Messages

3001

Screenshot Captor / Re: Is Screenshot Captor not capable of capturing text for editing in text file?

« on: February 09, 2006, 03:24 AM »

CopyMessageBox

-Stefan (February 09, 2006, 02:24 AM)

Even CopyMsgBox doesn't always work.  I hae to access some programs via Citrix Metaframe, which seems to leave the rest of the computer completely blind to what's going on.

On some versions of Windows, such as Windows 2000 at least, you can just get the focus on an error message box and press Control-C to copy the plain text to the clipboard.  Again, doesn't work with Citrixed programs.

3002

General Software Discussion / Re: General brainstorming for Note-taking software

« on: February 08, 2006, 04:30 AM »

I wish the terminology was a bit clearer...  I think of programs for saving and retrieving text notes, something of particular interest to me, as not necessarily the same thing as tools for organising information into structures.

Mouser, are you really sure you want to give this category a try, given just how many there are out there already, some of them very good?  Especially with Keynote's author's exhaustion  in mind?

3003

General Software Discussion / Re: Living without AutoHotkey - possible?

« on: February 08, 2006, 04:23 AM »

I use Autohotkey and love it for what it does, which is a lot, and will continue to use it for the many things it does for me. But sometimes I am itching for just a little more power and scripting languages seem to be a sweet spot for me. Thus FBSL. I'll keep you posted...

-Edvard (February 07, 2006, 01:01 PM)

Edvard,

I thought you were DC's chief fan of PowerPro.  Are you still using all these scripting languages?

3004

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Addressbook Software Mini-Shootout

« on: February 08, 2006, 04:14 AM »

trying Info Select for Windows?

Oh yeah!  I tried InfoSelect a couple of times over the past two years.  It was pretty good, but if you read the beginning of my review for this addressbook software, I mentioned that I am now at a point that I want the addressbook to just be an addressbook and nothing else.

-superboyac (February 07, 2006, 10:30 AM)

Sorry, forgot that...   

InfoSelect does everything under the sun.  It was too much for me to use it as an addressbook, and I felt like the other features were done better individually on other programs.  I am always highly skeptical of all-in-one solutions to anything.

I can't make my mind up.  While I can see that there's a good case for small individual programs working better for their specific objectives, I then have to remember which program I stored which bit of information in.  And there's always an overlap - addresses, fine, but many people will want something more like a contacts system, with more notes, for example.  One of my e-contacts has a constant mantra: "horses for courses..."   

I suspect, though, that Info Select as it now is tries to to do far too much.   I'd be more interested in the equivalent of a straight port of the DOS version, at a much lower price.

Evernote

You know, I agree with you about the size thing, but the program runs pretty light.  The reason why it's big is because it has this sketchpad in it where you can draw and paint.  ...  Evernote is good for entering a bunch of random notes in, and finding them very quickly.

Speed of finding random notes is good, but I don't need the handwritten notes/sketching abilities.

I love Keynote, what a fantastic program.  If Keynote would just resume being actively developed

Sadly, looks like it won't, but check out posts by kfitting on sucessors/similar programs.

TC has filter-as-you-type?  I didn't know that!

Options, Operation, "Quick search (current dir)" section, Letters - _w_ith search dialog checkbox.

3005

General Software Discussion / Re: General brainstorming for Note-taking software

« on: February 08, 2006, 03:47 AM »

While there's an overlap, I assume this is separate from outliners in the Keynote or ECCO senses?

My first thoughts:

1)  Indexed, for fast retrieval
2)  Boolean searching, for precise retrieval
3)  Keyboard driven, or rather, everything readily accessible by keyboard

3006

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Addressbook Software Mini-Shootout

« on: February 07, 2006, 04:49 AM »

AZZ got it right for the purpose they were trying to achieve, which is a general note accumulating program. 

-superboyac (February 06, 2006, 07:33 PM)

I liked - still like - Memory Mate for DOS as a "random notes" program.  Simple, clean interface, very fast and just enough power.  But it didn't really make the transition to Windows 

knew someone's number started with 398- but you didn't know the rest, it would be nice to just type in 398 and get the list in front of you.  It's just more

Memory Mate has simple but useful Boolean searching.  When you've done a search, it's like you have a small stack of qualifying 5x3 file cards in front of you, though you can only read the top one and have to page through the others (but a well-designed search will limit the stack to only a few).  If you want to see several cards at once, Info Select for DOS did that with immediate searching.  Which begs the question, have you considered pushing the financial boat out and trying Info Select for Windows?  It's $249.95 and isn't shareware, though there's a 30-day money-back guarantee.  Link here: http://www.miclog.com/

powerful that way.  I'll never say no to more power, because you can always turn features off, but you (as the end-user) can't add features.

