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3151

General Review Discussion / Re: Vote for what Review to do Next

« Last post by rjbull on September 01, 2005, 10:02 AM »

The Fred's Shack listing is the most comprehensive, but his comments are very brief.

Giant category all right, and, therefore, reviews very quickly date.  I wish people would quote version numbers of the programs they review, dates of the program executables if there isn't another obvious date, plus the date when they reviewed it.  Then you have a rough idea of how far behind the times the reivew is...

3152

General Review Discussion / Re: Vote for what Review to do Next

« Last post by rjbull on September 01, 2005, 08:19 AM »

looks pretty clear what we're going to be reviewing next, if the trend continues.
Note taking programs, here we come.

-mouser (July 06, 2005, 04:27 AM)

Oh, no.  Do you realise just how many reviews of those there are on the Web already? 

John Buckman's home page, with links to his pages on outliner (folding editor) / organiser programs
http://john.redmood.com/index.html
(best but getting dated)

Fred's Shack comments on outliners, and how to set up ECCO
http://www.fredshack.com/docs/pim.html
(most comprehensive but terse)

Fog Creek Software's organizing random notes discussion: part of Joel on Software Web site
http://discuss.fogcr...how&ixPost=71582


John Faughnan's Web site on outliners/organisers, including MORE and ThinkTank
http://www.faughnan.com/more/index.html


Mark T.A.W. (TAW) smallware
http://www.marktaw.c...voriteSmallware.html
(big fan of Treepad Lite)

Dan Butler's "PIM's and where we are today" is also relevant but I don't have the URL.


(0h, all right, do a better review, see if I care!)

3153

General Review Discussion / Re: Free PDF tools review?

« Last post by rjbull on September 01, 2005, 08:08 AM »

How about a review of the best of the free PDF tools out there.  There are a ton of
tools that will let you print to PDF, but very few that will do the more important stuff--splitting and merging, etc.  Anyone else like this idea?

-yacht_boy (August 21, 2005, 09:40 PM)

I mentioned this somewhere else, but here's a bit more blurb;

pdftk - PDF toolkit

http://www.accesspdf.com/pdftk/


=== begin quote ===
If PDF is electronic paper, then pdftk is an electronic staple-remover,
 hole-punch, binder, secret-decoder-ring, and X-Ray-glasses. Pdftk is a
 command-line tool for doing everyday things with PDF documents. Keep one in the
 top drawer of your desktop and use it to:

Merge PDF Documents
Split PDF Pages into a New Document
Decrypt Input as Necessary (Password Required)
Encrypt Output as Desired
Fill PDF Forms with FDF Data and/or Flatten Forms
Apply a Background Watermark
Report on PDF Metrics such as Metadata, Bookmarks, and Page Labels
Update PDF Metadata
Attach Files to PDF Pages or the PDF Document
Unpack PDF Attachments
Burst a PDF Document into Single Pages
Uncompress and Re-Compress Page Streams
Repair Corrupted PDF (Where Possible)
Pdftk allows you to manipulate PDF easily and freely. It does not require
 Acrobat, and it runs on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD and Solaris.

Pdftk is free software (GPL).
=== end quote ===

The password feature didn't work for me the only time I tried it, but the splitting and merging features work a treat.  Although this is a command-line application, the Web site has a link to a WinGUI shell for most of the major features.

3154

Living Room / Re: OK - lets het to know each other a bit ... where do we all come from ...

« Last post by rjbull on September 01, 2005, 08:01 AM »

Sorry no photo of my part of the world - I don't have the technology...

-rjbull (September 01, 2005, 04:26 AM)

You have the technology! Surely there must be an internet image you can link to of somewhere nearby

You could try here for starters:

-CarolHaynes (September 01, 2005, 06:12 AM)

I think I'd be embarassed at using someone else's images, and I don't have digital photography of my own.  I stick to film and don't have a scanner.

3155

Living Room / Re: OK - lets het to know each other a bit ... where do we all come from ...

« Last post by rjbull on September 01, 2005, 07:52 AM »

this isn't the view from my window but it's not far away - Alport Heights, Derbyshire, England.

the dude in the picture is 'Reado' a friend of mine - he's now gone missing in the good

-nudone (September 01, 2005, 06:06 AM)

Is that as in, Alport Castles?  If so, I vaguely remember walking there once, on an Easter break at Losehill Hall.

