Master Category List for the "What's the Best" section... please help finalize!

[LuckMan212]

OK, I think this is going to be a great and very useful section, if managed properly.  However, this area could very quickly become cluttered and difficult to navigate, unless it is organized.  What I would like to do is have this area arranged into several "top-level" category folders, and then within those folders, we can have threads for each specific class of program.  Mouser of course would have to arrange this, as it doesn't appear that I can create this structure myself, but I think the first thing that needs to be done is to get a complete and well-rounded list of groups and categories.  I tweaked the list from my original post a bit and have come up with the following "tree".  This tree can also serve as a launch-pad of sorts to take you directly to the related thread discussing that category (I have already linked the 2 categories that jgpaiva started)

Please- if you have a moment, could you post any additions or recommend any moves/splits/other changes?  It would be most appreciated! Once this list is more or less finalized, I along with jgpaiva will begin creating the starter threads for each category and then you guys can start posting your "best of" recommendations!    Thanks!

System
 |
 +-- Best System Cleanup/Junk File Removing Utility
 +-- Best Compression Utility
 +-- Best CD/DVD recoding tool
 +-- Best File Manager/Explorer Replacement
 +-- Best Startup Mangement Utility (e.g. msconfig, Autoruns)
 +-- Best File/Directory Comparison Utility
 +-- Best Bulk File Renaming utility

Desktop Tools
 |
 +-- Best Dialog Box Extender
 +-- Best Clipboard extender
 +-- Best Wallpaper Manager/changer
 +-- Best Virtual Desktop/Window Manager
 +-- Best "window snapping" utility
 +-- Best "Magnifying glass" utility
 +-- Best Tray Clock Replacement program
 +-- Best Tray Icon Management Utility

Security/Anti-Malware
 |
 +-- Best Anti-Virus
 +-- Best Anti-Spyware
 +-- Best Software Firewall
 +-- Best Pop-up/Ad Blocker

Internet/Networking
 |
 +-- Best IM/jabber/chat client
 +-- Best Browser Plugin/Firefox Extension
 +-- Best RSS reader
 +-- Best FTP client
 +-- Best IRC client
 +-- Best Email Client
 +-- Best BitTorrent client
 +-- Best TCP/IP Toolbox Utility (ping/trace/portscan/dns lookup/etc)
 +-- Best Ethernet Packet Capture/Analysis Utility
 +-- Best Website Change-Monitoring App

Programming/Database
 |
 +-- Best General Text Editor/Notepad replacement
 +-- Best HTML/CSS editor
 +-- Best PHP editor
 +-- Best SQL DB management tool

Audio/Video
 |
 +-- Best Audio (MP3/WMA/AAC) player
 +-- Best Video Player
 +-- Best Audio Editor/Recording tool
 +-- Best MP3/Ogg/etc encoding software
 +-- Best MP3 management tool
 +-- Best DVD transcoding/rebuilding tool

Hard Drive
 |
 +-- Best Disk Partitoning Tool
 +-- Best Backup Software
 +-- Best Disk Imaging/Cloning Utility
 +-- Best Disk Space Analysis Utility
 +-- Best Data Recovery Utility
 +-- Best Defrag Utility

Graphics
 |
 +-- Best Image Editor
 +-- Best Font Viewer/Utility
 +-- Best Icon Editor
 +-- Best Photo Management Software
 +-- Best Screenshot Utility
 
Timers/Alarms/Reminders/Calendars/PIMs
 |
 +-- Best Phonebook/Addressbook program
 +-- Best Calendar program
 +-- Best "Sticky Notes" app
 +-- Best Clock/Stopwatch/Timer/Alarm utility
 +-- Best Task Scheduler/Cron-type Utility

Office
 |
 +-- Best word processor (there is a review at http://www.donationcoder....eviews/Archive/WordProcs/)
 +-- Best spreadsheet

[mouser]

this thread itself is pure brilliance, with live links to the bestof threads..
we could create the sections as you say, or just have thiread as sticky in this section so people can consult it.

and then also link to this hyperlink chart from the review page.

[LuckMan212]

oh arrgh! I just spent about 2 hrs writing my "Best Anti-Virus" starter thread and my blasted system froze while accessing the Trend Micro HouseCall (an online virus scanner) website!    Not sure why it did that-- rarely happens to me.  Murphy's Law I suppose.  So I am in the process of rewriting as we speak... grr! 

