Wouldn't it be cool if you could organize multiple computers with an Internet connection into a virtual network for direct secure communication? Wouldn't it be even cooler if you could do it for free? Hamachi is a UDP-based virtual private networking system. It allows two or more computers to connect directly, even though they might be sitting behind different firewalls or broadband routers. Using Hamachi, users can access computers remotely, use Windows File Sharing, play LAN games, instant message, and run private FTP servers... for free!

The interface is clean, functional and polished. It installs quickly and painlessly, and uninstalls completely. The first time you launch the software, it opens a tutorial to help you get started. From there, it's a snap. My husband and I had it installed, running, and were able to communicate with each other in minutes flat. It's unbelievably easy to setup and operate!

Though it's still in beta, there are versions of Hamachi for Windows, Linux and OS X. Could this be the future of P2P?

There's bad news for malicious software this morning. A new site launches today that seeks to inform consumers about "badware" which can be defined as spyware, malware, and deceptive adware. The site is called StopBadware.org and it's aim is to become a central clearinghouse for research on badware and those who spread it, and to become a focal point for developing collaborative, community-minded approaches to stopping badware.

StopBadware.org points out that the badware industry is big business, amounting to a $2 billion-a-year industry. They say, "It's the Wild West of aggressive marketing and an industry supported by shadowy online marketers, small application vendors, and website operators."

"For too long, these companies have been able to hide in the shadows of the Internet," says John Palfrey, who heads the Berkman Center of Internet & Society at Harvard Law School and is spearheading the project. "What we're after is a more accountable Internet."

Google and Sun Microsystems are two of the corporate sponsors of this "Neighborhood Watch". Consumer Reports WebWatch is serving as an unpaid special advisor. Even with the backing of these high-tech heavyweights, StopBadware.org is putting emphasis on creating a community by encouraging the public to get involved and report their encounters with badware.

The good folks over at Adobe are always thinking up new ways to make our lives as designers easier. They have just released a software product called Adobe Acrobat 3D, that converts 3D designs created in major CAD apps (Adobe provides a list of 29 supported CAD applications) to Adobe PDF. Probably the biggest benefit of this functionality is the ability to share CAD designs with those who do not have the expensive CAD applications without the need of specialty viewers. Users can capture their 3D designs from apps like 3D Studio Max, Maya, and Inventor in one easy step to create new PDF files.

Pretty sweet!

Recently at work I did an in-depth review of a program called Remote Administrator that claims to be 150 times faster than VNC. As part of this review that I did for www.Tucows.com, I compared the program to 5 of the most popular applications in the same category on our site. Here’s a brief look at how these 6 remote administrator applications stack up.   more »