3156

General Software Discussion / Re: Macro programs - advice sought...

« Last post by rjbull on September 01, 2005, 04:35 AM »

Doesn't AutoHotKey keep its macros in the Registry?  I'd rather avoid that.

-rjbull (August 31, 2005, 07:58 AM)

no no. AHK works with scripts in a text file.

-Stefan (August 31, 2005, 10:47 AM)

Thanks, Stefan.  Looks like I misremembered.  I used the search function at http://www.tinyapps.org to check.  It apparently makes one Registry key to associate AHK files with AutoKey.  That's not too bad...

OTOH, I'm a registered user of Macro Express and seem to be using PowerPro for now.  How many macor programs do I need?   

Very considerate of you to put up your "Stefan's House" notice - in English 

3157

Living Room / Re: OK - lets het to know each other a bit ... where do we all come from ...

« Last post by rjbull on September 01, 2005, 04:26 AM »

The nearest hill is Penhill, the one to the right of it in the distance is Buckden Pike.

How about a photo of your part of Somerset?

-CarolHaynes (August 31, 2005, 09:01 AM)

Hmmm, isn't Penhill a launchpad for broomstick aviators?

Sorry no photo of my part of the world - I don't have the technology...

3158

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: ITSD Organizer keeps your notes at hand

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2005, 08:28 AM »

Oops, sorry - looks like Bonsai might only be Palm.

3159

Living Room / Re: OK - lets het to know each other a bit ... where do we all come from ...

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2005, 08:23 AM »

Nice to see someone else from the UK.  I'm in north Somerset.  Is that Ingleborough or something rather like it on your horizon?

3160

Image Manager Shootout / Re: Xnview vs. Irfan View

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2005, 08:07 AM »

hi rj-

we've been having a running discussion of the file open/save dialog box extenders.
see this post: https://www.donation...ndex.php?topic=506.0

in fact we are going to do a review of them very soon.

sounds like you are one of us who couldn't live without such a tool

-mouser (August 26, 2005, 05:45 AM)

Found that afterwards  :-/  Actually, I found a way round it for what I wanted to do.  That was, print out the first pages, only, of a series of PDF files.   Eventually I realised that all I had to do was point Total Commander at the directory they were in.  Because Acrobat reader is a known application to TC, all I had to do was Alt-Tab to TC, move the cursor down one, and hit Enter...  Later I discovered the freeware PDF Toolkit, so now I use pdftk to construct a new PDF file out of the front pages, and just print that complete.

pdftk - PDF toolkit

http://www.accesspdf.com/pdftk/

3161

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: ITSD Organizer keeps your notes at hand

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2005, 08:02 AM »

if anyone knows of an organiser that will sync with a pocket pc then i'd like to know, please.

-nudone (August 31, 2005, 05:16 AM)

Doesn't Natara Bonsai do that?

http://www.natara.com/index.cfm

ShadowPlan seems well-liked on the Palm, but the PC version is less good.  Jot+Notes has some degree of synchronization with it, but I don't think there's a Pocket PC version

http://www.codejedi.com/

3162

General Software Discussion / Re: Macro programs - advice sought...

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2005, 07:58 AM »

Doesn't AutoHotKey keep its macros in the Registry?  I'd rather avoid that.

3163

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: ITSD Organizer keeps your notes at hand

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2005, 04:56 AM »

Maybe folk should look at the Yahoo! group Power Tools Software
http://groups.yahoo..../powertoolssoftware/

where this kind of thing is a preoccupation?

I've recently been playing with JBLab Secure Notes, which is cheap shareware and small and fast, but still has rough edges

http://www.jblab.com/pim.html

Password generator, encrypted, special past mode for Web (tries to guess the right node name), reminder feature that I haven't tried.

