What is some of the must-have utility software that you install on a Windows computer? I'm not talking about the web browsers, extensions, or your office suite, but rather those little utilities to make my work and personal life easier, and to improve my productivity. Here's my list:
- ShareX (https://markholtz.info/sharex) - This is a free swiss army knife of a screen capture utility that puts the Microsoft Snipping Tool to shame. Want to capture only a selected window? No problem. Edit the screenshot before capture with a highlight, a balloon for annotation, or even a blur to hide confidential information? No problem. Automatically save the screen shot to a folder with a specific pattern that has the date/time of the screen shot plus the window name? No problem. Upload it to a file sharing service? You got it. Generate a MP4 recording of a section of the screen? I use it all the time when collaborating with a team that is in another time zone.
- Notepad++ (https://markholtz.info/npp) - I can't believe I forgot this in my original posting. What initially attacted me to Notepad++ many years ago was that it was a tabbed text editor, but anyone who has used it for any length of time can tell you it is extremely functional, especially with the code format functions and the plug-ins. Thanks to the DSpellCheck plug-in, I am often pre-composing my replies in Notepad, spell-checking them, and then pasting it into email or a board entry. And, with MIME Tools and XML Tools, I am able to decode a SAML assertion for Single Sign On (SSO) and then make the resulting XML into something human-readable.
- Ditto (https://markholtz.info/ditto) - I've been utilizing this clipboard manager for over a decade so that I can have multiple items available for pasting, including a "Plain Text Paste". In addition, there are some items that I am constantly re-pasting, including some templates, and I can have those as persistent entries that don't expire. Also, there is an editor in Ditto allowing me to edit the clipboard entries.
- Path Copy Copy (https://markholtz.info/pathcopycopy) - Path Copy Copy is a Windows Explorer extension that adds entries to the contextual menu shown for files and folders, allowing the user to copy the item's name or path in a variety of formats. This is invaluable in my role of writing up software documentation and support case notes.
- Microsoft Powertoys (https://markholtz.info/powertoys) - A couple of nice add-ons developed by Microsoft. One of the new features of the .49 release is the "Find My Mouse", which is handy because I have both my personal desktop and my work laptop hooked up to the same monitor, and am switching between the two. By hitting Control twice, I know where my mouse pointer is located. In addition, it includes PowerRename which is a decent bulk renaming utility and a easy image resizer.
- Métamorphose (https://markholtz.info/metamorphose) - This bulk renaming utility allows me to set up a series of rule when renaming a batch of files, including pulling the date of when I took a photo. Whats annoying is that this utility hasn't been updated in TEN years. I am trying out Bulk Rename Utility (https://markholtz.info/bulkrenameutility) and Advanced Renamer (https://markholtz.info/advancedrenamer) as modern alternatives, but they are free only for personal use.
- KeePass (https://markholtz.info/keepass) - It's my master password manager, with a subset of the passwords stored in LastPass (https://markholtz.info/lastpass). Yes, I believe in strong, unique passwords for all the sites that I access. My password file are stored on a cloud drive which is backed up to a personal-owned server.
- Paint.net (https://markholtz.info/paintnet) - Although I don't use this as often now for screen shot annotation, it is still a very impressive image editing program.
- WinMerge (https://markholtz.info/winmerge) - Open Source differentiating and merging tool for Windows. WinMerge can compare both folders and files, presenting differences in a visual text format that is easy to understand and handle.
- PuTTY (https://markholtz.info/putty) - SSH/Telnet program that is free.
- 7-Zip (https://markholtz.info/7zip) - This free archive utility unpacks archives from multiple formats (including RAR), but also does creates the high-compressable 7z and zip archives as well.
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PM
What is some of the must-have utility software that you install on a Windows computer?
Linux. :P
For real though, I think the only functionality on that list that doesn't just come with KDE on Linux is the mouse-finding one.
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PM
Microsoft Powertoys (https://markholtz.info/powertoys) - A couple of nice add-ons developed by Microsoft. One of the new features of the .49 release is the "Find My Mouse", which is handy because I have both my personal desktop and my work laptop hooked up to the same monitor, and am switching between the two. By hitting Control twice, I know where my mouse pointer is located. In addition, it includes PowerRename which is a decent bulk renaming utility and a easy image resizer.
