Four great multi-protocol chat clients

May be you too have a great deal of friends dispersed over many different chat protocols and it is imperative that you talk to them regularly to keep in touch. If so then you might be looking for a multi-protocol chat client (a chat client that can be used on any network), that is to say a chat client that can connect to AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk (Jabber) and even ICQ (does anyone even use ICQ anymore?).

All the applications mentioned below are free and open source and can be customized to any taste you like. Each one has its own plus points and negative points, so choose wisely before you start using any of them. One key thing you need to keep in mind before you start using any of these messaging clients is that you wont be able to use the features each protocol offers to its fullest.

What I mean by that is, for example MSN has a feature where you can 'nudge' your friends if you're in a hurry to receive a reply. However with these messaging clients you'll need to install special plug-ins to do that before you can start chatting.

Trillian Basic (Windows Only, for now anyway) - This little application will allow you to chat on MSN, Yahoo IM, AIM, and even IRC with the least amount of configuration. It has a wide array of customizable skins and plug-ins that you can install quite easily. It's bigger brother Trillian Pro is a paid application but you'll most likely wont need the additional features if you're just going to use AIM or MSN. The upcoming version of Trillian, Trillian Astra has a host of other features and works on a Mac, iPhone and is accessible through a web-interface.


Adium (Mac Only) - Hands down the best multi-protocol application on a mac (even superior to its Windows twins for that matter). It can connect to pretty much any protocol out there and almost every little part of this application is tweakable. Take a look at Adium Xtras to get a glimpse of the customization options in this great application. If you're fortunate enough to be able to use a Mac as your computer, Adium should be your chat client.


Pidgin IM (Windows and Linux) - This is great for people who want to chat with everyone but don't really care about the look and customization abilities of their chat client. It supports

• AIM
• Bonjour
• Gadu-Gadu
• Google Talk
• Groupwise
• ICQ
• IRC
• MSN
• MySpaceIM
• QQ
• SILC
• SIMPLE
• Sametime
• XMPP
• Yahoo!
• Zephyr

If that's all you need then Pidgin IM is the choice for you. If you want to customize your chat client a little more you'll want to get Miranda.

Miranda IM - This is the ultimate small, lightweight, cuztomizable multi-protocol chat client if and only if you are ready to spend 30 minutes configuring the chat client. If you're comfortable with the default look and the default features of the application then you'll love this light weight client.


However, if you want the client to look a little better and function with several other protocols you'll have spend a lot of time in getting Miranda to behave the way you want it to. I personally find it a bit cumbersome to download a lot of plug-ins, many of which should have already been included in Miranda and wasting my time customizing it before I can even use it. But if you have a lot of time on your hands then Miranda is your best bet.

It works with AIM, MSN, Yahoo and ICQ. It can also work with Google talk and other protocols if you're willing to install the plug-in for it.

So there you have it. Now you can use 1 single application to reach out to thousands of people across the globe without having to use and configure a gazillion different applications.

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Add a rating feature to your blog posts

Ever wonder what your blog readers think about your blog? May be they like your posts or may be they don't find it all too interesting. Most blogs have a comments feature, however due to the laziness factor in most readers on the internet today people seldom leave a comment if a post is great, beneficial or if the post needs improvement. In that case the only way to find out is to let your blog readers rate your post.

If your readers like your post, naturally the rating will be higher. If they don't then I guess you'll have to write about something else or blog about a different topic. Essentially, adding a 'post rating' option can help you improve the quality of your blog by leaps and bounds.

If you are lucky enough to have your own domain and use the Wordpress CMS system, you'll probably be aware of the post rating plug-ins for wordpress. However, if you use other content management systems such as blogger you'll need something more. The simplest, easiest and free solution that I know of so far is called outbrain ratings widget. It's a great free service that allows you to add the 'star post ratings' feature to pretty much all major blogging systems including Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress, Drupal and even FeedFlare (which is a service offered by FeedBurner).


You can even sign-up and even track the ratings for all your posts which is not available in any plug in I've seen so far.

Cool, huh? All you need to do is go to the outbrain website and click on the appropriate button and it'll let you know what you ought to do.

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A quick easy way to create photo slideshows on Windows

What is the first application that pops into your mind when someone says 'Photo Slideshow or Picture Presentation'. It's probably going to be Windows Movie Maker (or it might be iMovie if you are a Mac user), right?

