MR Tech Local Install
www.mrtech.com/extensions
This should be the first extension you install, ­because it saves extensions and themes to your hard drive so you can find them without a Web search. It enables dozens of tweaks to Firefox's menus and tabs and lets you install officially ­unsupported extensions.—EM

ReloadEvery
reloadevery.mozdev.org
Refresh your current page—or all open tabs—at any interval you choose. This is an ideal option for news pages or sites where you're waiting for tickets to become available. It would be even better if it could remember settings between sessions.—EM

RSS Editor
rsseditor.mozdev.org
This lightweight editor creates and modifies RSS feeds, though it's not powerful enough for podcasting. It's faster, simpler, and easier than most standalone RSS editors, and it's neatly integrated into Firefox.—EM

Session Manager
sessionmanager.mozdev.org
This extension saves the layout and addresses of all your tabs when you shut down Firefox, and it also lets you reopen the session later. If Firefox crashes, just restart the browser and Session Manager restores the session.—EM

Zotero
www.zotero.org
Zotero stores detailed information about books. An icon appears in the address bar when you view a page with information about a title at Amazon.com or dozens of library catalogs. Click on the icon and full details pop into your Zotero database, where you can add notes and organize items into folders.—EM

Networking & Mobility

Altiris Software Virtualization Solution
juice.altiris.com/svs
With SVS, you can run apps virtually and enable and disable programs with a click of the mouse. When the app is disabled, it's gone without a trace; when it's enabled, it appears near-instantaneously. Free for personal use, SVS is great for trying out new appli­cations as well as running apps that conflict with one another. Apps are stored as "packages" that you can either create yourself or find prepackaged by the dozens at SVSDownloads.com, from Bit­Torrent and Open Office to the FlightGear open-source flight simulator.—BZG

FreeProxy
www.handcraftedsoftware.org
When you're on an open wireless network, it's easy to become a little paranoid that someone is sniffing your traffic. Make your surfing invisible by setting your browser to access the FreeProxy proxy server running on your home PC, which you can connect to securely via the Hamachi encrypted link. (See page 70.) Follow the instructions on the LogMeIn Hamachi Web site and you'll be up in no time.—BZG

LogMeIn Hamachi
www.logmeinhamachi.com
There's a good chance that if you access your office from home or the road, you connect through a VPN that encrypts all the traffic between your PC and the office network. Similarly, LogMeIn Hamachi creates an encrypted tunnel between individual PCs so you can easily and securely access your home PC from anywhere on the Internet.—BZG

NetStumbler.com
www.netstumbler.com
NetStumbler detects 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a wireless LANs. Run it on a laptop and you can get a good overview of your own Wi-Fi network (or that of others). It seeks out poorly covered spots, and detects overlapping networks that might be generating interference (including unauthorized rogue networks).—Davis D. Janowski

PowerGramo
www.powergramo.com
Careful—the person on the other end of your Skype call might be using PowerGramo, an add-on that ­records conversations. The free version will save the audio for your records, but you'll need to upgrade to PowerGramo Pro ($19.95) to record each person on a different track, which is useful if you use Skype to do interviews for podcasts.—BZG

Snort
www.snort.org
Snort is probably the world's most widely used intrusion detection and prevention software. It's open-source, with a huge community of folks working to improve it. The bad news is that unless you have a lot of expertise, you'll need to be prepared to spend much time reading and learning how to run Snort.—DDJ

SightSpeed
www.sightspeed.com
SightSpeed provides the best in free (for SightSpeed-to-SightSpeed calls) video calls over the Web. It uses a proprietary VoIP/VoIM (short for voice over IM) system and Web service to carry full-motion 30-frame-per-second video calls, as well as voice, chat, conference calling, and more. You'll need a webcam that supports up to 30 fps and a broadband connection.—DDJ

Skype
www.skype.com
Skype is by far the most popular PC-based VoIP service; it also works in dedicated telephones and other handheld devices. The Version 3.0 beta adds click-to-call to dial regular phone numbers from your PC, and Skypecasts—moderated discussions with up to 100 people.—BZG

SurfSpeed
go.pcmag.com/surfspeed
For years, we've enlisted the help of readers to test their Internet connection bandwidth for our surveys. We've automated the process with our own tool: SurfSpeed. The real power of this application comes after it reports to our servers and allows you to compare results with others in your ZIP code, state, or country or worldwide. Plus, you'll get a sense of how your ISP measures up to others. And so will your ISP when we publish the results!—DJ

UltraVNC
www.ultravnc.com
The simplest free solution to access your work PC from home is LogMeIn Free (not to be confused with LogMeIn Hamachi). For a more powerful Windows remote-access solution, try UltraVNC. It adds file transfer and text chat and is considered the best-performing flavor of the open-source ­VNC (Virtual Network Computing) protocol.—BZG

