File/link |
Code |
Description |
Type / Requirements |
My Rating |
RealVNC
VNC 3.3.7-x86
(29/5/04) Source Code
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
VNC (Virtual Network Computing) The BEST free remote desktop server/client solution you can get for free that i know of. The makers RealVNC's website describes it best:
"VNC (Virtual Network Computing) software makes it possible to view and fully-interact with one computer from any other computer or mobile device anywhere on the Internet. VNC software is cross-platform, allowing remote control between different types of computer. For ultimate simplicity, there is even a Java viewer, so that any desktop can be controlled remotely from within a browser without having to install software."
Basically this is a Remote anywhere/PC Anywhere Style program, that allows remote operating of a computer, but unlike other commercial programs, you can do it from almost any other operating system, and it is FREE to use!
The version available for download here, has been tested on Windows 2000 (Win32), Windows 95 (Win9x) and Windows NT4, and it ran perfectly on all of them.
|
Freeware
Remote Desktop Client/Server
Win 9x / Win32 / Linux Less than 600k download! |
99.5% (Oxygen!)
I once commented that the company that made "remote anywhere" should sell a seperate remote desktop only program. Well RealVNC here has nicely pulled the rug out from under them; and done it for free, and with source code!
I had no real problems with this program, and installed in on 3 different machines and connected in between them, and even connected to one, then from there back to another!But if i must be critical, the only thing I thought odd, was even over a switched 100 lan, the screen update speed seemed a touch sluggish. But otherwise no faults at all. I didn't include the linux version, as this is more a windows website. But this is also available, and allows linux user to administer windows machine, and vice versa. The program is fully cross platform compatable. |
Serge V Storozhevykh
Freesco
027
(22/2/03)
Makers
Homepage
Other
Homepage
|
S |
The BEST free Router/NAT/Bridge/Firewall/Dial
on demand/Remote access solution I have seen in a long time.
You simply insert a floppy disk,
run a batchfile, boot from the disk, and change a few menu options, and
you have converted any machine with more than one network interface into
either a firewall, a print server, a dns, an internet sharing gateway,
a NAT, a router, a network bridge, a webserver, or a dial up internet server,
or a remote access server - or several combinations therein.
Alternately you can run a command
from the disk, and have it install to the hard disk, where all you need
to do is exit to a command line, and run router.bat. Your windows
9x installation is completely left intact, and your are now running linux.
Finally a non invasive, and lean
& simple distribution of linux. !
I have included the 3 main downloads
needed for a working install in the one zip file download, including the
often forgotten online manual.
(Wait you say - this isn't a windows
app! - however - the hard drive install option has a batchfile you can
run from the windows 9x command prompt!) |
Freeware
NAT/Router/Firewall/Dial up server
/ DNS /Operating system
Dos * / Win 9x / floppy drive /
8 meg of ram |
99% (Oxygen!)
What can I say, it does almost
everything I have tried to do in the past with Linux or windows, and can
co-exist with windows.
It fits on 1 floppy, its linux,
its not complicated, you wont get lost in 500 meg of programs you "might"
use one day, but cant remember the filename for.
The only problems I found, was:
a: it didn't seem to like the Digital
Venturis PC i tried it on first, it couldn't mount the floppy drive.
b: it has no (stock) mail server
option
c: in bridging mode, there is no
provision for using a 3rd (or 4th) card purely for remote administration
There is no reason why any person
at all shouldn't have a copy of this, it fits unobtrusively on a single
floppy disk, has a very easy to use menu system, and simple uncluttered
instructions in the documentation.
Personallly, given the efficient
size, and user interface, this was a whole lot better than the linux router
project. This would make an ideal first Linux for home and business
network managers alike. |
Tiny Software
Tiny Personal
Firewall V.2.Beta (as reviewed)
IMPROVED V2.0.14
Release
Sunbelt edition
FINAL FREEWARE V2.0.15a
Release
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
THE BEST
Freeware Firewall I have found. If you have tried BlackICE Firewall, but
your 30 days expired, and you can't afford their massive reg cost, or you
can't afford something like winroute, get this instead, it even blocks
the windows ports your machine always has open - which means your computer
is as bullet proof as a commercial server like UNIX. Free for private use,
but not commercial use. For commercial users the asking price is surprisingly
reasonable at $39(US) per copy (they also offer volume discounts).