Well, sure, movie maker works just fine but when it comes to doing photos you can do the very same thing in half the time it takes you to do in movie maker. Plus your video is going to look considerably different from regular Windows Movie Maker slideshows. It's called Windows PhotoStory 3.

PhotoStory 3 is a great from Microsoft for the less computer savvy individuals to take advantage of their digital pictures and turn them into something worth looking at. Of course, you can just e-mail pictures of your vacation to Maui but what if you wan to impress your friends a bit more by adding narration, music and captions.


It's as simple as choosing a couple of pictures, adding some transitions and music and exporting it to send to your friends and relatives. Or you can keep it in your computer to cherish the memories from your trip.

This little application has the ability to add in interesting (although not breathtaking) transitions between pictures and along with that create your own music to suit the mood and atmosphere the pictures depict. You truly can bring your photos to life and share them with someone.

For more information on how to use this program check out the PhotoStory 3 page at Microsoft.

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Free dictionary for Windows and Linux

All macs come with a dictionary, so why can't Windows and Linux computers have the same advantage as well? Here's a great little free and open source dictionary application that curious windows users like me are most likely going to utilize quite frequently.

The application is called StarDict and is available for both Windows and Linux computers. Although its interface has the 'Pidgin IM' look, I find its definitions to be quite accurate and concise. Very helpful indeed when you want to edit a speech your going to give in front of hundreds of people.
It runs on GTK runtime so the speed at which it runs isn't quite optimal but it does seem to snap into action whenever you need it. However it does have some great features. Just remember to get some dictionaries from the dictionaries page and then place it in C:\Program Files\StarDict\dic then restart the application if it is already open.

• It can translate from one language to another
• Show definitions of any word your mouse pointer hovers over (this can be disables by unchecking the 'Scan' button in the main window of the application)
• It has a feature called 'Net Dict' which searches the internet for definitions so you don't have to download all the definitions
• You can also add dictionaries to it as you wish by downloading additional dictionaries
• It even conveniently places a StarDict icon in the system tray in your taskbar (that's the area in the right bottom corner of your computer screen where the time is displayed)
• It suggests words as you type so if you are uncertain about the spelling of a word you can find that out too
• It is a great tool to help you find out alternative words that mean the same thing
• You can even download the CIA world factbook dictionary (from the additional dictionaries page) and search through it
  

Although it might be a bit tricky to use this dictionary application at first, you'll soon get the hang of it. Now lets just hope that having a dictionary on the computer will prevent people who are Shakespeare wannabes from making up their own words.

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Troubleshooting Wireless Internet Problems

Does your wireless internet disconnect all the time? Here are a couple of tips that will help you find and solve the problem so that you can happily browse the web once again without having to worry about the wireless connection stopping midway when you're busy chatting with someone. Keep in mind though that if it is an increase in speed is what you want you might want to check out the speed up your wireless connection post.

If you're experiencing connection issues then it is usually one of the following problems:

Wi-Fi Channel - Usually if several users are using the same channel in the same wireless frequency, the connection between the router and the user will always be disrupted by some other person's radio waves.

This is a common occurrence in Apartment buildings and areas where there are a lot of wireless hot-spots. To fix this problem take a look at the how to speed up your wi-fi connection post.

Distance between router and computer - If your laptop or computer is too far from your wireless router your connection will obviously suffer. Along with that, if you happen to have a lot of walls (or even worse steel/iron re-enforcements between the walls) your connection will gradually attenuate over time. The best way to fight this is buy a wireless range extender that will regenerate the signals so they can travel further.
Cordless Phones and Microwaves - Yup, your cordless phones and microwaves can actually cause disruptions in your wireless network. This is because they too usually use the same frequency (2.4 GHz which can be either called 802.11 b (old standard) 802.11 g (current standard) or 802.11 n (new standard)) as your router does.

So the best way to solve this is either get rid of your phone or get a router that broadcasts information on another frequency such as 5 GHz. Keep in mind though that your hardware, i.e. your laptop must also be compatible with a 5 GHz (802.11 a) router. Most modern laptops usually have support for this, but if you have an older laptop or a wireless card this might not work. In that case you'll have to replace the cordless phone and get one that runs on the 5 GHz frequency.

