This is a question that has been directed at us numerous times through our email. Well, to give an exact answer, we have not tried all SNES emulators out there to come to a proper conclusion. Therefore our answer will be based purely on out (limited) experience with PC emulators for SNES.

First of all, what is a console emulator? An emulator is a software which emulates the console environment on the PC and hence allows console games to be played on the PC. If you have owned one of the earlier consoles, you may know that games came in game cartridges. Images of these cartridges (called ROMS) are fed into the emulator and the emulator allows the game to be run on the PC.

So what is the best SNES emulator? According to our experience, it is ZSNES. ZSNES is a Super Nintendo emulator programmed by zsKnight and _Demo_. On April 2, 2001 the ZSNES project was GPL'ed and its source released to the public. It currently runs on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, and DOS. Remember that this is a public beta so don't expect this to run on your machine. The program was last updated in 1Q 2007 and utilizes DirectX 9. Unlike most other emulators, ZSNES allows the usage of 2X SAI, Super 2X SAI and Super Eagle engines. (make sure you use one of these engines while playing - enable one from video options since it may be disabled by default). These rendering engines mean less pixelation at higher resolutions and smooth playability. And there is not much configuration needed, just load a ROM and play!

Download ZSNES from following locations:

• http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/zsnes/zsnesw151.zip - Windows
• http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/zsnes/zsnes151.zip - DOS
• http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/zsnes/zsnes151src.tar.bz2 - Linux

Need SNES ROMS to play on SNES? Look here. - Also read the note on site "All roms are packed in 7Zip format, you may need to unzip them before you can play them with your emulator.".

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Replacing Notepad or looking for a powerful text editor? UltraEdit is what you're looking for. Versatile and easy to use, UltraEdit is the ideal text, hex, HTML, PHP, Java, Javascript, Perl, and programmer's editor.  With nearly 2,000,000 users worldwide, UltraEdit is the #1 selling, most powerful, value priced text editor available.

Features:

• Code Folding
• Supports 64-bit file handling (standard) on all 32-bit Windows platforms
• Unicode support
• Disk based text editing and large file handling - supports files in excess of 4GB, minimum RAM used even for multi-megabyte files
• Mulitline find and replace dialogs for all searches (Find, Replace, Find in Files, Replace in Files)
• 100,000 word spell checker, with foreign languages support (American English, British English, Dutch, Finnish, French, -German, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish and Swedish)
• Syntax highlighting - configurable, pre-configured for C/C++, VB, HTML, Java, and Perl, with special options for -FORTRAN and LaTex. Multiple wordfiles available for download
• FTP client built in to give access to FTP servers with multiple account settings and automatic logon and save. (32-Bit -Only) Includes support for SFTP (SSH2)
• SSH/Telnet window
• Project/workspace support
• Environment Selector - Provides predefined or user-created editing "environments" that remember the state of all of -UltraEdit's dockable windows, toolbars and more for user convenience.
• Integrated scripting language to automate tasks
• Configurable keyboard mapping
• Column/block mode editing
• Hexadecimal editor allows editing of any binary file, shows binary and ASCII view
• Named templates
• HTML toolbar preconfigured for popular HTML functions
  -WebSearch Toolbar: highlight text and click a websearch toolbar button to search for highlighted term from within the editor
  • Google search
  • Yahoo search
  • Wikipedia
  • Dictionary.com
  • Thesaurus.com
  • Whois
  • Network Solutions Whois
  • PHP.net search
  • cplusplus.com search
  • MSDN online search
• File encryption / decryption
• Encrypt your sensitive source code files using your own key
• Integrates with UltraSentry to (optionally) securely destroy original, unencrypted file
• Decrypt files in UltraEdit only

Read comments for more information.

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Trillian is a fully featured, stand-alone, skinnable chat client that supports AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC. It provides capabilities not possible with original network clients, while supporting standard features such as audio chat, file transfers, group chats, chat rooms, buddy icons, multiple simultaneous connections to the same network, server-side contact importing, typing notification, direct connection (AIM), proxy support, encrypted messaging (AIM/ICQ), SMS support, and privacy settings.
Trillian provides unique functionality such as contact message history, a powerful skinning language, tabbed messaging, global status changes (set all networks away at once), Instant Lookup (automatic Wikipedia integration), contact alerts, an advanced automation system to trigger events based on anything happening in the client, docking, hundreds of emoticons, emotisounds, shell extensions for file transfers, and systray notifications.

