Vote for what Review to do Next

[mouser]

i would love to have us expand the concept of reviews to encompass things like more general purpose "guides"

like "guide to technical review sites" or "guide to backing up your computer" etc

[Josh]

Can we highlight the topics in the list above that have been covered already? Also, do mini-reviews count or do you only count full fledged reviews?

[mouser]

good idea about indicating what has been done already, i will put together a list.
the list above was meant to be for big FULL reviews (shootouts),
but this list reflects people's interests, so any mini review of any program falling into those categories would be welcome on the mini review section.

[mea1]

I've seen complaints that Adobe has become massive, slow and fills up the registry.
There are a lot of PDF reader/creator/editors available....
It would be nice to see a review of features/stability/speed etc.
For those that need to create PDF's, but don't require editting ability,
OpenOffice (freeware) converts documents to PDF:
http://download.open...en&version=2.0.3

[JavaJones]

I have been working with a whole lot of different PDF tools lately in my job. I've been interested in doing a review of some type, probably starting with readers first (I know, a less useful topic for many) and then maybe moving on to simple PDF creators (print-based or direct Save As/Export) and then maybe ultimately real PDF creators that allow direct edits of existing documents. There's no telling when any of this might happen though so if someone gets to it before me I wouldn't mind.

- Oshyan

[GeorgeH]

I am a bit surprised that Image Editing is not listed.  You did a good job on Image Management so it seems natural that you would also include Image Editing.  I would expect that Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop would be included along with some freeware linke the Gimp and Photofiltre.

[mouser]

it would be very nice to have a review of like, under $150 graphics editors..

as always for us it really comes down to finding someone willing to spend the time and effort to write a full shootout review.. they are long difficult things to write..

[CodeTRUCKER]

How about using "Champions" (the ones who are the most enthusiastic) to do the leg-work? People tend to work harder for those things they really like.  These "Champions" could be the liaisons for contact and filling in the details.

[Edit - Clarification]

[JavaJones]

Actually that is fairly similar to part of the structure being considered for the future of the review system. There is definitely thought and work being put toward some major improvements and structural considerations are certainly a fundamental part of that. So this kind of feedback is very valuable. As things move forward I'm sure more will be shared about the intended changes and - as ever on this site - feedback will be solicited in a broader fashion. For now in the earlier planning phases your comments will most definitely be taken into account.

- Oshyan

[mouser]

Calvin, your idea has some real merit and like JavaJones says, part of the plan for the new review system is to break up the components so that some people may concentrate on filling in details and comments for one program, and some for another.

I like your idea of harnessing the fact that people naturally tend to champion one program or another, and the idea of having people who liason with the software authors; authors will also probably frequently want to be responsible for (and best informed for) talking about their own software.

The main puzzle that needs to be solved with this is to keep authors and others from saying their program is the best all the time and not giving an objective appraisal of strengths and weaknesses.

What I was thinking is that, while a main reviewer (or two) would be respoonsible for comparing and giving opinion on various performance of the apps, we could use people as you say to offer counter-opinions, rebuttal, and fill in details, feature matrices, etc.

In other words, I think we still need an objective reviewer(s) who can compare programs and critique them, and provide some consistency to the reviews, we could really benefit from a focused advocacy thing as you say to get more people involved in helping to write descriptions, elaborate feature matrices, and just in general make sure that each program is fairly treated and explain stuff and make sure the reviewer doesnt miss anything or get anything wrong.

[cdplayer]

I would like to see a review on Encryption Tools & Disk defraggers (if they have not been done already).

[steeladept]

For a variety of reasons, I think that these reviews, while useful would be better resolved in a slightly different way.  Farmsteader has a great idea, but I think it would help to change it one way.  Have a reviewer bring as many tools to the table with a general overview, then have other people take two of them and have a Shootout review comparing one to another.  I only have a few issues with this that maybe someone else could give a suggestion to overcome.

1) How do you ensure each package gets equal (or near equal) review and comparisons with other contenders - not just a feature for feature shootout between the two packages and that is all you ever hear about those two programs.  A corollary to this is to ensure all programs at least get reviewed instead of mentioned and left without comparison.

2) I would think the developer should not do the shootout with their product, but rather comment on other people's shootout review.  I see no reason they can't do a shootout between two competing products they compete with, however.

The merits of this that I see are that no one person has a bias toward a specific product over all the others and it limits the amount of time and effort any one person needs to put toward the project.

[mitzevo]

I'd like to see the older reviews updated, most are from 2005/6 and are out dated.. Would be good to see them all fresh and new for 2007/8.. Will be a lot of work, but well worth it. 

[murgee]

How about a review of the Dual Monitor Software at http://www.murgee.com/MurGeeMon/ ?. The Software can be really a handy tool for anybody who is using dual monitors with a windows computer.

[joel2007]

Registry Search/Edit/Clean Tools.
I want to know Revo Uninstaller Pro compare with other free Uninstaller software?

[rjbull]

I want to know Revo Uninstaller Pro compare with other free Uninstaller software?

-joel2007 (July 07, 2010, 12:49 AM)

joel2007, check Gizmo's Best Free Program Un-installer review where Revo Uninstaller comes out top.

[cyberdiva]

joel2007, check Gizmo's Best Free Program Un-installer review where Revo Uninstaller comes out top.

-rjbull (July 07, 2010, 03:36 PM)

Yes, but joel2007 asked about Revo Uninstaller Pro, the commercial version of Revo Uninstaller.  If I recall correctly, Gizmo's review deals only with the free version (Revo Uninstaller), not the commercial (Pro) version.

[rjbull]

Yes, but joel2007 asked about Revo Uninstaller Pro, the commercial version of Revo Uninstaller.  If I recall correctly, Gizmo's review deals only with the free version (Revo Uninstaller), not the commercial (Pro) version.

-cyberdiva (July 10, 2010, 09:56 PM)

Gizmo's review does only deal with free software, but joel2007's post is confusing.  He's asking for a comparison of Revo Uninstaller Pro, which is payware, with "other free Uninstaller software," as if it were free.