Fun & Games

Banshee Screamer Alarm
tucows.mundofree.com/winnt/preview/156803.html
It's everything you'd want in an alarm clock. Banshee Screamer Alarm lets you set multiple alarms, and when each goes off, you have a choice of playing music from a playlist, running a program (though this didn't always work), playing a CD, or shutting down your PC.—BZG

BZFlag
www.bzflag.org
This multiplayer 3D tank battle is one of the most popular open-source game projects, with more than a million downloads. It's available for Irix, Linux, BSD, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Solaris, and more. Drive your tank around and destroy your opponents, or pick up an opponent's flag and bring it back to your base.—Matthew D. Sarrel

Cartes du Ciel
www.stargazing.net/astropc
With Cartes du Ciel (Sky Maps), it's easy to find out what constellations and planets are visible ­tonight. It displays the night sky for any location on Earth, at any date and time. For basic star charts, Cartes du Ciel outclasses many commercial astronomy programs.—TH

ConWare IconAr
www.conware.org
This efficient utility lets you create and edit icons and cursors. You can draw the entire image using simple tools such as a pen, spray, and fill. You can also import an image (or part of it), edit it, and save it as an icon.—MDS

Freeciv
www.freeciv.org
In this turn-based multiplayer strategy game for Linux, Mac, and Microsoft Windows, you can become the leader of your own civilization and strive to attain greatness. Win by either conquering all opposing civilizations or by using scientific knowledge to build a spaceship to send to Alpha Centauri before your rivals can do so.—MDS

Google Earth 4 Beta
earth.google.com
Put the world at your fingertips with this virtual globe to help you plan trips (map driving routes, find restaurants, lodgings, and so on) or have fun as an armchair explorer. Includes content from Google Earth's user community, National Geographic, the UN Atlas of Our Changing Environment, the National Park Service, the Travel Channel, and more. You can also create your own overlays. The downside: It's a resource hog, and without a good graphics processor, it may crash or freeze your system.—TH

Nexuiz
www.nexuiz.com
This 3D first-person shooter, available for Linux, Mac, and Microsoft Windows, is entirely GPL and is continuously tweaked and modded. The multiplayer death match, which has minimal hardware requirements, will keep you on your toes. Choose from 15 different player models and kill, kill, kill!—MDS

Tux Racer
tuxracer.sourceforge.net
In Tux Racer, you play as Tux the Linux Penguin (though it's for Microsoft Windows and Mac as well as Linux). You must steer through the flags on a slalom course while picking up Tux's beloved herring. Realistic physics means you'll notice a difference between fluffy snow and slick ice. Change the weather and lighting to add to the challenge.—MDS

ZSNES
www.zsnes.com
The ZSNES open-source Super Nintendo emulator, available for Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, and DOS, beats other emulators with its superior compatibility, stability, graphics, audio, and usability. The best feature: two-player gaming over the Net. ZSNES can use hardware-accelerated graphics cards, so some games actually look better than they did on the original console.—MDS

Free Software—At a Price

One Editor's Cautionary Tale
A peril in downloading free software is the possibility of picking up malware. As I researched free programs for this story, a sweep of my system with Webroot Spy Sweeper revealed my first-ever Trojan horse, the NSIS Media Extension. It's an insidious adware program that resists every effort to remove it. (Some places classify NSIS as a dangerous Trojan with the potential to offload sensitive ­information, but I haven't seen any accounts alleging identity theft from it.) Many security programs don't detect it at all, and most that do—such as Spy Sweeper—don't get rid of it permanently. Although I quarantined and deleted it, it was back on reboot, along with the pop-up ads it spawns. It actually appears in the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs list—but if you try to remove it that way, it simply reappears on start-up.

Schrock Innovations, a Web site (www.schrockinnovations.com/removensismedia.php) dedicated to removing the NSIS Trojan, recommends starting Windows in Safe Mode, then removing both the NSIS folder that appears in C:\Program Files\Common Files and a specified Firefox folder, emptying your ­Recycle Bin, and removing NSIS Media from the Add/Remove Programs list (and also Firefox, which you'll need to reinstall). The Trojan is usually gone on rebooting, but it didn't work for me. Most of the forums I scoured provided either pat suggestions or complicated Registry tweaks, but one user reported finding two suspect files, krnsvr32.dll and wmdmb32.dll, in his Windows\system32 ­directory. He couldn't delete them, but he was able to neutralize them by moving them to a temp file and ­renaming them. I followed this method, and my system is now NSIS-free.

