Free software that I find useful

Ubuntu is a distro for GNU/Linux that I use for my programming work.

GNU Emacs is a text editor and a religion in itself that is available on almost all platforms. Here is a list of its features, listed in order of decreasing coolness: Support for editing programs in virtually any language. I use Emacs to edit the following file types (in alphabetical order): Bash Script , binary , Blitz BASIC , C , C++ , C.S.S. , Emacs Lisp , H.T.M.L. , Java , JavaScript , LaTeX , m4 , Makefile , MyS.Q.L. , P.H.P. , and Pov-Ray . If Emacs does not support your favourite language, it can be easily made so that it does. Built-in Emacs Lisp programming language for implementing virtually any conceivable feature. You can read an article about some of the features that I have added to Emacs . Here is why Emacs is so good: Customisable Syntax Highlighting C/C++ keywords, comments and strings in their own colours. C/C++ global variables in a different colour from local variables (a feature invented by me). The downside of this feature is that global variables must be prefixed by the word global_. Using too many global variables can be a source of bugs in a program, so it is useful to have syntax highlighting of their use. The dabbrev feature (see below) helps to mitigate the cost in terms of extra typing from longer variable names. C/C++ Super Comments (a feature invented by me). Super Comments start with /// and end with the end of line. Super Comments are highlighted brighter then normal C/C++ comments and are analogous to Java’s /** ... */ comments in that they contain text for the programmer to read rather that just commented-out code. C++ Allegro graphics library function calls in their own colour (a feature invented by me). Whatever libraries you use, it is possible to set up syntax highlighting for those libraries. You can view a screen-shot of Emacs’ syntax highlighting using my personal choices of colours. Note: keywords are in bold black, function definition names are in bold black foreground with yellow background, types are in blue bold, comments are in dark green italics unbold, super comments are in red italics bold, strings are in black foreground with a blue background, variable definitions are in blue unbold, class properties are in orange bold and global variables are in green bold. I am using a variant of the much maligned Hungarian notation so that Emacs is able to highlight global variables and class properties in different colours. Without Hungarian notation such as prop_* for properties and global_* for global variables it would be impossible to do the syntax highlighting so that is why I use it. Integrated make, gdb, grep, dired, info, calendar and eshell etc. means that programmers almost never need to leave Emacs while doing useful work. Dynamic Abbreviations (dabbrev). For example: press z, and then repeatedly press Alt-/ to cycle through all words in memory that start with ‘‘z’’. This feature allows you to use long variable names (which are more descriptive than short variable names) without needing to type them in every time you use them. Automatic indentation, so there is no need to waste time aligning code by hand. Unlimited undo/redo. Find matching brackets. Re-definable keys to reduce the risk of developing R.S.I. (Repetitive Strain Injury). For example I have defined all of the function keys F1 - F12 to achieve different commonly-used operations, such as F1 for help, F2 to save all currently edited files, F3 to save and purge all currently edited files, F4 to delete all but one window, F5 to activate cbrow my own C++ class browser, F6 to toggle the value of the variable selective-display for folding and unfolding of buffers, F7 to toggle read-only status, F8 to undo and F9 to compile, F10 to go from *.hts files to *.html files, Shift F10 to go from *.html files back to *.hts files F11 is bound by Ubuntu to toggle maximisation of the current frame, Shift F11 is bound to dmp-complete-file, F12 is bound to eval-last-sexp, Shift F12 is bound to dmp-complete-lisp for Lisp dynamic symbol abbreviations. I have also redefined the command find-file from Control-x Control-f to the shorter Control-f or Control-d because it is used so much.

The downside of Emacs is that it is inevitably weighed down by its many features and can be quite daunting to learn. As a result I would only recommend this program to fellow nerds. The GNU/Linux system which includes such programs as: bash ls mv cp grep find gcc make tar gzip m4 sed , etc. I use GNU/Linux For generating my Website I use m4 and Emacs’ batch mode to generate pages with a wide variety of fonts and colours and hierarchical menus.

The Mozilla Firefox Web Browser gives me freedom from pop-up windows that plagues the Internet Explorer Web Browser.

The GNU m4 preprocessor which I use for designing all of my Websites. Of its many features, the ones that I use are file inclusion, macros, conditional constructs and shell commands. An example of its use is the navigation aids at the top and bottom of every page in this Website. I have written an article that shows how I use m4 in this Website .

IrfanView is a Windows graphics program. It has a lot of useful features such as cropping, re-sizing, format conversion, batch conversion, gamma correction, image effects, etc. What’s better is that this program works under GNU/Linux using the program Wine.

Goldwave is a Windows sound sample editor program. This program also works under GNU/Linux using the program Wine. Warning: this program is not free but at least it is cheap.

Exact Audio Copy (E.A.C.) and Foobar2000 are a pair of applications that serve as a superior replacement for Windows Media Player for the purposes of (respectively) ripping and playing music files. Foobar2000 is superior to Windows Media Player because you can change the artist name and album name of multiple music files at the same time, whereas with Windows Media Player you need to change them one at a time. Also the random play feature of Foobar2000 also is more random than Windows Media Player’s random play feature. E.A.C. is superior to Windows Media Player because it rips tracks with fewer errors. I have a 1 TB Hard Drive for the purpose of storing my entire CD collection (655 GB *.flac files) so that tracks can be played at random with no repeats for over 5 weeks of continuous playing. This gives better performance than most radio stations and anyhow is better than any radio station because it only plays songs that I like and have chosen to be in the play-list. For those of you who are interested in my stereo, here are my specs: WireWorld U.S.B. cable connecting the computer to the DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter). Naim DAC-V1 DAC and Headphone Amplifier . See the following review about the Naim DAC-V1. Sennheiser HD 800 Headphones . See the following review . This is the best product that Sennheiser make and it is so good that, in conjunction with the Naim DAC and Headphone Amplifier, it makes C.D.’s sound like crap. I need to upgrade my C.D. collection to 24 bit 96 kHz sampling rate files or even better: 24 bit 192 kHz sampling rate files.