Posts Tagged: ‘Software’

Reviewing a Review – Originally Published July 2018

July 5, 2018 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
by Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1.  A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2.  An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

This month I’m going to do something a little different.  Instead of reviewing a program, I’m going to give you my opinion on 101 of the Best Free Software and Apps for Your Windows PC.  The link is to an article on Make Tech Easier, one of my favorite tech sites.  It was published on June 24, 2018 and is a comprehensive list free software in some major categories.  Here are my thoughts on the programs.

Gaming Tools: I don’t play many games and haven’t tried any of these programs.

Office Suite: I’ve tried all of these programs except for Calligra.  They all work well.  WPS Office was my default program for many years.  I quit using it when it the Chinese government started funding it.  I sometimes use Google Docs if I need to do a quick edit or I am writing something on a mobile device.  I started using Libre Office when Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems and quit supporting Open Office.  Over the years I have become familiar with Libre and use it almost exclusively.

Note-taking apps: Evernote is one of the few programs that I actually pay for.  I have had an annual subscription for four years now.  The free version just doesn’t do everything I need.  I’ve tried all of the others except for Apple Notes.  Every year when my subscription is due, I usually once again review all of the others.  They have gotten much better, but I’m still giving Evernote my $70.  Maybe this year will be different.

Web Browsers: I change my default web browser more that some people change their underwear.  All of the tech sites tell us how fast each on is at rendering web pages.  A millisecond or two has never made much difference to me.  Between all of my active computers, I usually have about twelve browsers installed.  I do this mostly for testing my various websites before uploading.  For daily use, I mostly utilize Firefox and Pale Moon.  I normally use the Chrome Browser only when I need to access my Google account.  On Linux machines, I use either Chromium or Firefox.  Over the years, I’ve tried to like the Opera browser, but I never could.  I don’t know why.  I only have one Windows 10 computer where I use Microsoft’s Edge.

Media Players: Years and years ago I used SMPlayer and Potplayer.  Now I use VLC to play all of my media files.  It plays almost everything.  I might be a little old fashioned, but I still use Windows Media Player for MP3 files.

File Compression: Does anyone compress files anymore?  With the size of hard drives there is almost no need to do so. I  keep 7-Zip installed on my computers.  I can’t remember the last time I compressed a file.  I mostly use it for extracting files that I’ve downloaded from the internet.

Instant Messaging: How quaint. I don’t think that I’ve sent an instant message since ICQ was the best program.  I haven’t tried any of these programs and I don’t intend to.  There is no one I want to either bother or be bothered by.

Email Clients: I may be the only club member that still uses an e‑mail client instead of web mail.  I usually have between 60 and 100 active e-mail addresses.  I like the control that Thunderbird gives me.  I haven’t tried any of the other three, but Mailbird looks interesting and I may test it.

Torrent Managers: I have BitTorrent installed on one of my computers, but I don’t Torrent very often.  I haven’t tried any of other managers.

Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus: Whenever I set up a new computer, Malwarebytes is one of the first programs I install.  I have never tried AdwCleaner.  I don’t let toolbars and adware get installed in the first place.  I’ve demonstrated Kaspersky TDSSKiller to the club several times.  It is a great stand‑alone program.  I haven’t tested USB Disk Security but have put it on my list of things to do.  The best way to protect against USB drive infections is don’t plug in any USB drives you do not know the source of.  I quit installing third party anti‑virus programs about two years ago.  I have found that Windows Defender is adequate.  I still use Avast on one of my computers, but will probably remove it.

The Other Stuff: FTP clients are necessary if you do a lot of uploading (or downloading).  I’ve used all of these and they all work well.  CoreFTP is my choice.  I’ve long urged the use of password managers.  I’ve used KeePass for many years.  Windows integrated ISO software works fine for me.  I don’t use a download manager.  Windows Snipping Tool works fine for all of my needs.  There are hundreds (or maybe thousands) of code editors for users that need them.  I usually use KompoZer or BlueGriffon.  Paint.net is my graphics editor of choice.  I even converted Tom into using it.  Does anyone read an e‑book on their computer?  I haven’t run a game emulator for years.  Same thing with diagrams and charts.  Windows backup works fine for me.  Finally, the only optimization program on this list that I use is CCleaner.  I didn’t even know that PC Decrapifier was still around.

All of the programs on this list are free for personal use and as far as I know, they are from reputable sources.  If you find anything that looks interesting or useful, why not download it and give it a try?  If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.

