6 Free Open Source Shopping Cart Software Options

http://www.ecommerce-guide.com//article.php/3668061

— eCommerce-Guide.com

By Matt Jackson

May 4, 2011

Updated on 05/04/2011

Open source shopping cart software is a big deal for a new merchant (or online retailer). One of the most alarming factors when starting your online retail business is the cost associated with commercial and proprietary shopping cart software.

While you can pay a few extra dollars for shopping cart software when signing up for a hosting Web server account, these subscription-based plans don't always offer the shopping cart functionality or design options that meet business needs. For the budget-strained new start-up, this is where open source software comes in to play.

Why Choose Open Source Shopping Cart Software?

Open source software refers to a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design free of charge. Basically, many like-minded programmers create software that costs nothing for you to use and it can also be edited just as freely. The result of this collaboration of professional programmers is called open source software and it can be as feature-rich as its commercial competitors. Best of all, of course, it's free.

Generically, open source refers to a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design free of charge, i.e., open. Open source code is typically created as a collaborative effort in which programmers improve upon the code and share the changes within the community. Open source sprouted in the technological community as a response to proprietary software owned by corporations.

Open source software is not a new concept, but it was once considered to be lacking in features and incredibly difficult to install without the help of a trained professional. However, now many open source shopping carts are as intuitive as commercial solutions. And, with such a vibrant and active open source community backing the software, there are many options available and lots of support should you need it. To help you decide what's a good fit for you, we've highlighted the features from six of the best open source shopping carts we would recommend.

Open Source Shopping Cart #1: osCommerce

osCommerce is one of the most widely used and highly respected open source shopping cart tools available. The software itself has been developed and improved over the years and new additions and add-ons are submitted on a daily basis. The result is a user-friendly, secure and stable ecommerce shopping cart. osCommerce is one of the beste-commerce solutions available. If it doesn't have a feature you want, and that's unlikely because we've only scratched the surface in this article, then check out the online community because you are virtually guaranteed that somebody somewhere has instructions on how to achieve it.

Easy Shopping Cart Installation: Installation is a breeze; completed entirely through your Internet browser. All features and functions are enabled automatically giving you complete use of the software within minutes of downloading it.

Category and Product Management: There are no limitations in terms of the number of categories or products that you can add. Whether you want to sell just a handful of items or open up the next giant online shopping center, it's your choice. You are also free to sell physical products or digital products according to your own business needs. Search features make it easy for your visitors to quickly and intuitively find products they desire.

Design Implementation and Modification: The design of the front-end software can be easily altered. By using a template structure, osCommerce enables you to change certain aspects of your entire site without having to alter every individual page. You can even link products to display in "similar items" sections and you can automatically display "special offer" items and any other promotions.

Payment Integration: Payment integration is easy. As well as integrating credit/debit cards, checks, and other offline payment methods, osCommerce can be integrated with PayPal, 2CheckOut and many more online payment processors.

Shopping Cart Add-ons: To date there are over 6,500 add-ons available for free to customize osCommerce online stores to help increase sales.

• Recommended osCommerce Reading: osCommerce Version 3, OS Commerce: The True Cost of Free Carts, Starting Your Own E-Business: Choosing a Platform

Open Source Shopping Cart #2: Zen Shopping Cart

The Zen shopping cart is another feature-packed, simple-to-use solution backed by a very strong community. As well as offering the same template design structure as osCommerce, Zen Cart offers an excellent range of advanced features that go beyond the general realms of shopping cart functionality. An e-mail and newsletter manager is a very beneficial tool and the flexibility in product and price options is also excellent.

Shopping Cart Installation: Setting up is simple. The installer queries the main Zen Cart database and server to discover the specific requirements for your installation. You don't need to be technically savvy or have any knowledge of programming. As long as you know how to install software and use a browser, you can use Zen Cart.

Inventory and Catalog Management: Unlimited categories, sub categories and products are supported and product option boxes can be added in the shape of radio buttons, drop-down menus and more. Flexibility is the key to successful e-commerce and Zen Cart doesn't just recognize this, it openly encourages it. You can offer discounts according to the number of items a customer buys, you can set a minimum or maximum order level and the price can be determined according to the options that your shoppers choose. You can even implement sale prices according to category, region or individual products.