A likely source of my infection is the Arcade Classic Arcade Pack 5, which I had gotten from Download.com, a usually dependable site. Others, too, claim to have picked up the NSIS Trojan from this arcade package, which originated from Openwares.org. We were not, however, able to reproduce the problem. Another frequently blamed source for the infection is the Foxie browser and firewall. Even reliable download sites can sometimes post problem software. My lessons: Look at reader reviews of the program on the download site, and do a Web search on the program's name along with "virus," "Trojan," or "malware."—TH

Don't Get Infected!
Free software is great! Everybody loves to get something for nothing. But sometimes you get more than you bargained for. That spiffy free game might be a Trojan horse. Or your new browser toolbar could be sending your private ­information back to its home base. How can you get the benefits of free programs while keeping them from dragging along viruses, Trojans, or spyware?

You could stick to free feature-limited or personal-use versions of well-known products—they're almost always safe. The vendor wants to help sales of the full-blown product by getting the free version into as many hands as possible. Including spyware would be a major faux pas! Alas, only a few of the many free programs fit this profile.

Big download sites scan their files for ­viruses, but they may miss more subtle problems—say, software that selects personally targeted ads by spying on your browsing habits. And with small or ­vendor-specific sites, there's no telling. So use free software to protect yourself! Install a firewall. Scan for spyware before installing apps, using one of many free scans. (But beware—some rogue antispyware programs may actually be malware in disguise. Check out spyware warrior.com.) Let McAfee's free SiteAdvisor steer you away from dangerous sites. With care, you can get something for nothing.—Neil J. Rubenking

Meeting the Maker

Developer: Bharat Mediratta
Open-source creation: Gallery
Web address: gallery.menalto.com
What it is: A photo editor and manager
Profession: Computer scientist and software engineer
Day job: Google software engineer

Q: How did you come up with the idea for Gallery?

A: Gallery started in 2000 as a way to host my own photos. My wife had gone on a trip and had come back with photos. So I stuck them in a folder and made it available on the Web. But it was a horrible navigational experience. So I made a script to handle thumbnails, then one for captions, and created a tiny package that let you display the images.

I thought that would be the end of it, but a friend had asked for it, so I put the code on SourceForge so we could collaborate. Soon I realized that a lot of other people were using the script and wanted features. We had hit a sweet spot for digital cameras, and online photo services were available but problematic. So the idea of hosting one's own photos was popular.

Q: What is the development process like?

A: We have a core team of seven or eight developers, a minor business arm that works with photo services and ISPs, and more people working on translation. The most active group is around 20 people. We follow agile development methodologies, an approach to software development that lets you manage change and work with it. All code is well tested, and core parts of it are ready for release at any given time. We have a more rigorous development environment than most.

Q: Why open source?

A: When I first conceived of it, I had no interest in making money. I use free and open-source software. It's a form of altruism and is its own end. Financial ends are one way to drive satisfaction, but having hundreds of thousands of people using my creation motivates me much more. We've had offers to buy the project, but I'm happy at my day job. We make money through affiliate relationships and donations—it pays for our expenses.

Q: How important has SourceForge been to the project?

A: It would have been challenging to do this without SourceForge. The big advantage is its distribution mechanism. Gallery 2 is a large package, and the total downloads run into the terabytes, which is expensive. SourceForge provided us with an out-of-box way to get the project going—mailing lists, forums, bug tracking. It gave us a tremendous amount of visibility.

Q: What's on the horizon for Gallery?

A: We're about to release version 2.2, introducing features that will make the product more accessible to the masses, including downloadable plug-ins. Gallery 2 is modular, and in 2.2 you can get a list of modules, one-click install, and can accept or reject features. It provides one-click upgrade for all of your modules, so we can push features up much more rapidly than in the past.

SourceForge.net: An Open Source Incubator

Spend any time looking for free software and you're sure to run into SourceForge.net, a site operated by VA Software's Open Source Technology Group (OSTG), which also runs Slashdot, ThinkGeek, and Linux.com. SourceForge supports the development of more than 137,000 open-source software projects—in categories as diverse as games, enterprise, multimedia, and system administration—and makes them available for free download, adding more than 100 per day. "We approve all projects before they're created," says Ross Turk, SourceForge's director of engineering. "We make sure they're legitimate projects, licensed under an OSI license. Only a very small percentage are rejected. We don't exert a lot of control over the projects, but they use our tools."

Project support SourceForge provides free Web space for the projects, as well as source code management software and other ­development tools, mailing lists and forums, and a centralized tracker for managing defects. The site's statistics and rankings, coupled with SourceForge's reputation, help give the projects visibility. The average project has two or three developers, but others have dozens of people working on them. Many of the programs that we feature in this article (Audacity, FileZilla, and Gaim, to name a few) were incubated at SourceForge.

Navigating SourceForge.net Finding one's way around SourceForge.net used to be close to impossible for a newbie, but thanks to some new tools, it's much easier now. When you click on any category on the home page (www.sourceforge.net), you see not only capsule descriptions of software projects ordered by rank, but also a menu showing all the topics and several levels of subtopics. (Rank is determined by recent activity and interest. You can also sort the results by other fields such as the number of downloads, the registration date, the OS, and the license.)

