Support - User contributions [en]

Email

2025-11-17T15:20:48Z

Fh448:

This page provides some basic information about NCF email, how it works and how to configure it.

For information on using the Zimbra webmail system, please see [[Zimbra]].

== Sending and receiving email ==
{{:Template:Quick Facts (Email)}}
===General information===
NCF provides every member with a personal email address. NCF email addresses are simply a member's account ID (eg., 'ab123') followed by '@ncf.ca', for example, 'ab123@ncf.ca'.

Optionally, you can arrange for an [[Email Alias|email alias]], for example, 'jsmith@ncf.ca'.

'''Important:''' If you already have an email address and do not plan to use your NCF email address, be sure to tell us, using [https://secure.ncf.ca/ncf/home/tools/preferences.jsp Change Preferences] at the bottom-right of the StartPage. NCF needs to be able to reach you about your account.

=== Receiving mail===
Incoming email for you is stored on NCF's computer until you ask for it.
There are two ways to receive email:

;Using NCF WebMail (browser-based)
:All you need to use WebMail is a web browser connected to the internet (eg., home, office, library, internet cafe, anywhere in the world via internet). No set-up is required. You read and send mail from the browser using the [[Zimbra]] interface and your mail is stored on an NCF computer. With WebMail, your email stays on the computers at NCF and is backed up there, too, to protect against loss.

:A disadvantage of using WebMail is that you have to stay connected to the internet while you are reading and composing your email.

;Using an email client (on your personal computer)
:Email client software allows your email to be transferred to your computer and then read there. The size of your mail archive can be as large as your hard drive.

:A disadvantage is that your mail is only accessible while you are at your own computer.

In the past personal computer-based mail clients were dominant, but in recent years the trend has been away from mail clients and towards server-based webmail, because of the convenience of being able to access the mail from any browser anywhere, even from phones and hand-held devices, as well as automatic back-ups.

== Zimbra Limits at NCF ==
There are several limits you may encounter in your use of Zimbra.
# '''Mail storage size''' - members are allocated 5GB of storage. This contains all the mail and briefcase data. Members must manage their space within that limit. See [[Zimbra webmail#How much storage space are you using.3F|how to check your storage space.]]
# '''Mail message size''' - the maximum message size allowed is 50MB. The actual file size of the attachments is 20-30% less due to the encoding is required to send it via email. If you have large files that you wish to share, there are a number of other file sharing approaches that may be better than attachments. One of those is using the Zimbra Briefcase - see [[Zimbra: Briefcase]].
# '''Sending rate''' - NCF limits the rate at which members can send out email to protect against spamming. A limit of 200 messages over a 4 hour span is in place. If you have large distribution lists that will exceed this, please contact the office - we have a solution.

== NCF Webmail ==
NCF Webmail allows you to compose, send, receive and manage your email using any browser. It is the easiest way to send and receive email while you are away from home. Your mail stays on the NCF's mail server. To use it, all you need is a web browser and connection to the Internet.

You can try WebMail by going to the [http://start.ncf.ca StartPage] and clicking on 'Get your NCF WebMail'. There is nothing to install on your computer.

Up to 5GB of email can be accumulated and stored in your WebMail Inbox and folders. NCF's storage capacity increases regularly as facilities are upgraded.

The NCF Webmail system runs the [[Zimbra]] mail system. For an overview of the benefits of Zimbra, please visit the [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/home/zimbraIntro.jsp Introducing Zimbra] page.

For specific and detailed help on all things Zimbra, visit the [[Zimbra]] Help Page.

== Mail Clients (Mail readers) ==

Some common current mail clients, all available for download free of charge, are:

* [http://mail.live.com Microsoft Outlook]
* [https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Mozilla Thunderbird]
* [http://www.pmail.com/ Pegasus]

If you do not have a mail reader, you can download one for free. Once it is installed on your computer, you need to configure it so it knows from where to retrieve/send your email.

'''Notes:'''
*Microsoft Outlook Express is very outdated, has serious security problems, is no longer supported by Microsoft and is not recommended by NCF. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlook_Express this article] for more detail on why you should replace it.
*Microsoft Outlook is commercial software and comes with ''Microsoft Office''.

=== Setting up a Mail Client or Mail Reader ===
Modern mail readers are pretty easy to set up. Typically you just need some of the information in the 'Quick Facts' box above.

NOTE: Some mail clients offer to automatically provide the settings, but NCF HelpDesk has noticed that the parameters used may be outdated so that users may not be able to send or receive from some locations. It may still be worthwhile using the automated setup but then check the server settings for both incoming and outgoing emails, particularly the port settings and connection security. In Mozilla Thunderbird, for example, selecting STARTTLS for Connection Security of the SMTP outgoing server will set port 587 in the port settings, which is the port recommended.

For step-by-step instructions, click on your mail reader below:

Step-by-step instruction for popular mail readers:
* [[IPhone|iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch]]
*[[Gmail]]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/android/ Android Devices (eg. Google Nexus One, Motorola Milestone, or HTC Hero)]
* [[Apple Mail|Apple Mail (2011)]]
*[[Windows Mail]]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/evolution.html Evolution Mail and Calendar]
* [[Microsoft Outlook 2016]]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird3.html Mozilla Thunderbird]
* [http://web.ncf.ca/aw958/mail_help_files/zimbra/index.html Zimbra Desktop email client] by Graeme Beckett, NCF

Step-by-step instructions for older mail readers, still in use on some systems:

(Note: as of November 2024 these clients may not support the TLS 1.2 encryption standard our mail servers require. You may need to use ports 25 (SMTP) and 143 (IMAP) or 110 (POP3) and disable SSL for them to work. This is not recommended though as these ports are unsecured, NCF recommends using a modern email client like the ones listed above.)
* [http://web.ncf.ca/glennj/ncf/bookshelf/appleMail/index.shtml Apple Mail (2006)]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/eudora.html Eudora Mail]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/outlook.html Microsoft Outlook Express]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird.html Mozilla Thunderbird 1.x or 2.x]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/ns71.html Netscape Mail]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/pegasusMail.html Pegasus Mail]
*[http://web.ncf.ca/aw958/mail_help_files/outlook_2003_setup/outlook_2003.html Microsoft Outlook 2003]
* [[Microsoft Outlook 2010]]
*[[BlackBerry 10]]
* [[PlayBook|Blackberry PlayBook]]

For information on whether you should set up your reader for POP or IMAP see [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/pop_imap.html What's the difference between POP and IMAP?].

Keep in mind if you use an email client that it will not retrieve your yellow mail that the spam filter saves there for you.

=== I can receive email, but I can't send! (Relay Access Denied) ===
If your mail account appears to be setup correctly, but you are having trouble sending, it could be that you don't have SSL and authentication enabled.

Step-by-step instructions to update or confirm that your account is correctly configured for SSL and authentication:
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/outlook_ssl.html Microsoft Outlook Express SSL Setup]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird_smtp.html Mozilla Thunderbird SSL Setup]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/windowsLiveMail_ssl.html Windows Live Mail SSL Setup]

== Spam Reduction ==

=== Customizing SpamFilter ===
Regardless of how you read your mail, you can use NCF's SpamFilter if you have problems with spam.

You can view or change your SpamFilter settings by going to the [http://start.ncf.ca StartPage], and clicking on [https://www.ncf.ca/en/members/email/yellowmail/settings SpamFilter set-up] under 'Email' in the left column. There is information on that page about how SpamFilter works and [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/faqMaker.jsp?faq=2 Frequently Asked Questions] on customizing SpamFilter.

There is also [https://youtu.be/PWEibPkXCS0 a short video on setting SpamFilter options].

=== Blocking Specific Email Addresses ===
Spam can be difficult to stop as spammers are relentless, and can often send messages from many different emails, making it much more difficult to stop.

If the undesirable messages you are receiving are coming from the same address, it would be best to add a mail exception on your spam filtering page [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/home/spamfilter/greenListMgr.jsp here] to ensure the offending address is blocked from sending you mail in the future.

Simply enter the offending email into the “Email address” bar and enter “Classification” as “Red” to ensure this address will be marked as spam and not be delivered to your mailbox in the future.

===Using Yellow Mail===
NCF provides a facility to screen mail items that your SPAM filter settings have found questionable before the mail enters your Zimbra inbox. This is called yellow mail. You can see a short video [[https://youtu.be/3rqLbGhvA8w here]] on how to use it.

==See also==
*[[Alternate email address]]
*[[Email Alias|Email alias]]
*[[Emails not delivered]]
*[[Email blacklisting]]
*[[Email spoofing]]
*[[Tips (Email)|Email tips]]
*[[Zimbra]] - for help on the Zimbra webmail system

[[Category: Email]]

Email

2025-11-17T15:18:39Z

Fh448:

This page provides some basic information about NCF email, how it works and how to configure it.

For information on using the Zimbra webmail system, please see [[Zimbra]].

== Sending and receiving email ==
{{:Template:Quick Facts (Email)}}
===General information===
NCF provides every member with a personal email address. NCF email addresses are simply a member's account ID (eg., 'ab123') followed by '@ncf.ca', for example, 'ab123@ncf.ca'.

Optionally, you can arrange for an [[Email Alias|email alias]], for example, 'jsmith@ncf.ca'.

'''Important:''' If you already have an email address and do not plan to use your NCF email address, be sure to tell us, using [https://secure.ncf.ca/ncf/home/tools/preferences.jsp Change Preferences] at the bottom-right of the StartPage. NCF needs to be able to reach you about your account.

=== Receiving mail===
Incoming email for you is stored on NCF's computer until you ask for it.
There are two ways to receive email:

;Using NCF WebMail (browser-based)
:All you need to use WebMail is a web browser connected to the internet (eg., home, office, library, internet cafe, anywhere in the world via internet). No set-up is required. You read and send mail from the browser using the [[Zimbra]] interface and your mail is stored on an NCF computer. With WebMail, your email stays on the computers at NCF and is backed up there, too, to protect against loss.

:A disadvantage of using WebMail is that you have to stay connected to the internet while you are reading and composing your email.

;Using an email client (on your personal computer)
:Email client software allows your email to be transferred to your computer and then read there. The size of your mail archive can be as large as your hard drive.

:A disadvantage is that your mail is only accessible while you are at your own computer.

In the past personal computer-based mail clients were dominant, but in recent years the trend has been away from mail clients and towards server-based webmail, because of the convenience of being able to access the mail from any browser anywhere, even from phones and hand-held devices, as well as automatic back-ups.

== Zimbra Limits at NCF ==
There are several limits you may encounter in your use of Zimbra.
# '''Mail storage size''' - members are allocated 5GB of storage. This contains all the mail and briefcase data. Members must manage their space within that limit. See [[Zimbra webmail#How much storage space are you using.3F|how to check your storage space.]]
# '''Mail message size''' - the maximum message size allowed is 50MB. The actual file size of the attachments is 20-30% less due to the encoding is required to send it via email. If you have large files that you wish to share, there are a number of other file sharing approaches that may be better than attachments. One of those is using the Zimbra Briefcase - see [[Zimbra: Briefcase]].
# '''Sending rate''' - NCF limits the rate at which members can send out email to protect against spamming. A limit of 200 messages over a 4 hour span is in place. If you have large distribution lists that will exceed this, please contact the office - we have a solution.

== NCF Webmail ==
NCF Webmail allows you to compose, send, receive and manage your email using any browser. It is the easiest way to send and receive email while you are away from home. Your mail stays on the NCF's mail server. To use it, all you need is a web browser and connection to the Internet.

You can try WebMail by going to the [http://start.ncf.ca StartPage] and clicking on 'Get your NCF WebMail'. There is nothing to install on your computer.

Up to 5GB of email can be accumulated and stored in your WebMail Inbox and folders. NCF's storage capacity increases regularly as facilities are upgraded.

The NCF Webmail system runs the [[Zimbra]] mail system. For an overview of the benefits of Zimbra, please visit the [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/home/zimbraIntro.jsp Introducing Zimbra] page.

For specific and detailed help on all things Zimbra, visit the [[Zimbra]] Help Page.

== Mail Clients (Mail readers) ==

Some common current mail clients, all available for download free of charge, are:

* [http://mail.live.com Microsoft Outlook]
* [https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Mozilla Thunderbird]
* [http://www.pmail.com/ Pegasus]

If you do not have a mail reader, you can download one for free. Once it is installed on your computer, you need to configure it so it knows from where to retrieve/send your email.

'''Notes:'''
*Microsoft Outlook Express is very outdated, has serious security problems, is no longer supported by Microsoft and is not recommended by NCF. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlook_Express this article] for more detail on why you should replace it.
*Microsoft Outlook is commercial software and comes with ''Microsoft Office''.

=== Setting up a Mail Client or Mail Reader ===
Modern mail readers are pretty easy to set up. Typically you just need some of the information in the 'Quick Facts' box above.

NOTE: Some mail clients offer to automatically provide the settings, but NCF HelpDesk has noticed that the parameters used may be outdated so that users may not be able to send or receive from some locations. It may still be worthwhile using the automated setup but then check the server settings for both incoming and outgoing emails, particularly the port settings and connection security. In Mozilla Thunderbird, for example, selecting STARTTLS for Connection Security of the SMTP outgoing server will set port 587 in the port settings.

For step-by-step instructions, click on your mail reader below:

Step-by-step instruction for popular mail readers:
* [[IPhone|iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch]]
*[[Gmail]]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/android/ Android Devices (eg. Google Nexus One, Motorola Milestone, or HTC Hero)]
* [[Apple Mail|Apple Mail (2011)]]
*[[Windows Mail]]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/evolution.html Evolution Mail and Calendar]
* [[Microsoft Outlook 2016]]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird3.html Mozilla Thunderbird]
* [http://web.ncf.ca/aw958/mail_help_files/zimbra/index.html Zimbra Desktop email client] by Graeme Beckett, NCF

Step-by-step instructions for older mail readers, still in use on some systems:

(Note: as of November 2024 these clients may not support the TLS 1.2 encryption standard our mail servers require. You may need to use ports 25 (SMTP) and 143 (IMAP) or 110 (POP3) and disable SSL for them to work. This is not recommended though as these ports are unsecured, NCF recommends using a modern email client like the ones listed above.)
* [http://web.ncf.ca/glennj/ncf/bookshelf/appleMail/index.shtml Apple Mail (2006)]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/eudora.html Eudora Mail]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/outlook.html Microsoft Outlook Express]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird.html Mozilla Thunderbird 1.x or 2.x]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/ns71.html Netscape Mail]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/pegasusMail.html Pegasus Mail]
*[http://web.ncf.ca/aw958/mail_help_files/outlook_2003_setup/outlook_2003.html Microsoft Outlook 2003]
* [[Microsoft Outlook 2010]]
*[[BlackBerry 10]]
* [[PlayBook|Blackberry PlayBook]]

For information on whether you should set up your reader for POP or IMAP see [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/pop_imap.html What's the difference between POP and IMAP?].

Keep in mind if you use an email client that it will not retrieve your yellow mail that the spam filter saves there for you.

=== I can receive email, but I can't send! (Relay Access Denied) ===
If your mail account appears to be setup correctly, but you are having trouble sending, it could be that you don't have SSL and authentication enabled.

Step-by-step instructions to update or confirm that your account is correctly configured for SSL and authentication:
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/outlook_ssl.html Microsoft Outlook Express SSL Setup]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird_smtp.html Mozilla Thunderbird SSL Setup]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/windowsLiveMail_ssl.html Windows Live Mail SSL Setup]

== Spam Reduction ==

=== Customizing SpamFilter ===
Regardless of how you read your mail, you can use NCF's SpamFilter if you have problems with spam.

You can view or change your SpamFilter settings by going to the [http://start.ncf.ca StartPage], and clicking on [https://www.ncf.ca/en/members/email/yellowmail/settings SpamFilter set-up] under 'Email' in the left column. There is information on that page about how SpamFilter works and [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/faqMaker.jsp?faq=2 Frequently Asked Questions] on customizing SpamFilter.

There is also [https://youtu.be/PWEibPkXCS0 a short video on setting SpamFilter options].

=== Blocking Specific Email Addresses ===
Spam can be difficult to stop as spammers are relentless, and can often send messages from many different emails, making it much more difficult to stop.

If the undesirable messages you are receiving are coming from the same address, it would be best to add a mail exception on your spam filtering page [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/home/spamfilter/greenListMgr.jsp here] to ensure the offending address is blocked from sending you mail in the future.

Simply enter the offending email into the “Email address” bar and enter “Classification” as “Red” to ensure this address will be marked as spam and not be delivered to your mailbox in the future.

===Using Yellow Mail===
NCF provides a facility to screen mail items that your SPAM filter settings have found questionable before the mail enters your Zimbra inbox. This is called yellow mail. You can see a short video [[https://youtu.be/3rqLbGhvA8w here]] on how to use it.

==See also==
*[[Alternate email address]]
*[[Email Alias|Email alias]]
*[[Emails not delivered]]
*[[Email blacklisting]]
*[[Email spoofing]]
*[[Tips (Email)|Email tips]]
*[[Zimbra]] - for help on the Zimbra webmail system

[[Category: Email]]

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:23:35Z

Fh448: /* Logging in to configuration pages */

== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router ==

This page is collection of notes on some potential issues when setting up an ISP client with a separate modem and router.

=== Default IP addresses ===

Modems and routers generally have a factory default (i.e., the setting from the factory or after a full reset) address.
This is needed to access the device configuration.

Commonly the ipV4 address might be 192.168.1.1. Moreover, this MAY be accessible only via the http protocol and not https.
Sometimes the full "http://192.168.1.1" or whatever address is default must be specified in a browser to get to the configuration
page.

'''PROBLEM''': What happens if both the router and the modem have the same default?

Answer: Generally you will lose internet connectivity as the address clash causes lots of trouble.

==== Suggested resolution ====

* Physically disconnect one of the devices from the network. Since the modem is critical to internet connection, let us choose to disconnect and separately configure the router.

* Connect (preferably via a wired ethernet cable) a computer to the router and log in to the configuration page via the (default) IP address, if necessary using the protocol prefix http.

* Change the IP address of the device. That is, find and change the field to set the IP address. As an example, on an Asus RT-AC66U router, this is under Advanced Settings/LAN. One of the more awkward details of configuration is finding the right location of the field to change.

* Save the settings. The device (i.e., router) will likely reboot, then can be connected to the modem.

* It should now be possible to access both the modem and router configuration pages.

=== Logging in to configuration pages ===

If the configuration of a modem or router becomes corrupted, which could be due to power surge or to accidental hitting of a reset button, you will need to know the IP address of the device for the configuration as well as the username and password for administration.

* If you change the username or password for administration, make sure that you have this available '''off-line'''.

* In case your device is reset, you should have a copy of the user manual available '''off-line''' so you can know the default IP address, admin user and admin password.

* Remember that some devices only accept http protocol for access to the configuration pages.

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:22:49Z

Fh448: /* Logging in to configuration pages */

== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router ==

This page is collection of notes on some potential issues when setting up an ISP client with a separate modem and router.

=== Default IP addresses ===

Modems and routers generally have a factory default (i.e., the setting from the factory or after a full reset) address.
This is needed to access the device configuration.

Commonly the ipV4 address might be 192.168.1.1. Moreover, this MAY be accessible only via the http protocol and not https.
Sometimes the full "http://192.168.1.1" or whatever address is default must be specified in a browser to get to the configuration
page.

'''PROBLEM''': What happens if both the router and the modem have the same default?

Answer: Generally you will lose internet connectivity as the address clash causes lots of trouble.

==== Suggested resolution ====

* Physically disconnect one of the devices from the network. Since the modem is critical to internet connection, let us choose to disconnect and separately configure the router.

* Connect (preferably via a wired ethernet cable) a computer to the router and log in to the configuration page via the (default) IP address, if necessary using the protocol prefix http.

* Change the IP address of the device. That is, find and change the field to set the IP address. As an example, on an Asus RT-AC66U router, this is under Advanced Settings/LAN. One of the more awkward details of configuration is finding the right location of the field to change.

* Save the settings. The device (i.e., router) will likely reboot, then can be connected to the modem.

* It should now be possible to access both the modem and router configuration pages.

== Logging in to configuration pages ==

If the configuration of a modem or router becomes corrupted, which could be due to power surge or to accidental hitting of a reset button, you will need to know the IP address of the device for the configuration as well as the username and password for administration.

* If you change the username or password for administration, make sure that you have this available '''off-line'''.

* In case your device is reset, you should have a copy of the user manual available '''off-line''' so you can know the default IP address, admin user and admin password.

* Remember that some devices only accept http protocol for access to the configuration pages.

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:22:24Z

Fh448: /* Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router */

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:21:00Z

Fh448: /* Suggested resolution */

== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router ==

This page is collection of notes on some potential issues when setting up an ISP client with a separate modem and router.