Those fancy mouse features were a great feature of some of the older version of Windows. Seems to me that it was Windows 98 or Windows NT that had the "Find My Mouse" capability, as well as a setting that briefly increased the mouse size whenever a movement of more than X pixels was detected (you could set the value). I miss those days.
Password manager: I haven't used KeePass. I used to use LastPass but dumped it when they changed their pricing structure. Bitwarden works perfectly across Windows, Mac and Android and I like it better than I did LastPass.
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 03, 2021, 03:02:22 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PM
What is some of the must-have utility software that you install on a Windows computer?
Linux. :P
That's nice, but I'm part of the 75% that utilizes Windows (https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide).... for better or worse. And that's a religious argument for another thread.
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PM
What is some of the must-have utility software that you install on a Windows computer? I'm not talking about the web browsers, extensions, or your office suite, but rather those little utilities to make my work and personal life easier, and to improve my productivity. Here's my list:
- ShareX (https://markholtz.info/sharex) - This is a free swiss army knife of a screen capture utility that puts the Microsoft Snipping Tool to shame. Want to capture only a selected window? No problem. Edit the screenshot before capture with a highlight, a balloon for annotation, or even a blur to hide confidential information? No problem. Automatically save the screen shot to a folder with a specific pattern that has the date/time of the screen shot plus the window name? No problem. Upload it to a file sharing service? You got it. Generate a MP4 recording of a section of the screen? I use it all the time when collaborating with a team that is in another time zone.
- Ditto (https://markholtz.info/ditto) - I've been utilizing this clipboard manager for over a decade so that I can have multiple items available for pasting, including a "Plain Text Paste". In addition, there are some items that I am constantly re-pasting, including some templates, and I can have those as persistent entries that don't expire. Also, there is an editor in Ditto allowing me to edit the clipboard entries.
- Path Copy Copy (https://markholtz.info/pathcopycopy) - Path Copy Copy is a Windows Explorer extension that adds entries to the contextual menu shown for files and folders, allowing the user to copy the item's name or path in a variety of formats. This is invaluable in my role of writing up software documentation and support case notes.
- Microsoft Powertoys (https://markholtz.info/powertoys) - A couple of nice add-ons developed by Microsoft. One of the new features of the .49 release is the "Find My Mouse", which is handy because I have both my personal desktop and my work laptop hooked up to the same monitor, and am switching between the two. By hitting Control twice, I know where my mouse pointer is located. In addition, it includes PowerRename which is a decent bulk renaming utility and a easy image resizer.
- Métamorphose (https://markholtz.info/metamorphose) - This bulk renaming utility allows me to set up a series of rule when renaming a batch of files, including pulling the date of when I took a photo. Whats annoying is that this utility hasn't been updated in TEN years. I am trying out Bulk Rename Utility (https://markholtz.info/bulkrenameutility) and Advanced Renamer (https://markholtz.info/advancedrenamer) as modern alternatives, but they are free only for personal use.
- KeePass (https://markholtz.info/keepass) - It's my master password manager, with a subset of the passwords stored in LastPass (https://markholtz.info/lastpass). Yes, I believe in strong, unique passwords for all the sites that I access. My password file are stored on a cloud drive which is backed up to a personal-owned server.
- Paint.net (https://markholtz.info/paintnet) - Although I don't use this as often now for screen shot annotation, it is still a very impressive image editing program.
- WinMerge (https://markholtz.info/winmerge) - Open Source differentiating and merging tool for Windows. WinMerge can compare both folders and files, presenting differences in a visual text format that is easy to understand and handle.
- PuTTY (https://markholtz.info/putty) - SSH/Telnet program that is free.
Ditto with ShareX!
(https://i.imgur.com/NkCEJT1.png)
And yes, I got windows 11 on my 10+year old computer
One I can recommend: Everything (https://www.voidtools.com/)
It's a simple but more powerful file search utility. Way faster than Windows Explorer.
Quote from: Bruce on November 03, 2021, 03:43:25 PM
One I can recommend: Everything (https://www.voidtools.com/)
It's a simple but more powerful file search utility. Way faster than Windows Explorer.
