Windows XP/2000 only: Software firewall ZoneAlarm is offering free downloads of its basic firewall package with a spyware scanner/cleaner and a year of free updates until 5 p.m. PST today (although you’ll get an email with a download link that’s valid for a week after that). Program maker Check Point Software claims the free offering is made to coincide with Microsoft’s monthly “Patch Tuesday” and the ensuing new vulnerabilities that hackers start working on. Regardless of the piggy-back marketing, ZoneAlarm is an easy-to-use port protector, and a little free spyware protection couldn’t hurt either. ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware is a free download for Windows 2000 and XP only.
Box.net Opens Up to Web Services
Online storage website Box.net has thrown open the doors and let all sorts of webapps in, giving users a handful of one-click actions and exports for their files. That means MP3s stored at Box.net can be sent to Myxer for ringtone conversion, documents can be opened in ThinkFree or Zoho or faxed through eFax, and the list runs to eight more services at this point, with more likely to come. Along with RSS file sharing and desktop mounting, the free 1GB of space offered to everyone is becoming a handy tool. Box.net requires a sign-up for its free service, as do all of the web services it currently links to.
Top 10 Quicksilver Plug-ins
Open source Mac utility Quicksilver isn’t just an application launcher—it’s a comprehensive keyboard interface. Launching applications and documents is just Quicksilver’s gateway drug: the more you get used to doing things with Quicksilver, the more things you want to do with it. Out of the box Quicksilver comes with the barest essentials, but once you add the right plug-ins that interact with menus, apps, documents, and settings, you can accomplish more and more complex tasks from that familiar three-paned prompt. After the jump, check out top 10 favorite Quicksilver plug-ins, and how to set them up.
Here something for the mac users, go check out the full article for details!!
Build a Hackintosh Mac for Under $800
If the high price tag for Apple hardware has kept you from buying a Mac but you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and get adventurous, you can build your own “Hackintosh“—a PC that runs a patched version of OS X Leopard. What?!, you say. Apple’s move to Intel processors in 2006 meant that running OS X on non-Apple hardware is possible, and a community hacking project called OSx86 launched with that goal in mind. Since then, OSx86 has covered major ground, making it possible for civilians—like you and me!—to put together their own Hackintosh running Mac OS 10.5. Today, I’ll show you how to build your own high end computer running Leopard from start to finish for under $800.
Right now the cheapest Mac on sale at the Apple store is a $600 Mac Mini sporting a 1.83GHz proc, 1GB of RAM and an 80GB hard drive. For $200 more, your Hackintosh can boast a 2.2GHz proc with 4GB of RAM, a 500GB drive, and a completely upgradeable case for expanding your setup in the future.
This is a way to make your own Macitosh without having to buy the an expensive Mac. I think this is a good alternative to buying a Mac! Go read the full article at lifehacker, I want to give them Credit for the story!
Monitor Drive Space with Vista-Style Icons
Windows 98/XP/2000 only: Want to keep better tabs on your drive and partition space without having to right-click or open “My Computer”? Free application Vista Drive Icon replaces the standard hard drive icons with Vista-style models that display how much space is taken up and turn red when nearly full. The program runs in the background, shows up in almost every folder view and uses only a small amount of memory. If you’re seeing red a bit too often, check out Gina’s guide to visualizing your hard drive usage to make clean-up fast and easy. Vista Drive Icon is a free download and runs on Windows versions earlier than Vista.