You can search for keywords within a project, and an Advanced Search feature lets you find projects by category, submission date, and other descriptors. The streamlined site also makes downloading easier. You no longer have to select a mirror site because the system automatically chooses the one it deems optimal.—TH

My Favorite Free Programs

Kevin Rose Founder Digg AVG Anti-Virus Antivirus app Eraser Data removal tool Firefox Web browser GIMPShop Image editor Picasa Photo management SmartFTP FTP applet Thunderbird E-mail client

John C. Dvorak Contributing Editor PC Magazine Atomic Clock Sync Time synchronization Drupal Web content management Firefox Web browser IrfanView Image viewer Joomla Web content management Thunderbird E-mail client VLC Media Player Media player WordPress Blog software

Rob Malda(aka CmdrTaco) Creator/Director Slashdot memcached Memory management SpamAssassin E-mail filter VLC Media Player Media player XBMC (Xbox Media Center) Media player

Robyn Peterson Executive Product Director, PCMag.com iDupe iTunes file manager LaCie's SilverKeeper Backup tool MacTheRipper DVD extractor Quicksilver App launcher Senuti iPod file manipulationt

Jim Louderback Editor-in-Chief PC Magazine Audacity Audio editor DBpowerAmp Audio tool FileZilla FTP client/server GIMP Image editor IrfanView Image viewer VLC Media Player Media player

Patrick Norton Host, DL.TV Editor, ExtremeTech. com Audacity Audio editor Firefox Web browser Foxit Reader PDF viewer Golf? 3D golf sim LAME MP3 encoder Opera Mini Mobile web browser RazorLame User interface VLC Media Player Media player

重装Windows，只用53款全免费软件 - 文学城

重装Windows，只用53款全免费软件

2007年10月底，freewaregenius发表了题为《重装Windows，只用53款全免费软件》(原文)的文章。此文源于作者Samer在重装Windows后，只安装免费 /开源软件而满足应用需求的实际经历。

xbeta（免费软件宣传志愿者，善用佳软站长）对此文进行了译评，供国内读者参考。一来提升减少盗版的信心，二来分享更多优秀软件。

一、前言

最近，我在笔记本上重装了WinXP。借此机会，写了这篇文章，分享我“100%使用免费或开源软件，完成所有重要（或非重要）需求”的解决办法。本文也可称为：

日常工作，完全无需付费软件（Windows除外）

53款免费软件，全面满足日常所需

本文全基于我的实际经验而写成，文章较长，写来费力。如果你喜欢，请以收藏、推荐的形式进行支持。（译者注：鼓励署名转载）

二、格式化之前的准备

1. Gparted Live CD

重装系统而保留数据，最简单的方式就是将所有数据转移到新建分区中。Gparted Live CD 就是这样一款优秀工具，来创建和管理分区，与任何同类工具，包括收费软件，相媲美。

2. Unstoppable Copier

我用此工具把C分区的文件和数据复制到其他分区。它特别适用于复制或转移大量文件。如其名称所述，它不会停下来问用户“请确认：移动只读文件 xxx？”你可以离开计算机，让它慢慢复制。

3. Amic Email Backup

把C盘存放的邮件数据转移到非系统盘。支持Outlook等多种邮件客户端。但不支持Thunderbird。Thunderbird用户可用 Mozbackup。

同类免费工具：EZ Email Backup。

4. DriverMax

备份全部驱动程序，并可用它恢复安装驱动。

5. Produkey

用来备份所有MS产品的注册信息，包括 Windows XP 和 Office。可打印出来或保存到其他分区。与同类工具相比，优点是不会引起安全软件的警报。

三、安装Windows

利用正版的Windows安装盘进行安装。如果中间需要驱动，请通过网络或DriverMax备份进行安装。然后，进行 Windows update。再后，安装Microsoft .NET 和 Java RTE。

四、安装应用软件

装完windows，再安装应用软件——这才是最美好的过程。

6. PC Decrapifier

如果你是用电脑制造商提供的Windows安装盘，则极可能会安装很多“多余”的软件。（xbeta补充：越是品牌机，越要体验增值，结果是装了无数多自启动的软件、自启动的服务）此工具可以将它们统统删除。不过，要小心检查卸载清单。