Router or wireless card problems - Last but not least, the problem might actually lie in your router or wireless card. The best way to check this is to test it with alternative hardware. For example if you suspect the router has problems take it to a friends house and test it out. The same can be done for the laptop, where you can take it to someone else's house and make sure it works right.

You might also want to do a quick search on the internet to find out if other people are experiencing the same kind of problems with the specific brand/model of router or wireless device you have.

Encrypt and secure your network - This is the step that most people neglect. Many don't even know what encryption is. If you are one of those people then you'd better catch up. You can take a look at my wireless security tips post to ensure you know how to encrypt your network.

Encryption prevents people from stealing your internet or messing around with your network. And of course doing so will certainly hinder the speed of the network. Therefore, you're better of setting an administrator password on your router and using at least WPA encryption.
If all instances mentioned above fail to cure the problem, post a comment and I'll do my best to reply as soon as possible.

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Let Windows repair your Wireless Connection

Do you get frustrated when your wireless connection suddenly gets disconnected? Well, have I got the solution for you. Here's how you can get windows to automatically fix the problem if your wi-fi connection disconnects constantly. Remember, your network needs to be in proper working order for this to work. If you want to know how to make your wireless connection better and faster make sure you check out tips on speeding up your network. Only use this tip if you experience problems in your connection once in a blue moon, if you experience problems regularly you might want to take a look at my post on troubleshooting wi-fi problems.

The first thing you want to do is make sure you have a wireless connection icon in your taskbar. The instructions for Windows Vista are a bit different, however if you have Windows Vista laptop or computer you probably have the wireless icon in your taskbar already.

1. Click Start
2. Click Network Connections. If you can't see a Network Connections link then alternatively you can click on Control Panel > Network Connections.
3. Right click on Wireless Network Connections and click on Properties
4. Then put a check box beside 'Show icon in notification area when connected' and 'Notify me when this connection has limited or no connectivity'.
5. Click OK.

Once this is done you'll most likely see a computer icon with waves coming out of it on your desktop. Just right click on it and hit repair. Windows will then disable your network adaptor (a.k.a. wireless card), re-enable it and then automatically reconnect you to your wireless network.
If you just want to reconnect to your wireless network or choose a different wireless network simply click 'View Available Wireless Networks' and you can then choose the wireless network you want to connect to. Just keep in mind that using your neighbor's connection is a crime so make sure you know the SSID of your router.

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Fix really slow dictionary on Mac OS X Leopard

If you tend to use the dictionary a lot, or even occasionally for that matter, you might have noticed that the dictionary in Leopard runs a lot slower than it used to on Tiger. Even the appearance of the spinning beach ball of death is quite frequent nowadays.

But fear not, because if you are in a rush to finish your project, which is due in 5 minutes and you need to find out what ostentatious means there is a way to make dictionary run faster.

Primarily only one noticeable component in dictionary has changed since the days of Tiger. It now has Wikipedia support. Yes, that's right, Wikipedia is the culprit that is slowing down dictionary.

I'm not sure of the exact reasons but I'm guessing that the Wikipedia servers responsible for serving queries from dictionary are getting taxed a lot by inquisitive Leopard users.

So what's the solution you say? Simple, just disable Wikipedia support and it'll run a whole lot faster. Here's how to disable Wikipedia support.

1. Click Dictionary (in the menu bar of course)
   
2. Click Preferences...
3. Uncheck Wikipedia
4. Close Preferences

Easy, huh? If you don't like the idea of disabling Wikipedia support altogether, you might want to disable it and enable it again. Some people say that works too, but I don't find it plausible. Plus, I can always open Safari and search the whole internet for answers... I'm not that lazy.

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Free Nero CD and DVD Burning Alternatives for Windows

Although oftentimes it might suffice to use the in built features provided by Windows XP or Windows Vista, sometimes they just don't cut it. Plus, if you're using Windows XP then you wont be able to burn DVDs even if you have a DVD burner without having to invest in good burning software. But why pay for something when you've got lots of other free and open source options.

Some of the features most of the applications listed below have are:

• Burn CDs and DVDs
• Copy CDs and DVDs
• Make Audio CD files
• Burn ISO files
• Some have the capability of burning to new media formats such as Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs.
  

