File Manager - FreeCommander XE 730 beta

When I do a fresh install of windows, there a few utilities that are on my "gotta have" list and I install right away.

FreeCommander is one of them!

I could give you a long list of reasons why I chose FreeCommander as my file manager of choice. The website has a long list of features, but I'll give you my top 5. You can explore more of the features after you download it.

1. Multi-view display
You can have single or dual windows and multiple tabs for each window. Each tab representing a folder. Quick visual access to multiple folders is what power users are looking for.

2. Customizable
With a bit of time spent, you can alter so much of the display and behavior of the program. Add your own shorcuts to programs and take advantage of parameters that FreeCommander can pass on to those programs. Very powerful option indeed!  My newest configuration is shown below.

3. Expandable
Through the use of totalcommander plugins and support for 3rd party programs, you can use FC XE to act as a smart program launcher or perform file management options that would typically require an additional program to use.

4. Current
Marek, the author of FreeCommander has been diligently doing updates. The forum is active and has users ready to help new people take full advantage of this great software. That being said, the author does listen to requests and adds features with each new release.

5. Free
That's right. FREE. But donating to the author provides with you the latest donor version which includes the latest enhancements and bug fixes.

Quick Summary

the default explorer file manager that comes with windows is fine for basic functions. But for power users, the need to have multiple windows, multiple tabs becomes something that can save you LOTS of time. Though there are other freeware file managers out there, nothing has catered to my needs as well as FreeCommander. So go download it (portable version available) and try it out for yourself. I will be posting some "how to" for using this file manager in the near future!

Zoner 16 Free Edition

	Zoner has done some welcome interface improvements in the latest release of their image management software.
Now instead of tabs to access your favourites, folders, and catalogues; everything is accessible in a panel that can easily be toggled. This makes the workflow more intuitive, and you can easily maximize your browsing workspace.
	The split browser views in the pro version are now in the free version as well. It’s a nice feature to compare images in different folders.
The preview panel is gone, and now there’s a ‘preview mode’ instead. This shows the selected image and has a ribbon of images underneath. Took some getting used, to but i like it. There’s also a mapping option that will allow you to geotag images.	Toggling folders in the browser is a nice touch also. (This is not the same as a flatview, but simply hides the subfolders in the current directory)
	Out of all the FREE image managers out there, Zoner is by far the slickest looking. BUT.. There are still some features that are missing, and can be found in other freeware image managers.
MY WANT LIST FOR NEXT RELEASE:
1. FLAT VIEW. This is great for seeing multiple subfolders (xnview has had this option for a long time)
2. PLUGIN SUPPORT. There’s no way to launch photoshop plugins! I have a wealth of great free plugins, and Xnview scores again by offering the option to use them. Zoner supports photoshop plugins, but only in the PRO version.
3. TAGGING! Fastone Viewer and Xnview offer tagging checkboxes for images. it’s nice when i don’t want to use ratings for image selection.
4. CUSTOM RENAMING. Allow to rename files on import based on tags or values. (this feature is missing in the free and pro versions). I generally like to add the date to the filename of whatever photo i take. Even if my camera numbers reset, it makes every photo filename unique.
So is it worth the install? YES. still a great image browser, with some great features built in: panoramic stitching quick effects web galleries batch image upload feature to online services like facebook, flickr, and picassa	VIEW DOWNLOAD PAGE

The Road Ahead Was a Ribbon of Moonlight

A paraphrased title for today's blog entry dedicated to my elementary grade English teacher Mrs Little. She loved poetry, and she gave me a very very long lecture when I had expressed otherwise. Any ideas of where this phrase comes from?

Like Mrs Little had taught me, there's truth in poetry, it's not just about fanciful stories and ways to woo women. And the truth about the road ahead deals with a ribbon!

Windows 7, the predecessor to windows Vista, has been in development for some time. Expected to be released between the summer of 2009, and first quarter of 2010. It's a Vista that's been refined. Now I could go on about all the features and enhancements that are expected with it, but this is a graphics blog, so today I'll give you an update on MS Paint! Yes, MS Paint, which has been part of windows since version 1 is seeing a makeover in windows 7.

Paint in Windows V1

Paint in windows 95

Paint in windows 7

Notice anything? Yes, MS Paint in windows 7 has now adopted the "ribbon" interface. This interface will show up on other applications too. Like Wordpad. The point is to show you, the current users of AutoCAD and Office, that the ribbon is here to stay. Office 2007 users have less choice of what to do with the Ribbon, yes there are third party utilities to bring back the old menu system. Autodesk was more lenient about what AutoCAD users do. You can disable the ribbon interface completely in AutoCAD 2009, but to help yourself with future upgrades of AutoCAD, learn to work with it now! You will be seeing the ribbon interface showing up in more and more programs on the road ahead. (Ooh, see how that ties into the title!?)