Note: This will not stop:
email virus's/worm's (it may stop some
ones that require network connections, generally you need anti virus
software however)
webserver exploits (you need software
updates for that).
Update: Tiny Appears to be developing this product again. Check their Homepage link for more info. Kerio
Technologies Inc. have another free version of this firewall
product, and still work to improve it. These product(s) still remain the best firewalls available,
but it now has two release companies.
Tiny Software now offer a commercial product (but a free v5.x upgrade)download
of their version. Tiny
Software or download
the latest free for personal use Kerio Personal Firewall variation.
|
Freeware
Total Application and Network level
Firewall
Winsock update/ Win9x/ NT /2000
Beta May have issues with 95a and
2000 |
95% (a "Must have")
98% (newer version)
If you have cable, or any form
of broadband; with the number of computer break-ins, virus's and worms
lately, there is no excuse not to have this installed, GET IT NOW.
Only things stopping the beta from
perfection is the fact it's a Beta, and the lack of an obvious systray
menu item to the "firewall status" window.
This firewall, unlike most free
firewalls, works at application level, so it will pick up things like trojans
and backdoors if they attempt a connection!
(Note: I guess the makers looked
at this page, version 2.0.6 onwards has the systray option.. these ppl
rock my world.. go to makers homepage to download the latest version)
Update:Kerio
now regularly updates the freeware version. |
Argo Soft
Mail Server
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
THE BEST Freeware
mail server I have EVER found. Supports everything you could want or need,
and the maker still sells an even better advanced version! |
Freeware Email Server
Win9x / NT / 2000 |
90% (a "Must have")
Only thing stopping this from a
100% is that the initial server config is a little confusing, it has minor
DNS lookup issues and you need to setup a domain for internet use. (works
fine on a LAN) |
KV Tek Post
Pro v1.3.0.4
Makers
Homepage
|
C |
An excellent automatic IP poster
/ updater for people with dynamic IPs inflicted on them by their ISP, and
want to have a simple single domain name people can use to find them.
The only thing I found wrong with
this, is it has less than perfect error messages.
(for example when i used an invalid
IP, it simply said update failed)
Otherwise a great program.
Note: You need to have installed
the Microsoft winsock 2 upgrade if your using windows 95Note: This product is no longer being supported by KVtek. If you use this, please dont use remote server option for detecting IP. It wont work; and puts unnecessary load on KVtek's servers. Otherwise, it still works with many free/cheap dynamic IP companies. (I use it myself for dhs.org) |
Freeware Dynamic IP domain
name manager
Win9x / NT / 32 |
90% (a "Must have" for dynamic
IPs)
I could say this is the best dynamic
IP posting program i have seen quite safely, but its also the only one
I have tested so far. This is the only reason I haven't rated it higher,
as i need to allow some leeway for similar apps i may find.
It has a fairly logical user
interface, which initially seems confusing, but a hit of caffine, and a
closer look later, and it does seem to be a quite well designed layout.
It has all major dynamic IP providers
listed in a convenient menu, and has the option to run as a service, and
several ways to detect the local IP. Technically i would call this an "Admin Util"; but as it is a front end for dynamic ip providers, i have classed it as a client. |
Simon Tatham
PuTTY v0.50
Makers
Homepage
|
C |
A FREE ssh compatible
telnet client.
Best one I know of.
Supports 3des, blowfish, DES, SSH
v1 and v2, it can even emulate the "mac bug" if you have commercial version
2.3.* of SSHd inflicted on you.
It also supports several variations
of telnet emulation, and can run in "raw" connection mode. Yummy.
It can even save several "Config/Server"
sets so you don't need to keep fiddling everytime you connect.
Download it now! :P |
Freeware
SSH client
Win9x / NT / W32 |
89% (Must Have)
Other than the lack of any automatic
encryption detection, and the slightly unusual menu layouts.. This is a
great program.. All it needs is a "line editor" or "chat" input so you
can type commands without worrying about network latency, and it would
be near perfect as far as freeware goes. It's only 200k. So there is no
reason you don't already have a copy of this.. especially as the nearest
retail equivalent of this program costs over $80US! |
Vsocks Lite
Older
Newer
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
A good socks
4 based gateway and LAN Domain Name Server.