Anyway, mouser I do think it would be useful to have the folders for the major (bolded) categories shown above, however please hold off on creating them for now, I would like to wait and hopefully get some more users to comment on whether I have forgotten any categories etc.

I will continue to link/update the tree above and it can be used as a "launch pad" into the specific threads but I think having the categories grouped by folder would just keep this whole section cleaner and easier to navigate.  But of course the final decision is yours.

[mouser]

there is a real dilemna about creating subsections on the forum -
on one hand it adds real logical organization to the forum, but on the other hand it hides stuff away where people never wander in.

the areas that get attention are the main sections on the forum.  right now "what's the best" is a child section of "Mini-Reviews" but i think once this section starts to fill up, we will want to move it to a main section, either sibling with Mini-Reviews or mini-reviews as a child of it.

i think one thing arguing against actually making separate section for each category is the face that there will only be a few threads in each section.  so i think i'm still leaning towards just having a main chart like yours as the first thread in the section that people can refer to and leave the threads themselves unsorted..

another possibility would be to move the folder organization to a kind of wiki format, with links to the threads.

so that the idea would be a hierarchical wiki web type organization as you have proposed, with the wiki linking into the forum threads.

opinions?

[LuckMan212]

ok you've sold me... I think I agree with you now.  This also has the advantage of the threads that are active bubbling to the top, regardless of what category they are in.  Let's leave it 'as-is' and see how it goes. 

[mouser]

i love the look you achieved for that chart with the big courier font.. really nice

i think we should def. add links to the main-review child board, like
Desktop Tools
-
+ Dialog Box Extenders (would point to https://www.donation...index.php?board=66.0)


also,
this chart of yours is going to be put in the main review section where i think it will be a wonderful way for people to find reviews they are intersted in - it's exactly what i was hoping we could come up with as a nice new front page to reviews.

[LuckMan212]

cool!  I updated the OP with a new "Desktop Tools" section and moved a few things into it.  However I dont think that the "dialog box extenders" leaf should link directly to that child board-- simply because users clicking on that would expect to be taken to a "best of" thread that showed them the top apps in the category, and instead they would get something else. What I would like to do is once the "Best Dialog Box Extender" thread is started (as they all will be over the next few days) then I will put appropriate links to both the Main Review that you did of all the DBX extenders as well as the child-board.  Similar to what jgpaiva did in his other threads, something like:

Best Dialog Box Extenders

This thread is about the best Dialog Box Extenders blah blah...

Relevant links to other DC areas:
Mouser's Comprehensive Review of all Dialog Box Extenders
Discussion thread for those reviews

Based on everything we know, the top 2 dialog box extenders seem to be:
...blah blah...

This way everything is kept consistent.  What do you think?

[mouser]

sounds right to me - i'm loving this bestof section more every day - i do believe it will turn out to be one of the best aspects of this forum.  the perfect way to help people to find what they are looking for.

[jgpaiva]

Great post LuckMan!
I go to sleep and you just start opening new great threads, that's not fair! 
This is a great idea, but i also think we need some opinions on what will be the next thread to open. So, dear members, please go wild on this thread
I like the "best defrag util". I think there already are a few threads on this one, let's see other's opinions!

[rjbull]

if you have a moment, could you post any additions

-LuckMan212 (February 26, 2006, 07:36 PM)

Desktop - Best Sticky Notes  (to an extent, this would overlap with alarms)
Desktop - best clipboard extender

[brotherS]

Desktop - best Clipboard extender!

[LuckMan212]

great ideas guys--
+added:  best sticky notes app (PIMs), best clipboard extender (Desktop), best Wallpaper Manager (Desktop), Best Email Client (Internet), Best Browser Plugin (Internet)

[_Falcon_]

It would be nice some best "All in One" software where we can discuss things like Miranda x Trillian or Opera x Mozzila x FireFox Extensions, things like that...

[bobdec]

I do not see a category for Registry cleaners/optomizers.

[f0dder]

I do not see a category for Registry cleaners/optomizers.

