Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

if you get a lot of email, www.clearcontext.com. it's an email organizer that is amazing. check it out.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

Responding to the cleaner:
All in one Gestures for Firefox is pretty great.
It allows you to customize small mouse movements to control your browsing. For instance right clicking and moving up opens a link in a new tab. Down and to the right closes a tab, etc. Very 21st century.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
if you get a lot of email, www.clearcontext.com. it's an email organizer that is amazing. check it out.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've heard some really good things about this from a friend of mine. I definitely need to check it out.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
Not strictly software but the trio of:

Newsleecher (Usenet download software, free with Giganews unlimited account)
Newzbin.com account (Usenet cataloguer / organizer)
Giganews.com subscription (Best Usenet server)

Is the absolute holy-grail of getting anything for free. For example, if I want to watch the latest episode of 24 (we're way behind in Aus), I goto Newzbin and search for "24 6x13", and choose the resultion and encoding format I want. With one click the episode starts download at absolute full throttle, automatically repairs and unpacks itself, and two minutes after my whim I am watching the episode. All this in SSL too, if you're really security conscious. Absolute solid gold.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmmm, $27/mo for this. I am going to give it a test and report back as to its usefulness. I may be hooked.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
Atomix - DJ software

lets any amateur mix songs .. can also record mixes .. tons of features

[/ QUOTE ]

Never used this, but for music it is easy. ProTools if you know what you are doing and do this professionally (otherwise it is cost prohibitive). Otherwise, Audacity will do anything an amateur could want. ProTools is borderline ridiculous if you know how to use it though; the things you could do are incredible.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

If you write alot of code UltraEdit is a must.

Pandora is good, I also heard of a similar one called "Slacker" i believe that's pretty good.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

A-Patch is a great little tool for customizing just about everything in the horrendous MSN client, like removing ads, annoying links, etc etc.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

I don't think anyone has mentioned this, but https://secure.logmein.com/home.asp is a pretty cool web-based remote access system.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
Also, in return I give you the greatest thing to happen to gigantic pictures on 2p2.

<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>javascript:maxwidth=800;pi=document.getEleme ntsByTagName
("img");for(var%20i=0;i&lt;=pi.length;i++){var%20a spectratio=
(pi.item(i).height/pi.item(i).width);if(pi.item(i).width&gt;maxwidth)
{pi.item(i).width=maxwidth;pi.item(i).height=aspec tratio*maxwidth;}}
</pre><hr />

Copy this, make it one line, make it a bookmark. Any time there is a thread with a gigantic picture, click the bookmark and it will resize every picture bigger than, in this case, 800 pixels wide. You can change the number to whatever you see fit.

[/ QUOTE ]

mmbt0ne I [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] you! Pics stretching forums has irked me to no end.

For those that don't already use Open Office, the fact that you can export files as PDF should be reason enough to install it (especially considering that it's free anyway). Beats shelling out money for Adobe Acrobat Pro.

PSPad - Notepad replacement, it has syntax coloring that are user editable. By default color codes everything from web languages like (XHTML, PHP) to programming languages (Java, C++, C) to niche languages (Assembly, Autohotkey).

Actually for Autohotkey I think someone on the Autohotkey forums posted the color syntax file, I can't remember. Since there's no installation I just zip up the program and distribute it among my PCs.

Deja Vu Serif - It's an awesome font that's easy on the eyes. I've been using this for 6 months now and I still love it.

I didn't think I would notice or like it, but it's currently used as my system, browser, and programming font (it includes a sans-serif, serif, and monospace varations).

Also, don't forget to turn on ClearType (sub-pixel font rendering) if you're running WinXP: Display Properties -&gt; Appearance -&gt; Effects -&gt; Use the following: ClearType

JSPager - Virtual desktop manager for Windows. Most importantly it's fast and supports custom hotkeys for moving around workspaces. The drawback is that it's from the Win95 era and doesn't always handle window management well when CPU is pegged at 100% usage (upping priority might help).

I can't seem to Google a copy online, so if you want just send me a PM.

