Topic: Software you can't live without!

Library Technology Exchange Forum
02/17/2004
Host: Michelle Paolillo

• Top Secret (presented by Michael Cook) http://www.clicklite.com/TopSecret/TopSecret.html
  This is shareware for the PDA. It keeps sensitive data (passwords, credit card numbers, etc.) safely in an encrypted database. You only need to memorize one password, which is the password to Top Secret. There is a 7-day free trial after which the software costs approximately $20.00.

• VNC (presented by Tony Cosgrave) http://www.realvnc.com/
  Full name is Virtual Network Computing. This free software allows you to access your PC from PC's in other locations. Tony uses this to gain access to his work PC while working the reference desk at Olin and Uris. All he did was install the server on his PC and the viewer on any other machines he wants to gain access from. VNC encrypts the password, but not the data being passed back and forth. The VNC websites recommends using IP tunneling.

• virtuaWin (presented by Joshua Santelli) http://virtuawin.sourceforge.net/
  This freeware allows you to have up to 9 desktops on your Windows machine. This makes it easy to find a clean desktop when you need one. Key combos are used to access the various desktops. Joshua uses one desktop for his e-mail, another for his calendar, and so on.

• OCS Inventory (presented by Philip Halcomb) http://ocsinventory.sourceforge.net/
  Free software and network configuration inventory utility. Philip was unable to present and will instead send an e-mail to the LTEF listserv with instructions and information.

• Macro Express (presented by Nancy Solla) http://www.macroexpress.com/
  Technical Services could not live without this for-fee software! It automates keystrokes, which is helpful for the repetitive work that Technical Services does. The switch to Voyager is what prompted the need for Macro Express. When a Voyager update goes in, quite often the macros need to be updated as well. This is handled by a committee.

• DbVisualizer (presented by John Fereira) http://www.dbvis.com/products/dbvis/
  This is an inexpensive (< $100.00) database management/query/reporting tool. John needs to be able to connect to multiple databases on multiple servers. By using this tool he does not need to login to each server. You can view the database structure graphically, look at the data elements in the tables, do a query, modify fields, delete entries, etc. You can also export the data in multiple formats, including html, xml, and comma-delimited.

• Starter (presented by Donna Callais) http://members.lycos.co.uk/codestuff/
  This free software will find everything that is in the startup menu/registry. You are then allowed to disable it. It also shows all of the processes that are running. This is more sophisticated than Startup Control Panel (below).

• Startup Control Panel (presented by Donna Callais) http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml
  This free software will find everything that is in startup and what profile it is in. It also shows what's running in the registry keys. This is less sophisticated than Starter (above).

• SetBrowser (presented by Donna Callais) http://www.pc-tools.net/win32/freeware/setbrowser/
  Sets default browser in Windows. No more looking around to try to find out how to do this! This freeware is a standalone executable, so there is no installation.

• Irfanview (presented by Donna Callais) http://www.irfanview.com/
  Free Graphic viewer/converter for Windows! If you can't afford PhotoShop or don't need it's level of sophistication, this is the tool for you. It can handle just about any format out there. One key feature is batch conversion and renaming. You can also enhance the colors, add effects, do a slideshow, etc. Only downside is that you can only work on one image at a time.

• SpywareGuard (presented by Donna Callais) http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html
  This freeware blocks spyware and browser hijacking software before it's installed (unlike AdWare and SpyBot). It has a live update feature, but you cannot schedule it. This program does not stop cookies. This software works with Internet Explorer only.

• SpywareBlaster (presented by Donna Callais) http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html
  SpywareBlaster adds another layer of protection to SpywareGuard (above). SpywareBlaster provides the exclusive System Snapshot whereby you can take a snapshot of your computer in its clean state, and use System Snapshot later to revert many changes made by spyware and browser hijackers. This software works with Internet Explorer only.

• Print Key 2000 (presented by Michael Friedman) http://www.geocities.com/~gigaman/ (Paid Version)
  http://www.warecentral.com/ (description of paid version)
  http://www.webtree.ca/newlife/printkey_info.htm (Free Version)
  http://www.library.cornell.edu/ltef/past/20040217_extra.htm (for early CUL history related to this now-old software)
  This is a screen and object capture utility. It is great for creating manuals, handouts, presentations, and for troubleshooting.