Favorite Files

1. Wine
2. WinRAR (32-bit)

Recent Posts

1. 
   Review - Sysinternals Suite

   Build 12/10/08 (Dec 11, 2008)

   These tools were so good, Microsoft had to buy the company because even they couldn't write utilities this useful.

2. 
   Review - WinSCP

   4.1.4 Beta (Jun 25, 2008)

   Do one thing and do it well.
   
   WinSCP is everything a software package should be. It's simple to use, flexible, cleanly designed and just all around pleasant. This software is everything big companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Corel and others should study WinSCP because they have completely forgotten everything about writing software that this little Open Source wonder does right, and does well.

3. 
   Review - Sysinternals Suite

   Build 02/26/08 (Feb 28, 2008)

   Microsoft couldn't make stuff this good so they had to buy someone who could. These are THE power tools for any knowledgeable Windows admin or user.
   
   If you're familiar with Linux or liked the old Norton Utilities back in the 80s then you'll feel right at home with the SysInternals suite.

4. 
   Review - Paint Shop Pro

   11.11 (Jan 16, 2007)

   Everyone warned us that Corel would ruin PSP, but I didn't want to believe it. It was a solid product that I've been using for over 10 years.
   
   When 10 came out, I immediately bought it, but I couldn't stand the new browser interface and found myself wanting to stick with 9.
   
   When 11 came out I was anxious to see the new features but wanted to check out the trial before buying the upgrade. The new features were totally unimpressive, they were just fancy descriptions for really lame low-tech things you could already do. The "Time Machine" seems to do nothing more than alter the colors (B/W, sepia, etc), and the so-called "Depth of Field" feature is just a blur effect with a hole in the middle. Plus the browser in version 11 would constantly go haywire and peg the CPU at 100% continuously, until I killed the program. And while version 9 is painfully slow to start up, 10 and 11 were even worse.
   
   I didn't want to believe it but Corel did ruin a program I've been a registered user of since version 3. I'm glad I checked out the trial version didn't buy 11 and I will stick with version 9 forever.
   
   5 stars for version

5. 
   Review - Linux Kernel

   2.6.19 (Nov 30, 2006)

   Windows has to be better, it's up to, what, version 5.2?
   
   Linux is only at 2.6?! That's only half as good.
   
   Good thing Linux is evolving about 10 times as fast as that big, bloated, evolutionary dead-end from Microsoft.

6. Comment - Zune dreams: Microsoft's refusal to say die

   2.6.19 (Sep 17, 2009 - 3:41 PM)

   Sophisticates buy something that can run RockBox... which does not include the Zune.

7. Comment - Windows 7: Don't upgrade, says FSF, your civil rights are in jeopardy

   2.6.19 (Aug 27, 2009 - 12:08 PM)

   The flyer wasn't worded well, because while it's clear from the previous paragraph, they are talking about "free" as in "freedom", not "free" as in "beer", but you didn't recognize that.
   
   Everyone should have "free" as in "freedom" software.

8. Comment - Betanews contest: Re-doing Bing, or, 'Name That Search Engine'

   2.6.19 (May 31, 2009 - 10:34 PM)

   I agree, "BING" is lame, but "KUMO" was worse. Sounds like a website you'd find with his friend at White Castle. Anyhow, I subscribe to the Monte Carlo method... throw out enough ideas, and hope one of 'em is good.
   
   NUBI - A play on "ubi" which is Latin for where, come to think of it, it also reminds me of "numbium" which is Latin for "cloud".
   
   "Only a Nubi can find the results you need.."
   
   or
   
   "Tired of wading through endless pages of results? Turn to a NUBI to find it now."
   
   The other problem is a name that you want to be verbed should end with a consonant. To me, it just sounds better.
   
   Maybe WAIR, "WAIR do you want to go today?"
   
   How about...
   
   "NEEK":
   
   "To find what you need, you NEEK!"
   
   TEEZ
   
   "Tangled web go you down? TEEZ out what you need!"
   
   or
   
   "Tame the web with a TEEZ."
   
   2DAY:
   
   "Where do you want to go? 2DAY!"
   
   "QIKO" pronounced "keeko":
   
   "Query in, Knowledge out."
   
   This next one is kinda weak, but I think the tagline works:
   
   RELI" -- pronounced "rely"... or maybe "really"
   
   "Research, Reveal, Refine... RELI".
   
   VYOU - pronounced the same as "view":
   
   "Get your own personal VYOU of the Web."
   
   NARO - pronounced "Narrow"
   
   "Why wade through a million search results? NARO it down to what you want."
   
   KLIP
   
   "KLIP what you want to find." Of course, there are connations of "Clippy"...
   
   I also would expect MS would never use or even imply a competitor's name, but
   
   NALE
   
   "You can Google for a bazillion results or you can find exactly what you want: NALE it!"
   
   or maybe the slightly more subtle, but this would probably just confuse people
   
   "Our competitor thinks you have time to wade through a googol results. Instead, why don't you NALE it!"
   
   On the other hand, MSN is easily the worst search engine I've ever used, so maybe they should. It could be the only want to crack the hold of the search leader.
   
   Maybe they need a more conciliatory approach:
   
   XQUS - "excuse"
   
   "Please XQUS our previous search engine."
   
   Or they could start a trend of not taking themselves so seriously:
   
   "Best Search On Demand"
   
   "Finally, a BSOD you want to see!"

9. Comment - Prototype kits for bigger E-paper displays available now

   2.6.19 (May 9, 2009 - 12:07 AM)

   First off, Hellcat_M, you do understand what "prototype" means, right? Second, my 7 year old PocketPC can do something a Kindle can't: Display a PDF. And you know what? That's one reason why I would prefer it to a Kindle.
   
   That thing is so locked down as to be absolutely useless, unless you want to buy grossly overpriced e-books from Amazon. Guess what, Amazon? I've got thousands of PDFs of academic papers, free books, plus tons of stuff from Gutenburg and other similar material. Any device that doesn't let me just throw all those on it and instantly read them isn't worth box it comes in to me.

10. Comment - Mainstream support for Windows XP ended Tuesday

    2.6.19 (Apr 15, 2009 - 1:36 PM)

    Paul Skinner: Why do you think they want to kill it so badly? It works and people are satisfied with it. You can extort biennial upgrade fees from a customer who doesn't feel the need to upgrade.