Messages

1851

General Software Discussion / Re: updating Firefox plugins sucks!

« on: March 28, 2010, 02:06 PM »

I read that there is no GUI, but my Firefox did not decrease in any way, so I was just wondering... 

1852

General Software Discussion / Re: updating Firefox plugins sucks!

« on: March 28, 2010, 02:01 PM »

For me it does nothing. 

1853

General Software Discussion / Re: gleeBox - Web browsing just got better.

« on: March 28, 2010, 09:32 AM »

As far as I can tell it is nowhere near close to Vimperator in my view.

-kartal (March 28, 2010, 01:22 AM)

Full ACK. However, its UI is more like Ubiquity (which is not as mighty anyway).

1854

Mini-Reviews by Members / Proto, another approach to file managing

« on: March 28, 2010, 12:06 AM »

Basic Info

App Name	Proto
App URL	http://miechu.pl/proto/
App Version Reviewed	0.6.9 RC1
Test System Specs	Windows Vista on a laptop, 3 GB RAM, no Aero bloat
Supported OSes	.NET 3.5 SP1 (thus: recent Windows versions)
Support Methods	Twitter or e-mail
Upgrade Policy	Free upgrades for a lifetime. (That's what he says now.)
Pricing Scheme	"Proto is priceless (for any use)", the website claims.
Author Donation Link	Donations are welcome via PayPal
Screencast Video URL	http://miechu.pl/proto/protoCinema.aspx

Intro:

Proto is a new kind of file manager, following design ideas by Jef Raskin. It is based on type-and-find technologies. While it is surely not the mightiest file manager available, it might still be the most intuitive one.

Who is this app designed for:

The author says, programmers and computer geeks will love it. Myself I guess actual "computer geeks" already have their FM of choice. However, keyboard fanatics like me will love the minimalistic approach once they understood how it all works. Of course, it still takes some time to get to know every single feature, but it is worth the effort IMO.

The Good

Unlike Directory Opus or similar products, Proto has a very lightweight attitude. You won't even notice that it is developed using the .NET bloatframework; running in the background, it takes only ~ 27K of RAM. Proto is ready right after the start, there are no config dialogs or similar things that might pop up first. It's just you and the cursor.

Unless you want to do something exotic, you don't even have to know any special keystrokes besides the usual Ctrl-C and so on. Enter a path (with a closing \), and Proto will open it; type characters, and Proto will hide everything that does not contain them. Simple as that.

Proto also contains things like bookmarks, 7-zip support, a registry browser and a Scintilla-based text editor, so, while it can not "replace" usual file managers completely, it still contains the basics (and some more things). Under the hood, it is a very mighty application, it even has regex support for renaming files. A complete list of features is available on the website.



However, you'll still have to know about these abilities; so we are at:

The needs improvement section

There is no actual documentation. To be actually able to use Proto, you'll have to watch the author's screencasts. I hope there will be a better documentation with a later version, so Proto becomes more attractive for rather lazy users who want to RTFM, not WTFV (watch that fine video).
To me, as a non-native speaker, the author's pronounciation is quite difficult, too. (But hey, it is fun to find out myself how everything works.)

Why I think you should use this product

I don't actually recommend this software to everyone; you'll need to spend some time to figure out how it all works, and you'll need to teach your fingers to press the correct keys at a time, but once you managed to do that, Proto can help you in your daily work because navigating through your folders does not need any special key strokes or even mouse clicks. Effectively you will save some time with it; or maybe even more.

How does it compare to similar apps

There are no actual "similar apps" I would know of; but, given that Proto is just another file manager, working with it is most likely the fastest way of managing your files and folders. Unlike all the other file managers reviewed here, Proto is a file manager, no handyman, and it does its job very well.

Conclusions

Proto is not just another NC clone, Proto is something very special. It might be tricky in a way, but it is, at least, worth a try.

1855

General Software Discussion / Re: How to watch folders and perform certain actions automatically?

« on: March 27, 2010, 11:03 AM »

Ahh, looks like it. (Hmm, VBScript.) 

1856

General Software Discussion / Re: How to watch folders and perform certain actions automatically?

« on: March 27, 2010, 10:34 AM »

Hmm, Belvedere does not have an "execute command" action (yet?), so there is no uncompression. 

I can't download Log Monitor for unknown reasons. 

1857

General Software Discussion / Re: How to watch folders and perform certain actions automatically?

« on: March 27, 2010, 12:07 AM »

Tuxman, in that list of 5 programs, it looks to me like #1 (Unpacker) will do what you are asking.