InfraRecorder - A lightweight application that does pretty much everything you'll ever need. It has a really easy to use interface and great Windows Explorer Integration. This is the software I use currently on Windows XP and has worked fine so far. I haven't tried this out on Windows Vista though but it should work perfectly on Vista as well.
CDBurnerXP - A very lightweight CD and DVD burning application that can do pretty much every thing paid software can. However, it does have some evident bugs when you try and burn DVDs and CDs with it and in my testing I found it to be quite prone to crashing. This is strictly a donation-ware application.
BurnAware Free Edition - Considered one of the best freeware burning applications around, it has an intuitive interface that is going to let you burn files faster. It's light on resources and burns data directly to the CD instead of caching it on your hard drive first. Plus it supports almost every out there.
DeepBurner Free - A great little application that does other things like print CD labels and it even fits in your USB drive so you can use it as a portable drive.
StarBurn Free - StarBurn allows you to burn to other different types of media such as Blu-Ray Discs and HD-DVDs provided you have the hardware to do so. The free version doesn't have any networking capabilities, however the paid full version, which retails at about 500 bucks does.
ImageBurn - This is also a nifty little application that can burn to DVDs, CDs, Blu-Ray Discs and even HD-DVDs (although HD-DVD is pretty much dead now).
Ultimate DVD/CD Burner - This application can create photo albums, back-up CDs and also burn ISO files. The interface is a bit old-school though but as long as it serves the purpose, does the interface really matter?

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WideMail: Apple Mail Does Columns View Too

Sometimes Microsoft just seems to do things right. One such instance I can think up of is Outlook. If you have a wide screen then it makes much more sense to have a 2 column view rather than having 2 rows because it is much easier read an e-mail that is lengthy since you won't have to scroll through it.

On the mac side of life, however, Outlook isn't an option. You can only choose between Entourage (way too tardy and bloated), ThunderBird (has a lot of features but still lacks the light-weighted-ness that Apple Mail has) and Apple's very Mail. I prefer Mail as my regular e-mail client because as I've mentioned before, I love its to-do functionality, it's speed and Address Book integration.

Apple Mail however doesn't have this functionality, even though both the other competitors have it and you're pretty much stuck with 2 rows instead... or so I thought. Here's a cool little plug-in that can boost your productivity tremendously if you use Apple Mail to check your e-mail.

Dane Harnett was kind enough to write a plug-in that would put mail into column view for all those who have a wide screen monitor/laptop. It's called WideMail, and there are versions available for Apple Mail in Leopard and Apple Mail in Tiger.



Although a nifty installer is provided, you'll still have to have bit of tweaking to get the column to look exactly how you want it. But the good thing is that it's completely customizable to your taste through its very own dedicated preference pane. Neat huh?


Now all you need to do is open up Apple Mail and quickly read the e-mails without having to scroll up and down. If you're still having trouble with clearing your inbox, make sure you check out 10 ways on how to clear your inbox. This should help you get rid of all the e-mail in your inbox.

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Dowload Free Toast Titanium alternative for Mac

Sometimes paying for software just isn't an option. But thankfully, there are a lot of free and open source alternatives around that you can make use of without spending a fortune on software. If you have a CD burner or a DVD burner in your computer then you'll also want CD burning software to go along with that. Usually such computers burners come with unhelpful pre-installed software or just use the insufficient features provided by the operating system. However, if you're on a Mac then have I got a great free application for you to check out.

It's called BurnX Free and it's a great nifty little tool to help you burn all your CDs and DVDs for free without having to spend a fortune on a like Roxio's Toast Titanium, which retails for about 80 bucks! Yikes! In fact, if you're on leopard and stuck with Toast 8 Titanium you'll actually experience bugs while doing simple tasks such as burning a CD. Granted you won't be able to burn HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs but who has the hardware to burn those disks anyway? With BurnX Free you can even erase your DVDs and CDs if they are re-writable and not finalized.

If you're looking for great CD burning software for your new mac or may be even your old one, I strongly urge you to check out BurnX free. It's great for lightweight burning jobs or even backing up files on your computer. Oh and if you do like it then feel free to donate, keeping in mind that you've just saved yourself 80 bucks.

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