Customer Retention Tools and Features: Customer retention is important. Zen Cart offers a number of beneficial tools to help improve or maximize your retention levels. Gift certificates, order tracking, referral tracking, newsletter management and customer registration options are just some of the features you can implement on your site.

Payment Processing and Gateway Options: Offline and online payment processing can be fully and easily integrated into a Zen Cart e-store. Again, popular online processors like PayPal and 2CheckOut can be offered to your customers. All in all, Zen Cart is a powerful e- commerce tool with a lot of beneficial features and easy installation.

• Recommended Zen Cart Reading: Starting Your Own E-Business: Choosing a Platform, A New Breed of Open Source Shopping Carts, Open Source: Noteworthy Newcomers

Open Source Shopping Cart #3: Agora Shopping Cart

AgoraCart is an open source shopping cart offered by Agora, and it is a good one. The shopping cart and catalog can be completely customized to exactly match your requirements thanks to the use of CSS files. This also enables you to change the look and feel of your entire site in just a few minutes and with just one or two changes.

Managing Your Inventory: Categories and products are again unlimited and the flexibility is astounding. As well as being able to add as many categories and as much merchandise as you like, you can manage virtually every aspect of each category. Products can also be handled individually or in batches. You can change the display of products according to their categories, enabling longer descriptions, more images or many other variables. You can even change the design according to the "department" that your customers are viewing.

Merchant Storefront Features: AgoraCart offers a number of order processing and order management features that will help merchants in running their online store. This includes support for multiple payment types, automatic sale stax calculation, order tracking, printable packing slips and more.

Payment Options and Summary: All major offline and online gateways are supported. This includes AgoraPay, set up and maintained by the same company. PayPal integration is also supported. Agora Cart is a very good shopping cart system that can hold its own against Open Source and commercial packages. The community regularly holds competitions to find the best add-ons for the cart, proving that a vibrant and helpful support network exists.

• Recommended Agora Shopping Cart Reading: Starting Your Own E-Business: Choosing a Platform

Open Source Shopping Cart #4: NoPCart

NopCart, created by NopDesign, is an extremely simple shopping cart application with the main difference when compared to others being that it is written entirely in JavaScript. This means you can use it on your Web site without having to have CGI access. One potential drawback is that NopCart is lacking in some of the more advanced features. It is only really possible to update basic product information, tax information and a minimum order level.

Simplicity Is Key: However, what NopCart lacks in functionality it more than makes up for in simplicity. Installation is a breeze, with only two files actually required for a standard English language installation. Other language packs are included with the download.

Client-Side JavaScript Application: NopCart is a client side application and this means less load on your server. You should seriously consider using NopCart as your shopping cart software if you have a small site or you already have it packed with files and pages.

Summary: Support is fairly limited for this mostly open-source program. However, its simplicity means that you are unlikely to suffer anything that hasn't already been identified and conquered by the forum users. Overall, it is an excellent and extremely quick way to add shopping cart functions to your Web site.

• Recommended NoPCart Reading: Starting Your Own E-Business: Choosing a Platform, Tips When Considering Open Source Software

Open Source Shopping Cart #5: Commerce.Cgi

Commerce.Cgi is one of the oldest and best established of all e-commerce applications. Nearly 10 years have passed since it became the first Perl shopping basket, and being open source, that means a huge amount of development has ensued. As well as a mass of features, Commerce.Cgi provides a backend system that is simple to install and even simpler to manage.

General Cart Features: Included among the quite staggering list of features is the option to offer unlimited products in any amount of categories. You also have the capability to manage a newsletter, offer loyalty promotions and gift certificates, include product reviews and pictures, and much more.

Shopping Cart Options: Full shipping options can be added and amended. This gives you the freedom to charge different shipping amounts depending on location and set a number of other invaluable options. It is compatible with all major online payment processors including PayPal and Authorize.net.