Features:

AOL Instant Messenger

• Basic Messaging
• SecureIM
• Privacy Settings
• File Transfers
• Direct Connections
• Group Conferences
• Display Pictures
• Mobile Messaging
• Mail Notification
• Full Native Status Support
• Audio Chat
• Video Chat

ICQ

• Basic Messaging
• SecureIM
• Privacy Settings
• File Transfers
• Display Pictures
• Mobile Messaging
• Full Native Status Support

MSN Messenger

• Basic Messaging
• Privacy Settings
• File Transfers
• Group Conferences
• Display Pictures
• Mobile Messaging
• Mail Notification
• Full Native Status Support
• Audio Chat
• Video Chat

Yahoo! Messenger

• Basic Messaging
• Privacy Settings
• File Transfers
• Group Conferences
• Yahoo! Chat Rooms
• Display Pictures
• Mobile Messaging
• Mail Notification
• Full Native Status Support
• Audio Chat
• Video Chat

Other Network Support

• IRC
• Jabber (including Google Talk)
• Novell GroupWise Messenger
• Rendezvous

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Several days ago we informed our readers of the new project started by the creators of SceneTorrents (SCT); TehConnection. TehConnection is a newly established dedicated movies tracker which has shown rapid growth during the short time it has been online. Previously, the signups were open through the SCT promo link - a link given to existing members of ScT (we revealed this link here.)

Now they seem to have opened the normal signup procedure using signup.php. Better yet, the site is now on freeleech (only download counted in your stats - ultimate ratio booster) as well as 2X upload (your actual upload is doubled and recorded by the tracker - another ratio booster). So if you want to get in, now would be a great time. As we once said before, the tracker shows great promise.

Site Name:TehConnection.eu

Signup URL: http://tehconnection.eu/signup.php

Categories (all are movie categories):

• Action
• Adventure
• Comedy
• Crime
• Documentary
• Drama
• Epics/Historical
• Foreign
• Horror
• Musicals
• Mystery
• Sci-Fi
• Thriller
• War
• Western

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Driver Genius Professional is a professional driver management tool features both driver management and hardware diagnostics. Driver Genius provides such practical functions as driver backup, restoration, update and removal for computer users. If you often reinstall your operating system, you may not forget such painful experiences of searching all around for all kinds of drivers. If unfortunately you have lost your driver CD, the search will be more troublesome and time-consuming.

Now with the driver backup function of Driver Genius, you can backup all drivers in your computer before reinstalling, and restore them with the driver restoration function after system reinstallation has been completed. This will dramatically save your time for driver installation during the system installation procedure, and you will no longer worry about where to find a driver. Besides, you can create an automatic installation package for all drivers in your system by Driver Genius. After you have reinstalled your operating system, you can restore all your drivers in just a click by this automatic restoration program. It's really convenient. Driver Genius can automatically find driver for a device that the system can't find a driver for it. It can recognize the name and vendor's information of the device, and directly provide download URL for the required driver. Driver Genius also supports online updates for drivers of existing hardware devices. There are more than 30,000 most recent drivers for such hardware devices as motherboards, video cards, sound cards, network cards, modems, monitors, mice, keyboards, digital cameras, video capture cards, etc. on Driver Genius web site. Besides, there are daily updates for many drivers on our site. Our customers can obtain information for latest drivers by Driver Genius's LiveUpdate program, which can synchronize to the database on our site.

Features

• Quickly backup device drivers for your computer.
• Just need one click to restore all drivers.
• Clone your drivers to an EXE auto-installer. Easy to install the drivers to many machines.
• Easy to get the most recent drivers for your computer. Keep your drivers up to date.
• Remove invalid drivers and useless drivers, improve system performance and stability.
• Device Diagnostics helps you locate a device that is not working properly or efficiently and offers an effective solution.
• Unlocks many hidden options in the NVIDIA display driver control panel. Including over clocking settings, AGP settings, Fan control, Stereo control, OpenGL 2.0 support, and more.

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SUPERAntiSpyware is the most thorough AntiSpyware scanner on the market. Our Multi-Dimensional Scanning and Process Interrogation Technology will detect spyware that other products miss! SUPERAntiSpyware will remove ALL the Spyware, NOT just the easy ones!

