As described by the provider: "Ad-Aware Personal provides advanced protection from known data-mining, aggressive advertising, Trojans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers, and tracking components."

Enables you to view formatted PDF (Portable Document Format) texts posted on the Internet and print them out. Government reports, and eBooks are examples of PDF documents.

Described by its provider as follows: "Protection and security against viruses, worms, Trojan horses and dialers." Available for Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP, Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris operating systems. Also check out Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Toolkit and Symantec's Virus Removal Tools below.

Home of the famous Apache HTTP server, which is said to power up to 70% of website servers currently in existence. For advanced Unix/Linux users, IT professionals, and network administrators. We have some books on Apache software at the library for more information.

The free version of this popular "natural media" art program allows you to draw, paint, and edit images on your computer.

A multi-track audio recorder, editor, and processor for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. View the list of Audacity's features.

AVG offers a free edition of their antivirus protection software. The free edition does not protect against spyware or spam, nor does it provide a firewall.

Online editions of major classics and reference works, such as Bartlett's Quotations.

A free and comprehensive 3D creation software suite available for many different computers. You can create 2D and 3D characters, environments, games, animations and more with this software. While difficult to learn and unlike any user interface you have likely every encountered, Blender is streamlined to help you develop your ideas in 3D. Occasionally compared to Maya. Updated often. Blender was recently used to create the world' first "open movie" called Elephants Dream in which all the materials used to create the animated short were released for free. Blender can be further expanded through such things as plug-ins, external renderers (e.g. Yafray or POVRay), and Python scripts (see Python for more on that programming language).

BOINC! stands for "Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing." BOINC software allows your computer to use its idle time to help out with computational projects staffed by other voluteers running the software around the world. Your computer downloads data packets from a project you sign up to, processes the information, and then sends the results back to the BOINC servers. Popular BOINC projects include Einstein@Home ("a program that uses your computer's idle time to search for spinning neutron stars"), SETI@home (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), the BBC Climate Change Experiment, and Rosetta@home ("help to determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases."). There are many other such "distributed computing" projects other than BOINC! you can participate in. Here is a list of projects from the Open Directory Project.

Compilers are used by computer programmers to convert the source code they create, which contains commands to tell the computer what to do, into a "binary executable file" the computer can then run. Some languages, such as BASIC, are interpreted rather than compiled. Some languages, such as Java, allow programmers to create "platform-independent" programs than can run on different operating systems without changes to the code. The Compilers link at the left leads to a list of compilers from the Open Directory Project. Compilers exist for a number of different computer languages. C and C++ tend to be the most popularly sought compilers, since they are used to create the majority of software in use today. Check out the many C and C++ books we have available at Thrall. If you ever wanted to get into computer programming, here is your opportunity!

Described by its provider as follows: "Create professional quality PDF files from almost any printable document. FREE for personal and commercial use! No watermarks! No popup Web advertisements! Now supports 64-bit Windows."

Described as "a Linux-like environment for Windows," Cygwin provides access to a number of popular Linux/Unix programs in a format that can be used within Windows through the Cygwin environment. Cygwin is not a Linux distribution (see Linux entry for more information on that). Cygwin is for advanced Windows users only.

This formerly commercial software title from Right Hemisphere USA is now available as a free download from Download.com. Deep Paint allows you to create and edit images using a variety of brushes, simulated natural media, and special effects.

As a member of Middletown Thrall Library you have access to a growing collection of eBooks and eAudio Books, which you can download and view on your home computer. Some titles, wherever indicated in the item record, may be transferrable to a portable media device, while other titles also be burned to a CD. Because these electronic files contain DRM (Digital Rights Management), you may be prompted to download new software (such as Overdrive Media Console) or update existing software (such as Windows Media Player). For more downloadable texts, check out Project Gutenberg.

A listing of eBook providers from the Open Directory Project at Dmoz.org.

Browser or search electronic texts made available at the University of Virginia Library. Some texts are restricted to Virginia University users.

For Middletown Thrall Library users only. Free web-based access the complete Britannica encyclopedia. Click on the Britannica link when the next page appears and login using your library card number.

Similar to Thunderbird in that it can offer an alternative to such e-mail clients as Microsoft Outlook Express. Unlike Thunderbird, which is completely free, Eudora comes in three separate modes: Paid, Sponsored, and Light. Sponsored is free at the cost of some functionality and the mandatory presence of advertisements in the program. Light version has less functionality yet but no advertisements.

A free web browser available for different operating systems (Macintosh, Windows, Linux). Firefox has a number of unique features, such as the ability to be customized and extended through themes and extensions. Updated frequently by the Mozilla Foundation. For users who experience problems accessing certain websites, such as SirsiDynix's library catalog (HIP) through other web browsers, such as Internet Explorer or Safari, Firefox could be a workable alternative.

Formerly known as Macromedia Flash Player. Now called Adobe Flash since Adobe acquired Macromedia. This plug-in allows you to view interactive content on the Internet. Flash is used at different websites for different purposes. Some use Flash to display animated advertisements, while others use it to play multimedia (audio, video) content or to display their entire website. Many online game websites require the Flash plug-in.

A directory of downloadable entertainment and edutainment software from Download.com. Some software downloads are demos, whereas others might be freeware (free) or shareware (try before you buy). Categories include Action, Adventure, Arcade, Cards, Puzzles, Sports, and Strategy. Some software is reviewed by C|Net editors and/or other users who have downloaded the software.