-superboyac (March 26, 2010, 11:53 PM)

The ability to watch folders was not clear from the list, excusez moi.  
Gotta play a bit with the listed applications.

(The Unpacker even seems to be able to automatically delete files, hmm... but it lacks .7z support. )

1858

General Software Discussion / Re: How to watch folders and perform certain actions automatically?

« on: March 26, 2010, 11:18 PM »

Ah, looks more like what I was looking for. (Although the weird looking GUI is rather... weird.)
Does it support .7z?

1859

General Software Discussion / Re: How to watch folders and perform certain actions automatically?

« on: March 26, 2010, 10:18 PM »

I never did it, but I would like to know if there exists such an application. 
I see that I was not precise enough: I look for something that actually watches folders (checks them in certain intervals) and extracts any new archives.

 

1860

General Software Discussion / How to watch folders and perform certain actions automatically?

« on: March 26, 2010, 07:42 PM »

Hmm, I hope someone here has a clue:
I usually download archive files into a certain directory. Now it is quite much work to unpack them manually and delete the archive files. What would be the easiest way to automate this?

1861

General Software Discussion / Re: updating Firefox plugins sucks!

« on: March 26, 2010, 07:37 PM »

I auto-update add-ons. Concerning actual plugins I don't really care; the Java plugin is not installed, Flash is blocked by default, so there is not much of a chance I will ever become infected through some plugin hole.

1862

Finished Programs / Re: Salatschleuder english

« on: March 21, 2010, 06:58 PM »

Makes me curious, is "Salatschleuder" an English word that has been all jumbled up? If it's not an English word, what language is it and what does it mean?

-Deozaan (March 21, 2010, 05:27 PM)

It is a German compound of Salat (salad) and Schleuder (centrifuge). The English term is "salad spinner".

1863

What's the Best? / Re: Best file archiver/compresser

« on: March 18, 2010, 06:50 PM »

Hm, it can't cut video files yet. 

1864

What's the Best? / Re: Best file archiver/compresser

« on: March 18, 2010, 05:49 PM »

With the Windows 7 integration, modern ribbon GUI interface, quick file preview, etc. it just makes every other archiver on the market seem primitive by comparison.

-Innuendo (March 18, 2010, 02:53 PM)

Hmm, PA was fine while it was free. Anyway, ribbons for an archiver? So how many functions do you need in an archiver's toolbar?  

1865

Living Room / Re: Return of the Commodore computer name?

« on: March 17, 2010, 08:13 PM »

I actually think it will be a flop anyway. Commodore is a feeling, not just a name.

1866

Living Room / Re: Return of the Commodore computer name?

« on: March 17, 2010, 06:53 PM »

Hmm, I thought the Commodore company was closed years ago?

1867

What's the Best? / Re: Best file archiver/compresser

« on: March 16, 2010, 05:30 PM »

Non-pirates seldomly need .rar support.

1868

What's the Best? / Re: Best file archiver/compresser

« on: March 16, 2010, 01:28 PM »

.rar is not a common format unless the user is a software pirate on Windows. 

1869

Living Room / Re: Donationcoder: How did you find it + What has your experience been like so far.

« on: March 16, 2010, 10:19 AM »

I think it was the Process Tamer, at least I can remember it being my first DC licensed app.

1870

What's the Best? / Re: Best file archiver/compresser

« on: March 16, 2010, 09:58 AM »

7Zip on Windows is also a rare case - unless you know it.

-Bamse (March 16, 2010, 09:55 AM)

Most archivers for Windows support it, and there is almost no chance to have a Windows user without any WinRAR, 7zip or anything.

1871

What's the Best? / Re: Best file archiver/compresser

« on: March 16, 2010, 07:57 AM »

Still it is a rather rare case.

1872

What's the Best? / Re: Best file archiver/compresser

« on: March 16, 2010, 04:17 AM »

Packing files for redistribution is also a question of the supported platforms. Neither PAQ nor 7zip are actually an option, .7z on Linux is still quite unusual.

1873

General Software Discussion / Re: Return of the Son of the best *free* Windows Text Editor

« on: March 14, 2010, 05:20 PM »

For me, PSPad had some serious performance problems (just like Slickedit, which has fine config abilities indeed). I wonder why.

1874

What's the Best? / Re: Best file archiver/compresser

« on: March 13, 2010, 09:16 PM »

Recent 7-zip builds with LZMA2 compression introduce an improved multi-media compression algorithm. 
(Although, obviously, PAQ is still the leading format. Too bad it is not widely supported yet.)

1875

Living Room / Re: Speaking Of: Torrent Sites

« on: March 11, 2010, 10:15 AM »

Not pay to play.