Software reviews

Folder Size

2010-05-07T02:20:00.000-07:00

Folder Size, is an add on for Windows Explorer. When we go to Windows Explorer's detail view, the "Size" column show size of files but not the size of folders, and that 's what i was looking for.

I thought of of writing a shell extension myself, but before that I searched if something similar existed and I found this one back in 2006. and since then I have been in using it.

In between I had uninstall it for because it's background service which keeps calculating the size of fodler was consuming my CPU a lot. but the newer version but the latest version 2.5 rocks. it has overcome all those performance issue. Kudos to author.

FreeFileSync :File/Folder comparison synchronization tool

2010-05-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

FreeFileSync is an open source and free tool hosted on source forge.

It's very useful for those who have multiple machines,

I have got two laptops, two windows desktops and one Mac machine in office.

and all machines have one folder in common "Software"

I always want to have these folders in synch, If I download a new software on my machine

and save it to software folder, i want it to be available on machin2 to machine 5.

This software helps me in doing that. It's really great. No matter on which machine i downloaded.

I have a sync job created using this software which I have scheduled to run everyday, when I go for lunch.

Now software folder of my all 5 machines are in sync they contain the newest files.

I don't need to remember on which machine i downloaded a software, i can always search for it software folder of my machine.

You can also use it for keeping mirror copy of your one folder to other machine( or other folder on same machine) ...

You can also exclude files based on their extension, you can also exclude folders sub folders...

Usability point of view software is very easy to use there are very less options, yet it is highly customizable, User Interface is also quite good.

It also has a portable version.

Only shortcoming that I found and i hope will be fixed in future is fize size based exclusion.

Example: Ignore files greater than : 100 MB

To know more or download go to Product Home page

This is the best syn utility I have so far come across. It looks like my search ends here.

Beyond Compare ( A file/folder comarision tool)

2009-03-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

I have been used Beyond Compare in my previous company for 3 years.

it's a great tool file comparision and folder comparsion.

Why I love it?

File Comparision:

- Two side file comparision is simple and smarter than other tool ( EXamDiff etc)

it try to find the context of source code and compare

- If there is only few characters changed in one particular line, it doesn't mark
entire line by one color, it marked only those changed characters,

which makes it more readable.

- Aligning option rocks , If the tool could not it smartly ,

You can align a chunk of code to other side manually.
say this is your content

--------------------------------
Before Manual Align

--------------------------------

Chunk 1 | Chunk 1
Chunk3 | Chunk 2

chunk 2 |

--------------------------------

   Right Click on Chunk 2 on right hand side and say "Align"
   now right click on Chunk 2 on left hand side and say align >
   now the result will look like this.

--------------------------------
After Manual Align

--------------------------------

Chunk 1 | Chunk 1
Chunk3 |

chunk 2 | Chunk 2

--------------------------------

Folder Comparision:

I just love it's folder comparision.

I wish it was avaiable for Mac also, ireally have hard time in finding the folder diff on Mac
any of you know any simple and good folder diff tool on Mac?

- Easy to use -
a) in explore right click on any folder and say select for comparision
say your folder name was "xyz"

b) now right click on any other folder and say Compare with "XYZ".

- Filters and sesssion : I often compare my source code on one machine with source code
   on other machine, which belong s to same source code repository.
   I want to compare only source code file and not the binay files or intermeidates fiels
   generated by developement tool
   like Visual Studio generates PDB, IDL, etc ... so can just right click on one of them

   say exclude, it will ask me , all files of this type or just this one, I say all files of this type...
   and ingnores all the files of that type( PDB,IDL,....)
   and now I can save the session and use the same session again , so that I don't need to
   excude those files again.

- Auto refresh : If you keep FolderDiff Open on some interval it keep checking if there were any
changes.

- Cool color coding : color coding is a plus point from usability side

- Filters : you wan to see
- all files

- only differences
- only orphens

- orphens only on left side

- orphens only on right side.

Overall I love this utility and planing to buy it's next version Beyond Compare 3 very soon.

Wakoopa.com

2009-03-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

I was recommended to to check out the Wakoopa by my frined Xual.

wakoopa is a cool website where you can find out

- What are the software other people in world are using?

- Which of them are most used( category wise as well)

- You can add people to your freind list. See waht they are using.

- You cna download their tracker,which will let Wakoopa know what are the software's you are
using.

- If you want few of your software not be tracker by wakoopa tracker you can do that as well.
for Example : I do not want Wakoopa to track Firefox and chrome.

Mozilla Bespin review

2009-02-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

Mozilla Labs has recetly introduced thier new innovation "Bespin" , a web-based text editor speally meant for web developers, as it shows color coding for web based languages.

"Bespin" is based on new technology HTML 5, which so far being implmented only in very few browsers MOzilla firefox 3 and WebKit Nighty. yes it doesn't work in Chrome for now.

This release is still in Alpha.

I still like the look and fill off this web-based text editor.

Worth trying once.

For more information visit https://bespin.mozilla.com/

Source[via Lifehacker]

Begining note

2009-02-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

I had been thinking to start a separate blog on 1) software review 2) Social issues and 3) Driving techniques. let me take first step with software reviews..