Software I use

Quick reviews, mostly on software, Windows or cross-platform.

Another disclaimer - I don’t have any interest or relation with the makers of these programs. In the same vein, it’s up to you to evaluate these programs to see if they meet your needs.

Privacy & Security

NoScript – Firefox plugin (http://noscript.net/)
An incredibly useful plugin that lets you selectively decide which sites get to execute Javascript code in Firefox, along with other customizations. Reasonably easy to use with default rules, and you can temporarily (or permanently) allow sites, or forbid them altogether.

TrueCrypt (http://www.truecrypt.org/)
A free encrypting filesystem/container tool. You can create an encrypted container (think a huge zip file) that is opened with your password and then used as if it were just another hard disk on your machine. You can even encrypt the whole hard disk, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Good software, but you need to be careful not to lock yourself out of your data -if you ask others to help you with your computer, you should probably avoid this.

Password Safe (http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/)
An excellent, free encrypting password managing tool. Choose one good master password to use when running the program, then use it to store, retrieve and (optionally) randomly generate passwords for the sites you visit. When you need a password, type the master password to get access to the safe. The safe closes itself after a few minutes, so you don’t worry about that. As it is encrypted, your passwords are safe if someone else gets access to your machine, and you can back up them without worries. Just be careful not to forget the master password, or you’ll lose your info. Recommended for everyone, and the configurable random password generation is great.

Virustotal (http://www.virustotal.com/)
Not really a program but a web service. After uploading your files it scans them against a LOT of antivirus engines and gives you a report. It’s free and it was one of PCWorld’s 100 Best Products of 2007. This won’t protect your computer (you need a real antivirus for that), but it’s useful if you want to double-check a file or for some reason you don’t have an antivirus and can’t install one. Of course, you have to be comfortable in sending that file to someone else’s computer.

Web development

Note: Firefox plugins are sometimes available for other browsers and programs (Flock, Chrome, and if you are lucky, Explorer).

Firebug – Firefox plugin (http://getfirebug.com/)
Firebug lets you debug Javascript code and monitor page loading, among other funcionalities. It also has a “Lite” version that runs in other browsers, including Explorer. I suggest you complement it with WebDeveloper.

WebDeveloper – Firefox plugin (http://chrispederick.com/work/web-developer/)
WebDeveloper has the cool ability of showing generated page source code (i.e. HTML code generated on-the-fly by Javascript). This code is incredibly useful during development, but browsers usually don’t show it. It also lets you control Cookies and CSS, among other things. I suggest you complement it with Firebug.

Utilities

CDBurnerXP (http://www.cdburnerxp.se/)
A good, free burning software that also handles DVDs and ISOs.

ViceVersa PRO (http://www.tgrmn.com/)
A commercial backup software that copies your files, so you can read them back without having to install the software. Has all the bells and whistles -checksums, syncronization, mirroring, merging, and is reasonably easy to use. If you want a configurable backup solution but dread being locked out of your files for missing your serial number or the vendor going out of business, this is your software. They have a 30 day trial, so you can test it fully before buying.

© 2009-2010 Héctor Cuevas. All rights reserved.