Digit GeekJanuary 2020 e-DVD
Welcome to Digit’s “e” DVD. Instead of limiting ourselves to physical media, we’re attempting to curate the best content from the WWW for you, and give it to you in monthly instalments. By the 15th of every month there will be a new e-DVD made available to buyers / subscribers of the Digit Magazine, so watch our homepage for updates.
While most of the following is content for your PCs, if you’re reading this from a mobile, scroll to the Mobile section to get some interesting downloads, apps and games, all recommended by Team Digit.
As always, remember to send us feedback about this exercise, and suggestions on how we can improve.
Featured Distro
- Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix:The Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix is an unofficial remix of Ubuntu, a Gnu/Linux computer operating system. This remix is designed to be ideal for use by the average computer user as a complete and user friendly alternative computer operating system solution.
Linux Distros
- Ubuntu:The latest version of the Ubuntu operating system for desktop PCs and laptops, Ubuntu 19.10 comes with nine months, until July 2020, of security and maintenance updates.
- Linux Mint: Linux Mint is straight up the most recommended and easy to use distros around at the moment. It is based on Ubuntu but ships with a bunch of extras including codecs and drivers, which makes it quicker to start using the distro.
- Gentoo: Gentoo is used by a bunch of enthusiasts known as Gentoomen. The updates are regular, and the distro is optimised for your particular system, which is great. It is a bit of a toughie to get into though.
- Slackware: Slackware is a distro for those who want to dive into the deep end of the Linux pool, and is one of the most basic and customisable distros around. The setup is incredibly fun or painful depending on how you look at it. It is easy to mess up your system if you are using Slackware, so proceed with caution.
- Kali Linux: Kali Linux is the distro for those who want to try out hacking tools, or get into penetration testing in a more serious manner.
- Ubuntu: Ubuntu is one of the easiest to use and well known distros around. Ideal for use in offices as well.
- OpenSuse: OpenSuse is a distro geared towards software developers and system admins. It is one of the most used distros around the world, and is continuously updated.
- Fedora: Fedora is the distro used by the creator of Linux, Linus Trovalds. This is a distro with plenty of support, and regular updates. It is associated with the RedHat distro.
- ArchLinux: The ArchLinux distro is a simple and minimalist Linux distro. The updates are frequent. The distro is for more expert users.
- Solus: Solus is a no nonsense distro designed for home computing. You can access most applications out of the box.
- SteamOS: Based on Debian, SteamOS is a distro specifically made for gaming on Linux systems. It can be used as a general purpose distro as well. Check the hardware requirements though, they are on the higher side.
Essentials
- 7Zip : Do not want to pay for Winrar? Use 7-Zip. 7-Zip is free archiving software with open source. The most of the code is under the GNU LGPL license. Some parts of the code are under the BSD 3-clause License. Also there is unRAR license restriction for some parts of the code.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader : To open all those PDF files. Well-rounded PDF reader that provides cloud sharing, carefully selected text reading options and a couple of handy editing features.
- Avidemux : This is an easy to use tool that you can use to quickly cut and edit videos, without any fancy interface or extras. Avidemux is a free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. It supports many file types, including AVI, DVD compatible MPEG files, MP4 and ASF, using a variety of codecs. Tasks can be automated using projects, job queue and powerful scripting capabilities.
- Calibre : Calibre is a powerful and easy to use e-book manager. It’ll allow you to do nearly everything and it takes things a step beyond normal e-book software. It’s also completely free and open source and great for both casual users and computer experts.
- Chrome : Google Chrome is a cross-platform web browser developed by Google.
- CPU-Z : View detailed information on your PC’s CPU, memory, mainboard, caches, graphics, and more, with the help of an app that also works as a benchmark tool.
- Deluge : Deluge is a lightweight, Free Software, cross-platform BitTorrent client.
- Discord : All-in-one voice and text chat for gamers that’s free, secure, and works on both your desktop and phone. Stop paying for TeamSpeak servers and hassling with Skype. Simplify your life.
