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Development Packages, Portable Apps and Podcasting
If you wish to learn how to write web pages, build your own website or learn a web programming language, it is always better to learn with a hands on approach. Running your own server gives you the chance to experiment with your designs before commiting them to the Internet.
If you have a flash drive (sometimes called a pen drive or thumb drive), Portable Apps gives you the advantage of running applications from that drive without needing to install them. You may wish to work on a document at home, school, college or even work and take it with you when you leave.
Podcasting is the new craze to hit the Internet, listen or watch other people recording their memories and comments on various topics you are interested in and listen to them in your own time. I've also included software for recording your own podcasts
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Many people know from their own experience that it's not easy to install an Apache web server and it gets harder if you want to add MySQL, PHP and Perl.
XAMPP is an easy to install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl. XAMPP is really very easy to install and to use - just download, extract and start.
Two versions are available, a full version and a lite version. The lite version doesn't need installing, just extract and run
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Perl & Tomcat addons |
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These two addon packages extend the functionality of XAMPP to include extensive Perl module support and the Tomcat Java server.
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AutoPatcher is a program that grabs the latest patches from Microsoft and installs them in one install. All you need to do is reboot once after installing the patches.
If you are running XP, check to see if your startup screen looks like the one below before attempting to run AutoPatcher.
You need to install XP Service Pack 2
before installing Autopatcher:
Service Pack 2You are running XP Service Pack 2 or 3 Website: http://www.autopatcher.com
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Portable Apps Suite |
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The Portable Apps Suite is a collection of programs, made to run from a flash drive (sometimes called thumb or pen drives.) These programs run on and save to the flash drive.
Included within the Standard package portable versions of:
OpenOffice Office Suite Clam AntiVirus Firefox Web Browser Thunderbird Email Program Sunbird Calendaring Gaim Instant Messengering Sudoku Sudoku game
Website: http://www.portableapps.com
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FireAnt is a nice podcast program for subscribing and listening to podcasts. It includes a browser to view and subscribe to new podcasts.
Website: http://www.fireant.tv
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Juice is another nice podcast program for downloading and subscribing to podcasts.
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Democracy is a program for watching Internet TV, you can watch any video using the player and download new video content off the Internet. On their website, there is a guide to making your own Internet TV
Website: http://www.getdemocracy.com/
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PodProducer is a program to record and mix your own audio podcast, you have any number of mixing decks to mix in your own music to your content, with voice operated recording and automatic gain control to make your podcast exactly the way you want it.
Website: http://www.podproducer.net/
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Wirecast is free trial of a video podcasting program that gives you the power of Chroma Key (record your production on a blue or green screen and add your own backgrounds later) together with overlays and autocue teleprompting.
Note that Wirecast is a fully working trial and will watermark its logo into your productions unless you buy a licence.
