cjrpackwood
United States
Tutorials
| Title | Score |
|---|
Software reviews
| Software | Score |
|---|---|
| songbird "A great media player, but I have it for listening to internet radio stream from around the world. But it does so more than stream. Install it and try it out...I personally listen to Brazillian radio while I work on my pc. I use it on my LinuxMint 15 and Windows 7 machine...so its also cross platform." |
4 |
| ubuntu-restricted-extras "This is a much needed addon for any Linux user. It installs many codecs that isn't included in most Linux OS's. LinuxMint is one of the few that does so the user can play most audio/video file formats. I am a Windows user and enjoy being able to play/record almost all formats, so this makes Linux useful to me. Install now if you don't already have it." |
5 |
| handbrake-gtk "A wonderful DVD ripper. The settings to allow the user to transcode/rip a video in almost any video size, quality or media player (iPod, Ipad, smartphone, etc). It can rip most DRM protected DVD's/Videos. Plus, it works hand in hand with VLC media player (see my VLC review). A must have if you work with videos in any form. I use it in LinuxMint 15 and Windows 7...so its also cross platform." |
5 |
| hedgewars "A great offshot/copy from the Scorched Earth game. Cartoon characters, funny audio...one of my favorite time wasters." |
4 |
| playonlinux "As stated by others, much easier to use than wine (see my review about wine). I have a LinuxMint 15 machince (Cinnamin Desktop) and installed MS Office 2007 with only one hitch, wine just was a real pain to get to work even with wine help. I am surprised and the large number or Windows software that easily installed and ran...many that are not listed on the wine website. Another reviewer found that PlayOnLinux may request a certain library or library file to run properly...I have also but that was easy to fix. I also noted a reviewer stated that more than one version of wine can be used. That worked also! This is a versitle app that makes Windows software install less painless than wine alone." |
5 |
| dropbox "One of the best cloud storage apps around. My LinuxMint 15/Windows 7 machine makes it a wonderful crossplatform app. Syncing of files and folders a snap. Used it for the last 2 years and couldn't be without it when I am traveling and need to retrieve a file, photo or whatever!" |
5 |
| testdisk "One of the few, but the best file and partition recovery apps for Linux. Not too easy to use, but if one takes time to study the layout...its obvious what to do and how to do it. This is software that every Linux user needs to have installed and ready when needed. Its recovered deleted files, pics and videos on my hard drive and a couple of flash drives for me." |
5 |
| mintupdate "Works very well and easy to use. LinuxMint team has done a great job in keeping this software simple, easy to use and does its job quietly and efficiently." |
4 |
| synaptic "This is an old workhouse that has no equal for Debian based Linux OS's. I can use the commandline, but Synaptic has search that is a great aid in finding certain software or library files. It also can display all files to be downloaded, size of files, space used on drive after install and even install from an opened terminal window (I have a terminal window open just in case the install should pause, freeze, crash or just needing a response for a EULA or such inquiry before proceeding). It can repair broken files and do updates as available if your Linux OS update software is not working properly." |
5 |
| wine "Wine does a fine job for allowing a user to run Windows software in Linux without installing a VM (virtual machine), but as stated by others...it does not run all Windows software and not as fast as in native Windows OS. It is also difficult to use when trying to install Windows software. I suggest also installing "PlayOnLinux" to ease the pain. PlayOnLinux combined with WINE makes Windows software install almost trouble free. I run MS Office 2007 (Enterprise) - not all the extra functions work but the main components: Word, Publisher, Exel, and such perform fine in most cases. Many games install and run fine, and I have installed over 55 games not listed on the PlayOnLinux or Wine websites. A useful piece of software when you have to run certain Windows software that isn't available in Linux." |
4 |
| stellarium "Wonderful software to help someone view the heavens above. I have been using Stellarium for many years on Linux and Windows (at present I have LinuxMint 15 - Cinnamon and Windows 7). Living in the country away from all the city lights, this has helped me find stars and planets. In July 2013, I noticed a very bright red star on the western horizon just after sundown. Fired up Stellarium and found out it was the planet Venus...cool! It contains a large database of cities so one can input their location, or somewhere closeby, to more accurately view the heavens. There are many addons to enhance Stellarium's features. I'm buying a telescope before 2013 is gone just to be able to utilized the telescope control plug in for Meade or Celestron telescopes. Discover the location of stars, planets, nebulas and galaxies with Stellarium." |