- EasyBCD : A powerful bootloader/modification tool that enables you to run multiple operating systems on the same computer, as well as reset the BCD configuration or recreate and repair boot files.
- FFmpeg : A complete, cross-platform solution to record, convert and stream audio and video.
- File Splitter and Joiner : A simple yet efficient software solution that helps you split and join files, calculate the MD5 signature and encrypt data if necessary.
- Firefox : Mozilla Firefox is a free Web browser. Firefox is created by a global non-profit dedicated to putting individuals in control online.
- Foxit Reader : View, edit or create PDF files with this rich-featured application, which also offers support for drawing tools, signatures, full screen mode and more.
- Free Download Manager : It is a powerful modern download accelerator and organizer.
- Free OCR : Scan images or PDF files and extract the text the contain, exporting it to editable form, so you can work with it immediately after.
- Handbrake : HandBrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.
- HDD Low Level Format Tool : Utility for low-level hard disk drive formatting, with support for SATA, IDE or SCSI hard disks, as well as removable drives of any size.
- IrfanView : IrfanView is an image viewer, editor, organiser and converter program for Microsoft Windows.
- K-Lite Codec Pack : Already contains everything you need to play all common audio and video file formats, along with ACM and VFW codecs for transcoding and editing. Bundled with Windows Media Player Classic.
- LibreOffice : Complex productivity suite which enables you to create text document, spreadsheets and presentations, manage databases and draw, and offers compatibility with other major office suites.
- Mouse Recorder Premium : Record the execution of repetitive tasks and automate them, to spare yourself the effort on a regular basis, by using a user-friendly and efficient application.
- Notepad++ : A source code and text editor for all programmers that comes with support for various languages, providing a wide range of productivity tools to ease their work.
- Opera : Try the Opera browser with a free VPN, fast ad blocker, Web 3 support and get more control of your browsing experience.
- PeaZip : PeaZip is free file archiver utility, based on Open Source technologies of 7-Zip, p7zip, FreeArc, PAQ, and PEA projects.
- Power Defragmenter : Take advantage of the power packed in this lightweight utility that is able to flawlessly perform a defragmentation process on your files and disk drives.
- Q-Dir : Choosing to manually clean your computer or sort out files of various types can be a pain and a time-consuming process. However, it all becomes a lot easier with the help of specialized applications such as Q-Dir. It gives you the possibility to manage files and folders from a single window, for a more practical approach on file management.
- qBittorrent : The qBittorrent project aims to provide an open-source software alternative to µTorrent.
- Skype : Skype is one of the best voice over IP services and instant messaging clients that comes bundled with a powerful set of calling, video, messaging and sharing capabilities.
- SpeedFan : View and tweak settings for your computer’s fan speed, voltage and chip temperature using this lightweight utility with support for log files.
- SpeedRunner : A powerful, yet highly intuitive multi-thread file manager that helps users get a clear overview of the files types they have in each folder.
- TeamViewer : The new standard for remote control and remote support.
- Universal Media Server : A highly configurable media server that supports devices which have received the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) certification.
- VirtualBox : VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.
- Vivaldi : We live in our browsers. Choose one that has the features you need, a style that fits and values you can stand by.
- VLC : VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols.
- Winamp : After a leaked version of Winamp 5.8 appeared on the Internet, the team decided to make a version available for everyone. This is not an ongoing project, but there is news expected from Winamp in the future.
Audio Editing Software
- Audacity : Audacity is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder. Audacity is open source and developed by a group of volunteers.
- Ocenaudio : Ocenaudio is a cross-platform, easy to use, fast and functional audio editor. It is the ideal software for people who need to edit and analyze audio files without complications. ocenaudio also has powerful features that will please more advanced users.
- Wavepad : This audio editing software is a full-featured professional audio and music editor for Windows and Mac. It lets you record and edit music, voice and other audio recordings. When editing audio files, you can cut, copy and paste parts of recordings, and then add effects like echo, amplification and noise reduction. WavePad works as a wav or mp3 editor, but it also supports a number of other file formats including vox, gsm, wma, real audio, au, aif, flac, ogg, and more.