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Over-Technologied Redux – Originally Published June 2018

June 10, 2018 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Way back in November of 2010, I invented a new term.  I can’t believe that it hasn’t caught on.  Over‑technologied is a term that I made up to describe a situation where technology is used either unnecessarily, stupidly, inadequately or in some other silly manner.  I think that people who have the latest, greatest, newest technology and then don’t know how to use it are extremely over‑technologied.  I made up the word, so I guess I can make up the definition.

At the recent Google I/O Show, they announced their updated Google Assistant (with six new voices).  By now everyone has probably heard the call to the hairdresser and the restaurant making an appointment.  Although I don’t know how much was real and how much was made to sound nice for playback, I think this is another case of being over‑technologied.  Making an appointment is one thing.  Can you imagine what it will be like during election season when the politicians call to beg for money?  How about the many other spam call companies?  Personally, I plan to handle those problems by just not answering any calls from unknown telephone numbers.

How many people do you know with so many flash drives, storage cards, disk drives, etc. that cannot find a file because they can’t remember where they stored it?  Do you think they might be over‑technologied?  I’ve got a hint for them.  Cloud storage is cheap.

Every year manufacturers release their new cell phone with higher prices.  They justify having to gouge us by increasing the over‑technology that is installed.  Do we really need two cameras?  Is massive storage required when almost all data is stored in the cloud?  How many people really need sensors to check blood pressure, atmospheric pressure, light intensity, relative humidity, etc.?  How many people do you know that actually use a fingerprint sensor to unlock their phone?  My phone has the ability to fast charge with a special power adapter.  I’ve used it exactly two times.  The first was when I bought the phone and checked to see if it worked.  One other time, I forgot to charge the phone and used quick charge for about ten minutes.  Like almost everyone else, my phone is over‑technologied.

Our homes are definitely becoming over‑technologied.  Do we need refrigerators that keep track of how much milk is left in the jug?  How about those toilets that can warm the seat, automatically lower the lid, etc.?  I haven’t done a search, but I would be willing to bet that you can find one that automatically washes and blow dries when you finish your business.  My DVR is so over‑technologied that when the time changes, it doesn’t.

I’m probably going to get a lot of disagreement when I say that almost every Operating System has become over‑technologied.  Windows has been in such a hurry to add features that almost every time there is an update, there will be complaints about systems becoming inoperable.  If you survey a hundred different Android users, you will be lucky to find ten of them with the same OS.  Linux is about the same except that you would have a hard time finding a hundred users.  Even Apple suffers the same problems as the others.  The technology has advanced so much that they are not able to keep up with the security.  Additionally, you would be hard pressed to find anyone that uses all of the newest features in any OS.

Much of the over‑technology I wrote about eight years ago is still valid today.  Maybe I’ll have to address the subject again in 2026.

Thanks for reading.

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Android App Permissions – Originally Published June 2018

June 10, 2018 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

Would you mind if I came to your home and looked through your house to get some ideas for things to write about in this column?  If I find anything useful, I promise not to tell anyone where I got the information.  I promise that I will keep any details about your private life secret.  Of course, if I change my mind later, you won’t be able to do anything about it because you gave me permission.

If as I suspect you answered “no”, I hope you are as diligent with your Android phone.  When you install an application, do you give it permission to look through your data and use it for marketing or other purposes?  Over the years, there have been many Android programs that have wanted to do similar things on your phone.

Android forces apps to declare the permissions they require when they install them.  You can protect your privacy, security, and cell phone bill by paying attention to Android app permissions when installing those apps.  Prior to Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) all applications declared their permissions before installing.  You could either accept and install, or decline and not install.  The problem with this system was that many users didn’t pay attention. An application for a game could potentially harvest all of a users contact data.

In newer versions of Android, apps have to individually request each permission. Keep in mind that if you deny a permission, the application might not work as designed.

It is easy to check the permissions of an Android application.  If you have already installed it on your device, go to Settings>Apps.  Scroll down to the app you want to examine and tap it.  Click the permissions field.  If it is an application you are thinking of installing, open the Google Play Store and go to the app.  Then click on the “Permission Details” tab.

Why is it important to check permissions?  Simply because our phones contain so much personal information.  They have our exact location, contact data, personal pictures and more.  They can record everything we say and do.  In short, access to your Android device is access to you.