Rainlendar - Desktop calendar and todo list for Windows/Linux. Free for local calendars, you need to pay to remove an [unregistered] tag from network (iCal) calendar events.

WinTidy - Set desktop icons to list view and save placement. Originally freeware from PCMag.com but now they require registration or some crap. I just Google'd for the above link.

Password Safe - Password manager.

SmartFTP - Free graphical FTP client.

Since Putty's already been mentioned, WinSCP - Free graphical SFTP client.

Hamachi - Free VPN.

Synchronize It! - Folder synchronization tool, I use it to automate backups over the network (it supports command line). Uncrippled shareware (no trial period) but I bought it anyway.

Ontrack Easy Recover Pro - Not free, but hands down the best disk recovery software I've ever come across.

Aida32 - System information, diagnostics and benchmarking program.

Memtest86 - RAM diagnostic test.

Synch-It with Atom - Time synchronizer on a custom interval (vs. Windows 48 hr interval), crippleware. I used it when my HTPC system clock would run fast and it was extremely frustarating when it left off last few minutes of a recorded show.

Daemon Tools - CD/DVD image mounter (awxDTools for context menu support, YASU to hide Daemon Tools from certain programs).

foobar - Small footprint alternative to Winamp.

Mp3 Gain - Normalize your mp3s.

Gspot - Codec information for video files so you can hunt down which codec you're missing to play a file or if you have multiples of the same codec installed (e.g. DivX) which one is being used.

Light Alloy - Media player for Windows OSes. Small footprint, skinnable, hotkey friendly. It's probably best described as Totem with better hotkey and subtitle file support.

CCCP Codec Pack - Has replaced Matroska as my preferred codec pack.

Real Alternative - RealMedia codec, i.e. use another media player instead of RealPlayer.

IP Gamma - Raises/lowers screen brightness since LCDs have a limitations, I use it for Counter-Strike.

DrDelete - For deleting locked files, or you could use Processor Explorer as mentioned earlier.

Firefox extensions:
Adblock Plus - Adblock with subscription filter
Customize Google - remove Google ads, privatize browsing habits
Download Statusbar
DownloadThemAll!
Foxmarks - bookmarks synchronizer (free, automatic, optional web interface access)
MouseGestures
Searchbar Autosizer
TabMix Plus

BTW GAIM has actually been renamed to Pidgin due to AOL threats (despte the fact that GAIM has been in use before the acronym AIM).

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

I'm going to have to 9th the launchy recommendation.

I am amazed that this internets thing works correctly, although it's not really software.

Another not really software product that works nicely is Apple's Airport Extreme Wireless N base station thingie. Really easy to set up and get going, I've used Belkin's N router and it was a bit of a pain in the butt. The new not-yet-standard for wireless is 802.11n, and theoretically can be 10 times as fast as the 802.11g standard. The good thing is that it can function in the a, b, and g standards as well so you can just buy the router and upgrade your wireless adapter card whenever. Also, cordless phones won't necessarily interfere with your wireless internet connection because the N standard can transmit in either the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency ranges. Cordless phones, and the g standard work only in 2.4 GHz.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

AncientPC:

I've got Hamachi VPN downloaded on my home pc right now, but I'm a little wary of putting it on my work pc. It looks like it would be fantastic for getting files back and forth and allowing my to remotely backup files. However, I'm a little leary of the security.

Is it secure enough for business use?

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
For online chess I like 2+2 TimM's
Xboard or Winboard interface

[/ QUOTE ]

I used Xboard in the past, as well as Cclient, Blitzin, and now Dasher. I've never really found one I loved.

In any event, if you want to bring up chess, ChessBase is the one and only name that should be mentioned. A bit expensive, but you can't be a serious player without it.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
AncientPC:

I've got Hamachi VPN downloaded on my home pc right now, but I'm a little wary of putting it on my work pc. It looks like it would be fantastic for getting files back and forth and allowing my to remotely backup files. However, I'm a little leary of the security.

Is it secure enough for business use?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not qualified to answer that question, I can only refer you to the Wiki article.