=== Default IP addresses ===

Modems and routers generally have a factory default (i.e., the setting from the factory or after a full reset) address.
This is needed to access the device configuration.

Commonly the ipV4 address might be 192.168.1.1. Moreover, this MAY be accessible only via the http protocol and not https.
Sometimes the full "http://192.168.1.1" or whatever address is default must be specified in a browser to get to the configuration
page.

'''PROBLEM''': What happens if both the router and the modem have the same default?

Answer: Generally you will lose internet connectivity as the address clash causes lots of trouble.

==== Suggested resolution ====

* Physically disconnect one of the devices from the network. Since the modem is critical to internet connection, let us choose to disconnect and separately configure the router.

* Connect (preferably via a wired ethernet cable) a computer to the router and log in to the configuration page via the (default) IP address, if necessary using the protocol prefix http.

* Change the IP address of the device.

=== Logging in to configuration pages ===

If the configuration of a modem or router becomes corrupted, which could be due to power surge or to accidental hitting of a reset button, you will need to know the IP address of the device for the configuration as well as the username and password for administration.

* If you change the username or password for administration, make sure that you have this available '''off-line'''.

* In case your device is reset, you should have a copy of the user manual available '''off-line''' so you can know the default IP address, admin user and admin password.

* Find the field to set the IP address. As an example, on an Asus RT-AC66U router, this is under Advanced Settings/LAN. One of the more awkward details of configuration is finding the right location of the field to change.

* Save the settings. The device (i.e., router) will likely reboot, then can be connected to the modem.

* It should now be possible to access both the modem and router configuration pages.

* Remember that some devices only accept http protocol for access to the configuration pages.

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:19:51Z

Fh448: /* Logging in to configuration pages */

== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router ==

This page is collection of notes on some potential issues when setting up an ISP client with a separate modem and router.

=== Default IP addresses ===

Modems and routers generally have a factory default (i.e., the setting from the factory or after a full reset) address.
This is needed to access the device configuration.

Commonly the ipV4 address might be 192.168.1.1. Moreover, this MAY be accessible only via the http protocol and not https.
Sometimes the full "http://192.168.1.1" or whatever address is default must be specified in a browser to get to the configuration
page.

'''PROBLEM''': What happens if both the router and the modem have the same default?

Answer: Generally you will lose internet connectivity as the address clash causes lots of trouble.

==== Suggested resolution ====

* Physically disconnect one of the devices from the network. Since the modem is critical to internet connection, let us choose to disconnect and separately configure the router.

* Connect (preferably via a wired ethernet cable) a computer to the router and log in to the configuration page via the (default) IP address, if necessary using the protocol prefix http.

=== Logging in to configuration pages ===

If the configuration of a modem or router becomes corrupted, which could be due to power surge or to accidental hitting of a reset button, you will need to know the IP address of the device for the configuration as well as the username and password for administration.

* If you change the username or password for administration, make sure that you have this available '''off-line'''.

* In case your device is reset, you should have a copy of the user manual available '''off-line''' so you can know the default IP address, admin user and admin password.

* Find the field to set the IP address. As an example, on an Asus RT-AC66U router, this is under Advanced Settings/LAN. One of the more awkward details of configuration is finding the right location of the field to change.

* Save the settings. The device (i.e., router) will likely reboot, then can be connected to the modem.

* It should now be possible to access both the modem and router configuration pages.

* Remember that some devices only accept http protocol for access to the configuration pages.

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:19:13Z

Fh448: /* Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router */

== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router ==

This page is collection of notes on some potential issues when setting up an ISP client with a separate modem and router.

=== Default IP addresses ===

Modems and routers generally have a factory default (i.e., the setting from the factory or after a full reset) address.
This is needed to access the device configuration.

Commonly the ipV4 address might be 192.168.1.1. Moreover, this MAY be accessible only via the http protocol and not https.
Sometimes the full "http://192.168.1.1" or whatever address is default must be specified in a browser to get to the configuration
page.

'''PROBLEM''': What happens if both the router and the modem have the same default?

Answer: Generally you will lose internet connectivity as the address clash causes lots of trouble.

==== Suggested resolution ====

* Physically disconnect one of the devices from the network. Since the modem is critical to internet connection, let us choose to disconnect and separately configure the router.

* Connect (preferably via a wired ethernet cable) a computer to the router and log in to the configuration page via the (default) IP address, if necessary using the protocol prefix http.

=== Logging in to configuration pages ===

If the configuration of a modem or router becomes corrupted, which could be due to power surge or to accidental hitting of a reset button, you will need to know the IP address of the device for the configuration as well as the username and password for administration.

* If you change the username or password for administration, make sure that you have this available '''off-line'''.

* In case your device is reset, you should have a copy of the user manual available '''off-line''' so you can know the default IP address, admin user and admin password.

* Find the field to set the IP address. As an example, on an Asus RT-AC66U router, this is under Advanced Settings/LAN. One of the more awkward details of configuration is finding the right location of the field to change.

* Save the settings. The device (i.e., router) will likely reboot, then can be connected to the modem.

* It should now be possible to access both the modem and router configuration pages.

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:14:46Z

Fh448: /* Suggested resolution */

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:14:30Z

Fh448: /* Default IP addresses */

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:14:05Z

Fh448: /* Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router */

== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router ==

This page is collection of notes on some potential issues when setting up an ISP client with a separate modem and router.

==== Default IP addresses ====

Modems and routers generally have a factory default (i.e., the setting from the factory or after a full reset) address.
This is needed to access the device configuration.

Commonly the ipV4 address might be 192.168.1.1. Moreover, this MAY be accessible only via the http protocol and not https.
Sometimes the full "http://192.168.1.1" or whatever address is default must be specified in a browser to get to the configuration
page.

'''PROBLEM''': What happens if both the router and the modem have the same default?

Answer: Generally you will lose internet connectivity as the address clash causes lots of trouble.

=== Suggested resolution ===

* Physically disconnect one of the devices from the network. Since the modem is critical to internet connection, let us choose to disconnect and separately configure the router.

* Connect (preferably via a wired ethernet cable) a computer to the router and log in to the configuration page via the (default) IP address, if necessary using the protocol prefix http.

* Find the field to set the IP address. As an example, on an Asus RT-AC66U router, this is under Advanced Settings/LAN. One of the more awkward details of configuration is finding the right location of the field to change.

* Save the settings. The device (i.e., router) will likely reboot, then can be connected to the modem.

* It should now be possible to access both the modem and router configuration pages.

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:12:30Z

Fh448: /* Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router */

====== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router ======

This page is collection of notes on some potential issues when setting up an ISP client with a separate modem and router.

==== Default IP addresses ====

Modems and routers generally have a factory default (i.e., the setting from the factory or after a full reset) address.
This is needed to access the device configuration.

Commonly the ipV4 address might be 192.168.1.1. Moreover, this MAY be accessible only via the http protocol and not https.
Sometimes the full "http://192.168.1.1" or whatever address is default must be specified in a browser to get to the configuration
page.

'''PROBLEM''': What happens if both the router and the modem have the same default?

Answer: Generally you will lose internet connectivity as the address clash causes lots of trouble.

=== Suggested resolution ===

* Physically disconnect one of the devices from the network. Since the modem is critical to internet connection, let us choose to disconnect and separately configure the router.

* Connect (preferably via a wired ethernet cable) a computer to the router and log in to the configuration page via the (default) IP address, if necessary using the protocol prefix http.

* Find the field to set the IP address. As an example, on an Asus RT-AC66U router, this is under Advanced Settings/LAN. One of the more awkward details of configuration is finding the right location of the field to change.

* Save the settings. The device (i.e., router) will likely reboot, then can be connected to the modem.

* It should now be possible to access both the modem and router configuration pages.

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:11:53Z

Fh448: /* Default IP addresses */

===== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router =====

This page is collection of notes on some potential issues when setting up an ISP client with a separate modem and router.

==== Default IP addresses ====

Modems and routers generally have a factory default (i.e., the setting from the factory or after a full reset) address.
This is needed to access the device configuration.

Commonly the ipV4 address might be 192.168.1.1. Moreover, this MAY be accessible only via the http protocol and not https.
Sometimes the full "http://192.168.1.1" or whatever address is default must be specified in a browser to get to the configuration
page.

'''PROBLEM''': What happens if both the router and the modem have the same default?

Answer: Generally you will lose internet connectivity as the address clash causes lots of trouble.

=== Suggested resolution ===

* Physically disconnect one of the devices from the network. Since the modem is critical to internet connection, let us choose to disconnect and separately configure the router.

* Connect (preferably via a wired ethernet cable) a computer to the router and log in to the configuration page via the (default) IP address, if necessary using the protocol prefix http.

* Find the field to set the IP address. As an example, on an Asus RT-AC66U router, this is under Advanced Settings/LAN. One of the more awkward details of configuration is finding the right location of the field to change.

* Save the settings. The device (i.e., router) will likely reboot, then can be connected to the modem.

* It should now be possible to access both the modem and router configuration pages.

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:11:18Z

Fh448: /* Suggested resolution */

===== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router =====

This page is collection of notes on some potential issues when setting up an ISP client with a separate modem and router.

==== Default IP addresses ====

Modems and routers generally have a factory default (i.e., the setting from the factory or after a full reset) address.
This is needed to access the device configuration.

Commonly the ipV4 address might be 192.168.1.1. Moreover, this MAY be accessible only via the http protocol and not https.
Sometimes the full "http://192.168.1.1" or whatever address is default must be specified in a browser to get to the configuration
page.

**PROBLEM** What happens if both the router and the modem have the same default?

Answer: Generally you will lose internet connectivity as the address clash causes lots of trouble.

=== Suggested resolution ===

* Physically disconnect one of the devices from the network. Since the modem is critical to internet connection, let us choose to disconnect and separately configure the router.

* Connect (preferably via a wired ethernet cable) a computer to the router and log in to the configuration page via the (default) IP address, if necessary using the protocol prefix http.

* Find the field to set the IP address. As an example, on an Asus RT-AC66U router, this is under Advanced Settings/LAN. One of the more awkward details of configuration is finding the right location of the field to change.

* Save the settings. The device (i.e., router) will likely reboot, then can be connected to the modem.

* It should now be possible to access both the modem and router configuration pages.

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T15:10:32Z

Fh448: /* Default IP addresses */

===== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router =====

This page is collection of notes on some potential issues when setting up an ISP client with a separate modem and router.

==== Default IP addresses ====

Modems and routers generally have a factory default (i.e., the setting from the factory or after a full reset) address.
This is needed to access the device configuration.

Commonly the ipV4 address might be 192.168.1.1. Moreover, this MAY be accessible only via the http protocol and not https.
Sometimes the full "http://192.168.1.1" or whatever address is default must be specified in a browser to get to the configuration
page.

**PROBLEM** What happens if both the router and the modem have the same default?

Answer: Generally you will lose internet connectivity as the address clash causes lots of trouble.

=== Suggested resolution ===

* Physically disconnect one of the devices from the network. Since the modem is critical to internet connection,
let us choose to disconnect and separately configure the router.

* Connect (preferably via a wired ethernet cable) a computer to the router and log in to the configuration page via
the (default) IP address, if necessary using the protocol prefix http.

* Find the field to set the IP address. As an example, on an Asus RT-AC66U router, this is under Advanced Settings/LAN.
One of the more awkward details of configuration is finding the right location of the field to change.

* Save the settings. The device (i.e., router) will likely reboot, then can be connected to the modem.

* It should now be possible to access both the modem and router configuration pages.

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T14:58:41Z

Fh448: /* Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router */

ModemAndRouterSetupNotes

2024-07-29T14:56:54Z

Fh448: Created page with "===== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router ===== content ??"

===== Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router =====

content ??

Development Pages

2024-07-29T14:55:37Z

Fh448: /* Development Pages */

== Development Pages ==

Links on this page lead to draft wiki pages for the NCF Help documentation.

* [[ Email_draft ]] How to send and receive email with NCF and other services.
* [[Configuring_Thunderbird | Setting up the Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client]]
* [[NCFfibreroot | NCF Fibre Internet Services ]]
* [[ModemAndRouterSetupNotes | Notes on setting up separate Modem and Router ]]

Best Of Free Windows Software

2024-06-21T19:04:23Z

Fh448: /* VLC */

Since 2008 NCF was giving out copies of the [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD] to help members learn about some of the great [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software free software] available and let them give it a try. The DVD was mostly aimed at users on dial-up for whom downloading large application files is difficult. With blank DVD's becoming harder to come by, the DVD program ended in 2020, but all the software is still available for download.

With fewer NCF members now using dial-up and most with unlimited DSL service, it makes sense for people to just download the software directly. An additional factor is that few laptops or even desktop computers come with optical drives that can use CDs or DVDs these days.

This page explains some of the most popular free software for Windows and gives links to to download the applications directly. All the software here has been tested and recommended by NCF members. Note that most of these applications are also available for Linux and Macintosh and the "Windows" download page usually is the general download page for a variety of platforms.

==Audacity==
[[File:Audacity screenshot.png|thumb|Audacity]]
*'''What it is''': audio recorder and editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+
*'''Why you want it''': It enables you to record any sound that can be fed into your sound card, as a digital file, microphone or analog input, edit and save in a wide variety of formats.
*'''Caveats''': Only works if you have a sound card installed. Windows Vista and newer are supported. For Windows 10 you will need to have proper drivers to run your audio devices.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/audacity/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity_(audio_editor) Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Avidemux==
[[File:Avidemux screenshot.png|thumb|Avidemux]]
*'''What it is''': video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': A simple linear editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as ".avi" or ".mpeg" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. Compared to more complex non-linear video editors that require high-powered computers to run, Avidemux will run on much older hardware.
*'''Caveats''': Starting with version 2.6.10 Avidemux will no longer run on Windows XP. There is [http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/index.php?title=Main_Page documentation] available on how to use this application but it is a bit incomplete. There is a far better manual on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/avidemux/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avidemux Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.avidemux.org/ Application home website]
*[https://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==ClamWin==
[[File:ClamWin screenshot.png|thumb|ClamWin]]
*'''What it is''': Anti-virus scanner
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free software virus scanner.
*'''Caveats''': ClamWin is pretty good and improving all the time, but unless you are using MS Outlook it does not do e-mail scanning. It can be set to update itself daily and also to do a complete scan each day. It is suggested that it be used as a secondary or back-up virus scanner, perhaps using a freeware scanner like [https://www.avg.com/en-ca/free-antivirus-download AVG Free] as your primary virus protection.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClamWin Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/ Application home website]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/content/view/18/46/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==FileZilla==
[[File:FileZilla screenshot.png|thumb|FileZilla]]
*'''What it is''': File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2
*'''Why you want it''': If you design websites then this FTP client will enable you to upload them and manage your uploaded files.
*'''Caveats''': If you don't create websites then you won't need this. Windows XP and newer only are supported.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileZilla Wikipedia page]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/ Application home website]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1 Direct link to download page]

==Firefox==
[[File:Firefox screenshot.png|thumb|Firefox]]
*'''What it is''': web browser and PDF reader
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': The best free software browser available today. Provides far better security than using Internet Explorer, is W3C standards compliant and displays websites better. It includes a built-in PDF reader as well.
*'''Caveats''': Windows XP and newer only are supported. There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/firefox/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/ Direct link to download page]

==GIMP==
[[File:GIMP screenshot.png|thumb|GIMP]]
*'''What it is''': image editor
*'''Licence''': GNU Lesser General Public License V3+ and GNU General Public License V3+
*'''Why you want it''': Great free image editing application, similar to Photoshop, but has many better features.
*'''Caveats''': GIMP requires Windows 2000 or newer; it will not work on Windows 9x/ME and NT 4. The interface is a bit different from Photoshop, but works well. They have a very complete [http://docs.gimp.org/en/ user manual] on-line.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/gimp/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIMP Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.gimp.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Direct link to Windows download page] and versions for other platforms.

==InfraRecorder==
[[File:InfraRecorder screenshot.png|thumb|InfraRecorder]]
*'''What it is''': CD and DVD burning
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License 3
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use, free software CD and DVD burner.
*'''Caveats''': You will only need this if your PC has an optical drive.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InfraRecorder Wikipedia page]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/ Application home website]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Inkscape==
[[File:Inkscape screenshot.png|thumb|Inkscape]]
*'''What it is''': vector image creator
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use free vector graphics image creation application, similar to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
*'''Caveats''': None. They have very complete [https://inkscape.org/en/learn/ documentation and tutorials] on-line and also at [http://write.flossmanuals.net/inkscape/about-inkscape/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkscape Wikipedia page]
*[https://inkscape.org/ Application home website]
*[https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92.2/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==jEdit==
[[File:jEdit screenshot.png|thumb|jEdit]]
*'''What it is''': text editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2
*'''Why you want it''': A very complete text editor that has many plug-ins and customizations available. Includes syntax highlighting for writing code and html.
*'''Caveats''': Spell checking must be enabled as a plugin.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEdit Wikipedia page]
*[http://www.jedit.org/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/jedit/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Kdenlive==
[[File:Kdenlive screenshot.png|thumb|Kdenlive]]
*'''What it is''': non-linear video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': A simple-to-use, but powerful and full-featured non-linear video editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as open format ".webm" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. It can also save in other formats with [https://kdenlive.org/download/ additional codecs].
*'''How to install it''': Download the zip file and unzip it using [http://www.7-zip.org/a/7z1604.exe 7-Zip]. Transfer the directory folder to your home directory. Open the folder and click on the "kdenlive.exe" file to launch it. You can also create a desktop shortcut via a right click on "kdenlive.exe" to allow launching it more easily.
*'''Caveats''': The Windows version is a beta version.
*There is an excellent [https://userbase.kde.org/Kdenlive/Manual user manual] available and there is also a guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/kdenlive/about-this-guide/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kdenlive Wikipedia page]
*[https://kdenlive.org/ Application home website]
*[https://kdenlive.org/download/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==KeePass==
[[File:KeePass screenshot.png|thumb|KeyPass]]
*'''What it is''': secure password manager
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': Keep your passwords in a secure database so they won't get stolen. Works with all browsers, including Firefox.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KeePass Wikipedia page]
*[https://keepass.info/ Application home website]
*[https://keepass.info/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==LibreOffice==
[[File:LibreOffice screenshot.png|thumb|LibreOffice]]
*'''What it is''': complete office suite, including word processor and desktop publisher, spreadsheet, database, slide show, vector drawing application and math formula writer.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3, with new contributions under the Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free complete office suite that is better than MS Office and is derived from OpenOffice.org. Has some unique features, such as it can save documents as PDFs. You can save in native open formats or in MS Office formats such as ".doc" and ".xls".
*'''Caveats''': The minimum system requirements are:
**Microsoft Windows XP SP3 or newer
**Pentium-compatible PC (Pentium III, Athlon or more-recent system recommended)
**256 Mb RAM (512 Mb RAM recommended)
**Up to 1.5 Gb available hard disk space
**1024x768 resolution (higher resolution recommended), with at least 256 colours
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/ Direct link to LibreOffice download page (offers Windows, Linux, MacOS)]

==mtPaint==
[[File:Mtpaint screenshot.png|thumb|mtPaint]]
*'''What it is''': a simple image editor for making drawings and editing photos.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3 or later
*'''Why you want it''': an easy to use and light weight mage editor, ideal for photo editing.
*'''Caveats''': To save a lot of time, read the [http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/handbook/en_GB/chap_00.html official user manual] rather than trying to figure out how to use it on your own
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MtPaint Wikipedia page]
*[http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/mtpaint/files/mtpaint/3.40/mtpaint-3.40-setup.exe/download Direct link to the Windows download]

==Stellarium==
[[File:Stellarium screenshot.png|thumb|Stellarium]]
*'''What it is''': desktop planetarium.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Amazing graphics, better than almost all the commercial software available. Allows you to explore the night sky and plan your telescope viewing sessions.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellarium_(computer_program) Wikipedia page]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Application home website]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Sumatra==
[[File:Sumatra screenshot.png|thumb|Sumatra]]
*'''What it is''': PDF reader.
*'''License''': GNU General Public License v3
*'''Why you want it''': Extremely light weight and fast PDF reader. Unlike Adobe Reader, Sumatra opens in a fraction of a second, without having to wait for all the splash screens and credits to scroll by.
*'''Caveats''': None
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatra_PDF Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/free-pdf-reader.html Application home website]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/download-free-pdf-viewer.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==Thunderbird==
[[File:Thunderbird screenshot.png|thumb|Thunderbird]]
*'''What it is''': e-mail client.
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Highly customizable e-mail application with many useful features, such as advanced search and tabbed e-mail. Much better usability and security than MS Outlook or Outlook Express.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/thunderbird/about-thunderbird/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Thunderbird Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all/ Direct link to Windows download page] and versions for other platforms.