Often compared to Adobe Photoshop, GIMP allows you to edit and apply affects to images, such as photographs, as well as to design your own images from scratch. GIMP's functionality can be expanded through plug-ins. GIMP is available for different operating systems and in many languages.

This program works with the Google website to display images of the Earth at variable levels of magnification. Take a virtual trip around the world, explore famous landmarks, or try to find your home. Not all areas are completely zoomable and detailed. The software also allows you to find areas of interest by topic and to toggle information, such as street names, on or off. Google offers some other downloads as well that you might want to check out.

Google recently acquired this software and is now releasing a basic version of it for free. SketchUp allows you to create simple 3D models of things like houses and decks. It is also designed to work in conjunction ith Google Earth. Users craving a more capable 3D creation program might want to consider Blender (see Blender entry).

Download the universe! Really! The Hubble Space Telescope is famous for its breathtaking images of the cosmos. HubbleSite.org not only has images taken from the space-based telescope, it also has a nice collection of wallpaper images designed to be downloaded and used for your desktop. Another website, Space.com, also has an impressive collection of similarly themed wallpaper images.

Thrall library members can use our full text article databases and complete online multimedia encyclopedias, such as World Book, to locate and download images of nearly everything, from art and historic personalities to more contemporary subjects such as space exploration and celebrities. We subscribe to a number of special services so you have free access to information of the highest quality that is not typically found on the Internet. One excellent example is Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, which contains multiple images and extensive information about animals of all kinds. We also have the latest print edition at the library for you to check out! While you could also try your luck at a search engine such as Google Images, it may contain irrelevant, if not offensive images (even with its SafeSearch option on). If you're looking for an image of something, your best bet is still to come to the library and take advantage of the many fine print books, publications, and electronic services we invest in and develop yearly for you!

Often compared to Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape is a "vector graphics" program. Vector graphics remain smooth at any resolution, unlike pixel-based "bitmap" images such as digital photographs, which lose clarity when enlarged. Like Illustrator, Inkscape can be used for desktop publishing purposes and advanced document creation and layout.

View, process, and convert graphics images in many different formats.

As described by the provider: "Java software allows you to run applications called "applets" that are written in the Java programming language. These applets allow you to play online games, chat with people around the world, calculate your mortgage interest, and view images in 3D."

Arranged by age group and topic, this list highlights demos, free, and shareware (try before you buy) software (for PC or Mac) designed to be used by children along with the parents and guardians. Some software listed here might run only on older computers, as many of the programs were written for DOS, Windows 3.1, and Windows 95.

"LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain and release the audio files back onto the net (via podcast and catalog). Our goal is to make all public domain books available as free audio books. We are a totally volunteer, open source, free content, public domain project."

Linux is an entire operating system comparable in ways to Microsoft Windows. Unlike Windows, Linux is "open source" software, which means the source code defining the software is available to anyone for modification. Linux exists in numerous "distributions" which contain a variety of included software. Most Linux distributions are maintained by volunteers and are freely downloadable. Commercial distributions, such as Red Hat, also exist. Installing Linux is usally no easy task, even for knowledgeable and experienced users. Each Linux distribution comes with its own benefits and challenges. Not all computer components, such as audio or video cards or monitors, may be recognized by any given Linux distribution. Despite that, Linux is increasingly popular due to its growing number of freely available software titles. If you're curious, check out the many books we have on Linux at Thrall.

As described by Microsoft, this program "checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom—and helps remove any infection found. When the detection and removal process is complete, the tool displays a report describing the outcome, including which, if any, malicious software was detected and removed. Microsoft releases an updated version of this tool on the second Tuesday of each month, and as needed to respond to security incidents. You can run the tool from this Web page anytime or download it to your computer."

Microsoft's web browser that comes with Windows-based computers. This website contains updates and new versions of their web browser.

If you need to download and view a file that was created in a program such as Microsoft Word or Excel but do not have such programs on your computer, Microsoft provides these "viewers" so you can access that content. Viewers are "read-only," meaning that you can only read files, not edit them.

These "PowerToys" were designed by Microsoft to expand the functionality of Windows XP and allow users to modify certain settings within the XP operating system through such modules as TweakUI and the ClearType Tuner. For advanced Windows XP users only.

Some eBooks require the Microsoft Reader software, which can be downloaded at this website. Also at the Microsoft Reader website is a catalog of free eBooks that can downloaded and viewed once the Microsoft Reader program has been installed. Other titles are available for purchase from such vendors listed here as Amazon.com.

If you have a Windows-based computer and it is not configured to download and apply Microsoft updates automatically, this is Microsoft's website for updates. It really only works with Microsoft Internet Explorer. Prior to updates, Microsoft may require several pre-update updates to be downloaded first. Ironically, your computer's Windows Update system might be obsolete! So don't be surprised if you are prompted to update your updater before doing anything else. Once the Updater has been updated, it scans your computer to see what might be eligible for updating. Things like device drivers (which control things like your monitor, keyboard, mouse, and sound) might need to be updated. Microsoft also issues "critial updates" that address newly revealed security issues in software such as Internet Explorer or Outlook Express. Updates should only really be attempted by experienced users who understand what is entailed in this process and what remains at risk when conducting such operating system updates. As Microsoft usually warns, it is essential to back up all your precious information before updating your computer. Some Microsoft updates might prompt you to restart your computer several times. If you haven't updated your computer in a while, be prepared for some massive downloads! Dial-up users will especially benefit from great patience, as some of these downloads are in the dozens to hundreds of megabytes in the making.

