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2826

General Software Discussion / Re: Review of File Renamers — let's make a list

« Last post by zridling on April 13, 2006, 10:05 PM »

...the reason I use DOpus is because it does what I need it to do perfectly well,....

-superboyac (April 13, 2006, 06:27 PM)

Exactly, and if it fills your needs, then it is perfect for you. Many people search for alternatives to programs like Microsoft Word because they don't need to write dissertations; just memos, letters, and short documents. Thanks for the description, that's a great help. I just noticed that the Rename feature in Directory Opus is so powerful because it not only uses Regular Expressions, but autofills them for you! Freakin' awesome! It even allows you to input and save any other form of renaming you want if you want.

          

         

2827

General Software Discussion / Re: Luu Tran's wry philosophy of programming

« Last post by zridling on April 13, 2006, 08:01 PM »

I've tried every newsreader out there except for GrabIt recently, and much like graphics software, I'm astonished at the steep learning curve. XNews is primitive, but man it works like a mule. NewsLeecher, on the other hand, still doesn't have a Help File after 3.5 versions! I use it, too, but it can be maddening. 

2828

General Software Discussion / Re: Synchronisation tools

« Last post by zridling on April 13, 2006, 07:52 PM »

Oh man, then it's Beyond Compare I'd say, no doubt. You'd be hard pressed to find anything to beat it.

2829

General Software Discussion / Re: Synchronisation tools

« Last post by zridling on April 13, 2006, 05:28 PM »

My vote goes to DirSync. It's highly accurate, easy to use, configurable, and doesn't cost a fortune. I sync the crap out of my files using this tool daily. I like SyncBack also, but have found its limitations tiresome. Also, the developer NEVER came out with SyncBack Pro, despite taking my money for the upgrade!

2830

General Software Discussion / Re: Review of File Renamers — let's make a list

« Last post by zridling on April 13, 2006, 04:40 PM »

Once again, superboyac makes a good point that must be acknowledged: What tool do people use to rename files? I'll include a brief section on this, and superboyac, et al. if you will send me a note on what you like, and what is good about the renaming component of Total Commander, Directory Opus, and so on, I'd be grateful for the info.

Although its another review of utility software (for me), like brotherS made me think about, I think a file renamer gives you direct control over your files and folders. If you know where to find it or its name, then you can use either your desktop search client or a utility like FileLocator Pro to get there fast.

2831

Developer's Corner / Can a program be reverse-engineered?

« Last post by zridling on April 13, 2006, 03:57 AM »

As a non-coder, I'm curious: can a program — say a small, abandoned utility program — be opened up and and rebuilt, or improved upon? I always thought that once a program was compiled, it was inviolate. What's the scoop?

2832

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft Office Alternative

« Last post by zridling on April 13, 2006, 03:52 AM »

Wow, nice find on Spread32, lanux. Thanks.

2833

General Software Discussion / Re: Review of File Renamers — let's make a list

« Last post by zridling on April 13, 2006, 03:48 AM »

Added NIYoW, Name It Your Way as perhaps the last app considered for the review. That gives us an even 20 apps and we'll see if we can make it interesting.

2834

Living Room / Re: Is Moffsoft alive?

« Last post by zridling on April 13, 2006, 03:37 AM »

moerl, don't get too distressed over what seems like abandonment by a developer. While it's not a good sign with ever-changing software, such as internet apps, it's not uncommon for a utility app like a calculator, registry cleaner, conversion software, image resizer, and so on will be built and then left alone at a stable version. In Moffsoft's case, they've done everything they intend to do with it. My absolute favorite was QuickCalc, which was abandoned soon after it was released. QuickCalc calculated as you typed, so that you can see your result as it was typed without even having to hit the Enter key. It has the bad habit of not remembering its last position, but no one has been able to replicate its sheer ease of use.

             

Download the last working copy here: QuickCalc.zip (287k)

2835

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft Office Alternative

« Last post by zridling on April 13, 2006, 01:45 AM »

sky, check out 602 PC Suite.

It's a variant of Microsoft Office and highly compatible with MS Office 2003 and earlier versions, too. I buy this program for my relatives who rarely if ever have a need to use an Office suite. 602PC Suite has some elegant, if not brilliant ideas they've implemented that others have sometimes copied. Two such ideas are word count and bar codes. While its toolbars are highly customizable, its keyboard shortcuts are not, but it does have accurate PDF export capability. If you're willing to use this program, be willing to go a little further and spend the $40 for a license. The program is quite advanced, and it's coded efficiently, so that there are very, very few bugs in each release. If you know how to use Microsoft Word and/or Excel, then you already know how to use most of the 602PC Suite. Besides, it's been around since 1989!

2836

Developer's Corner / Re: 10 Stupid Mistakes Made by the Newly Self-Employed - nice article

« Last post by zridling on April 12, 2006, 05:55 PM »

Great find, thanks for sharing. The part on contracts rings close to home, painfully so!

2837

General Software Discussion / Re: Review of File Renamers — let's make a list

« Last post by zridling on April 11, 2006, 04:26 PM »

JUST AN UPDATE. It looks like we have most all of the renamers listed for this review, and I can begin working with them one by one. If anyone else knows of a good or great renamer application, share it with us here. As always, thanks for your help with this.