7. DriveImage XML

为刚安装好的系统制作镜像，以便随时恢复系统。就象ghost一样，不过此工具为免费软件，也非常好用。

译者注：中文介绍见《用免费的DriveImage XML代替Ghost来备份硬盘》。

8. Launchy

美观方便的小工具，让你启动程序更方便。同类工具还有 Key Launch 和 Keybreeze。

译者注：我坚守经典的win run方式，参见《最绿色最高效，用win+r启动常用程序和文档》

9. AVG Antivirus

AVG成为杀毒首选的原因：①占用资源极少；②效果好；③可以扫描邮件（我需要此功能，所以没有选优秀的Antivir。

第2选择：Antivir。第3选择：Avast。

10. Spyware Terminator

实时抵御恶意软件。系统扫描时，还集成了开源杀毒软件 ClamAV。安装时会试图增加一个浏览器工具条，我通常会取消此项。

11. Comodo Firewall

它 不仅是好的免费防火墙，还是 PC Magazine 编辑推荐产品，可能还是最好的个人防火墙——无论与免费软件还是与付费商品比。 Matousec.com 最新防火墙评测中，它取得了综合防火墙最高分、防漏洞最高分。（本文所指最新评测是截止到本文写作时的2007年10月20日）

12. TweakUI

利用它来个性化windows界面，并尽量把数据路径（我的文档、桌面）从C盘转向其他分区。此外，它还能改变Windows的打开/保存对话框的侧栏。

13. OpenOffice

影响最大、功能最强的免费开源办公套件。xbeta极力推荐。请远离昂贵的MS Office，换用全面模仿和兼容MSOffie的WPS 2007，或独立开源的OOo。

译者注：支持OpenOffice.org

14. Forcevision Image Viewer

简洁好用的看图工具。看图工具可分为(a) 小巧简单而具备基本功能； (b) 中量级看图工具，有一定的编辑功能及选项，能转换文件格式； (c) 更大体积，具备丰富的功能，通常支持插件，支持非常多格式的读写。

我知道很多人选 c 类的 Irfranview 或 Xnview，但我用此软件实现了99%的需求。

替代选择：Faststone Image Viewer。

译者注：没什么好说的，最强超小Irfanview，中文介绍《善用Irfanview，不仅仅是看图》。

15. JZip

基于 7-Zip 的开源压缩工具。这些也不错：TugZip, IZArc, 和 ALzip 。

译者注：不二选择 7-Zip。

16. CDBurnerXP 4

免费工具，用来刻录 CD和DVDs。功能全面，刻录音乐CD，复制CD/DVD，烧录ISO，支持多种格式，如双层DVD、Blu-Ray、HD-DVDs。

第2选择： InfraRecorder

17. JKDefrag GUI

免费磁盘整理软件JKDefrag的图形化界面。

支持理由： (a) JKDefrag 是近评测的多款免费与收费磁盘整理工具中最好的一款； (b)可以设定为屏保，因此，当你计算机处于空闲时它会自动工作； (c) 速度快、效果好。

18. Folder Size

为资源管理器添加“文件夹大小”的附加列。第2选择是“Aurionix FileUsage”，它提供更多功能，但占用稍多资源，且需要.Net。

译者注：最好的文件管理器是Total Commander，免费可选Free Commander。

19. Pidgin

将 多种聊天工具集成在一起，比如QQ，AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, XMPP, ICQ, IRC, SILC, SIP/SIMPLE, Novell GroupWise, Lotus Sametime, Bonjour, Zephyr, MySpaceIM, Gadu-Gadu等。占用资源小，且无广告。

第2选择：Miranda IM，也是很优秀的软件。此外，基于web的 Meebo也很好。

译者注：以前用Miranda IM，现用Meebo。

20. Google Toolbar

这是我唯一安装的工具条。它为浏览器提供了搜索框、填表工具、快速翻译网页、拼写检查功能。

21. CCleaner

相当不错的硬盘清理工具，处理注册表、临时文件、浏览历史及隐私文件、各种无用文件和数据。安装程序可能带有Yahoo工具条，请注意。

译者注：好习惯很重要，好工具也有益。这是视频演示。

22. Shock Sticker

很实用的桌面便贴工具。其他同类工具只支持txt，它还支持rtf格式。可以将笔记缩为图标——这是我喜欢它的重要理由。此外，Stickies也不错，功能更多。

译者注：此类工具很多，自己喜欢就好。

23. FolderICO

我喜欢将不同目录用不同图标/颜色进行区分。此工具在系统右键菜单上添加这项功能，操作方便。另外，它将设置信息放于各目录下，因此，即便由其他操作系统通过网络访问此目录，或Windows重装后，个性化设定仍然有效。

