New Picasa beta now available for Linux [Update]

October 6, 2008 By Leave a Comment

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We probably don’t provide enough help for those brave souls that have decided to use Linux as their desktop – these pioneers don’t use the Mac and certainly not Windows.

Unfortunately for these trend setters they’re also often forgotten by publishers of consumer-oriented software.  Today we’re glad to report that the Google team has made the new Picasa 3 available to Linux users. 

Our previous story on Picasa 3 beta.

The update provides much of what is available to the Windows crowd but does not include the rather cool slideshow movie format. 

Limitations in the Linux version come mostly from the rather quirky Wine technology that Picasa used to port Picasa to Linux.

Download Picasa for Linux [via webmonkey]

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Filed Under: Digital Pictures, freeware, Linux Tagged With: , , ,

Update: Bright shiny new update to VLC Video Player

September 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Last week we first told you about VLC, the open source multi-platform video player that plays most any video format and this week, presto, there’s a nice new release for you, that they say has been two years in the making.

Here’s what they say is new:

The 0.9 version of VLC media player adds a new interface module for Linux, Unix and Windows, a media library and an improved playlist, many new inputs and codecs support and many new audio and video filters.

Here at the EnquiringMimes lab we have taken a look, and pronounced the new interface on Windows and Linux as very snappy.  Many of the other features are updates are to keep up with fast-moving world of video technology.

The new release provides even more reason for you to use VLC for you videos.

Download VLC

Filed Under: Linux, Mac, Open Source, Technology, Video, Windows Tagged With: , , ,

Dropbox – the easiest way to sync file between computers

September 15, 2008 By 2 Comments

 

dropbox-logo I work on a PC and Mac and I have a constant need to move documents and images back and forth between my computers. 

One way is to just email the files as attachments to myself using Gmail and then download the attachment on the other computer.  That’s not a bad method, fast and efficient but is limited to the 20MB file size imposed by Gmail.

DropBox  is just about the easiest way I know of, to keep a folder of files in sync between two computers. I’ve been using DropBox throughout its private beta but now the beta is open and anyone can get an account.  Just sign-up for the service and download a client application for each the computers you want to keep in sync and you’re in business.

A DropBox folder looks like any other folder on you system.

You can drag and drop any file into your DropBox folder and it will be automatically copied to any other computer you have installed the DropBox software.  If you want to copy the files to a computer other than one with software installed, there is a web interface from which you can login-in and download.

A free account on DropBox gives you 2 gigabytes of file space. You will be be able to buy a 50GB Dropbox for $9.99/month, or $99.99/year if you need more space.  Client software is available for Windows, Mac and Linux, so you can keep in sync any of those types of computers as well, of course, Windows and Windows, Mac and Mac.

Register for DropBox

 

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Filed Under: Desktop applications, Linux, Mac, Technology, Web 2.0, Windows Tagged With: , , ,

Need a video viewer that can play any format? You need VLC Media Player

September 10, 2008 By 1 Comment

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So many video formats, so little time.  Video cameras, the cute little joke time-wasting videos your friends send you, training videos, DVDs, “backups” of DVDs, avi, wmv, mp4, mpeg, xvid, divx, flash video – you get the idea – you can get so many videos in a babel of formats.

VLC Media Player sorts it all out for you.  It’s a cross-platform open source video player that is quick, light, free and can play just about anything.  It can even play your store-bought DVDs.

VLC is available for Windows, Mac and Linux as well as other platforms. 

Just download and install.  Download VLC Media Player.

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Filed Under: Desktop applications, Linux, Mac, Open Source, Technology, Video, Windows Tagged With: , ,

Read PDF Files with a Fast Reader

September 5, 2008 By 1 Comment

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Adobe PDF files have become a nearly-universal means of distributing documents that are not meant to have their contents modified and need to look the same on every computer platform.

When I’m working, I find I spend enormous amounts of time reading PDF files.   That’s the way I download many product and shared documents.  Some very long.  Waiting for Acrobat Reader to open can often be frustrating and time consuming. 

Foxit Reader is a free light-weight very fast PDF reader that will keep you reading rather than waiting for documents to open.

In addition to being a very small and fast program, Foxit Reader will allow you to set bookmarks within the PDF file and add annotations and notes as you read.

Foxit Reader has an intuitive interface that features tabbed pages for multiple open PDFs, much like a tabbed-browser.  It can also play video and music embedded in PDF files.

Foxit Reader is available for Windows, Linux and some mobile devices.

While Foxit Reader is free, there are “advanced” add-ons that add value to Foxit Reader available for purchase.

Download Foxit Reader [Via WebWorkerDaily]

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Filed Under: Desktop applications, Linux, Technology, Windows Tagged With: , , , ,
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