WinRAR (32-bit) 3.92

• Price: Free to try (40-day trial); $29.00 to buy


• Operating system: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7

Download WinRAR (32-bit) 3.92

There are plenty of solid compression utilities to choose from, but this shareware powerhouse offers the features and ease of use that place it at the top of the compression category. WinRAR is easy to use, lightweight, and flexible.

An intuitive interface lets you mouse over icons to see their functions, and if you don't like their candy-coated appearance, you can always choose from several themes at the developer's site. The Folder Tree Panel makes sifting through your directories to find files easier than ever. But once you see the size savings of a RAR archive, with a compression ratio of 8 percent to 15 percent better than the ZIP format, you'll understand why so many users and developers are making the switch from other apps. With virus scans now integrated and minor interface tweaks for Vista, only the slightly slower decompression speed holds the app back.

Download WinRAR (32-bit) 3.92

Ad-Aware Free Anti-Malware 8.2

• Price: Free; paid upgrade available


• Operating system: Windows 2000 Professional/XP 32-bit/Vista 32-bit/64-bit/7 32-bit/64-bit

Download Ad-Aware Free Anti-Malware 8.2

One of the first applications built to find and remove malware and spyware, Ad-Aware's reputation is well-justified. The latest version continues the publisher's tradition of adroitly addressing user concerns, but isn't yet perfect.

Building on the improvements made in version 8, former Ad-Aware users should be glad to hear that the program installs faster than it used to. Without a doubt, though, this version of Ad-Aware improves greatly on what has come before. It loads faster during your boot cycle, and scans are faster. Empirical tests noted that while the Quick Scan finished in less than 10 minutes for version 8, the current version's Quick Scan finished in under three minutes. Previous files that had been falsely detected as threats weren't flagged this time around, probably due in part to Ad-Aware's behavioral detection engine. Called Genotype, it's based on heuristics and uses a one-pass scanning system, Genotype isn't directly exposed to users, although you can opt in to anonymously contribute data from the Settings menu. The new version also explicitly calls out in the scan windows what the scan looks for.

Download Ad-Aware Free Anti-Malware 8.2

LimeWire 5.4.7

• Price: Free


• Operating system: Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP/Vista/NT

Download LimeWire 5.4.7

From its start as a post-Napster clone to its leading role as the quintessential Gnutella client, LimeWire is the highest-profile P2P application. Version 5 re-envisions LimeWire for a Web 2.0 world, with an emphasis on sharing with friends, square buttons with rounded corners, and overall a cleaner interface.

Two search bars and two sidebars cap off the redesign. The uppermost search bar is the global search that scans what everybody is sharing over the P2P network, while the secondary one on the right searches your library. The sidebars are set up in a similar way. Both are on the left, with the outer one offering three options: your library, the global P2P network, and your friends. Click on My Library and your inner sidebar shows your collection of music, movies, and documents. The P2P Network option shows what you're uploading and downloading, while the Friends option lets you share your library specifically with your Google/Jabber contacts, which you can import. Search results can be presented in both the new Web 2.0-style that surfaces just the most relevant information, with an Information button to dive deeper or the "classic" spreadsheet view

Download LimeWire 5.4.7

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.44

• Price: Free $24.95 to buy (Buy it now)


• Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008/7

Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.44

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a surprisingly effective freeware antimalware tool. It's a relatively speedy malware remover, with the quick scan taking about 8 minutes even with other high-resource programs running. The heuristics engine proved on multiple computers during empirical testing that it was capable of determining the difference between false positives and dangerous apps.

The app has some nice features rolled in, too. It supports multiple drive scanning including networked drives, context menu options including a scan-on-demand for individual files, and the FileAssassin option under the More Tools section for removing locked files. The interface is simple, but pleasant-looking and well-organized. Tabs live just below the oversized logo, with few options per tab to keep down the clutter. The installation process was fast enough, but interestingly offered up the well-kept changelog and an instant definition file update.

Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.44

Game Development with ActionScript

Download Ebook Game Development with ActionScript

Lewis Moronta, Queens, New York, has been programming and working with computer graphics since 1996. Lewis began freelancing as a graphic designer in 1998 through his virtual studio, m80produxions.com. His website hosts many articles on math, programming, and computer graphics, including 3D animation. Lewis earned a degree in visual communications from Katharine Gibbs School in New York in 2003. Lewis recently formed Ism Studios, a graphic design and animation studio that handles everything from graphic design to professional-level CGI.

Download Ebook Game Development with ActionScript

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.730

• Price: Free


• Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7

Download AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.730

AVG Free provides the bare necessities when it comes to security, but that should be enough for savvy Windows users. You'll get a combined antivirus and antimalware engine, LinkScanner, and e-mail scanning. AVG Free 9 introduces a few new features, with improvements focused on performance, including claims of faster scan and boot times. One new feature is the Identity Theft Recovery Unit. Only for users in the United States, ITRU is a business partnership with Identity Guard which provides "consumer identity theft solutions," accessible only from the AVG toolbar in Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Download AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0.730

YouTube Downloader 2.5.3

• Price: Free


• Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7

Download YouTube Downloader 2.5.3

This simple freeware application works pretty well, given how basic the interface is. It has two main features: to download FLV files from YouTube, and to convert them to most major formats. If there's a YouTube URL in your clipboard, it will automatically paste it for you when you click on the dialog box. From there, just hit OK and the downloading will commence. One more left-click is all it takes to load the file in the converter, which supports iPhone, iPod, PSP, cell phone, AVI, MP3, WMV, and Xvid. Surprisingly, there's also a basic video editor for cropping videos by time stamp. You can also cut out the sound when converting.

Download YouTube Downloader 2.5.3

Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 9.0.0.415

Download Avira AntiVir Personal

Consistently at or near the top of independent efficacy testers, Avira's AntiVir remains one of the best freeware security solutions around. Its scans are flexible, allowing the user to fully scan both internal and external hard drives, run a preloaded scan--for rootkits, for example--or customize a scan. The latest version introduces antispyware protections, scanning tech that can crack open "locked" files, improved internal security to prevent AntiVir's files from being maliciously altered, and one-click threat removal--no more baby-sitting.

Download Avira AntiVir Personal