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PDF editors can be expensive, but most users can get by with a free alternative. We show you how you can edit PDFs for free with these useful tools.

By Roland Waddilove | 21 Jun 2017

PDFs should be one of the most straightforward document types in the world, but unfortunately they are not so simple when it comes to editing them. Paid-for PDF editors can do it all, but do you really want to pay for a tool to complete a quick and easy editing job? As we have learned from this round-up of free tools and services, you may not need to.

Adobe invented the PDF (Portable Document Format) to solve a problem that dogged people for years: how to view and print documents without requiring the original software that document was created in or the fonts it uses. It wasn't meant to be a replacement for a word processor -it was a layout format for precise alignment of text and images.

Many programs can save documents in PDF format, but few can edit them directly. But what if you receive a document in PDF form and need to change it? Or you might save a file as a PDF but lose the original (editable) document through a disk or human error? In all of these situations, you need a PDF editor.

However, here's the thing: free PDF editors generally do not allow you to edit text. What they offer is the ability to erase (or 'whiteout') text and replace it with new text. Matching the font, both size and colour, but it's all you'll be able to do if you can't get hold of the original file used to create the PDF.

Some free PDF editors let you annotate PDFs and add or remove pages. The original content cannot be changed, but you can insert notes and comments, use a highlighter pen, strikethrough text, delete pages, fill out forms and so on.

Here are some of your options:

AbleWord is the only free PDF editor we're aware of that can import a PDF and make it completely editable. It's best when importing PDF files that were created in Word, but will attempt to replicate all PDF files. The end result won't look identical to the original but will be close.

Foxit Reader is a lightweight alternative to Adobe Reader and many people prefer it. It's more than just a PDF reader though and it has a wide range of powerful tools. You cannot edit the contents, but text can be struck through with a line and replaced by a pop-up note.

PDF-XChange Viewer offers an almost identical set of features to Foxit Reader and it is useful for annotating in a similar manner.

As long as your editing demands aren't too heavy, PDF Candy may be the quickest solution. It can convert PDFs to other formats, rotate them, split them, protect them and add watermarks.

This new online service has but one limitation: any file you upload must be under 10MB. But that's it: there are no ads or any other restrictions.

LibreOffice, the free Office alternative, is worth considering if you want to edit the text in a PDF file. It loads PDFs and it can cope with very large documents with hundreds of pages. The only snag is that each line of text is text box, which makes it awkward to edit large amounts of text.

PDF Pro is an online tool that lets you upload three PDF files per month and edit them. The latest update includes a facility to convert PDF documents to Word (.doc) format, which not many free products can do.

FormSwift is another online PDF editor. You simply drag and drop files to upload them, and you can then edit them in your browser before downloading and printing or sharing.

You can edit text by deleting and replacing it, add images or signatures. It's relatively basic, but it's free and requires only an internet connection.

PDF to Word does exactly what the name says. You select a file on your PC, upload it to the site and it emails you the Word document a minute or two later. The advantage of this is that you can use Word or another word processor to edit the text and resave the document as a PDF.

Read the rest here:
How to edit a PDF for free - Tech Advisor (registration)

DAT Solutions announced it has completed integrating its most popular carrier features into the AscendTMS for carriers, and it will be offered at no cost to current and future DAT carrier customers. DAT TruckersEdge, Express, and Power carrier customers can log into the AscendTMS and search loads and post their trucks as they would inside their DAT load board app or desktop product.

Freight matching is increasingly about efficiency, said DAT Senior Vice President Don Thornton. The integration lets our carrier customers, especially smaller ones with fewer technical or financial resources, match their empty trucks with available DAT loads with the press of a single button. We are pleased to make AscendTMS carrier functionality available to our carrier network, the largest source of spot market capacity with 1.3 million trucks.

The AscendTMS for DAT Solutions carrier customers is available immediately, DAT says, offering a multifunction management tool at various service levels, including:

DAT load boards are also integrated with all major carrier and broker TMS solutions, including its own DAT Keypoint.

The rest is here:
AscendTMS software free to DAT carrier users - Overdrive Magazine

Windows is more than a legend in the technology world. It can rightfully be said that the development of the information era began with the development of this particular operating system. Of course, now many people are obsessed with Android, and even more are crazy about iOS, but the fact remains Windows still does not lose its positions. While desktop computers continue to remain in our houses and offices, this trend will not change. However, Windows is simply an operating system without programs filling it.

In addition to the standard set of apps which the developers deemed absolutely necessary, each of us chooses his own unique kit of applications that will be most useful to a particular user. A computer can be a fun entertainment, as well as a tool for serious work. Therefore, the set of necessary apps is different for everyone. However, regardless of the purpose of using the desktop,Yum!Download contains the maximum possible number of useful applications.