5 |
| dvdstyler "Want to create and burn your on video DVDs? This will do it. Has simple menu you can design, import the videos you wish to put on the DVD, and let it transcode and burn your video DVD. It can do a good job adjusting the audio/video stream bitrate according to how many or large the video file is up to a point. I use it on my LinuxMint 15 and Windows 7 machines (yes, it is cross platform). By the way, you don't have to burn a DVD to see how your project came out, just have DVDstyler create a .iso and take a peek to see if it came out the way you wanted. Great way to play with the settings to get the DVD you wanted." |
4 |
| gimp "For the advanced photo/image user, this is a must have piece of software. It isn't quite like Adobe Photoshop, but darn close. Has all the features an advanced user or professional photographer needs. If you want more, just go to the website and browse the very long lists of plugins/addons to broaden its capabilities. I use it on LinuxMint and Windows 7 when I need that proffesional touch." |
4 |
| brasero "Another fine Linux app. Simple user graphical layout. Simple to use. I have found it is fairly fast in all functions and all functions have worked with no glitches so far...and I have tried most of them. I have LinuxMint 15 and no problems now or even before. It burns CD/DVDs quickly and error free so far and I have used Brasero for 4 years. This is a must have for everyone. If you want something with more features, don't delete Brasero, just download something else to use for its advanced features. Brasero you find to be your main CD/DVD burner." |
5 |
| vlc "VLC is a must have audio/video player. It can play (transcode) almost every audio/video codec used. It also has played HD videos - 720 & 1080 P - on older PC's that the other video players couldn't (I have tested this out many times). It may be fairly plain looking at first, but performs like a champion. There are addons that you can install from the VLC website. One other little fact: it works hand-in-hand with the HandBrake CD/DVD transcode app...in other words, it can override most DRMs for you. No thats something everyone can use at one time or another. I use it on my LinuxMint 15 and Windows 7 machines." |
5 |
| adobe-flashplugin "Folks, this is a must to install from Adobe. Yes, there is an open source version. But the open source does not always perform properly or not at all. Folks, just install it for the sake of being able to surf the net properly to playing flash games." |
4 |
| miro "Its a very good audio and video player, podcast catcher/player, and does more! Being cross platform is handy since I am a LinuxMint 15/Windows 7 user. I enjoy listening to the internet radio stations or net videos. Its not perfect, but does so much very well. You can import internet media streams most of the time...I like it it! Try it out for a week or two." |
4 |
| thunderbird "One of the best email client apps for everyone! It supports almost all the different email account services, RSS and the newsgroup client makes it easy to search and it stores all emails on your pc to review at your convenience if off-line. I use it on multiple email accounts and love it. Being cross-platform is great since I am a LinuxMint 15 and Windows 7 user. Nothing I have found to be its equal in any OS." |
5 |
| firefox "A very good browser that performs as well as any. My favorite feature of Firefox is the addons. I will list my standard addons: popup blocker, no script, print pdf, download helper, https finder and youtube downloader. Also, one can change the theme of the browser's appearance and there is a ton of premade themes to choose from. I use it in LinuxMint 15 and Windows 7 as my main workhorse internet broswer. As a side note, the more addons added...the slower it will be coming onscreen. But the addons make it worth while." |
4 |
| skype "In Windows 7 it is a great app. Audio and video is almost seemless. Messaging is great. But the Linux version is not the same as the Windows version. No importing of Facebook contacts in Linux, and several features missing. But still the best video call app in the Linux world. A must have but check the settings/preferences before use." |
4 |
| calibre "Works wonderfully for an all purpose ebook reader. It imports almost all forms of ebooks and puts them into one easy-to-use area. I have over 400 books in 5 different formats including .pdfs in my Calibre on my LinuxMint 15/Windows 7 machine...almost forgot! Its cross platform!" |