-bobdec (July 18, 2006, 10:37 PM)

You do not want those, anyway... they have minimal effect when they "work", and when they fail, you can have serious issues. Issues that are bad enough you cant' just restore the backup your cleaner made. Just ask Carol Haynes

[mitzevo]

I like what you have so far!

Here are some more catagories you can add to your clear and concise list:

+newsgroup client (i.e., NewsLeecher) - internet/network
+download manager (i.e., FDM) - internet/network
+login manager | +password manager - internet/network and/or PIM
  -web based (i.e., roboform)
  -general based (i.e., KeePass)
+uninstaller
+window sizers (i.e., LeanwareWindowSizerE, Sizer) - goes under desktop I guess
+icon position saver - desktop



I think there should also be a main cat called Shell Hacks/Snacks/Tools & Utils or some thing where shell tools are gathered and reviewed. What do you guys think about this? You know what I mean right, right click context menu programs. Programs that specifically deal with the windows shell, right clicks. Here's 1 example of a great soft that has a nice collection of shell features, shelltoys xp - http://shelltoysxp.com/, plus you can have common regedit tutorials for ideal personalization; i.e., tutorials for adding your own items to right clicks, etc.

Another idea would to make a main cat called "command line tools & nix emmulation tools" or some thing along those lines..

nix emmulation tools (i.e., unxutils - http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/, cygwin - http://cygwin.com, GnuWin32 - http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/)

command line tools (CLI; cmd.exe|command.) (apps, etc.)

I thinks it hard trying to sort every thing in a folder like structure seeing there is so many apps that interweave with each other programs' purposes, etc.

[gwynevans]

The category that I'd be interested in at the moment would be "Best Time Tracker" application - I'm currently seeing how I get on with the following, but it's early days yet...

• AllNetic Working Time Tracker - http://www.allnetic.com/working-time-tracker/index.html
• SureTime - http://www.suretime.com/employee-time-billing.html
• TimePanic - http://www.timepanic.com/english/

This last one was too pricy for my personal needs (US$199), but looks good, so if the cost's not an issue, might be worth considering.

• Spherical Timesheet at http://www.sphericaltech.com/timesheet-software.asp

[Curt]

there is a real dilemna about creating subsections on the forum -
on one hand it adds real logical organization to the forum, but on the other hand it hides stuff away where people never wander in.

-mouser (February 26, 2006, 10:24 PM)

Time has proven you right...  General Software Discussion may be a better place to re-launch the section?

[Niefer]

Office
 |
 +-- Best word processor (there is a review at https://www.donation...s/Archive/WordProcs/)
 +-- Best spreadsheet

[mitzevo]

hmmm, so any more ideas on where this is going?

[pmcg]

This is a great thread. Whatever happened to it? Is it still being implemented?

Right now I'm looking for "the best" freeform database to keep track of disparate pieces of information. Microsoft OneNote has this idea, but almost any Microsoft solution these days requires more of a commitment to using the program than it is worth. I'm looking for something small and possibly portable and easily searchable.

[rjbull]

Right now I'm looking for "the best" freeform database to keep track of disparate pieces of information. Microsoft OneNote has this idea, but almost any Microsoft solution these days requires more of a commitment to using the program than it is worth. I'm looking for something small and possibly portable and easily searchable.

-pmcg (September 28, 2007, 05:38 PM)

pcmg,

Take a look at DonationCoder's longest thread,    
General brainstorming for Note-taking software!   

[nosh]

Would it be possible to add a "What I use" kinda page to each user's profile? We could have dropdown lists for softwares in every category, much like the polls with an option to add a new software for that category. The total stats gathered from the profiles could be shown on the what's the best page as "What DC'ers are Using", I know if I was looking for some sort of new software that's the page I'd wanna visit over any other online. DC needs to centralize the wealth of ideas/opinions on the boards. Perhaps we could have a (moderated) "related threads" section under each category too so the major threads for that category are easily accessible.

Sorry if these suggestions overlap others, I know there are a lot of thoughts flying around on this topic.

[timns]

Why is this thread dead? It's excellent - or could be. Surely this could serve as the basis not only for reviews, but also for 'what's here on DC as donationware'

[jgpaiva]

  Actually, I'm involved in why this thread is dead: It's too much work to update and keep up to date!
I really like the idea, but I didn't have enough will to finish it.