If you are like me, you have a number of ebooks on your computer. Organizing all of these and managing them can become very difficult. PDF readers such as Adobe Reader or Foxit may not simply cut it. It is in situations like these that you need something more—a dedicated ebook reader such as FBReader.

FBReader is an open source/free ebook reader that runs on a number of platforms. You can also run it on your PDA. It supports a number of formats such as ePub, fb2, chm, rtf, plucker, etc. It can also read directly from zip, tar, gzip and bzip2 formats.

The only negative thing about FBReader is that it currently doesn’t support PDF. Most of the ebooks available on the Internet are in PDF. However, you can use a free PDF converter and convert your ebooks to formats which FBReader supports. PDF support will likely be added in the next versions.

The software is light and runs fast even on older hardware. It is especially well suited for netbooks.

FBReader is licensed under GPL, the GNU General Public License. You can download and install the program free of cost from the project homepage: http://www.fbreader.org/

Pirated software are not only illegal but also dangerous because they often contain spyware and virus programs. Many spyware programmers often bundle the spyware with pirated software and upload them to P2P networks or file sharing networks. In the user downloads and installs such software, his or her system will get infected with the spyware. For this reason, it is advisable to stick to genuine software or use alternatives such as freeware or open source software.

Spyware are specially designed software which collect sensitive information such as the user’s credit card number or banking details and transmit information to the developer or third-party companies. This information can be misused and online accounts compromised. It can also have severe consequences such as legal or criminal problems. Spyware also monitor the user’s online behavior. For example, it can keep track of the search phrases that the user is typing and send information to companies which can then send unsolicited advertisement e-mails.

There is a major difference between spyware and virus programs. Spyware do not replicate like virus programs and for this reason, they are difficult to detect. Virus programs can slow down the computer but this may not be the case in spyware infections. Conventional anti-virus software may or may not detect spyware and for this reason it is necessary to have a dedicated spyware removal tool installed on the computer to ensure maximum protection.

There are several alternatives to pirated software. For example, there are freeware versions available for almost all the software that an average user uses on his computer. There are also open source software that are designed to provide the same features as commercial software. For example, GIMP is a good alternative to Photoshop. It is true that these software lag behind when it comes to features. However, these are legal and do not have security risks unlike pirated commercial software. Avoid downloading software from P2P networks and file-sharing networks as spyware often spread through these channels.

To ensure complete protection the computer, it is necessary to have anti-virus software installed. Anti-virus software come with real-time protection which means that viruses and other malware can be prevented even before they infect the computer. It is also necessary to have a spyware removal tool installed on the computer along with the firewall. There are several free spyware removal tools on the Internet which can be quite effective in providing protection from spyware.

Microsoft will launch a beta version of its popular Live Messenger in the month of June. It is also expected to launch other services that are part of the galaxy Live. The full version of Windows Live Messenger is expected to become available somewhere in the month of September.

The present version of Windows Live Messenger was launched in January 2009. Microsoft is releasing a new update after 18 months. A lot has changed ever since the last version was launched. And Microsoft is expected to take into account all the changes and integrate them into the software.

In the recent months, social networking websites have gained popularity. For this reason developers of popular IM software are making attempts to integrate social networking websites into their software. For example, Trellian has integrated Facebook and other social networking websites into its instant messaging client. This means that the user can access Facebook directly from the software, without having to use the browser.

Microsoft may also make similar changes to Windows Live Messenger. It may also integrate blogging into the client. We will have to wait for the beta to be released before speculating on the features that the new client will have.

The Opera mini browser has become one of the most popular apps for the iPhone after Apple allowed it into the App Store. More than 1 million copies have been downloaded as of yet. Opera Mini is a free software and has been available for download since March 23.

Opera Mini comes with numerous plus points. It is fast because web pages are processed by Opera’s servers, which then sends the processed results to the iPhone. This makes browsing very fast and also reduces the data sent to the device.

Opera Mini easily beats out mobile Safari when it comes to speed. It was already surprising that Apple allowed Opera into the App Store in the first place. Apple has declined apps that “duplicated” standard features of the iPhone before.

Despite its popularity there are several questions that arise. Downloading it and installing it is one thing, but how many will keep it on their device? Currently there are close to 14,000 reviews in the App Store, and the release has garnered a 3 stars out of 5 rating.

There are versions of Opera Mini on Android and BlackBerry. There is even a version of Opera for the Nintendo DSi.