Software Picks

The following software are programs I use. These programs accomplish their designated task in an effective, efficient and aesthetic manner. Where possible I have included a link to the author's website. I am currently running Windows 7 and like the new OS. Prior to Windows 7 I used Vista and experienced none of the woes reported by others even though I was running it on a custom built system - Intel Core 2 Duo 6700, 4 GB DDR2, ATI All-in-Wonder x1900, 1 500 GB SATA HD, 1 1000 GB SATA HD and 1 320 GB SATA HD.

I also use the software I have written, but since those programs are listed in the "Software" page, I won't repeat them here.

SocketWatch

This non-intrusive little program is loaded at start-up, contacts an Internet Time Server and then maintains the system time. There are other features that simply refine a good thing. Very reasonably priced Shareware and available from Socketwatch. I am using my own OnTime to set the clock on my Windows 7 system. One problem still to be solved, both for my program and for SocketWatch, is automatically running in administrator mode to avoid the User Control problmes

ESET Security Suite

I am quite pleased with the ESET security suite. This builds on the NOD32 anti-virus program and supplies the firewall and malware protection through one interface. Recommended

Copernic Agent

Copernic Agent is a meta-search engine, utilizing a number of separate Internet search facilities. It effectively organizes and rates search results and provides summary and other result analysis features. This is my standard search tool.Copernic Agent Professional A free version is available.

EverNote

I am currently using EverNote to record the little tidbits of information contained in e-mail, websites and the little notations I need to make from time to time such as the name of a musician or album I want to get or something for a Christmas present. So far Evernote has been an excellent application to do all of this.

Maxthon Browser

Despite all the negative comment about Internet Explorer and positive verbiage about FireFox I have not had any significant problems. I am careful about the sites I visit and I make a point of applying appropriate patches.
That being said, IE has serious shortcomings with regard to the UI and I have found what I think is a much better implementation of the IE engine and that is Maxthon. I encourage you to give it a try. You can find it at http://www.maxthon.com/ I am currently using Maxthon 2. I particularly like that I can set favourties to automatically open in a new tab and if click-and-drag a link that will also open in a new tab. I have not been able to accomplish either UI option with IE or FF.

GetRight

There are many download managers. One of the earliest is GetRight. It links to my Anti-Virus software to automatically scan down loaded files and it will work with multiple sites so that the download takes place through multiple parallel channels. It's not particularly fancy, but it does the job extremely well. I don't have any need to search further for a download manager. www.getright.com

MS Visual Studio 2005

For programming I use Microsoft Visual C++. I know many people like BASIC and Visual Basic in particular. I use Visual Basic for Applications to create enhancements for my Excel spreadsheets. However, for the stand-alone programs, I haven't seen anything better than C++ within Visual Studio. C++ isn't a novice language. It is versatile and powerful. I occasionally use Visual Studio, the MS environment for MS Visual C++, for HTML editing (see below). Visual Studio 2005 is the implementation I am using at the moment. It addresses security issues much more agressively and seems to understand Vista better. Vista is a more challenging environment for programming.

MS Office 2007

I also use Microsoft Office. This 110 lb. gorilla does many tasks extremely well despite some ocassional quirks. I am currently using Office 2007 which I like quite a bit. I don't like it for producing HTML code because it introduces far too much crud.

Multi-Edit

The "classic" programmer's editor, Multi-Edit is extraordinarily flexible. All commands can be mapped to whatever keys desired. There is also a very robust macro language with the characteristics of current powerful programming languages with a C-like syntax, grammar and vocabulary. I have used Multi-Edit for many years and it remains the editor of choice when a low-overhead, text editor is needed, often for HTML code (since I use MS Visual Studio C++ for all my C++ programming). Although I frequently use one of the above for HTML editing when I want a WYSIWYG approach, Multi-Edit remains the code-level editor of choice. Multi-Edit Home Page

Network Magic

I've found that Network Magic maintains my home network with little hassle and much more easily than trying to troubleshoot everything myself. On laptops it usually discovers the connections faster and resolves the asssorted connection problems to which they are so very prone.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0

I don't need the extensive image editing capabilities of Adobe's full Photoshop. At times, even Elements seems like overkill. However, it has all the tools I need for manipulating images. In addition it comes with a nice image organizing system that readily handles the images from my digital camera (Nikon D70s!) I also use

Corel PaintShop XI

The image tweaking may be a bit better than Elements for adjusting underwater shots. Both image editors appear to have a place in my toolbox.

Nero CD/DVD Sofware

I have tried a number of CD/DVD burning programs, including the Roxio Easy CD-Creator. Nero has never produced a bad CD for me and I can't say that for Easy CD-Creator. While the Nero interface sometimes leavse me a bit perplexed, it is a solid, reliable program that has been able to handle all the CD/DVD burning tasks I've thrown at it. Now this is the only burning program I recommend. I am currently using version 7.10. It is available at the Nero homepage.

Diskeeper

There is some contradictory opinion concerning the value of defragmenting a hard drive. From my review of the various points of view, I think the argument for defragmenting is stronger. The defragmentation utility that comes as part of Windows XP may be adequate, but it requires manual intervention. I am extremely satisfied with Diskeeper and use version 2010. Diskeeper

MP3 Players

I have used three MP3 Players and each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

iRiver H10: The iRiver H10 is a 20 GB player. I like the fact that it shows me where I am in a playlist (e.g. 33 of 50) and has a clock function. Although rather old now, still a good player.
Microsoft Zune: From the iRiver H10 I moved to the Zune. The 80 GB hard drive has more capacity than I've been able to put more than a small dent in filling. The sound is very good. However, there is no clock and it's not possible to see where in the playlist the current piece is. The battery life indicator is useless displaying either full charge or almost full charge. That's it. The only work-around is to charge it on a regular basis. Finally, the hard drive crashed on me (or possibly it was a software crash) and made all the music on my Zune inaccessible. Fortunately, there was plenty of room left on the hard drive (that was still readable) and I was able to re-install all the music from my computer. However ...
Creative Zen Xi-Fi: I am now using the Creative Zen. This is a 32 GB flash-drive player with excellent sound. More evaluation to come.

Object Desktop (Windowblinds)

For those of you who like to customize the look of Windows, Windowblinds is the program to have. There is a great selection of skins. Go to Wincustomize to see what's available.

Ron Brunton - Software Picks

Programs and Utilities I like and use

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