Agreed, with the proviso that the power features have to be organised so they don't put off the novice.  Or indeed anybody who needs to get the job done, but doesn't have lots of time to learn.

Have any of you checked out EverNote?  It's a cool, quirky program that

Just had a quick look at the Web site, and was put off by the size.  The free version is an 8.4Mb download, the payware one 18Mb.  It's not just the download time and hard-disk footprint, I tend to expect that programs that size are going to be slow to load, which puts me off using them.

I mentioned to kfitting on another thread that there are lots of Keynote-type outliners now - and that's getting a problem in itself, because they aren't mutually compatible and you don't want to commit to the "wrong" one.

If you can't tell, I'm in love with the filter-as-you-type feature.  I'm immediately attracted to any program that has it, and more and more programs are using it.  PowerMarks, EverNote, CardScan, Essential PIM, Directory Opus (so cool!), Find and Run Robot...that's all I can think of for now.

And Total Commander    depending on how you set it up, and that's how I've set it up now as being most intuitive.

3007

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Addressbook Software Mini-Shootout

« on: February 06, 2006, 03:43 AM »

superboyac,

Sounds like AZZ got the mix right in the sense that if you had immediate search on the whole record, you'd get too many "false drops."  Think of trying to look up someone called Theodore - how many times does one use the definite article?  The lady who mentioned AZZ Cardfile in PowerToolsSoftware actually said that she used it for quotes/one-liners/short paragraphs, so it looks like she implicitly agrees.

You obviously need a heavier-weight, more structured program...

3008

Post New Requests Here / Re: Notes Snippet organizer

« on: February 06, 2006, 03:25 AM »

I realize that one program may not do everything I want... but dreaming is nice!!

-kfitting (February 03, 2006, 09:18 AM)

I was beginning to think that you wanted two diametrically opposite approaches combined in the same program    Well, please let us know if TreeDBNotes eventually does the business.

One more that I don't recall having been mentioned on DC before:
WhizFolders,  http://www.whizfolders.com

3009

Post New Requests Here / Re: Notes Snippet organizer

« on: February 03, 2006, 09:00 AM »

benefit of this.  My first taste of this type of thinking was with Opera Mail Client
...
In the initial phases I was collecting data and didnt know what I knew.  Grabbing random bits of info I would put them where I thought they made sense.  As my understanding improved I realized I needed to change the structure somewhat.  But, what I also realized is that there are different ways of looking at the same data. But, often, I find myself wanting to throw data into the mix and then, once I figure out how it relates to different things (projects, concepts, parts, etc) quickly relate it. 

-kfitting (February 03, 2006, 06:03 AM)

Isn't this the kind of thing brainstorming tools/mindmappers are meant to help with?  John Buckman's page on these is http://john.redmood....m/brainstorming.html
Looks like Brainstorm  http://www.brainstormsw.com/ and Inspiration  http://www.inspiration.com/
might be worth looking at, also possibly Axon  http://web.singnet.com.sg/~axon2000

Thanks for the detailed explanation.  You sort of want a relational database, without having to know and set up a rigid structure before you start, and being able to change it as you go along...

3010

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Addressbook Software Mini-Shootout

« on: February 03, 2006, 06:00 AM »

Addressbook Software Mini-Shootout

I've probably tried dozens of these programs, and there are way too many to even list.

-superboyac (February 03, 2006, 05:23 AM)

Pity, because it begs the question: did you try AZZ Cardfile,  http://www.azzcardfile.com/

I saw this mentioned in the Yahoo! Group PowerToolsSoftware, mentioned by someone who said it had "immediae entry search," which I think is what you mean.

3011

Post New Requests Here / Re: Notes Snippet organizer

« on: February 03, 2006, 05:34 AM »

I haven't RTFM (I very seldom do!)

-m_s (February 03, 2006, 05:27 AM)

but I have found that stickies linger on and on - when I reinstalled it recently,

Good!

I'm just downloading WikidPad now

I seem to remembetr dropping it like a hot potatoe, I think because the version I tried had no easy way to import pre-existing text (memory faulty here).