24. BeCyIconGrabber

喜欢收集和更换图标者必备工具。它不仅能从文件中提取图标，还能把图标反过来把图标存为图标库——这在同类工具中并不多见。

25. Alpass

很好的密码管理工具（只适用于IE），可保存、加密、自动填入密码。类似功能的还有 Keepass。

译者注：Keepass可不是第二选择，而是最好的选择。参见十项免费之道，全面管理你的密码(译)。

26. Picasa

来自Google的免费图片管理软件，可以在线分享/上传图片，提供很多图片增强功能，也是优秀的看图工具。

译者注：我只用IrfanView看图，用目录管理图片。

27. Faststone Capture

很多人已经知道这款优秀的截图+编辑工具了。最新版不再免费，最后的免费版是V5.3。此外，Screenshot Captor 也极好。

28. GOM Media Player

视 频播放器，支持 DVD，Real Media, Quicktime, DivX, Xvid 和 FLV。优点是它内置了解码器且不安装为系统解码器。如果遇到不支持的文件格式，可以自动下载新解码器。我也常用 VLC media player 。但GOM支持 FLV 格式更好，比如跳转到FLV的任一位置，而目前VLC还做不到。并且，它的界面很漂亮，尤且在播放DVD时。此外，解码器 CodecInstaller也值得一用。

29. Quintessential Media Player

支持多种音频。 兼为 (a) 优秀的播放器；(b) 出色的 tag 编辑器；(c) 支持CDDB数据库的CD ripper；(d) 音频格式转换器。通过插件还支持均衡、可视效果、皮肤。此外一大优点是自动标签功能，需插件或CD Art Display支持。另，Mediamonkey 也很好。

30. MP3Tag

很棒的MP3 标签管理工具，可以从Amazon下载专辑信息，并保存到音乐文件中。我试过多种软件，但最喜欢此款，主要是界面直观，用户体验特别好。

此外，也可用批量改名工具The Godfather 处理类似工作，或用 #29的播放工具管理tag。

31. MusicBrainz Picard

如果音乐文件无tag信息或不完整，可用它来补全。它使用最先进的数字指纹技术，与社区提供的MusicBrainz数据库进行比较，并补全tag。它用的是与 Quintessential Media Player (#29) 不同的技术，效果很好。

32. Exact Audio Copy

完美地从CD提取音乐文件，比如高质量MP3格式，支持多种格式。我还喜欢 BonkEnc。另，#29播放器也支持提取音频功能。

如果你要找实用的音频格式转换工具，请使用Any Audio Converter ，它还支持FLV，并能从视频中提取音频。

33. MP3gain

自动检查多个MP3，并对它们的音量进行均衡。以免播放时，这首歌声音太大，而下一首又弱不可闻。重要的是，它并不改变MP3文件本身，所以，音量均衡处理也是可逆的。另一款同类软件是：MP3Trim.

34. Unlocker

删除某个文件，却被提示被锁定？就用它来解决。极其小巧，却很实用。经常折腾系统的网友必备工具。

译者注：很实用。

35. Orbit Downloader

非常出色的下载管理工具，并且支持流媒体（音乐、视频、SWF）格式的下载。另一款优秀工具是FlashGet.

译者注：下载工具，中国第一。

36. WinSCP

需要FTP客户端吗，请不要错过 WinSCP。它还支持 SFTP 及先前的SCP协议，支持安全传送，双窗口界面。支持断点保存、书签，可以集成到右键“发送到”菜单。

此外，FileZilla 也是不错的选择，免费且不断更新改进，支持 FTP, SFTP, 和 FTPS。如果你偏好FTP通过右键与资源管理器集成，则可选择 RightLoad。

37. Local Website Archive

此软件可以将网页原样保存在本地，包括图片与格式，以便于日后浏览。它比较好的一点是按原有格式保存，这样便于在笔记工具中引用本地url。另一种替代选择，也是极好的工具，是 Evernote。

译者注：请尝试杰出的EverNote，参见顶级免费笔记软件EverNote 2.2发布；更多笔记软件则参见寻找最好的笔记软件:三强篇。

38. Flashnote

轻便的笔记工具，按快捷键则出现，记录完毕后，最小化（或按下快捷键）则回到系统托盘。或许它的功能并不是很多，但对我而言，它是必装软件。

39. Revo Uninstaller

我 选择的卸载工具，可以在常规的卸载后，仍能把多余的文件和注册表信息进行清除，效果明显。当然，在使用中仍要对清除内容进行谨慎确认。Revo还提供了自 启动程序管理器、硬盘清理工具等产品。此前我用过的ZSoft Uninstaller也不错，它清理效果或许没有Revo干净，但也不会象它那样有误删风险。

40. BitTyrant

我用了很长时间的出色的BT工具。这是改进版的 Azureus，通过被称为“自私”的下载方式实现更快的速度。另外的优秀BT客户端有 uTorrent, Azureus.