==VLC==
[[File:VLC screenshot.png|thumb|VLC]]
*'''What it is''': media player.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+ (player) and GNU Lesser General Public License V2.1+ (engine)
*'''Why you want it''': VLC is the best media player available and will play pretty much every type of audio and movie file. It has a simple interface, useful features like a graphic equalizer and is very easy to use.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginner's user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/vlc/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC_media_player Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ Application home website]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html Direct link to Windows download page] and versions for other platforms.

==See also==
*[[Lubuntu]]
*[[Ubuntu]]
*[[Xubuntu]]
*[[Puppy Linux]]
*[[All in One - System Rescue Toolkit]]

==External links==
* [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/dg/index.jsp?dg=109 The NCF Free Software Discussion Group], for help and questions about free software
* [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software Free software] on Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Free_software Wikipedia free software listing]

[[Category:Windows]]
[[Category:Computer Help]]
[[Category:Privacy and Security]]

Best Of Free Windows Software

2024-06-21T19:03:14Z

Fh448: /* Thunderbird */

Since 2008 NCF was giving out copies of the [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD] to help members learn about some of the great [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software free software] available and let them give it a try. The DVD was mostly aimed at users on dial-up for whom downloading large application files is difficult. With blank DVD's becoming harder to come by, the DVD program ended in 2020, but all the software is still available for download.

With fewer NCF members now using dial-up and most with unlimited DSL service, it makes sense for people to just download the software directly. An additional factor is that few laptops or even desktop computers come with optical drives that can use CDs or DVDs these days.

This page explains some of the most popular free software for Windows and gives links to to download the applications directly. All the software here has been tested and recommended by NCF members. Note that most of these applications are also available for Linux and Macintosh and the "Windows" download page usually is the general download page for a variety of platforms.

==Audacity==
[[File:Audacity screenshot.png|thumb|Audacity]]
*'''What it is''': audio recorder and editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+
*'''Why you want it''': It enables you to record any sound that can be fed into your sound card, as a digital file, microphone or analog input, edit and save in a wide variety of formats.
*'''Caveats''': Only works if you have a sound card installed. Windows Vista and newer are supported. For Windows 10 you will need to have proper drivers to run your audio devices.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/audacity/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity_(audio_editor) Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Avidemux==
[[File:Avidemux screenshot.png|thumb|Avidemux]]
*'''What it is''': video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': A simple linear editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as ".avi" or ".mpeg" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. Compared to more complex non-linear video editors that require high-powered computers to run, Avidemux will run on much older hardware.
*'''Caveats''': Starting with version 2.6.10 Avidemux will no longer run on Windows XP. There is [http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/index.php?title=Main_Page documentation] available on how to use this application but it is a bit incomplete. There is a far better manual on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/avidemux/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avidemux Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.avidemux.org/ Application home website]
*[https://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==ClamWin==
[[File:ClamWin screenshot.png|thumb|ClamWin]]
*'''What it is''': Anti-virus scanner
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free software virus scanner.
*'''Caveats''': ClamWin is pretty good and improving all the time, but unless you are using MS Outlook it does not do e-mail scanning. It can be set to update itself daily and also to do a complete scan each day. It is suggested that it be used as a secondary or back-up virus scanner, perhaps using a freeware scanner like [https://www.avg.com/en-ca/free-antivirus-download AVG Free] as your primary virus protection.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClamWin Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/ Application home website]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/content/view/18/46/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==FileZilla==
[[File:FileZilla screenshot.png|thumb|FileZilla]]
*'''What it is''': File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2
*'''Why you want it''': If you design websites then this FTP client will enable you to upload them and manage your uploaded files.
*'''Caveats''': If you don't create websites then you won't need this. Windows XP and newer only are supported.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileZilla Wikipedia page]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/ Application home website]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1 Direct link to download page]

==Firefox==
[[File:Firefox screenshot.png|thumb|Firefox]]
*'''What it is''': web browser and PDF reader
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': The best free software browser available today. Provides far better security than using Internet Explorer, is W3C standards compliant and displays websites better. It includes a built-in PDF reader as well.
*'''Caveats''': Windows XP and newer only are supported. There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/firefox/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/ Direct link to download page]

==GIMP==
[[File:GIMP screenshot.png|thumb|GIMP]]
*'''What it is''': image editor
*'''Licence''': GNU Lesser General Public License V3+ and GNU General Public License V3+
*'''Why you want it''': Great free image editing application, similar to Photoshop, but has many better features.
*'''Caveats''': GIMP requires Windows 2000 or newer; it will not work on Windows 9x/ME and NT 4. The interface is a bit different from Photoshop, but works well. They have a very complete [http://docs.gimp.org/en/ user manual] on-line.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/gimp/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIMP Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.gimp.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Direct link to Windows download page] and versions for other platforms.

==InfraRecorder==
[[File:InfraRecorder screenshot.png|thumb|InfraRecorder]]
*'''What it is''': CD and DVD burning
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License 3
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use, free software CD and DVD burner.
*'''Caveats''': You will only need this if your PC has an optical drive.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InfraRecorder Wikipedia page]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/ Application home website]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Inkscape==
[[File:Inkscape screenshot.png|thumb|Inkscape]]
*'''What it is''': vector image creator
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use free vector graphics image creation application, similar to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
*'''Caveats''': None. They have very complete [https://inkscape.org/en/learn/ documentation and tutorials] on-line and also at [http://write.flossmanuals.net/inkscape/about-inkscape/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkscape Wikipedia page]
*[https://inkscape.org/ Application home website]
*[https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92.2/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==jEdit==
[[File:jEdit screenshot.png|thumb|jEdit]]
*'''What it is''': text editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2
*'''Why you want it''': A very complete text editor that has many plug-ins and customizations available. Includes syntax highlighting for writing code and html.
*'''Caveats''': Spell checking must be enabled as a plugin.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEdit Wikipedia page]
*[http://www.jedit.org/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/jedit/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Kdenlive==
[[File:Kdenlive screenshot.png|thumb|Kdenlive]]
*'''What it is''': non-linear video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': A simple-to-use, but powerful and full-featured non-linear video editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as open format ".webm" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. It can also save in other formats with [https://kdenlive.org/download/ additional codecs].
*'''How to install it''': Download the zip file and unzip it using [http://www.7-zip.org/a/7z1604.exe 7-Zip]. Transfer the directory folder to your home directory. Open the folder and click on the "kdenlive.exe" file to launch it. You can also create a desktop shortcut via a right click on "kdenlive.exe" to allow launching it more easily.
*'''Caveats''': The Windows version is a beta version.
*There is an excellent [https://userbase.kde.org/Kdenlive/Manual user manual] available and there is also a guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/kdenlive/about-this-guide/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kdenlive Wikipedia page]
*[https://kdenlive.org/ Application home website]
*[https://kdenlive.org/download/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==KeePass==
[[File:KeePass screenshot.png|thumb|KeyPass]]
*'''What it is''': secure password manager
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': Keep your passwords in a secure database so they won't get stolen. Works with all browsers, including Firefox.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KeePass Wikipedia page]
*[https://keepass.info/ Application home website]
*[https://keepass.info/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==LibreOffice==
[[File:LibreOffice screenshot.png|thumb|LibreOffice]]
*'''What it is''': complete office suite, including word processor and desktop publisher, spreadsheet, database, slide show, vector drawing application and math formula writer.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3, with new contributions under the Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free complete office suite that is better than MS Office and is derived from OpenOffice.org. Has some unique features, such as it can save documents as PDFs. You can save in native open formats or in MS Office formats such as ".doc" and ".xls".
*'''Caveats''': The minimum system requirements are:
**Microsoft Windows XP SP3 or newer
**Pentium-compatible PC (Pentium III, Athlon or more-recent system recommended)
**256 Mb RAM (512 Mb RAM recommended)
**Up to 1.5 Gb available hard disk space
**1024x768 resolution (higher resolution recommended), with at least 256 colours
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/ Direct link to LibreOffice download page (offers Windows, Linux, MacOS)]

==mtPaint==
[[File:Mtpaint screenshot.png|thumb|mtPaint]]
*'''What it is''': a simple image editor for making drawings and editing photos.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3 or later
*'''Why you want it''': an easy to use and light weight mage editor, ideal for photo editing.
*'''Caveats''': To save a lot of time, read the [http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/handbook/en_GB/chap_00.html official user manual] rather than trying to figure out how to use it on your own
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MtPaint Wikipedia page]
*[http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/mtpaint/files/mtpaint/3.40/mtpaint-3.40-setup.exe/download Direct link to the Windows download]

==Stellarium==
[[File:Stellarium screenshot.png|thumb|Stellarium]]
*'''What it is''': desktop planetarium.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Amazing graphics, better than almost all the commercial software available. Allows you to explore the night sky and plan your telescope viewing sessions.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellarium_(computer_program) Wikipedia page]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Application home website]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Sumatra==
[[File:Sumatra screenshot.png|thumb|Sumatra]]
*'''What it is''': PDF reader.
*'''License''': GNU General Public License v3
*'''Why you want it''': Extremely light weight and fast PDF reader. Unlike Adobe Reader, Sumatra opens in a fraction of a second, without having to wait for all the splash screens and credits to scroll by.
*'''Caveats''': None
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatra_PDF Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/free-pdf-reader.html Application home website]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/download-free-pdf-viewer.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==Thunderbird==
[[File:Thunderbird screenshot.png|thumb|Thunderbird]]
*'''What it is''': e-mail client.
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Highly customizable e-mail application with many useful features, such as advanced search and tabbed e-mail. Much better usability and security than MS Outlook or Outlook Express.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/thunderbird/about-thunderbird/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Thunderbird Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all/ Direct link to Windows download page] and versions for other platforms.

==VLC==
[[File:VLC screenshot.png|thumb|VLC]]
*'''What it is''': media player.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+ (player) and GNU Lesser General Public License V2.1+ (engine)
*'''Why you want it''': VLC is the best media player available and will play pretty much every type of audio and movie file. It has a simple interface, useful features like a graphic equalizer and is very easy to use.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginner's user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/vlc/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC_media_player Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ Application home website]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==See also==
*[[Lubuntu]]
*[[Ubuntu]]
*[[Xubuntu]]
*[[Puppy Linux]]
*[[All in One - System Rescue Toolkit]]

==External links==
* [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/dg/index.jsp?dg=109 The NCF Free Software Discussion Group], for help and questions about free software
* [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software Free software] on Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Free_software Wikipedia free software listing]

[[Category:Windows]]
[[Category:Computer Help]]
[[Category:Privacy and Security]]

Best Of Free Windows Software

2024-06-21T19:01:18Z

Fh448: /* GIMP */

Since 2008 NCF was giving out copies of the [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD] to help members learn about some of the great [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software free software] available and let them give it a try. The DVD was mostly aimed at users on dial-up for whom downloading large application files is difficult. With blank DVD's becoming harder to come by, the DVD program ended in 2020, but all the software is still available for download.

With fewer NCF members now using dial-up and most with unlimited DSL service, it makes sense for people to just download the software directly. An additional factor is that few laptops or even desktop computers come with optical drives that can use CDs or DVDs these days.

This page explains some of the most popular free software for Windows and gives links to to download the applications directly. All the software here has been tested and recommended by NCF members. Note that most of these applications are also available for Linux and Macintosh and the "Windows" download page usually is the general download page for a variety of platforms.

==Audacity==
[[File:Audacity screenshot.png|thumb|Audacity]]
*'''What it is''': audio recorder and editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+
*'''Why you want it''': It enables you to record any sound that can be fed into your sound card, as a digital file, microphone or analog input, edit and save in a wide variety of formats.
*'''Caveats''': Only works if you have a sound card installed. Windows Vista and newer are supported. For Windows 10 you will need to have proper drivers to run your audio devices.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/audacity/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity_(audio_editor) Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Avidemux==
[[File:Avidemux screenshot.png|thumb|Avidemux]]
*'''What it is''': video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': A simple linear editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as ".avi" or ".mpeg" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. Compared to more complex non-linear video editors that require high-powered computers to run, Avidemux will run on much older hardware.
*'''Caveats''': Starting with version 2.6.10 Avidemux will no longer run on Windows XP. There is [http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/index.php?title=Main_Page documentation] available on how to use this application but it is a bit incomplete. There is a far better manual on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/avidemux/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avidemux Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.avidemux.org/ Application home website]
*[https://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==ClamWin==
[[File:ClamWin screenshot.png|thumb|ClamWin]]
*'''What it is''': Anti-virus scanner
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free software virus scanner.
*'''Caveats''': ClamWin is pretty good and improving all the time, but unless you are using MS Outlook it does not do e-mail scanning. It can be set to update itself daily and also to do a complete scan each day. It is suggested that it be used as a secondary or back-up virus scanner, perhaps using a freeware scanner like [https://www.avg.com/en-ca/free-antivirus-download AVG Free] as your primary virus protection.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClamWin Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/ Application home website]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/content/view/18/46/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==FileZilla==
[[File:FileZilla screenshot.png|thumb|FileZilla]]
*'''What it is''': File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2
*'''Why you want it''': If you design websites then this FTP client will enable you to upload them and manage your uploaded files.
*'''Caveats''': If you don't create websites then you won't need this. Windows XP and newer only are supported.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileZilla Wikipedia page]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/ Application home website]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1 Direct link to download page]

==Firefox==
[[File:Firefox screenshot.png|thumb|Firefox]]
*'''What it is''': web browser and PDF reader
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': The best free software browser available today. Provides far better security than using Internet Explorer, is W3C standards compliant and displays websites better. It includes a built-in PDF reader as well.
*'''Caveats''': Windows XP and newer only are supported. There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/firefox/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/ Direct link to download page]

==GIMP==
[[File:GIMP screenshot.png|thumb|GIMP]]
*'''What it is''': image editor
*'''Licence''': GNU Lesser General Public License V3+ and GNU General Public License V3+
*'''Why you want it''': Great free image editing application, similar to Photoshop, but has many better features.
*'''Caveats''': GIMP requires Windows 2000 or newer; it will not work on Windows 9x/ME and NT 4. The interface is a bit different from Photoshop, but works well. They have a very complete [http://docs.gimp.org/en/ user manual] on-line.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/gimp/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIMP Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.gimp.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Direct link to Windows download page] and versions for other platforms.

==InfraRecorder==
[[File:InfraRecorder screenshot.png|thumb|InfraRecorder]]
*'''What it is''': CD and DVD burning
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License 3
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use, free software CD and DVD burner.
*'''Caveats''': You will only need this if your PC has an optical drive.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InfraRecorder Wikipedia page]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/ Application home website]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Inkscape==
[[File:Inkscape screenshot.png|thumb|Inkscape]]
*'''What it is''': vector image creator
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use free vector graphics image creation application, similar to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
*'''Caveats''': None. They have very complete [https://inkscape.org/en/learn/ documentation and tutorials] on-line and also at [http://write.flossmanuals.net/inkscape/about-inkscape/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkscape Wikipedia page]
*[https://inkscape.org/ Application home website]
*[https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92.2/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==jEdit==
[[File:jEdit screenshot.png|thumb|jEdit]]
*'''What it is''': text editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2
*'''Why you want it''': A very complete text editor that has many plug-ins and customizations available. Includes syntax highlighting for writing code and html.
*'''Caveats''': Spell checking must be enabled as a plugin.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEdit Wikipedia page]
*[http://www.jedit.org/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/jedit/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Kdenlive==
[[File:Kdenlive screenshot.png|thumb|Kdenlive]]
*'''What it is''': non-linear video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': A simple-to-use, but powerful and full-featured non-linear video editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as open format ".webm" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. It can also save in other formats with [https://kdenlive.org/download/ additional codecs].
*'''How to install it''': Download the zip file and unzip it using [http://www.7-zip.org/a/7z1604.exe 7-Zip]. Transfer the directory folder to your home directory. Open the folder and click on the "kdenlive.exe" file to launch it. You can also create a desktop shortcut via a right click on "kdenlive.exe" to allow launching it more easily.
*'''Caveats''': The Windows version is a beta version.
*There is an excellent [https://userbase.kde.org/Kdenlive/Manual user manual] available and there is also a guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/kdenlive/about-this-guide/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kdenlive Wikipedia page]
*[https://kdenlive.org/ Application home website]
*[https://kdenlive.org/download/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==KeePass==
[[File:KeePass screenshot.png|thumb|KeyPass]]
*'''What it is''': secure password manager
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': Keep your passwords in a secure database so they won't get stolen. Works with all browsers, including Firefox.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KeePass Wikipedia page]
*[https://keepass.info/ Application home website]
*[https://keepass.info/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==LibreOffice==
[[File:LibreOffice screenshot.png|thumb|LibreOffice]]
*'''What it is''': complete office suite, including word processor and desktop publisher, spreadsheet, database, slide show, vector drawing application and math formula writer.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3, with new contributions under the Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free complete office suite that is better than MS Office and is derived from OpenOffice.org. Has some unique features, such as it can save documents as PDFs. You can save in native open formats or in MS Office formats such as ".doc" and ".xls".
*'''Caveats''': The minimum system requirements are:
**Microsoft Windows XP SP3 or newer
**Pentium-compatible PC (Pentium III, Athlon or more-recent system recommended)
**256 Mb RAM (512 Mb RAM recommended)
**Up to 1.5 Gb available hard disk space
**1024x768 resolution (higher resolution recommended), with at least 256 colours
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/ Direct link to LibreOffice download page (offers Windows, Linux, MacOS)]

==mtPaint==
[[File:Mtpaint screenshot.png|thumb|mtPaint]]
*'''What it is''': a simple image editor for making drawings and editing photos.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3 or later
*'''Why you want it''': an easy to use and light weight mage editor, ideal for photo editing.
*'''Caveats''': To save a lot of time, read the [http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/handbook/en_GB/chap_00.html official user manual] rather than trying to figure out how to use it on your own
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MtPaint Wikipedia page]
*[http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/mtpaint/files/mtpaint/3.40/mtpaint-3.40-setup.exe/download Direct link to the Windows download]

==Stellarium==
[[File:Stellarium screenshot.png|thumb|Stellarium]]
*'''What it is''': desktop planetarium.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Amazing graphics, better than almost all the commercial software available. Allows you to explore the night sky and plan your telescope viewing sessions.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellarium_(computer_program) Wikipedia page]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Application home website]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Sumatra==
[[File:Sumatra screenshot.png|thumb|Sumatra]]
*'''What it is''': PDF reader.
*'''License''': GNU General Public License v3
*'''Why you want it''': Extremely light weight and fast PDF reader. Unlike Adobe Reader, Sumatra opens in a fraction of a second, without having to wait for all the splash screens and credits to scroll by.
*'''Caveats''': None
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatra_PDF Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/free-pdf-reader.html Application home website]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/download-free-pdf-viewer.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==Thunderbird==
[[File:Thunderbird screenshot.png|thumb|Thunderbird]]
*'''What it is''': e-mail client.
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Highly customizable e-mail application with many useful features, such as advanced search and tabbed e-mail. Much better usability and security than MS Outlook or Outlook Express.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/thunderbird/about-thunderbird/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Thunderbird Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==VLC==
[[File:VLC screenshot.png|thumb|VLC]]
*'''What it is''': media player.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+ (player) and GNU Lesser General Public License V2.1+ (engine)
*'''Why you want it''': VLC is the best media player available and will play pretty much every type of audio and movie file. It has a simple interface, useful features like a graphic equalizer and is very easy to use.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginner's user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/vlc/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC_media_player Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ Application home website]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==See also==
*[[Lubuntu]]
*[[Ubuntu]]
*[[Xubuntu]]
*[[Puppy Linux]]
*[[All in One - System Rescue Toolkit]]

==External links==
* [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/dg/index.jsp?dg=109 The NCF Free Software Discussion Group], for help and questions about free software
* [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software Free software] on Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Free_software Wikipedia free software listing]

[[Category:Windows]]
[[Category:Computer Help]]
[[Category:Privacy and Security]]

Best Of Free Windows Software

2024-06-21T19:00:12Z

Fh448: /* Firefox */

Since 2008 NCF was giving out copies of the [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD] to help members learn about some of the great [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software free software] available and let them give it a try. The DVD was mostly aimed at users on dial-up for whom downloading large application files is difficult. With blank DVD's becoming harder to come by, the DVD program ended in 2020, but all the software is still available for download.

With fewer NCF members now using dial-up and most with unlimited DSL service, it makes sense for people to just download the software directly. An additional factor is that few laptops or even desktop computers come with optical drives that can use CDs or DVDs these days.