The separation of applications into categories greatly simplifies the process of searching and downloading them. At Yumyou can download applications for a variety of goals. The most necessary programsare placed in a separate column, so you can quickly view the list and to set what you need in two clicks. With the help of this website, you can quickly start using Google Chrome, Skype, Ccleaner, Avast Antivirus and other applications that are in the world top on demand.

Here you will be also able to find all kinds of music and movie players, photo processing wizards, messengers, games and professional programs. Most important thing is that all of the programs on this site can be easily downloaded for free.

What Do We Recommend to Download:

Do not make a skeptical face. Yes, this player really was one of the first, developed for Windows, but time did not make it worse.

Internet Download Manager. This is an analog of uTorrent, but it is faster in operation, and also does not contain advertising.

If you have to deal with special programs, such as online banking or work time tracking, then they will not work without the latest and updated version of Java.

It is almost impossible to do without a convenient archiver in our era of the information boom. This program will help to solve problems with the transfer and storage of large amounts of information.

This is a very convenient and free application for viewing and processing photos. Special knowledge is not required to start using it. However, even professional photographers give likes to it. Now it is easy to improve the quality and appearance of the photo with just a few clicks.

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Where Can You Download Free Software for Windows in 2017? - The Merkle

Shares of BlackBerry Ltd. were on track Friday for their worst one-day decline in more than two years Friday, after the company reported weak software and services revenue.

Though BlackBerry BBRY, -12.21% reported a surprise profit in its first-quarter, its revenue of $169 million in the software and services segment came in below some analyst expectations. In addition to the weak revenue, TD Securities Inc. analysts said they believed the stock drop came due to commentary around the companys free cash flow, which would be negative if its payment from Qualcomm Inc. QCOM, +0.78% were excluded.

The company received $940 million out of its arbitration with Qualcomm, in a case about Qualcomm charging phone makers excessive royalty payments. Without that payment, the analysts attributed the weakness in BlackBerrys free cash flow to the company moving away from its hardware business.

We expect this to normalize over the coming quarters as the company completes its hardware exit over the coming quarters, said Daniel Chan, lead analyst on the note.

BlackBerrys stock were sinking 11.1% in active midday trade, putting the stock on track for its worst one-day decline since Jan. 15, 2015. The decline would also be the biggest one-day, post-results selloff since the company reported fiscal first-quarter 2013 results on June 28 of that year.

Volume reached 27.4 million shares, nearly tripled the full-day average.

TD Securities analysts had software and services revenue expectations of $203 million. They say the next couple of quarters could be weak for the company, but they were encouraged by management commentary saying that they expect software and services revenue to grow 10% to 15% for the full year.

That growth is expected to come in the second half of the year, driven by strong billings as well as professional services.

This gives us confidence that management can hit its Software & Services target growth for the full year, Chan said.

BlackBerry said it expects to be profitable on a non-GAAP basis and to have positive free cash flow for the full year.

BlackBerry shares have gained 36% in the past three months, compared with the SPDR Technology Select Sector exchange-traded funds XLK, +0.63% 6.5% rise and the S&P 500s SPX, +0.16% gain of 4%.

Read more:
BlackBerry shares plunge after weak software revenue, negative cash flow - MarketWatch

Microsoft South Africa, together with Intervate and 2enable, has created a portal for students to activate licenses for the Microsoft Office 365 suite and OneDrive cloud-based storage services free of charge.

Called Mahala.ms, the objective is to enable learners from grade R to 12 to become more productive and better prepared for the next phase of their academic careers or the workplace, by gaining free access to Office 365s services, including Microsoft Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint.

In addition, students receive one terabyte (1000 GB) worth of free OneDrive online storage to save their documents, class notes, assignments, research, podcasts and vodcasts.

Through the Mahala.ms portal, students and parents are able to self-provision their licenses and install the software on up to five devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

Students can organise their school and personal data in one secure location, and are able to create and share content as well as collaborate on documents in real-time.

Lionel Moyal, Office Business Group Lead at Microsoft South Africa, said: There are around 12 million learners and students in SA, but only a fraction of them have access to digital tools.

As such, there is an immense opportunity to change the fortunes of millions of young people through the Mahala.ms portal, enabling many more students to master the use of technology and acquire 21st century learning skill sets such as collaborating within groups and delivering captivating presentations.

Read: Make upgrades free or face more ransomware attacks in SA expert

Go here to read the rest:
Microsoft SA launches online portal to give students free software - BusinessTech