An internet search will find millions of sites that tell you what each permission is.  Probably the best place to research permissions is Google Support.  There are two informative articles:
1. Review app permissions thru Android 5.9
2. Control your app permissions on Android 6.0 and up

Use common sense when you install apps. If a flashlight program asks to read contact information, it might not be the best one to install. Reputable app developers will tell you why their software needs each permission.

Thanks for reading.

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Belarc Advisor – Originally Published May 2018

May 13, 2018 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
by Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

I’ve got a lot of programs that I use to upkeep and maintain my Windows computers so that they operate smoothly.  To help me do this, it is important to know substantive information about my different machines.  I get much of this data by using Belarc Advisor.

Belarc Advisor scans your PC and builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware in the form of an HTML report that you can view in your browser.  This information includes local drive volumes, memory modules, printer information, installed licenses, installed software, multimedia information and much more.  All of your PC profile information is kept on your PC and is not uploaded to any web server.

After installation, you simply need to run Belarc Advisor and wait until the initial analysis of the computer system is completed.  This process may take time, depending on the speed of your computer, number of peripherals, programs installed, etc.  Once the analysis is completed, Belarc Advisor will display in your default web browser a Computer Profile Summary.  This is generated as an HTML file and is stored on your computer.

Depending on the number of the programs installed on your system, the length of the page and the amount of information will vary from computer to computer.  Belarc Advisor identifies and reports the following information:

• CPU(s) installed on your motherboard
• Motherboard make, model, and serial number, plus BIOS data
• Hard drive and optical drive data, including total capacity and free space, as well as volume details like the drive letter and file system
• Total amount of RAM, plus number of modules installed
• Mapped network drives
• Local user and system accounts, last logon time stamps, and locked/disabled status
• Installed printers and which port each is using
• Storage controllers
• Video card and monitor make, model, and serial number data
• USB, eSATA, and similar controller data
• Sound card or other audio hardware
• Anti-malware program installed program and definition version data, last scan time stamp, and current status
• Group policy data
• Service tag of the computer model, and possibly a support link to the manufacturer’s website
• Networking, Bluetooth, and other communication hardware and protocol data

One of my favorite features is in the programs report section.  There you can check the last time that you have opened any installed program.  This can help you decide whether you might want to uninstall old, unused software.  I run the program every month or so.  That way I always have a fairly up to date report of my system(s).  The information doesn’t usually change too much.  I haven’t included any screenshots of my computers.  You can find many pictures with an internet search.

I like this program and have been using it for several years.  After installation, it only uses a little over 6MB of space on my hard drive.  Belarc Advisor runs on Windows 10, 8.1, 7, Vista and XP SP3.  Both 32‑bit and 64‑bit Windows Operating Systems are supported.  The license allows for free personal use only.  You can download Belarc Advisor from this link.

If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.

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ITO Technologies Pedometer – Originally Published April 2018

April 2, 2018 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of step counting apps in the Google Play Store.  Over the years, I’ve tried twenty‑two of them.  My normal routine was to read glowing reviews on a new pedometer app, download and install it, go for a walk and count my steps.  After a day, I would uninstall and go back to the Omron pedometer clipped on my belt.

In January, when I was on a cruise ship, I was talking with another passenger when the subject of walking and pedometers was discussed.  I told him about the many apps I had tried and my disappointment in all of them.  He recommended that I try Pedometer by ITO Technologies.  I didn’t give it another thought.

About a week later, my four year old manual pedometer quit.  Being in the middle of the ocean, there wasn’t any place to buy a new one.  Amazon two day shipping just doesn’t work everywhere.  I downloaded and installed Pedometer for a temporary replacement.  It has worked so well that I haven’t purchased a new Omron.

The main reason I’ve kept using the app is that it is the most accurate of all the step counters I’ve tried.  With almost all of these programs, the devices motion sensor is used to record steps.  Many of them do not do a good job when the phone is in a purse, trouser pocket, or carried in the hand.  For me, Pedometer has worked equally well in all instances.

I think that every step counting app in the Play Store has the same kind of graphs for tracking how super your walking is.  Pedometer will show your statistics for hourly, daily, weekly and monthly.  I don’t believe this function is any better or worse than any of the other app choices.  For me, these do no make a lot of difference.  My main priority is step count accuracy which the program excels at.

                             

The program is advertising supported.  The ads are so unobtrusive that when I wrote this review, I had to double check where they were placed at the bottom of the screen.  I can honestly say that I have never noticed an ad until I went looking for one to review.  There isn’t an option to pay for ad free upgrade.  If there was, I would definitely buy this app.

