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1651

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by J-Mac on February 10, 2009, 05:37 PM »

I upgraded recently to their 2009 version and started a new database fresh, so I had to tag them all again.

-J-Mac (February 10, 2009, 05:04 PM)

Doesn't ACDSee let you save your tags into EXIF or IPTC, so that they never need to be re-entered (even if you switched over to a competing product)?

-CWuestefeld (February 10, 2009, 05:18 PM)

Yes, but not necessarily their tags. I do have specific keywords saved in the IPTC data but the database optimization feature of my previous version of ACDSee went haywire and garbled everything - and their support is, well, not very supportive. That actually sent me looking hard for an alternative, but there really isn't anything else out there that compares IMO.

Jim

1652

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: List of disc catalogers

« Last post by J-Mac on February 10, 2009, 05:32 PM »

New version of Camel Disc Catalog released, most notable change is ability to customize columns in the list view.
http://www.cameldisc.com/history.html

-Tobeus (February 10, 2009, 04:14 PM)

I would never use this software because the name offends me.
...j/k

-superboyac (February 10, 2009, 04:17 PM)

Really? Or are you kidding?

Jim

1653

General Software Discussion / Re: 'Everything' is one FAST file search engine

« Last post by J-Mac on February 10, 2009, 05:15 PM »

one problem I have had with Everything, and actually with RecentX also, is that they try to index changes in real-time.  If I am copying a large number of files with Directy Opus, or for that matter if I am moving them, archiving them into a zip archive - any file operation that involves large numbers of files - both Everything and RecentX start spinning to update their indices with those changes. On some occasions RecentX is using 40 - 45% CPU and Everything is close behind with 25 - 30%. Throw in a little activity from NOD32 - which apparently wants to see what all the hubbub is about - and Directory Opus can't even get the copying done because there aren't enough CPU resources left for it! of course this delays the entire copy/move/archive process and thus causes both RecentX and Everything to both sit there spinning - and using CPU - waiting for the job to continue.

I usually end up closing or ending processes for both. Wish they had a way to regulate their indexing.

Jim

1654

General Software Discussion / Re: 'Everything' is one FAST file search engine

« Last post by J-Mac on February 10, 2009, 05:08 PM »

Thanks Nosh.

Though I have been using the previous beta version and the "Check for Updates" link said I had the latest - even a few minutes ago. Doesn’t work I guess.

Jim

1655

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by J-Mac on February 10, 2009, 05:04 PM »

Some people are just too lazy to add half a dozen tags to each and every image they store on their computer. Do you really do that?

-qforce (February 10, 2009, 10:40 AM)

Actually ACDSee Photo Manager makes adding tags/categories very simple and easy to do for entire folders very quickly. I upgraded recently to their 2009 version and started a new database fresh, so I had to tag them all again. Since I have a good folder hierarchy already built I was able to tag more than 6,000 photos in less than an hour. Still have a ways to go though - I have a total of just under 20,000 photos!

Jim

1656

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by J-Mac on February 10, 2009, 01:55 AM »

You seem to be the kind of user who doesn't clean up his folders very often and who then uses full hard drive desktop search to keep that mess under control. Don't get me wrong though, I don't think there's anything wrong with doing it this way. (I'm the kind of user who's folders are highly organized and who only uses desktop search to access stuff where the hierarchical system doesn't help much, i.e. documents.)

-qforce (February 09, 2009, 01:08 PM)

I've tried to organize my stuff (email, documents, and photos) hierarchically through folders in the filesystem. But it just doesn't work. The problem is that even in the most vanilla cases, a given object falls into multiple buckets. A given photo might belong in "Photos of Cathy", "Mexico 2008 Vacation" and "Sunsets". A given document here at work might be related to both the customer that instigated the work as well as the subsystem that needs to be customized.

Keeping multiple copies, one in each applicable bucket, won't work. You wind up changing alternate copies and creating multiple divergent versions, rather than a single version that contains all updates. In theory you might use links within the filesystem, but I don't know of any tools for any OS that makes this manageable.

The only alternative is to search the objects themselves, whether that means a full content search or just a search of tags in the objects' metadata. And I've found that, while I'm always wishing for better tools, I am able to accomplish my needs successfully with what's available today.

