While configuring my new computer I was struck by how much free software I use for my day-to-day tasks. Over the next few issues I'll tell you about my favorites and where you can find them for yourself.
First up are two software freebies that I use for file management tasks. Both are patterned after programs that Symantec has put out under the Norton name in the past.
PowerDesk 4 from OnTrack software is a full replacement for Windows Explorer. If you used the Norton Desktop under Windows 3.1 you'll feel right at home with PowerDesk. Basically it's Explorer on steroids. A few of the features you'll find are:
- Zip Files that act like folders making it easy to work with
their contents.
- Compare two directories and it'll flag the files that are the
same in each folder or that are unique to each folder.
- Print file or directory lists.
- Use custom filters to view just the files you want to see.
- Enhanced File Finder utility.
PowerDesk is easy to use and very powerful. Download PowerDesk 4
for free at:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/314/tr.cgi?freeb1
The second freebie is one I've used for several years, Midnight Commander, a clone of the old Norton Commander program. Midnight Commander is DOS-based but it does recognize long file names. After setting up my favorite directories in the hot list (Ctrl-\) I can quickly move around, view, and edit files. Copying whole directory structures is a piece of cake, but perhaps the biggest benefit to Midnight Commander is its ubiquity. I use it on every system platform I work on: Windows (in several flavors), Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD. If you are more at home with a keyboard than a mouse, Midnight Commander will be a welcome addition to your toolkit.
Midnight Commander is free software released under the GNU General Public License. Find Midnight Commander at:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/314/tr.cgi?freeb2