This page explains some of the most popular free software for Windows and gives links to to download the applications directly. All the software here has been tested and recommended by NCF members. Note that most of these applications are also available for Linux and Macintosh and the "Windows" download page usually is the general download page for a variety of platforms.

==Audacity==
[[File:Audacity screenshot.png|thumb|Audacity]]
*'''What it is''': audio recorder and editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+
*'''Why you want it''': It enables you to record any sound that can be fed into your sound card, as a digital file, microphone or analog input, edit and save in a wide variety of formats.
*'''Caveats''': Only works if you have a sound card installed. Windows Vista and newer are supported. For Windows 10 you will need to have proper drivers to run your audio devices.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/audacity/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity_(audio_editor) Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Avidemux==
[[File:Avidemux screenshot.png|thumb|Avidemux]]
*'''What it is''': video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': A simple linear editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as ".avi" or ".mpeg" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. Compared to more complex non-linear video editors that require high-powered computers to run, Avidemux will run on much older hardware.
*'''Caveats''': Starting with version 2.6.10 Avidemux will no longer run on Windows XP. There is [http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/index.php?title=Main_Page documentation] available on how to use this application but it is a bit incomplete. There is a far better manual on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/avidemux/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avidemux Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.avidemux.org/ Application home website]
*[https://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==ClamWin==
[[File:ClamWin screenshot.png|thumb|ClamWin]]
*'''What it is''': Anti-virus scanner
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free software virus scanner.
*'''Caveats''': ClamWin is pretty good and improving all the time, but unless you are using MS Outlook it does not do e-mail scanning. It can be set to update itself daily and also to do a complete scan each day. It is suggested that it be used as a secondary or back-up virus scanner, perhaps using a freeware scanner like [https://www.avg.com/en-ca/free-antivirus-download AVG Free] as your primary virus protection.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClamWin Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/ Application home website]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/content/view/18/46/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==FileZilla==
[[File:FileZilla screenshot.png|thumb|FileZilla]]
*'''What it is''': File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2
*'''Why you want it''': If you design websites then this FTP client will enable you to upload them and manage your uploaded files.
*'''Caveats''': If you don't create websites then you won't need this. Windows XP and newer only are supported.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileZilla Wikipedia page]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/ Application home website]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1 Direct link to download page]

==Firefox==
[[File:Firefox screenshot.png|thumb|Firefox]]
*'''What it is''': web browser and PDF reader
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': The best free software browser available today. Provides far better security than using Internet Explorer, is W3C standards compliant and displays websites better. It includes a built-in PDF reader as well.
*'''Caveats''': Windows XP and newer only are supported. There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/firefox/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/ Direct link to download page]

==GIMP==
[[File:GIMP screenshot.png|thumb|GIMP]]
*'''What it is''': image editor
*'''Licence''': GNU Lesser General Public License V3+ and GNU General Public License V3+
*'''Why you want it''': Great free image editing application, similar to Photoshop, but has many better features.
*'''Caveats''': GIMP requires Windows 2000 or newer; it will not work on Windows 9x/ME and NT 4. The interface is a bit different from Photoshop, but works well. They have a very complete [http://docs.gimp.org/en/ user manual] on-line.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/gimp/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIMP Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.gimp.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==InfraRecorder==
[[File:InfraRecorder screenshot.png|thumb|InfraRecorder]]
*'''What it is''': CD and DVD burning
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License 3
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use, free software CD and DVD burner.
*'''Caveats''': You will only need this if your PC has an optical drive.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InfraRecorder Wikipedia page]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/ Application home website]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Inkscape==
[[File:Inkscape screenshot.png|thumb|Inkscape]]
*'''What it is''': vector image creator
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use free vector graphics image creation application, similar to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
*'''Caveats''': None. They have very complete [https://inkscape.org/en/learn/ documentation and tutorials] on-line and also at [http://write.flossmanuals.net/inkscape/about-inkscape/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkscape Wikipedia page]
*[https://inkscape.org/ Application home website]
*[https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92.2/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==jEdit==
[[File:jEdit screenshot.png|thumb|jEdit]]
*'''What it is''': text editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2
*'''Why you want it''': A very complete text editor that has many plug-ins and customizations available. Includes syntax highlighting for writing code and html.
*'''Caveats''': Spell checking must be enabled as a plugin.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEdit Wikipedia page]
*[http://www.jedit.org/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/jedit/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Kdenlive==
[[File:Kdenlive screenshot.png|thumb|Kdenlive]]
*'''What it is''': non-linear video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': A simple-to-use, but powerful and full-featured non-linear video editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as open format ".webm" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. It can also save in other formats with [https://kdenlive.org/download/ additional codecs].
*'''How to install it''': Download the zip file and unzip it using [http://www.7-zip.org/a/7z1604.exe 7-Zip]. Transfer the directory folder to your home directory. Open the folder and click on the "kdenlive.exe" file to launch it. You can also create a desktop shortcut via a right click on "kdenlive.exe" to allow launching it more easily.
*'''Caveats''': The Windows version is a beta version.
*There is an excellent [https://userbase.kde.org/Kdenlive/Manual user manual] available and there is also a guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/kdenlive/about-this-guide/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kdenlive Wikipedia page]
*[https://kdenlive.org/ Application home website]
*[https://kdenlive.org/download/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==KeePass==
[[File:KeePass screenshot.png|thumb|KeyPass]]
*'''What it is''': secure password manager
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': Keep your passwords in a secure database so they won't get stolen. Works with all browsers, including Firefox.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KeePass Wikipedia page]
*[https://keepass.info/ Application home website]
*[https://keepass.info/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==LibreOffice==
[[File:LibreOffice screenshot.png|thumb|LibreOffice]]
*'''What it is''': complete office suite, including word processor and desktop publisher, spreadsheet, database, slide show, vector drawing application and math formula writer.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3, with new contributions under the Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free complete office suite that is better than MS Office and is derived from OpenOffice.org. Has some unique features, such as it can save documents as PDFs. You can save in native open formats or in MS Office formats such as ".doc" and ".xls".
*'''Caveats''': The minimum system requirements are:
**Microsoft Windows XP SP3 or newer
**Pentium-compatible PC (Pentium III, Athlon or more-recent system recommended)
**256 Mb RAM (512 Mb RAM recommended)
**Up to 1.5 Gb available hard disk space
**1024x768 resolution (higher resolution recommended), with at least 256 colours
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/ Direct link to LibreOffice download page (offers Windows, Linux, MacOS)]

==mtPaint==
[[File:Mtpaint screenshot.png|thumb|mtPaint]]
*'''What it is''': a simple image editor for making drawings and editing photos.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3 or later
*'''Why you want it''': an easy to use and light weight mage editor, ideal for photo editing.
*'''Caveats''': To save a lot of time, read the [http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/handbook/en_GB/chap_00.html official user manual] rather than trying to figure out how to use it on your own
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MtPaint Wikipedia page]
*[http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/mtpaint/files/mtpaint/3.40/mtpaint-3.40-setup.exe/download Direct link to the Windows download]

==Stellarium==
[[File:Stellarium screenshot.png|thumb|Stellarium]]
*'''What it is''': desktop planetarium.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Amazing graphics, better than almost all the commercial software available. Allows you to explore the night sky and plan your telescope viewing sessions.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellarium_(computer_program) Wikipedia page]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Application home website]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Sumatra==
[[File:Sumatra screenshot.png|thumb|Sumatra]]
*'''What it is''': PDF reader.
*'''License''': GNU General Public License v3
*'''Why you want it''': Extremely light weight and fast PDF reader. Unlike Adobe Reader, Sumatra opens in a fraction of a second, without having to wait for all the splash screens and credits to scroll by.
*'''Caveats''': None
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatra_PDF Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/free-pdf-reader.html Application home website]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/download-free-pdf-viewer.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==Thunderbird==
[[File:Thunderbird screenshot.png|thumb|Thunderbird]]
*'''What it is''': e-mail client.
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Highly customizable e-mail application with many useful features, such as advanced search and tabbed e-mail. Much better usability and security than MS Outlook or Outlook Express.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/thunderbird/about-thunderbird/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Thunderbird Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==VLC==
[[File:VLC screenshot.png|thumb|VLC]]
*'''What it is''': media player.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+ (player) and GNU Lesser General Public License V2.1+ (engine)
*'''Why you want it''': VLC is the best media player available and will play pretty much every type of audio and movie file. It has a simple interface, useful features like a graphic equalizer and is very easy to use.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginner's user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/vlc/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC_media_player Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ Application home website]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==See also==
*[[Lubuntu]]
*[[Ubuntu]]
*[[Xubuntu]]
*[[Puppy Linux]]
*[[All in One - System Rescue Toolkit]]

==External links==
* [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/dg/index.jsp?dg=109 The NCF Free Software Discussion Group], for help and questions about free software
* [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software Free software] on Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Free_software Wikipedia free software listing]

[[Category:Windows]]
[[Category:Computer Help]]
[[Category:Privacy and Security]]

Best Of Free Windows Software

2024-06-21T18:57:34Z

Fh448:

Since 2008 NCF was giving out copies of the [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD] to help members learn about some of the great [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software free software] available and let them give it a try. The DVD was mostly aimed at users on dial-up for whom downloading large application files is difficult. With blank DVD's becoming harder to come by, the DVD program ended in 2020, but all the software is still available for download.

With fewer NCF members now using dial-up and most with unlimited DSL service, it makes sense for people to just download the software directly. An additional factor is that few laptops or even desktop computers come with optical drives that can use CDs or DVDs these days.

This page explains some of the most popular free software for Windows and gives links to to download the applications directly. All the software here has been tested and recommended by NCF members. Note that most of these applications are also available for Linux and Macintosh and the "Windows" download page usually is the general download page for a variety of platforms.

==Audacity==
[[File:Audacity screenshot.png|thumb|Audacity]]
*'''What it is''': audio recorder and editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+
*'''Why you want it''': It enables you to record any sound that can be fed into your sound card, as a digital file, microphone or analog input, edit and save in a wide variety of formats.
*'''Caveats''': Only works if you have a sound card installed. Windows Vista and newer are supported. For Windows 10 you will need to have proper drivers to run your audio devices.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/audacity/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity_(audio_editor) Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Avidemux==
[[File:Avidemux screenshot.png|thumb|Avidemux]]
*'''What it is''': video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': A simple linear editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as ".avi" or ".mpeg" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. Compared to more complex non-linear video editors that require high-powered computers to run, Avidemux will run on much older hardware.
*'''Caveats''': Starting with version 2.6.10 Avidemux will no longer run on Windows XP. There is [http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/index.php?title=Main_Page documentation] available on how to use this application but it is a bit incomplete. There is a far better manual on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/avidemux/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avidemux Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.avidemux.org/ Application home website]
*[https://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==ClamWin==
[[File:ClamWin screenshot.png|thumb|ClamWin]]
*'''What it is''': Anti-virus scanner
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free software virus scanner.
*'''Caveats''': ClamWin is pretty good and improving all the time, but unless you are using MS Outlook it does not do e-mail scanning. It can be set to update itself daily and also to do a complete scan each day. It is suggested that it be used as a secondary or back-up virus scanner, perhaps using a freeware scanner like [https://www.avg.com/en-ca/free-antivirus-download AVG Free] as your primary virus protection.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClamWin Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/ Application home website]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/content/view/18/46/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==FileZilla==
[[File:FileZilla screenshot.png|thumb|FileZilla]]
*'''What it is''': File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2
*'''Why you want it''': If you design websites then this FTP client will enable you to upload them and manage your uploaded files.
*'''Caveats''': If you don't create websites then you won't need this. Windows XP and newer only are supported.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileZilla Wikipedia page]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/ Application home website]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1 Direct link to download page]

==Firefox==
[[File:Firefox screenshot.png|thumb|Firefox]]
*'''What it is''': web browser and PDF reader
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': The best free software browser available today. Provides far better security than using Internet Explorer, is W3C standards compliant and displays websites better. It includes a built-in PDF reader as well.
*'''Caveats''': Windows XP and newer only are supported. There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/firefox/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==GIMP==
[[File:GIMP screenshot.png|thumb|GIMP]]
*'''What it is''': image editor
*'''Licence''': GNU Lesser General Public License V3+ and GNU General Public License V3+
*'''Why you want it''': Great free image editing application, similar to Photoshop, but has many better features.
*'''Caveats''': GIMP requires Windows 2000 or newer; it will not work on Windows 9x/ME and NT 4. The interface is a bit different from Photoshop, but works well. They have a very complete [http://docs.gimp.org/en/ user manual] on-line.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/gimp/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIMP Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.gimp.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==InfraRecorder==
[[File:InfraRecorder screenshot.png|thumb|InfraRecorder]]
*'''What it is''': CD and DVD burning
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License 3
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use, free software CD and DVD burner.
*'''Caveats''': You will only need this if your PC has an optical drive.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InfraRecorder Wikipedia page]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/ Application home website]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Inkscape==
[[File:Inkscape screenshot.png|thumb|Inkscape]]
*'''What it is''': vector image creator
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use free vector graphics image creation application, similar to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
*'''Caveats''': None. They have very complete [https://inkscape.org/en/learn/ documentation and tutorials] on-line and also at [http://write.flossmanuals.net/inkscape/about-inkscape/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkscape Wikipedia page]
*[https://inkscape.org/ Application home website]
*[https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92.2/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==jEdit==
[[File:jEdit screenshot.png|thumb|jEdit]]
*'''What it is''': text editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2
*'''Why you want it''': A very complete text editor that has many plug-ins and customizations available. Includes syntax highlighting for writing code and html.
*'''Caveats''': Spell checking must be enabled as a plugin.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEdit Wikipedia page]
*[http://www.jedit.org/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/jedit/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Kdenlive==
[[File:Kdenlive screenshot.png|thumb|Kdenlive]]
*'''What it is''': non-linear video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': A simple-to-use, but powerful and full-featured non-linear video editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as open format ".webm" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. It can also save in other formats with [https://kdenlive.org/download/ additional codecs].
*'''How to install it''': Download the zip file and unzip it using [http://www.7-zip.org/a/7z1604.exe 7-Zip]. Transfer the directory folder to your home directory. Open the folder and click on the "kdenlive.exe" file to launch it. You can also create a desktop shortcut via a right click on "kdenlive.exe" to allow launching it more easily.
*'''Caveats''': The Windows version is a beta version.
*There is an excellent [https://userbase.kde.org/Kdenlive/Manual user manual] available and there is also a guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/kdenlive/about-this-guide/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kdenlive Wikipedia page]
*[https://kdenlive.org/ Application home website]
*[https://kdenlive.org/download/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==KeePass==
[[File:KeePass screenshot.png|thumb|KeyPass]]
*'''What it is''': secure password manager
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': Keep your passwords in a secure database so they won't get stolen. Works with all browsers, including Firefox.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KeePass Wikipedia page]
*[https://keepass.info/ Application home website]
*[https://keepass.info/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==LibreOffice==
[[File:LibreOffice screenshot.png|thumb|LibreOffice]]
*'''What it is''': complete office suite, including word processor and desktop publisher, spreadsheet, database, slide show, vector drawing application and math formula writer.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3, with new contributions under the Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free complete office suite that is better than MS Office and is derived from OpenOffice.org. Has some unique features, such as it can save documents as PDFs. You can save in native open formats or in MS Office formats such as ".doc" and ".xls".
*'''Caveats''': The minimum system requirements are:
**Microsoft Windows XP SP3 or newer
**Pentium-compatible PC (Pentium III, Athlon or more-recent system recommended)
**256 Mb RAM (512 Mb RAM recommended)
**Up to 1.5 Gb available hard disk space
**1024x768 resolution (higher resolution recommended), with at least 256 colours
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/ Direct link to LibreOffice download page (offers Windows, Linux, MacOS)]

==mtPaint==
[[File:Mtpaint screenshot.png|thumb|mtPaint]]
*'''What it is''': a simple image editor for making drawings and editing photos.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3 or later
*'''Why you want it''': an easy to use and light weight mage editor, ideal for photo editing.
*'''Caveats''': To save a lot of time, read the [http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/handbook/en_GB/chap_00.html official user manual] rather than trying to figure out how to use it on your own
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MtPaint Wikipedia page]
*[http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/mtpaint/files/mtpaint/3.40/mtpaint-3.40-setup.exe/download Direct link to the Windows download]

==Stellarium==
[[File:Stellarium screenshot.png|thumb|Stellarium]]
*'''What it is''': desktop planetarium.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Amazing graphics, better than almost all the commercial software available. Allows you to explore the night sky and plan your telescope viewing sessions.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellarium_(computer_program) Wikipedia page]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Application home website]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Sumatra==
[[File:Sumatra screenshot.png|thumb|Sumatra]]
*'''What it is''': PDF reader.
*'''License''': GNU General Public License v3
*'''Why you want it''': Extremely light weight and fast PDF reader. Unlike Adobe Reader, Sumatra opens in a fraction of a second, without having to wait for all the splash screens and credits to scroll by.
*'''Caveats''': None
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatra_PDF Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/free-pdf-reader.html Application home website]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/download-free-pdf-viewer.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==Thunderbird==
[[File:Thunderbird screenshot.png|thumb|Thunderbird]]
*'''What it is''': e-mail client.
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Highly customizable e-mail application with many useful features, such as advanced search and tabbed e-mail. Much better usability and security than MS Outlook or Outlook Express.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/thunderbird/about-thunderbird/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Thunderbird Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==VLC==
[[File:VLC screenshot.png|thumb|VLC]]
*'''What it is''': media player.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+ (player) and GNU Lesser General Public License V2.1+ (engine)
*'''Why you want it''': VLC is the best media player available and will play pretty much every type of audio and movie file. It has a simple interface, useful features like a graphic equalizer and is very easy to use.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginner's user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/vlc/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC_media_player Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ Application home website]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==See also==
*[[Lubuntu]]
*[[Ubuntu]]
*[[Xubuntu]]
*[[Puppy Linux]]
*[[All in One - System Rescue Toolkit]]

==External links==
* [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/dg/index.jsp?dg=109 The NCF Free Software Discussion Group], for help and questions about free software
* [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software Free software] on Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Free_software Wikipedia free software listing]

[[Category:Windows]]
[[Category:Computer Help]]
[[Category:Privacy and Security]]

Best Of Free Windows Software

2024-06-21T18:55:27Z

Fh448: /* FileZilla */

Since 2008 NCF was been giving out copies of the [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD] to help members learn about some of the great [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software free software] available and let them give it a try. The DVD was mostly aimed at users on dial-up for whom downloading large application files is difficult. With blank DVD's becoming harder to come by, the DVD program ended in 2020, but all the software is still available for download.

With fewer NCF members now using dial-up and most with unlimited DSL service, it makes sense for people to just download the software directly. An additional factor is that few laptops or even desktop computers come with optical drives that can use CDs or DVDs these days.

This page explains some of the most popular free software for Windows and gives links to to download the applications directly. All the software here has been tested and recommended by NCF members.

