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The best free screen recorders

Fancy showing other people how to play big name games on YouTube? Would you like to make demos to show off your apps, or to teach others how to use specific software? Then you need a screen recorder, and there are some excellent options available completely free.

The simplest screen recorders simply capture what's on your screen and save it in AVI format, but the more advanced free tools also offer editing, picture-in-picture, live streaming, and gameplay optimization.

However, you have to be careful many free recorders will add unsightly watermarks to your clips or let you record only a handful of videos before demanding payment, so it's essential to pick the right software first to avoid disappointing results.

Here's our pick of the best free screen recorders that will help you record of stream professional-quality footage from your webcam, desktop, or games.

Easily the best free screen recorder for capturing or streaming gameplay

If youre a keen gamer, Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) is easily the best screen capture software for you. Unlike the hugely popular FRAPS (which only lets you record for 30 seconds at a stretch unless youve bought a license, and applies a watermark to the resulting footage), OBS is open source, and completely free to use without restrictions.

OBS supports both streaming and recording in high definition, with no restrictions on the number or length of your creations. You can stream live to Twitch or YouTubs gaming, save projects and come back to them later, or encode your footage in FLV format and save it locally.

Because OBS can record directly from your graphics card, its able to capture games running in full-screen mode (many other screen recorders can only record if the game is windowed), with customizable hotkeys to control the recording. OBS can also make full use of multi-core CPUs for improved performance, and can record at 60FPS (or even higher).

It might take a little while to set it up exactly how you want, but OBS is by far the best and most powerful screen recorder for gamers.

Download here: Open Broadcaster Software

The perfect screen recorder for recording webcam video or footage of your desktop

OBS is brilliant for games, but if you want to capture footage from your desktop for tutorials and demonstrations, or make vlogs using footage from your webcam, Flashback Express should be your first port of call.

You can record from your whole screen, a window, a selected area, or a webcam. Once youve finished, your recording will appear in a simple editor, where you can crop and trim it to suit your needs, then export it to YouTube, an FTP server, or your PC.

Thats all fairly standard fare, but take a minute to dive into Flashbacks advanced options and youll find a wealth of thoughtfully designed settings that will make your desktop recordings look truly professional. The recorder can automatically obscure passwords entered on screen, replace your silly wallpaper with a plain one, hide messy desktop icons, and highlight your mouse pointer to make it easier to follow.

Theres no limit on the length of your recordings unless you choose to set one, which can be useful if theres a chance you might accidentally leave the recorder running. You can also choose to break long recordings up into chunks a brilliant touch that helps you avoid creating huge, unwieldy files. Your recordings wont be watermarked, either.

Youll need to upgrade to one of the premium versions of Flashback to save in a format other than WMV, but thats the only limitation of this brilliant free screen recorder.

Download here: Flashback Express

Screen capture made simple with one-click recording, but only for YouTubers

Ezvid is a great free screen recorder for capturing footage from your desktop or games. The interface is extremely clear just select an input source and Ezvid will give you a three-second countdown before it starts recording. The footage will be added to a timeline reminiscent of Windows Movie Maker that allows you to cut and splice clips together, and supplement them with text and images.

There are some fun extras, too Ezvid can capture audio from your microphone, then apply distortion effects. After all, who wouldnt want a software tutorial narrated by a robot? Theres also a text-to-speech function, and a selection of music to liven up silent presentations and slideshows.

Your video wont be watermarked, and you can record for up to 45 minutes uninterrupted. The software will add a brief splash at the start of your recording by default, but you can right-click and delete this via the project window.

The only drawback of Ezvid and its a significant one is the lack of an export function. You can send videos directly to YouTube, but theres no way to encode them and save them locally. This is due to the included music, which is only licensed for use on YouTube. Its a shame, because EzVid is an otherwise superb screen recorder.

Download here: Ezvid

No-frills screen capture, with 2GB free cloud storage for your clips as an added bonus

TinyTake's free screen recorder is designed to grab webcam and desktop footage not in-game action. Starting a recording is simple just click the button, then select an areas of the screen and tap [Ctrl]+[R].

Your recordings wont be watermarked, but youre limited to five minutes of footage at a time. That might not sound like much compared with some of the free screen recorders here, but its plenty for an average YouTube video tutorial.