Support: The level of support is also extremely impressive considering this is an open source project. In the support forum you can have questions answered by the community as well as by Commerce.Cgi professionals.

Summary: Commerce.Cgi is one of the oldest and most highly revered e-commerce solutions, and is open source software. Despite being free, it offers an incredible range of features combined with simple installation and a surprising level of support from the support forums.

• Recommended Commerce.Cgi Reading: Starting Your Own E-Business: Choosing a Platform

Open Source Shopping Cart #6: CRE Loaded

CRE Loaded offers several paid/supported shopping cart solutions but the PCI CE Shopping Cart is an open source shopping cart that is open source, community supported and free to use. Store owners who are strong do-it-yourselfers will benefit from less programming and more control.

Shopping Cart Options: The CRE Loaded Community Edition (CE) is a PCI Compliant shopping cart. It includes the CRE Secure PCI Compliant Payment System and many shopping cart options such as account creation, order editing and management, cross-selling, shipping modules, templates and more.

Support: More than 50 community contributions make CRE Loaded (CE) a complete starter application for small business. Support is community-based and available via the CRE forums. If you like the cart you can switch to a fully supported CRE Loaded cart.

Summary: This cart is recommended for ecommerce sites that were developed for the SOHO (small office, home office) store owner who wants to add transactional capabilities to an existing website.

• Recommended CRE Loaded Reading: Open Source: CRE Loaded 6.31 Released...for A Price, Can Iozzia Get the CRE Loaded Love Back?, Social Shopping Gaining, CRE Loaded Half Off

Why Open Source Software Spells Success

Establishing an ecommerce website doesn't have to be an expensive job. In addition to saving you money, using open source shopping cart software can prove more effective and beneficial than commercial software because skilled programmers release new source code and additions to the software on a regular basis. You are free to pick this code up and use it on your own site at no charge. This means that open source shopping cart software always has the functions that e-store owners want.

More Open Source Shopping Cart Software Resources

We've only covered five of the most well known Open Source carts. If you want more, then visit the SourceForge.netWeb site, which not only contains Open Source shopping carts, but a vast range of other applications that may be of use to you. You can also learn more about open source shopping cart software in the following articles from Ecommerce-Guide, Small Business Computing and other internet.com sites.

• Open Source E-Commerce: Twelve Promising Programs
• Open Source's Commercial Future
• E-Commerce Cart News Round Up
• Shopping cart software defined
• What is open source software?
• 58 Open Source Software Apps for Small Business
• 10 Tips When Considering Open Source Software
• Starting Your Own E-Business: Choosing a Platform

中国和美国的互联网差异

http://www.williamlong.info/archives/2647.html

-月光博客

英文原文：USA vs. China on the Internet

　　美国人发明了一个改变世界的工具，就是互联网。互联网商业化之后，美国人在它的基础上创造了一个又一个企业营利模式的奇迹；中国互联网从完全抄袭美国模式到自己寻找真正合适的生存方式，也在不断探索发展。中国和美国的互联网，在趋同与存异的差异化中，究竟形成了哪些不同？又是什么力量在起作用？不作比较，不知道世界如此不同。

　　可以说，现在的世界上有两个超级大国：中国和美国。在互联网以指数的速度发展的今天，人们的生活已经离不开网络，那么，这两个大国在互联网方面有什么差异呢？我们从下面一系列与互联网相关的参数来比较两个国家，比如：互联网用户数量，互联网普及率，互联网连接的速度，域名数量，受欢迎的网站，网页浏览器，操作系统等等。

　　1、互联网用户数量

　　十年前，美国是世界上的互联网头号大国，而现在很明显已经不是，取而代之的是中国。下图是中美网民的数量（PS：这其中的最大原因就是中国的人口数量了）

　　当然，中美两个国家的网民数量占整个世界的31%，其中中国在亚洲的比例是51%。

　　2、互联网普及率

　　相比中国来说，美国的互联网普及率要高很多，一般的普通公民都能利用到互联网。

　　但是，中国在这方面的增长空间要远远高于美国。假如中国的互联网普及率达到与美果相当的水平，那么，中国的网民应该可以超过10亿了。

　　3、互联网增长速率

　　提及互联网的增长速率，对中国来说，在2000年至2010年之间的增长速率是1767%，这个速度的确是令人难以想象的。在此期间，美国只在原基础上增长了一倍。当然，很明显的一点，就是美国在10年前的互联网水平相比其他国家来说已经算是比较高的了。然而，中国当时还是比较落后的国家，所以增长的空间比较大也是可以接受的。