==Audacity==
[[File:Audacity screenshot.png|thumb|Audacity]]
*'''What it is''': audio recorder and editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+
*'''Why you want it''': It enables you to record any sound that can be fed into your sound card, as a digital file, microphone or analog input, edit and save in a wide variety of formats.
*'''Caveats''': Only works if you have a sound card installed. Windows Vista and newer are supported. For Windows 10 you will need to have proper drivers to run your audio devices.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/audacity/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity_(audio_editor) Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Avidemux==
[[File:Avidemux screenshot.png|thumb|Avidemux]]
*'''What it is''': video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': A simple linear editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as ".avi" or ".mpeg" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. Compared to more complex non-linear video editors that require high-powered computers to run, Avidemux will run on much older hardware.
*'''Caveats''': Starting with version 2.6.10 Avidemux will no longer run on Windows XP. There is [http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/index.php?title=Main_Page documentation] available on how to use this application but it is a bit incomplete. There is a far better manual on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/avidemux/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avidemux Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.avidemux.org/ Application home website]
*[https://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==ClamWin==
[[File:ClamWin screenshot.png|thumb|ClamWin]]
*'''What it is''': Anti-virus scanner
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free software virus scanner.
*'''Caveats''': ClamWin is pretty good and improving all the time, but unless you are using MS Outlook it does not do e-mail scanning. It can be set to update itself daily and also to do a complete scan each day. It is suggested that it be used as a secondary or back-up virus scanner, perhaps using a freeware scanner like [https://www.avg.com/en-ca/free-antivirus-download AVG Free] as your primary virus protection.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClamWin Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/ Application home website]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/content/view/18/46/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==FileZilla==
[[File:FileZilla screenshot.png|thumb|FileZilla]]
*'''What it is''': File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2
*'''Why you want it''': If you design websites then this FTP client will enable you to upload them and manage your uploaded files.
*'''Caveats''': If you don't create websites then you won't need this. Windows XP and newer only are supported.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileZilla Wikipedia page]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/ Application home website]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1 Direct link to download page]

==Firefox==
[[File:Firefox screenshot.png|thumb|Firefox]]
*'''What it is''': web browser and PDF reader
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': The best free software browser available today. Provides far better security than using Internet Explorer, is W3C standards compliant and displays websites better. It includes a built-in PDF reader as well.
*'''Caveats''': Windows XP and newer only are supported. There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/firefox/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==GIMP==
[[File:GIMP screenshot.png|thumb|GIMP]]
*'''What it is''': image editor
*'''Licence''': GNU Lesser General Public License V3+ and GNU General Public License V3+
*'''Why you want it''': Great free image editing application, similar to Photoshop, but has many better features.
*'''Caveats''': GIMP requires Windows 2000 or newer; it will not work on Windows 9x/ME and NT 4. The interface is a bit different from Photoshop, but works well. They have a very complete [http://docs.gimp.org/en/ user manual] on-line.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/gimp/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIMP Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.gimp.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==InfraRecorder==
[[File:InfraRecorder screenshot.png|thumb|InfraRecorder]]
*'''What it is''': CD and DVD burning
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License 3
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use, free software CD and DVD burner.
*'''Caveats''': You will only need this if your PC has an optical drive.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InfraRecorder Wikipedia page]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/ Application home website]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Inkscape==
[[File:Inkscape screenshot.png|thumb|Inkscape]]
*'''What it is''': vector image creator
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use free vector graphics image creation application, similar to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
*'''Caveats''': None. They have very complete [https://inkscape.org/en/learn/ documentation and tutorials] on-line and also at [http://write.flossmanuals.net/inkscape/about-inkscape/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkscape Wikipedia page]
*[https://inkscape.org/ Application home website]
*[https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92.2/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==jEdit==
[[File:jEdit screenshot.png|thumb|jEdit]]
*'''What it is''': text editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2
*'''Why you want it''': A very complete text editor that has many plug-ins and customizations available. Includes syntax highlighting for writing code and html.
*'''Caveats''': Spell checking must be enabled as a plugin.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEdit Wikipedia page]
*[http://www.jedit.org/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/jedit/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Kdenlive==
[[File:Kdenlive screenshot.png|thumb|Kdenlive]]
*'''What it is''': non-linear video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': A simple-to-use, but powerful and full-featured non-linear video editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as open format ".webm" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. It can also save in other formats with [https://kdenlive.org/download/ additional codecs].
*'''How to install it''': Download the zip file and unzip it using [http://www.7-zip.org/a/7z1604.exe 7-Zip]. Transfer the directory folder to your home directory. Open the folder and click on the "kdenlive.exe" file to launch it. You can also create a desktop shortcut via a right click on "kdenlive.exe" to allow launching it more easily.
*'''Caveats''': The Windows version is a beta version.
*There is an excellent [https://userbase.kde.org/Kdenlive/Manual user manual] available and there is also a guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/kdenlive/about-this-guide/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kdenlive Wikipedia page]
*[https://kdenlive.org/ Application home website]
*[https://kdenlive.org/download/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==KeePass==
[[File:KeePass screenshot.png|thumb|KeyPass]]
*'''What it is''': secure password manager
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': Keep your passwords in a secure database so they won't get stolen. Works with all browsers, including Firefox.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KeePass Wikipedia page]
*[https://keepass.info/ Application home website]
*[https://keepass.info/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==LibreOffice==
[[File:LibreOffice screenshot.png|thumb|LibreOffice]]
*'''What it is''': complete office suite, including word processor and desktop publisher, spreadsheet, database, slide show, vector drawing application and math formula writer.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3, with new contributions under the Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free complete office suite that is better than MS Office and is derived from OpenOffice.org. Has some unique features, such as it can save documents as PDFs. You can save in native open formats or in MS Office formats such as ".doc" and ".xls".
*'''Caveats''': The minimum system requirements are:
**Microsoft Windows XP SP3 or newer
**Pentium-compatible PC (Pentium III, Athlon or more-recent system recommended)
**256 Mb RAM (512 Mb RAM recommended)
**Up to 1.5 Gb available hard disk space
**1024x768 resolution (higher resolution recommended), with at least 256 colours
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/ Direct link to LibreOffice download page (offers Windows, Linux, MacOS)]

==mtPaint==
[[File:Mtpaint screenshot.png|thumb|mtPaint]]
*'''What it is''': a simple image editor for making drawings and editing photos.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3 or later
*'''Why you want it''': an easy to use and light weight mage editor, ideal for photo editing.
*'''Caveats''': To save a lot of time, read the [http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/handbook/en_GB/chap_00.html official user manual] rather than trying to figure out how to use it on your own
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MtPaint Wikipedia page]
*[http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/mtpaint/files/mtpaint/3.40/mtpaint-3.40-setup.exe/download Direct link to the Windows download]

==Stellarium==
[[File:Stellarium screenshot.png|thumb|Stellarium]]
*'''What it is''': desktop planetarium.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Amazing graphics, better than almost all the commercial software available. Allows you to explore the night sky and plan your telescope viewing sessions.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellarium_(computer_program) Wikipedia page]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Application home website]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Sumatra==
[[File:Sumatra screenshot.png|thumb|Sumatra]]
*'''What it is''': PDF reader.
*'''License''': GNU General Public License v3
*'''Why you want it''': Extremely light weight and fast PDF reader. Unlike Adobe Reader, Sumatra opens in a fraction of a second, without having to wait for all the splash screens and credits to scroll by.
*'''Caveats''': None
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatra_PDF Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/free-pdf-reader.html Application home website]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/download-free-pdf-viewer.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==Thunderbird==
[[File:Thunderbird screenshot.png|thumb|Thunderbird]]
*'''What it is''': e-mail client.
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Highly customizable e-mail application with many useful features, such as advanced search and tabbed e-mail. Much better usability and security than MS Outlook or Outlook Express.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/thunderbird/about-thunderbird/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Thunderbird Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==VLC==
[[File:VLC screenshot.png|thumb|VLC]]
*'''What it is''': media player.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+ (player) and GNU Lesser General Public License V2.1+ (engine)
*'''Why you want it''': VLC is the best media player available and will play pretty much every type of audio and movie file. It has a simple interface, useful features like a graphic equalizer and is very easy to use.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginner's user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/vlc/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC_media_player Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ Application home website]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==See also==
*[[Lubuntu]]
*[[Ubuntu]]
*[[Xubuntu]]
*[[Puppy Linux]]
*[[All in One - System Rescue Toolkit]]

==External links==
* [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/dg/index.jsp?dg=109 The NCF Free Software Discussion Group], for help and questions about free software
* [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software Free software] on Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Free_software Wikipedia free software listing]

[[Category:Windows]]
[[Category:Computer Help]]
[[Category:Privacy and Security]]

Best Of Free Windows Software

2024-06-21T18:52:55Z

Fh448: /* LibreOffice */

Since 2008 NCF was been giving out copies of the [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD] to help members learn about some of the great [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software free software] available and let them give it a try. The DVD was mostly aimed at users on dial-up for whom downloading large application files is difficult. With blank DVD's becoming harder to come by, the DVD program ended in 2020, but all the software is still available for download.

With fewer NCF members now using dial-up and most with unlimited DSL service, it makes sense for people to just download the software directly. An additional factor is that few laptops or even desktop computers come with optical drives that can use CDs or DVDs these days.

This page explains some of the most popular free software for Windows and gives links to to download the applications directly. All the software here has been tested and recommended by NCF members.

==Audacity==
[[File:Audacity screenshot.png|thumb|Audacity]]
*'''What it is''': audio recorder and editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+
*'''Why you want it''': It enables you to record any sound that can be fed into your sound card, as a digital file, microphone or analog input, edit and save in a wide variety of formats.
*'''Caveats''': Only works if you have a sound card installed. Windows Vista and newer are supported. For Windows 10 you will need to have proper drivers to run your audio devices.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/audacity/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity_(audio_editor) Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Avidemux==
[[File:Avidemux screenshot.png|thumb|Avidemux]]
*'''What it is''': video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': A simple linear editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as ".avi" or ".mpeg" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. Compared to more complex non-linear video editors that require high-powered computers to run, Avidemux will run on much older hardware.
*'''Caveats''': Starting with version 2.6.10 Avidemux will no longer run on Windows XP. There is [http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/index.php?title=Main_Page documentation] available on how to use this application but it is a bit incomplete. There is a far better manual on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/avidemux/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avidemux Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.avidemux.org/ Application home website]
*[https://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==ClamWin==
[[File:ClamWin screenshot.png|thumb|ClamWin]]
*'''What it is''': Anti-virus scanner
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free software virus scanner.
*'''Caveats''': ClamWin is pretty good and improving all the time, but unless you are using MS Outlook it does not do e-mail scanning. It can be set to update itself daily and also to do a complete scan each day. It is suggested that it be used as a secondary or back-up virus scanner, perhaps using a freeware scanner like [https://www.avg.com/en-ca/free-antivirus-download AVG Free] as your primary virus protection.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClamWin Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/ Application home website]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/content/view/18/46/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==FileZilla==
[[File:FileZilla screenshot.png|thumb|FileZilla]]
*'''What it is''': File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2
*'''Why you want it''': If you design websites then this FTP client will enable you to upload them and manage your uploaded files.
*'''Caveats''': If you don't create websites then you won't need this. Windows XP and newer only are supported.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileZilla Wikipedia page]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/ Application home website]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Firefox==
[[File:Firefox screenshot.png|thumb|Firefox]]
*'''What it is''': web browser and PDF reader
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': The best free software browser available today. Provides far better security than using Internet Explorer, is W3C standards compliant and displays websites better. It includes a built-in PDF reader as well.
*'''Caveats''': Windows XP and newer only are supported. There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/firefox/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==GIMP==
[[File:GIMP screenshot.png|thumb|GIMP]]
*'''What it is''': image editor
*'''Licence''': GNU Lesser General Public License V3+ and GNU General Public License V3+
*'''Why you want it''': Great free image editing application, similar to Photoshop, but has many better features.
*'''Caveats''': GIMP requires Windows 2000 or newer; it will not work on Windows 9x/ME and NT 4. The interface is a bit different from Photoshop, but works well. They have a very complete [http://docs.gimp.org/en/ user manual] on-line.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/gimp/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIMP Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.gimp.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==InfraRecorder==
[[File:InfraRecorder screenshot.png|thumb|InfraRecorder]]
*'''What it is''': CD and DVD burning
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License 3
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use, free software CD and DVD burner.
*'''Caveats''': You will only need this if your PC has an optical drive.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InfraRecorder Wikipedia page]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/ Application home website]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Inkscape==
[[File:Inkscape screenshot.png|thumb|Inkscape]]
*'''What it is''': vector image creator
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use free vector graphics image creation application, similar to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
*'''Caveats''': None. They have very complete [https://inkscape.org/en/learn/ documentation and tutorials] on-line and also at [http://write.flossmanuals.net/inkscape/about-inkscape/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkscape Wikipedia page]
*[https://inkscape.org/ Application home website]
*[https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92.2/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==jEdit==
[[File:jEdit screenshot.png|thumb|jEdit]]
*'''What it is''': text editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2
*'''Why you want it''': A very complete text editor that has many plug-ins and customizations available. Includes syntax highlighting for writing code and html.
*'''Caveats''': Spell checking must be enabled as a plugin.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEdit Wikipedia page]
*[http://www.jedit.org/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/jedit/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Kdenlive==
[[File:Kdenlive screenshot.png|thumb|Kdenlive]]
*'''What it is''': non-linear video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': A simple-to-use, but powerful and full-featured non-linear video editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as open format ".webm" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. It can also save in other formats with [https://kdenlive.org/download/ additional codecs].
*'''How to install it''': Download the zip file and unzip it using [http://www.7-zip.org/a/7z1604.exe 7-Zip]. Transfer the directory folder to your home directory. Open the folder and click on the "kdenlive.exe" file to launch it. You can also create a desktop shortcut via a right click on "kdenlive.exe" to allow launching it more easily.
*'''Caveats''': The Windows version is a beta version.
*There is an excellent [https://userbase.kde.org/Kdenlive/Manual user manual] available and there is also a guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/kdenlive/about-this-guide/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kdenlive Wikipedia page]
*[https://kdenlive.org/ Application home website]
*[https://kdenlive.org/download/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==KeePass==
[[File:KeePass screenshot.png|thumb|KeyPass]]
*'''What it is''': secure password manager
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': Keep your passwords in a secure database so they won't get stolen. Works with all browsers, including Firefox.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KeePass Wikipedia page]
*[https://keepass.info/ Application home website]
*[https://keepass.info/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==LibreOffice==
[[File:LibreOffice screenshot.png|thumb|LibreOffice]]
*'''What it is''': complete office suite, including word processor and desktop publisher, spreadsheet, database, slide show, vector drawing application and math formula writer.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3, with new contributions under the Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free complete office suite that is better than MS Office and is derived from OpenOffice.org. Has some unique features, such as it can save documents as PDFs. You can save in native open formats or in MS Office formats such as ".doc" and ".xls".
*'''Caveats''': The minimum system requirements are:
**Microsoft Windows XP SP3 or newer
**Pentium-compatible PC (Pentium III, Athlon or more-recent system recommended)
**256 Mb RAM (512 Mb RAM recommended)
**Up to 1.5 Gb available hard disk space
**1024x768 resolution (higher resolution recommended), with at least 256 colours
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/ Direct link to LibreOffice download page (offers Windows, Linux, MacOS)]

==mtPaint==
[[File:Mtpaint screenshot.png|thumb|mtPaint]]
*'''What it is''': a simple image editor for making drawings and editing photos.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3 or later
*'''Why you want it''': an easy to use and light weight mage editor, ideal for photo editing.
*'''Caveats''': To save a lot of time, read the [http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/handbook/en_GB/chap_00.html official user manual] rather than trying to figure out how to use it on your own
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MtPaint Wikipedia page]
*[http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/mtpaint/files/mtpaint/3.40/mtpaint-3.40-setup.exe/download Direct link to the Windows download]

==Stellarium==
[[File:Stellarium screenshot.png|thumb|Stellarium]]
*'''What it is''': desktop planetarium.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Amazing graphics, better than almost all the commercial software available. Allows you to explore the night sky and plan your telescope viewing sessions.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellarium_(computer_program) Wikipedia page]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Application home website]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Sumatra==
[[File:Sumatra screenshot.png|thumb|Sumatra]]
*'''What it is''': PDF reader.
*'''License''': GNU General Public License v3
*'''Why you want it''': Extremely light weight and fast PDF reader. Unlike Adobe Reader, Sumatra opens in a fraction of a second, without having to wait for all the splash screens and credits to scroll by.
*'''Caveats''': None
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatra_PDF Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/free-pdf-reader.html Application home website]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/download-free-pdf-viewer.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==Thunderbird==
[[File:Thunderbird screenshot.png|thumb|Thunderbird]]
*'''What it is''': e-mail client.
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Highly customizable e-mail application with many useful features, such as advanced search and tabbed e-mail. Much better usability and security than MS Outlook or Outlook Express.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/thunderbird/about-thunderbird/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Thunderbird Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==VLC==
[[File:VLC screenshot.png|thumb|VLC]]
*'''What it is''': media player.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+ (player) and GNU Lesser General Public License V2.1+ (engine)
*'''Why you want it''': VLC is the best media player available and will play pretty much every type of audio and movie file. It has a simple interface, useful features like a graphic equalizer and is very easy to use.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginner's user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/vlc/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC_media_player Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ Application home website]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==See also==
*[[Lubuntu]]
*[[Ubuntu]]
*[[Xubuntu]]
*[[Puppy Linux]]
*[[All in One - System Rescue Toolkit]]

==External links==
* [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/dg/index.jsp?dg=109 The NCF Free Software Discussion Group], for help and questions about free software
* [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software Free software] on Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Free_software Wikipedia free software listing]

[[Category:Windows]]
[[Category:Computer Help]]
[[Category:Privacy and Security]]

Best Of Free Windows Software

2024-06-21T18:52:33Z

Fh448: /* LibreOffice */

Since 2008 NCF was been giving out copies of the [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD] to help members learn about some of the great [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software free software] available and let them give it a try. The DVD was mostly aimed at users on dial-up for whom downloading large application files is difficult. With blank DVD's becoming harder to come by, the DVD program ended in 2020, but all the software is still available for download.

With fewer NCF members now using dial-up and most with unlimited DSL service, it makes sense for people to just download the software directly. An additional factor is that few laptops or even desktop computers come with optical drives that can use CDs or DVDs these days.

This page explains some of the most popular free software for Windows and gives links to to download the applications directly. All the software here has been tested and recommended by NCF members.

==Audacity==
[[File:Audacity screenshot.png|thumb|Audacity]]
*'''What it is''': audio recorder and editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+
*'''Why you want it''': It enables you to record any sound that can be fed into your sound card, as a digital file, microphone or analog input, edit and save in a wide variety of formats.
*'''Caveats''': Only works if you have a sound card installed. Windows Vista and newer are supported. For Windows 10 you will need to have proper drivers to run your audio devices.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/audacity/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity_(audio_editor) Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Avidemux==
[[File:Avidemux screenshot.png|thumb|Avidemux]]
*'''What it is''': video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': A simple linear editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as ".avi" or ".mpeg" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. Compared to more complex non-linear video editors that require high-powered computers to run, Avidemux will run on much older hardware.
*'''Caveats''': Starting with version 2.6.10 Avidemux will no longer run on Windows XP. There is [http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/index.php?title=Main_Page documentation] available on how to use this application but it is a bit incomplete. There is a far better manual on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/avidemux/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avidemux Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.avidemux.org/ Application home website]
*[https://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==ClamWin==
[[File:ClamWin screenshot.png|thumb|ClamWin]]
*'''What it is''': Anti-virus scanner
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free software virus scanner.
*'''Caveats''': ClamWin is pretty good and improving all the time, but unless you are using MS Outlook it does not do e-mail scanning. It can be set to update itself daily and also to do a complete scan each day. It is suggested that it be used as a secondary or back-up virus scanner, perhaps using a freeware scanner like [https://www.avg.com/en-ca/free-antivirus-download AVG Free] as your primary virus protection.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClamWin Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/ Application home website]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/content/view/18/46/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==FileZilla==
[[File:FileZilla screenshot.png|thumb|FileZilla]]
*'''What it is''': File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2
*'''Why you want it''': If you design websites then this FTP client will enable you to upload them and manage your uploaded files.
*'''Caveats''': If you don't create websites then you won't need this. Windows XP and newer only are supported.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileZilla Wikipedia page]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/ Application home website]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Firefox==
[[File:Firefox screenshot.png|thumb|Firefox]]
*'''What it is''': web browser and PDF reader
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': The best free software browser available today. Provides far better security than using Internet Explorer, is W3C standards compliant and displays websites better. It includes a built-in PDF reader as well.
*'''Caveats''': Windows XP and newer only are supported. There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/firefox/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==GIMP==
[[File:GIMP screenshot.png|thumb|GIMP]]
*'''What it is''': image editor
*'''Licence''': GNU Lesser General Public License V3+ and GNU General Public License V3+
*'''Why you want it''': Great free image editing application, similar to Photoshop, but has many better features.
*'''Caveats''': GIMP requires Windows 2000 or newer; it will not work on Windows 9x/ME and NT 4. The interface is a bit different from Photoshop, but works well. They have a very complete [http://docs.gimp.org/en/ user manual] on-line.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/gimp/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIMP Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.gimp.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==InfraRecorder==
[[File:InfraRecorder screenshot.png|thumb|InfraRecorder]]
*'''What it is''': CD and DVD burning
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License 3
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use, free software CD and DVD burner.
*'''Caveats''': You will only need this if your PC has an optical drive.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InfraRecorder Wikipedia page]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/ Application home website]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Inkscape==
[[File:Inkscape screenshot.png|thumb|Inkscape]]
*'''What it is''': vector image creator
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use free vector graphics image creation application, similar to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
*'''Caveats''': None. They have very complete [https://inkscape.org/en/learn/ documentation and tutorials] on-line and also at [http://write.flossmanuals.net/inkscape/about-inkscape/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkscape Wikipedia page]
*[https://inkscape.org/ Application home website]
*[https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92.2/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==jEdit==
[[File:jEdit screenshot.png|thumb|jEdit]]
*'''What it is''': text editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2
*'''Why you want it''': A very complete text editor that has many plug-ins and customizations available. Includes syntax highlighting for writing code and html.
*'''Caveats''': Spell checking must be enabled as a plugin.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEdit Wikipedia page]
*[http://www.jedit.org/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/jedit/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Kdenlive==
[[File:Kdenlive screenshot.png|thumb|Kdenlive]]
*'''What it is''': non-linear video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': A simple-to-use, but powerful and full-featured non-linear video editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as open format ".webm" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. It can also save in other formats with [https://kdenlive.org/download/ additional codecs].
*'''How to install it''': Download the zip file and unzip it using [http://www.7-zip.org/a/7z1604.exe 7-Zip]. Transfer the directory folder to your home directory. Open the folder and click on the "kdenlive.exe" file to launch it. You can also create a desktop shortcut via a right click on "kdenlive.exe" to allow launching it more easily.
*'''Caveats''': The Windows version is a beta version.
*There is an excellent [https://userbase.kde.org/Kdenlive/Manual user manual] available and there is also a guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/kdenlive/about-this-guide/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kdenlive Wikipedia page]
*[https://kdenlive.org/ Application home website]
*[https://kdenlive.org/download/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==KeePass==
[[File:KeePass screenshot.png|thumb|KeyPass]]
*'''What it is''': secure password manager
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': Keep your passwords in a secure database so they won't get stolen. Works with all browsers, including Firefox.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KeePass Wikipedia page]
*[https://keepass.info/ Application home website]
*[https://keepass.info/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==LibreOffice==
[[File:LibreOffice screenshot.png|thumb|LibreOffice]]
*'''What it is''': complete office suite, including word processor and desktop publisher, spreadsheet, database, slide show, vector drawing application and math formula writer.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3, with new contributions under the Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free complete office suite that is better than MS Office and is derived from OpenOffice.org. Has some unique features, such as it can save documents as PDFs. You can save in native open formats or in MS Office formats such as ".doc" and ".xls".
*'''Caveats''': The minimum system requirements are:
**Microsoft Windows XP SP3 or newer
**Pentium-compatible PC (Pentium III, Athlon or more-recent system recommended)
**256 Mb RAM (512 Mb RAM recommended)
**Up to 1.5 Gb available hard disk space
**1024x768 resolution (higher resolution recommended), with at least 256 colours
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/ Direct link to LibreOffice download page (offers Windows, Linux, MacOS]