One other thing that surprised me was the program name.  It is Pedometer without any adjectives.  Many of the other walking apps have descriptions like tracker, GPS counter, fitness walker, accu‑step, etc.  I assume that this program must have been one of the first in the app store.  The full name is plain old “Pedometer”.

If you are in need of a step counting app for your phone, I can recommend ITO Technologies Pedometer.  It is free in the Google Play Store.
Thanks for reading.

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PDF Link Editor – Originally Published March 2018

March 11, 2018 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
by Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

I’ve often commented on how I have a lot of utilities installed on my computers that do only one thing, but do it better than larger “do it all” programs.  One of my favorites that I use almost every month with the club newsletter is PDF Link Editor.

With this program I can quickly check and easily edit URL links.  The program is a convenient, easy to use application that allows you to edit all the hyperlinks within a PDF document quickly and smoothly.  The first image is a screenshot of the start up screen.  You can see that all of the options except “Add PDF” are grayed out.  In the second screenshot, I’ve loaded last months newsletter.  You can see that the newsletter is in the right panel.  The scroll bar on the right allows you to view different parts of the PDF file.  In the left panel there is a list of all the HTML links, the associated URL, the document page number of the link and a check box.

    

The document preview is helpful in another way.  You can also click hyperlinks in the document to see where they lead.  That way, you do not need to open the PDF file with another program just to figure out which links need to be replaced, extracted or removed.

After selecting links you are ready to utilize the core functions of the software.
1. Clear PDF hyperlinks will erase the selected links from the document.
2. Extract PDF links will create a text file of all of the links in the document.
3. Replace links will change the link URL to a new destination.
4. Add links will allow you to search the document for a “link anchor” and add a new hyperlink.

After performing your editing, the program opens a pop up save window.  The default save settings are to append the document name with whatever adjustment you just made.  That way you will not accidentally overwrite the original PDF.

I do have a few minor quibbles with the software.  The window size cannot be adjusted.  A full screen would be much more useful as a larger preview and more links could be seen.  The default link replacing hyperlink is for Google.  I would prefer this to be blank.  Some fonts do not render correctly in the preview screen.

Beside the minor inconveniences, there is one that I definitely do not like.  When you click on “About”, a standard program information window opens.  A few seconds later, your default web browser opens to the company’s home page.  In my opinion, this is not only aggravating, but unnecessary as well.

All in all, PDF Link Editor is a great tool for users who need to manage links in PDF files.  It is easy to use for both novices and advanced users.  There is almost no learning curve.  The program is small (less than 20MB) and utilizes 27.1MB of hard disk space.  The best part is the price of $0.00.  You can download PDF Link Editor here.

If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.

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Cleaning Out Evernote – Originally Published January 2018

January 1, 2018 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

One of the few programs I spend money on is Evernote.  I’ve used it for several years and find it indispensable.  As I write this, I’ve got 634 notes saved in 71 notebooks.  I’ve got eight notebooks just for SWLAPCUG stuff.  I’ve got one notebook where I save stuff that I want to check later.  I’ve been a little remiss in clearing out this notebook.  There is 66 notes that I have to take action on.  I thought this might be a good time to share some of my oddities with the club.

1. How to Use Your Laptop Like an External Monitor is an article from Make Use Of that I saved because I use multiple monitors.  After rereading it, I’m deciding that it’s too much trouble.  I’m deleting the note.
2. How to Disable the HomeGroup Feature in Windows (and Remove It from File Explorer) is a How To Geek tutorial.  I forgot that I had saved it almost a year ago.  I had made the changes on all my computers except the desktop.  It’s changed now and the note is deleted.
3. Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do with ADB was a Make Tech Easier article with a good tutorial for using the Android Debug Bridge (ADB).  I moved it to my Android notebook so that I’ll know where to find it when I need it again.
4. How to Connect Multiple External Monitors to Your Laptop is another How To Geek article that I thought would be useful.  After rereading it, I realized the advice was to plug the internal monitor into a port.  Another one for the trash bin.
5. Make Tech Easier had an article titled 5 of the Best Camera Apps for Android You Should Try.  I should delete this link to, but someday I’m going to try them.
6. ManualLib is a useful site for downloading manuals for just about everything.  Good thing I’m writing this article because I finally got the link moved from Evernote to my web browser links.
7. I saved this article from Android Central. Best Universal Lenses For Android Phones is a review of attachable camera lenses.  I was thinking about spending a little money and getting one.  After further reflection I decided not to waste my money.  My Canon camera takes better pictures.
8. I made a note on the Q4 Operating System.  I have computers with various Linux Distros, Windows 10, 7 and XP, and iOS.  I thought about trying this one, but deleted it.
9. Media Bias Fact Check is an online media outlet dedicated to educating the public on media bias and deceptive news practices.  I don’t remember where I originally found out about the site, but I put a link (right underneath Snopes) on my browser home page.
10. TV Series Finale is a site that I added to my browser entertainment bookmarks.  It keeps users up to date on whether a TV show has been renewed, canceled or put on hiatus.  There is also a lot of other television information on the site.