I use that. When my power went out, had to search for a file that I had back in June 2019, and found it. Believe it, its slow! :banghead:
I can't believe I forgot 7-Zip (https://markholtz.info/7zip) - This free archive utility unpacks archives from multiple formats (including RAR), but also does creates the high-compressable 7z and zip archives as well.
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PM
What is some of the must-have utility software that you install on a Windows computer? I'm not talking about the web browsers, extensions, or your office suite, but rather those little utilities to make my work and personal life easier, and to improve my productivity.
Windows uninstaller. :bigass:
MP3Tag. It's a handy little program that will retrieve cover art and tag information. I've used it extensively. There's a Mac version, but it's not freeware and won't run on my older OS. But I have managed to find a Windows version wrapped in a "wine bottle" that I use on my Mac.
Quote from: hbelkins on November 04, 2021, 01:46:02 PM
MP3Tag. It's a handy little program that will retrieve cover art and tag information. I've used it extensively. There's a Mac version, but it's not freeware and won't run on my older OS. But I have managed to find a Windows version wrapped in a "wine bottle" that I use on my Mac.
Agreed, I use it on my personal Windows computer after I rip a CD or download a soundtrack.
Notepad++ (https://markholtz.info/npp) - I can't believe I forgot this in my original posting. What initially attacted me to Notepad++ many years ago was that it was a tabbed text editor, but anyone who has used it for any length of time can tell you it is extremely functional, especially with the code format functions and the plug-ins. Thanks to the DSpellCheck plug-in, I am often pre-composing my replies in Notepad, spell-checking them, and then pasting it into email or a board entry. And, with MIME Tools and XML Tools, I am able to decode a SAML assertion for Single Sign On (SSO) and then make the resulting XML into something human-readable.
Quote from: ZLoth on November 05, 2021, 05:49:55 AM
Notepad++ (https://markholtz.info/npp) - I can't believe I forgot this in my original posting. What initially attacted me to Notepad++ many years ago was that it was a tabbed text editor, but anyone who has used it for any length of time can tell you it is extremely functional, especially with the code format functions and the plug-ins. Thanks to the DSpellCheck plug-in, I am often pre-composing my replies in Notepad, spell-checking them, and then pasting it into email or a board entry. And, with MIME Tools and XML Tools, I am able to decode a SAML assertion for Single Sign On (SSO) and then make the resulting XML into something human-readable.
Visual Studio Code >> Notepad++
Faststone Image Viewer
I originally downloaded it for only browsing and organizing photos, but the image editing tools aren't half bad. :)
Quote from: ZLoth on November 05, 2021, 05:49:55 AM
Notepad++ (https://markholtz.info/npp) - I can't believe I forgot this in my original posting. What initially attacted me to Notepad++ many years ago was that it was a tabbed text editor, but anyone who has used it for any length of time can tell you it is extremely functional, especially with the code format functions and the plug-ins. Thanks to the DSpellCheck plug-in, I am often pre-composing my replies in Notepad, spell-checking them, and then pasting it into email or a board entry. And, with MIME Tools and XML Tools, I am able to decode a SAML assertion for Single Sign On (SSO) and then make the resulting XML into something human-readable.
notepad++ also works nicely under linux, via wine.
Quote from: ZLoth on November 05, 2021, 05:49:55 AM
Notepad++ (https://markholtz.info/npp) - I can't believe I forgot this in my original posting. What initially attacted me to Notepad++ many years ago was that it was a tabbed text editor, but anyone who has used it for any length of time can tell you it is extremely functional, especially with the code format functions and the plug-ins. Thanks to the DSpellCheck plug-in, I am often pre-composing my replies in Notepad, spell-checking them, and then pasting it into email or a board entry. And, with MIME Tools and XML Tools, I am able to decode a SAML assertion for Single Sign On (SSO) and then make the resulting XML into something human-readable.
I use VScode. Its required for school to do computer related tasks like writing code in HTML.