5 |
| marble "An excellent learning tool! It shows much about the geography of our world, its cities and many of the roadways. I run it on LinuxMint 15 and Windows 7. Its not a replacement for GoogleEarth (satellite imagery), but does a great job in a scholastic manner." |
4 |
| gpodder "A very good podcast receiver/catcher and its cross platform! Does everything that the description advertises. It puts each separate podcast into a separate folder, very handy to archive! I use it in LinuxMint 15 and Windows 7 and have found one small annoyance. The more podcasts listed, the slower it takes to start. I have a list of 89 audio/video podcasts and it can take a bit of time to fully come up on screen before I can use it in both OS's I mentioned previously. Otherwise, a must have." |
4 |
| xbmc "This is one of the best Media Centers available...and its cross platform! Easy to use and navigate. I use it on my desktop eMachine that dual boots into LinuxMint 15 (Cinnamon)/Windows 7. Has more Addons than you can shake a stick at for music, video, even has weather! All in one beautiful interface, you can download more interface themes to suit your preference. I have tried other Media Centers and this is the one I prefer because it has the most addons I've ever seen. I stream internet radio, watch internet videos, switch over to watch my stored movies or just put on the satellite. Great stuff!" |
5 |
| wallch "I found it not to work well...if at all. It barely worked better than Wally...barely. It would sometimes cycle my desktop pics, but most of the time not. I set it up to auto-start...no luck. I manually put it into LinuxMint's autostart..again no luck. Live Earth wallpaper sometimes works, other times not. Anyone get it to work properly? Please post in comments how so the rest of us can try it again." |
2 |
| wally "Just doesn't work as advertised for me. It won't autostart, and I set it up to autostart manually. When running minimized on my taskbar, won't cycle the desktop pics. I use LinuxMint 15 (Cinnamon). Maybe someone can get it to work and post in reviews how they got it working." |
1 |
| picasa "One of the great apps that is a must have for anyone with lots of photos. It sorts them into groups, has some image enhancements that everyone can use...plus facial recognition! I have used the facial recog on most of my photos to identify faces and group them together...very handy when trying to find photos that contain a certain person/relative. The image enhancement and other options are easy to use. Printing of photos or groups of photos on paper is great. A must have - I use Picasa on my desktop eMachine LinuxMint 15/Windows 7 dual boot PC...wouldn't be without it." |
5 |
| pinta "This is a great graphic program. Not as complicated as Gimp so easier to use with many advanced functions. Most other Linux paint programs have only the basic functions...but not Pinta. I am a Windows 7 user and use Paint.net. Pinta is based on Paint.net and it works almost the same with all the extra functions. Love it when I need to edit photos with some advanced features where Gimp is just too much. A must have for those who work with photos and such." |
5 |
| bleachbit "It does a fine job in cleaning out excess cruft in a Linux OS. I have been using LinuxMint for several months, then used BleachBit to see what needed cleaning. 238 MB's of garbage could be removed from: Firefox cache, temp files, temp logs...al sorts of leftover items. I run BleachBit once a month to help keep my LinuxMint 15 running more smoothly." |
5 |
| soundconverter "I have found this app to be slow when transcoding .mp3's. I am a Windows 7 user and have several apps that transcode almost twice as fast. I am using LinuxMint 15 in a eMachine w/ a Dual Core 2.2 GHz processers. It does work however and a must when somone needs to change bit rates on audio files. I just wish it was faster. I tested SoundConverter with several single audio .mp3 files against WinLame (Beta) on Windows 7 (my desktop dual boots). SoundConverter works, but taking almost double the time to transcode...not acceptable. But it does do what it is advertised and easy to use. Improve its speed and efficency and I will make it my main app in the Linux world." |
2 |
| screenlets "Works wonderfully on my eMachine desktop with LinuxMint 15 (Cinnamon). I am a Windows 7 user and use Rainmeter w/gnometer for desktop info. Screenlets SysMonitor and FreemeteoWeather is so similiar to Rainmeter...I love it. I added Rainlender at the bottom of Sysmonitor to complete my desktop. It is just what I have been looking for for the last 2 months. Thank you...Conky is just too quirky to be really useful." |
5 |