Last week, my colleague Jason Parker brought you a roundup of excellent Notepad replacements. There are more of them out there than I'd like to contemplate, but Tiny Pad is one that offers some features I haven't seen from others.
Tiny Pad supports a good list of hot keys.
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)This freeware boasts a hot corners feature that's turned on by default, so if the program's running but is not the top window, moving your mouse to either the top-left or top-right corner will bring Tiny Pad to the front. This is a little thing, but extremely useful given the nature of what the Notepad is supposed to be: namely, a quick-access dumping ground for thoughts and, well, notes.
Also impressively, Tiny Pad will autosave your notes, and comes with an archiving feature. You can still save notes separately to your hard drive, but the archive lets you keep them all in Tiny Pad--just out of sight. I like the concept behind this, making the notes attached to the program, although I couldn't find a way to access an archived note outside of Tiny Pad.
Other features in Tiny Pad that many Notepad replacements have include tabs for writing multiple notes simultaneously, dedicated writing tools such as underline, strikethrough, and an Insert Date feature, and a good list of 10 hot keys to keep your hands on the keyboard--where they belong, right?
Tiny Pad lacks hooks into Windows's default Notepad, and isn't as robust as some of the Notepad replacements designed for programmers. This is more of a Notepad replacement for writers or casual users; if you want coding tricks, NoteTab Light or Notepad ++ are good places to start. The toolbar can be hidden, a nice plus that somewhat makes up for the Mac theme on this Windows program.
Annoyingly, the installer comes as a ZIP, which adds an extraction step that this program shouldn't have. The installer package itself clocks in at around 4MB, but used a surprisingly large amount of RAM--nearly 30MB when running with two tabs. This didn't affect the program's performance, but was larger than expected given the program's name. Size isn't everything, though, and Tiny Pad's features make it an appealing alternative worth checking out.
This slimmed-down file manager trumps Windows Explorer on many counts, but it may have too much flexibility for some users.
Xplorer2 Lite's interface is easily adapted to your preferences. Toolbars and information windows can be moved on a whim. You can browse two or more folders in one window, using program tabs and different panes. What's more, you can customize search windows and save the settings for later use. Visual filters improve crowded directory readability. You can easily rename multiple files at once, split or merge files, synchronize folders, and shred data to prevent recovery. However, Check Duplicates and Compare Subfolders functions are restricted to the paid version.
An enhanced DOS command line allows you to create scripts to process file batches, a nice touch for more advanced users. The online help is detailed, the tool tips are mini manuals, and the Tip of the Day feature gives even more helpful information. The learning curve is exceedingly gentle. Almost everyone should find this file manager a great improvement over their current tool: Xplorer2 Lite will even make novices feel like power users.
Notepad++ is a Notepad replacement with an eye toward programmers, although it should also appeal to the casual user who wants a cross between Notepad and WordPad. Notepad++ has some noticeable differences from WordPad. Support for tabs is key, letting users manage different documents simultaneously. Line numbering is important, too, a feature that nobody mucking about in C should be without.
The interface is much simpler compared with some of its competitors. A familiar row of icons with their mouse-over labels sits at the top, and one row of tabs is just below that. The rest of the screen is made of nothing but pure white space. All the coding tools live in the menu bar, with some represented on the toolbar. Users can compile and run macros, convert text to Hex, submit directly to W3C for validation, launch in Firefox and Internet Explorer, and more. There's also a built-in spell-checker.
Notably, Notepad++ can not auto-replace Notepad, but it's still an excellent Notepad replacement.
Security Process Explorer is a freeware replacement for the Windows native Task Manager. It comes with some useful functions, but the simplistic layout doesn't adapt well when displaying deeper investigations into the relationships between different processes. Still, it's worth looking at.
It offers many of the same functions that other process-managing programs offer. You can explore the connections between different processes, block processes, end them, and view in-depth information about a particular process. You can even search on the Web for a particular process, but unlike other programs, Security Process Explorer takes you to a proprietary page to learn more.
It's stable, it only eats about 4MB of RAM, and beginning users will appreciate that the information clutter isn't overwhelming. Still, the program feels unfinished, as if an interface that veered toward either slickness or geekiness might serve it better. There's no doubt, though, that you can get what you need from this useful app.
Power Downloader and I have talked about how useful RocketDock can be, and it is still is. But another excellent program dock to check out is ObjectDock, from Stardock. Besides providing a skinable and extensively customizable Mac-style dock, the free ObjectDock lets users replace the Windows taskbar completely.
ObjectDock can replace the Windows taskbar, and includes a Start menu link.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Colorful and animated, ObjectDock is so customizable it's impressive. Not only can you choose your own icons to represent programs and documents, set the dock size and location, and configure icon behavior, but you can also set the dock to run faster and take up more RAM, or sacrifice the gloss for other programs.
In replacing the Windows taskbar, users can insert a Start menu button that launches the menu right from the dock, as well as inserting a clock icon using the built-in docklets. Other docklets include prebuilt links to your default Web browser, document editor, music player, e-mail client, and other application essentials. The only docklet I found lacking was one for the task manager, but that's easy enough to create by hand.
