| Product | Platform | Interface | Function | Benefits | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FCKEditor | Web | Web | HTML editor | A wrapper for the IE and Mozilla HTML edit controls. This is actually a great project and I use it frequently. | Does not actually convert RTF to HTML. Sometimes it can be a bit cranky, especially when it hits against browser security. |
| Abiword | Command line options for conversion | Word processor, also has options for converting files on the command line | Open source, free, comprehensive conversion | Command line interface is very poorly documented. There is an SDK but I do not know what it’s capabilities are. | |
| wv | command line | Microsoft Word to html, rtf, latex etc. | Converts directly from Microsoft Word file format. | Does not convert back to Microsoft Word format. | |
| OpenOffice | GUI | To and from many formats | Free, open source word processor with good support for common file formats. | Uses a large amount of computer resources. |
Utilities
7-Zip Great open source zip programme. Windows interface.
Mozilla, Thunderbird and Firefox
Audio
CDDA paranoia. Linux command line. Best ripper available – it rips each sector multiple times, until it’s sure you have the original content off the CD.
CDEX Good free cd ripper for Windows.
Programming
Innosetup: used for all the Windows packages on this site. Free installer software (not open source).
NSIS intstaller Free and open source installer. May be used for any software (e.g. freeware, shareware or commercial).
Wotsit’s format Great website for obtaining file format specifications including RTF, HTML, image formats etc.
Borland Turbo C++ Latest version of the Borland C++ Builder series. “Explorer” edition is available free for download.