[ QUOTE ]
As with all closed-source or non-thoroughly reviewed applications, several security considerations apply:

* the absence of source code for review
* its beta status (if any) and possible impact of remaining bugs on security

Additionally due to Hamachi's use as a VPN application the following considerations apply:

* additional risk of disclosure of sensitive data which is stored or may be logged by the mediation server- minimal where data is not forwarded
* the security risks due to vulnerable services on remote machines otherwise not accessible behind a NAT, common to all VPNs

Although Hamachi uses strong, industry-standard algorithms to encrypt data [1], the implementation remains closed source and therefore cannot be fully audited by the public for potential security problems or backdoors.

For the product to work, a "mediation server", operated by the vendor, is required. This server stores the nickname, maintenance password, statically allocated 5.0.0.0/8 IP address and the associated authentication token of the user. For every established tunnel, it could log the real IP address of the user, time of establishment and duration as well as the other interconnected users.

As all peers sharing a tunnel have full "LAN-like" access to each others computers, security problems may arise if firewalls are not used, as with any insecure situation. The security features of the NAT router/firewall are bypassed. This is not specific to Hamachi and needs to be addressed with other VPNs as well.

In the Security Now! podcast Steve Gibson described Hamachi as a "...brand new, ready to emerge from its long development beta phase, ultra-secure, lightweight, high-performance, highly polished, multi-platform, peer-to-peer and FREE! personal virtual private networking system ..." and that he had "... fully vetted the system's security architecture ...".[4]

In the following episode, to a question raised by Randal Schwartz: "Hamachi's not open source. How can we trust it?", Gibson replied, "... it's one of the things that made me anxious and continues to make me anxious. I'm going to end up probably over on OpenVPN ...". Later he continued, "But Hamachi is - I'm convinced that Alex has really designed this system exactly as he's told me he has. He's got years of experience with security, implementing IPSec tunnels, you know, classic VPN solutions. I couldn't feel any better about this than I do, short of doing a complete source audit ... which is just not practical. So it's certainly the case though that, well, I mean, you know, we're trusting Bill when we use Windows.", and, "... I'm sure Alex has told me the truth, but I have no proof of it."[5]

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

I've been playing with GAIM (Pidgin, now) since I've been frustrated with Trillain of late. I can't say I'm sold. There are several things I find frustrating:

1. No metacontacts. If I have the same person as a buddy on AIM, Yahoo, and MSN, I would like to just condense them into a single entry.
2. Along those same lines, I have two AIM names. When I was using Trillian, it just kept a single entry in my buddy list for each AIM buddy, and then I could set a default account I message them with. In Pidgin, I stupidly have two entries on my buddy list for many buddies, one for each AIM account. WTF?
3. No subgroups. I can organize buddies into groups, but I can't further subdivide them into subgroups. I would have deemed this an acceptable substitute for the absence of metacontacts, but this is pretty annoying.
4. Buddy list doesn't indicate whether people are using AIM, Yahoo, or whatever. This is far from a deal breaker, but it was nice in Trillian.
5. Doesn't seem to support audio or video chat. I don't use these much, but some people like them.
6. I like Trillian's sleeker look better.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

I have found the cure for my Taskbar ADD.

TaskBar Shuffle

This little program lets you just drag and drop to reorganize your Windows taskbar. This may be a common utility that I was just in the dark about, but whenever I'm doing multiple things at once, I always hate having some research notes way on the left, the file im typing in way on the right, and poker and other things in between, etc.

Anyways, hope someone else shares this strange compulsion and now can rearrange at will. Just be sure to click settings and have it stop appearing as a tray icon.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i keep my browser window at fullscreen. if i wanted to open up my ruby pickaxe book pdf, i would have to grab the mouse, click the start menu, go to my documents, go to tech, an

[/ QUOTE ]

Tron's software needs:

Better message board posting software.


[/ QUOTE ]

The Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California's hardware needs:

Better wireless [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

can't even get decent wireless in leavey, its pretty sad

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]

Anyways, hope someone else shares this strange compulsion and now can rearrange at will. Just be sure to click settings and have it stop appearing as a tray icon.

