On The Hunt

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday March 8, 2003

Rose Vines

This software gets rid of spyware and other pests most programs ignore, writes Rose Vines.

PestPatrol 4.1

From: www.pestpatrol.com

Price: About $68

Viruses are one type of nastiness you may encounter while online - there are plenty of others. Spyware, for example, loads sneakily onto your computer and keeps tabs on your surfing and other activity, "phoning home" to report the details on your actions.

Remote access Trojans, RATs as they're known, are small programs that allow miscreants to control your computer from afar. Keystroke loggers let remote users peep over your shoulder as you type in passwords and other personal information.

PestPatrol can help you identify and remove all these infestations and others. Even if you've used other anti-spyware software such as AdAware, you'll be amazed at what PestPatrol will turn up on your computer.

As with anti-virus software, PestPatrol works best when you keep it up to date. So, when you install it, let it run its Updater program so it can identify the latest spyware and Trojans. Then let it do a thorough check of your system every

week or so.

DVD Profiler

From: www.dvdprofiler.com

Price: Free with ads, about

$42 without ads

Keeping track of your library of DVDs is easy with DVD Profiler. All you do is type in a DVD's UPC barcode and the program does the rest. It looks up the DVD's details in an online database whose contents have been contributed by hundreds of thousands of users from around the world. With remarkably little effort on your part you'll gain access to all manner of product details, including DVD and DVD-ROM features, cover graphics and how to access hidden features on some DVDs.

The Profiler lets you sort, search and organise your collection by actor, genre, director, studio, features and audio-visual content. Track down any DVD instantly using the point-and-click filters, or use your own ratings to browse your favourites.

When you first install the software, let the program update its database. On a dial-up connection this may take as long as 15 to 20 minutes; on a high-speed connection a few minutes will see you up and running. Once that chore is out of the way, the program requires access to the internet only when you're adding new DVDs to your collection.

QCad 1.5

From: www.qcad.org

Price: Free

Most computer-aided design (CAD) programs come with hefty price tags. Not so QCad, which is free and has a sizeable list of features.

This freeware design program runs on Linux, Windows and a number of versions of Unix. Windows users should download the Windows binary package. English documentation is included with the download and the manual is also available in any of

15 other languages.

With QCad you can design two-dimensional models and plans using an extensive collection of design tools. Dip into the integrated parts browser to add pre-fab components to your designs. Build up objects from a series of layers and manipulate them in a variety of ways.

QCad offers 200 levels of undo, a variety of line styles, 16-colour designs, support

for numerous measurements systems and support for standard file formats such as DXF and HP/GL.