Allows you to read eBooks.

Download and listen to eMusic as well as audio books by logging into the library system's free eBook service. Thrall uses should also check out our freely accessible music databases which we subscribe to on your behalf. Through them you can access even more diverse musical contents, such as Classical.com, African American Song, and Smithsonian Global Sound (World Music).

Enables you to listen to Internet radio stations and hear music by genre and other broadcasts from around the world.

An information management suite. SQL stands for "Structured Query Language" and allows you to store information and retrieve it from databases. For advanced users. The MySQL download link is available from MySQL's home page. Also check out the MySQL books we have at Thrall.

One of the original and most popular web browser alternatives to Microsoft Internet Explorer. Netscape

Powerful text editor often billed as a "Windows Notepad Replacement." Notepad comes with Windows and allows you to edit simple text documents. NoteTab works the same way (it is a "text editor" not a word processor) but contains a number of additional functions.

"More than 25,000 English works in various formats." Search listings by author and title, browse new listings, or browse by author/title/subject.

Comparable in terms of functionality to Microsoft Office Suite, this free collection of integrated programs includes word processing (like Microsoft Word), a spreadsheet (like Excel), a presention designer (like PowerPoint), and database management (like Access/dBase). OpenOffice can also read and write in a variety of file formats, such as those created in Word and Excel.

Like Firefox, an alternative web browser with a number of unique features.

Described by the provider as follows: "Allows you to download and listen to OverDrive Audio Book titles in high-quality Windows Media Audio format on any Windows computer. OverDrive Media Console also permits you to create and burn CDs of your audio books (when allowed by the publisher) for use in your car, home stereo, or portable CD player. OverDrive Media Console grants you the added functionality to transfer your audio books to supported portable devices."

Provided by Google, which says Picasa "helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. You can drag and drop to arrange your albums and make labels to create new groups. Picasa makes sure your pictures are always organized. Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips. And Picasa makes it a snap to share your pictures – you can email, print photos at home, make gift CDs, instantly share via Hello, and even post pictures on your own blog."

Allows you to draw, paint, and create animations on your PC.

One of the most popular provider of freely downloable eBooks. Download the full text of classics by Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Dickens, and many other writers. There are approximately 18,000 titles in the Project Gutenberg collection.

Quickly becoming a favorite among aspiring and professional programmers, Python is described as "a dynamic object-oriented programming language that can be used for many kinds of software development. It offers strong support for integration with other languages and tools, comes with extensive standard libraries, and can be learned in a few days." We have some books on Python in case you're interested.

Apple QuickTime is required to view video and hear audio streams encoded in the QuickTime format. QuickTime is often used to display such things as movie previews ("trailers").

Allows you to play multimedia (audio, video) content on the Internet or on your computer (CDs, MP3 files). This software is required to access services such as our licensed music databases.

Apple's popular browser is now available to Windows users as a beta download. Since the software is still in beta, it might not work on all systems. Check their website for more information.

Formerly from Macromedia, now acquired and provided by Adobe. Like Flash, Shockwave enables you to download and work with interactive content. A growing number of websites, particularly online game websites, require Flash and Shockwave.

Described by the provider as "advanced utilities, technical information, and source code related to Windows internals." These programs might be of interest to advanced Windows users.

The McGill English Dictionary of Rhyme is available as a free download at this website. Find rhymes for words!

Described by its provider as follows: "Spybot Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat that common anti-virus applications do not yet cover. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, or if you browser start page has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware. But even if you don't see anything, you may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging that is silently tracking your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile of you that will be sold to advertisement companies. Spybot-S&D is free." Also check out the Ad-Award entry.

Downloadable versions of some of the documents we publish the library. Documents include Thrall's newsletters, annual reports, and informational handouts. To view these documents you will need the Adobe Reader (see the Adobe entry).

This is an "e-mail client," a program that enables you to retrieve and send e-mail on your computer. Thunderbird is available for different operating systems (e.g. Macintosh, Windows, Linux). Some users prefer this to e-mail software such as Outlook Express. Thunderbird's unique features include "adaptive spam filtration," the ability to manage multiple e-mail accounts through one interface, and other security options.

TIFF is a special graphics file format that is used by websites, such as USPTO.gov (United States Patent and Trademark Office) to display documents. TIFF stands for "Tag Image File Format." TIFFs are favored for archival purposes because they are "lossless," unlike jpeg images, which can be compressed (i.e. made smaller in file size) but at the expense of detail and clarity in the image. While jpeg files are usually small, TIFF files are typically huge and can easily occupy several megabytes.

For Middletown Thrall Library users only. Free web access to complete reference works on major literary works and authors.

A free video editor with advanced audio and video processing and compression capabilities.

For Middletown Thrall Library users only. Free web access to complete reference works, such as the Encyclopedia of Irish History and Culture and the Encyclopedia of Religion.

From Symantec, developer of Norton Antivirus security software. These programs attempt to scan for and remove individual viruses from a computer. These programs are not substitutes for current and complete virus protection. Even if you purchased a new computer, your system might be at risk of computer virus infection if the software was not configured properly to automatically update itself. Many computers only come with limited subscriptions (e.g. three months"), if they come with any virus protection at all. Inquire with your computer's manufacturer to learn more about the Internet security software that may or many not have been installed on your computer and take steps to make sure your current software is updated or new antivirus software is installed immediately to protect your system.