　　在这一点上，我们可以回顾一下过去的数据。在2000年的时候美国有95,000,000网民，在2010年为239,000,000.另一方面，中国在此期间的网民数量由22,000,000增长到420,000,000.对比这两个数字相信就知道差别了吧。

　　4、因特网接入速度

　　在这一方面，美国就远远超出中国了。在美国的互联网接入平均速度基本上是中国的5倍，美国基本上的网络接入都是用宽带接入。

　　造成这种差别的原因很清楚，当你看到网络连接连接速度是如何分布的（如下图）。在美国，34％的互联网连接速度超过5 Mbit /秒，而在中国，只有0.4％达到这一速度。

　　5、网络服务器

　　服务器是提供网络信息的终端，在这一方面，美国也远远超出中国。者也很能接受，因为在互联网的初期，美国救援预案超出中国，而且服务器技术在美国也会比中国好，导致有些不在美国本土的人也把自己的服务器放在美国。原因当然是美国的互联网技术比较领先了。

　　上图是由CIA提供的数据，显而易见得是：美国几乎提供比中国多28倍的网络服务器。我们不知道这些数据时怎样得到的，但是已经能从一方面反应两国之间在网络拂去其方面的差异了。

　　6、主流搜索引擎

　　Google在中国的搜索领域一直没有达到过称霸的地位，而且在去年Google撤出中国后，Google在中国的搜索份额更是下跌。中国的中文搜索引擎一直 是以百度称帝的。两国的主流搜索引擎为;

• 美国: Google
• 中国: Baidu

　　7、顶级网站

　　美国的顶级互联网网站在全世界都是比较出名的，但是，精心的人一定会发现，中国的顶级网站一般在世界上不是那么出名，或者说并没有很多人会去使用。

　　美国网站TOP 5

1. Google.com
2. Facebook.com
3. Yahoo.com
4. Youtube.com
5. Amazon.com

　　中国网站TOP5

1. Baidu.com (search engine)
2. QQ.com (online community)
3. Sina.com.cn (web portal)
4. Taobao.com ("China's eBay")
5. Google.com.hk (Google Hong Kong)

　　当然，Facebook在中国已经上不了了，google.cn也撤出中国而转向了google.com.hk，但是google.com.hk在中国任然占有很大的比重，至少还能够跃居前五。

　　8、主流的网络浏览器

　　在中国，大部分的网民依然使用的是IE6.0浏览器（这一点也许让人匪夷所思），因为有那么多的好的免费浏览器（如高版本的 IE, Firefox 或者 Chrome等）。这其中的很大一部分原因就是，中国网民在安装操作系统的时候，微软会在操作系统里面自动安装IE6.0，尤其是使用所谓"Windows XP系统的用户"，使用IE6.0就更常见了。

　　美国排前五名的浏览器：

1. Internet Explorer, 47.5%
2. Firefox, 25.5%
3. Chrome, 14.6%
4. Safari, 11.2%
5. Opera, 0.6%

　　中国排前五名的浏览器:

1. Internet Explorer, 87.4%
2. Chrome, 4.4%
3. Maxthon, 3.8%
4. Firefox, 3.3%
5. Safari, 0.6%

　　主流浏览器版本:

• 美国: Internet Explorer 8.0, 33.9%
• 中国: Internet Explorer 6.0, 41.1%

　　9、主流操作系统

　　在美国，Windows 7基本上已经取代Windows XP，但是在中国是截然不同的。中国的网民大多数还是使用Windows XP，这个比例基本上是4/5。

　　美国排前五的主流操作系统：

1. Windows 7, 32.1%
2. Windows XP, 31.1%
3. Windows Vista, 19.1%
4. Mac OS X, 14.9%
5. iOS (iPad), 1.2%（统计不包括iPhone和iPod Touch上的iOS ）