译者注：我极少用此类工具，支持uTorrent，参见uTorrent：史上最省资源BT客户端。

41. Starter

小巧、免安装的杰出软件，管理自启动程序。此类软件有很多，但试过之后选定了这一款。说明一下，Revo Uninstaller (#39) 也含有内置的启动项管理功能。

译者注：此类首选，见Autoruns与Sysinternals。

42. Send To Toys

用此工具，可将任意目录加入“发送到”菜单中，便于快速复制或移动文件到相应目录中。

译者注：用了Total Commander，再无此类烦恼。另，好象手工方式也能修改“发送到”菜单实现此功能吧。

43. Returnil

安全工具。利用它可以浏览不安全的站点，或安装危险软件，或进行任何有风险的操作。然后，重启计算机就回到了初始状态。

44. SysTrayMeter

在系统托盘中直观显示当前资源消耗情况。便于查出问题所在。

45. SweepRAM

极小巧且免安装的小工具，释放和优化内存。

46. VSO Image Resizer

在资源管理器添加右键菜单，实现图片缩放或转换格式功能。特别之处是，可以把一些设置保存起来，这样日后就能直接调用。Easy Thumbnails也不错，我也用过很长时间。

译者注：我只用IrfanView。

47. Photoscape

集多种功能于一身的图片管理和处理套件，包括图片编辑、截屏、格式转换、看图、GIF动画、批量图像改名、页面创建多种工具，此外还有其他功能。它功能多多，而我最爱用它合成图片，并方便地添加注释。如果你在工作中经常用片进行演示，则它再方便不过。

译者注：早就知道这款软件，但一向不喜欢用/推荐大体积工具。我推荐的组合：Irfanview+Screenshot Captor+GIMP。参见善用GIMP(Linux下的Photoshop)，图像处理轻松又自由、GIMP文字特效。

48. PDF-XChange Viewer

比Adobe体积更小更快，比Foxit Reader功能更多，支持多种注释、多页签、打开预览的优秀pdf阅读工具。要说它有什么缺点，就是关联pdf后的图标不敢恭维，但是可以用 Icon Phile进行更改。

译者注：确实不错，值得一试。中文介绍见功能更多的PDF阅读软件PDF-XChange Viewer.

49. Primo PDF

优秀的pdf虚拟打印机。如需打印为图片格式，PDFCreator将是首选。另，DoPDF也不错。

译者注：关于pdf，关于pdf相关软件，尽在全面接触PDF:最好用的PDF软件汇总。

50. HobComment

想为文件或目录添加注释吗？用此软件。它能在资源管理器详细视图中，加入“文件(夹)注释”列。并在资源管理器右键菜单中新建“添加注释”项（只限于 NTFS分区）。

译者注：添加注释不是好习惯。

51. I.Mage

我用它替代windows的画图工具。它简洁实用，足以满足我偶尔的图片处理工作。如果你需要更强大的PhotoShop替代工具，请试用 Gimpshop 或 Paint.net ，都是极品。

译者注：当然经典的GIMP。参见善用GIMP(Linux下的Photoshop)，图像处理轻松又自由、GIMP文字特效。

52. Flashfolder

资源管理器增强工具，给windows的打开/保存对话框，增加自定义的收藏文件夹、最近文件夹。我的最爱软件之一，新机必装。

译者注：只能说，用了TC后，很多软件不再需要了。

53. JOCR

捕 捉屏幕任一区域（或加载图片），并即刻识别出其中的文字。不过呢，把它列入推荐全免费软件的本文或许有点不太合适，因为它要用到MS Office的库。我本来已经把 OpenOffice (#13) 推荐为 MS Office 替代品了。但因为我经常用它，所以还是收录于本文最后。

五、总结

进行到这里，我已在计算机上装完了所有软件。所以，我再次用 DriveImage XML 创建了镜像文件。也就是说，我拥有了2个镜像文件：一是干净的Windowsso加驱动；二是包括所有应用软件。

在必要的情况下，我都可以快速恢复到任一状态。（完）

给ath/if_ath_pci.c 打补丁

Madwifi - Magic Linux wiki

给ath/if_ath_pci.c 打补丁

由于无线网卡种类繁多，MadWifi可能不能识别所有使用Atheros芯片的无线网卡（如DLink的DWL-G650+A），这时您可以试试给ath/if_ath_pci.c打上补丁，使得MadWifi”认识“您的网卡。

首先通过lspci -n找出无线网卡的PCI ID:

lspci -n

在结果中找到和lspci -v对应的项：

07:00.0 0200: 168c:001a (rev 01)

其中168c:001a即为无线网卡的PCI ID。

修改ath/if_ath_pci.c，在__devinitdata结构加上您的无线网卡的PCI ID项：

static struct pci_device_id ath_pci_id_table[] __devinitdata = {
       { 0x168c, 0x0007, PCI_ANY_ID, PCI_ANY_ID },
       { 0x168c, 0x0012, PCI_ANY_ID, PCI_ANY_ID },
       { 0x168c, 0x0013, PCI_ANY_ID, PCI_ANY_ID },
       { 0xa727, 0x0013, PCI_ANY_ID, PCI_ANY_ID }, /* 3com */
       { 0x10b7, 0x0013, PCI_ANY_ID, PCI_ANY_ID }, /* 3com 3CRDAG675 */
       { 0x10b7, 0x001a, PCI_ANY_ID, PCI_ANY_ID }, /* DLINK DWL-G650+A */
       { 0x168c, 0x1014, PCI_ANY_ID, PCI_ANY_ID }, /* IBM minipci 5212 */
       { 0x168c, 0x1014, PCI_ANY_ID, PCI_ANY_ID }, /* IBM minipci 5212 */
       { 0x168c, 0x101a, PCI_ANY_ID, PCI_ANY_ID }, /* some Griffin-Lite */
                         ....