The simplest way I found to add a program to the dock was to send a shortcut for a program to the desktop, and then drag-and-drop directly onto the dock. Once added, it was easy to configure the specific icon for the application via the context menu and dock entry properties.
Users also have two choices as to how to indicate that a program is in use. You can have open programs appear minimized on the dock, or have an indicator hover over the dock icon. A huge mess of options makes the 30 included dock skins go a long way, from adjusting the transparency to importing icon and dock themes.
When hiding the Windows taskbar, ObjectDock still lacks an adequate replacement for showing programs that live in the system tray. If you're otherwise dissatisfied with the Windows taskbar, though, or just want to spice up your desktop, ObjectDock is a cool port to call home.
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CNET Networks)
As you may know, I use both Mac and Windows PCs at work and write software reviews for both. In my experience, each platform has its strengths and weaknesses, but both can be extremely powerful if you have the right software. To me, it's not about picking which platform is the best, it's about finding the software you need to get the job done.
One of the great additions to the Mac OS in recent iterations is the visual program and document management system called Expose. On a Windows machine, you probably switch apps by using the trusty Alt-Tab key combination and Mac users have this option too (Command-Tab). But with Expose, you have the ability to switch between apps and documents by hitting the F9, F10, and F11 keys to display them in different ways. The F9 key quickly spreads all open apps out on your screen so you can click which one you want to work on. F10 fans out all open windows in the current program so you can get to your chosen document. F11 is used when you want to push all of your apps out of the way to get to something on the desktop.
As a Windows user, you might be perfectly happy with your Alt-Tab setup, and Windows Vista users can now use Window-Tab to quickly flip through apps. But I've found some programs that offer similar functionality to Expose or add other options for finding the apps you want. These programs offer a few different methods for displaying open apps and documents, and I think you'll find they complement or replace Windows XP's Alt-Tab system and Vista's app switching feature very nicely.
Instead of just icons, this app lets you see screenshots of the program with Alt-Tab.
(Credit: CNET Networks)TaskSwitchXP Pro is an XP only app that enhances the Alt-Tab functionality so you can see the programs you have running. This one is not on par with the Expose method of displaying open apps, but it does add a way to visually see the programs currently running on your computer. There are a number of options for changing things like fonts and certain display attributes, but they don't change the end result significantly. What you get is a step-up from the regular Alt-Tab with a visual way to see which program to switch to.
This one is sleek and smooth, but you'll need the RAM and processor power to use it.
(Credit: CNET Networks)DExposE2 works on both XP and Vista and is probably the closest to Expose on the Mac, giving you control over your apps using the F9, F10, and F11 keys. Just like Expose, you'll be able to minimize your apps to fit on the screen so you can pick the program you want to use. You also get the option to set up other hot keys or move your mouse to the corner of the screen to activate. It offers three levels of graphical quality for the minimized windows, so choose lower quality options if you're low on RAM. I experienced a crash with this app, but most users seem to rave about how well it works. It might just be me.
The zooming feature for Admiral along with extra program functions make it tough to beat.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Admiral also works on both XP and Vista and offers multiple-app minimization like Expose through hotkeys or hot corners just like DExposE2. This one might offer the smoothest transition to displaying your apps on the desktop and mousing over each app zooms it in closer so you can make sure you have what you're looking for. But Admiral also offers a process manager that lets you shut down frozen apps and processes; a quick-launch window that lets you open programs by typing in a few letters; and several other features for program management. Registration is $7.99, but you'll be able to use all the program's features during the trial.
If you're not happy with Windows XP's default Alt-Tab functionality or Vista's method to flip through apps, check out one of these programs. If you have a better app for seeing all your programs, let us know in the comments!
There are several good freeware file-browsing alternatives out there. In the past, we've written about both free and shareware alternatives such as 2xExplorer Z1, Xplorer2 Lite, and others. However, none of them come close to the voluminous feature set of UltraExplorer.
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While most Notepad replacements expand on features, very few rebuild the concept of a lightweight text editor. Quicknote introduces an entirely unusual interface and features that don't exist in its cousins, importing the traditional concept of notes--as a mix of text and doodles--but in a decidedly unpolished package.
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Loved for its simplicity, Notepad has long been a staple for serious coders. Fast to load and possessing a tiny footprint, it's a great way to handle chunks of text large or small. Beyond word wrapping, though, it's bereft of many basic and useful features. There are easily a dozen decent freeware applications vying to replace it. Here are three of them: NoteTab Light, Notepad ++, AkelPad.
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It's hard to like the Windows Task Manager. It's clunky, makes drilling into computer's processes nigh impossible, and offers little help into what's going on. Like most native Windows tasks, though, there are freeware replacements available. Today we're looking at three of them: Process Explorer, Security Process Explorer, and Process Manager 2 Lite, all of which have recently received updates.
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