Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.5.0.0 pick

Description: RadWinMan enhances the Windows shell by adding extra window management functions such as windows roll-up, minimizing to system tray, automatic resize, snap to other windows, window transparency, always on top, and a few others.

This program includes most of the functions mentioned in my recent posting entitled "4 Utilities that tweak working with open windows" (thanks Radad for mentioning RadWinMan in the comments). I have been using RadWinMan for about a week and like it immensly; here’s why:

• It offers a very nice combination of functions, and yet …
• You do NOT get the sense that everything is in there but the kitchen sink like other shell enhancement programs that tend to overwhelm you with options.
• Consumes a mere 4 megs in memory.

Here are descriptions of program usage (mostly) taken from the program’s website:

• Right click on title to send the window to the back.
• Double click on title to roll-up the window.
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Rating: 5 pick

Version tested: 1.30

Description: Revo Uninstaller is a combination Windows add/remove replacement, startup manager and hard drive cleaner. It provides the ability to scan uninstalled programs and delete residual files and registry keys, as well as a number of other functions such as unrecoverable deletion for individual files or even entire hard drives.

Although I very seldom am accused of under-rating a program, my review of version 1.10 does not do justice to subsequent releases of this program. The most important difference in this newer version 1.30 is the impressive post-uninstall scans and removal of leftover files, folders and registry entries.

This program is not just an uninstaller but a collection of the utilities/functions outlined in the description packaged a nice glitzy interface. Here are some notes on the different parts of this program:

The Uninstaller:

• Uninstallation: Revo runs the uninstall executables provided with the programs but performs pre and post-uninstallation scans to identify residual files/folders and registry entries. It presents a list of these and prompts the user to manually check elements that the user wants to delete. In more than 90% of cases you will want to delete everything that it finds, however I would recommend that you always look at these just in case and err on the side of caution. For example, when uninstalling the DivX player, Revo identified a handful of files and registry entries that were not related to the player but to the DivX codec itself. What’s really cool is that Revo provides a lot of info on the elements it finds that makes deciding on whether to delete them or not a fairly simple undertaking. Read more »
  

We’re going camping, so no postings for a couple of days. In the meanwhile check out the sitemap for a list of cool freeware apps reviewed on Freewaregenius.

Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.0.1

Description: Weft QDA is a tool for narrative/text analysis that can be used to organize a number ot text sources into something akin to a database structure. It provides the ability to categorize text into thematic segments and provides a powerful search/query functionality for these.

The best way to describe what Weft QDA (short for Qualitative Data Analysis) can do is to illustrate using an example. Imagine that you are writing an article on the differences and similarities between, say, the Democratic candidates for the US presidency, and that the material you are using for this are various transcripts of debates and public appearances that the candidates have made. You can use Weft QDA to outline the different candidate’s positions on different issues, to quickly compare/contrast their stances, and to quickly find sections within the narrative that deal with a certain subject(s).

This is a rough outline of how you might work with Weft QDA to do this:

• First off, you would load all of the different transcripts and texts into your Weft QDA project. These can be .TXT or .PDF files
• After this, you would go create categories that make sense for your analysis. Assuming there are 7 candidates, for example, you would start off by creating a category for the name of each of the candidates. You can also create subcategories (e.g. “Foreign policy” might be a category, and “Iraq”, “Iran”, “Pakistan”, “Russia”, etc. would be subcategories). Creating categories will be an ongoing process that evolves with your analysis.
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 1.0 beta 2

Description: Folder Scout gives instant access to your drives and your frequently used folders and files. It includes a folder search function, the ability to define folder favorites, as well as easy access to recently used folders and documents.

Another day, another application that aims to quickly connect you with your frequently used folders. Folder Scout runs in the background and is accessed via a tray icon. Folder Scout’s user interface features Firefox style tabs on its main screen that are organized around its various functions. Here are some notes on these:

• Searching/finding folders: type in a few letters and in the “find folder” search box and Folder Scout will instantly display matching results. This is a really cool functionality and is surprisingly fast.
• Favorites: define your favorite folders for quick access. You can also add favorites conveniently using the windows explorer context menu.
• Recent folders: will keep track of the history of accessed folders; can be filtered by date (if, say, you only want to look at folders you accessed yesterday).
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Rating: not rated

Version tested: 1.1

Description: Widows Enabler allows the user to enable disabled controls in programs, such as buttons, tick boxes, and menu items. This can be useful in certain situations but could also lead to undesirable consequences, so use Windows Enabler carefully.