This media player allows you to hear audio and view video files in many different forms.

Enables users with Microsoft Windows operating systems on their computers to play multimedia (audio, video) content.

A free dictionary and thesaurus available for Windows PCs. Contains 140,000 words and 115,000 synonyms.

For Middletown Thrall Library users only. Free web access to the entire World Book encyclopedia. Click on the World Book link when the next page appears and login using your library card number.

Downloads for popular Yahoo! software, such as its Instant Messenger.

Zone Labs provides a variety of firewalls, which can provide an additional layer of protection between your computer and others computer on the Internet. A free edition of ZoneAlarm exists. If your computer does not have a firewall enabled, your computer could be at risk. To learn more about firewalls, visit this How Stuff Works website. To explore other firewall providers, see this list from the Open Directory Project.

Enables you to view formatted PDF (Portable Document Format) texts posted on the Internet and print them out. Government reports, and eBooks are examples of PDF documents.

Described by its provider as follows: "Create professional quality PDF files from almost any printable document. FREE for personal and commercial use! No watermarks! No popup Web advertisements! Now supports 64-bit Windows."

As a member of Middletown Thrall Library you have access to a growing collection of eBooks and eAudio Books, which you can download and view on your home computer. Some titles, wherever indicated in the item record, may be transferrable to a portable media device, while other titles also be burned to a CD. Because these electronic files contain DRM (Digital Rights Management), you may be prompted to download new software (such as Overdrive Media Console) or update existing software (such as Windows Media Player). For more downloadable texts, check out Project Gutenberg.

Often compared to Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape is a "vector graphics" program. Vector graphics remain smooth at any resolution, unlike pixel-based "bitmap" images such as digital photographs, which lose clarity when enlarged. Like Illustrator, Inkscape can be used for desktop publishing purposes and advanced document creation and layout.

Allows you to read eBooks.

Powerful text editor often billed as a "Windows Notepad Replacement." Notepad comes with Windows and allows you to edit simple text documents. NoteTab works the same way (it is a "text editor" not a word processor) but contains a number of additional functions.

Comparable in terms of functionality to Microsoft Office Suite, this free collection of integrated programs includes word processing (like Microsoft Word), a spreadsheet (like Excel), a presention designer (like PowerPoint), and database management (like Access/dBase). OpenOffice can also read and write in a variety of file formats, such as those created in Word and Excel.

One of the most popular provider of freely downloable eBooks. Download the full text of classics by Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Dickens, and many other writers. There are approximately 18,000 titles in the Project Gutenberg collection.

Downloadable versions of some of the documents we publish the library. Documents include Thrall's newsletters, annual reports, and informational handouts. To view these documents you will need the Adobe Reader (see the Adobe entry).

TIFF is a special graphics file format that is used by websites, such as USPTO.gov (United States Patent and Trademark Office) to display documents. TIFF stands for "Tag Image File Format." TIFFs are favored for archival purposes because they are "lossless," unlike jpeg images, which can be compressed (i.e. made smaller in file size) but at the expense of detail and clarity in the image. While jpeg files are usually small, TIFF files are typically huge and can easily occupy several megabytes.

A free dictionary and thesaurus available for Windows PCs. Contains 140,000 words and 115,000 synonyms.

Enables you to view formatted PDF (Portable Document Format) texts posted on the Internet and print them out. Government reports, and eBooks are examples of PDF documents.

Online editions of major classics and reference works, such as Bartlett's Quotations.

"Bibliomania has thousands of e-books, poems, articles, short stories and plays all of which are absolutely free. You can read the world's greatest fiction by authors such as Dickens and Joyce, Sherlock Holmes mysteries, all Shakespeare's plays, or just dip into some short stories by writers such as Mark Twain, Anton Chekov and Edgar Allan Poe. We add many books every month along with new articles and interviews by our team of dedicated literary sleuths."

As a member of Middletown Thrall Library you have access to a growing collection of eBooks and eAudio Books, which you can download and view on your home computer. Some titles, wherever indicated in the item record, may be transferrable to a portable media device, while other titles also be burned to a CD. Because these electronic files contain DRM (Digital Rights Management), you may be prompted to download new software (such as Overdrive Media Console) or update existing software (such as Windows Media Player). For more downloadable texts, check out Project Gutenberg.

A listing of eBook providers from the Open Directory Project at Dmoz.org.

Browser or search electronic texts made available at the University of Virginia Library. Some texts are restricted to Virginia University users.

For Middletown Thrall Library users only. Free access the entire Britannica encyclopedia. Click on the Britannica link when the next page appears and login using your library card number.

As described by the provider: "The EServer is a growing online community where hundreds of writers, artists, editors and scholars gather to publish works as open archives, available free of charge to readers." Classics, drama, nonfiction, and more.

Google has collaborated with various institutions to digitize books and make them searchable through Google Book Search. Books that are said to be in the public domain are being offered as complete Adobe PDF downloads. Check the "Full view books" option on Google's page to limit your search to fully downloadable works. Other works have only limited previews.

"LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain and release the audio files back onto the net (via podcast and catalog). Our goal is to make all public domain books available as free audio books. We are a totally volunteer, open source, free content, public domain project."

