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ClifNotesNewsletter050220

Reviews

Editors BK ReplaceEM - easy text replacements in multiple files
I have used this utility to replace text in over 300 files with one click of the mouse. I can tell you that it works and it works very well. It will keep track of file groups that you work with. It also keeps track of the individual replacement operations you perform on each group.

Website - Freeware

Quote from the website - your premiere-quality, freeware string-replacing utility for Windows. At its core, ReplaceEm is essentially a text search-and-replace program. However, unlike the search-replace functionality of a standard text editor, ReplaceEm is designed to operate on multiple files at once. And you need not only perform one search-replace operation per file -- you can setup a list of operations to perform. If different groups of files need to have different operations performed on them, this is no problem either. You can also specify a backup file for each file processed just incase the replace operation didn’t do exactly what you wanted.


Editors DirHtml - creates a webpage index of files
An index making tool such as this one, will basically create a webpage that contains a list of links to files or other webpages. I have used this freeware index page maker to create websites. It offers a wide variety of layouts and offers the ability to customize the layouts. I found it was simple to install and easy to use.

Website - Freeware

Quote from the website - Dirhtml creates index.html files from a directory branch using the GUI or command line, optionally including HTML code of your own design at any point in the generated file. With dirhtml, your index.html files can be unique and arbitrarily complex. Dirhtml works under Windows 98/NT/2000/XP.


 System Find Product (CD) Key - for old PC's
I bought an old Win98 PC for $20. They even threw in an extra monitor. Great deal? Sure, but it didn't come with the Windows OEM Recovery CD and I couldn't find the product key so I can re-install a legal copy of Windows. A quick trip to Doug Knox's MVPS website got me this Visual Basic script that did the trick with no problem. I also tried it out on my WinME machine and it worked just as well. It's a good idea to keep a backup copy of your Windows CD's and the product keys if you can. You never know when you'll need them.

Website - Freeware - will not work for Win2k / WinXP

Quote from the website - Productkey.vbs is a Visual Basic Script file which will check your System Registry and retrieve the product (CD) Key that was used when you installed Windows 95/98/98SE/Millennium. This is the 25 digit key with the format XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX  Note: This file requires that you are able to boot into Windows.  If you cannot boot into Windows, click HERE.


 Help Merriam Webster's Concise Dictionary - free downloadable dictionary
This is very cool. While the program is running, just double click a word anywhere and up pops a definition. Checks your spelling automatically if you need it to. How can they afford to make this free?

Website - Freeware

Quote from the website - This download puts easy access to Merriam-Webster right on your computer. Simply move your cursor over a word and the software searches the content and returns the dictionary article instantly in a pop-up box. Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary contains more than 40,000 entries, clear and concise definitions, written pronunciations, and variant spellings. The iFinger engine under the hood works both online and offline, checking spelling automatically, or allowing you to run manual text searches for specific queries.


 System Rain - cool off your CPU
Marty wrote to me about this program. He says "... a small freeware program they have called "Rain" that will cure any case of laptop overheating. Basically what it does is to put the processor into a suspend mode by executing an "HLT" instruction (halt) when it is not actively computing. Although used mainly by "overclockers" whose CPU's generate enormous amounts of heat, I have used this program successfully on my laptop whose fan was running about 90% of the time and it was still running very warm.  Now the cooling fan rarely if ever comes on, the laptop is as cool as can be, and there's NO effect on computing power or speed."

Website - Freeware

Quote from the website - Originally designated as tool for the serious overclocker, this is a cooler program with few frills.  During the installation, you may set up Rain to optimize for a list of older processors - the most recent being the Pentium Pro and Celeron (the original version - pre Celeron A).  As Rain version 1.0 was written before the Celeron A was brought out, Rain incorrectly identifies the Celeron A, Celeron II, and all Pentium III CPUs as a Pentium Pro.  This does not hinder the effectiveness of the HLT instruction.


 System Windows XP Security Console - lock out features for other users on your WinXP
Do you have a "guest" login on your WinXP machine? Do you want to keep them from changing the settings on your machine? This little utility is free for home use. All you have to do is install it and then log in as the user you want to change the settings for. When you run the program you'll get a wide variety of Windows features that you can either turn off or on. If you get a license for this you'll be able to change all user settings without logging into them.

Website - ScreenShots - Crippleware - requires WinXP

Quote from the website - Doug's Windows XP Security Console allows you to assign various restrictions to specific users, whether you're running XP Pro or XP Home.


 Grahics Wink - easily create your own flash animated tutorials
This is just one more of those programs that I really have a hard time believing is free. Wink allows me to do something that I've seen done with tutorials but never imagined I could do myself without a lot of hard work. In a few easy steps Wink allows you to make a tutorial with mouse cursors zipping around and opening menus. It lets you pop up comments and advice. It also lets you create branch points based on the user decisions on what they want to see next. Finally Wink creates the html code that lets you publish your flash tutorial for the whole world to see and appreciate.

