free

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Antivirus Program Described

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        "I use the free Avast antivirus (AV) program on both my Macs and Windows computers," Jim Hamm begins.   "I like it, and it is light on computer resources. In case you might an interest in Avast,  here is a comprehensive article about this AV program. The article happens to cover installation on a Windows computer, but the process is basically the same for a Mac.
        "Some might question whether an AV program is needed on a Mac. Rather than ponder this philosophical question, I just go ahead and use Avast. I see no downside to doing this, and a possibility of an upside."
        Read  this info and note the chart comparing Avast with seven other well-known antivirus programs.  And there's that word:  FREE. 
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Anti-Virus App Does Its Job

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       "I opened my mail this morning and Sophos (my only Anti-Virus app on my Mac) presented me with this notice: 

        So John Carter has now gotten everyone's attention!  (You do remember to click to enlarge the pasted graphics.)  Read on, "I opened the Quarantine manager.

Then I clicked on the link for the threat to see the details.  Not to worry, it only infects a Windows machine.   But anyway, I let Sophos clean it up:

And here's the happy conclusion from John,  "Having Sophos check my email for viruses and threats does help me avoid opening suspicious email, even if the threat can’t hurt my Mac."
        Note on this page  that Sophos is FREE,  and it's for Mac OS X 10.6 or later.  Their website also has a forum for discussions. 

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Free Webinar

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        Ruth Davis of Mac2School is offering a free webinar.  (Note that word FREE.)  Her email announces that the live seats are filled, but you can sign up for the recording that she'll send so people can watch at their convenience. www.mac2school.com/webinar   Ruth spoke to PMUG a few years ago.  See about her 6 week online class here:  http://www.mac2school.com/biz/   

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Box App for iPhone & iPad

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        Here's that word, FREE, as Prez Art Gorski tells about an app named Box. "Box is an alternative to DropBox for storing files in the 'cloud.' They’ve just released new iPhone and iPad apps and, if you install one of these and sign up now, you’ll get 50GB of free on-line storage."  http://blog.box.com/2014/01/get-the-all-new-box-for-iphone-and-ipad-50bg-free/  

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Some FREE AntiVirus Programs for Mac

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        Jim Hamm started off with a link http://www.slashgear.com/avg-antivirus-for-mac-launches-with-triple-protection-12308577/ about AVG AntiVirus protection,  but that raised a few questions.  Have you used this?  Will it run on Mac running an earlier system?  Jim obliged with more info,  "I haven't used AVG, but it's been around for a long time and has a good reputation. It will run on Mavericks and Mountain Lion. Here's some more info on AVG."  
        But Jim, what antivirus program are you now using?  "I use Avast AV, which is also free."
        So, there you have it.  Any more questions from anybody?  Any recommendations?  Let's keep up on what works! 

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FREE IWork Apps

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        Jim Hamm's been busy with Mavericks, don't you know.  He sends us one more link with helpful information.  "With the release of Mavericks Apple has enabled FREE upgrades for iWork apps such as Pages, Numbers and Keynote. Here's an article with further details. A nice touch by Apple. 

        "Apple has so much cash stashed away they've become quite liberal with pricing their OS updates -- as in FREE for Mavericks. Hard to quarrel with that price...(grin)."  Jim
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FREE and Reduced-price eBooks

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        Again Jim Hamm keeps us posted on FREE and inexpensive stuff!  "eReaderIQ is back, and now offers one free eBook and several reduced-price eBooks from Amazon. If interested, you might take a look and perhaps subscribe to their offerings."
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=ed09bb8384b4b40c482babf93&id=1d37388ea9&e=3e18e2b6bf
Here's this:  http://www.ereaderiq.com

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New Desktop Wallpaper, FREE

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        "Here are some interesting images that might make a nice desktop wallpaper for you," is how Jim Hamm begins his latest email.  "I think I might go for the Andromeda image. On the other hand, hmmm?"  http://osxdaily.com/2013/06/28/9-high-res-space-wallpapers/
        They're gorgeous, they're free.  But how do you put them on your computer?
        Jim to the rescue.  "Just right-click the image and 'save image as' or copy image and paste wherever you want.  You save each image separately and then select the one you want for your desktop wallpaper. You also can have the wallpaper change ever so often, if you want, in System Preferences."  

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Fonts, Some Are FREE

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        Prez Art Gorski shares this,  "Here's a really good article on finding tons of new fonts for your Mac, many are FREE."  Link. 

        "Back in ancient times —throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s . . . " is how the article begins!  So, take a deep breath and read it!  Lots of examples of font sales are shown. 
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More Storage -- FREE

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        That word gets our attention:  FREE!  Jim Hamm notifies us, "If you use Gmail for your email client, here's good news: you've now got 15GB of storage -- up from 10GB previously."  
        There's some Unified Cloud Storage for FREE across Google Drive, Gmail and Google+Photos.  After the first 15GB the upgrade plan starts at only $4.99 a month for 100GB.  The next couple of weeks brings the staged roll out.  

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FREE & Lets You Run Apps

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        Free and maybe handy for you.  David Passell says,  "I came upon this app which might interest somebody. It is free and called "blue stacks".  See it here.  It allows you to run android apps on your computer. It is free. I'm not sure what use it will be to me, but somebody might like it. It comes with a lot of games and you can add your own apps. There is a Mac version which sends you a .dmg to install. 

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FREE Video Tutorials Available

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        John Carter knows how to get our attention!  "Once in a while I run into a great find on the Internet, and this one is a keeper.

        "MacMost.com features video tutorials for everything Mac - from iPhones to Macs. The best part, for me anyway, is that all of the tutorials are available FREE in iTunes. And there is a newsletter that you can subscribe to and keep up to date with the latest Mac information.
        "Just a few days ago, the video "Mac OS X Cat Names" appeared on the scene. Gary Rozenzweig, the author and creator of MacMost, gives a full accounting of all the names Apple has been using for the various OS X releases - from the 10.0 Beta right up to 10.8. It's really worth watching, and I'm sure you'll get a lot from all of his other videos no matter how old they are.
        And here's John's recommendation to all of our readers here:  "Personally, I've already subscribed to the tutorials in iTunes and the newsletter. I'm hoping you will too, because I'm letting you know now that instead of me creating professional looking tutorials I'm going to let Gary do all the work."