FreeFileSync is a free/open source folder and file synchronization program that features a beautiful, two pane user interface and a host of powerful options. It can do the following: compare files by their content or by file size and date, synchronize files and subfolders, process multiple pairs of folders at once, load/save folder comparison sessions, create batch jobs that can be run from the command line, and can can handle cloned files (i.e. symbolic links or junctures). It also offers UniCode and Network support. There is also a portable (no-install) version.

Caderno is a freeware text editor/Notepad replacement that’s focused on delivering an excellent user experience. It features a minimalist, tabbed user interface on the one hand and some powerful features on the other, without overloading the user with too many functions. Features include search/find/replace, go-to specific line, crash recovery, session management, Unicode support, as well as Syntax highlighting (INI, XML, HTML, Java, PHP).

This posting will describe how to split a very large CSV or Text file into a number of smaller parts by specifying the number of desired lines within each of the resulting pieces (for example, by 65536 lines for use with Excel 2003 or 1,048,576 for Excel 2007). The method described will use free software to do this and will work for very large files (even files larger that 4 gigs in size), will avoid loading the entire file into memory when processing, will maintain the format/extension of the original file, and will not add any additional information to the resulting files.

GSplit is a freeware program that can split any file, even extremely large files, in any number of ways including by user-defined sizes or predefined sizes, by spanning across a number of removable disks/media, by number of desired pieces, or even by number of individual lines or occurrences of a pattern in the file. It can create a tiny program to re-unite the split files without needing to use the original application, and can even integrate this into the first file of your splits. Gsplit also adds a Windows explorer context menu entry for on-the-fly splits. Portable version available.

Pointy Haired Dilbert is a blog that provides some amazing, freely-downloadable MS Excel resources. The philosophy behind the site is a focus on data charting and visualization and on “telling stories” with data. Templates that can be downloaded from the site (all 100% free) include sophisticated reporting dashboards, templates for advanced charts (e.g. bullet graphs, Gannt charts, Petal Charts, Speedometer, Candlestick charts, etc.), and even Excel-based games and apps (including a calendar and an Excel-based Twitter client).

Have you ever said to yourself: "Man, I hate having to type on a keyboard! If only I could use my phone to type, I’d be so much faster and none of my other fingers would have to get tired when I have my muscular, toned thumbs that can do so much more than just hit the space bar!" No? Neither have I. But this function can be very helpful if controlling a computer remotely through a remote control or a bluetooth enabled cellphone, and here’s a program that will allow you to do just that: TextOn9.

[Editor’s note: this review was written by Freewaregenius contributor Jason H. Check out his tech blog: 404techsupport.com].

AuthorStream Desktop is a free PowerPoint Add-on that makes it easy to search for and insert YouTube videos as well as images from the web into your PowerPoint files. Users on other computers that you might share your PowerPoint files with will need an internet connection to view the embedded videos, but will NOT require AuthorStream Desktop installed on their computers in order to do so.

Smart Soft’s Free PDF to Word Converter is a free program that offers one-click PDF to Word (DOC) conversions. It performs conversions locally on your desktop (i.e. it is not a web service) and offers excellent fidelity to the original document.

DRoster is what I’d describe as niche software. Not everybody is going to have a use for employee scheduling software, but for those whom do need it, this could be a life saver. I imagine DRoster being a very welcome find for many small businesses or organizations that are burgeoning past the point of being manageable through a simple spreadsheet. Also, I feel it’s nice to be aware of DRoster as it could come in handy for other purposes for those of us who tend to reverse engineer everything and think in work-arounds.

[Editor’s note: this review was written by Freewaregenius contributor Jason H. Check out his tech blog: 404techsupport.com].

Click on a world map to see images from all over the world using Earth Album, a free web service that is a mash-up of Flick and Google Maps.

StorYBook is an interesting application for a specific niche group. It is not an all-out word processor but instead a tool for organizing a novel. Actually any story could be story-boarded with Storybook. As an example, the demo project included with the install uses The Simpsons show.

[Editor’s note: this review was written by Freewaregenius contributor Jason H. Check out his tech blog: 404techsupport.com]. 

Hana Outlook Folder Search (HOFS) is a free Outlook add-on designed to provide instant Outlook folder lookups as well as an in-folder email de-duplication function.