　　中国排前五名的主流操作系统：

1. Windows XP, 82.2%
2. Windows 7, 13.8%
3. Windows Vista, 2.7%
4. Mac OS X, 0.5%
5. Windows 2003, 0.3%

　　当然，值得一提的是，上面的统计数据时根据接入网络的用户而来的，还有一些没有接入网络的就不在统计之内了。

　　10、域名

　　对域名数量的统计通常按域名的购买地而非购买人所在地进行分类。由于互联网用户热衷于在美国注册域名，因此美国的域名数量会超出实际数量。

　　记住这一点，然后我们来看两国的顶级域名数量。

　　然后是国家码顶级域名，.us表示美国，.cn表示中国。这里需要注意的是，.us在美国的受欢迎程度并不十分高，.com是使用最多的顶级域名，这使.us的推广在一定程度上受到了阻碍。

　　11、全球化的攻击流量

　　所谓"攻击流量"，是指自然界的恶意流量，例如试图获得通过各种方式非法访问到计算机的端口，利用操作系统中的薄弱环节攻击计算机，这包括所谓的端口扫描以发现潜在的计算机漏洞。美国的交通部曾经有被攻击过的"美誉"。这方面中国是第三（仅次于俄罗斯）。

　　结语

　　那么，从上面的各方面的对比中，我们可以得到如下的结论：

　　1、 中国的互联网用户群的基数很大，更大（是美国的大约1.76倍）。

　　2、美国互联网基础设施远远领先于中国的，至少对终端用户来说是如此。

　　3、中国在互联网方面有更大的发展潜力。

　　4、中国的互联网用户运行的软件版本比美国互联网用户落后，至少在操作系统和网络浏览器方面。

　　5、美国互联网行业继续领先世界，特别是因为世界各国因特网用户都需要使用其互联网服务。 （也许有人可能会问，这种情况会将持续多久呢？也许这也是一个值得探讨的问题吧。）

　　总的看来，美国在互联网科技及其服务技术领域远远超出中国，但是，单纯就网民数量来讲，还是中国人较多，并且这种状况在将来一段时间内会维持下去。当然，中国的互联网领域发展空间很大，毕竟以后上网的人越来越多，对于网络的开发前景还是可观的。

　　幸好，我们的世界不会再2012年终结，我们可以看看以后的格局会是怎样的一个变化呢？当我们时隔多年再回头看看这篇文章以及文章中提及的状况，会不会有所改变呢？美国还会依旧是互联网领域的老大吗？中国这个发展迅速的国家会在互联网领域崛起吗？我们拭目以待。

　　英文原文：USA vs. China on the Internet

　　中文翻译：晨露博客

Bin Laden death sends Internet traffic soaring

http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/02/technology/osama_bin_laden_internet_traffic/?section=money_latest

- May. 2, 2011

Google: Google Trends ranked the keywords "osama bin laden dead" as "volcanic," the highest level it assigns for a trending topic.

Sunday was not the first time that the term "osama bin laden dead" peaked on Google (GOOG, Fortune 500). On Sept. 24, 2006, a French newspaperl'Est Republicain reported a story supposedly based on leaked Saudi intelligence documents that said bin Laden had been killed a month earlier. The CIA and French governments quickly denounced that report as false.

Google Insights for Search ranked that 2006 story as the biggest search event for bin Laden, but the tool has not updated yet with Sunday's data.

News sites: The bin Laden story resulted in a peak of more than 4.1 million page views per second on the news websites supported and tracked by content delivery network Akamai (AKAM). Akamai delivers about 20% of the Internet's content, and it supports popular news sites like nytimes.com, reuters.com, bbc.com and usatoday.com.

The peak occurred at about 11:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, right as President Obama's news conference began. Just an hour before the news broke, there were roughly 2.5 million page views per second on those pages.

Despite the unusually high volume of traffic, Akamai said it did not rank in the company's top 10 news events for highest page-view peaks.