3012

Post New Requests Here / Re: Notes Snippet organizer

« on: February 03, 2006, 05:20 AM »

Nobody has mentioned the possibility of using some kind of Wiki, either online

-m_s (February 03, 2006, 05:00 AM)

But then you have to have text in Wiki capitalisation, which might not be so good if you have things like code numbers / serial numbers to deal with.

There's a thing called WikidPad by Jason Horman which is a local personal Wiki.

And then I use Tom Revell's Stickies (www.zhornsoftware.co.uk) for all the myriad little notes I type as I go

What worries me about Stickies is the bit in Options General where it says Keep (x) closed stickies, as if it's going to delete all the other ones.  Maybe I should RTFM 

Also, there doesn't seem to be a global search function, so how do you find scraps of text you've stored as stickies?  A similar program, the cheap-shareware Magic Notes  http://www.magicnotes.com  does have this, though it has a habit of sometimes forgetting its alarm settings on my computer.  That could be just a local issue.

3013

Post New Requests Here / Re: Notes Snippet organizer

« on: February 03, 2006, 04:40 AM »

Right now is an interesting time for this type of program.  Many people are realizing their value and adding different features.  Unfortunately finding one with all the features you want is tough. 

-kfitting (February 02, 2006, 09:42 AM)

The downside is going to be too many similar programs all with different and incompatible file formats, so once you're committed, it will be very hard to change.

Add TreeDBNotes to the list of Keynote replacements. 

Both a "lite" free version and a (presumably freely-distributable) viewer, too.  That's good; I'd prefer something that was all-free, partly because of cost to me, especially if I want to have copies at home and at work, but a free viewer would be a help if the program isn't itself free.  I see Maple has that, too.

I took a look at this one and if "Novo Libero" or Neomem do not take off, I am

It looks too early to commit to either of those, especially "Novo Libero!"

which is the use of nodes as filters and make notes have properties.

I don't understand those features, which probably means I don't need them 

Have you tried the SEO Note that Stefan mentioned, and if so, how does it compare with the others?

There's also a free "lite" version of Action Outline now, but it looks too "lite" to be very useful.  If I read it correctly, nodes can only have up to seven child nodes.  Better viewed as an unlimited-time trial, perhaps.

Really, I don't need an organiser so much as a free-text database.  But those are rare, expensive, and complex.

3014

Find And Run Robot / Re: What's the correct abbreviation?

« on: February 03, 2006, 03:47 AM »

little icon that looks like Mercury running.

-momonan (February 02, 2006, 11:04 AM)

Then you need to change the icon so he has wings on his heels    (I think that's the conventional representation)

Mouser, the village I live in has a chimney sweep who trades under the name "The Happy Smiling Chimney Services"   

3015

Post New Requests Here / Re: Notes Snippet organizer

« on: February 02, 2006, 08:52 AM »

kfitting,

Another interesting project that I've been watching is neomem.  Go to neomem.org and then check the blog and the forum for the latest news.

-kfitting (February 01, 2006, 08:21 AM)

Does NeoMem have good I/O features?  It would be nice if it could import Treepad Lite/Keynote files, for example, and export things in properly indented format, and/or some way of marking nodes and their levels so that other programs could pick them up.  Nicer still if it was possible to make a "universal" file-format converter for these things...

And, I'd really like an indexed (for fast searching) program with good Boolean logic (for precise searching).  No end to wishful thinking <sigh>

3016

Post New Requests Here / Re: Notes Snippet organizer

« on: February 01, 2006, 07:58 AM »

Josh,

For more on Keynote's closing;
https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=1312.0

It's a popular application and still seems to be the best-liked and most powerful freeware of its type.

3017

Unfinished Requests / Re: IDEA: Text Editor just for text (stay with me)

« on: January 31, 2006, 04:14 AM »

What about a text editor that just focuses on text creation, on putting words to screen, on writing?