Once youre done, you can preview your video and export it to your hard drive, to YouTube, or to TinyTakes own cloud storage service, which gives you 2GB for your clips.

Other tools, including annotations, are exclusive to the premium versions of TinyTake, which are designed for commercial use.

TinyTake is a lean, streamlined screen recorder, but the lack of editing tools is a shame, and places it below EzVid in our ranking.

Download here: TinyTake

A solid option for gamers, though restrictions apply if you want to avoid watermarks

Xsplits streaming and recording software comes in two flavors: Broadcaster and Gamecaster. Theyre very similar, but the latter is designed chiefly for gamers, while the latter is a more general-purpose screen recorder.

Xsplit Broadcaster has three tiers: free, personal (for keen streamers), and premium (for commercial use). The free edition of places a watermark over recordings over 60fps, or at resolutions higher than 720p. Thats a major drawback compared to OBS Studio, but Xsplits simple interface might make that compromise worthwhile if youre only intending to publish to YouTube at standard definition.

The free screen recorder can capture input from any source, including your screen, a video card, webcam, media file, or a specific program. Its game-detect function triggers automatically when you begin playing, and the results can be output as a video file, or streamed directly via Twitch, YouTube Live, and Facebook Live, to name just a few.

Download here: Xsplit Broadcaster

The rest is here:
The best free screen recorder 2017 - TechRadar

HackerOne CEO Marten Mickos.Photograph by Albert Law

Many people don't realize much of the Internet is built on free software. Even giant companies like Facebook, Google , and Amazon rely extensively on big libraries of codeknown as "open source" software"written by thousands of programmers, who share their work with everyone.

But no software is perfect. Like the proprietary code developed by many companies, open source software contains flaws that hackers can exploit to steal information or spread viruses. That's why a new initiative to patch those holes is important.

On Thursday, a startup called HackerOne announced it will offer its bug bounty management services, which helps discover flaws in software, to open source projects free of charge.

If you're unfamiliar, bug bounties work by offering altruistic hackers a reward (typically cash) to disclose software vulnerabilities they discover. The bounties are offered by a growing number of companies, from Apple to General Motors , and are effective because they let companies patch software problems before a malicious hacker can find and exploit them first.

While there is already such a program for open source projects, called The Internet Bug Bounty, the new HackerOne initiative is likely to direct more attention to these projects.

The reason is because HackerOne, which just raised a $40 million investment round in February, acts as a hub for a huge community of hackers, who use the company as a conduit to report their discoveries. Acting as an intermediary, HackerOne takes the information it gets from the hackers and presents it to those responsible for softwarewho in turn use HackerOne to distribute the rewards.

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In a blog post announcing the new initiative, HackerOne noted that many open source projectssuch as Ruby, Rails, Discourse, Django, GitLab, Brave, and Sentryare already using the company's services. HackerOne also encouraged other open source projects, including lesser known ones, to apply to be included as well.

"Put simply, eligible open source projects will receive the powerful HackerOne Professional service for free. This will provide vulnerability submission, coordination, dupe detection, analytics, and bounty programs for your projects. It greatly simplifies how you define scope, receive vulnerability reports, manage those reports, and incentivize security researchers to help harden your project," said the company.

Here is a screenshot that shows a sample of the dashboard HackerOne provides to its users to discuss vulnerabilities:

In an interview with Fortune , HackerOne CEO Marten Mickos says the company regards its new initiative, called Community Edition, as a way of giving back. Just as other companies such as Amazon Web Services ( amzn ) and GitHub provide open source projects with services free of charge, Mickos says HackerOne wants to do the same on the bug bounty front.

As for rewards, Mickos says cash bounties will come from the Internet Bug Bounty but that, in his experience, that will often be unnecessary.

"Many hackers say, 'If its an open source project, Ill hack for free. A lot of that goes on. There's so many good people out there," he says.

Mickos also notes open source projects typically result in stronger software because they are built with more collaboration. But he hopes the new HackerOne initiative will provide a way for the projects to ask hackers for extra help in boosting their security.

"Coming from the open source world myself, I know you dont push your solution," Mickos says. "You show your value, and they will come to you."

