Clerks BLAH!

When you think of .PDF files the first thing that comes to mind is Adobe Acrobat Reader. the typical reader that most computers use to read these files. In an effort to always find faster, slimmer, better programs I discovered a program called GSView.

GSView is a free frontend to the GhostScript application that it’s original intention was reading Postscript files, but has evolved GhostScript into a full featured PDF viewer that is incredibly fast. The typical load times for the application ar a second or 2, and even loading a large – graphically rich – file loaded in a third the time Adobe Acrobat Reader took to load. It even beat Foxit Reader, which is another free PDF reader that is designed to be a more lightweight alternative to Adobe.

To install the reader, you must first install the Ghostscript application (http://mirror.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirrors/ghost/GPL/gs864/gs864w32.exe for MS Windows) and then install the GSView application (http://mirror.cs.wisc.edu/pub/mirrors/ghost/ghostgum/gsv49w32.exe also for MS Windows).

A great (and fast) program to get the best out of your netbook!

xPUD is classified as an “Instant On OS”, which means that it boots very fast, and is designed for when you are on the go, and you don’t want to have to wait for Windows to boot up all the way. You just want to be able to turn on your computer and either do something online or work with a document, or both.

xPUD is downloaded as a Windows .exe file, ant installs just like any other program.

Once installed, you simply have to reboot, and select it from the Windows startup boot screen. Once selected the entire operating system will be displayed in anywhere from 7 seconds to 15 seconds (hardware dependent).

The initial boot will probably take longer because the system has to figure out what all of your hardware is, but don’t fret, just reboot again – This time with your stopwatch ready – and then you will be able to enjoy the ultra fast boot.

The best thing about this program is that it is FREE.  There are many others out there with similar programs, that make you pay $20 or more.  Plus they have a live CD (or USB flash drive) that you can download to try it before you install it.  Also remember, that since it is installed like a regular Windows program, it is also uninstalled the same way.  You don’t have to deal with repartitioning your hard drive, or have to worry about data loss.