This is just ten of the actions I did.  I don’t usually let my “action” notebook get so bloated.  I guess I can blame it on spending too much time redoing the clubs’ website portal.  Most of the remaining notes I deleted.  There were a few that I have posted on the club forums.  There were some that will end up in a future newsletter Mindbender.  Out of the original 66 notes, I kept four for future action.

My next project is to review and clean out my seventy other notebooks.  That will probably be a good project for next month on the cruise ship.  I’ve got a feeling there will be more links posted on the club’s website.

Thanks for reading.

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Block! Hexa Puzzle – Originally Published December 2017

January 1, 2018 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

I was originally going to write an article on my research before buying a new phone.  Then I downloaded “Block!Hexa Puzzle” by BitMango and put a new phone in my drafts folder. I like games that make me think and sometimes give me ideas for Mindbender puzzles. Needless to say, I like “Block! Hexa Puzzle”.

This is one of those games that is simple to learn, but soon becomes challenging to play.  It definitely makes you use your brain.  The aim of the game is to fit small block pieces nicely into a given shape, which changes on every level.  There are fourteen modules consisting of 80 puzzles each.  As you advance, the puzzles get more difficult.  There are no time limits for finishing the puzzles.

                             

The game play is pretty simple to play. You drag the pieces into the frame and try to connect all of them to fit.  You cannot rotate the pieces, but you can take them out and switch them if you need to.  As you progress to higher levels there will be extra pieces.  This can get a little frustrating, but I like the fact that it makes you think harder.  Another thing I like about the play is that there is no time limit.  You don’t have to restart from the beginning.

If you really need help, you can always tap to receive hints.  The developers are pretty generous with them.  You get hints for many different accomplishments.  You can even watch an advertisement to get a hint.  After almost 100 games, I’ve earned 23 hints.  I haven’t had to use any of them yet, but I’ve been tempted.  This is mostly because after five or six tries, the hints button starts to wiggle.

Like many other “free” games “Block! Hexa Puzzle” is ad supported.  A video advertisement plays before the game starts.  There is a small ad at the bottom of each screen.  Every three games or so, there is another video ad.  All advertisements can be removed for an upgrade fee of $1.99, which I purchased after playing about twenty games.  I only do this for games I really like and plan to play often.

Another way to get hints is to solve the daily extra puzzle.  Of course, you have to watch an advertisement before playing.  There is also a multi‑player option which I haven’t tried.

This is the type of game that you can play when you have a few minutes to kill.  It is both easy to play and challenging at the same time.  Most importantly, the game is FUN to play.

You can download “Block! Hexa Puzzle” from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.  If you do a search instead of clicking the link, download the app created by BitMango.  There are a lot of similar games.  Note that my review is for Android but I’m pretty sure all the functions in iOS are the same.

Thanks for reading.

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CoreFTP LE – Originally Published January 2018

January 1, 2018 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
by Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is the standard network protocol used for the transfer of computer files between a client and a server on a computer network.  As the name suggests, FTP is used to exchange files between computer accounts, transfer files between an account and a desktop computer, or access online software archives. I use FTP whenever I update websites that I maintain.

Years ago, transferring files via FTP could sometimes get complicated.  It was usually done with the command line, which required a lot of typing, hopefully without typos.  Like many other things, there have been advances in computer software.  Most people use FTP client software.  As the Wikipedia chart shows, there are many clients you can use.

