Web Designer’s FREElance Toolbox for Windows--Part 2

DHTML Menu Generator

OpenCube NavStudio

When I first stumbled across OpenCube’s Web site, I was cautiously curious about their cross-browser compatibility claims. Their menus were undeniably stable, but they still had some bugs to squash. Now I can’t stop looking. Their DHTML menus are used on many major retail Web sites and almost every Fortune 500 company Web site. “Beep. Beep. Back the truck up,” you say. “Using these menus requires a paid license.” You’re correct, but installing the software that generates the menus is FREE. If you have a client that insists on using a DHTML menu, you can stretch out your bill time and build the menu in less than an hour. The $179 single site license will pay for itself and it’s worth the peace of mind!

File Extraction

7Zip

Do you feel pangs of guilt every time you open up WinZip? Do you look away from your monitor, ashamed that the number of days you have used the program unregistered is in the triple digits? Download 7Zip and eliminate that dirty feeling. The drag-and-drop interface supports ZIP, CAB, RAR, ARJ, GZIP, BZIP2, Z, TAR, CPIO, RPM and DEB formats, and the compression ratio is impressive. You can password-protect files for added security, preventing free grazers from stealing sensitive client information off your Web site or by intercepting your email. It doesn’t get any easier than this.

FTP

Leech FTP 1.3

I was deeply disappointed when IPSwitch discontinued its popular freeware version of WS_FTP. They’ve relicensed it as WS_FTP Home, and they went legit with more professional product offerings. Through my tears I managed to find Leech FTP 1.3, which after installing I realized I had used in the past. It’s a great tool even though support has been discontinued and development has ceased. To find a copy you need to visit Download.com and search for Leech FTP. If you need an FTP program touting future releases and new features, my choice for runner-up would be Core FTP, which can be found at CoreFTP.com.

HTML Editor

1st Page 2000

Evrsoft’s 1st Page 2000 isn’t for you—it’s for your clients (since you’re probably using Dreamweaver or a similar program to edit your files). This software is a good alternative if they are not willing to spend the money on a professional solution for quick edits. It’s also a helpful tool if you need to teach basic HTML in a class or business setting. You can run the program in four modes, each with increasing amounts of newbie support. The basics are all included, but so are some advanced features like back-end scripting support and an advanced sidebar with file explorer and tag definitions. With a few added tweaks like CSS/XHTML support, this would be some ferocious freeware.

HTTP Server

Apache

Apache’s HTTP Server comes in handy if you want to run PHP on your local machine but don’t have PWS or IIS installed (most of us don’t). It also eliminates the need for a dual boot, unlike an alternative Linux/Windows setup, so installation is a snap. Even better, Apache installs as a Windows service, so starting up and shutting down happens in the background. Unfortunately, Apache doesn’t supply an integrated SMTP server. In order to send mail, you will need to configure PHP to recognize your ISP’s outgoing mail server, or you can download 1st SMTP Server for free. Apache also supports cron jobs, which allow you to run scripts at timed intervals by day, month and year.

Messaging

Gaim

In 2004, numerous technical publications and Web sites listed Gaim as THE No. 1 freeware program. I don’t disagree. If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend you do. It’s not a substitute for client communication, but if you need to collaborate with other designers or programmers who all use different instant messaging protocols, then it’s incredibly useful. You can sign up for multiple accounts, including Yahoo! IM, AIM, MSN and ICQ, and Gaim will let you log on with a single interface. The features supported are too numerous to list. You’re better off trying it for yourself in order to understand what all the hubbub is about.

PDF Creation

PDF995

In my humble opinion, Adobe Acrobat has become an untamable beast. It has been priced excruciatingly high to account for advanced security and digital rights management features. Those of us who just want to convert several document types into PDF without the overhead have been left out in the cold. It’s about time a company like Software995 stepped forward to steal some of that business. Several products append the company name and URL to the document you’re saving, but not PDF995. Instead, it displays an advertisement each time you print to PDF. You can rest easy—it’s not adware and they don’t steal bandwidth by sending aggregate statistics back to their servers. The ad is a small price to pay for such a prodigious PDF creator.

Office Suite

OpenOffice.org

Run as an open source project by Sun Microsystems, OpenOffice.org includes a word processor, spreadsheet manager, presentation capabilities and a drawing program. Sound familiar? I’ll be honest; you can’t compare it to the Microsoft Office suite—it’s apples and oranges. However, if you need to edit and review documents with a client and you’re encountering version compatibility issues, OpenOffice.org is the way to go. You can read and write Microsoft Office files and v1.1 includes a one-click export to PDF without the need for a third-party add-on. You probably won’t put much of a dent in Bill Gates’ bank account, but at least you can say you tried. Another freeware word processing program I suggest you check out is AbiWord at Abisource.com. It’s easier on the eyes and extremely user-friendly.