Quote from: zachary_amaryllis on November 05, 2021, 10:01:11 AM
Quote from: ZLoth on November 05, 2021, 05:49:55 AM
Notepad++ (https://markholtz.info/npp) - I can't believe I forgot this in my original posting. What initially attacted me to Notepad++ many years ago was that it was a tabbed text editor, but anyone who has used it for any length of time can tell you it is extremely functional, especially with the code format functions and the plug-ins. Thanks to the DSpellCheck plug-in, I am often pre-composing my replies in Notepad, spell-checking them, and then pasting it into email or a board entry. And, with MIME Tools and XML Tools, I am able to decode a SAML assertion for Single Sign On (SSO) and then make the resulting XML into something human-readable.
notepad++ also works nicely under linux, via wine.
Meanwhile Linux distros tend to ship with text editors that are a LOT more capable than Windows Notepad, making it less likely that one would need Notepad++.
Also, don't most web browsers have spell check built in? I now Chrome does, and the only think non-Chromium-derived that I can think of that's even remotely common on Windows is Firefox (unless god forbid one is still using IE).
My Mac has spell check, but it has nothing to do with the browser; it applies to the entire computer except for certain applications (Python, username/password entry forms, and for some reason, the website version of Discord).
Quote from: zachary_amaryllis on November 05, 2021, 10:01:11 AM
Quote from: ZLoth on November 05, 2021, 05:49:55 AM
Notepad++ (https://markholtz.info/npp) - I can't believe I forgot this in my original posting. What initially attacted me to Notepad++ many years ago was that it was a tabbed text editor, but anyone who has used it for any length of time can tell you it is extremely functional, especially with the code format functions and the plug-ins. Thanks to the DSpellCheck plug-in, I am often pre-composing my replies in Notepad, spell-checking them, and then pasting it into email or a board entry. And, with MIME Tools and XML Tools, I am able to decode a SAML assertion for Single Sign On (SSO) and then make the resulting XML into something human-readable.
notepad++ also works nicely under linux, via wine.
Although Linux has so many ludicrously good native text editors, I'm not sure why you'd want to do that. Emacs has so many features that for a while its application icon was a kitchen sink. If you want something more mouse-driven, there's Kate.
Quote from: vdeane on November 05, 2021, 12:55:37 PMAlso, don't most web browsers have spell check built in? I now Chrome does, and the only think non-Chromium-derived that I can think of that's even remotely common on Windows is Firefox (unless god forbid one is still using IE).
Yes, web browsers have spell check built in, and Internet Explorer will reach End-of-Support on June 15, 2022. But, what if I'm composing a detailed reply that involves research? Or, in a work environment opening up a collaboration with another engineering team and having to submit the collaboration request that has a four textboxes for requested information? I prefer that my collaborations are detailed for quicker resolution, thus I'm copying in log extracts, locations of where I stored the log files, and the actual names of the log files.
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 05, 2021, 01:20:54 PMAlthough Linux has so many ludicrously good native text editors, I'm not sure why you'd want to do that. Emacs has so many features that for a while its application icon was a kitchen sink. If you want something more mouse-driven, there's Kate.
Except that the title of the thread is "Must-have utility programs for Windows"
Quote from: ZLoth on November 05, 2021, 02:23:22 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 05, 2021, 01:20:54 PMAlthough Linux has so many ludicrously good native text editors, I'm not sure why you'd want to do that. Emacs has so many features that for a while its application icon was a kitchen sink. If you want something more mouse-driven, there's Kate.
Except that the title of the thread is "Must-have utility programs for Windows"
I asked an administrator and he said that it's fine. If he changes his mind, I suspect he'll remove my posts.
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 05, 2021, 02:35:21 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on November 05, 2021, 02:23:22 PM
Except that the title of the thread is "Must-have utility programs for Windows"
I asked an administrator and he said that it's fine. If he changes his mind, I suspect he'll remove my posts.
Get with the program, Scott...the trend is to make a similarly-named thread, whereby then we'll have a plethora of topics, culminating in discussions such as
Must-have utility programs for OS/2,
Must-have utility programs for MCP, and
Help, I've Become Part of a Mainframe Computer Because Someone Left a Laser Running at ENCOM!
Quote from: formulanone on November 05, 2021, 03:19:44 PM
Get with the program, Scott...
Is it a must-have utility program, though?