[/ QUOTE ]

this program pwns. now i don't have to close all 17 apps i have going and re-open them in the order i want them on the taskbar lol

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Strong preference for GAIM over Trillian.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto, Trillian is buggy.

[/ QUOTE ]

Me three.

Also use SlickRun instead of Launchy, faster and more configurable IMO (only thing I want from Launchy is the calc).

Most other things I like have been mentioned. Other than the obvious ones like Firefox I use:

Notepad++
ActiveVirusShield (Free, based on Kaspersky)
MediaMonkey. Without competition the best music software (similar to iTunes, just much much more usability and especially organizing functions).
Lightroom + Photoshop for photos. IMO Picasa sucks for anyone above the 'occasional travel, party and holiday photo' level.
MediaPlayerClassic + QTAlternative. Great media player (like VLC) and no need for QuickTime installed with this plugin which is great.
µTorrent. Light-weight, low-resource torrrent software. Love it!

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

Just re-installed Windows and had to wipe everything from my hard drive. This is what I reinstalled that a normal person might want. A lot of repeats, but whatever.

Firefox - Best web browser
Open Office - Incredibly good freeware, open-source alternative to Microsoft Office
7-Zip - Best archiver (zip, rar, 7z, etc files)
allSnap - Makes windows "snap" into place and line up.
AntiVir Personal - Good, free anti-virus
Foxit Reader - Fast, small, and free alternative to Adobe Reader
GIMPShop - Freeware Photoshop alternative (keeps Photoshop layout with GIMP)
KeePass - Great password safe. Open source and can be run from a thumb drive.
Memento - This thing is just incredible. Basically post-its for your dekstop. Fast, small, and free. Love it.
Newsleecher - $30, but great usenet reader. Combine with Newzbin + Giganews subscriptions.
Videora iPod Converter - Free and great for converting video files of all types to ones that can play on an iPod. Combine with Firefox Videodownloader extension and YouTube.
Skype - Especially great for the international traveler, but no one should be without this. Great VoIP phone service. PC-to-PC calls are free.
Spybot S&amp;D - Great free anti-spyware software. Activate TeaTimer to watch over your registry file changes.
SlickRun - So much better than Launchy; incredibly customizable. Once you use this, you won't want to use a PC without it.
uTorrent - Great, small torrent program.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
SlickRun - So much better than Launchy

[/ QUOTE ]

here's the big difference, as i understand it: both are application launchers. launchy indexes the start menu and/or any folders you want for specific filetypes, like word/excel docs or shortcuts. slickrun forces the user to define aliases for each thing that they want to open, but they create the name themself and can launch with custom options.

based on that, launchy is orders of magnitude better than slickrun for my purposes. i don't mind typing 'thu' to start the word 'thunderbird' instead of 'email', and if i need parameters i can program them into a shortcut. i'm not going to program an alias for a pdf to breadco's nutritional data, i'm not going to redo it if the filename changes, etc. with launchy, 'breadco' will always find it if that's in the filename. the whole point for me is to have total accessibility, not just launch specific frequently-launched things.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

I've never tried slickrun, but Launchy has made this thread one of the most useful threads I've ever read on 2+2.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

Biggest shortcoming with Launchy is it's lack of ability to launch ahk files and anything from external hard drives. Also, the customizability is huge once you start using it. I used to use Launchy, but after trying SlickRun, I can't bring myself to go back.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
Biggest shortcoming with Launchy is it's lack of ability to launch ahk files and anything from external hard drives.

[/ QUOTE ]

i don't mind if you use the product or not, but doesn't this test make both of those reasons invalid?

- installed and launched autohotkey
- plugged in a usb flash drive, assigned to drive letter E
- created a notepad-opening autohotkey script on it named 'ntest.ahk'
- opened up launchy, told it to hit .ahk files on drive E, rebuilt index
- typed 'ntest' in launchy, notepad popped up on the screen

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

I'm going to be keeping my eye on Photosynth:

http://labs.live.com/photosynth/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-DqZ8jAmv0

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm going to be keeping my eye on Photosynth:

http://labs.live.com/photosynth/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-DqZ8jAmv0

[/ QUOTE ]

We were flipping out about this at work yesterday.