==mtPaint==
[[File:Mtpaint screenshot.png|thumb|mtPaint]]
*'''What it is''': a simple image editor for making drawings and editing photos.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3 or later
*'''Why you want it''': an easy to use and light weight mage editor, ideal for photo editing.
*'''Caveats''': To save a lot of time, read the [http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/handbook/en_GB/chap_00.html official user manual] rather than trying to figure out how to use it on your own
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MtPaint Wikipedia page]
*[http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/mtpaint/files/mtpaint/3.40/mtpaint-3.40-setup.exe/download Direct link to the Windows download]

==Stellarium==
[[File:Stellarium screenshot.png|thumb|Stellarium]]
*'''What it is''': desktop planetarium.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Amazing graphics, better than almost all the commercial software available. Allows you to explore the night sky and plan your telescope viewing sessions.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellarium_(computer_program) Wikipedia page]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Application home website]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Sumatra==
[[File:Sumatra screenshot.png|thumb|Sumatra]]
*'''What it is''': PDF reader.
*'''License''': GNU General Public License v3
*'''Why you want it''': Extremely light weight and fast PDF reader. Unlike Adobe Reader, Sumatra opens in a fraction of a second, without having to wait for all the splash screens and credits to scroll by.
*'''Caveats''': None
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatra_PDF Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/free-pdf-reader.html Application home website]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/download-free-pdf-viewer.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==Thunderbird==
[[File:Thunderbird screenshot.png|thumb|Thunderbird]]
*'''What it is''': e-mail client.
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Highly customizable e-mail application with many useful features, such as advanced search and tabbed e-mail. Much better usability and security than MS Outlook or Outlook Express.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/thunderbird/about-thunderbird/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Thunderbird Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==VLC==
[[File:VLC screenshot.png|thumb|VLC]]
*'''What it is''': media player.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+ (player) and GNU Lesser General Public License V2.1+ (engine)
*'''Why you want it''': VLC is the best media player available and will play pretty much every type of audio and movie file. It has a simple interface, useful features like a graphic equalizer and is very easy to use.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginner's user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/vlc/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC_media_player Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ Application home website]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==See also==
*[[Lubuntu]]
*[[Ubuntu]]
*[[Xubuntu]]
*[[Puppy Linux]]
*[[All in One - System Rescue Toolkit]]

==External links==
* [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/dg/index.jsp?dg=109 The NCF Free Software Discussion Group], for help and questions about free software
* [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software Free software] on Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Free_software Wikipedia free software listing]

[[Category:Windows]]
[[Category:Computer Help]]
[[Category:Privacy and Security]]

Best Of Free Windows Software

2024-06-21T18:51:51Z

Fh448: /* LibreOffice */

Since 2008 NCF was been giving out copies of the [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD] to help members learn about some of the great [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software free software] available and let them give it a try. The DVD was mostly aimed at users on dial-up for whom downloading large application files is difficult. With blank DVD's becoming harder to come by, the DVD program ended in 2020, but all the software is still available for download.

With fewer NCF members now using dial-up and most with unlimited DSL service, it makes sense for people to just download the software directly. An additional factor is that few laptops or even desktop computers come with optical drives that can use CDs or DVDs these days.

This page explains some of the most popular free software for Windows and gives links to to download the applications directly. All the software here has been tested and recommended by NCF members.

==Audacity==
[[File:Audacity screenshot.png|thumb|Audacity]]
*'''What it is''': audio recorder and editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+
*'''Why you want it''': It enables you to record any sound that can be fed into your sound card, as a digital file, microphone or analog input, edit and save in a wide variety of formats.
*'''Caveats''': Only works if you have a sound card installed. Windows Vista and newer are supported. For Windows 10 you will need to have proper drivers to run your audio devices.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/audacity/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity_(audio_editor) Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Avidemux==
[[File:Avidemux screenshot.png|thumb|Avidemux]]
*'''What it is''': video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': A simple linear editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as ".avi" or ".mpeg" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. Compared to more complex non-linear video editors that require high-powered computers to run, Avidemux will run on much older hardware.
*'''Caveats''': Starting with version 2.6.10 Avidemux will no longer run on Windows XP. There is [http://www.avidemux.org/admWiki/index.php?title=Main_Page documentation] available on how to use this application but it is a bit incomplete. There is a far better manual on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/avidemux/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avidemux Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.avidemux.org/ Application home website]
*[https://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==ClamWin==
[[File:ClamWin screenshot.png|thumb|ClamWin]]
*'''What it is''': Anti-virus scanner
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free software virus scanner.
*'''Caveats''': ClamWin is pretty good and improving all the time, but unless you are using MS Outlook it does not do e-mail scanning. It can be set to update itself daily and also to do a complete scan each day. It is suggested that it be used as a secondary or back-up virus scanner, perhaps using a freeware scanner like [https://www.avg.com/en-ca/free-antivirus-download AVG Free] as your primary virus protection.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClamWin Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/ Application home website]
*[https://www.clamwin.com/content/view/18/46/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==FileZilla==
[[File:FileZilla screenshot.png|thumb|FileZilla]]
*'''What it is''': File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2
*'''Why you want it''': If you design websites then this FTP client will enable you to upload them and manage your uploaded files.
*'''Caveats''': If you don't create websites then you won't need this. Windows XP and newer only are supported.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileZilla Wikipedia page]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/ Application home website]
*[https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Firefox==
[[File:Firefox screenshot.png|thumb|Firefox]]
*'''What it is''': web browser and PDF reader
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': The best free software browser available today. Provides far better security than using Internet Explorer, is W3C standards compliant and displays websites better. It includes a built-in PDF reader as well.
*'''Caveats''': Windows XP and newer only are supported. There is a beginners user guide on [http://en.flossmanuals.net/firefox/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==GIMP==
[[File:GIMP screenshot.png|thumb|GIMP]]
*'''What it is''': image editor
*'''Licence''': GNU Lesser General Public License V3+ and GNU General Public License V3+
*'''Why you want it''': Great free image editing application, similar to Photoshop, but has many better features.
*'''Caveats''': GIMP requires Windows 2000 or newer; it will not work on Windows 9x/ME and NT 4. The interface is a bit different from Photoshop, but works well. They have a very complete [http://docs.gimp.org/en/ user manual] on-line.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/gimp/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIMP Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.gimp.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==InfraRecorder==
[[File:InfraRecorder screenshot.png|thumb|InfraRecorder]]
*'''What it is''': CD and DVD burning
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License 3
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use, free software CD and DVD burner.
*'''Caveats''': You will only need this if your PC has an optical drive.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InfraRecorder Wikipedia page]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/ Application home website]
*[http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5 Direct link to Windows download page]

==Inkscape==
[[File:Inkscape screenshot.png|thumb|Inkscape]]
*'''What it is''': vector image creator
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Easy to use free vector graphics image creation application, similar to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
*'''Caveats''': None. They have very complete [https://inkscape.org/en/learn/ documentation and tutorials] on-line and also at [http://write.flossmanuals.net/inkscape/about-inkscape/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkscape Wikipedia page]
*[https://inkscape.org/ Application home website]
*[https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92.2/windows/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==jEdit==
[[File:jEdit screenshot.png|thumb|jEdit]]
*'''What it is''': text editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2
*'''Why you want it''': A very complete text editor that has many plug-ins and customizations available. Includes syntax highlighting for writing code and html.
*'''Caveats''': Spell checking must be enabled as a plugin.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEdit Wikipedia page]
*[http://www.jedit.org/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/jedit/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Kdenlive==
[[File:Kdenlive screenshot.png|thumb|Kdenlive]]
*'''What it is''': non-linear video editor
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': A simple-to-use, but powerful and full-featured non-linear video editor that enables you to edit videos, splice clips together, add transitions and save as open format ".webm" files for uploading to You Tube or other video hosting services. It can also save in other formats with [https://kdenlive.org/download/ additional codecs].
*'''How to install it''': Download the zip file and unzip it using [http://www.7-zip.org/a/7z1604.exe 7-Zip]. Transfer the directory folder to your home directory. Open the folder and click on the "kdenlive.exe" file to launch it. You can also create a desktop shortcut via a right click on "kdenlive.exe" to allow launching it more easily.
*'''Caveats''': The Windows version is a beta version.
*There is an excellent [https://userbase.kde.org/Kdenlive/Manual user manual] available and there is also a guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/kdenlive/about-this-guide/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kdenlive Wikipedia page]
*[https://kdenlive.org/ Application home website]
*[https://kdenlive.org/download/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==KeePass==
[[File:KeePass screenshot.png|thumb|KeyPass]]
*'''What it is''': secure password manager
*'''Licence''': GNU GPLv2+
*'''Why you want it''': Keep your passwords in a secure database so they won't get stolen. Works with all browsers, including Firefox.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KeePass Wikipedia page]
*[https://keepass.info/ Application home website]
*[https://keepass.info/download.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==LibreOffice==
[[File:LibreOffice screenshot.png|thumb|LibreOffice]]
*'''What it is''': complete office suite, including word processor and desktop publisher, spreadsheet, database, slide show, vector drawing application and math formula writer.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3, with new contributions under the Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Free complete office suite that is better than MS Office and is derived from OpenOffice.org. Has some unique features, such as it can save documents as PDFs. You can save in native open formats or in MS Office formats such as ".doc" and ".xls".
*'''Caveats''': The minimum system requirements are:
**Microsoft Windows XP SP3 or newer
**Pentium-compatible PC (Pentium III, Athlon or more-recent system recommended)
**256 Mb RAM (512 Mb RAM recommended)
**Up to 1.5 Gb available hard disk space
**1024x768 resolution (higher resolution recommended), with at least 256 colours
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/ Application home website]
*[https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/ Direct link to LibreOffice download page (multiple operating systems]

==mtPaint==
[[File:Mtpaint screenshot.png|thumb|mtPaint]]
*'''What it is''': a simple image editor for making drawings and editing photos.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V3 or later
*'''Why you want it''': an easy to use and light weight mage editor, ideal for photo editing.
*'''Caveats''': To save a lot of time, read the [http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/handbook/en_GB/chap_00.html official user manual] rather than trying to figure out how to use it on your own
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MtPaint Wikipedia page]
*[http://mtpaint.sourceforge.net/ Application home website]
*[https://sourceforge.net/projects/mtpaint/files/mtpaint/3.40/mtpaint-3.40-setup.exe/download Direct link to the Windows download]

==Stellarium==
[[File:Stellarium screenshot.png|thumb|Stellarium]]
*'''What it is''': desktop planetarium.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Amazing graphics, better than almost all the commercial software available. Allows you to explore the night sky and plan your telescope viewing sessions.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellarium_(computer_program) Wikipedia page]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Application home website]
*[http://stellarium.org/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==Sumatra==
[[File:Sumatra screenshot.png|thumb|Sumatra]]
*'''What it is''': PDF reader.
*'''License''': GNU General Public License v3
*'''Why you want it''': Extremely light weight and fast PDF reader. Unlike Adobe Reader, Sumatra opens in a fraction of a second, without having to wait for all the splash screens and credits to scroll by.
*'''Caveats''': None
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatra_PDF Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/free-pdf-reader.html Application home website]
*[https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/download-free-pdf-viewer.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==Thunderbird==
[[File:Thunderbird screenshot.png|thumb|Thunderbird]]
*'''What it is''': e-mail client.
*'''Licence''': Mozilla Public License
*'''Why you want it''': Highly customizable e-mail application with many useful features, such as advanced search and tabbed e-mail. Much better usability and security than MS Outlook or Outlook Express.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginners user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/thunderbird/about-thunderbird/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Thunderbird Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/ Application home website]
*[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all/ Direct link to Windows download page]

==VLC==
[[File:VLC screenshot.png|thumb|VLC]]
*'''What it is''': media player.
*'''Licence''': GNU General Public License V2+ (player) and GNU Lesser General Public License V2.1+ (engine)
*'''Why you want it''': VLC is the best media player available and will play pretty much every type of audio and movie file. It has a simple interface, useful features like a graphic equalizer and is very easy to use.
*'''Caveats''': None.
*There is a beginner's user guide on [http://write.flossmanuals.net/vlc/introduction/ FLOSS Manuals].
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLC_media_player Wikipedia page]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/ Application home website]
*[https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html Direct link to Windows download page]

==See also==
*[[Lubuntu]]
*[[Ubuntu]]
*[[Xubuntu]]
*[[Puppy Linux]]
*[[All in One - System Rescue Toolkit]]

==External links==
* [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/dg/index.jsp?dg=109 The NCF Free Software Discussion Group], for help and questions about free software
* [http://web.ncf.ca/fn352/wincd.html Best Of Free Windows Software DVD]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software Free software] on Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Free_software Wikipedia free software listing]

[[Category:Windows]]
[[Category:Computer Help]]
[[Category:Privacy and Security]]

Getting Started (Dial-up)

2024-06-21T18:33:27Z

Fh448: /* Does NCF offer high-speed access to the Internet? */

{{:Template:Quick Facts (Dial-up)}}
This article has some basic information about dial-up internet access and how to set it up for use.

==Setting up==
To set up your computer for dial-up connection to the internet though NCF, please follow the step by step instructions below for the type of operating system you use:

* [[Dial-up Connection Instructions for Puppy Linux|Puppy Linux]],
* [[Dial-up Connection Instructions for Windows 10|Windows 10]], [[Dial-up Connection Instructions for Windows 8|Windows 8]], [[Dial-up Connection Instructions for Windows 7|Windows 7]], [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/connectvista Windows Vista], [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/connectxp Windows XP], [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/connectwin Windows 95, 98 and ME], [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/connect2000 Windows 2000]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/connectosx Mac OS X], [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/connectos9 Mac OS 9]
* For setting up older computers using the text system, see [[FreePort]].

'''Note:''' For NCF members who want to use Linux for dial-up, particularly on old computer hardware, [http://puppylinux.org/ Puppy Linux] supports dial-up very well right "out-of-the-box" for external modems.

== What equipment do I need? ==

You need:

*a computer
*a modem
*a telephone line

Your computer must have a jack for the phone line and a telephone modem. Dial up modems were common on computers in the early 2000s, but as dial-up has been largely displaced by high speed internet, dial-up modems have become less common and today are rare on new computers. Be sure to inquire when you buy a new computer if you need dial-up access. An internally-mounted dial-up modem is usually inexpensive (about $20). There are also external modems available that plug into a USB port on your computer. These are slightly more expensive (typically about $30), but very easy to install as they just plug into a USB outlet.

The [https://support.usr.com/support/product-template.asp?prod=5637 US Robotics model 5637] has been recommended as a good external modem for Linux, Mac and Windows versions except Windows 10. US Robotics has indicated that there is an issue with Windows 10 that prevents it from working with this modem.

To browse the internet, you will need a [[web browser]]. These days all operating systems come with browsers installed, but alternate browsers are available for free, such as:

{{Recommended browsers}}

== Does NCF offer high-speed access to the Internet? ==

Yes, NCF offers high-speed DSL and Cable internet access. DSL technology ('Digital Subscriber Line') gives you high-speed internet access over your existing telephone line. It is always on, without blocking your telephone and is up to 100 times faster than dial-up, enabling you to do new things on the internet, like watch videos. Similarly, cable internet uses cable TV infrastructure to provide high-speed internet. As of June 2024, NCF is beta testing fibre to the premises (FTTP) service and will offer this to members who have fibre infrastructure to their site.

For more details, please see our [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/registration/dsl/index.jsp High Speed Internet Page] where you can also sign up.

==See also==
*[[Alternatives to DSL]]
*[[Tips for Dial-up]]

==External links==
*[http://www.usr.com/en-support/windows-compatibility/ Windows version compatibility with USRobotics dial-up modems]

[[Category: Dial-up]]

All in One - System Rescue Toolkit

2024-06-21T18:26:07Z

Fh448: /* See also */

[[File:All in One – System Rescue Toolkit screenshot.JPG|right|thumb|300px|All in One - System Rescue Toolkit desktop]]
The '''All in One - System Rescue Toolkit''' ('''AiO-SRT''') is a free Linux operating system with a set of recovery and rescue tools, created by Paul Bryan Vreeland, a computer repair technician. Based on [[Lubuntu]], it can be run from a CD, DVD or USB device to recover lost data and fix broken Windows software.

AiO-SRT is Linux-based, and can be used to remove malware, blank hard drives, recover lost files and rescue data, even from a computer that will not boot to Windows. You can boot to AiO-SRT or, if used in a computer running Windows, it will auto-run and load utilities to fix the PC. It is free software, issued under free licenses.

AiO-SRT also comes with the Midori web browser, text editor, calculator and many other applications that are useful in fixing a computer.

==Uses==
AiO-SRT can be used for several purposes:

* For recovering data, by booting to AiO-SRT and clicking on the icon for the hard drive and then copying documents onto an external device, such as a USB drive. Data recovery tools are also provided.
* For removing malware (with Clam Tk)
* For testing hardware
* For blanking hard drives (with Nwipe), prior to disposing of them or the whole computer, or to blank them prior to installing a new operating system

AiO-SRT has two modes, as a bootable disk and as a Windows auto-run program. Each mode provides different tools to help you troubleshoot your computer. A complete list of the programs can be found on the [https://paul.is-a-geek.org/aio-srt/ AiO-SRT official website] under "Utilities".

==Getting AiO-SRT==
If your computer has a DVD drive, you can download the ISO file from the [https://paul.is-a-geek.org/aio-srt/ AiO-SRT official website] and burn it to a DVD yourself with an ISO writer. If your computer does not have an optical drive, you can run it from a USB drive, as described below.

AiO-SRT actually is not "installed" like a traditional operating system, instead it is run it from a DVD or a USB device as a "live session". That means, you can run it on a Windows computer, without changing the Windows installation on the hard drive.

==Minimum System Requirements==
AiO-SRT used in bootable mode will only run on 64-bit systems, but in Windows auto-run mode it will operate on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

==Using AiO-SRT==
This explains how to get and use AiO-SRT from a Windows PC:

===Run AiO-SRT in bootable mode (if you have a DVD already)===
# Boot to AiO-SRT (many computers require entering the computer set-up on boot to allow it to boot to a DVD before the hard drive)
# You can access your existing documents from the hard drive, by clicking on the file folder icon on the bottom of the desktop.
# Run any utilities you need to fix your computer, erase your hard drive, etc.

===Run AiO-SRT in auto-run mode (if you have a DVD already)===
# With the computer on and running Windows, insert the DVD and AiO-SRT should run.
# If it does not run, open the DVD folder and click on the AiO-SRT.exe file.