-zridling (May 21, 2005, 03:39 AM)

Here is the answer.  You won't like it, but here is the answer, set out in science fiction writer Robert Sawyer's manifesto of WordStar as the True Way for writers

http://www.sfwriter.com/wordstar.htm

3018

Post New Requests Here / Re: Notes Snippet organizer

« on: January 30, 2006, 09:06 AM »

Would anyone be willing to develop a snippet organizer that can contain various things such as html links, text, pictures, etc about various different

-Josh (January 29, 2006, 09:57 PM)

Wouldn't Keynote (freeware) do, at least to start with?  It's not ideal for graphics because it's RTF, but should do everything you seem to want, and can be used as a clipboard enhancer as well.
http://www.tranglos....om/free/keynote.html

There's plenty of other similar things, most of them payware.  Take a look at John Buckman's outdated but still useful survey at http://john.redmood.com/organizers.html
A much larger number are mentioned at  http://www.fredshack.com/docs/pim.html  but the comments are terse.

3019

General Software Discussion / Re: software i love

« on: January 26, 2006, 04:12 AM »

I took a look but don't have time to really put WanyWord through its paces.  I personally like the interface of Search much better, where all your options are visible all the time.  It looks to me like WanyWord has a lot of power, but taking advantage of it might be a bit of a pain.

-mrainey (January 24, 2006, 06:38 AM)

It's not perfect.  I still prefer my DOS programs, partly because I'm more used to them, but most people insist on WinGUI and WAnyWord is the best I've seen.

Search comes with an editor that can be configured to open the found file and go to the first find (with surrounding lines).

When just searching for text, I often prefer not to be given the chance to accidentally change it 

Does WanyWord support true regular expression searches?  I couldn't find a mention in the Help file.

I don't think so.  While those are useful in GREPs, I often prefer the Boolean logic that WAnyWord does have for extracting information from text files.

He does mention his competitors - apparently Search doesn't qualify (Search32 is a different program).

Probably not aware of it; too many programs, too little time...

3020

General Software Discussion / Re: software i love

« on: January 24, 2006, 04:25 AM »

How would you rate Search against WAnyWord, which is free?
home page http://home4.inet.tele.dk/jensguld/

I haven't tried Search, but see it only presents one-liner results.  GREPs have lots of uses, but if I'm trying to extract information from text  documents I like to have at least a few lines of context, which WAnyWord does.  He even "does a Mouser" and lists his competitors 

3021

Living Room / Re: Looking for a few good puns

« on: January 23, 2006, 04:10 AM »

Here's a couple of Christmas cracker jokes that barely qualify:

Q.  What prowls the streets of Paris in a Tupperware box?
A.  The Lunchpack of Notre Dame.

Q.  What do you get if you cross an owl with a skunk?
A.  A bird that stinks, and doesn't give a hoot.

3022

General Software Discussion / Re: Worst. Interface. Ever.

« on: January 13, 2006, 05:51 AM »

EMACS  is an extremely powerfull tool

-jgpaiva (January 12, 2006, 03:33 PM)

Be careful, as I heard a rumour that EMACS users are more prone to RSI than most...

3023

Screenshot Captor / Text scraper

« on: January 13, 2006, 05:44 AM »

Mouser,

I just now noticed the Text Scraper function in the announcement of the new beta, haven't tried it yet.  CopyMessageBox at  http://www.thyante.com/  can in most cases save both an image of an error box, and also save its text and send just the text to clipboard, often useful for reporting to authors.  Is that what you mean?

3024

General Software Discussion / Re: Living without AutoHotkey - possible?

« on: January 12, 2006, 03:48 AM »

I'd love to hear about other uses too!

-brotherS (October 10, 2005, 08:58 AM)

I have to retrieve patents as PDF files from Delphion  http://www.delphion.com
I generally use their Boolean search form, which allows you to put four things in at a time.  You have to navigate various drop-downs, as well as type in the text.  Lately people have been giving me lists of 70 to 120 patents to get.  Patents generally have 7-digit numbers prefaced with a two-letter country code and usually suffixed with a letter+digit "kind" code (application vs. granted status).  That's a lot of typing of mindless items.  In the end I wrote an AWK script that converts my list of patent numbers into a AutoHotKey hotstrings script, thereby saving an awful lot of futile keypresses.  Just type the next hotstring trigger into the first box, and off it goes...  Nothing sophisticated, but a worthwhile time and frustration reliever.

3025

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Locate 3.0 - great HD search tool

« on: January 10, 2006, 03:38 AM »

Veign,

Give Seeker a try and tell me what you think..

    * Regular expression support

-Veign (November 01, 2005, 12:26 PM)

Regexps are nice, but I'd prefer Boolean searches for extracting information from files.  Also, I often want to make lists of files for use in other processes;  can it save its "hit lists?"