useful shareware / freeware for technical communicators

Useful Shareware / Freeware for Technical Communicators

Ed MarshallPMC Conference 2007

Copyright 2006

Agenda

• Keeping your computer safe with shareware tools

• Tools to “Let the computer do the working”• Advanced utilities• Top 10 Work Flow Tips• Sources of information about shareware• Q & A

Keeping Your Computer SafePotential bad guys:• Firewalls• Spyware• Spam• Anti-virus• Keyloggers• Ad-ware• Phishing• Extortionware

Recommended Tool Suite• Windows Update! = $0• ZoneAlarm firewall – www.zonelabs.com = $0 • AVG Anti-Virus – www.grisoft.com, 1-license for

2 years = $39• Webroot SpySweeper – www.webroot.com, 1

year subscription = $30• Microsoft Windows Defender –

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/default.mspx Beta 2 = $0

• Total Cost = $69!

Securing Wireless Networks

١. Log into your router.٢. Use encryption: WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected

Access) is best. (Usually, seen as WPA-PSK (pre-shared key).

٣. Change your computer’s settings to use the encryption set in step 2.

For detailed instructions, go to www.komando.com and search for “wireless security”.

Tools to “Let the Computer Do the Working”

• File / folder differencing• Advanced text editors• Search and replace tools

Advanced Text EditorsNoteTabPro and EditPadPro:

• Both tools have: Spell-checking. Big plus if you work in a mixed OS environment: Neither tool inserts Windows-style line feedcharacters in Unix files.

• NoteTabPro has an auto-complete option for html tags and other languages. Light ($5) and Standard ($20) versions available.

www.notetab.com $30, Lots of other tools here.

• EditPadPro has color-coding for custom html tagswww.jgsoft.com $50. 30-day free trial, free Lite version available.

JG Soft has other tools too such as a PowerGrep tool, Registry editor, and others.

Search and Replace Tool

Funduc: Will search & replace both folders and zip files. Will also search & replace ASCII and binary files. Some cautions about using it with binary files but my initial tests with Word .DOC files worked fine.

www.funduc.com $25

Lots of other tools here also.

File / Folder Level Comparison (Differencing Tools)

• Beyond Compare - Folder and file level comparisons, ASCII and binary. Can detect that ASCII or binary files are different but can only show the differences in ASCII files, not binary files. Highlights the specific characters different between 2 ASCII files. Gives a 30-day free fully-functional trial.

http://www.scootersoftware.com/

Retail price: $30

• Araxis Merge - Folder and file level comparisons, ASCII and binary

http://www.araxis.com/merge/index.html

Retail price: $129

Desktop Search Utility

Copernic Desktop Search – Searches files, e-mails, videos, pictures, etc.

Works in background to index continuously

(www.copernic.com) Cost = $0

Advanced Maintenance Utilities

• Registry cleaner: Registry Mechanic (www.pctools.com) $30

• Disk defragmenter: Ashampoo Magic Defrag (www.ashampoo.com) $29

Backup Utilities• Acronis True Image: (www.acronis.com) $50• CD burning utilities:

Ashampoo CD Burning Suite: (www.ashamoo.com) $13

Roxio Easy Media Creator: (www.roxio.com) $99

Nero Burning ROM (www.nero.com) $80

Top 10 Work Flow Tips

10. Analyze your documentation set to determine a logical directory / tree structure.

9. If you are moving to a new file management system or just starting to work with one, set up a “sandbox” where you can learn how to use it without risking losing files.

8. Map an area on your machine where files are stored when they come out of your file management system and where you put them when you are ready to put them back in.

Top 10 Work Flow Tips (2 of 4)

7. Never work on files in the area you specified in #8. Sooner or later, you will overwrite your changed files or discard your changes. (Think of clicking OK to a “format C” question.)

6. Trust the tools but be wary of yourself. Always check to ensure that you are putting the files you want to store back into the file management system. Get in the habit of comparing your files to be put back against the current versions of files in the file management system. Make sure you’ve copied your revised files into the “checkin-checkout” directory, and aren’t just checking in the same files you checked out.

5. Beware of accidentally permanently deleting files in a file management system. Most tools offer a delete / destroy option. Delete removes the file from your view but keeps all the history and changes. Destroy erases all record of the file and its changes. Note that different systems might use different names for these functions.

Top 10 Work Flow Tips (3 of 4)

4. At important milestones of a project, create groups, labels, etc. to record which versions of the files belong to a field test version or final release of a version.

3. Learn how your tool works, how it handles different types of files, and any particular strengths / weaknesses of the tool. For example, how reliable is it over dial-up / working from home? Does it provide single-user locking by default or is that an option?

2. If your tool supports third-party products such as differencing tools / advanced text editors, consider adding them to your workflow to increase your productivity and safety net.

Top 10 Work Flow Tips (4 of 4)

1. Back up early and often, especially before doing something complicated that might prove disastrous if it turns out wrong (rewrites that involve deleting large amounts of “old” text, reformatting, upgrading to the next version of an authoring tool, etc).

Recommended Listservers / Newsletters

• Kim Komando – www.Komando.com• Fred Langa’s LangaList –

www.langalist.com• Brian Livingston –

www.WindowsSecrets.com• Tourbus – www.InternetTourbus.com• Infopackets – www.infopackets.com• Shareware Report –

www.myspace.com/sharewarereport

Other Sources of Information

• Professional Magazines: PC World, Consumer Reports, SC Magazine

• Spyware Guide - http://www.spywareguide.com/index.php

• PC Tools – www.pctools.com• CNet - http://reviews.cnet.com/Software

Summary

Q & A

Additional questions, contact me at:

Ed.marshall@verizon.net

978-339-3095