0ne Windows Product You Must Have! | ||
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In This Issue:
Back in the days of Windows 3.1 I used to have a product called File Manager, it worked just liked regular File Manager, but it had a preview panel which showed me the contents of any file I cared to look at. Absolutely brilliant but was never moved to Win 95 and I really missed it when I switched. Well now, 3 years in, there is a final equivalent product. It's called Powerdesk and is available from Mijenix. Although its a souped up Explorer, the real value is in the file preview option. All you need do is select a file and an instant preview appears. Yes, I know you could right click, select Quick View or Keyview (we use both) and so on, but you just select the file here and the preview is instant, which makes scanning files so easy. Want to search through your Word documents? No problem. Want to find that right graphic image? No problem. I just cannot overstate how useful I find this package. But, wait, there's more! Power Desk also has some nifty features such as:
The list goes on and on. I'm just completely satisfied by this product!!! It does everything Explorer should have done right from the start.
OK, so we sort of have shortcut keys on Windows, but they are a bit of a mess and don't always work in the right place at the right time and other stuff. We've recently started using Kissco's Shortcuts. Basically it allows you to assign programs, files, web shortcuts or keystroke recordings to any of the Fkeys or Shifted Fkeys. (It also does it to the "special" keys like insert, delete etc, but frankly these are too useful for other things). So, you can assign keys to: 1) Automatically load a program 2) Automatically open a file 3) Automatically call a web page 4) Run a sequence of keystrokes and mouse movements. It was this latter function that we were really interested in. There are a number of applications were you run the same key sequence over and over again. What you really want is just a single keystroke to do the whole thing for you. So, the principal is sound, but what about in practice. Well actually, it only sort of works... If you want to pre-program specific keys for programs and files it's great. And that might be reason enough to buy the program. But for key recording it just doesn't cut it. Basically its just too unwieldy. You have to call up the program, flip through some dialog tabs, select your key, program the sequence, save the sequence, close the program down again! Only then can you actually use the sequence. Just too darn fiddly for me. So: Pros: For launching programs and files its great Cons: For running key sequences its fiddly to change them and set them up.
Microsoft replicator Thompson Litho, in East Kilbride, have been raided (again) and thieves made off with 100,000 CDs and 200,000 Certificates of Authenticity for Windows 98. The street value of the snatch is 12 million pounds! Police and Microsoft are issuing warnings about very cheap copies of Win 98. Although there appears to be no way of knowing you might be buying a stolen copy.
Following the purchase of Digital by Compaq there has to be some rationalisation of the two companies PC product lines. There are much mutterings in the dealer channel that Compaq will dump excess Digital PC's on to the market and very low prices. Good news for customers. And apparently there is some 5 million pounds worth of stock waiting to be shifted. That means there should be plenty to go round.
We have just launched a new section at the Centreline 2000 web site on building web graphics, tuning digital photographs and other computer imaging tips. The tutorials and case studies are based on the award winning Paint Shop Pro. So it won't cost the earth to try these things out. We also hope to prove that you don't need a high end package like Adobe in order to remove that alarming Yucca plant growing from Auntie May's head! To review it all:
You have to take these with a pinch of salt, but I thought they were interesting in an un-scientific way. NT Magazine runs a regular on-line poll, as follows: Do you use UNIX machines in your enterprise?
What interested me was the high proportion of NT users who were absolutely sure that Unix played a significant part in their enterprise.
For MS-Word you can quickly justify paragraphs directly from the keyboard, as follows:
Left paragraph Ctrl + L
Centre paragraph Ctrl + E
Justify paragraph Ctrl + J
Right paragraph Ctrl + R
You can download full keyboard shortcuts pages from: http://www.c2000.com/mswindow/ You'll find both MS-Word and PaintShop Pro shortcuts there.
Subject: New Cult
From: Baphomet
Newsgroups: rec.humor
A new cult has been observed in several major cities.
Known as Java's Witnesses, they go door-to-door,
distributing salvation applets.
Subject: Re: Mexican Connection
From: Howard Rubin
Newsgroups: boulder.general
info4u@pacbell.net wrote:
>I am a U.S. born, Mexican/American,
>well aquatinted throughout Mexico.
~~~~~~~~~~
He's been tattooed an attractive
light blue-green colour?
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Centreline 2000 - Uniplex, Unix, Windows and Internet Arle Court, Hatherley Lane, Cheltenham, GL51 6PN Tel: (UK) 01242 255 000 |
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URL: www.c2000.com/papers/nw_980729.htm © 1995-2001 Centreline 2000 Last Updated: 29th July 1998 |
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