Some eBooks require the Microsoft Reader software, which can be downloaded at this website. Also at the Microsoft Reader website is a catalog of free eBooks that can downloaded and viewed once the Microsoft Reader program has been installed. Other titles are available for purchase from such vendors listed here as Amazon.com.

Allows you to read eBooks.

"More than 25,000 English works in various formats." Search listings by author and title, browse new listings, or browse by author/title/subject.

Described by the provider as follows: "Allows you to download and listen to OverDrive Audio Book titles in high-quality Windows Media Audio format on any Windows computer. OverDrive Media Console also permits you to create and burn CDs of your audio books (when allowed by the publisher) for use in your car, home stereo, or portable CD player. OverDrive Media Console grants you the added functionality to transfer your audio books to supported portable devices."

Described by the provider as "an educational resource to aid students, educators, and the curious. We have collected thousands of classical poems to help you recall fond memories or to help create new ones. Our database is searchable by first-line, author and poem title by key words using the search feature located on the top right corner of each page."

One of the most popular provider of freely downloable eBooks. Download the full text of classics by Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Dickens, and many other authors. There are approximately 18,000 titles in the Project Gutenberg collection.

For Middletown Thrall Library users only. Free web access to complete reference works on major literary works and authors.

For Middletown Thrall Library users only. Free web access to complete reference works, such as the Encyclopedia of Irish History and Culture and the Encyclopedia of Religion.

For Middletown Thrall Library users only. Free web access to the entire World Book encyclopedia. Click on the World Book link when the next page appears and login using your library card number.

Enables you to view formatted PDF (Portable Document Format) texts posted on the Internet and print them out. Government reports, and eBooks are examples of PDF documents.

The free version of this popular "natural media" art program allows you to draw, paint, and edit images on your computer.

A multi-track audio recorder, editor, and processor for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. View the list of Audacity's features.

A free and comprehensive 3D creation software suite available for many different computers. You can create 2D and 3D characters, environments, games, animations and more with this software. While difficult to learn and unlike any user interface you have likely every encountered, Blender is streamlined to help you develop your ideas in 3D. Occasionally compared to Maya. Updated often. Blender was recently used to create the world' first "open movie" called Elephants Dream in which all the materials used to create the animated short were released for free. Blender can be further expanded through such things as plug-ins, external renderers (e.g. Yafray or POVRay), and Python scripts (see Python for more on that programming language).

This formerly commercial software title from Right Hemisphere USA is now available as a free download from Download.com. Deep Paint allows you to create and edit images using a variety of brushes, simulated natural media, and special effects.

Formerly known as Macromedia Flash Player. Now called Adobe Flash since Adobe acquired Macromedia. This plug-in allows you to view interactive content on the Internet. Flash is used at different websites for different purposes. Some use Flash to display animated advertisements, while others use it to play multimedia (audio, video) content or to display their entire website. Many online game websites require the Flash plug-in.

Often compared to Adobe Photoshop, GIMP allows you to edit and apply affects to images, such as photographs, as well as to design your own images from scratch. GIMP's functionality can be expanded through plug-ins. GIMP is available for different operating systems and in many languages.

Google recently acquired this software and is now releasing a basic version of it for free. SketchUp allows you to create simple 3D models of things like houses and decks. It is also designed to work in conjunction ith Google Earth. Users craving a more capable 3D creation program might want to consider Blender (see Blender entry).

Download the universe! Really! The Hubble Space Telescope is famous for its breathtaking images of the cosmos. HubbleSite.org not only has images taken from the space-based telescope, it also has a nice collection of wallpaper images designed to be downloaded and used for your desktop. Another website, Space.com, also has an impressive collection of similarly themed wallpaper images.

Thrall library members can use our full text article databases and complete online multimedia encyclopedias, such as World Book, to locate and download images of nearly everything, from art and historic personalities to more contemporary subjects such as space exploration and celebrities. We subscribe to a number of special services so you have free access to information of the highest quality that is not typically found on the Internet. One excellent example is Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, which contains multiple images and extensive information about animals of all kinds. We also have the latest print edition at the library for you to check out! While you could also try your luck at a search engine such as Google Images, it may contain irrelevant, if not offensive images (even with its SafeSearch option on). If you're looking for an image of something, your best bet is still to come to the library and take advantage of the many fine print books, publications, and electronic services we invest in and develop yearly for you!

Often compared to Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape is a "vector graphics" program. Vector graphics remain smooth at any resolution, unlike pixel-based "bitmap" images such as digital photographs, which lose clarity when enlarged. Like Illustrator, Inkscape can be used for desktop publishing purposes and advanced document creation and layout.

View, process, and convert graphics images in many different formats.

Download and listen to eMusic as well as audio books by logging into the library system's free eBook service. Thrall uses should also check out our freely accessible music databases which we subscribe to on your behalf. Through them you can access even more diverse musical contents, such as Classical.com, African American Song, and Smithsonian Global Sound (World Music).

Enables you to listen to Internet radio stations and hear music by genre and other broadcasts from around the world.

Described by the provider as follows: "Allows you to download and listen to OverDrive Audio Book titles in high-quality Windows Media Audio format on any Windows computer. OverDrive Media Console also permits you to create and burn CDs of your audio books (when allowed by the publisher) for use in your car, home stereo, or portable CD player. OverDrive Media Console grants you the added functionality to transfer your audio books to supported portable devices."

