Windows/Mac/Linux: When learning a programming language for the first time, it can be difficult to see how lines of code translate to visual elements. Free educational webapp Greenfoot provides a structured sandbox where programming students create ‘actors’ that live in ‘worlds’ to build simulations, games, and and other visual programs. More »
If you’d like to keep a tighter reign on Flash, Silverlight, Java and other plug-ins, the latest Dev and Canary Build versions of Chrome allow you to set your plug-ins to “Click to play” and almost never see auto-loading web content again. More »
Windows: Having a portable version of Firefox on your thumb drive can be really convenient. Make Firefox, and OpenOffice.org and other apps, more adaptable and web-ready by installing Java Portable on that same thumb drive. More »
Windows only: Tiny utility JavaRa cleans up older or redundant versions of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) that might be littering up your PC, and optionally updates to the latest version. It’s a simple tool that just works. More »
Windows only: Free application Secunia Personal Software Inspector is a great way to keep your software up-to-date and secure, but now you can scan your PC for the most common security problems from any web browser—no install required. More »
Windows/Mac/Linux (Java): Got a bunch of files to send to Google Docs, and don’t have time for the webapp’s one-by-one uploads? Google Docs Batch Upload does just what you might think, loading any folder of files into Google Docs’ servers More »
Java-enabled phones: Hate the interface on your phone when it comes to wrangling social sites like Facebook and Twitter? Wish the layout gave the info you wanted like movie times and weather? Snaptu is a Java-based phone interface that does. More »
Windows Mobile/Blackberry: If you have a data plan with your phone, Tiny Twitter will help you keep tabs on your friends and send out tweets without overage charges. More »
