Video authoring software capable of recording computer actions?

[J N Winkler]

I'm starting this thread to ask about video authoring software which has the capability to record the contents of a computer monitor as certain actions are performed, and then allow the video creator to edit out scenes, add text blocks, etc.  It has occurred to me that software of this kind could be used to create computer training videos without necessarily having to have a video camera or other equipment for video production.  I have seen training videos produced in this way for SignCAD users, and it occurred to me that it might be possible to do something similar with freeware or commercial graphics packages to answer the calls for sign design how-tos which periodically appear in the Road-Related Illustrations thread.

Ideally authoring software with this capability would be free to download and use, though I'm not excluding pay software from consideration at this point.

[Truvelo]

I use FRAPS which is payware but there is a free version although it shows a small logo at the top of the screen in recordings.

[luokou]

CamStudio seems to be a pretty straght-forward program for screen streaming. And it's open source!
http://camstudio.org/

[WillWeaverRVA]

CamStudio is pretty good for a free program. If you need more features and are willing to pay for them, though, I'd opt for Camtasia Studio.