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My favorite software! What's yours?
Grorgy:
hi curt, ahhhh i must have forgotten to change the local time, heading towards 10 pm saturday evening here.
Yes windows XP SP2 (one is pro, one is home) and it wouldnt work on either one. well not properly, it started them up but all the startup options for each program had gone. I tried the chameleon one just to see if it worked, and it did, and with a 30% discount i decided to get it.
BrokenNails:
Great thread. Thought I'd add my 5c given I post so infrequently yet get so much out of others' posts.
Apps I love and couldn't do without:
Directory Opus - explorer replacement. The first thing that gets installed. So much tweakability it makes my brain hurt (in a good way!). With the latest version I shelled out for the USB license as I can't go without DOpus when using someone else's machine. :-*
RoboForm - password 'enterer'. Wonderful app! Saves having to remember passwords for web sites you only visit every few months, as well as automatically filling out form information when signing up for sites. Plus you can securely store any textual information you like (license keys, etc). Integrates nicely with FARR - just add your RoboForm directory to FARR and you can launch automatic logins directly - a massive timesaver at work where there are passwords for almost every system. :Thmbsup:
Apps on the cusp of "love and couldn't do without":
AutoHotkey - hotkey util. The more I use it the more I like it. I've only just started to delve into it a bit more over the past couple of months but it seems that everything I think I'd like it to do...it can!
Find and Run Robot - launch util. Only started using this in the last couple of weeks but what a time saver. I used to leave a lot of documents open on my machine so I could access them regularly but with FARR I can free up that RAM by just launching them when needed. I can launch FARR, key in the doc alias, and load the doc in only slightly more time than it would have taken to locate the open doc on the desktop and swap to it. :)
Firefox - browser. Tabbed browsing brought me to this and I've never gone back. I try to keep the number of extensions/addons to a minimum as my work machine has a limited profile space but it's nice to have so much customisability packed into such a regularly used tool.
Foxit Reader - pdf reader. Every time I load a pdf at work through Adobe Reader I'm reminded why I use Foxit at home. Sloooooooow versus snappy!
Paintshop Pro - image editor. Never got the hang of Photoshop and the price is prohibitive anyway. PSPro hits a nice middle ground between feature-rich and simple to use.
Taskbar Shuffle - let's you manipulate you apps on the taskbar/system tray through drag and drop. You know some people just have to have their email client leftmost on the taskbar, right? ;D
Apps I like (a lot), and always install, but am open to the possibility that there might be better alternatives out there:
Ad Muncher - ad blocker. A bit of a carryover from my dialup days. Not sure if it's absolutely necessary these days but I feel a bit lonely if I don't see the little cow icon in my system tray munching away... :)
Azureus - bittorrent client. Can't say I've tried any other clients but I've had no reason to as this does everything I want out of the 'box'.
Beyond Compare - file/directory comparison util. Doesn't get used with any regularity but every couple of weeks I find a need for it and it "just works".
Copernic Desktop Search - desktop Search app. On my work machine I'm using this constantly to churn through massive email archives. I struggle to imagine how I got by without such a tool a couple of years back. I tried Copernic on the recommendation of a work colleague and as it did everything I needed I stuck with it and never tried anything else. One day I plan on trialling some of the other big players but till then Copernic will do me just fine.
DBPowerAmp - audio converter. Nice explorer integration and plenty of plugins. I'm sure there are a lot of other equally good (or better) apps out there that do the same thing, but DBPowerAmp just hides away until I decide to right-click a file and convert it.
Easy CDDA Extractor - CD ripper. My version must be more than five years old but it's simple and reliable which is all I really need when it comes to ripping audio CDs. I'm certain there are fancier apps out there with a massive list of features but I guess I don't miss what I don't know!
File Box Extender - tweaks Open/Save dialogs to have a favourites list. Saves me a bunch of time when saving email attachments, etc. Also, being able to click a directory in Explorer (or DOpus) and having an Open/Save dialog 'jump' to it is plenty useful.
FreeDownload Manager - download manager. Replaced Star Downloader a few months back and wouldn't consider going back. I like the fact that when it detects a potential download you can click cancel and use Firefox/IE's internal download mechanism if need be.
Genie Backup - backup utility. I've got a fairly solid backup regime in place and GB is the tool I've settled on. Very easy to setup a schedule and from then on it's a one-click affair.
PSPad - text editor. I needed something better than Notepad but I don't remember why I settled on this. It's free, so I'm sure that was a factor, but the whole tabbed interface and various plugins make it a regularly used app.
TrayIt - allows apps to be minimised to the system tray. Sometimes I want to keep something open but not take up any space in the taskbar. TrayIt solves that problem.
Winamp - media player. Has stuck around since I first discovered mp3s many moons ago. Think I tried Foobar once but couldn't figure out an easy way to change the volume! I'm fairly certain I could find a nice 'light' mp3 player out there (and one that actually supports the media buttons on my keyboard) but till then tradition dictates I stick with Winamp! ;)
ZipGenius - zip util. Used IZArc for a while but settled on ZG as it had a nice 'feel' and the developer responded promptly to a couple of requests I made.
Hmmm, that turned into a bit of a ramble really and probably didn't point out many apps that people on this forum weren't aware of already. Still, comments, etc welcome!
jgpaiva:
Fantastic post, BrokenNails!
I see you use almost every single "favourite" piece of software mentioned in this forum.. eheh :)
(and one that actually supports the media buttons on my keyboard)
-BrokenNails (July 02, 2007, 12:00 AM)
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Are you sure you haven't got the "global hotkeys" disabled? I think those are disabled by default (go figure!).
Just go to options -> preferences -> global hotkeys and check "enabled" ;)
mouser:
Integrates nicely with FARR - just add your RoboForm directory to FARR and you can launch automatic logins directly - a massive timesaver at work where there are passwords for almost every system.
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ooh, cool tip!
BrokenNails:
(and one that actually supports the media buttons on my keyboard)
-BrokenNails (July 02, 2007, 12:00 AM)
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Are you sure you haven't got the "global hotkeys" disabled? I think those are disabled by default (go figure!).
Just go to options -> preferences -> global hotkeys and check "enabled" ;)
-jgpaiva (July 02, 2007, 12:16 AM)
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Well blow me down - a simple click of the checkbox and she's off and running! Much appreciated! ;D
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