-CWuestefeld (February 09, 2009, 03:38 PM)

Well put, CW. I agree to an extent with qforce's comments about creating a good folder hierarchy. I am pretty fanatical with my folders - and I have a heck of a lot of them! I currently have my system and programs on a WD 80 GB drive, my data on two 500 GB internal SATA drives, and backups on two external drives: a 500 GB USB Seagate and a 250 GB firewire Maxtor drive. But I run into problems exactly like you described. Many files fall into multiple categories and I start to get lost looking for them.

Thanks!

Jim

1657

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by J-Mac on February 08, 2009, 03:23 PM »

qforce,

What difference does it make to you what others prefer to use? Who made you the arbiter of what is right and what is not WRT search engines? Sounds like a personal problem...

All these various search facilities in photo apps, music apps, etc. utilize different search methods - some use Regexp, some do not, some search filenames only, some search text within documents. I find it much easier to use a desktop search engine and become very familiar with its search features. For many users, trying to become adept at so many different search methods is a bother that they do not wish to do.

Most users here are a little more savvy than what you seem to think.

Jim

1658

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by J-Mac on February 03, 2009, 04:30 PM »

aenache36,

I wasn’t trying to kick you or anything. We often see first-time posters strongly recommend a software and if you do a quick search of their username on Google you get pages of that same post repeated on many sites. Our Admin here - mouser - doesn’t forbid developers from showcasing their software here; as a matter of fact he welcomes it! He just wants them to acknowledge their affiliation first, as is correct in this time of anonymous shilling by many. When I saw such strong recommendations by you on your first post here I performed a quick lookup of your username on Google and the first post brought me to your profile on ADUNA, where I saw "Site Admin" - a title usually reserved for the forum owner. Soooo - I thought I would mention it.

And now we know otherwise. We cool?

Thanks!

Jim

1659

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by J-Mac on February 03, 2009, 04:22 PM »

Sorry - are you saying that you are NOT the Site Admin there? That you just used his username here? Did I misunderstand?

Jim

-J-Mac (February 03, 2009, 04:14 PM)

On second look - everybody is a "Site Admin" at the ADUNA forum!  Now that IS confusing!  

Jim

Oops - your post above wasn’t there when I submitted this one. Hey, you must admit that's a weird way to name forum members.

1660

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by J-Mac on February 03, 2009, 04:14 PM »

Sorry - are you saying that you are NOT the Site Admin there? That you just used his username here? Did I misunderstand?

Jim

1661

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by J-Mac on February 03, 2009, 04:12 PM »

aenache36 (Post above this one), it seems is the Site Administrator for the ADUNA forums, and presumably should know proper forum etiquette and disclose his relationship with the software/website he is pushing/recommending.   

Jim

-J-Mac (February 03, 2009, 03:19 PM)

Greetings Jim

I have NO business relations with the makers of AutoFocus.
Please bear in mind that AutoFocus is FREE.
Indeed I have many posts on their forum simply because I like AutoFocus very much, I have experience with it and I like to share it(whenever I have time for that...)
In fact please think for a second that I could have chose any username but I used here aenache36 as well because I know pretty well what I am talking about... and my posts from the forum can prove that.
If you feel that my enthusiasm can be interpreted as a clear sign of improper forum etiquette please feel free to mention what is disturbing you and I will be glad to make all the necessary corrections.
Looking forward to hearing from you.

-aenache36 (February 03, 2009, 03:38 PM)

I didn't say you were charging for it, or spamming or anything. It's just that when I followed the link in your post and looked at the forum there, I noticed that you are the Site Admin there.

That indicates an affiliation and it should be mentioned, that's all. Chill dude!

Jim

1662

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by J-Mac on February 03, 2009, 03:19 PM »

aenache36 (Post above this one), it seems is the Site Administrator for the ADUNA forums, and presumably should know proper forum etiquette and disclose his relationship with the software/website he is pushing/recommending.   