Website - Freeware

Quote from the website - Wink is a Tutorial and Presentation creation software, primarily aimed at creating tutorials on how to use software (like a tutor for MS-Word/Excel etc). Using Wink you can capture screenshots of your software, use images that you already have, type-in explanations for each step, create a navigation sequence complete with buttons, delays, titles etc and create a highly effective tutorial for your users.

TIPS

 Internet Clif Notes Newsletter Review Archive - a list of all these reviews in one place
What's been the number one complaint from my Newsletter readers and Website visitors? They say "I know you reviewed this certain program but I've looked and looked but just can't find it at your website." I decided to create an index page that lists all of the reviews from my newsletter and link the reviews to it for easy searching. All you have to do is bring up the main page and scroll down through the list or hit CTRL-F to search the page for your wishes. Later on I'm going to see if I can also index it by categories. I used DirHTML (reviewed this week) to create the index list on the home page.

Website - Tip

Quote from the website - Clif Notes Newsletter - Review Archive / Devoted to promoting freeware and free information


 Email GMail is expanding - get your new GMail account here
I signed up for a free 1 gigabyte GMail account almost within a week or so of them opening up. They are still in beta testing and are still accepting new accounts by invitation only. Once every couple weeks I would see that they had given me a few invitations to give to others. This last week they gave me fifty invitations. Contact me via the email address below and I'll send you an invitation to receive an account.

Website - Tip - Gmail is now open to everyone, no invitation required

Quote from the website - A Google approach to email.    
Gmail is an experiment in a new kind of webmail, built on the idea that you should never have to delete mail and you should always be able to find the message you want. The key features are:   Search, don't sort.
Use Google search to find the exact message you want, no matter when it was sent or received.   Don't throw anything away.
1000 megabytes of free storage so you'll never need to delete another message.   Keep it all in context.
Each message is grouped with all its replies and displayed as a conversation.   No pop-up ads. No untargeted banners.
You see only relevant text ads and links to related web pages of interest.


 Help GMail tips - find out the best ways to use GMail
Latest Updates from cyberguide
EMAIL: GMAIL TIPS   I have a Gmail account but have not fully used it yet...Jim's Tips include a section on maximizing the use of Gmail...If I could squeeze some time in my busy schedule to address my lack of use...hmmm, a still long way to go....

Website - Tip  


 Website Spyware Doctor using deceptive advertising?
Last week I reviewed Spyware Doctor. I wasn't impressed with the product but I didn't see anything major wrong with it other than the fact that their free version is Crippleware. Since then, I've found out that there's a little more to the story behind the success of Spyware Doctor. Are they using deceptive advertising to steal business from Spybot S&D? Read this article at the Spybot website (safer-networking.org) and see if you agree with the accusations that safer-networking is making.

Website - Tip

Quote from the website - "If you search for the keyword Spybot on Altavista or some other search engines, you'll got a bunch of sponsored results. One of them is Spyware Doctor, who seem to be aggressively using our name Spybot to advertise their software. We receive a bunch of emails every week from people complaining to us and asking for a refund. After some mails we usually find out that those people believed they had bought Spybot-S&D, but actually got Spyware Doctor... "
COOL WEBSITES

 Website ClockLink.com - free clock for your website
V. Subhash wrote to me about this site. Thanks Subhash! Make sure to check out Subhash's site for his cool freeware.   Clocklink.com provides cool looking clocks for your website. Just cut and paste the code into your page. They also have a desktop version for your PC.

Website - Cool Website

 


 Website RewardTV.com - watch tv, answer questions correctly to earn points
Guest Review by Respect2Glory (my wife) - I've been going to this site for three days and I've made over 100,000 points so far. My email that I registered with hasn't been spammed. It's just fun trivia.

Website - Cool Website

Quote from the website - Cash in your TV Points! There are 3 ways to redeem the points you've earned -- auctions, shopping sprees, and sweepstakes. Check your account balance and click on one of the following categories to begin.


 Website Science on TV from Nova - must see TV and Web
Here is a guest review by CyberGuide. I personally enjoyed "The Elegant Universe" program.

Latest Updates from cyberguide SCIENCE ON TV: NOVA   Head to the PBS-based NOVA site for an excellent selection of online science programs, nicely watchable if you have broadband.   Features include:   NOVA scienceNOW MARS Dead or Alive The Elegant Universe Life's Greatest Miracle Cracking the Code of Life Cancer Warrior Dying to be Thin

Website - Cool Website

Quote from the website - The Elegant Universe: One of the most ambitious and exciting theories ever proposed—one that may be the long-sought "theory of everything," which eluded even Einstein—gets a masterful, lavishly computer-animated explanation from bestselling author-physicist Brian Greene, when NOVA presents a three-part series on the nuts, bolts, and sometimes outright nuttiness of string theory.

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