This program is very effective at making disabled controls in many programs active (see screenshot). This, to quote the author, is "obviously a very dangerous practice if used recklessly but having said that, you’d be surprised at how often it comes in handy". I haven’t really found practical applications for this (which is why I am not rating it) but I am posting it here simply because it is such an interesting app to say the least.

Here are some notes on this program:
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Rating: 5

Version tested: 180

Description: Itag is a free image tagging and search application that can be used to add titles, descriptions, and common tags to image collections of any size. Metadata applied to images using Itag is strored in the IPTC header of each jpeg and is read by a wide range of popular applications including Picasa, Flickr, IrfanView, XnView, and many others.

With so many images that end up on my hard drive these days I have come to the realization that sorting them into a meticulously maintained folder structure - which I used to do years ago - will probably never happen. No big deal, really, except when it comes to finding those pictures of that camping trip I took 2 years ago, or pictures of the baby when she was first born, or … anything else for that matter.

Itag provides a solution for applying titles, descriptions, and tags to your photo collection. This means that, once tagged, images can be found using a search box or tag cloud and it no longer matters where they are stored within your folder structure. The other obvious advantage, of course, is that images can have multiple tags (e.g. an image of your friend Charlie taken when you went camping together in 2005 can be tagged with “Camping”, “Charlie”, and “2005″, and can be found within a search for any of those terms).

Here are some notes on this program:

• The User Interface: split into 2 main editing and image search sections. All operations are performed on the left hand pane and are fairly simple and self explanatory.
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Rating: 5

Description: Freerangestock.com is a website that provides hi resolution images that can be downloaded and used 100% free of charge; all you have to do is sign up for a free Freerangestock.com account.

Do you want some hi resolution photos to use in your personal or commercial print or internet projects? Would you like to search for and browse photographs in a myriad of topics and categories, all for free? Freerangestock.com provides exactly what you’re looking for. Here’s some info on this site:

• All images are high-quality, high-resolution free stock photos and textures, at least 2400 x 1600 in size.
• You can use their searchbox to find photos in all sorts of subjects.
• Commercial as well as personal use is allowed, such as in”advertising, books, videos, and other commercial presentations”, although they do request to be given credit for the image whenever possible. One exception to this are cases where “photos in products that rely on the photograph as the main selling point”, in which case you need to contact them first . They also do not allow redistribution of their photos.
• Photo submission: if you are a photographer you can submit your photographs to Freerangestock; in return they offer 80% of the Google Adsense revenue that pages with your photographs generate.
  Read more »

Rating: 5

Version tested: beta release 8

Description: Civil Netizen is a P2P file sharing platform that can be used to share large files up to 4 Gigabytes in size privately with friends. It does not host your file or upload it on your server, but allows you to share files straight from your hard drive using your and your friends’ bandwidth for upload and download.

Want to share large files with your friends? While there are dozens of free file sharing/hosting websites that have sprung up all over the place, very few of those allow for the uploading of really large files (e.g. 700 megs+). Civil Netizen, on the other hand, offers a very nice maximum file size of 4 gigs.

How it works: download the Civil Netizen local client from the website, then use it to upload your file. Upon completion you will be prompted to download a “receipt”, which is a file that contains a code that your friends/recipients that will need to be able to download. Any recipient(s) have to download the Civil Netizen client and use the receipt (or code) you provide them in order to download (you can email it to them, IM it, or use whatever means you like). You have to have Civil Netizen running on your internet-connected machine to have file transfer enabled.
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Here are 4 quick freeware utilities that tweak the way you interact with open windows and applications in most Windows environments: Deskpins, Winroll, RadTab, and AllSnap.

Deskpins: this free program resides in the system tray to be used whenever you need to keep any Window or application topmost (i.e. keep it above all other windows) - see screenshot. Rather cool (especially the little red pin icon that you apply to windows); works with Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003 and takes up a mere 4 megs of system memory. [Thanks go to reader Orin for pointing this app to my attention.]

Winroll: this application allows you to roll up a window so that only the title bar is visible, resulting in an effect similar to rolling up a blind. This is done simply by right clicking anywhere on the title bar, and works well (except I noticed it displayed an unwanted context menu whenever I rolled IE 7 windows). In Windows 2000 and above it also applies a transparency effect to Windows using the middle mouse button. Costs less than 1 meg in memory. No info on compatibility with Vista. [Thanks go again to reader Orin for pointing this app to my attention.]
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