Jim

1663

General Software Discussion / Re: Awesome article re: organization and notetaking

« Last post by J-Mac on February 01, 2009, 02:39 PM »

I installed Personal Brain, the free version, but to be honest it's not a tool I can use. Pretty esoteric; I do consider it to be a mind mapping tool. It's not identical to mind mapping but it is the same general concept - to visually/graphically layout you thoughts and ideas rather than using a tabular format. Here's the developer's one-line description of their version 5 release:

"PersonalBrain 5 pushes the boundaries of visual information management and mind mapping yet again."

-Personal Brain 5 Feature List

Personal Brain is not exactly affordable though at $150 for the Personal version and $250 for the Pro version, IMO. And if you want Outlook integration, reminders, and permission to install on two computers you must purchase the Pro version. Sure, they have a free version but it is pretty limited. E.g., you cannot attach any files nor print any reports from the free version. As a matter of fact you can't do much more than look at it!

Like I said, not for me, though it apparently has a decent following.

Jim

1664

Living Room / Re: Cleaning Inside the Case

« Last post by J-Mac on January 31, 2009, 02:09 PM »

I'm really liking the Data-Vac Pro model for $69.99 at Amazon. According to the reviews there this has a blower mode which appears to generate about the same or a little more pressure than the canned air dusters. With what I spend on air dusters (~ $7 per can), this could save some $$ in the long run.

Jim

1665

Living Room / Re: Cleaning Inside the Case

« Last post by J-Mac on January 30, 2009, 10:55 PM »

Here in Sweden you can buy a special computer cleaning add-on for 6$ that fits any standard size vacuum cleaner. There's probably something similar elsewhere.  (see attachment in previous post)

-Nod5 (January 30, 2009, 04:16 PM)

That sounds pretty cool. Never saw that before.

Thanks!

Jim

1666

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: PerfectDisk 10 @ -20%

« Last post by J-Mac on January 30, 2009, 02:08 PM »

Jim and tinjaw - any luck with getting a PD 10 license? My e-mails have been met with a deafening silence...

-Darwin (January 30, 2009, 11:25 AM)

Yep - that email I received about a week ahead of the release? The one I mentioned above that I figured at the time was a pre-release version? Apparently that was indeed an early release of the real thing. I had a download link and a registration code in that email.

Up and running now.

Jim

1667

Living Room / Re: Cleaning Inside the Case

« Last post by J-Mac on January 30, 2009, 01:49 PM »

This might work for you.

It's small, ( rechargeable!) battery powered, made by Metro, and costs about $30.

Dataavac DVR1 Desktop Shuttle Vacuum/ Blower
 (see attachment in previous post)
http://www.cdw.com/s...ult.aspx?EDC=1426580

-40hz (January 30, 2009, 01:19 PM)

Look at the reviews for this one at Amazon.  1.5 stars average - more 1 star comments than I am used to seeing!

Jim

1668

Living Room / Re: Cleaning Inside the Case

« Last post by J-Mac on January 30, 2009, 01:42 PM »

Ouch! Data-Vac Pro is $217+  !!

Don’t want one that much!

Jim

1669

Living Room / Re: Cleaning Inside the Case

« Last post by J-Mac on January 30, 2009, 01:36 PM »

To all concerned about the air duster issue - Yes, the machine is always powered down, unplugged, and cooled down. BTW I always follow that regimen before going into my case. I'm only crazy, not stupid!!  

As I mentioned, when I do use an air duster in the case I always use the cans that don’t have enough pressure left to do much else with, and I keep the handheld vacuum running on high with the nozzle right at the point where I am dusting up the dirt. I realize that a piece or two of dust might "get away" but I get most all of it right into the vacuum. I have done it like this since the mid-1990's and haven't ruined a box yet!  (At least not that way; Of course I can ruin them several other ways!   )

I honestly can't see the point in blowing into the box with any kind of air unless you try to immediately capture it with suction. Otherwise you're just blowing it around and possibly forcing it into a component that will make the problem worse. My opinion anyway.

Edvard, 40hz: Thanks for the links! I hadn't searched around at all vendors; mostly the Newegg's and Amazon's.

Edvard: I know what you mean about old houses. Mine is 120 years old and no matter how much I clean it, dust appears all over again within a day.

Thanks!

