VLC Media Player

What I really, really, really hate about Windows Media Player is that it tries to do far too much but at the same time doesn't really allow me control over the video files that I watch.

I orginally started using VLC Media Player when I couldn't open a particular file in Media Player and my friend recommended VLC to me.

The first thing you will notice about VLC is that it is super fast. It loads up in a flash and doesn't immedietly try and search your hard drive for files or do anything that you want it to do. The interface is dead simple - although you can schmick it up with skins from the VLC website; and it plays just about any kind of video file you will probably ever want to play (audio files as well!).

VLC also plays DVD (see below). It's great because it gives you full control over your DVD. No more waiting for anti-piracy warnings or horrible intro scenes, you can skip all this now.

Even better, you can record any part of the video/dvd you are watching and save it to file. So let's say you want to use a section of a DVD or video in a presentation, you just open it in VLC and hit the record part at the appropriate point then hit it again to stop recording - TOO EASY!

Other cool features it has are: Subtitles - it let's you use subtitle files (I could never figure out how to do this with Windows Media Player)

Scaling and cropping of the videos - so if you don't like tall people you can just chop them out!

Video capture - capture video/audio from any of your devices (cameras etc)

So why should you download VLC when you have a perfectly good media player installed already in Windows Media Player? Well it runs faster, gives you greater control over what you are watching and doesn't try to take over your computer. It's tiny as well (17meg download).

Business Application

If your business requires you to look at videos or dvds, I wouldn't definetly check out VLC Media Player. It's so simple to install and use and will probably save you a heap of time. Also the control it gives you over your media leaves Windows Media Player for dead.

Product Details
Name: VLC Media Player

Version: 1.0.0 Goldeneye

Developer: VideoLan

Requirements: Runs on any operating system

Where can you get it? VideoLan Website

Download Size: Windows - 17 MB, Mac - 17.9 MB

PDFCreator

At my work there is only one computer with a full version of Adobe Acrobat installed. What this means is we either have to bother the person who uses this computer to make us PDFs of wait until they are gone to jump on and make them ourselves. Either way, it's annoying as all hell. The problem is, Adobe Acrobat costs about £275 per license and the company probably thinks the money could be spent elsewhere.

Of course this has all changed since I found PDFCreator. PDFCreator is a great little program that (as the names suggests) let's you create PDFs. When you want to produce a PDF file so that nobody else can modify it, PDFCreator is your answer.

All you have to do is either drag and drop files, as many as you want, into the program and hit go. It also sets itself up as a printer so you can make a PDF from ANY PROGRAM! It's dead easy to install and use.

Business Application
Can this be used in business? HECK YES! I'm going to tell the IT guy on Monday to install it on my computer.
Any business that creates PDF files should definitely check out PDFCreator.

Product Details
Name:PDFCreator

Version:0.9.8

Developer:PDF Forge

Requirements: Windows

Where can you get it? PDF Forge

Download Size: 14.9Mb

Google Sketchup

OK, I'm going to make a confession; I have a soft spot for all things Google. That's why the the first bit of free software is going to be a Google product. Also, because of my engineering and drafting background, I've chosen a product that is quite close to home.

Sketchup is a 3D modelling package put out by Google. It's designed for just about anybody who wants to build 3D models - architects, engineers, artists etc.

Here's a model that someone made of the London Eye using Sketchup:

I first tried Sketchup back in 2006 when its developer @Last Software was first acquired by Google. At the time I thought it was a nifty little program for making some nice pictures but little else. I certainly wasn't going to throw away my AutoCAD license to use Sketchup.

I recently downloaded Sketchup Version 7 and was pretty impressed with it.

The first thing that struck me was simplicity of the layout. AutoCAD as well as other 3D Modelling packages can seem a bit daunting when you first start to use them. Sketchup has a simple menu to get you started so newbies aren't scared off. Of course the menus can be expanded to include a whole bunch more features that, as you become more competent, will begin to use.

Sketchup is also dead easy to get started with. I was able to whip up this table with 2 glasses within about 20minutes of first installing the software (I stole the chair from Google 3D Warehouse). Admittedly, I have quite a bit of 2D CAD experience so it may take other people a bit longer, but given the simplicity of Sketchup as well as the multitude of free tutorials on the Sketchup website (and further afield), it's not going to take anybody too long to get the hang of it.

Another bonus of Sketchup is it gives you access to Google 3D Warehouse. A library of tens of thousands of models that Sketchup users have uploaded for anybody to steal, borrow, appropriate. A button on the Sketchup menu system whisks you away to the warehouse where, with a click of the button, the chair/person/anything is downloaded to your sketchup model.

Where I think Sketchup could be improved is its lack of support for 2D drafting. The focus here is definitely on 3D modelling and I think it wouldn't be a great stretch to include better 2D functionality.

Business Application

I certainly think that Sketchup could be used successfully in business. The Sketchup Website has a bunch of case studies where it is already been used effectively in commercial environments. Given that a lot of commercial 3D modelling packages cost well in excess of £2000, it's definitely worth considering Sketchup if you are interested in 3D Modelling.

The great thing about Sketchup is that is makes 3D modelling available to all sized businesses when previously the price has been prohibitive. 3D models look fantastic and increase marketing potential as well as design capabilities.

For businesses that rely on AutoCAD, although it's worthwhile giving Sketchup a shot, it's definitely not a like-for-like swap and won't replace AutoCAD.

There is a Professional version of the software (£341) with some added capabilities, mainly import/export options and email support, that may be worthwhile checking out but it's definitely not required to get the full Sketchup experience.

Product Details
Name: Sketchup

Version: 7.0.10247

Developer: Google

Requirements: Windows XP or Later, Mac OS X

Where can you get it? Sketchup Website

Download Size: Windows - 31.7 MB, Mac - 44.5 MB

Welcome!

Hi,

Welcome to Leigh's Free Software Reviews.

The purpose of this blog is to review some of the massive amount of free software out there and explore its application in business.

By free software I mean Open Source, Freeware.......anything that is free and applicable to business.

I'm not interested in looking at shareware that has severely restricted features or anything that stops working after 30 days unless you pay a fee. Everything that I review can be downloaded and used immediately with no charge.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments or complaints. If you're a software developer I'm also happy to review your product.

Hopefully you'll enjoy my blog and it may encourage business to consider free software in the future.

Cheers,

Leigh