Over the years, I have tried several of the free or open source programs.  For the last year or so, I’ve exclusively used CoreFTP Lite.  I have found the program to be fast, easy to use and reliable.  The feature list is pretty standard: HIPAA compliance, SFTP/ SSH, SSL/ TLS, FTP/ HTTP/ SOCKS proxy, IDN, drag ‘n drop, site manager, session manager, queue manager, custom screens, bandwidth control, caching, auto-transfer, retry/resume, auto-reconnect options, auto S/key, remote file-searching, advanced directory listings, start/stop/resume of transfers, full recursive chmod, browser integration, site to site transfers, file viewing and editing, firewall support, custom commands, FTP URL parsing, command line transfers, filters and more.

Although the different protocols might seem intimidating, most users will not need all of the features.  The default setting will probably work just fine.  I use it mostly for uploading files to the websites that I manage (mostly the club website).  Core also has a Micro FTP server you can download and install for PC to PC transfers.  I haven’t used this so cannot comment on its proficiency.

Using the program couldn’t be simpler. There are four panes in the interface.  The upper pane tells you connection status.  The left is a file list on your local computer.  The right pane a file list of the server you are connected to.  Finally, the lower pane is the upload/download status when you are transferring files. To manipulate files, you can simply mouse over the icons and view the popup menus.  Personally, I find it easier to right click on files and select an action.

Core FTP Lite is free for personal use. There is also a professional version with more features.  If you use FTP, give the program a try.  You can download it from the Core FTP website.

If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.

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FastStone Image Viewer – Originally Published November 2017

November 5, 2017 Posted by Tiny

Some Lagniappe for You
by Tiny Ruisch

la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

There are many good image viewer/editor programs that can be found with an internet search.  A lot of them have been around for many years.  If you talk to any computer user, they will tell you about their favorite.  Over the years, I have tested several of these reliable programs.  My personal favorite that I’ve used for many years is the FastStone Image Viewer.

The publisher’s description describes the program much better than I can: “FastStone Image Viewer is a fast, stable, user-friendly image browser, converter and editor.  It has a nice array of features that include image viewing, management, comparison, red‑eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping, retouching and color adjustments.  Its innovative but intuitive full‑screen mode provides quick access to EXIF information, thumbnail browser and major functionalities via hidden toolbars that pop up when your mouse touches one of the four edges of the screen.  Other features include a high quality magnifier and a musical slideshow with 150+ transitional effects, as well as lossless JPEG transitions, drop shadow effects, image annotation, scanner support, histogram and much more.  It supports all major graphic formats (BMP, JPEG, JPEG 2000, animated GIF, PNG, PCX, PSD, EPS, TIFF, WMF, ICO and TGA) and popular digital camera RAW formats (CRW, CR2, NEF, PEF, RAF, MRW, ORF, SRF, ARW, SR2, RW2 and DNG).”

The FastStone Image Viewer has all of the editing features you expect to find in a modern Windows image editor: resize/re‑sample, rotate/flip, crop, sharpen/blur, adjust lighting/colors/curves/levels etc.  There are many special effects that you can apply: annotation, drop shadow, framing, bump map, sketch, oil painting and more.  Image management tools include tagging, drag‑and‑drop and Copy To/Move To Folder support.

There are many features in the program that are either unique or better that those found elsewhere.  Chief among these is the full screen image viewer.  Unlike many others, you can move between images.  When the view is full screen, moving the cursor to the edges brings up different control panels.  The right panel shows the image attributes, which are editable by the user.  The upper panel opens a thumbnail browser.  This is a photo strip that allows you to easily move between images.  On the left side is the File Management Window, where you will find many file and imaging functions.  The bottom control panel is the Control Bar and Navigator Menu.

Many image viewers allow you to compare two images side by side.  FastStone goes a step further allowing you to compare up to four images.  You can view each one with separate magnification settings, compare EXIF and histogram data, etc.  The program also supports dual monitors which can be even more useful when editing photos.

FastStone doesn’t just allow you to view slideshows.  It is also an excellent slideshow maker.  With the built‑in Slideshow Creator, you can create and package your show and save it as an .EXE file.  Your slideshow can contain images, text, music and hundreds of transition effects.

In this short review, I have elaborated on only a few of the many features of the program.  I could also tell you about batch processing, image acquisition, screen capture, configurable mouse wheel support, running other programs with a single click (I quickly open paint.net) from the viewer and many more.  There is also a manual (tutorial) that can be downloaded in PDF, ePub or MOBI formats.

You can download the program directly from the publisher’s website.  The price is a reasonable “free for home users”.  Give it a try. I’m pretty sure you will add it to your images editing arsenal.

If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.

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