Sometimes you want to look at several programs on your Windows desktop at the same time. So you resize Firefox, Word, Excel, and whatever else it is you're using, and then spend about 5 minutes trying to line them up to maximize your screen real estate. The whole process would be a lot easier if programs would just sort of snap together at the edges, wouldn't it?

AllSnap is a utility that lets you snap program windows together much the same way different parts of the music program Winamp snap together. We last looked at AllSnap more than two years ago. Since then, the developer has added an experimental x64 version, and added a "snap to grid" feature.

By selecting snap to grid, you can snap windows not just snugly against one another, but you can snap them to invisible lines on your Windows desktop, making it easier to line up applications that might not actually be touching. After all this talk of snapping, if you're still not clear what the heck we're talking about, check out the demo video after the jump.

[via gHacks]

Love VLC Media Player's ability to play virtually all media but hate that it does not caress your media with a beautiful frame carved from Italian marble? Fear no more. Although we're fans of the no-frills design, those of you who are more exacting will be pleased to know that the large library of Winamp skins are all compatible with VLC.

This is how the magic works: Go to 'Settings' select 'Switch interface' then 'Skins 2.' You will then be greeted by a VLC that may be unfamiliar, but don't worry. Right-click somewhere on the frame, 'Select Skin' and open away. After experimenting with a few skins we found that most of them work fine, except that some had visual artifacts that may not appear if you were to use them in Winamp.

VLC does have a nasty tendency of resetting itself back to normal when you restart the application, so in order to prevent that, under 'Preferences' > 'Interfaces' > 'Main Interface' > 'Skins' select 'Advanced Options' and make sure the 'Skin to use' is the one you like.

And if you decide you don't like Winamp skins, you might want to sample the selection at the VLC skins page.

[via Lifehacker]

Here at Download Squad we're always installing the latest and greatest version of whatever software we can get our hands on. But you know what? Sometimes there are more problems and solutions in those updates. And sometimes we get nostalgic for the early days of Winamp 2 or Nero 5.

It turns out there are plenty of places to download old versions of newer software. If you've got a computer in the house that's still running Windows 95, we can help you out.

filehippo

Filehippo is a great site for finding freeware applications. Recently updated and popular applications are featured prominently at the top of the site. But when you click on a software title, there's also a little box on the right-hand side of the screen that lets you download previous versions. This is great if you download a new version and later decide to roll back.

OldApps, OldVersions.com and Old-Versions.net

As the names would suggest, these are three sites that feature old versions of software. There's a mix of commercial, shareware, and freeware at each site. So if you're going to try downloading an old version of Cool Edit, thinking you won't need a license key, think again.

OldApps, OldVersion.com and Old-Versions.net all include a nice array of software. Some titles like iTunes are available one each site, while others, like BSplayer are only on one or two of the sites, so you might need to dig around a bit to find what you're looking for. And while each site has a "most popular" list, different programs top the list on each site.

I am a long time fan of Winamp and its llama-whipping goodness, but ever since Windows Media Player 11 beta came out I have been using it since it has a bunch of new features and is much better organized than previous versions. Winamp has taken a back-seat to WMP11 at least little bit. I am still a hardcore Winamp fan, and the latest release of Winamp 5.31 is no exception. I can't decide if I am a fan of the new features like included internet TV and radio, but it stays out of the way if you want it to. Two new features of Winamp are worth a look. Winamp Remote, and Winamp Dashboard. Remote is somewhat like Vibe Streamer, letting you access your Winamp music library from anywhere on the web, and Dashboard is a way to add online video and other feeds to your winamp, finally bringing personalized content to the player. Both features are in beta, so look out for bugs, though they seemto work okay for me. Dashboard is a portal of sorts, but helpful in some ways. I like remote, cause you can stream your whole music collection online, which means that every PC in your house can play music from it. I still like VIbe Streamer a bit better, but Winamp remote is not a bad first offering. Sweet tunes, baby.

If you're not happy with your options for playing audio content in Windows, like Windows Media Player, iTunes or WinAmp, you might be interested in trying Foobar 2000. Foobar 2000 is "an advanced audio player for the Windows platform. Some of the basic features include full unicode support, ReplayGain support and native support for several popular audio formats.", although rather than tout it as an advanced player, I think it would be more accurate to pitch it as a pared down player that does what it does well. You're not going to get the glitz of the other media players mentioned, but Foobar does include support for add-in components, so its functionality can always be built upon.

Please pardon the pun in the title. TunnelVision is a quirky little privacy app from Winamp creator Justin Frankel's Cockos, Inc. It lets you hide everything on your screen except the space around the cursor. Imagine your desktop is a pitch black room and your cursor the beam of a flashlight and you'll have an idea of what using TunnelVision is like. I honestly can't say whether TunnelVision is actually a useful privacy tool or just a novelty. It could certainly be used as a fun prank to play on co-workers. TunnelVision allows you to configure the size of your "tunnel" (the default is teensy) as well as the color, in case you prefer, say, hot pink over pitch black. TunnelVision is open source and a tiny 30kb download including the source code.

I'll admit it, I used to be a Winamp snob. For years Winamp was by far the best Windows audio player available, and not too long ago the sight of any other app-usually Windows Media Player-on a friend's desktop would send me into a fugue. Okay, not really, but you get the idea. Nowadays Winamp's competitors have brought up the rear, but there are still things Winamp can do that the major players can't, and those who are still wild about its functionality should check out this Winamp Tweak Guide from TechSpot. Though some real power-users might say "so what?", it has some good tips on settings and plugins for intermediate users looking to move up to the next level.

Web-based interfaces for Winamp are as old as time itself, but that doesn't prevent new ones from coming out occasionally, and AjaxAMP looks like a pretty good specimen. It's a plugin for Winamp that lets you do what you'd expect: control Winamp via a web browser with an Ajaxy interface. It features drag-and-drop playlists and a rearrangeable (though not skinnable) interface, and it can stream music over the web to any computer. It's also free and, at 445kb, a nice and small download.

Everything's portable! This week saw the release of not one, but two popular Windows media players in portable form. First is Portable VLC from PortableApps.com. Based on the excellent open source media player VLC, I can't imagine a better way to watch videos on the go. Second is Portable Winamp 5.1 Lite with iPod support. The "Lite" means it includes the bare-bones audio player, eschewing video, media library, "modern" skin support, and so on, but as the name implies it'll connect to your iPod. Portable VLC is a 7.2MB download while Winamp is a scant 1.2MB.