Quote from: formulanone on November 05, 2021, 03:19:44 PM
the trend is to make a similarly-named thread, whereby then we'll have a plethora of topics, culminating in discussions such as Must-have utility programs for OS/2, Must-have utility programs for MCP, and Help, I've Become Part of a Mainframe Computer Because Someone Left a Laser Running at ENCOM!
I mean, we could also just let this thread continue along for years, with people increasingly getting more and more strident about how the utility programs posted to the thread are not really
must-have utility programs, and most of them should be posted to the Unique, Odd & Interesting Utility Programs thread...until Alex gets fed up, locks this thread, and starts a new "Actually Must-Have Utility Programs", and the cycle repeats.
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 03, 2021, 03:02:22 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PM
What is some of the must-have utility software that you install on a Windows computer?
Linux. :P
WSL2 gets you the best of both worlds. :)
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on November 05, 2021, 06:02:42 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 03, 2021, 03:02:22 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PM
What is some of the must-have utility software that you install on a Windows computer?
Linux. :P
WSL2 gets you the best of both worlds. :)
I run a server on Linux (had) before moving back to MDBGo. http://empointco.consulting/ (http://empointco.consulting/)
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on November 05, 2021, 06:02:42 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 03, 2021, 03:02:22 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PM
What is some of the must-have utility software that you install on a Windows computer?
Linux. :P
WSL2 gets you the best of both worlds. :)
Looks like a warmed-over Cygwin...Linux provides all of the utility software and development tools, while Windows provides the security holes and need for antivirus software. :P I suppose it's a solution for people slaving away in corporate environments where they need to get work done over IT's objections...
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 05, 2021, 02:35:21 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on November 05, 2021, 02:23:22 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 05, 2021, 01:20:54 PMAlthough Linux has so many ludicrously good native text editors, I'm not sure why you'd want to do that. Emacs has so many features that for a while its application icon was a kitchen sink. If you want something more mouse-driven, there's Kate.
Except that the title of the thread is "Must-have utility programs for Windows"
I asked an administrator and he said that it's fine. If he changes his mind, I suspect he'll remove my posts.
Talking to yourself again? :D
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 03, 2021, 03:02:22 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PM
What is some of the must-have utility software that you install on a Windows computer?
Linux. :P
For real though, I think the only functionality on that list that doesn't just come with KDE on Linux is the mouse-finding one.
In order to use Linux on a Windows machine, without blowing out Windows completely, VirtualBox or other VM software will be necessary. I'd go with virtual machine software as the most important Windows utility.
I used to use VMWare on Windows to host Linux, but I think it's gone now. I use VirtualBox on my Mac, and it works great.
Quote from: KeithE4Phx on November 05, 2021, 09:33:21 PM
In order to use Linux on a Windows machine, without blowing out Windows completely, VirtualBox or other VM software will be necessary. I'd go with virtual machine software as the most important Windows utility.
At least a few years ago, some distros had an "install under Windows" option. I think it created a virtual partition to avoid re-partitioning. I'm pretty sure that at least a few people dual booting didn't re-install Windows to do so.
Quote from: vdeane on November 05, 2021, 10:32:27 PM
Quote from: KeithE4Phx on November 05, 2021, 09:33:21 PM
In order to use Linux on a Windows machine, without blowing out Windows completely, VirtualBox or other VM software will be necessary. I'd go with virtual machine software as the most important Windows utility.
At least a few years ago, some distros had an "install under Windows" option. I think it created a virtual partition to avoid re-partitioning. I'm pretty sure that at least a few people dual booting didn't re-install Windows to do so.
That had to be essentially the same thing, although I don't remember anything like that under Slackware, Ubuntu, or Mint (my distros of choice for the last 15 years).
I do remember the loopback filesystem that allowed Linux distros to be installed in a bootable file, back in the DOS/Windows 95/98 days. They actually worked very well. I don't remember if it worked under NT-based Windows (NT4/Win2K/XP), though.
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 05, 2021, 01:20:54 PM
Quote from: zachary_amaryllis on November 05, 2021, 10:01:11 AM
Quote from: ZLoth on November 05, 2021, 05:49:55 AM
Notepad++ (https://markholtz.info/npp) - I can't believe I forgot this in my original posting. What initially attacted me to Notepad++ many years ago was that it was a tabbed text editor, but anyone who has used it for any length of time can tell you it is extremely functional, especially with the code format functions and the plug-ins. Thanks to the DSpellCheck plug-in, I am often pre-composing my replies in Notepad, spell-checking them, and then pasting it into email or a board entry. And, with MIME Tools and XML Tools, I am able to decode a SAML assertion for Single Sign On (SSO) and then make the resulting XML into something human-readable.
notepad++ also works nicely under linux, via wine.
