Wubi - unofficial Ubuntu installer for Windows

I’d wager that there are a huge number of Windows users who would probably be quite happy with Ubuntu Linux as their day-in day-out OS of choice. If only there were an easy way to try Ubuntu out on your windows machine without breaking anything, repartitioning or dealing with the diminished performance of a Live CD.

You’re in luck. Wubi takes the hassle out of installing Ubuntu on a loopback file system located on your Windows partition, while making it bootable just like a real-deal Ubuntu install. In fact, it _is_ a real-deal Ubuntu install, albeit in a slightly unconventional manner. If you go glassy eyed at the word “loopback”, don’t worry.. it’s just a fancy way of saying that your whole Ubuntu install is self-contained and stored in a single large file on your Windows drive.

source [downloadsquad]

Niceify your Windows with Pitaschio

Pitaschio adds a few very basic window manipulation features to Microsoft Windows which probably should have been included in the first place. Essentially, Pitaschio tries to make Windows a slightly better neighborhood in which to live.

With features which allow you to minimize regular windows to the system tray, keep windows from opening with any part outside the desktop area, window transparency adjustment using the scroll wheel and a whole list more, Pitaschio goes a pretty long way towards enhancing the rather bland set of features available for window management in the world’s most common OS.

If you’re unhappy with the weak feature set in Windows, Pitaschio could help close the gap.

 

source [downloadsquad]

Swaptree - online swap market

Justin over at Gadling has been trying out a new online swap market called Swaptree. Users can trade books, music, movies, or video games with other users. No money changes hands, and Swaptree doesn’t take any money off the top (we imagine they have plans to make money eventually, perhaps through advertising).

All you have to do is type in an ISBN number for the books you want to trade, or UPC code for your other media. Then list the items you want in a “want” list, similar to an Amazon wishlist.

Swaptree will automatically search for users who have what you want, and want what you have. When it finds a potential trading partner, the service will send you each an email. If you both accept, Swaptree will provide each user with the others’ mailing address.

You can even print shipping labels directly from Swaptree. And with media mail rates, most items should cost $2.50 or less to ship.

The service is in private beta at the moment, but Justin’s got a few invites to give out.

source [downloadsquad]