--
Robert Bull

3164

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: My new favorite pen

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2005, 04:38 AM »

I like Pilot G2 gel ink, Uniball "eye" micro for fine work, Uniball micro deluxe waterproof for permanence; Pilot's pencils and ballpoints based on the same basic tubing and grip as the G2; my old but excellent Papermate, with fine black refill; a cheap Zebra pencil; and Sheaffer "No Nonsense" fountain pens.  Keep looking at Lamy fountain pens, too  :-)  Essentially, the pen/pencil that works best is the one that wants to work, so for me that means light in weight (a plus for plastic), isn't too thin to hold comfortably, gives a dense line, and preferably doesn't make a mess.  For that reason, I mostly use Zebra or Pilot pencils with the softest leads I can find, usually 0.5mm B or 2B, for scribbling.

I seem to be a sucker for writing implements  :-))

--
Robert Bull

3165

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: PowerPro

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2005, 04:29 AM »

PowerPro is amazing but the most inscrutably opoaque program I've ever seen...

--
Robert Bull

3166

General Software Discussion / Re: Macro programs - advice sought...

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2005, 04:23 AM »

The answer to macro programs seems to be:

"PowerPro.  Now, how much time are you prepared to put into getting to grips with it?"

PowerPro, freeware macro program for Windows
http://powerpro.webeddie.com/index.html

Beginners user group / mailing list:
http://groups.yahoo..../powerpro-beginners/

Main mailing list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/power-pro/

PC Rangers third-party PowerPro support
http://powerpro.pcrei.com
Contains archives of the user groups, the "Wink" based Flash demos, etc.


--
Robert Bull

3167

General Software Discussion / Re: Do you use a password manager? if not, maybe you should

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2005, 04:19 AM »

Passpack by DS Software (Dariusz Stanislawek)
http://members.ozema...etv/freezip/freeware

Not so many features but tiny - the .EXE is less than 15K - no-install, fast and free

--
Robert Bull

3168

Backup Guide / Re: MirrorFolder compared to reviewed programs?

« Last post by rjbull on August 31, 2005, 04:07 AM »

I would most likely use XXCopy, the "boldly extended XCOPY"
http://www.xxcopy.com/index.htm
set up in a batch file run from a "CRON"-type scheduler (I never tried the Windows scheduler).  The cron I use is OTTO, short for "ottomate" <groan> from
Eric Taucke's software:
http://user.mc.net/~warp/index.html

there's also nnCron.

some fold would think of SyncBack from 2BrightSparks but that's a back-up which isn't quite the same as a mirror.

--
Robert Bull

3169

General Software Discussion / Re: Clipboard manager

« Last post by rjbull on August 30, 2005, 03:43 AM »

so if you are like me you might want to just look for a freeware tool, but look for one written by an author with some experience with reliable connections to clipboard bility to search for text would be nice.

-mouser (July 09, 2005, 01:05 PM)

You could try the last free version of ClipCache, available at

"Freeware programs that either went commercial after these versions or were discontinued, or are hard to find or just plain good: "

http://www.woundedmo.../win32_freeware.html

or

321Download.com's Last Free Version page for freeware that later went shareware/payware.

http://www.321download.com/index.html

Includes, e.g., ClipCache, PrintKey, Total Uninstall, etc.

--
Robert Bull

3170

Image Manager Shootout / Re: Xnview vs. Irfan View

« Last post by rjbull on August 26, 2005, 05:43 AM »

> One of my longstanding real pet peeves with irfanview is its
> absolute insistence on Save As starting in the last directory
> you saved into, rather that the current directory holding the
> picture. 

Have you looked at Cottonwood Software's  payware, File-Ex?
http://www.cottonwoodsw.com/welcome.html

I've only briefly looked at it.  Here's their blurb;

"File-Ex saves valuable time and mouse clicks...

- Automatically enhances almost all Windows applications, saving you valuable time.

- Larger file window reduces scrolling clicks by up to 90%.

- Re-opens the last folder used so you don't have to hunt for it each time you open a file.

- Default to the sorting you like, and have it remember the column widths in details view.

- Remembers 100 recent and favorite folders / files, reducing clicks to the file you need.

- Create and open a new folders with fewer steps -- opens to the new folder automatically.

- Built-in Find tool searches all of your hard drives for files. "


I wish it automatically put the cursor on the last file you used, but they've had more than one request for that so maybe it will come.