2838

General Software Discussion / Re: Review of File Renamers — let's make a list

« Last post by zridling on April 10, 2006, 04:42 PM »

I think so. For example, I download massive photo sets from models' galleries, which are updated once or twice a week. Problem is, you either have to rename the files or put them all in separate folders most of the time. I'd rather just rename them with the padded number, such as "file_0001.jpg, file_0002.jpg, file_0003.jpg," etc. The other renaming I do most of the time is cleaning up file names. So it makes sense that if a renamer is integrated into another program, such as your file manager, that you would look to use that because it's so close at hand.

2839

General Software Discussion / Re: Luu Tran's wry philosophy of programming

« Last post by zridling on April 10, 2006, 04:35 PM »

Not really. Xnews is truly an excellent and easy-to-use newsreader; simple compared to NewsLeecher these days. That why you have to take his quote as tongue-in-cheek.

2840

Living Room / Re: Happy birthday Carol H.

« Last post by zridling on April 10, 2006, 02:30 PM »

Happy Birthday, Carol, you're work and knowledge is greatly appreciated by all!

2841

General Software Discussion / Luu Tran's wry philosophy of programming

« Last post by zridling on April 10, 2006, 02:28 PM »

From Luu Tran, who makes the Xnews Newsreader:

Have I regaled you with my philosophy of programming? In short:
Computers are so dumb (no thanks to coders like me) that until there's some quantum breakthrough to make it possible for the computer to empathize with the human user and really understand what the heck s/he wants to do, it's pointless to try to make them user friendly or fool proof. You'll only raise expectations and produce dumber users. Much easier to make software that's hard to use if not inscrutable. Train the users to fear your software and to expect strange if not ruinous behaviors at every turn. This way, if something does work, they are amazed and grateful. Your users will also be smarter, more knowledgable and resourceful, and won't bother you when things break. And the world will be a better place for it.

2842

General Software Discussion / Re: Review of File Renamers — let's make a list

« Last post by zridling on April 09, 2006, 10:42 PM »

RJ, your comment is quite common in my email this week. Seems most people use other tools, viz., their file managers like Total Commander or Directory Opus to rename files on the fly. This fact of utilization will need to be noted within the review, I believe.

2843

General Software Discussion / Re: Review of File Renamers — let's make a list

« Last post by zridling on April 08, 2006, 11:54 PM »

Just noticed, we're up to 18 solid programs, great!

2844

General Software Discussion / Re: Review of File Renamers — let's make a list

« Last post by zridling on April 08, 2006, 11:50 PM »

Wow, thanks womtag, that helps out a lot, and I'm happy to add it. I hope you added this to the Mini-Review section, too!

2845

General Software Discussion / Re: One-hit wonders

« Last post by zridling on April 07, 2006, 06:10 PM »

I remember Sonique! There are some one-hit wonders that might be classified as blunders, too. I'm thinking of Onfolio. Great program, but I've never met anyone who uses it.

2846

General Software Discussion / Re: Find and Run Robot got an Award

« Last post by zridling on April 07, 2006, 04:03 PM »

About damn time! I feel sorry for the saps, er, I mean, poor souls who haven't discovered it yet.

2847

General Software Discussion / Re: So simple, so smart - Quick Process Info

« Last post by zridling on April 07, 2006, 04:02 PM »

Great find, Veign, thanks.

2848

General Software Discussion / Re: One-hit wonders

« Last post by zridling on April 04, 2006, 07:11 PM »

RegCleaner is similar to XP Smoker — two of the most powerful and scary apps every built. Another program that was fantastic was FixLinks by Stratopoint Software. That program would take your entire website, examine every link and determine if it was valid, and if it wasn't, you could set it to find the new webpage and fix the dead link for you. It was amazing! When I had my Great Books site fully linked with ebooks, that was a lifesaver. But once it faded out, I had to revert to a mere list.

2849

General Software Discussion / Re: Review of File Renamers — let's make a list

« Last post by zridling on April 04, 2006, 06:57 PM »

Thanks RJ, that's clearer to me now. It's a shame that any company/IT fool would restrict all access to your C-drive. Hey, and some of my favorite software (and operas) originate from Deutschland! One thing that is that Bulk Rename Utility admits is its limitations when reading its forum or Help File. For example, BRU cannot rename files using mp3 track information. Its developer, Jim Willsher, holds that mp3 extraction slows down the program too much and recommends specific mp3 renamers for that purpose.

For many, that's a significant negative; for others, it's good because the program doesn't sacrifice speed. It's funny you mention Jan Falke's RenameFiles utility. When you open it up, it does 90% of what most people do with a renamer on the fly. I love his description of Preview: (for cowards!)

       

2850

Older Newsletters / Re: Newsletter for April 3, 2006 - Codename 'Happy Birthday to Us'

« Last post by zridling on April 04, 2006, 05:20 AM »

Few sites ever hit the ground running full speed as DonationCoder.com did last year. mouser thought this enterprise out quite well. And to all the people who volunteer their brains and time — Carol, brotherS, nudone, Veign, mouser, and so many others — especially you new members who are so quick to dive right in, thank you.