Excerpt from:
Startup Offers Free 'Bug Bounty' Help to Open Source Projects - Fortune

If you have been looking for an HD video converter that can support a wide spectrum of formats and doesnt make the entire interface too crowded with adware then you must check out WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory.

We recently used it for a number of conversions to check the capabilities of the converter, and it turned out to be a brilliant tool. Not only does it make conversions easy, it makes the entire process smooth by ensuring that we do not have to wait for a certain period of time before a conversion can begin like it is in other free video converting software.

Downloading and installing the software is quick and easy. And using it is a hassle-free experience. The interface is clean since it does not feature any advertisements and there is no embedded software either. It supports over 200 file formats and devices and ensures that you wouldnt have to worry about any watermark on the video that has been converted.

You also have the option to convert any audio format and extract soundtracks from a video or a movie. The converted file is balanced to be of great quality and perfect file size. The resulting videos can be watched in full screen on portable devices.

We loved the fact that we could easily download videos for free from huge online video and audio libraries like YouTube, MetaCafe, Vimeo, LiveLeak, and over 250 other video sharing websites.

For all the things you get for free with this video converter, the video editor and player simply added additional value to the software. You can clip videos, add additional effects and even merge multiple videos. The player comes with its own bag of features which are simple yet great.

WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory is a free software with features that are often a part of paid ones. This is what we really liked about it. It supports most of the file formats that you can think of and it works on a variety of devices. The converted videos or a great quality and you have the ability to download videos from a number of video sharing websites through this smart program.

Whether it is for simple edits or for complex ones, this software warrants a smooth video conversion and editing experience. Given that it is a free software and it does not involve unwanted adware and embedded software, you will enjoy using this software to convert and edit videos. It is a feature packed software that aims at providing great user experience. Using WonderFox Free HD Video Converter is not only easy but remarkable smooth. You should definitely try this software because it does not cost a penny but provides lots of features and brilliant video conversion.

Link:
WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory Great Features with a User Friendly Interface - MustTech News

Free privacy software

Online privacy is a hot topic, with even world leaders weighing in on the subject. Many of the big-name websites and companies will track your activities to deliver targeted advertising, and can build up an astonishingly detailed profile including your interests, spending habits, age, location and more.

If you would prefer to keep your personal details private, a VPN or proxy tool will help. See our guide to setting up and maintaining a VPN.

As well as preventing third parties building up a profile of you, the best free privacy software can open up the web, granting you access to sites blocked in your country, to access region-locked content when you're travelling away from home, and to add a layer of protection when you use a public Wi-Fi network.

A whole browser dedicated to your privacy, Tor Browser is the cornerstone of any privacy toolkit

Tor Browser is probably the best-known anonymous browsing tool out there, and it is described as a 'censorship circumvention tool'.

Tor Browser has a vast following in the online privacy and security communities. It works by bouncing your communication through numerous encrypted node on the internet, making it impossible to determine your location or other identifying information.

Tor Browser employs complex technology, but is refreshingly accessible. It's based on the same code as Firefox, and guides you through the process of getting online one step at a time.

It uses different connection methods depending on what you're trying to achieve, but there's no need to understand the details because it's all taken care of for you. This combination of effective protection and ease of use makes Tor Browser the best free privacy software you can download today.

Download here: Tor Browser

Privoxy gives you total control over your privacy, but the options might be overwhelming

Privoxy is a web proxy tool that's available not only for Mac, Windows and Linux, but also Android and iOS. It is a tremendously powerful tool, but you'll need to invest a little time and effort to get it up and running.

Privoxy can be used in conjunction with just about any web browser, which is a big bonus; simply set the browser to run its traffic through the tool.

However, one of Privoxy's key features could also be a drawback for new users: it gives you very granular control over privacy settings, and configuring them is very much a manual process. There's a helpful quick start guide available, but it has the potential to be off-putting.

That said, if you're happy to persevere, this free privacy software lets you set up advanced filters that will not only ensure you remain anonymous online, but also protect you against unwanted ads.

Download here: Privoxy

Free privacy software that protects your identity by hiding your IP address from prying eyes

Hotspot Shield VPN is available in two flavors: a free, ad-supported one, and a paid-for version that offer unlimited bandwidth. Hotspot Shield hides your IP address and provides encrypted traffic tunnelling (ideal for use on public Wi-Fi networks) to improve security and ensure privacy.