The largest peak in Internet traffic came at noon on June 24, 2010, when there were simultaneous World Cup qualifying matches as well as the longest-ever Wimbledon match -- all being played at the same time. Those events resulted in a peak of 10.4 million page views per second on the news sites Akamai supports.

Last week's royal wedding ranked sixth on Akamai's list, with more than 5 million page views per second. It was the second-highest non-sports-related Internet event, right behind the 2010 U.S. mid-term elections.

All of the largest peaks in the top 13 were from events that occurred in 2010 or 2011 -- which is unsurprising, since Internet usage continues to rise globally. But ranking at No. 14 is the election of President Obama, which occurred in November 2008.

The biggest Internet spikes tend to overwhelm servers and rendered some websites unresponsive. News of Michael Jackson's death famously brought down Google News, TMZ.com, latimes.com and even AOL Instant Messenger, thanks to high traffic demands.

AMD (ATI) Catalyst 11.4 Released Just In Time For Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal

http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/amd-ati-catalyst-114-released-just-in.html

~ Web Upd8: Ubuntu / Linux blog

A quick update: AMD has released Catalyst 11.4 with support for X Server 1.10 so all of you who want to upgrade to Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal should now be able to use Unity.

I do not use an ATI graphics card so I can't really tell you how everything works so all I can do is give you a download link:

Download ATI Catalyst 11.04

Introducing the new Google Docs app for Android

http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2011/04/introducing-new-google-docs-app-for.html

- Docs Blog

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Labels: Android, Google Apps Blog, googlenew, mobile

Increasingly, people are using mobile phones to access information -- from email to web browsing toediting documents. Part of getting work done on the go is being able to easily access, edit and share content, which is why we're happy to announce the new Google Docs app for Android.

With this new app it's easy to filter and search for your content across any Google account, then jump straight into editing docs using the online mobile editors. The app also allows you to easily share items with contacts on your phone, right from within the app.

The Docs app also allows you to upload content from your phone and open documents directly from Gmail. You can also add a widget to your home screen for easy access to three core tasks: jumping to your starred documents, taking a photo to upload, or creating a new document with one tap.


And my favorite feature: Using the app and your phone's camera, you can turn photos with text into editable Google documents with the power of optical character recognition (OCR). Just create a new 'Document from Photo' or select the camera icon from the widget, and your converted document will appear in your documents list shortly after you snap the picture. You can also convert photos already stored on your phone by sharing them with the Google Docs app. OCR does a pretty good job capturing unformatted text in English but won't recognize handwriting or some fonts - stay tuned, it will get better over time!


The Google Docs app is currently available in English and works on Android 2.1+ phones. Try it out by scanning the QR code below or by visiting Android Market.


Let us know what you think of the new Google Docs Android app in our forum.

Posted by: Reuben Kan, Software Engineer

4 VPN Programs to Look At

http://www.windows7news.com/2011/04/25/5-vpn-programs/

 | Windows 7 News

Everyone who surfs the web is a potential victim to malware, hacking, network or PC intrusion. Users normally enable the standard protection schemes like firewalls, NAT, intrusion detection software and the like. Many times these protection attempts will do, but only if the hackers don't want to bother with you.  However, you can take other measures to protect yourself while on the Internet. Think of a VPN as a tunnel through the internet.  The people on either end of the tunnel share a "key" to unlock the data traveling through the tunnel.

Why use a VPN Service?

The main scenario in the Western world is Wifi use in a coffeeshop or hotel.  Users in these settings may not want to expose their bank or email passwords to neighboring users at these locations.  VPN provides a secure way to access the web from public access points.

Another scenario involves persons who are traveling abroad where the country may have a restrictive Internet filter policy.   VPN can provide users with a way to bypasst the blockade of Internet services.

Finally, you might want a VPN if you wanted to hide your IP address, like if you wanted to do Google searches without Google recording what you looked at.

There are other technologies available such as web proxies and Tor, but VPN combines the benefits of an encrypted connection to the internet with IP address anonymity and a fast amount of bandwidth. So here are some VPN programs that will allow you to hide your presence.