Jim

1670

Living Room / Cleaning Inside the Case

« Last post by J-Mac on January 29, 2009, 11:57 PM »

I remember about a million years ago or so I had a small handheld vacuum - battery powered - that came with a computer tool kit. It was OK; not too powerful, but then it didn't really need to be. There were better computer vacuums available but in those days I wasn’t spending a lot on those sort of things. Now, however, I don’t even see such animals around anymore.

Today I was swapping out both of my DVD drives and even though I do try to get into the case and clean up regularly, I can always find a few pockets of crud - mostly dust pulled in by the cooling fans or dust that just finds its way in through some vents - that manages to find a dead space and accumulate. I used a Black and Decker handheld rechargeable vacuum to get what I could, but those vacuums are just too large to really be able to get into the nooks and crannies where the dust hangs out. That cheap little battery-driven toy I had years ago did have a tiny little hose attachment that allowed me to get anywhere at all inside a computer case. Of course I also have an Electrolux canister vacuum with a hose, but that would be like a sledgehammer to kill a flea!

Using air dusters inside a case is kind of crazy - they just blast the dust all over the place, and none of it manages to find its way out. I save my air duster cans when they get really low-powered and I have occasionally used them inside the computer case: I hold the dust-buster vacuum, running, right up to the area I am going to dust and then aim the almost empty air duster and let 'er rip. The vacuum catches most of any dust that does kick up.

But I would love to have a little, battery-powered vacuum again that is made for inside computer cases. Does anyone know of any that are currently sold?

Thanks!

Jim

1671

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: PerfectDisk 10 @ -20%

« Last post by J-Mac on January 28, 2009, 11:39 PM »

I've had the maintenance agreement with Raxco for a few years and I always received proper notice of new versions with a password for downloading and installation. Except this time. I did receive a notice to try it early a week ago but I thought it was the last pre-release version and so didn't bother. Now I am realizing that was probably the actual release version since I did not receive any other notice, except the discount offer that most people got.

Jim

1672

Living Room / Re: media icons - suggestions please.

« Last post by J-Mac on January 28, 2009, 11:24 PM »

Take a look at Icon Packager by Stardock, and the available associated icon sets at Wincustomize.com. You can change out icons almost at will.

(The Stardock link for Icon Packager seems to be down currently).

Jim

1673

Living Room / Re: Do programmers not listen enough? (A question regarding marketing)

« Last post by J-Mac on January 28, 2009, 11:19 PM »

The "UI guys" that you refer to were present, in a manner of speaking, in every engineering firm with which I was associated. Their specific discipline is called "Human Factors". Their job is to try and take products - of varying kinds - before they are completed and design the interfaces in a way that people will have a natural work flow that is virtually self-evident when they look at the product.

These engineers were most plentiful in critical designs, such as control panels for nuclear power stations, chemical plants, refineries, etc.

Jim

1674

Living Room / Re: Evernote Icon - what the heck is it? Anyone actually like version 3 ?

« Last post by J-Mac on January 27, 2009, 11:16 PM »

Oh, I was using underpowered and overpowered in relation to Evernote since this is an EN thread so I interpreted him saying he is pursuing UltraRecall and OneNote as a replacement for EverNote.

In this sense, you could consider UltraRecall as underpowered as a notetaker because as you have pointed out, it's not a notetaker in the sense of EverNote yet Recall is still a notetaker in the sense that you put stuff on it that you took. (and you grab stuff out of it to find the stuff you put into it)

-Paul Keith (January 27, 2009, 10:55 PM)

True, but using that broad sense you could call Excel and Access "notetakers" also! 

Jim

1675

Living Room / Re: Evernote Icon - what the heck is it? Anyone actually like version 3 ?

« Last post by J-Mac on January 27, 2009, 10:48 PM »

Paul,

The way you are using the terms "underpowered" and "overpowered" has lost me. I never called UR underpowered, and I certainly wouldn’t in comparing it to Evernote. Ultra Recall is not a "notetaker", BTW; far from it.

Darwin mentioned that he was thinking of foregoing the Bits discount on Ultra Recall Pro because he has OneNote. I was telling him that they are very different and that OneNote cannot replace the finctionality of Ultra Recall. For that matter, neither can Evernote.

IMO, both Evernote and OneNote ARE notetakers and web clippers for smaller notes, which is very different from Ultra Recall Pro.

I still don’t know what point you are trying to make.

Jim