===Run AiO-SRT from your own DVD using Windows===
# Download the AiO-SRT ISO file from the [https://paul.is-a-geek.org/aio-srt/ AiO-SRT official website]
# Download the Null River WinMD5Sum checker from http://www.nullriver.com/downloads/Install-winMd5Sum.exe
# Download the ISO recorder at http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/#/
# Launch the WinMD5Sum checker and test the downloaded AiO-SRT ISO file against the MD5SUM for the specific release in the same repository file. (This ensures that the ISO has not been compromised or corrupted)
# Launch the ISO recorder and use it to burn the ISO image to your DVD
# Boot to AiO-SRT (many computers require entering the computer set-up on boot to allow it to boot to a DVD before the hard drive)
# You can access your existing documents from the hard drive, by clicking on the file folder icon on the bottom of the desktop.
# Run any utilities you need to fix your computer, erase your hard drive, etc.

===AiO-SRT installation (with your own USB)===
To run AiO-SRT from a USB drive from Windows use [http://wincdemu.sysprogs.org/ WinCDEmu] and follow the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhmFEaxEP34 instructions] in Paul Vreeland's video.

You can also create an AiO-SRT bootable USB drive from Windows, using the [https://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/ Universal USB Installer] (UUI) in version ''Universal-USB-Installer-1.9.8.0.exe – January 14, 2018'' or later.

You can use the [http://unetbootin.github.io/ UNetBootIn] ISO USB recorder to write the ISO file to a USB or even copy the contents of a written DVD to the stick, but in either case it will not be bootable, although the aio-srt.exe file can be clicked on to run and will then provide the tools to fix any Windows installation.

==See also==

* https://www.system-rescue.org/ offers a very similar set of tools with a 2024 version compared to AIO SRT last edition in 2018.
*[[Best Of Free Windows Software]]
*[[Lubuntu]]
*[[Ubuntu]]
*[[Xubuntu]]

==External links==
*[https://paul.is-a-geek.org/aio-srt/ All in One - System Rescue Toolkit Official website]
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/digitalstimulus/videos Paul Vreeland's videos, including how to use AiO-SRT]
*[http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/dg/index.jsp?dg=109 NCF Free Software Discussion Group]

[[Category:Linux]]
[[Category:Windows]]
[[Category:Computer Help]]
[[Category:Privacy and Security]]

NCFfibreroot

2024-06-20T18:44:56Z

Fh448: /* NCF Fibre Internet Service */

= NCF Fibre Internet Service =
Disclaimer: This page details NCF's current pricing for its products and services. In the case of any pricing discrepancies between this page and another on our website, NCF will honour the pricing specified below. As part of our commitment to transparent pricing, our [[Historical Pricing|historical pricing]] is also available online.
A ruling of the CRTC on ..., 2024, allows NCF to offer fibre to the premises (FTTP) internet for qualified locations.
* Can I get NCF Fibre?
Fill in this bit with how to check if location supports fibre.
* How fast is NCF FTTP?
Do we know? What is specification? What is observed speedtest (Down / Up)

=Fibre Internet Service Prices=
{{Template:Fibre Pricing Links}}
==Residential==
{{Template:Cable Fibre Links}}{{Template:Residential Fibre Pricing}}
==Installation and Change Fees==
{{Template:Fibre Pricing Links}}{{Template:Fibre Installation and Change Fees}}
==Organizational==
{{Template:Fibre Pricing Links}}{{Template:Organizational Fibre Pricing}}
=Modems=
{{Template:Fibre Pricing Links}}{{Template:Fibre Modems for Sale}}
== Networking Accessories ==
{{Template:Fibre Pricing Links}}
The following accessories can be used to optimize your network. Please call [Tel:613-721-1773 613-721-1773] ext. 0 or email [mailto:support@ncf.ca support@ncf.ca] to confirm availability.
{{Template:Home_Networking_Accessories_for_Sale}}
[[Category:Billing]]
[[Category:Fibre]]
[[Category:Account & Membership]]

NCFfibreroot

2024-06-20T18:44:06Z

Fh448: Created page with "= NCF Fibre Internet Service = Disclaimer: This page details NCF's current pricing for its products and services. In the case of any pricing discrepancies between this page an..."

= NCF Fibre Internet Service =
Disclaimer: This page details NCF's current pricing for its products and services. In the case of any pricing discrepancies between this page and another on our website, NCF will honour the pricing specified below. As part of our commitment to transparent pricing, our [[Historical Pricing|historical pricing]] is also available online.
A ruling of the CRTC on ..., 2024, allows NCF to offer fibre to the premises (FTTP) internet for qualified locations.
* Can I get NCF Fibre?
Fill in this bit with how to check if location supports fibre.
* How fast if NCF FTTP?
Do we know? What is specification? What is observed speedtest (Down / Up)
=Fibre Internet Service Prices=
{{Template:Fibre Pricing Links}}
==Residential==
{{Template:Cable Fibre Links}}{{Template:Residential Fibre Pricing}}
==Installation and Change Fees==
{{Template:Fibre Pricing Links}}{{Template:Fibre Installation and Change Fees}}
==Organizational==
{{Template:Fibre Pricing Links}}{{Template:Organizational Fibre Pricing}}
=Modems=
{{Template:Fibre Pricing Links}}{{Template:Fibre Modems for Sale}}
== Networking Accessories ==
{{Template:Fibre Pricing Links}}
The following accessories can be used to optimize your network. Please call [Tel:613-721-1773 613-721-1773] ext. 0 or email [mailto:support@ncf.ca support@ncf.ca] to confirm availability.
{{Template:Home_Networking_Accessories_for_Sale}}
[[Category:Billing]]
[[Category:Fibre]]
[[Category:Account & Membership]]

Development Pages

2024-06-20T18:43:49Z

Fh448: /* Development Pages */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T18:30:25Z

Fh448: /* More customization */

== Setting up the Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client ==

=== Older instructions ===

Prior to 2024-6-19 (??date may need changing), instructions for setting up Thunderbird were in an HTML web page
https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird3.html. This page dealt with a single email provider and none
of the additional features of Thunderbird. It is also possible that the recommended settings may be sub-optimal
or not work.

=== What you will need to know ===

While some of the following information may be gathered by Thunderbird itself as we set it up for a
particular NCF member, it is useful to have it saved somewhere safe for reference and security. The
list of information has been mentioned already in the [[Email_draft | Email (currently draft??)]] page.
You may also want to know the URL (i.e., address) of your '''Calendar'''. If you are going to use your
NCF Zimbra Calendar, then you will want the ICS URL that you can find using the following steps:

* Log into your NCF account with a web browser.
* Choose '''Email''' (i.e., Zimbra)
* Select Calendar
* Click the small downward pointing triangle next to the Calendar. This will open up a menu box.
* Choose '''Share Calendar''' from the menu. This will open a dialog for sharing your calendar
with other users, but we just want the ICS URL at the bottom.

The ICS URL for NCF member zz999 will be

https://mail.ncf.ca/home/zz999@ncf.ca/Calendar.ics

You can generally copy the text of the URL by Right-Click on it, so it is easy to paste into the
Calendar settings of Thunderbird or into a file where this information will be saved.

=== Downloading and Installing Thunderbird ===

Installers for Thunderbird can be found and downloaded from
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/download/

==== Notes: ====

* Windows users have a choice of 64 bit exe, 64 bit msi and 32 bit exe files. Mostly the default suggested should work, but some older versions of Windows may need a particular choice.
* Windows '''may''' object to running the installer. If so, you will need to set the "Choose where to get apps" in the "Apps and Features" section of the Control panel (i.e., settings) for your installation of Windows. A workable choice is "Anywhere, but warn me ...". Microsoft tries hard to get you to use their software, and sometimes to pay for it too.
* Linux users may find Thunderbird is already installed with their distribution. Most common Linux distros include Thunderbird automatically. If not, they almost always have a way to install it via the distribution's package installer e.g., the '''apt''' tool for Debian/Ubuntu/Mint families, or '''yum''' for Red Hat/SUSE and related distros. Using the download page is generally a poor alternative, since the installers arrange for automatic updates which improve security and fix bugs.

Install Thunderbird either by running the downloaded installer or via your operating system's package manager.

=== Basic Thunderbird Configuration ===

Thunderbird is a large and busy application. We will not cover all possibilities here.

* Launch Thunderbird if it does not do so automatically after installation.
* Generally Thunderbird will ask for information to set up email.
* If Thunderbird does not start the '''Add Mail Account''' setup process, go to '''Account Settings'''. Unfortunately, this may not be in a standard location. On Windows version 115.12.1 (64-bit) this is found under '''Tools''', but you may need to press the F10 key to get the ''File Edit View Go Message Events_and_Tasks Tools Help'' menu displayed. On Linux version 115.12.0 (64-bit) the Account Settings are under '''Edit'''. Choose '''Account Actions''', then '''Add Mail Account'''. You may also access Account Settings from the "Settings" icon that generally appears near the lower left of the Thunderbird window.
* A dialog box will appear wanting
** your full name. This can be any name. It is what gets displayed as the sender of messages to your message recipients
** Email address. This should be your NCF account e.g., zz999@ncf.ca where zz999 is your account name.
** Password: the password you use to log into the NCF start page. Watch that the Caps Lock is NOT set. Type carefully.
** A check box to "Remember Password" can be checked. This saves entering the password each time you look at your email.
* Click "Continue". Thunderbird will try to connect to NCF and determine appropriate settings for the incoming and outgoing mail servers. For NCF both are '''mail.ncf.ca''' but the ports are different.
** The incoming server defaults to port 143 using STARTTLS connection security and Normal Password authentication using IMAP server type.
** The outgoing server defaults to port 587 with the same connection and authentication using SMTP protocol.

Generally, Thunderbird should now be able to send and receive email. If you have another email, or a friend willing to help, send a short test message and ask for a reply to test that the email is working.

=== Adding a Calendar ===

Thunderbird supports using multiple calendars. Here we will look at just setting up your NCF calendar. Let us suppose your NCF account is zz999.

* Click on the Calendar icon (usually third from top on left hand side of Thunderbird window) or choose "File / New / Calendar" from the ''File ...'' menu (displayed by pressing the F10 key).
* In the "Create New Calendar" select "On the Network", then "Next"
* Give your username (e.g., zz999). Make sure the Email is correct. Then "Create Calendar".
* You may have to repeat your username and enter the ICS URL mentioned above, then Subscribe to the Calendar.
* At some point you will need to enter your NCF login password (and choose to save it in the password manager).

Thunderbird tries to find the calendar definition files, but because there are many variations on how the URLs are specified, you likely will need to enter the address of the Calendar.ics file for your account.

Note that you can subscribe to more than one calendar if you have permission to access them. Be aware that calendar setup can often be quite tricky.

=== Adding Address Books ===

Address books or Contacts files are often troublesome to keep tidy and to share across applications. Sadly, they are also the files that outsiders, both hackers and corporations like Google and Microsoft, want to get their hands on. Thunderbird will gather email addresses into your "personal" address book from incoming emails. However, you may wish to use existing contacts. Thunderbird can "import" various address book file types (vCard, LDIF, SQLite, mab, csv). Comma Separated Value (csv) files have the nice feature that they are very easily imported into spreadsheets for viewing and organizing, but you do need to export them again if you want to bring the edited version into Thunderbird. We recommend clicking on the "Import" link and responding to the dialogs. Be sure to check the resulting collection of contacts.

=== Adding Feeds etc. ===

Use the instructions under Basic Thunderbird Configuration to access Account Settings. From this, under '''Account Actions''' you can access the dialogs for adding feeds etc.

=== Adding another email ===

You can add another email from Account Settings / Account Actions in the same manner as the initial email. The accounts will '''both''' appear in the sidebar of Thunderbird. However, if you then look at Account Settings you will see both accounts but also a separate line '''Outgoing Server (SMTP)'''. Clicking on that line will show "Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings" and usually the servers for both email identities will appear, but one will be the default. You can change this if you wish. When replying to a message, the outgoing server for the email address that received the message will be used. The "default" is only used when you click on a "mailto:" link or perform some similar action where the account is not specified.

=== More customization ===

Thunderbird allows a lot of choices in how it works and appears. Possibly the most important is how Right Click on the account or folders in the left hand sidebar allows folders to be created, moved or deleted. A particularly nice feature is that you can highlight messages in the message list and move them between accounts and account folders. Very helpful to keep mail orderly. There are also "Local Folders". You can choose where these appear in your file storage by Right Click on the Local Folders and choosing a directory other than the default, which generally is more or less hidden or out of the way. It can be helpful to have a "LocalMail" directory tree to archive mail and back it up.

=== Extensions ===

Like many other programs, Thunderbird allows Extensions or Add-Ins. See https://addons.thunderbird.net. These can be accessed and installed from within Thunderbird. We recommend only installing the add-ons that you really need to avoid enlarging the complexity of your installation and corresponding risk of bugs or hacking. Moreover, the add-ons are almost always third-party software, and their correctness and maintenance is not guaranteed. Nevertheless, some will be important for some users, such as tools to synchronize address books across more than one computer. For example, you may have a desktop machine and a laptop, as well as a mobile phone. Or you and your partner may want to share a set of family email contacts.

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T18:23:40Z

Fh448: /* Setting up the Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T18:15:09Z

Fh448: /* Adding a Calendar */

== Setting up the Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client ==

=== Older instructions ===

Prior to 2024-6-19 (??date may need changing), instructions for setting up Thunderbird were in an HTML web page
https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird3.html. This page dealt with a single email provider and none
of the additional features of Thunderbird. It is also possible that the recommended settings may be sub-optimal
or not work.

=== What you will need to know ===

While some of the following information may be gathered by Thunderbird itself as we set it up for a
particular NCF member, it is useful to have it saved somewhere safe for reference and security. The
list of information has been mentioned already in the [[Email_draft | Email (currently draft??)]] page.
You may also want to know the URL (i.e., address) of your '''Calendar'''. If you are going to use your
NCF Zimbra Calendar, then you will want the ICS URL that you can find using the following steps:

* Log into your NCF account with a web browser.
* Choose '''Email''' (i.e., Zimbra)
* Select Calendar
* Click the small downward pointing triangle next to the Calendar. This will open up a menu box.
* Choose '''Share Calendar''' from the menu. This will open a dialog for sharing your calendar
with other users, but we just want the ICS URL at the bottom.

The ICS URL for NCF member zz999 will be

https://mail.ncf.ca/home/zz999@ncf.ca/Calendar.ics

You can generally copy the text of the URL by Right-Click on it, so it is easy to paste into the
Calendar settings of Thunderbird or into a file where this information will be saved.

=== Downloading and Installing Thunderbird ===

Installers for Thunderbird can be found and downloaded from
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/download/

==== Notes: ====

* Windows users have a choice of 64 bit exe, 64 bit msi and 32 bit exe files. Mostly the default suggested should work, but some older versions of Windows may need a particular choice.
* Windows '''may''' object to running the installer. If so, you will need to set the "Choose where to get apps" in the "Apps and Features" section of the Control panel (i.e., settings) for your installation of Windows. A workable choice is "Anywhere, but warn me ...". Microsoft tries hard to get you to use their software, and sometimes to pay for it too.
* Linux users may find Thunderbird is already installed with their distribution. Most common Linux distros include Thunderbird automatically. If not, they almost always have a way to install it via the distribution's package installer e.g., the '''apt''' tool for Debian/Ubuntu/Mint families, or '''yum''' for Red Hat/SUSE and related distros. Using the download page is generally a poor alternative, since the installers arrange for automatic updates which improve security and fix bugs.

Install Thunderbird either by running the downloaded installer or via your operating system's package manager.

=== Basic Thunderbird Configuration ===

Thunderbird is a large and busy application. We will not cover all possibilities here.

* Launch Thunderbird if it does not do so automatically after installation.
* Generally Thunderbird will ask for information to set up email.
* If Thunderbird does not start the '''Add Mail Account''' setup process, go to '''Account Settings'''. Unfortunately, this may not be in a standard location. On Windows version 115.12.1 (64-bit) this is found under '''Tools''', but you may need to press the F10 key to get the ''File Edit View Go Message Events_and_Tasks Tools Help'' menu displayed. On Linux version 115.12.0 (64-bit) the Account Settings are under '''Edit'''. Choose '''Account Actions''', then '''Add Mail Account'''. You may also access Account Settings from the "Settings" icon that generally appears near the lower left of the Thunderbird window.
* A dialog box will appear wanting
** your full name. This can be any name. It is what gets displayed as the sender of messages to your message recipients
** Email address. This should be your NCF account e.g., zz999@ncf.ca where zz999 is your account name.
** Password: the password you use to log into the NCF start page. Watch that the Caps Lock is NOT set. Type carefully.
** A check box to "Remember Password" can be checked. This saves entering the password each time you look at your email.
* Click "Continue". Thunderbird will try to connect to NCF and determine appropriate settings for the incoming and outgoing mail servers. For NCF both are '''mail.ncf.ca''' but the ports are different.
** The incoming server defaults to port 143 using STARTTLS connection security and Normal Password authentication using IMAP server type.
** The outgoing server defaults to port 587 with the same connection and authentication using SMTP protocol.

Generally, Thunderbird should now be able to send and receive email. If you have another email, or a friend willing to help, send a short test message and ask for a reply to test that the email is working.

=== Adding a Calendar ===

Thunderbird supports using multiple calendars. Here we will look at just setting up your NCF calendar. Let us suppose your NCF account is zz999.

* Click on the Calendar icon (usually third from top on left hand side of Thunderbird window) or choose "File / New / Calendar" from the ''File ...'' menu (displayed by pressing the F10 key).
* In the "Create New Calendar" select "On the Network", then "Next"
* Give your username (e.g., zz999). Make sure the Email is correct. Then "Create Calendar".
* You may have to repeat your username and enter the ICS URL mentioned above, then Subscribe to the Calendar.
* At some point you will need to enter your NCF login password (and choose to save it in the password manager).

Thunderbird tries to find the calendar definition files, but because there are many variations on how the URLs are specified, you likely will need to enter the address of the Calendar.ics file for your account.

Note that you can subscribe to more than one calendar if you have permission to access them. Be aware that calendar setup can often be quite tricky.

=== Adding Feeds etc. ===

Use the instructions under Basic Thunderbird Configuration to access Account Settings. From this, under '''Account Actions''' you can access the dialogs for adding feeds etc.

=== Adding another email ===

You can add another email from Account Settings / Account Actions in the same manner as the initial email. The accounts will '''both''' appear in the sidebar of Thunderbird. However, if you then look at Account Settings you will see both accounts but also a separate line '''Outgoing Server (SMTP)'''. Clicking on that line will show "Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings" and usually the servers for both email identities will appear, but one will be the default. You can change this if you wish. When replying to a message, the outgoing server for the email address that received the message will be used. The "default" is only used when you click on a "mailto:" link or perform some similar action where the account is not specified.

=== More customization ===

Thunderbird allows a lot of choices in how it works and appears. Possibly the most important is how Right Click on the account or folders in the left hand sidebar allows folders to be created, moved or deleted. A particularly nice feature is that you can highlight messages in the message list and move them between accounts and account folders. Very helpful to keep mail orderly. There are also "Local Folders". You can choose where these appear in your file storage by Right Click on the Local Folders and choosing a directory other than the default, which generally is more or less hidden or out of the way. It can be helpful to have a "LocalMail" directory tree to archive mail and back it up.

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T17:43:24Z

Fh448: /* Setting up the Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client */

== Setting up the Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client ==

=== Older instructions ===

Prior to 2024-6-19 (??date may need changing), instructions for setting up Thunderbird were in an HTML web page
https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird3.html. This page dealt with a single email provider and none
of the additional features of Thunderbird. It is also possible that the recommended settings may be sub-optimal
or not work.

=== What you will need to know ===

While some of the following information may be gathered by Thunderbird itself as we set it up for a
particular NCF member, it is useful to have it saved somewhere safe for reference and security. The
list of information has been mentioned already in the [[Email_draft | Email (currently draft??)]] page.
You may also want to know the URL (i.e., address) of your '''Calendar'''. If you are going to use your
NCF Zimbra Calendar, then you will want the ICS URL that you can find using the following steps:

* Log into your NCF account with a web browser.
* Choose '''Email''' (i.e., Zimbra)
* Select Calendar
* Click the small downward pointing triangle next to the Calendar. This will open up a menu box.
* Choose '''Share Calendar''' from the menu. This will open a dialog for sharing your calendar
with other users, but we just want the ICS URL at the bottom.

The ICS URL for NCF member zz999 will be

https://mail.ncf.ca/home/zz999@ncf.ca/Calendar.ics

You can generally copy the text of the URL by Right-Click on it, so it is easy to paste into the
Calendar settings of Thunderbird or into a file where this information will be saved.