- Wavosaur : Wavosaur is a cool free sound editor, audio editor, wav editor software for editing, processing and recording sounds, wav and mp3 files. Wavosaur has all the features to edit audio (cut, copy, paste, etc.) produce music loops, analyze, record, batch convert. Wavosaur supports VST plugins, ASIO driver, multichannel wav files, real time effect processing.
- Waveshop : WaveShop is a free, open-source audio editor for Windows XP/Vista/7/8 32-bit and 64-bit.
- LameXP : LameXP is a free multi-format audio file converter that supports a variety of output formats, including MP3, AAC/MP4, Ogg Vorbis, Opus, as well as FLAC, and an even higher number of input formats. It also supports batch processing and can utilize multiple processor cores.
- Hya-Wave : Hya Wave is a web sample editor, featuring real time FX, load and save in the cloud
- Cubase : Cubase 10.5 follows up the highly anticipated landmark release with many significant improvements, additional inspiring tools and major workflow refinements.
- Soundation : Record, mix and share music together with millions of Soundation users.
- Acoustica : Acoustica 7 is the perfect software application for audio editing, mastering and restoration work on both Mac and PC. The application is available in a Premium Edition and a lower cost Standard Edition.
Courses
- The Atmosphere, the Ocean, and Environmental Change : This course explores the physical processes that control Earth’s atmosphere, ocean, and climate. Quantitative methods for constructing mass and energy budgets. Topics include clouds, rain, severe storms, regional climate, the ozone layer, air pollution, ocean currents and productivity, the seasons, El Niño, the history of Earth’s climate, global warming, energy, and water resources.
- Introduction to Ancient Greek History : This is an introductory course in Greek history tracing the development of Greek civilization as manifested in political, intellectual, and creative achievements from the Bronze Age to the end of the classical period. Students read original sources in translation as well as the works of modern scholars.
- Acoustic Materials and Metamaterials : Acoustic Materials and Metamaterials. Acoustic fundamentals. Theory and design principles of acoustic barrier materials. Theory and design principles of sound absorbing materials. Limitations of conventional materials. Principles of acoustic metamaterials.
- Fundamentals of Photovoltaics : Fundamentals of photoelectric conversion: charge excitation, conduction, separation, and collection. Lectures cover commercial and emerging photovoltaic technologies and cross-cutting themes, including conversion efficiencies, loss mechanisms, characterization, manufacturing, systems, reliability, life-cycle analysis, risk analysis, and technology evolution in the context of markets, policies, society, and environment.
- How to Write a Novel: Structure & Outline : Have you always wanted to write a novel? Have you started a novel only to run out of steam halfway through? Led by international best-selling authors and professors from The University of British Columbia’s world-renowned Creative Writing MFA program, this is part of a series of courses designed to take your novel from concept to completion.
- Photography Masterclass : How to Take Amazing Photos for Beginners & Advanced Photographers
Astronomy Software
Games
- Warframe : Warframe is the free to play model done right, with regular updates, a monetisation model that is fair to players. This is an incredibly complex game with a lot of things to do, and is a major time sink. Essentially you play as space ninjas who are on various missions through the solar system. This is science fiction like you have never seen it before, in any medium.
- Path of Exile : This is another game that has been around for years, is free to play, and is constantly updated. The game has one of the most expansive skill trees in any game ever. You have to pick classes and clear dunjons. The hardcore mode has permadeath. This is RPG done right.
- Shotgun Fun Fun : This is a fast paced platformer where you have to navigate around a map and take down as many zombies as possible, before you inevitably meet your death. Crazy, and addivtive.
- Trackmania Nations Forever : The free version of the game has a stadium environment with thousands of user made tracks. Insane speeds, lots of room for stunts, and split second reactions are all necessary for you to win. This is one of the most popular racing games ever.
