Alaron

Alaron has been interested in computers for the past 10 years. He started out with no knowledge of how computers worked, knowing only that instant messaging and online games were fun. But over time he became dissatisfied that his store bought computer was not powerful enough for the games he wanted to play. In his search for a new system, he decided to build his own and discovered PCMechanic. Over a few years, the hobby grew on him and he spent more time on the Forums. He started writing the weekly Freeware Frenzy column in August 2005 and became a forum Moderator in 2006.

When not online, Alaron divides his time between college and two other jobs. He is perpetually tinkering with his PCs, Linux, and programming, while listening to music and catching up on all the latest news.

You can contact Alaron at the above address.

Posts By Alaron

iTunes

Update July 28, 2007. The following review is based on iTunes 6. The latest release is iTunes 7, which includes downloadable Hollywood movies and a number of design improvements. You’ll also find that iTunes 7 is a better multimedia management program for music,movies,podcasts,audiobooks and more then it ever was. You can find it on www.apple.com For...

Yahoo Widgets

Note July 25, 2007: The Konfabulator was purchased by Yahoo was renamed ‘Yahoo Widgets’, currently in version 4. The program works much the same the review reflects. You can find Yahoo Widgets at http://widgets.yahoo.com/ For this week’s Freeware Frenzy, I will be taking a look at The Konfabulator version 2.1.1. As part of my continuing search...

Winamp

For this week’s Freeware Frenzy, I will be taking a look at Winamp Free 5.1. I’ve been using Winamp for years now; it is my primary media player. I only use WMP or QuickTime if absolutely necessary. Winamp has come a long way since the very popular Version 2. While Winamp 3 started to evolve, it was version 5 saw a new look, tons of new features and better...

Google Desktop & Homepage

For this week’s Freeware Frenzy, I will be delving into the world that is Google. Google is a household name, becoming part of our everyday lexicon seemingly overnight. Regardless about how you feel about the company’s constant growth and development, one thing is for sure: GoogleLife is here to stay. I will admit I have given my computer over to Google and...

Avant Browser

For this week’s Freeware Frenzy I will be reviewing Avant Browser 10.1.23. It is yet another free browser; they seem to be growing like weeds these days. A friend of mine mentioned it to me a few weeks ago after I told him I was having a memory leak problem with Firefox. After loading a video clip or two, FF would freeze and I would be forced to close and...

Real & QuickTime Alternative

For this week’s Freeware Frenzy I will be taking a look at some alternatives for the everyday media players, QuickTime and RealPlayer. I’m sure everyone uses or has used these programs in the past and knows that they can be a hassle. Bloatware, if you will, with unnecessary memory usage and annoying ads for upgrading. So, I’m going to try out...

SlimServer

For this week’s Freeware Frenzy, I will be taking a look at SlimServer 6.1.1 by Slim Devices. Originally created for use with the Squeezebox music-over-network player, SlimServer can also be used to stream MP3s to any computer on your network with a program that supports MP3 streaming. InstallationUpon installation, I was asked to choose a program directory,...

AVG

Update on July 27, 2007: AVG now offers two products for free; AVG Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware 7.5. They are still high quality products, recommended by many users here at PCMechanic, including myself. You can find them on http://free.grisoft.com/ For this week’s Freeware Frenzy, I will be examining Grisoft’s AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition Version 7.0.338,...

Trillian

For this week’s Freeware Frenzy, I will be reviewing Trillian Basic 3.1 by Cerulean Studios. Many of you may have already heard about this program, but may not have tried it. Trillian is an all-in-one messaging program that allows you to connect to AIM, IRC, ICQ, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger all at once. Cerulean offers Trillian Basic for free and...

MusicMatch Jukebox 10

Update July 27, 2007: The following is a review of MusicMatch 10. Since this article was published, Yahoo acquired MusicMatch and has renamed the program Yahoo Music Jukebox, currently in version 2.7. You can find Yahoo Music Jukebox, which is a very similar program, at http://music.yahoo.com/jukebox/ For this week’s Freeware Frenzy, I will be reviewing...