Technically its a firewall/proxy
but it neither caches files or increases security.
It also has dial on demand!
It can be run as a NT/9x Service,
and is fairly reliable provided your DNS config is correct. It also has
simple but effective interface based security restriction. |
Freeware Socks 4 firewall
and DNS
Win9x / NT / 2000 |
81% (Worth a look)
This would be 88% if the DNS was
more reliable. |
Analogx
Port
Mapper
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
This program is brilliant. Its
a fairly handy port mapper, which lets you redirect ports on your computer
to other places. For a LAN manager, a freeware product like this when you
need a quick hack to open a port is a godsend!
Note: It is essentially a multi-mode
multi-port fixed destination proxy, not a NAT based port mapper. |
Freeware Port Mapper / Basic
Firewall
Win9x / NT |
80% (a "Must have")
A great program, only thing holding
it back from a 95% is the lack of adequate interface security, and a few
minor glitches. |
Analogx
Netstat
Live
Makers
Homepage
|
M |
This is another great program.
It monitors and displays in a nice graph format the current CPU / Network
load / connection threads and peak speeds of your PC.
Great for seeing how fast those
downloads are really going, or how slow/fast you LAN is running. |
Freeware Network Speed Graph
Win9x / NT |
80% (Worth a look)
Pretty good, all i miss is a memory
graph (+3%), but then this is for Networks not system monitoring. |
AnalogX
Proxy
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
One of the better feature filled
proxies I have found. Allows interface restriction security, supports http
/ ftp / nntp / smtp/ pop3 / socks4 and some socks5. Also has "Email aliases"
but I am not sure how this is used. |
Freeware Proxy Suite
Win9x / NT |
80% (Worth a look)
A great program, the option to
configure ports would be handy and give it an extra 6%. If it was combined
with a port mapper and DNS it would be close to 100% |
Xitami Webserver
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
A webserver. A good webserver.
A damned good webserver. It supports Virtual Hosts, Directory aliases,
SSI (server side include), full CGI, FTP, secure directories, bandwidth
capping, remote administration, multiple users, directory browsing..
hell if you have IIS, delete it
ask for a refund from Microsoft, and install this instead.
Theres even source code available,
AND you can register for an even better version! |
Freeware / Suedo shareware Webserver
Win9x /NT /2000 |
79% (get it now)
This is a brilliant piece of work.
I actually got rid of my old server software, and installed this instead.
The remote admin is handy, as i have a dedicated server. The only thing
I found wrong with it was that it sometimes wont restart reliably, requiring
intervention and the web admin is so damned confusing, I actually gave
up on the ftp server part and used sunftp instead.
However the http side was well worth the confusion to get running. |
Aryeh Eiderman
Netstrap Ltd
NSHookup
Makers
Homepage
|
C |
A DNS lookup util, similar to the
Linux "DIG" and "NSLookup"command, except it has an easy to use graphical
front end, and with a few clicks lets you get all sorts of detailed information
about a particular network address.
It is also amazingly compact, zipped
it takes up 26k, uncompressed the full program takes up less than 50k (yes
50!) which is considerably smaller than the above mentioned *nix non-gui
equivalents! (which take up around 250k compiled!)
Looks like efficient programming
isn't such a lost art after all! |
Freeware Name Server lookup
tool
Win9x / Win32 |
78% (You can't live without it)
For those who get frustrated by
the lack of an in-built NSlookup tool in windows, and know how to use the
Linux DNS tools, this is a godsend!
Even if you have never used NSlookup
before, this is still a very useful tool, and given its small size, no
network user with any sence has any excuse not to download a copy! Even
on the worst ISP in the world this will download in under 30 seconds! |
WebWeaver
Version
052
Version
060
Source
010a
Makers
Homepage
(Might not work)
|
S |
Not a bad little webserver, supports
basic CGI, directory browsing, FTP, secure dirs too i think and yes it
even has Server Side Include! Download is under 400k.
Note: Version 060 for some reason
wont work on any machine i tried, if in doubt get version 052.
Also I may have left a few extra
html files in the zip from my testing. If you can get the makers page to
load, download a clean copy from there. |
Freeware http webserver
and ftp server.
