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View Full Version : Best/Coolest/Most Useful/Cheap Software Utilities



modifry
12-27-2007, 05:45 PM
I thought of this thread idea after reading Joe's post about Outlook and my mention of how well Eudora works. So here's my list of the coolest software utilities I use on a regular basis.

1. Key Text (http://www.mjmsoft.com/keytext.htm) - Absolutely the coolest software for automating tasks. If you have used macros, imagine a macro that works in any program and even jumps between programs. I use this daily at work and home. With one keystroke I copy the contents of an email into a blank Word document, do several search and replace routines, add formatting, copy the document to another program, then go back to the email program and get the next email and repeat everything (for up to 5 emails), then when it's done I print it and close all the open documents. I've used it to copy data from an Excel spreadsheet into a mainframe client to enter data into a system database that had no capability for a data import. I had the macro repeat 100 times and it would enter 100 rows of Excel data into the mainframe with a single keystroke (it took several minutes but it was effortless). You can even have it wait for programs to open, do mouse clicks, auto-detect screen text, it's almost unlimited. And the best part is it actually works and it's cheap ($30).

2. Snagit (http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp?CMP=KgoogleStmhome) - Totally awesome screen capture utility. This thing will auto-capture scrolling web pages or convert screen shots to text or do one-step "capture and paste to clipboard" or a hundred other things. While I use Photoshop for some images because it's powerful, I find myself using SnagIt more and more because it's so fast and easy and has the BEST arrows and captions for marking up pictures or documents. $40.

3. Allway Sync (http://www.allwaysync.com/) - Free - File/Folder synchronizing tool. Easy and works. And did I mention it's free?

I could add more, but I'd like to see what some of you are using. If you have any favorites please add them to this list.

.

tonybell_57
12-27-2007, 06:19 PM
Album Cover Finder 6.2 (http://www.download.com/Album-Cover-Finder/3000-2169_4-10383754.html) ($12.00) - Let's me find album cover art and import it into iTunes.

Active File Compare (http://www.formulasoft.com/afc.html) - Lets you compare any text file to another, highlight differences and merge into one file.

Excel Compare (http://www.formulasoft.com/xlsc.html) - Does the exact same thing for MS Excel files.

S2k Dude
12-27-2007, 06:32 PM
I love Snagit!

Hoa
12-27-2007, 06:34 PM
openoffice it works just like ms office

CDjunkie
12-28-2007, 09:15 AM
This list has been floating around a while, but it's good enough to repost.
I use many of the apps listed.
100 Best Open Source Mac Software
http://www.ajaxflakes.com/open-source/top-100-best-open-source-mac-software/

Lane
12-28-2007, 09:28 AM
This list has been floating around a while, but it's good enough to repost.
I use many of the apps listed.
100 Best Open Source Mac Software
http://www.ajaxflakes.com/open-source/top-100-best-open-source-mac-software/


Thank you! :goodjob:

modifry
12-28-2007, 12:19 PM
[/URL][URL="http://www.formulasoft.com/afc.html"]Active File Compare (http://www.download.com/Album-Cover-Finder/3000-2169_4-10383754.html) - Lets you compare any text file to another, highlight differences and merge into one file.Cool! I will definitely use this one! Thanks.:goodjob:

CDjunkie
12-28-2007, 12:29 PM
I like to use BBEdit (http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/) for all of my text editing needs. You can pretty much open any type of file. You can really make speedy work of doing a quick find and replace to an html, xml, ... or whatever file. I also use it to do file comparisons.

dvergar
12-28-2007, 01:17 PM
Album Cover Finder 6.2 (http://www.download.com/Album-Cover-Finder/3000-2169_4-10383754.html) ($12.00) - Let's me find album cover art and import it into iTunes.


Doesn't iTunes already do this automatically?

scareyourpassenger
12-28-2007, 01:18 PM
Only if it is sold on itunes. Album cover finder taps into amazon and snags the art.

J

Doesn't iTunes already do this automatically?

dvergar
12-28-2007, 01:22 PM
Huh - I've ripped my own CDs, some of which you can't get on iTunes, and it found the artwork and downloaded it. I think it uses the CDDB.

[edit: CDDB does not store or index album artwork, but they do interface with Muze and some other sites that do.]

scareyourpassenger
12-28-2007, 01:28 PM
I have several cds that were not on itunes but on the cddb that wouldn't get cover art.

CDjunkie
12-28-2007, 02:05 PM
99% of my collection is not on iTunes
75% is not on Amazon

There's a widget called AlbumArt that works really well. You can choose from several different places to search from. You can tell it to apply the art to one song, or all from that album. Put your widgets in debug mode, and you can have it on your desktop 24/7 (which is nice)

1QUICK1
12-28-2007, 03:10 PM
I just google images on the album name.
Someone sells it and has an image posted online.

tonybell_57
12-28-2007, 07:57 PM
Doesn't iTunes already do this automatically?


Only if it is sold on itunes. Album cover finder taps into amazon and snags the art.

J


I have several cds that were not on itunes but on the cddb that wouldn't get cover art.
:withstupid:

I just google images on the album name.
Someone sells it and has an image posted online.
That works sometimes. I have albums that I could not album art for with Google, but Album Cover Finder located it. It also will add it into iTunes for you.