- Altitude : Altitude is an over the top multiplayer game where you have to take a bunch of planes and eliminate enemies. The rounds are frenetic and short. The best thing is the football mode.
- TeeWorlds : This is a crazy 2D multiplayer platformer. In the solo mode, you have to kill anything else that moves with an arsenal of weapons, or team up and play the deathmatch mode. Moving around requires constant use of a grappling hook, which is the entire charm of this game.
Music
- Sleep Waves : Music for sleep and meditation.
- Nectar : Relaxed, stylish, resort music. Dreamy, stylish, ideal for walking, panoramic photography, sea travel, morning coffee, outdoor recreation, restaurants and hotels. Fashionable, but at the same time soulful music. This is the 3d number album of the St. Petersburg oneman-band Nordgroove. Music sounds on dozens of different radio stations throughout the world. Release published on a label Cuntroll.
- The Lamplighter EP : Upbeat electronic music, perfect for a fashion show.
- 3:00 AM : Strange things are happening… Everytime, everywhere… I love these lyrics from Amy, as they don’t really tell the whole story… You have to choose…
- Final Round : The self-titled third full-length album from Final Round. Music and lyrics by Matt Hampson. Recorded at The Bombshelter Recording Studio. Produced by Dan Precision.
- Etarnal Starlight OST : Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.
- License To Kill : VGM (Video Game Music) Cover/Remix project from Valparaiso, Chile. Since 2008.
- Sonic Robo Blast 2 : SRB2’s Official Soundtrack was composed, remastered, and remixed by a large group of talented composers and Sonic enthusiasts.
- Zelda Month 2019 : This album will ONLY be available for the month of January, so make sure to download it!
First Person Platformers
- Microvania : A One Screen Mini-Metroidvania with a Twist!
- Pumpkin Jack : Pumpkin Jack is a single-player 3D platformer video game where you embody Jack, the mythical Pumpkin Lord.
- Glitchphobia : Immerse yourself into unstable reality.
- Hardcode : HARDCODE is a 3rd-person shooter with puzzles. It’s a challenge for your reflexes, watchfulness and logical thinking. Again: this game is HARD and requires skill and patience.
- Iketsuki : Iketsuki is an atmospheric platforming game set in the final hours of a dying world.
- Bot Race : Take control of a shapeshifting robot to face a deadly obstacle course!
- Jice : JICE is a first person platformer, set in a ruined candy factory.
- Shattered : Shattered is about a bird living nearby a beautiful mountain. The player takes the role of the little blue bird and starts the game by searching for his brother. Once reaching the village, he uses his magical bell to defeat the dark creatures threatening his fellow birds.
Radio
- Interplanetary Notes Of Ambassador B : Ambassador B should be inspecting minor planets of far-away suns for the peaceful Interplanetary Commonwealth. Instead, her recorded reports reveal that she is veering off-course, pursuing a vendetta and bringing anything but peace.
- Box 13 : The premise of the program was that Dan Holiday was an author who wrote mystery novels. To get ideas for his novels he placed an advertisement in a newspaper saying “Adventure wanted, will go anywhere, do anything, Box 13.” The ads always brought fun adventures of all kinds: from racketeer’s victim to psychotic killer looking for fun. Most of the episodes were based on Dan Holiday replying to a letter he received at Box 13.
- Philo Vance : Philo Vance was the detective creation of S. S. Van Dine first published in the mid 1920s.
- Magic Island : Magic Island was a syndicated serial that first aired sometime in 1936 and consisted of one hundred thirty 12-minute episodes.
- Cloak and Dagger : Cloak and Dagger opened over the NBC network on May 7, 1950. It had a short run through the Summer on Sundays, changing to Fridays after its Summer run. The last show aired Oct. 22, 1950.
- Dr Kildare : Dr. Kildare was produced for syndication in 1949 at WMGM, New York. It was based on the popular Dr. Kildare movies of the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, and brought to the microphone the stars of that series, Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore.