Win9x /2000
Latest version: NT |
72% (Worth a play)
This isn't too bad a program. http
and ssi work great. I even have it running at a school i work in. Only
let down is that version 060 has serious compatability issues, and the
ftp server although functional still lacks several key features which make
it work with various users client software. |
Browsegate 3
wsbgate3
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
A fairly feature rich budget NAT/firewall.
This provides support for a caching
proxy, has network address translation (NAT), DHCP(in regged version),
SOCKS, and DNS. It also has a few other minor features. Another often overlooked
feature is the ability to have a filtered URL list.. for countries like
Singapore and Australia with stupid internet censorship laws, this can
be used to meet your legal requirements on larger networks with internet
access. |
Shareware,
2 computer limit, (more if registered)
Win9x / NT |
72% (A cheap NAT option)
This is an OK program, its main
downsides being shareware, and the 2 connection shareware limit, (at least
3 would be a more friendly amount). The free version I tested didn't seem
to allow DHCP to work, even before my 30 days ran out. (incidentally you
have a 50 computer limit before your time runs out, useful for a quick
install for a gaming weekend followed by an uninstall) Another irritation
is the apparent lack of a full implementation of NAT, it seems to require
that a "client" version be installed on each non-server machine, and it
seemed to only support network card--> PPP card Address translation, my
test system with two network cards appeared not to work right for NAT at
all.
Once again it is a better option
than wingate - especially as this provides NAT in a free version. So it
means if you have a "kids" machine and "your" machine, your kids can still
play their internet games, without touching your computer. This is a common
scenario, very Handy.
Point of warning tho, depending
on your needs you may find it better to use the built-in ICS if your using
windows 2000/me/XP as your server |
Fortech Ltd
Proxy+
Proxy+(latest)
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
A rather extensive server suite
which has: HTTP Server, supporting text auth and cgi,
a caching HTTP proxy, HTTPS proxy,
FTP proxy, FTP gateway, Telnet gateway, SOCKS version 4 and 5, mail
server, DNS (forwarder), and port mapper.
This thing has so many features
it gives you a headache. |
Shareware, 2 connection
limit, 1 meg cache limit
Win9x / NT |
71% (a good all round solution)
This is a great program, its main
downsides being shareware, and the shareware limits imposed. Still it is
a better option than wingate (which never even made this page) if your
willing to buy a pricey commercial solution. |
AnalogX
Simple
Server
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
A nice basic no frills Webserver.
As far as I know this is still under development, so check the Makers website
regularly. It supports CGI, MIME typing, and secure DIRs. Only let down
is the inability to change the port it runs on. Which since some ISPs block
port 80 would be handy. |
Freeware WWW/HTTP server
Win9x |
70% (have a play one day)
The simple front end is deceptive,
there is actually a lot more features in this, but they require a few quick
hacks in your registry. Most likely these will be added to the GUI in the
next version which will give it a chunky 85% rating |
Matthew Allen
Scribe
Email
Makers
Homepage
|
C |
A nice compact Email Client, (small
enough to install on a floppy) with a similar layout to Outlook, only difference
is, unlike outlook this program isn't likely to crash your computer.
Be sure to get the latest version
from the makers website. |
Freeware Email Client
Win9x / 2k |
70%(Lean and mean)
This would go well with the email
server above, its a nice small email client with anything you need, nothing
you don't.
Downside is, it appears not to fully
support stmp authentication (in the version I tested), however the latest
version apparently fixes most of these problems. *update* The newer version
does seem to work a little better, so I have increased this apps rating
- Get it now! |
Sun Ftp
Binary
Source
code
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
This was one
of the better use FTP servers i found, and it's open source.
Unfortunately this version had a
bug from passive connects that made it throw up errors.
You also need to create the directories
it uses, or it wont run. It has full multi user account support, but no
anonymous support.
Update: It appears I am one of the
only places left hosting this download anymore. Feel free to email me any
improvements you have made, and i will post it here. |
Freeware / Delphi Open source
Ftp Server / Daemon
Win9x / NT |
68% (Have a play one day)
Once you get it running it works
well, but it has a few irritations, such as putting your IP in your paste
buffer every now and again, and no "Virtual Directory Tree" support.