Provided by Google, which says Picasa "helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. You can drag and drop to arrange your albums and make labels to create new groups. Picasa makes sure your pictures are always organized. Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips. And Picasa makes it a snap to share your pictures – you can email, print photos at home, make gift CDs, instantly share via Hello, and even post pictures on your own blog."

Allows you to draw, paint, and create animations on your PC.

Apple QuickTime is required to view video and hear audio streams encoded in the QuickTime format. QuickTime is often used to display such things as movie previews ("trailers").

Allows you to play multimedia (audio, video) content on the Internet or on your computer (CDs, MP3 files). This software is required to access services such as our licensed music databases.

Formerly from Macromedia, now acquired and provided by Adobe. Like Flash, Shockwave enables you to download and work with interactive content. A growing number of websites, particularly online game websites, require Flash and Shockwave.

TIFF is a special graphics file format that is used by websites, such as USPTO.gov (United States Patent and Trademark Office) to display documents. TIFF stands for "Tag Image File Format." TIFFs are favored for archival purposes because they are "lossless," unlike jpeg images, which can be compressed (i.e. made smaller in file size) but at the expense of detail and clarity in the image. While jpeg files are usually small, TIFF files are typically huge and can easily occupy several megabytes.

A free video editor with advanced audio and video processing and compression capabilities.

This media player allows you to hear audio and view video files in many different forms.

Enables users with Microsoft Windows operating systems on their computers to play multimedia (audio, video) content.

The free version of this popular "natural media" art program allows you to draw, paint, and edit images on your computer.

This formerly commercial software title from Right Hemisphere USA is now available as a free download from Download.com. Deep Paint allows you to create and edit images using a variety of brushes, simulated natural media, and special effects.

As a member of Middletown Thrall Library you have access to a growing collection of eBooks and eAudio Books, which you can download and view on your home computer. Some titles, wherever indicated in the item record, may be transferrable to a portable media device, while other titles also be burned to a CD. Because these electronic files contain DRM (Digital Rights Management), you may be prompted to download new software (such as Overdrive Media Console) or update existing software (such as Windows Media Player). For more downloadable texts, check out Project Gutenberg.

Formerly known as Macromedia Flash Player. Now called Adobe Flash since Adobe acquired Macromedia. This plug-in allows you to view interactive content on the Internet. Flash is used at different websites for different purposes. Some use Flash to display animated advertisements, while others use it to play multimedia (audio, video) content or to display their entire website. Many online game websites require the Flash plug-in.

A directory of downloadable entertainment and edutainment software from Download.com. Some software downloads are demos, whereas others might be freeware (free) or shareware (try before you buy). Categories include Action, Adventure, Arcade, Cards, Puzzles, Sports, and Strategy. Some software is reviewed by C|Net editors and/or other users who have downloaded the software.

This program works with the Google website to display images of the Earth at variable levels of magnification. Take a virtual trip around the world, explore famous landmarks, or try to find your home. Not all areas are completely zoomable and detailed. The software also allows you to find areas of interest by topic and to toggle information, such as street names, on or off. Google offers some other downloads as well that you might want to check out.

Download the universe! Really! The Hubble Space Telescope is famous for its breathtaking images of the cosmos. HubbleSite.org not only has images taken from the space-based telescope, it also has a nice collection of wallpaper images designed to be downloaded and used for your desktop. Another website, Space.com, also has an impressive collection of similarly themed wallpaper images.

Arranged by age group and topic, this list highlights demos, free, and shareware (try before you buy) software (for PC or Mac) designed to be used by children along with the parents and guardians. Some software listed here might run only on older computers, as many of the programs were written for DOS, Windows 3.1, and Windows 95.

Download and listen to eMusic as well as audio books by logging into the library system's free eBook service. Thrall uses should also check out our freely accessible music databases which we subscribe to on your behalf. Through them you can access even more diverse musical contents, such as Classical.com, African American Song, and Smithsonian Global Sound (World Music).

Enables you to listen to Internet radio stations and hear music by genre and other broadcasts from around the world.

Provided by Google, which says Picasa "helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. You can drag and drop to arrange your albums and make labels to create new groups. Picasa makes sure your pictures are always organized. Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips. And Picasa makes it a snap to share your pictures – you can email, print photos at home, make gift CDs, instantly share via Hello, and even post pictures on your own blog."

Formerly from Macromedia, now acquired and provided by Adobe. Like Flash, Shockwave enables you to download and work with interactive content. A growing number of websites, particularly online game websites, require Flash and Shockwave.

The McGill English Dictionary of Rhyme is available as a free download at this website. Find rhymes for words!

Enables you to view formatted PDF (Portable Document Format) texts posted on the Internet and print them out. Government reports, and eBooks are examples of PDF documents.

Formerly known as Macromedia Flash Player. Now called Adobe Flash since Adobe acquired Macromedia. This plug-in allows you to view interactive content on the Internet. Flash is used at different websites for different purposes. Some use Flash to display animated advertisements, while others use it to play multimedia (audio, video) content or to display their entire website. Many online game websites require the Flash plug-in.

View, process, and convert graphics images in many different formats.

As described by the provider: "Java software allows you to run applications called "applets" that are written in the Java programming language. These applets allow you to play online games, chat with people around the world, calculate your mortgage interest, and view images in 3D."

Allows you to read eBooks.

Enables you to listen to Internet radio stations and hear music by genre and other broadcasts from around the world.

Apple QuickTime is required to view video and hear audio streams encoded in the QuickTime format. QuickTime is often used to display such things as movie previews ("trailers").