You may not want to use Hotspot Shield at all time. For instance, you may only be interested in using it to access certain sites that are blocked in your country. In this case you can create shortcuts to individual sites in the Hotspot Shield window which will enable protection before launching the sites. Protection can also be toggled on an off with a single click.

The paid-for version, Hotspot Elite, only costs a few pounds or dollars a month, but it's worth trying the free edition first before opening your wallet. Its additional features, including ad-free browsing and dedicated customer support, make it a tempting proposition.

Download here: Hotspot Shield VPN

Free and user-friendly, TunnelBear is VPN made easy but keep an eye on the data limit

In addition to anonymous browsing, free VPN tool TunnelBear can also be used to bypass traffic-shaping and throttling put in place by ISPs.

The free version of TunnelBear gives you up to 500MB of data each month, but if this isn't enough, unlimited data is available for a subscription fee, with prices starting at US$4.16 per month (about 3, AU$6).

Whether you go premium or stick with the free version, you can share a single account between up to five phones, tablets, Windows PCs or Macs.

Configuration is incredibly simple, and TunnelBear's free privacy software can be used with any browser. It's probably the most accessible VPN tool there is, and is just about impossible not to recommend.

Download here: TunnelBear

A great VPN tool for protecting your privacy online, but free users have to wait their turn

Another multi-platform VPN tool, CyberGhost VPN is available as a free ad-supported app, as well as a paid-for edition offering better performance and more features.

For day-to-day or occasional use, the free version should be perfectly adequate. Configuration is very simple, with the only potential stumbling block being the installation of a virtual network adaptor.

With a single click, CyberGhost VPN will activate, giving the impression that you're browsing from another country. The free privacy software also lets you keep an eye on how much traffic you've transferred through the service using a handy graph.

The downside of using the free version is that there's a limited numbers of spaces on the servers, so you may have to wait to gain access (although you're unlikely to be kept hanging for long).

Download here: CyberGhost VPN

Link:
The best free privacy software 2017 - TechRadar

News-Leader staff 6:05 a.m. CT March 1, 2017

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The Internal Revenue Service reminded the millions of taxpayers who have yet to file their taxes that IRS Free File remains available either online at IRS.gov/FreeFile or through the mobile app, IRS2Go. The IRS2Go app is available for Android and iOS devices.

The IRS Free File service makes brand-name tax software products and electronic filing available to most taxpayers for free. Some products offer both free federal and free state return preparation.

The IRS has developed a series of tips, the Tax Time Guide, to help taxpayers navigate common tax issues as this years April 18 deadline approaches. This is the second in a series of 10 tips.

Taxpayers have the option to prepare their return at any time and schedule a tax payment as late as the April 18 deadline. Taxpayers who cannot meet the April tax filing deadline can also use IRS Free File to request an automatic six-month extension until Oct. 16.

Anyone who earned $64,000 or less last year qualifies to choose from among 12 software products. Those earning more than $64,000 can use IRS Free File Fillable Forms, the electronic version of IRS paper forms. The Fillable Forms option is best for people who are comfortable preparing their own tax returns.

More than 70 percent of all taxpayers 107 million people plus are eligible for the software products. Each of the 12 companies has its own special offers, generally based on age, income or state residency. Taxpayers can review each company offer or they can use a Help Me tool that will find the software for which they are eligible.

Active duty military personnel with incomes of $64,000 or less may use any IRS Free File software product of their choice without regard to the criteria. IRS Free File software does the hard work. It walks users through the tax preparation processand helps identify those tax changes that may affect their return.

IRS Free File allows taxpayers to deposit all or part of their refunds into myRA, a free starter retirement savings account from the Treasury Department. Just use Form 8888 or follow the software products instructions.

IRS Free File will be available through Monday, Oct. 16, only through IRS.gov/FreeFile.

All taxpayers should keep a copy of their tax return. Beginning in 2017, taxpayers using a software product for the first time may need their Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) amount from their prior-year tax return to verify their identity. Taxpayers can learn more about how to verify their identity and electronically sign tax returns at Validating Your Electronically Filed Tax Return.

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Use Free File for help with tax returns and extensions - Springfield News-Leader