保存文件后，重新编译安装madwifi，并重启计算机。

年轻漂亮MM想嫁有钱人，金融家的回复令人拍案叫绝 - 文学城

年轻漂亮MM想嫁有钱人，金融家的回复令人拍案叫绝 - 文学城

　一个年轻漂亮的美国女孩在美国一家大型网上论坛金融版上发表了这样一个问题帖：我怎样才能嫁给有钱人？

　　“我下面要说的都是心里话。本人25岁，非常漂亮，是那种让人惊艳的漂亮，谈吐文雅，有品位，想嫁给年薪 50万美元的人。你也许会说我贪心，但在纽约年薪100万才算是中产，本人的要求其实不高。

　 　这个版上有没有年薪超过 50万的人？你们都结婚了吗？我想请教各位一个问题——怎样才能嫁给你们这样的有钱人？我约会过的人中，最有钱的年薪 25万，这似乎是我的上限。要住进纽约中心公园以西的高尚住宅区，年薪25万远远不够。我是来诚心诚意请教的。有几个具体的问题：一、有钱的单身汉一般都 在哪里消磨时光？　(请列出酒吧、饭店、健身房的名字和详细地址。)二、我应该把目标定在哪个年龄段？三、为什么有些富豪的妻子看起来相貌平平？我见过有 些女孩，长相如同白开水，毫无吸引人的地方，但她们却能嫁入豪门。而单身酒吧里那些迷死人的美女却运气不佳。四、你们怎么决定谁能做妻子，谁只能做女朋 友？　(我现在的目标是结婚。)”——波尔斯女士

　　下面是一个华尔街金融家的回帖：

　　“亲爱的波尔斯：我怀着极大的兴趣看完了贵帖，相信不少女士也有跟你类似的疑问。让我以一个投资专家的身份，对你的处境做一分析。我年薪超过50万，符合你的择偶标准，所以请相信我并不是在浪费大家的时间。

　 　从生意人的角度来看，跟你结婚是个糟糕的经营决策，道理再明白不过，请听我解释。抛开细枝末节，你所说的其实是一笔简单的“财”“貌”交易：甲方提供述 人的外表，乙万出钱，公平交易，童叟无欺。但是，这里有个致命的问题，你的美貌会消逝，但我的钱却不会无缘无故减少。事实上，我的收入很可能会逐年涕增． 而你不可能一年比一年漂亮。

　　因此，从经济学的角度讲，我是增值资产，你是贬值资产，不但贬值，而且是加速贬值!你现在25，在未来的五年里，你仍可以保持窈窕的身段，俏丽的容貌，虽然每年略有退步。但美貌消逝的速度会越来越快，如果它是你仅有的资产，十年以后你的价值甚忧。

　 　用华尔街术语说，每笔交易都有一个仓位，跟你交往属于“交易仓位”(tradingl position)，一旦价值下跌就要立即抛售，而不宜长期持有——也就是你想要的婚姻。听起来很残忍，但对一件会加速贬值的物资，明智的选择是租赁，而 不是购入。年薪能超过50万的人，当然都不是傻瓜，因此我们只会跟你交往，但不会跟你结婚。所以我劝你不要苦苦寻找嫁给有钱人的秘方。顺便说一句，你倒可 以想办法把自己变成年薪50万的人，这比碰到一个有钱的傻瓜的胜算要大。

　　希望我的回帖能对你有帮助。如果你对“租赁”感兴趣，请跟我联系。”——罗波．坎贝尔（J·P·摩根银行多种产业投资顾问）

madwifi - ath_pci: cannot reserve PCI memory region

(http://martin.wojtczyk.de/index.php?title=Leonardo1#Installation_of_the_madwifi_driver)

After the installation of the madwifi driver it seemed that there was still a memory allocation error:

ath_pci: cannot reserve PCI memory region

According to http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/archive/41/2004/08/4/189870 I modified the file /usr/src/linux/drivers/pcmcia/yenta.c in function yenta_allocate_res from:

mask = ~0xfff;

to:

mask = ~0xffff;

to increase the granularity of the memory allocation. Afterwards the ath0 device came up properly.