Allows you to play multimedia (audio, video) content on the Internet or on your computer (CDs, MP3 files). This software is required to access services such as our licensed music databases.

Formerly from Macromedia, now acquired and provided by Adobe. Like Flash, Shockwave enables you to download and work with interactive content. A growing number of websites, particularly online game websites, require Flash and Shockwave.

TIFF is a special graphics file format that is used by websites, such as USPTO.gov (United States Patent and Trademark Office) to display documents. TIFF stands for "Tag Image File Format." TIFFs are favored for archival purposes because they are "lossless," unlike jpeg images, which can be compressed (i.e. made smaller in file size) but at the expense of detail and clarity in the image. While jpeg files are usually small, TIFF files are typically huge and can easily occupy several megabytes.

This media player allows you to hear audio and view video files in many different forms.

Enables users with Microsoft Windows operating systems on their computers to play multimedia (audio, video) content.

As described by the provider: "Ad-Aware Personal provides advanced protection from known data-mining, aggressive advertising, Trojans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers, and tracking components."

Described by its provider as follows: "Protection and security against viruses, worms, Trojan horses and dialers." Available for Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP, Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris operating systems. Also check out Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Toolkit and Symantec's Virus Removal Tools below.

AVG offers a free edition of their antivirus protection software. The free edition does not protect against spyware or spam, nor does it provide a firewall.

A free web browser available for different operating systems (Macintosh, Windows, Linux). Firefox has a number of unique features, such as the ability to be customized and extended through themes and extensions. Updated frequently by the Mozilla Foundation. For users who experience problems accessing certain websites, such as SirsiDynix's library catalog (HIP) through other web browsers, such as Internet Explorer or Safari, Firefox could be a workable alternative.

As described by Microsoft, this program "checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom—and helps remove any infection found. When the detection and removal process is complete, the tool displays a report describing the outcome, including which, if any, malicious software was detected and removed. Microsoft releases an updated version of this tool on the second Tuesday of each month, and as needed to respond to security incidents. You can run the tool from this Web page anytime or download it to your computer."

If you have a Windows-based computer and it is not configured to download and apply Microsoft updates automatically, this is Microsoft's website for updates. It really only works with Microsoft Internet Explorer. Prior to updates, Microsoft may require several pre-update updates to be downloaded first. Ironically, your computer's Windows Update system might be obsolete! So don't be surprised if you are prompted to update your updater before doing anything else. Once the Updater has been updated, it scans your computer to see what might be eligible for updating. Things like device drivers (which control things like your monitor, keyboard, mouse, and sound) might need to be updated. Microsoft also issues "critial updates" that address newly revealed security issues in software such as Internet Explorer or Outlook Express. Updates should only really be attempted by experienced users who understand what is entailed in this process and what remains at risk when conducting such operating system updates. As Microsoft usually warns, it is essential to back up all your precious information before updating your computer. Some Microsoft updates might prompt you to restart your computer several times. If you haven't updated your computer in a while, be prepared for some massive downloads! Dial-up users will especially benefit from great patience, as some of these downloads are in the dozens to hundreds of megabytes in the making.

Described by its provider as follows: "Spybot Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat that common anti-virus applications do not yet cover. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, or if you browser start page has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware. But even if you don't see anything, you may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging that is silently tracking your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile of you that will be sold to advertisement companies. Spybot-S&D is free." Also check out the Ad-Award entry.

From Symantec, developer of Norton Antivirus security software. These programs attempt to scan for and remove individual viruses from a computer. These programs are not substitutes for current and complete virus protection. Even if you purchased a new computer, your system might be at risk of computer virus infection if the software was not configured properly to automatically update itself. Many computers only come with limited subscriptions (e.g. three months"), if they come with any virus protection at all. Inquire with your computer's manufacturer to learn more about the Internet security software that may or many not have been installed on your computer and take steps to make sure your current software is updated or new antivirus software is installed immediately to protect your system.

Zone Labs provides a variety of firewalls, which can provide an additional layer of protection between your computer and others computer on the Internet. A free edition of ZoneAlarm exists. If your computer does not have a firewall enabled, your computer could be at risk. To learn more about firewalls, visit this How Stuff Works website. To explore other firewall providers, see this list from the Open Directory Project.

Home of the famous Apache HTTP server, which is said to power up to 70% of website servers currently in existence. For advanced Unix/Linux users, IT professionals, and network administrators. We have some books on Apache software at the library for more information.

BOINC! stands for "Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing." BOINC software allows your computer to use its idle time to help out with computational projects staffed by other voluteers running the software around the world. Your computer downloads data packets from a project you sign up to, processes the information, and then sends the results back to the BOINC servers. Popular BOINC projects include Einstein@Home ("a program that uses your computer's idle time to search for spinning neutron stars"), SETI@home (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), the BBC Climate Change Experiment, and Rosetta@home ("help to determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases."). There are many other such "distributed computing" projects other than BOINC! you can participate in. Here is a list of projects from the Open Directory Project.

Compilers are used by computer programmers to convert the source code they create, which contains commands to tell the computer what to do, into a "binary executable file" the computer can then run. Some languages, such as BASIC, are interpreted rather than compiled. Some languages, such as Java, allow programmers to create "platform-independent" programs than can run on different operating systems without changes to the code. The Compilers link at the left leads to a list of compilers from the Open Directory Project. Compilers exist for a number of different computer languages. C and C++ tend to be the most popularly sought compilers, since they are used to create the majority of software in use today. Check out the many C and C++ books we have available at Thrall. If you ever wanted to get into computer programming, here is your opportunity!