It is excellent for basic user accounts tho. |
FTPx
FTP
Explorer
Makers
Homepage
|
C |
A really easy to use drag and drop
explorer style ftp client. |
Shareware Ftp Client
Win9x / 2000/ NT |
68% (convenient)
This is a nice easy to use, brain
optional ftp client. Only downside is on some thrashing downloads it may
get confused and crash. |
DigitalWeb
Ras+Dialler
Makers
Homepage
|
M |
Dialler program, reconnects if
your disconnected, buffers requests on a static IP so LAN / shell users
will only lag not disconnect during a redial, and offers a pile of other
features. This is the rare freeware version which was lost in the rush
for the shareware version. This freeware version is almost impossible
to find now. |
Freeware Modem / ISDN dialler.
Win9x |
65% (Useful if you have a perm
connection)
This is a pretty nice program,
a few glitches hold it back, but at least it lacks the time bomb on the
newer shareware version. |
PC Maclan
Win9x
Win3.11
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
This program is pure genius. It
lets Windows connect to Macintoshes and vice versa. Ever wanted to seamlessly
integrate an Apple Mac network and a Windows network? This will do it.
The Windows 3.11 version is freeware.
But the Windows 95/98 version costs for full registered functionality. |
Win3.11 Freeware
Win 95/98 Time bombed
Win3.11 / 9x/ NT |
65% (Buy if you can afford it)
I never had a chance to test the
Win3.11 side, but reportedly it will refuse to install on Windows 9x. I
didn't check for the availability of hacks or cracks, so you could get
lucky. This could gain 5% if the time bomb is removed. |
Leech Software
NetMonitor
v0.90
Makers
Homepage
|
M |
Imagine taking
windows's "netstat" command, chucking on a User interface, a few
extra features, and the ability to run continuously while logging all connection
to your PC. That's what this program does. |
Freeware Network Monitor
Win9x / NT |
65% (a must have)
Only thing holding this back is
it wont minimize to system tray, you can't see what data a user is looking
at, there is no way to "copy/paste" the IP of the user, and it sometimes
crashes when you close it. |
Igor Arsenin
Task
Info 95/98
Makers
Homepage
|
M |
A reasonable Task Manager, lets
you alter process priority, terminate tasks, force a shutdown etc.
Much better than the ctrl-alt-delete
menu.
This is an older version, NT or
win 2000 Users should go to the makers website and get the latest version.
Update: A greatly improved version
is available from the makers homepage. |
Freeware Task Manager
Win9x only
(NT / 2000 version on makers website) |
60% (handy, but not vital)
An improved process killing system
would be nice(+10%), but that's probably in the newest version. |
Analog
Log
Analyser
Makers
Homepage
|
M |
A website log file analyser. Has
plenty of features, but is not easy to use if you want a more specialised
report output layout than the provided default. |
Freeware Log Analyser
Win 32
Linux
Macintosh
(anything that
runs perl) |
58% (very handy)
This is a nice little Util and
apparently one of the most popular ones out there. A GUI would have
been nice, even using CGI, but the included web form interface is damn
near impossible to figure out, and seems more for user accounts. |
Leech Software
Open
Webscope
Makers
Homepage
|
M |
A web log analyser, has plenty
of features and a GUI. The GUI is generally easy to use, with only a few
areas of confusion, which are easy to figure out. It also is supposed to
have the ability to monitor logs real time, but i never got it to work
on my system. |
Shareware Log Analyser
Win 9x / 2000 |
58% (good report layout)
This is a resonable web analyser,
whos only downside is that its shareware, and can become confused by some
logs, and have incomplete output. |
WIRCSRV
Wirc(beta)
Wirc5.05
Makers
Homepage
|
S |
Basic IRC server, everything you
need, nothing you don't need.
Supports linking to other servers,
and the beta can be linked to a conference room server (with some fiddling
in dalnet mode). Seems the author got fed up with this app, and stopped
shipping the registered version. Shame really it was a nice little program.
UPDATE: Maker let his website lapse,
so it appears this may be the only place left you can download it. |
Shareware 10 user
limit.
Win9x / NT |
55% (first ircd i ever used)
This was a nice tightly coded IRCd
(more so than Conference Room) only problem was it had a limitation on
users, and the asking price for the regged version was too high.
On a dial up, which can only take
10 or 20 users anyway, this is ideal for a mini IRC network. |