It seems really awesome, but I was having a hard time coming up with a ton of practical appliation that actually saves that much time/resources over existing technology. Building the images they showed in the demo must have taken forever.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm going to be keeping my eye on Photosynth:

http://labs.live.com/photosynth/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-DqZ8jAmv0

[/ QUOTE ]

We were flipping out about this at work yesterday.

It seems really awesome, but I was having a hard time coming up with a ton of practical appliation that actually saves that much time/resources over existing technology. Building the images they showed in the demo must have taken forever.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are ignorant.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

There are lot of good software already mentioned but i think i have one missing.

iColorFolder

It change the look of all the folders for windows to what skin you like, and you can add a different color for a particular folder you want to.
Open source and don't eat any memory.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

Astro &amp; Metetron,

Google desktop does the things both of you are talking about and in my experience it does it much better.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
List some software that you think rocks.

[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of what I use my computer for is usenet/movie related. I download mostly from divx/xvid binary groups, and sometimes from DVD groups, but not as much as divx since the DVD downloads are 4gb compared to 700mb for divx movies with mp3 audio. After downloading, I stream to the television using a Hauppauge MediaMvp unit which doesn't handle all video file types, so a lot of times I need to massage the video files using mostly free software.

Forte Agent News Reader I have used Agent as my newsreader for almost 10 years now. A lot of folks don't care to use it for binaries, but I am used to it, and the filtering is very strong. Grabbing binaries is a snap.

Quick Par Parity Check/Repair Use it for repairing binaries with missing parts using parity files. Free as in speech.

WinRar After repairing any busted files with QuickPar, I use WinRar to rejoin the parts into the original 1 large file.

VirualDub If the downloaded movie is encoded with AC3 audio, it is most likely going to be split into (2) separate 700mb files. VirtualDub can join the 2 files together to make 1 file. Free.

AutoGK Auto Gordian Knot, for converting DVD/VOB's into divx/xvid. The AutoGK authors made a very complicated task using multiple programs into a 3-4 click ease-fest. The Hauppuage unit will not stream VOB fles, so I convert the DVD to divx, saving almost 4gb of hard drive space. Free.

Videora Tivo Converter If I get a movie that is divx and AC3, I use Videora convert it to an .mpg since the Hauppauge cannot stream AC3 audio. It run really clean and fairly quickly, converting a movie in less than 2 hours. Free.


--
TomE.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
Google desktop does the things both of you are talking about and in my experience it does it much better.

[/ QUOTE ]

i didn't know that they had added a popup or launch abilities.

i tried it out again, and using 'launchy-like' settings such as defaulting to desktop search, default to launch, etc i've still got a 100% index of my drive. i think i prefer to have more targetted, specific results instead of pulling up a billion potentially unrelated items. i like alt-space more than ctrl-ctrl as a hotkey, and i think systray icons suck. also, there are various security/privacy concerns: full search unless exceptions are noted, text previews, potentially transportable indexes, various remote-enabling default 'advanced' features, etc. for those that aren't in the office or unconcerned at home, this does now seem like a decent alternative with some desirable features.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
www.ztrace.com

I don't have it, but it was recommended on these forums. In the case of a stolen laptop, when the thieves access the internet, the address is sent to the police(or whoever). Also wipes the hard drive of all your sensitive files, so your information is secure.

[/ QUOTE ]

hammer, while i think such a product could be generally useful, i would strongly advise against this particular company. long story, but several years ago, through a friend of a friend, etc., i was asked to consider making an angel investment in this company. they seem to be a mess. the product design, to put it mildly, was not the best. i remember trying to call their corporate headquarters in the middle of the business day, and i actually got what sounded like a personal answering machine. doesn't bode well for a company that is giving a service-based offering. if you lose your laptop, remember that they need to do work to recover it.

as of now, the web site hasn't been updated in years, there most recent press release is four years old, etc.

anyone who has any experience with these types of early stage companies can tell you that this does not bode well.

there are better products in the marketplace, and i would strongly recommend against this one specifically.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Google desktop does the things both of you are talking about and in my experience it does it much better.