Described as "a Linux-like environment for Windows," Cygwin provides access to a number of popular Linux/Unix programs in a format that can be used within Windows through the Cygwin environment. Cygwin is not a Linux distribution (see Linux entry for more information on that). Cygwin is for advanced Windows users only.

Often compared to Adobe Photoshop, GIMP allows you to edit and apply affects to images, such as photographs, as well as to design your own images from scratch. GIMP's functionality can be expanded through plug-ins. GIMP is available for different operating systems and in many languages.

View, process, and convert graphics images in many different formats.

As described by the provider: "Java software allows you to run applications called "applets" that are written in the Java programming language. These applets allow you to play online games, chat with people around the world, calculate your mortgage interest, and view images in 3D."

Linux is an entire operating system comparable in ways to Microsoft Windows. Unlike Windows, Linux is "open source" software, which means the source code defining the software is available to anyone for modification. Linux exists in numerous "distributions" which contain a variety of included software. Most Linux distributions are maintained by volunteers and are freely downloadable. Commercial distributions, such as Red Hat, also exist. Installing Linux is usally no easy task, even for knowledgeable and experienced users. Each Linux distribution comes with its own benefits and challenges. Not all computer components, such as audio or video cards or monitors, may be recognized by any given Linux distribution. Despite that, Linux is increasingly popular due to its growing number of freely available software titles. If you're curious, check out the many books we have on Linux at Thrall.

These "PowerToys" were designed by Microsoft to expand the functionality of Windows XP and allow users to modify certain settings within the XP operating system through such modules as TweakUI and the ClearType Tuner. For advanced Windows XP users only.

If you have a Windows-based computer and it is not configured to download and apply Microsoft updates automatically, this is Microsoft's website for updates. It really only works with Microsoft Internet Explorer. Prior to updates, Microsoft may require several pre-update updates to be downloaded first. Ironically, your computer's Windows Update system might be obsolete! So don't be surprised if you are prompted to update your updater before doing anything else. Once the Updater has been updated, it scans your computer to see what might be eligible for updating. Things like device drivers (which control things like your monitor, keyboard, mouse, and sound) might need to be updated. Microsoft also issues "critial updates" that address newly revealed security issues in software such as Internet Explorer or Outlook Express. Updates should only really be attempted by experienced users who understand what is entailed in this process and what remains at risk when conducting such operating system updates. As Microsoft usually warns, it is essential to back up all your precious information before updating your computer. Some Microsoft updates might prompt you to restart your computer several times. If you haven't updated your computer in a while, be prepared for some massive downloads! Dial-up users will especially benefit from great patience, as some of these downloads are in the dozens to hundreds of megabytes in the making.

An information management suite. SQL stands for "Structured Query Language" and allows you to store information and retrieve it from databases. For advanced users. The MySQL download link is available from MySQL's home page. Also check out the MySQL books we have at Thrall.

Powerful text editor often billed as a "Windows Notepad Replacement." Notepad comes with Windows and allows you to edit simple text documents. NoteTab works the same way (it is a "text editor" not a word processor) but contains a number of additional functions.

Quickly becoming a favorite among aspiring and professional programmers, Python is described as "a dynamic object-oriented programming language that can be used for many kinds of software development. It offers strong support for integration with other languages and tools, comes with extensive standard libraries, and can be learned in a few days." We have some books on Python in case you're interested.

Described by the provider as "advanced utilities, technical information, and source code related to Windows internals." These programs might be of interest to advanced Windows users.

Zone Labs provides a variety of firewalls, which can provide an additional layer of protection between your computer and others computer on the Internet. A free edition of ZoneAlarm exists. If your computer does not have a firewall enabled, your computer could be at risk. To learn more about firewalls, visit this How Stuff Works website. To explore other firewall providers, see this list from the Open Directory Project.

Similar to Thunderbird in that it can offer an alternative to such e-mail clients as Microsoft Outlook Express. Unlike Thunderbird, which is completely free, Eudora comes in three separate modes: Paid, Sponsored, and Light. Sponsored is free at the cost of some functionality and the mandatory presence of advertisements in the program. Light version has less functionality yet but no advertisements.

A free web browser available for different operating systems (Macintosh, Windows, Linux). Firefox has a number of unique features, such as the ability to be customized and extended through themes and extensions. Updated frequently by the Mozilla Foundation. For users who experience problems accessing certain websites, such as SirsiDynix's library catalog (HIP) through other web browsers, such as Internet Explorer or Safari, Firefox could be a workable alternative.

Microsoft's web browser that comes with Windows-based computers. This website contains updates and new versions of their web browser.

One of the original and most popular web browser alternatives to Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Like Firefox, an alternative web browser with a number of unique features.

Apple's popular browser is now available to Windows users as a beta download. Since the software is still in beta, it might not work on all systems. Check their website for more information.

This is an "e-mail client," a program that enables you to retrieve and send e-mail on your computer. Thunderbird is available for different operating systems (e.g. Macintosh, Windows, Linux). Some users prefer this to e-mail software such as Outlook Express. Thunderbird's unique features include "adaptive spam filtration," the ability to manage multiple e-mail accounts through one interface, and other security options.