Features:

• Quick, Complete and Custom Scanning of Hard Drives, Removable Drives, Memory, Registry, Individual Folders and More! Includes Trusting Items and Excluding Folders for complete customization of scanning!
• Detect and Remove Spyware, Adware, Malware, Trojans, Dialers, Worms, KeyLoggers, HiJackers, Parasites, Rootkits and many other types of threats.
• Light on System Resources and won't slow down your computer like many other anti-spyware products. Won't conflict with your existing anti-spyware or anti-virus solution!
• Repair broken Internet Connections, Desktops, Registry Editing and more with our unique Repair System!
• Real-Time Blocking of threats! Prevent potentially harmful software from installing or re-installing!
• Multi-Dimensional Scanning detects existing threats as well as threats of the future by analyzing threat characteristics in addition to code patterns.
• First Chance Prevention examines over 50 critical points of your system each time your system starts up and shuts down to eliminate threats before they have a chance to infect and infiltrate your system.
• Process Interrogation Technology allows threats to be detected no matter where they are hiding on your system.
• Schedule either Quick, Complete or Custom Scans Daily or Weekly to ensure your computer is free from harmful software.
• Dedicated Threat Research Team scours the web for new threats and provides daily definition updates.

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We all know what FunFile is. It's a popular private tracker which is known for its unique design and credits system. Well there is some bad news and good news about this tracker. Bad news is that many of FunFile's coders have left the site due to an internal dispute. The good news is that they have formed a new site; Pretome.

Site Name: Pretome

Signup URL: http://pretome.net/signup.php

Description: Design, layout and credits system identical to original FunFile. So is the content. Good private tracker for general content which seems to have great potential.

P.S. - The original FunFile is not dead. The site is online and according to the admins it will not be shut down. Now you have two sites instead of one :) Enjoy!

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Lately, we've been introducing torrent trackers targeted at niche user segments. Here is another such tracker. SciFiTorrents is focused on, as the name says, science fiction content (Movies, Tv Shows , Docs, Books and more). The content is impressive - we even managed to find some rare sci-fi movies produced in the 1950s!

The good news is that they have opened registrations for all users at the moment. You may register a free account without an invitation code while the site stays in this mode.

Site Name: SciFiTorrents

Signup URL: http://www.scifitorrents.net/account-signup.php 

Description: Includes a lot of SciFi content. But the tracker does track general 0day non SciFi content as well.

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Here is a small utilities pack for Windows XP. The speciality of this version is that all apps included are portable versions and may even be carried on your USB pen drive. Some rare applications such as the Macromedia Stand-Alone Flash Player are included as well.

Apps included

• Brizsoft Avi Splitter v.2.11
• Brizsoft Avi Joiner v.1.02
• HijackThis
• KillBox
• LSPFix
• NoSetHomepage
• BurnCDCC
• Iso-Burner
• Macromedia Stand-Alone Flash Player - Allows you to play .swf files in a stand alone player (not the browser plugin)
• Replacer (System File Changer)
• Resource Hacker (Modify executable and recompile)

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A game rip is a stripped down version of a PC game with reduced file size. The reduced size is achieved by some method such as by re encoding/removing movies, removing music,extra languages etc. The smaller size facilitated ease of transmission and storage, both of which were valuable resources back at the time. Back in the late 1990s these rips were common as this was the time scene groups CLASS/BACKLASH and MYTH was active. Rips became a rarity when CLASS shut down operations after their 1234th release.

 

Image: CLASS logo drawn using ASCII art. Good old days! 

Are rips a thing of the past?

Now in 2008 transmission bandwidth and storage space are no more serious constraints for the average Internet user. Maybe because of this, game rips have become a rarity. However, there still are a lot of people out there with low speed Internet connections and who still seek a ripped game for a quick download without having to waste days downloading the full version.

So are game rips a thing of the past? Not really. There are still non scene individuals who rip modern PC games and release them on P2P mediums such as Bit torrent. If you know the dudes, you can get ripped versions of even newest titles such as Turok (Full - 12GB, Rip - 5.5GB) and Assassin's Creed (Full - 7GB, Rip - 3GB).

Modern game rippers

Over the past year, i have come across at least two (reliable) releasers of ripped games. These are Dopeman and Skullptura. Out of these two, Dopeman stopped releasing games since December 2007. Skullptura is more active nowadays.

Dopeman rips are uploaded to The Pirate Bay (I haven't found these rips on a private tracker yet) by a user account '420Dopeman". Skullptura rips are uploaded by account "gizmolio". You can search and download the entire release collections using the following links.

• A list of game rips released by Skullptura.
• A list of game rips released by Dopeman.

The best thing about these rips is that they dont rip movies or music (except sometimes re-encode the movies) off the games. What is usually removed are extra language streams. Check them out. One even ripped the crappy Iron Man game to 220MB :D

Also, if you know more such game rip releasers, please post here and share the knowledge.

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