[/ QUOTE ]

i didn't know that they had added a popup or launch abilities.

i tried it out again, and using 'launchy-like' settings such as defaulting to desktop search, default to launch, etc i've still got a 100% index of my drive. i think i prefer to have more targetted, specific results instead of pulling up a billion potentially unrelated items. i like alt-space more than ctrl-ctrl as a hotkey, and i think systray icons suck. also, there are various security/privacy concerns: full search unless exceptions are noted, text previews, potentially transportable indexes, various remote-enabling default 'advanced' features, etc. for those that aren't in the office or unconcerned at home, this does now seem like a decent alternative with some desirable features.

[/ QUOTE ]
I agree on the privacy issues. I only use it on my home pc.

As for the unrelated search results, I've been very happy with the serach so far.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
As for the unrelated search results, I've been very happy with the serach so far.

[/ QUOTE ]

i was referring to typing in 'ses', hoping to pull up my phone system's session manager like i do in launchy, and having google desktop search return a billion ini files on my local machine with those letters in their filename or contents. it wasn't a knock on google search, just an observation that launchy's indexing system is more directed by nature. i can see how some might prefer the kitchen sink approach, though.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
As for the unrelated search results, I've been very happy with the serach so far.

[/ QUOTE ]

i was referring to typing in 'ses', hoping to pull up my phone system's session manager like i do in launchy, and having google desktop search return a billion ini files on my local machine with those letters in their filename or contents. it wasn't a knock on google search, just an observation that launchy's indexing system is more directed by nature. i can see how some might prefer the kitchen sink approach, though.

[/ QUOTE ]
Right, I know what you mean. I can see not liking it if I'd been used to another system. As is, I just type until I see what I want. It's really convenient for playing songs, much faster than searching for it in itunes/winamp/explorer.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
Does anyone know of any good, and preferably freeware, Quicken-type programs for tracking expenses and whatnot?

[/ QUOTE ]
Yodlee Will probably do what you need. Maybe someone can address any security concerns of an online account aggregator.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

I was pretty damn impressed with the apple driver installer you get to set a box up for use with Windows XP. Intercepting all the dialogs and just getting all the drivers turned on was good. Now if the would only not put icons in the tray, I'd be ecstatic.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
I was pretty damn impressed with the apple driver installer you get to set a box up for use with Windows XP. Intercepting all the dialogs and just getting all the drivers turned on was good. Now if the would only not put icons in the tray, I'd be ecstatic.

[/ QUOTE ]

automating installations isn't too tough if you're impressed by it you might find it rewarding to try it yourself.

msi = '/passive', installshield = '/s', nsis = '/S', etc. some more details are available at the 'unattended' project web site. things get trickier if you aren't interested in the app's defaults, because the custom options are often undocumented. and annoyingly, some installers accept unattended flags but then prompt you anyway. i've written quite a few nsis installers, so properly-implemented silent/unattended modes is a subject near and dear to my heart.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

http://fuzlez.com/content/view/50/90

WheelsOfVolume (does it show we have fun when we try to find names for our software?) uses the mouse wheel to control the volume of your computer. When ever you turn the mouse wheel when it is not used by any application (in other words) when it is on the desktop, the volume of your computer will be adapted. When you are in a full screen application you will have the same effect when you move the mouse to the top right corner of the screen. To mute the sound you just have to click the mouse wheel.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

A couple of iPod things:

vPod - A much easier way to transfer songs to your iPod.

http://www.vonnieda.org/vPod/screen1.jpg

Very fast. You load everything to your library, which is little more than a checklist. Everything checked is on your iPod already, all you have to do is check an artist, album, or song to add it. Sync and then quit.

Pod player - a lightweight iTunes look-alike that plays everything that's on your iPod.

They're portable, so you only need the .exe to run it. Put them on your iPod to be able to transfer and play things on any computer without iTunes.

Re: Software products that you think are really good
 

[ QUOTE ]
They're portable, so you only need the .exe to run it. Put them on your iPod to be able to transfer and play things on any computer without iTunes.

[/ QUOTE ]
That's pretty cool.