=== Downloading and Installing Thunderbird ===

Installers for Thunderbird can be found and downloaded from
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/download/

==== Notes: ====

* Windows users have a choice of 64 bit exe, 64 bit msi and 32 bit exe files. Mostly the default suggested should work, but some older versions of Windows may need a particular choice.
* Windows '''may''' object to running the installer. If so, you will need to set the "Choose where to get apps" in the "Apps and Features" section of the Control panel (i.e., settings) for your installation of Windows. A workable choice is "Anywhere, but warn me ...". Microsoft tries hard to get you to use their software, and sometimes to pay for it too.
* Linux users may find Thunderbird is already installed with their distribution. Most common Linux distros include Thunderbird automatically. If not, they almost always have a way to install it via the distribution's package installer e.g., the '''apt''' tool for Debian/Ubuntu/Mint families, or '''yum''' for Red Hat/SUSE and related distros. Using the download page is generally a poor alternative, since the installers arrange for automatic updates which improve security and fix bugs.

Install Thunderbird either by running the downloaded installer or via your operating system's package manager.

=== Basic Thunderbird Configuration ===

Thunderbird is a large and busy application. We will not cover all possibilities here.

* Launch Thunderbird if it does not do so automatically after installation.
* Generally Thunderbird will ask for information to set up email.
* If Thunderbird does not start the '''Add Mail Account''' setup process, go to '''Account Settings'''. Unfortunately, this may not be in a standard location. On Windows version 115.12.1 (64-bit) this is found under '''Tools''', but you may need to press the F10 key to get the ''File Edit View Go Message Events_and_Tasks Tools Help'' menu displayed. On Linux version 115.12.0 (64-bit) the Account Settings are under '''Edit'''. Choose '''Account Actions''', then '''Add Mail Account'''. You may also access Account Settings from the "Settings" icon that generally appears near the lower left of the Thunderbird window.
* A dialog box will appear wanting
** your full name. This can be any name. It is what gets displayed as the sender of messages to your message recipients
** Email address. This should be your NCF account e.g., zz999@ncf.ca where zz999 is your account name.
** Password: the password you use to log into the NCF start page. Watch that the Caps Lock is NOT set. Type carefully.
** A check box to "Remember Password" can be checked. This saves entering the password each time you look at your email.
* Click "Continue". Thunderbird will try to connect to NCF and determine appropriate settings for the incoming and outgoing mail servers. For NCF both are '''mail.ncf.ca''' but the ports are different.
** The incoming server defaults to port 143 using STARTTLS connection security and Normal Password authentication using IMAP server type.
** The outgoing server defaults to port 587 with the same connection and authentication using SMTP protocol.

Generally, Thunderbird should now be able to send and receive email. If you have another email, or a friend willing to help, send a short test message and ask for a reply to test that the email is working.

=== Adding a Calendar ===

Thunderbird supports using multiple calendars. Here we will look at just setting up your NCF calendar. Let us suppose your NCF account is zz999.

* Click on the Calendar icon (usually third from top on left hand side of Thunderbird window) or choose "File / New / Calendar" from the ''File ...'' menu (displayed by pressing the F10 key).
* In the "Create New Calendar" select "On the Network", then "Next"
* Give your username (e.g., zz999). Make sure the Email is correct. Then "Create Calendar".
* You may have to repeat your username and enter the ICS URL mentioned above, then Subscribe to the Calendar
* ??? other details here or not??

=== Adding Feeds etc. ===

Use the instructions under Basic Thunderbird Configuration to access Account Settings. From this, under '''Account Actions''' you can access the dialogs for adding feeds etc.

=== Adding another email ===

You can add another email from Account Settings / Account Actions in the same manner as the initial email. The accounts will '''both''' appear in the sidebar of Thunderbird. However, if you then look at Account Settings you will see both accounts but also a separate line '''Outgoing Server (SMTP)'''. Clicking on that line will show "Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings" and usually the servers for both email identities will appear, but one will be the default. You can change this if you wish. When replying to a message, the outgoing server for the email address that received the message will be used. The "default" is only used when you click on a "mailto:" link or perform some similar action where the account is not specified.

=== More customization ===

Thunderbird allows a lot of choices in how it works and appears. Possibly the most important is how Right Click on the account or folders in the left hand sidebar allows folders to be created, moved or deleted. A particularly nice feature is that you can highlight messages in the message list and move them between accounts and account folders. Very helpful to keep mail orderly. There are also "Local Folders". You can choose where these appear in your file storage by Right Click on the Local Folders and choosing a directory other than the default, which generally is more or less hidden or out of the way. It can be helpful to have a "LocalMail" directory tree to archive mail and back it up.

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T17:38:13Z

Fh448: /* Adding a Calendar */

== Setting up the Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client ==

=== Older instructions ===

Prior to 2024-6-19 (??date may need changing), instructions for setting up Thunderbird were in an HTML web page
https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird3.html. This page dealt with a single email provider and none
of the additional features of Thunderbird. It is also possible that the recommended settings may be sub-optimal
or not work.

=== What you will need to know ===

While some of the following information may be gathered by Thunderbird itself as we set it up for a
particular NCF member, it is useful to have it saved somewhere safe for reference and security. The
list of information has been mentioned already in the [[Email_draft | Email (currently draft??)]] page.
You may also want to know the URL (i.e., address) of your '''Calendar'''. If you are going to use your
NCF Zimbra Calendar, then you will want the ICS URL that you can find using the following steps:

* Log into your NCF account with a web browser.
* Choose '''Email''' (i.e., Zimbra)
* Select Calendar
* Click the small downward pointing triangle next to the Calendar. This will open up a menu box.
* Choose '''Share Calendar''' from the menu. This will open a dialog for sharing your calendar
with other users, but we just want the ICS URL at the bottom.

The ICS URL for NCF member zz999 will be

https://mail.ncf.ca/home/zz999@ncf.ca/Calendar.ics

You can generally copy the text of the URL by Right-Click on it, so it is easy to paste into the
Calendar settings of Thunderbird or into a file where this information will be saved.

=== Downloading and Installing Thunderbird ===

Installers for Thunderbird can be found and downloaded from
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/download/

==== Notes: ====

* Windows users have a choice of 64 bit exe, 64 bit msi and 32 bit exe files. Mostly the default suggested should work, but some older versions of Windows may need a particular choice.
* Windows '''may''' object to running the installer. If so, you will need to set the "Choose where to get apps" in the "Apps and Features" section of the Control panel (i.e., settings) for your installation of Windows. A workable choice is "Anywhere, but warn me ...". Microsoft tries hard to get you to use their software, and sometimes to pay for it too.
* Linux users may find Thunderbird is already installed with their distribution. Most common Linux distros include Thunderbird automatically. If not, they almost always have a way to install it via the distribution's package installer e.g., the '''apt''' tool for Debian/Ubuntu/Mint families, or '''yum''' for Red Hat/SUSE and related distros. Using the download page is generally a poor alternative, since the installers arrange for automatic updates which improve security and fix bugs.

Install Thunderbird either by running the downloaded installer or via your operating system's package manager.

=== Basic Thunderbird Configuration ===

Thunderbird is a large and busy application. We will not cover all possibilities here.

* Launch Thunderbird if it does not do so automatically after installation.
* Generally Thunderbird will ask for information to set up email.
* If Thunderbird does not start the '''Add Mail Account''' setup process, go to '''Account Settings'''. Unfortunately, this may not be in a standard location. On Windows version 115.12.1 (64-bit) this is found under '''Tools''', but you may need to press the F10 key to get the ''File Edit View Go Message Events_and_Tasks Tools Help'' menu displayed. On Linux version 115.12.0 (64-bit) the Account Settings are under '''Edit'''. Choose '''Account Actions''', then '''Add Mail Account'''. You may also access Account Settings from the "Settings" icon that generally appears near the lower left of the Thunderbird window.
* A dialog box will appear wanting
** your full name. This can be any name. It is what gets displayed as the sender of messages to your message recipients
** Email address. This should be your NCF account e.g., zz999@ncf.ca where zz999 is your account name.
** Password: the password you use to log into the NCF start page. Watch that the Caps Lock is NOT set. Type carefully.
** A check box to "Remember Password" can be checked. This saves entering the password each time you look at your email.
* Click "Continue". Thunderbird will try to connect to NCF and determine appropriate settings for the incoming and outgoing mail servers. For NCF both are '''mail.ncf.ca''' but the ports are different.
** The incoming server defaults to port 143 using STARTTLS connection security and Normal Password authentication using IMAP server type.
** The outgoing server defaults to port 587 with the same connection and authentication using SMTP protocol.

Generally, Thunderbird should now be able to send and receive email. If you have another email, or a friend willing to help, send a short test message and ask for a reply to test that the email is working.

=== Adding a Calendar ===

Thunderbird supports using multiple calendars. Here we will look at just setting up your NCF calendar. Let us suppose your NCF account is zz999.

* Click on the Calendar icon (usually third from top on left hand side of Thunderbird window) or choose "File / New / Calendar" from the ''File ...'' menu (displayed by pressing the F10 key).
* In the "Create New Calendar" select "On the Network", then "Next"
* Give your username (e.g., zz999). Make sure the Email is correct. Then "Create Calendar".
* You may have to repeat your username and enter the ICS URL mentioned above, then Subscribe to the Calendar
* ??? other details here or not??

=== Adding Feeds etc. ===

Use the instructions under Basic Thunderbird Configuration to access Account Settings. From this, under '''Account Actions''' you can access the dialogs for adding feeds etc.

=== Adding another email ===

You can add another email from Account Settings / Account Actions in the same manner as the initial email. The accounts will '''both''' appear in the sidebar of Thunderbird. However, if you then look at Account Settings you will see both accounts but also a separate line '''Outgoing Server (SMTP)'''. Clicking on that line will show "Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings" and usually the servers for both email identities will appear, but one will be the default. You can change this if you wish. When replying to a message, the outgoing server for the email address that received the message will be used. The "default" is only used when you click on a "mailto:" link or perform some similar action where the account is not specified.

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T17:26:19Z

Fh448: /* Adding another email */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T17:21:49Z

Fh448: /* Setting up the Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T17:06:58Z

Fh448: /* Basic Thunderbird Configuration */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T17:00:46Z

Fh448: /* Basic Thunderbird Configuration */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T17:00:05Z

Fh448: /* Basic Thunderbird Configuration */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T16:59:42Z

Fh448: /* Downloading and Installing Thunderbird */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T16:42:28Z

Fh448: /* Downloading and Installing Thunderbird */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T16:40:47Z

Fh448: /* Downloading and Installing Thunderbird */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T16:32:28Z

Fh448: /* Setting up the Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T16:31:41Z

Fh448: /* What you will need to know */

Email draft

2024-06-20T16:30:01Z

Fh448: /* General information */

== Email ==

?? Note that this is a draft replacement of the [[ Email ]] page

This page provides some basic information about NCF email, how it works and how to configure it and related tools.

For information on using the Zimbra webmail system, please see [[Zimbra]].

== Sending and receiving email ==
{{:Template:Quick Facts (Email)}}
===General information===
NCF provides every member with a personal email address. NCF email addresses are simply a member's account ID (eg., 'ab123') followed by '@ncf.ca', for example, 'ab123@ncf.ca'.

Optionally, you can arrange for an [[Email Alias|email alias]], for example, 'jsmith@ncf.ca'.

'''Important:''' If you already have an email address and '''do not plan to use or regularly check messages''' to your NCF email address, be sure to tell us.
NCF needs to be able to reach you about your account. You can do this by using
the '''Preferences''' link in the '''Account''' box. This used to be at
[https://secure.ncf.ca/ncf/home/tools/preferences.jsp Change Preferences] at the bottom-right of the old StartPage.

=== Receiving mail===
Incoming email for you is stored on NCF's computer until you ask for it.
There are two ways to receive email:

;Using NCF WebMail (browser-based)
:All you need to use WebMail is a web browser connected to the internet (eg., home, office, library, internet cafe, anywhere in the world via internet). No set-up is required. You read and send mail from the browser using the [[Zimbra]] interface and your mail is stored on an NCF computer. With WebMail, your email stays on the computers at NCF and is backed up there, too, to protect against loss.

:A disadvantage of using WebMail is that you have to stay connected to the internet while you are reading and composing your email.

;Using an email client (on your personal computer)
:Email client software can provide more features in working with email and can often provide important extra features:
* calendars
* access to multiple email accounts at once so messages can be organized for efficient management
* access to news feeds
* encrypted and signed emails

An email client allows messages to be transferred to your computer and then read there. The size of your mail archive can be as large as your hard drive.

:A disadvantage under some choices in setting up the email is that your mail is only accessible while you are at your own computer. Most email providers, including NCF, offer both POP (Post Office Protocol) and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) choices when setting up an email client. In general terms
* POP, when the email client connects to the mail server, e.g., mail.ncf.ca, downloads all the current messages into the '''local''' computer, then deletes them. This means the messages are '''only''' available on the local computer. No backup. Some email services do allow "leave mail on the server" under POP, but NCF recommends using IMAP unless you have carefully examined such features.
* IMAP leaves messages on the server until they are deleted. Some services even make it quite difficult to truly delete messages. However, most modern email clients download the messages to your local machine so they can be read offline i.e., while not connected to the internet. This is the choice NCF recommends when using an email client.

'''Caveat:''' Some email services use other protocols. In particular, Microsoft 365 (O365 protocol) is used by many organizations such as the University of Ottawa. While interface software exists to make the use of O365 more or less transparent, this requires the organization to activate that software. In the case of uOttawa, for example, the choice was made to only activate the interface for Linux users on the '''Evolution''' email client.

== Zimbra Limits at NCF ==
There are several limits you may encounter in your use of Zimbra.
# '''Mail storage size''' - members are allocated 5GB of storage. This contains all the mail and briefcase data. Members must manage their space within that limit. See [[Zimbra webmail#How much storage space are you using.3F|how to check your storage space.]]
# '''Mail message size''' - the maximum message size allowed is 50MB. The actual file size of the attachments is 20-30% less due to the encoding is required to send it via email. If you have large files that you wish to share, there are a number of other file sharing approaches that may be better than attachments. One of those is using the Zimbra Briefcase - see [[Zimbra: Briefcase]].
# '''Sending rate''' - NCF limits the rate at which members can send out email to protect against spamming. A limit of 200 messages over a 4 hour span is in place. If you have large distribution lists that will exceed this, please contact the office - we have a solution.

== NCF Webmail ==
NCF Webmail allows you to compose, send, receive and manage your email using any browser. It is the easiest way to send and receive email while you are away from home. Your mail stays on the NCF's mail server. To use it, all you need is a web browser and connection to the Internet.

You can try WebMail by going to the [http://start.ncf.ca StartPage] then either clicking on 'Email` in the banner line below the NCF logo or on `NCF Webmail' in the '''Email''' box lower on the page. There is nothing to install on your computer as long as you have a reasonably modern web browser like Firefox, Chrome or Safari.

Up to 5GB of email can be accumulated and stored in your WebMail Inbox and folders. NCF's storage capacity increases regularly as facilities are upgraded.

The NCF Webmail system runs the [[Zimbra]] mail system. For an overview of the benefits of Zimbra, please visit the [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/home/zimbraIntro.jsp Introducing Zimbra] page.

For specific and detailed help on all things Zimbra, visit the [[Zimbra]] Help Page.

The Zimbra webmail interface offers a number of extra features, in particular, a calendar service and a ''briefcase'' for file upload, access and storage.

== Mail Clients (Mail readers) ==

Some common current mail clients, all available for download free of charge, and with at least a free-use option, are:

* Microsoft Outlook https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/microsoft-365/outlook/email-and-calendar-software-microsoft-outlook is available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android (but '''not''' Linux). Only the non-free versions say "Ad-free". On most email services there is likely a webmail version for users on different operating systems. Outlook has generally been pre-installed with the Windows operating system. NCF members should watch to avoid unwanted opt-in to paid features.
* Mozilla Thunderbird https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird Thunderbird is a free and open-source email client with a great many features. If there is a complaint it is that there are so many choices and options, and accessing them may require some investigation or help.
* Evolution email client https://riseup.net/en/email/clients/evolution While developed for the GNOME Linux environment, there is also a Windows version. It is claimed that this is the only non-Microsoft email client to work out of the box with the O365 protocol. Much like Thunderbird, it has many features and options.

If you decide to use an email client to read and send email, you need to make sure it is installed on your computer and configured for your particular email accounts. That is, the email software needs to know where to retrieve/send your email.

'''Reminders:'''
* If you are considering using POP rather than IMAP protocol see [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/pop_imap.html What's the difference between POP and IMAP?].
* If you use an email client, incoming messages for which you have set up sorting rules in your YellowMail Sorting Rules (Email / Yellow Mail/ Sorting Rules) will appear with warnings in the subject line.

??? Previously said they would not be displayed. Is new statement correct. JN???

=== Setting up a Mail Client or Mail Reader ===
Modern mail readers are pretty easy to set up. Typically you just need some of the information in the 'Quick Facts' box above. You may also need to have information on how your calendar is accessed as well as any special feeds for news or chat to which the email client can interface.

For step-by-step instructions, click on your mail reader below:

Step-by-step instruction for popular mail readers:
* [[IPhone|iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch]]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/android/ Android Devices (eg. Google Nexus One, Motorola Milestone, or HTC Hero)]
* [[Apple Mail|Apple Mail (2011)]]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/evolution.html Evolution Mail and Calendar]
* [[Microsoft Outlook 2016]]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird3.html Mozilla Thunderbird]
* [http://web.ncf.ca/aw958/mail_help_files/zimbra/index.html Zimbra Desktop email client] by Graeme Beckett, NCF

Step-by-step instructions for older mail readers, still in use on some systems:
* [http://web.ncf.ca/glennj/ncf/bookshelf/appleMail/index.shtml Apple Mail (2006)]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/eudora.html Eudora Mail]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/outlook.html Microsoft Outlook Express]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird.html Mozilla Thunderbird 1.x or 2.x]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/ns71.html Netscape Mail]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/pegasusMail.html Pegasus Mail]
* [[Windows Mail]]
* [[BlackBerry 10]]
* [[PlayBook|Blackberry PlayBook]]
* [http://web.ncf.ca/aw958/mail_help_files/outlook_2003_setup/outlook_2003.html Microsoft Outlook 2003]
* [[Microsoft Outlook 2010]]

For information on whether you should set up your reader for POP or IMAP see [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/pop_imap.html What's the difference between POP and IMAP?].

Keep in mind if you use an email client that it will not retrieve your yellow mail that the spam filter saves there for you.

=== I can receive email, but I can't send! (Relay Access Denied) ===
If your mail account appears to be setup correctly, but you are having trouble sending, it could be that you don't have SSL and authentication enabled.

Step-by-step instructions to update or confirm that your account is correctly configured for SSL and authentication:
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/outlook_ssl.html Microsoft Outlook Express SSL Setup]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/mail_thunderbird_smtp.html Mozilla Thunderbird SSL Setup]
* [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/windowsLiveMail_ssl.html Windows Live Mail SSL Setup]

== Spam Reduction ==

=== Customizing SpamFilter ===
Regardless of how you read your mail, you can use NCF's SpamFilter if you have problems with spam.

You can view or change your SpamFilter settings by going to the [http://start.ncf.ca StartPage], and clicking on [https://www.ncf.ca/en/members/email/yellowmail/settings SpamFilter set-up] under 'Email' in the left column. There is information on that page about how SpamFilter works and [http://www.ncf.ca/ncf/support/faqMaker.jsp?faq=2 Frequently Asked Questions] on customizing SpamFilter.

There is also [https://youtu.be/PWEibPkXCS0 a short video on setting SpamFilter options].

=== Blocking Specific Email Addresses ===
Spam can be difficult to stop as spammers are relentless, and can often send messages from many different emails, making it much more difficult to stop.

If the undesirable messages you are receiving are coming from the same address, it would be best to add a mail exception on your spam filtering page [https://www.ncf.ca/ncf/home/spamfilter/greenListMgr.jsp here] to ensure the offending address is blocked from sending you mail in the future.

Simply enter the offending email into the “Email address” bar and enter “Classification” as “Red” to ensure this address will be marked as spam and not be delivered to your mailbox in the future.

===Using Yellow Mail===
NCF provides a facility to screen mail items that your SPAM filter settings have found questionable before the mail enters your Zimbra inbox. This is called yellow mail. You can see a short video [[https://youtu.be/3rqLbGhvA8w here]] on how to use it.

==See also==
*[[Alternate email address]]
*[[Email Alias]]
*[[Email blacklisting]]
*[[Email spoofing]]
*[[Tips (Email)|Email tips]]
*[[Zimbra]] - for help on the Zimbra webmail system

[[Category: Email]]

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T16:04:04Z

Fh448: /* What you will need to know */

Configuring Thunderbird

2024-06-20T16:02:15Z

Fh448: /* Setting up the Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client */