2006-10-12
Calctor Mobile requires .NET CF 2.0
I've already received 2 comments from people that try to install Calctor Mobile on their PocketPC or SmartPhone, and they get an error message "This application requires a more recent version of .NET Compact Framework". Calctor Mobile runs on top of .NET Compact Framework 2.0, which you can download here.
2006-10-08
slimKEYS
On my previous post about free tools I use, I got a comment by Martin Plante, who used to work for Xceed, but has started a new company called slimCODE. He told me about this tool he created called slimKEYS, which is a universal hotkey manager, that has a plugin that allows you to quickly launch applications and documents.
So I installed it, modified some of the hotkeys (I like Win+Space for launching apps), and tried out some different stuff. And I must say, I like it a lot more than the already great launcher Colibri. One thing I like about slimKEYS is that it looks and feels like a Windows application. Colibri looks very different, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think slimKEYS integrates better with my environment.
Because it has a plugin system, I think slimKEYS has a bright future. It's probably easier for Martin to extend slimKEYS himself with new functionality, but it also allows for external developers to develop cool plugins. This opportunity creates a developer community that will help push slimKEYS forward.
The most used plugin for me will be slimLAUNCH, for launching applications and documents. You can fully customize what folders slimLAUNCH should watch, and (like any plugin) what hotkey to use. I changed the default Win+Z to Win+Space. One thing slimLAUNCH doesn't do yet that Colibri does, is the ability to quickly launch items from the Control Panel, like 'Add or remove programs'.
The other plugins that are included right now are: slimLAUNCHthis, for launching a specific application or document by pressing a hotkey; slimSIZE, for moving and/or resizing the active window to a specific location and size; and slimVOLUME, for modifying the volume level.
The following plugins are planned: slimSEARCH, for quickly searching on your favorite search engines; slimMESSAGE, for sending windows messages to any window; slimSCRIPT, for executing your own C# or VB.NET code on demand; and slimPASTE, for pasting the content of the clipboard, after stripping formatting or variants.
2006-10-07
Free tools
The Accessories you get with Windows (Notepad, Calculator, Paint) are small and fast, but sometimes you need more functionality. You have to realize that most of them haven't changed much since Windows 95 (or even earlier). So here are some FREE tools I use instead:
- Paint.NET: this .NET application is so much better than the regular Paint. It has layers, effects, anti-aliasing, ...
- Programmer's Notepad: has all the features I need, and is still very fast. Great for programmers (syntax highlighting, code folding) or anyone else.
- slimKEYS: this application is a <quote>Universal Hotkey Manager</quote> that allows you to assign hotkeys to simple tasks. It has a plugin-system, and it comes with some nice plugins, including slimLAUNCH, which allows you to quickly launch applications and documents.
- Colibri:
this application allows you to launch applications a lot faster and easier than via the Start-menu. The only thing I modified was the hot key to launch Colibri. The default Ctrl+Space I use in Visual Studio, for auto-completion, so I changed it to Win+Space.(I replaced Colibri with slimKEYS, but left the description here) - Calctor: this is a calculator I developed myself. It looks very different from traditional calculators. You don't have to press buttons, but you get a text editor interface. Just start typing and Calctor will evaluate your input immediately. I've even developed a mobile version for Windows Mobile devices.
- Screen Capture: another tool I developed myself. It allows you to capture the screen, a part of the screen, or a window, and copy it to the clipboard, or immediately save it to a file.
C9Park: McCoffeehouse
Jamie has produced another masterpiece. It must have taken a lot of time and effort to create. I think C9Park really catches the spirit of the Channel 9 community. Good one, Jamie. PS: I'm in it!
2006-10-01
The power of Windows Live Writer
My previous post was about the technical side of Windows Live Writer. This post is about what Windows Live Writer means to me. I downloaded the first beta version, just to try it out, to see what all the fuss was about, not really expecting anything spectacular. And it wasn't very spectacular at first.
But after using it for a while, I've noticed that it makes blogging a lot easier and more fun. No more logging into Blogger, no more typing in a crappy little editor. No more navigating a web site, clicking links, waiting, previewing slowly. The Web Layout mode is awesome. Even managing multiple blogs is easy, switching between them is fast, and if you use different styles, the Web Layout mode makes it very obvious what blog you are posting for.
This application shows that Windows applications will not be replaced by Web applications very soon. On the contrary, this is a Windows application that replaces a Web application. The Web application is not going away, because it's still the most accessible way of blogging when you're not at home. But at home, I'm only logging into Blogger when I need to update the template, or change the options.
Windows Live Writer has encouraged me to blog more often.
Windows Live Writer beta
I just installed the latest version of the Windows Live Writer beta. The first thing you notice is that it starts up a lot faster than the previous version. This speedup was very necessary. Something else I immediately found useful was the function to Insert Tags. I've always added Technorati tags to my posts, but doing this manually is not really fun. The Insert Tags function automatically generates the tags and links. It even remembers the tags you've used before, and if you start typing a tag you've used before, it gives you some Intellisense, and autocompletes the tag for you.
Visual Studio Orcas September CTP
Microsoft has released the September CTP of Visual Studio Orcas, and what I think is fascinating, is the way they deploy it. You don't get an installer, but a Virtual PC image. This means you don't risk losing data or ruining your current configuration. You just download the image, and run it. No need to install anything. Except Virtual PC of course. Once.