Although Linux has so many ludicrously good native text editors, I'm not sure why you'd want to do that. Emacs has so many features that for a while its application icon was a kitchen sink. If you want something more mouse-driven, there's Kate.
i've never been able to wrap my head around emacs. normally i use kate for mousy stuff, or nano for terminal stuff. i don't normally use notepad++, but i did try it for a while. i had trouble making it see out of the wine sandbox
vscode has got a nifty tool where you can autocomplete HTML.
Just type ! then tab and then bam! :wow:
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 05, 2021, 07:23:41 PM
Quote from: MikeTheActuary on November 05, 2021, 06:02:42 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 03, 2021, 03:02:22 PM
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PM
What is some of the must-have utility software that you install on a Windows computer?
Linux. :P
WSL2 gets you the best of both worlds. :)
Looks like a warmed-over Cygwin...Linux provides all of the utility software and development tools, while Windows provides the security holes and need for antivirus software. :P I suppose it's a solution for people slaving away in corporate environments where they need to get work done over IT's objections...
Actually, it's a bit speedier than cygwin, and it has the advantage of being able to use the distribution's tools to get/update software, without need of using cygwin's setup utility. I migrated from cygwin to WSL when WSL2 became available, due to the performance improvement.
With WSL, I can use "the better tool" for whatever my chosen task is. Given my profession and its reliance on VBA, I can use "real Office" (since Libre Office won't quite cut it for my needs) and applications that just are aethetically more pleasing than what I've seen in Linux, and I can still use bash for my command prompt and various automation tasks, and use *nix utilities for which there is no good Windows alternative.
One of my geek projects for the weekend is to see if I can get the Google Play store working under WSA (Windows subsystem for Android). Windows, Linux, and Android all on the same desktop/using the same keyboard and trackball.... :D
If you only have a single monitor and can't use a second one, like with a laptop, OnTopReplica is a super useful program I have, lets you see a window (or part of one) on top all the time without having to use the side-by-side thing with your windows, which saves a lot of space.
You can't interact with the window being displayed on top, but it's still super useful for needing to do something like take content from one window and enter it into another without having to constantly switch, which always throws my concentration off.
Quote from: index on November 06, 2021, 03:45:39 PM
If you only have a single monitor and can't use a second one, like with a laptop, OnTopReplica is a super useful program I have, lets you see a window (or part of one) on top all the time without having to use the side-by-side thing with your windows, which saves a lot of space.
You can't interact with the window being displayed on top, but it's still super useful for needing to do something like take content from one window and enter it into another without having to constantly switch, which always throws my concentration off.
Despite the whole name of the operating system, the Windows window manager has always been fairly basic. Which is fine; I can't say I remember it actually crashing or fucking up on me (which I've had happen on Linux on rare occasions). But it's unfortunately baked into the OS through system calls, meaning that you can't easily replace it with an alternative WM with more features. I suspect what OnTopReplica is actually doing is taking a screenshot of the target window and using some system call to write it over top of the windows, which is why you can't interact with the raised window.
One of the things that I miss about
kwin (my Linux window manager of choice) when I use vanilla Windows is not necessarily the always-on-top feature (which can certainly be handy, and does allow interaction with the target window, but it doesn't have the "keep part of window on top" functionality you describe; if I want to do that I have to take a screenshot, display it in an image viewer like
feh, and put
that window on top), but rather the ability to interact with background windows. By which I mean, if I'm taking content from Window A and have Window B on top entering data into it, mouse signals are still transmitted to Window A without giving it focus. That means I can still scroll and trigger mouse-over events on Window A while keeping Window B on top, but retain the ability to click into Window A and bring it forward if I need to. Unfortunately, because of the way the Windows API functions, I don't believe there's any way for an out-of-focus window to even receive signals, much less connect them with a slot that processes them, even if a developer intentionally wanted to allow that kind of interaction.
