[Download Squad] 6 New Entries: Microsoft Live Labs releases online bulletin board called Thumbtack

Microsoft Live Labs releases online bulletin board called Thumbtack

Filed under: Internet, Microsoft, Web

The Microsoft Live Labs team has unveiled a new web based bulletin board called Thumbtack that allows you to collect text, links, and photos from across the web and gather them in collections. You can tag and search items and you can share your collections with other users who can leave comments on items.

Of course, when people talk about bulletin boards online, they usually mean discussion forums, so perhaps we should call this more of a refrigerator door that you can plaster with items from around the web.

You can either copy and paste text and images directly into Thumbtack or you can use a browser bookmarklet to automatically add content from any web page without leaving that page. The best way to do this is to highlight the text on the page that you want to save before pressing the bookmarklet, as the tool doesn't handle web pages with a lot of funky HTML and scripts very well and you'll wind up with a lot of unnecessary code in your clipping if you try to capture a whole web page.

Microsoft Live Labs releases online bulletin board called Thumbtack originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

file ai turns your web browser into a file server

Filed under: Internet, P2P, Web

There are plenty of services out there that will let you send files to someone even if they're too large to fit in an email attachment. But YouSendIt, FileMail and similar services typically require you to upload the file before the recipient can begin downloading it. You can save time by allowing someone to copy the file straight from your computer using file ai.

Here's how it works. You visit the file ai site and click the send files button. A Java applet opens up allowing you to drag and drop files to a folder on the web page. When you're done adding files and folders just send the unique URL to your receipient and they can begin downloading the files using any Java enabled browser.

The service uses a BitTorrent-like file transfer protocol so that if you send the files to multiple recipients, they can download data from multiple sources simultaneously which speeds up the download process.

In case you're worried about the security issues of opening up files on your computer to remote downloaders, file ai uses 128 bit AES encryption on the files before sending them. But to be honest, there's still a gaping security hole - the unique URLs file ai generates aren't really all that unique. I'm pretty certain that if you plug enough numbers into the end of the URL eventually you'll be able to download files from a stranger's computer. it really seems like file ai should allow you to password protect your file transfers so that recipients need to have the correct URL and a password.

Update: If I'd poked around a little longer, I'd have noticed that you can choose to password protect a file transfer before adding files to the folder. Once you've added files or folders there's no way to password protect them.

[via MakeUseOf]

file ai turns your web browser into a file server originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Teacher confiscates Linux CDs, claims no software is free

Filed under: Linux, Freeware, Open Source, Analysis, Education

If you're not familiar with it, the HeliOS project is an effort to get computers into the hands of kids who might not otherwise be able to afford them. To date this year, they've distributed over 300 machines. Apparently that's not enough to keep them from making an enemy.

A middle school teacher named Karen observed one of her students demonstrating the abilities of his Linux-powered laptop to his classmates. What a great thing, a student exposing his peers to technology they probably weren't familiar with before....Right?

Wrong. Karen sprang into action, confiscated the CDs the student had brought to share, and unleashed the Spanish Inquisition.

Who is the charlatan who convinced this poor, misguided student that "free software" is something that actually exists?

Who could be so evil as to distribute non-Microsoft software to children? How can that person expect our children to survive in an MS-powered world? Once she had her answer, she sent Ken an email.

In her own words:

At this point, I am not sure what you are doing is legal. No software is free and spreading that misconception is harmful. These children look up to adults for guidance and discipline.

Continue reading Teacher confiscates Linux CDs, claims no software is free

Teacher confiscates Linux CDs, claims no software is free originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

First on Mars - Flashy web TV aggregator

Filed under: Video, Web

There's no shortage of places to find online video these days. Most TV networks offer full length episodes of at least a few shows, and video portals like Hulu and Joost offer content from a wide range of sources. First on Mars wants a piece of that pie, and has taken an interesting approach that's more akin to FanCast or AOL Video's strategy of aggregatings programs from multiple sources including Hulu, CBS, PBS, and other network sites.

First on Mars has an attractive, if busy interface built on Flash. You can browse a long list of shows and networks and add favorite programs or shows to a playlist with the click of a button. Unfortunately there's no easy way to search, which means things can get unwieldy.

The site also lets you browser programs based on "mood." For example, if you select "Bleak," you see tiles for shows like American Gothic, Battlestar Galactica, and Jericho. If you're in a "Financial" mood you get an odd choice of programs including The Colbert Report, Cribs, and My Super Sweet Sixteen. I'm not sure what that says about our culture -- or about the number of programs available online.

First On Mars displays videos by loading web sites in a frame, which means you'll see the videos exactly as they appear on the original web page. But for some reason the selection seems to be a bit more limited than what you'd find on some of those original pages. For example, clicking on the PBS icon brings up Nova, but not Frontline.

[via VentureBeat]

First on Mars - Flashy web TV aggregator originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Open++ is a Windows context menu tweaker's dream

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Productivity, Freeware

I've seen plenty of context menu enhancement apps before. Most of the free ones, however, offer a standard set of actions and only allow a few minor tweaks.

Open++ is another story. Virtually any command or file your computer knows how to execute can be set up as a right-click action using its customize window. Arguments are also supported, and can either be pre-configured or requested via a prompt. You can even pick an icon to display next to your entries.

Roll Open++ with NirCMD, for example, and you can embed functions like volume control, display resolution switching, and shutdown options. Create a few simple "move to" commands with Open++ to simplify hard drive organizing chores. If you're willing to invest some time and get creative, there's really no limit to what Open++ can do with your context menu.

The author's download page was inaccessible when I tried, but you can find the file on both Softpedia and Tucows. It's freeware for Windows only, but didn't work with Vista x64.

[ via Freeware Genius ]

Open++ is a Windows context menu tweaker's dream originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Thunderbird 3 Beta 1 open source email client released

Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, E-mail, Open Source, Beta

More than half a year since the folks at Mozilla Messaging released the first alpha version of Thunderbird, the team has released Thunderbird 3 Beta 1. The latest release features a bunch of bug fixes and some new features, including:

• A tabbed interface for mail
• Integration with Windows Vista Search
• Integration with the Mac OS X Address Book
• IMAP improvements for faster message viewing

You can also use the Add-ons Manager to search for, download, and install plugins and themes much the same way you can with the Firefox 3 Add-ons manager. You can find more improvements in the release notes.

Thunderbird 3 Beta 1 is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Thunderbird 3 Beta 1 open source email client released originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

You received this email because you are subscribed to the real_time feed for http://www.downloadsquad.com/rss.xml. To change your subscription settings, please log into RSSFWD.