 

ibVPN

This program comes in several versions, freeware, premium, and multiple. You can surf the Web invisibly and securely without leaving a trace and without being tracked. What is also important is that all the programs installed on your computerwill automatically work via VPN so users have a high level of security and anonymity is provided. There are two protocols PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) and OpenVPN, but OpenVPN is more secure.

Hostizlle VPN

This service has two plans Free and Paid Plan. The Free plan provides basic access with bandwith 100GB per month and all ports are open. The paid plan has  expanded access and supports 1000GB per month it also has 1Gbps port and all ports are open.  The paid plan is $4.00 per month.

Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield creates a virtual private network  between your laptop or iPhone and their Internet gateway. This tunnel prevents the usual suspects i.e.,  snoopers, hackers, ISP's, from viewing your web browsing activities, instant messages, downloads, credit card information or anything else you send over the network.  Hotspot Shield security application is free to download.  It is not like the previous programs which is a service that you can use for free or in a paid plan. But it has adware.

[Download Link]

CyberGhost

This program is like HotSpot Shield, you can download the free application to make your VPN connection. Once you download and install the application, connect to the VPN service provider, create an account and you are able to surf invisibly.

 

[Download Link]

Summary

Surf at your own risk. That should be the mantra for anyone that is going around the world in 60 minutes or less. You don't know who are going to meet. You don't know if the website is looking for passersby to steal from or to entice you with "interesting" objects. So be careful who you are, and these programs will give you a chance to protect your self.

15个开发设计类Chrome插件

Link: http://www.williamlong.info/archives/2632.html (via shareaholic.com)
-月光博客
英文原文：Brian：15 Useful Google Chrome Extensions for Web Designers and Developers

　　最近笔者把谷歌浏览器设为默认浏览器，而与此同时我开始将它用于笔者的兼职Web设计和开发项目中。由 于笔者所依赖Firebug的插件，在Chrome浏览器并没有完全的对应插件，所以笔者还是时不时要用Firefox浏览器，但笔者对谷歌浏览器的速 度、屏幕空间的利用及很多方面都很满意。在这篇文章里，笔者和大家分享我在设计和开发网站时发现的一些最好的谷歌浏览器插件，按字母顺序列出如下。

　　1. Aviary Screen Capture 屏幕截图

　　Aviary Screen Capture让你能够截取网页的屏幕快照。获得屏幕快照后，用Aviary.com的应用程序在浏览器内编辑那幅快照。基本的图像编辑装置让你能够标记（通过画箭头和长方形）、编辑（裁剪、旋转和调整大小）和获得精确的像素色彩。

　　其特性包括：

• 保存在桌面、在线主机、或在其它的Aviary应用程序上编辑
• 即时截图
• 能够截取所有网页和图像的任何部分
• 能够截取整张网页
• 能够添加看得见的备注，比如箭头、文本及在你截取的图片上标出醒目符号
• 裁剪截取的图片
• 调整截图的大小、旋转及翻转截图
• 智能选择和去除截图的元素
• 从页面上获得色彩信息
• 快速启动6个Aviary设计工具，包括图像、标记、矢量、调色板、效果和音频编辑器。

　　2. Chrome SEO 搜索引擎优化

　　Chrome SEO为搜索引擎优化工具提供了方便的路径。这些工具帮助你做每日搜索引擎优化工作，比如竞争分析、关键词分析、反向链接检查及网页排名检查等。

　　3. Chrome Sniffer 嗅探器

　　Chrome Sniffer使Web开发人员能够在网站上运行的检查web框架∕CMS和JavaScript库。这个插件通过一个图标，显示已检测到的框架。目前，这个插件最多可检测70个流行的CMS和JavaScript库。

　　4. Eye Dropper 滴管

　　Eye Dropper让你能够从网页或高级颜色选择器上选择颜色。

　　5. Firebug Lite for Google Chrome

　　Firebug Lite for Google Chrome 并 不是Firebug的替代品（这很不幸），也不是浏览器开发人员的工具。想法，你应该和其它工具一起使用。Firebug Lite提供了大量的视觉效果，类似于Firebug的HTML元素、DOM元素及箱状模式阴影。Firebug Lite还具备其他一些很酷的功能，比如用鼠标检测HTML元素，及实时编辑CSS的特性。

　　6. IE Tab

　　借助IE Tab，可以在Chrome Tab上切换显示网页。这个插件对想用IE渲染引擎跨浏览器测试的开发人员很有帮助。（这是Windows系统下的独特插件。）

　　 7. Instant Image Editor 即时图像编辑器

　　当你按住alt键（Linux上的ctrl键）的时候，Instant Image Editor让你在有背景图像的网页上可以右键点击任何图像或元素。你可以用Pixlr在新标签上即时编辑图像，Pixlr是在浏览器上运行速度快、使用方便的程序。当你右键点击的元素不是图像时，即时图像编辑器也会确定这个元素是否有可供编辑的背景图像。

　　8. Lorem Ipsum Generator

　　Lorem Ipsum 生成器用简约和极具吸引力的设计随机产生"Lorem Ipsum"文本。

　　9. MeasureIt!

　　MeasureIt! 用于测量网页上任何元素的宽度和高度。

　　10. Pendule

　　Pendule 是Chrome 为Web开发人员提供的开发工具。这个内置的开发工具的插件包括：查看、重装和禁用CSS，查看JavaScript、表格编辑，查看、隐藏及获得图像的信息，颜色选择器、量尺、地形图、标记验证器等等！

　　11. PHP Console PHP控制台

　　PHP Console 是Lagger的一个插件，（Lagger：PHP处理错误/异常/调试的轻量级灵活的开源PHP库），它在谷歌浏览器控制台及弹出窗口中显示PHP错误/调试的信息。

　　12. Speed Tracer 速度追踪器

　　Speed Tracer 速度追踪器帮助你在网站应用程序中发现和修复性能问题。当应用程序运行时，这个插件将浏览器内的低水平检测点可视化，并分析它们。

　　这个应用程序帮助你了解在你的应用程序里时间都花在哪了。这包括由以下原因导致的问题：

• Javascript的解析和执行
• Layout 版面
• CSS样式重算和选择器匹配
• DOM事件处理
• 网络资源加载
• 定时器
• XMLHttpRequest 回调
• 绘图
• 其它

　　13. Web Developer

　　Web Developer 在浏览器中增加了一个工具栏，其中有Web开发工具的按钮。

　　14. Webpage Screenshot 网页快照

　　Webpage Screenshot 是快速、简单的插件，它能截取整个网页。即使网页很长，也能存储在一份图像文件里。这个插件让你只点击一下，就能以PNG/JPG格式存储任何网页的图像。

• 有绘图工具：线条、椭圆、长方形、箭头等
• 在屏幕快照中添加文本
• 按所需尺寸快速裁剪图像
• 在准备好图像之前就能开始编辑
• 可以上传到Facebook、Twitter、Gmail、MySpace上共享
• 打印：直接发送图像到打印机
• 存储在硬盘里：这个独特的插件让你能够将大的图片存储在硬盘里
• 能够截取本地文件：能够截取"FILE://"
• 附有颜色选择器：能够记住你最后使用的颜色
• 也能够截取水平网站的网页

　　15. Window Resizer 窗口大小调整器

　　Window Resizer 能够重新调整浏览器窗口的大小以适合各种分辨率。这个插件对网站设计和开发人员特别有用，能够帮助他们在分辨率不同的浏览器上测试版面设计。分辨率清单是完全能够定制的（增加/删除/重新排序）。

　　可以提供三种屏幕类型：

• 台式电脑（标准的；按具体的分辨率情况重新调整整个窗口的大小）
• 手提电脑（和台式电脑一样，但图标不同；很容易扫描分辨率清单）
• 手机 Mobile（和前两种屏幕不同；适合具体的视图尺寸，不会占满整个窗口，因为手机的浏览器通常没有边界）

　　英文原文：Brian：15 Useful Google Chrome Extensions for Web Designers and Developers　

　　中文翻译：伯乐在线