Quote from: vdeane on November 05, 2021, 12:55:37 PMAlso, don't most web browsers have spell check built in? I now Chrome does, and the only think non-Chromium-derived that I can think of that's even remotely common on Windows is Firefox (unless god forbid one is still using IE).
An addendum to a previous comment.... Notepad++ is good for when I am composing a long reply. Most of the time, hitting Enter results in a new paragraph, but for some services, hitting Enter POSTS your reply while Alt-Enter starts a new paragraph. (I'm looking at you, Facebook).
I'm used to Shift+Enter inserting a line break, which works on Facebook, Discord, etc...but on Gmail it sends the email. I discovered this totally by accident, of course. Good thing I wasn't sending it to someone who I was worried would judge me for botching a simple email send.
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PMNotepad++ (https://markholtz.info/npp) - I can't believe I forgot this in my original posting. What initially attacted me to Notepad++ many years ago was that it was a tabbed text editor, but anyone who has used it for any length of time can tell you it is extremely functional, especially with the code format functions and the plug-ins. Thanks to the DSpellCheck plug-in, I am often pre-composing my replies in Notepad, spell-checking them, and then pasting it into email or a board entry. And, with MIME Tools and XML Tools, I am able to decode a SAML assertion for Single Sign On (SSO) and then make the resulting XML into something human-readable.
I was initially not convinced by the tabbing functionality, but have become a convert since it allows me to preserve my workspace through reboots simply by closing Notepad++ and then reopening it. I also like the belt-and-suspenders approach toward flagging unsaved files (you get a red floppy-disk icon and an asterisk: plain-vanilla Notepad gives you just the asterisk under Windows 10, and with Windows 7 you get nothing), as well as the ability to alter line terminators (very useful when porting from Windows to Unix or vice versa) and to save UTF-8 text files without a BOM (not an option under Windows 7, though it now is with Windows 10).
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PMMétamorphose (https://markholtz.info/metamorphose) - This bulk renaming utility allows me to set up a series of rule when renaming a batch of files, including pulling the date of when I took a photo. Whats annoying is that this utility hasn't been updated in TEN years. I am trying out Bulk Rename Utility (https://markholtz.info/bulkrenameutility) and Advanced Renamer (https://markholtz.info/advancedrenamer) as modern alternatives, but they are free only for personal use.
I don't often have to rename files or folders, so I no longer have specialist tools for this purpose. I do have batch files (one just for files, and the other just for folders) that use the string substitution functionality built into the set command in NT batch, and on occasion I use the batch renaming capability that is built into Windows Explorer. I've also found NT batch for loops useful because of the ability to work with drive, path, base filename, and extension separately as required.
Quote from: ZLoth on November 03, 2021, 02:43:00 PM7-Zip (https://markholtz.info/7zip) - This free archive utility unpacks archives from multiple formats (including RAR), but also does creates the high-compressable 7z and zip archives as well.
I especially like the fact it has a command-line interface, and the test command is especially useful for sniffing out compressed archives that fail to download correctly or (as happens surprisingly often) have been corrupted while being uploaded to the hosting server. But it does have some quirks. There are some restrictions to how it handles extended characters, and there is an (undocumented) limitation to the number of filter terms it will accept for the extract commands. (The combination of these two limitations means that I can have as many pattern expressions as I like to extract NYSDOT signface layouts from zip archives, for example, but I have to be choosy with French
cahiers de décors.)
I've had Irfanview on every Windows machine since at least 2000. It's a free graphics program I like to use for quick and dirty edits of pics. It's not Photoshop or even Paint but it opens quickly and is really handy for changing picture formats or capturing screenshots quickly. I know it has batch capabilities, but I've never used them.
Oh damn, I forgot about IrfanView. That brings me back. Kind of incredible that he still maintains it. Always kind of wished he'd change the logo, though.
Quote from: Scott5114 on January 16, 2022, 05:35:54 PM
Oh damn, I forgot about IrfanView. That brings me back. Kind of incredible that he still maintains it. Always kind of wished he'd change the logo, though.
I LOVE Irfanview. People, try pressing "I" in a photo to view MetaData. It's cool! :wow: