Favorite Files

1. AutoHotkey
2. Autoruns
3. Eusing Free Registry Cleaner
4. Eusing Free Registry Defrag
5. Event Log Explorer
6. FFDShow MPEG-4 Video Decoder
7. Filemon
8. FreeCommander
9. HostsMan
10. ImgBurn
11. IsoBuster
12. KeePass Password Safe Professional Edition
13. Mozilla Sunbird for Windows
14. Mozilla Thunderbird for Windows
15. MusicBee
16. Nomad.NET
17. Notepad++
18. OpenOffice.org for Windows
19. Orb
20. Paint.NET
21. Screamer Radio
22. Spybot - Search & Destroy
23. SpywareBlaster
24. Stickies
25. Sysinternals Suite
26. TagScanner
27. UltraVNC
28. VLC (VideoLAN) for Windows

Recent Posts

1. 
   Review - VLC (VideoLAN) for Windows

   1.0.3 (Nov 1, 2009)

   RE: Fatbas**** -- it IS called Betanews.com, not StableRelease, but Beta.
   
   Anyone who wants to can actually download nightly builds from the project home.
   
   I do wish that BetaNews actually included some "news" about what is new with each beta instead of merely posting the download.
   
   VLC is the only media player anyone will ever need. Fantastic program.

2. 
   Review - Notepad++

   5.4.5 (Jul 14, 2009)

   Still top of its class and improving. No other text editor come close to the pure usability of this remarkable tool.
   
   dhry, you are correct and incorrect at the same time. The solution for users to avoid unintentionally loading a link is to use the settings and disable clickable links. I failed to note this feature from distraction with your trivia.
   
   So my comment on that item was not founded, but a reaction to your incessant whining and "downgrades" as if four out five stars worth of a program is your pet peeve about a lack of a feature, not necessarily a bug. The author seems to want to abide you, but it could as easily be said "the program supports clickable http, not ssl, not ftp, not mms, nntp, nzb, gopher and so on".
   
   I know on your blog you confess to ranting and raving, but give us a break. If your method of grading software is represented by clickable ssl links being worth 80% of your grade, then please go thy way and grade no more.
   
   Use your own arrogant rat poison attitude and instead of continuously crying because the crust isn't trimmed from your bread, eat crackers.
   
   In anticipation of your masturbatory reply, what piece of software have you written lately and given to the community at no charge? I'd enjoy reviewing it.
   
   Or are you one of those who take what is produced through the hard work of others and labour under the illusion that your role is to belittle the gift?

3. 
   Review - Notepad++

   5.4.3 (Jun 8, 2009)

   Notepad++ is top of its class, highly recommended for casual and expert users for notepad replacement.
   
   This program meets the mission of being a thorough, fleet, dedicated editing tool.
   
   It is not intended to be a word processor so if you are looking for extended word processing features, turn to OpenOffice or another such program.
   
   But, if you are looking to edit plain text, raw html, php or other script/programming code, Notepad++ is a tool of choice.
   
   I find it invaluable as a viewer, as much as an editor, such that viewing html source (using View Source in Firefox) with Notepadd++ really eases the process of following code structure and logic.
   
   One reviewer repeatedly complains about not having live url links. My use of Notepad++ would actually suffer if I had to exercise care that when working through pages of code that I do not load a browser and launch a web link.
   
   It is a text editing tool, not a development environment like Aptana Studio and I encourage the author not to add excessive features that reduce the speed and elegance of the program. It already provides an extension API and there are many useful such addons, to be employed according to the needs of the user and not hardwired into the base code.

4. 
   Review - Sysinternals Suite

   Build 04/22/09 (Apr 23, 2009)

   An outstanding tool set for intermediate to professional users. Some do not have available alternatives (certainly not free) and some are simply the very best in their class, such as Autoruns.
   
   If you need a lot eye candy in a gooey, then you should run, not walk, away from this package. Many of the tools can cause self-inflicted damage in the hands of someone who needs hand-holding. For example, because Autoruns does such an excellent job of exposing the finest grained account of auto-start code, a user can (some have!) disable core system functionality.
   
   Many provide detailed information on a variety of system and software and may be interesting to even casual users.
   
   Earlier references to Nirsoft are confusing, as Sysinternals and Nirsoft live together perfectly happily and have for the most part very different purposes. Both are composed of completely stand alone, individual utilities that do not require installation and are uninstalled as easily as deleting the files.

5. 
   Review - OpenOffice.org for Windows

   3.1.0 RC1 (Apr 6, 2009)

   For production work I use the stable release which is 3.01.
   
   I used Open Office to produce a 48 page Policy Manual and the exercise was much smoother than when I had used Word for the same purposes. If this does not quality as a "big/complex project" I don't know what does.
   
   The spreadsheet and word processor are stand out quality.
   
   The database is not effective for significant databases and can very slow at performing relatively basic queries on more than a few thousand records. But remember that Access is not part of the core MS Office suite and big bucks need to be spent to get access to Access.
   
   OOo should consider carving the database off to have it focus on being a great interface to MySql which users would have to install separately.
   
   I have also noted that the entire OOo suite operates orders of magnitude faster on Ubuntu than on XP or Vista. It loads almost instantaneously on Ubunut running on an old 486 box, but takes a few moments getting going on the Windows platforms with the newest hardware.

6. Comment - Windows XP forever? The OS that just won't die

   3.1.0 RC1 (Aug 7, 2009 - 7:36 PM)

   I use Vista on a laptop (came pre-installed) and ironically the only feature gain that I've experienced is networking. I have an encyclopedia of complaints about Vista's horrible networking, breaking previously perfectly working lans and so on. I guess I just waited long enough until SP1 fixed all that because my Vista laptop is crazy sweet on connecting to wi-fi anywhere without me having to teach her how to walk all over again. If I could get the same networking ease from Ubuntu, it would be on the laptop, but nothing else I run does this particular job nearly so well.
   
   Sincere question: What do you consider to be the "niceties" that would make a business case to upgrade 30 or 40 desktops?

7. Comment - Windows XP forever? The OS that just won't die

   3.1.0 RC1 (Aug 7, 2009 - 7:24 PM)

   jfplopes, you're on target vs. W98 to XP atmosphere. Some kook above wrote that "everyone knows" that Win2000 was more stable than w98. Phooey. I clung to my 98SE for years. And while I was computing without crashes and assorted other headaches, the technosphere was replete with people complaining about the buggy XP.
   
   I advised then as I do now, do not move to a new OS if your current one is meeting your needs. 99% of businesses have nothing at stake in the nanosecond advantage the newest technologies may render. If they do not compete in nanoseconds, then they should not procure for nanoseconds.
   
   Eye candy is, IMHO, a very stupid reason for any business or not-personal entity to incur expenses. If a "more streamlined interface" can be shown to meaningfully improve productivity, a cost-benefit can be done. But, for example, the move to Office 2007 created a lot more productivity disruptions/losses than any gain that came in after the learning curve was complete.
   
   "You just have to get used to the way the band works."
   
   Why? Why should a perfectly functioning support staff have to get used to anything for the sake of it. Show me the problem that's being solved.
   
   Things like multi-touch support are going to have to prove a real productivity return before they become anything like a business case.
   
   Win7 is solving the problem of Vista. But a great many of us simply do not have that problem. XP does everything we need.
   
   Of course over time it is true that XP will be today what my one machine that runs W98 is now. That machine I know I can count on rock solid and if something goes up, the complexity level is sufficiently manageable that I can always, always find the fix. But I am one of a tiny minority, microscopic in market terms. W98 withered and finally even I converted my main machines to maintain the necessary knowledge just to keep up with the mainstream.