Tweet
What the title says. I've stumbled upon a couple of pretty handy apps lately. I figured I'd share them and see if any of you have any apps I've been missing out on as well. The app names are links.
Launchy
Stumbled upon this one after growing frustrated with Windows 7's start menu search. It lets you index files, folders, and programs for searching - but unlike the start menu search, it gives you total control over what file types (if any) to index and how many subfolder levels to search for each folder. For example, I told it to index all the folders in my D:\ partition without indexing the files themselves. It's better at finding stuff than Windows (e.g. it'll find GoogleChromePortable.exe by searching for "chrome", whereas Windows won't because it's not a separate word.) It even lets you pass command line arguments to the programs you launch. It's free, open source, portable, and cross-platform. I use it to open folders really quick and launch all my programs, including portable ones like emulators.
Dropbox
Odds are all of you use Dropbox already, but if there's someone out there that doesn't, you really should. Dropbox lets you sync files on multiple computers/smartphones or access them from anywhere through their web site. It creates a special folder in your computer - any files you put there or changes you make to the folder automatically get uploaded to their server and distributed to the other PCs. You can also create shared folders, which work the same way but let you give other people access to the folder. Great for collaborative work or just sharing files easily. Another neat feature is its Public folder - you can get a URL for any file you put there to share it easily. You can even host web pages this way. Dropbox is cross-platform and available for mobiles.
You start out with 2 GB free, but get an extra 250 MB if you sync two computers with it, and another 250 MB for following a few steps on their site. You also get 250 MB free if you get referred by anyone, and referring other people scores you extra space too. That said, I haven't reached my 8 GB cap yet, so here's my referral link: http://db.tt/akBTsVs
Dropboxifier
One of the limitations to Dropbox is that you have to move the files you want to sync into your Dropbox folder. Dropboxifier lets you sync other folders without moving them. Pretty handy.
Minus
I just stumbled upon this one. Minus is a file sharing/cloud backup site that gives you 10 GB free and 1 GB for each person you refer. Basically a bigger Dropbox without the sync aspect. I originally stumbled upon it because I wanted a quicker way to upload and share pony pictures 'cuz Photobucket was too tedious. Minus supports drag-and-drop straight onto their site, but the real gem is their desktop app - lets you drag and drop files straight into the system tray. You can share any kind of file, so it's pretty convenient.
Needless to say, here's my referral link: You're invited to join Minus!
VirtuaWin
If you've ever played around on Ubuntu or similar Linux OS's, there's a good chance you fell in love with having multiple virtual desktops. VirtuaWin lets you have the same thing on Windows. It has a portable version.
Link Shell Extension
Link Shell Extension lets you easily create Hard Links for files and Symbolic Links (symlinks) for files or folders in Windows Explorer with the right-click menu. This is another Linux feature that Windows users generally miss out on. SymLinks are how Dropboxifier syncs outside folders with Dropbox. Creating a Symbolic Link to a folder is like creating a shortcut to it, except all programs treat it like the original folder. This basically lets you have the folder at two locations at once without duplicating the data. A symbolic link to a file does the same thing - the file will appear in two (or more) locations. Hard linking a file does the same thing except the link won't be broken if you move the original - but both copies must exist within the same volume, whereas symlinks can span partitions or hard drives but WILL break if the original moves. I like to use it when organizing my images. E.g. When I have a Pokemon wallpaper I can have it show up in both my Pokemon picture folder and my wallpapers folder. It's also handy for sync'ing individual files on Dropbox (Dropboxifier only works for folders.) Put the file in your Dropbox and create a link at its original location and you're good to go.
I've got a couple more but this is kind of time-consuming! I'll post 'em later.
Launchy
Stumbled upon this one after growing frustrated with Windows 7's start menu search. It lets you index files, folders, and programs for searching - but unlike the start menu search, it gives you total control over what file types (if any) to index and how many subfolder levels to search for each folder. For example, I told it to index all the folders in my D:\ partition without indexing the files themselves. It's better at finding stuff than Windows (e.g. it'll find GoogleChromePortable.exe by searching for "chrome", whereas Windows won't because it's not a separate word.) It even lets you pass command line arguments to the programs you launch. It's free, open source, portable, and cross-platform. I use it to open folders really quick and launch all my programs, including portable ones like emulators.
Dropbox
Odds are all of you use Dropbox already, but if there's someone out there that doesn't, you really should. Dropbox lets you sync files on multiple computers/smartphones or access them from anywhere through their web site. It creates a special folder in your computer - any files you put there or changes you make to the folder automatically get uploaded to their server and distributed to the other PCs. You can also create shared folders, which work the same way but let you give other people access to the folder. Great for collaborative work or just sharing files easily. Another neat feature is its Public folder - you can get a URL for any file you put there to share it easily. You can even host web pages this way. Dropbox is cross-platform and available for mobiles.
You start out with 2 GB free, but get an extra 250 MB if you sync two computers with it, and another 250 MB for following a few steps on their site. You also get 250 MB free if you get referred by anyone, and referring other people scores you extra space too. That said, I haven't reached my 8 GB cap yet, so here's my referral link: http://db.tt/akBTsVs
Dropboxifier
One of the limitations to Dropbox is that you have to move the files you want to sync into your Dropbox folder. Dropboxifier lets you sync other folders without moving them. Pretty handy.
Minus
I just stumbled upon this one. Minus is a file sharing/cloud backup site that gives you 10 GB free and 1 GB for each person you refer. Basically a bigger Dropbox without the sync aspect. I originally stumbled upon it because I wanted a quicker way to upload and share pony pictures 'cuz Photobucket was too tedious. Minus supports drag-and-drop straight onto their site, but the real gem is their desktop app - lets you drag and drop files straight into the system tray. You can share any kind of file, so it's pretty convenient.
Needless to say, here's my referral link: You're invited to join Minus!
VirtuaWin
If you've ever played around on Ubuntu or similar Linux OS's, there's a good chance you fell in love with having multiple virtual desktops. VirtuaWin lets you have the same thing on Windows. It has a portable version.
Link Shell Extension
Link Shell Extension lets you easily create Hard Links for files and Symbolic Links (symlinks) for files or folders in Windows Explorer with the right-click menu. This is another Linux feature that Windows users generally miss out on. SymLinks are how Dropboxifier syncs outside folders with Dropbox. Creating a Symbolic Link to a folder is like creating a shortcut to it, except all programs treat it like the original folder. This basically lets you have the folder at two locations at once without duplicating the data. A symbolic link to a file does the same thing - the file will appear in two (or more) locations. Hard linking a file does the same thing except the link won't be broken if you move the original - but both copies must exist within the same volume, whereas symlinks can span partitions or hard drives but WILL break if the original moves. I like to use it when organizing my images. E.g. When I have a Pokemon wallpaper I can have it show up in both my Pokemon picture folder and my wallpapers folder. It's also handy for sync'ing individual files on Dropbox (Dropboxifier only works for folders.) Put the file in your Dropbox and create a link at its original location and you're good to go.
I've got a couple more but this is kind of time-consuming! I'll post 'em later.