Star Wars Uncut
- Star Wars Uncut : In 2009, thousands of Internet users were asked to remake “Star Wars: A New Hope” into a fan film, 15 seconds at a time. Contributors were allowed to recreate scenes from Star Wars however they wanted. Within just a few months SWU grew into a wild success. The creativity that poured into the project was unimaginable.
- The Empire Strikes Back Uncut : A 2014 fan film remake of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Apps
- Bthere : bthere is a location sharing and group messaging app that links your friends within the app and offers rewards just for hanging out. It even has a special ‘Come Get Me’ button in case of emergency situations. [Android] [iOS]
- Edplus : EdPlus is an education app for kids which acts like a lock for apps. You can lock any app of your choosing behind a short trivia quiz. It’s a great way for kids to learn about topics while accessing apps. [Android] [iOS]
- 1Gallery : 1Gallery is a clean, simplistic gallery app for managing photos. You can also secure photos and videos with the in-built encryption feature and you can also star important photos for easy access. [Android]
Games
- Magic Brick Wars : The newest offering from Halfbrick Studios, the folks behind Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja, is Magic Brick Wars. It’s a real time multiplayer game that fundamentally borrows from Clash Royale but puts a much more complex spin on the actual gameplay. [Android] [iOS]
- Crossing Void : Crossing Void is a turn-based gacha game. What makes the game standout is its roster of characters, which features over 50 characters from popular anime and Light Novels published by Dengeki Bunko. This includes stuff like Sword Art Online, the Toaru series, Durarara, Shakugan no Shana and much more. So there is a familiarity with the characters if you’ve actually watched these shows, and getting a favourite of yours is always a nice feeling. [Android] [iOS]
- Soccer Manager 2020 : Soccer Manager 2020 is a free football management game that lets you live out your dream to manage your favourite football teams. The first gripe we have with the game is the goddamn title. Why call it ‘soccer’ manager? It just turned us off right away… despite this, we gave it a whirl. Soccer *rolls eyes* Manager 2020 allows you to choose from a plethora of clubs, 800 to be exact, from 33 countries across the globe. [Android] [iOS]
- Minecraft Earth : Microsoft’s AR gaming experiment, Minecraft Earth, is now available for mobile gamers across the world to try their hand at. [Android] [iOS]
- Rebel Racing : Hutch Games’ Rebel Racing is a recent racer with some great looking visuals and a roster including some of the most popular supercars in the world. [Android] [iOS]
- Battle Breakers : Epic Games’ Battle Breakers recently made a global launch and is essential a gacha RPG game. What makes it stand out however is its unique battle system. During combat, you have a grid of crystals on the screen. Tapping these crystals reveals things behind them, be it items, enemies, buffs etc. [Android] [iOS]
- Black Desert Mobile : Black Desert Mobile is easily one of the best looking games on mobile right now. The graphics are on par with mainstream gaming consoles. Of course, it also comes with a hefty download size to compliment that. Black Desert Online’s claim to fame was its amazing graphics and flashy combat, all of which has made the transition to Black Desert Mobile. The environment looks great, the animations are great, visually, we can’t find any faults with the game. The best part is even if you don’t have an amazing smartphone, you can still enjoy the game thanks to its amazing optimisation. They also allow you to tweak graphic settings to find one that works best for you. [Android] [iOS]
- Iron Force 2 : It seems every month, we have that one game which manages to horribly mess things up. This month, it’s Iron Force 2. It’s a multiplayer tank battling game with a decent assortment of tanks to choose from. Chillingo is a well-known publisher with several well-known titles such as Angry Birds and Cut The Rope under its belt. However, it was acquired by EA in 2010 so you should know how this review is going to pan out. [Android] [iOS]
- Hocus. : Hocus. has been around in stores for more than four years now, but this optical illusion puzzle platformer has grown really well over the years. The gameplay is simple, you get a number of impossible shapes, which are all more complicated iterations of the Penrose Triangle. From here, you have to navigate a tiny red cube to its hole, over the various mind bending geometries. There are 120 levels in the base game now, which increases in difficulty in a smooth curve as you progress. [Android] [iOS]
