Software Inventory of my Windows Machine

As I will be leaving my computer soon, I have decided to make a quick list of useful applications currently installed:

Category	Name	Description
Database	Aqua Data Studio	Database Query Tool
Database	JaySQL	JDBC Database Tool
Database	Toad	Oracle Database Tool
Dev	Ant	Build Tool
Dev	Axis 1.4	Web Services Engine
Dev	Axis 2	Web Services Engine
Dev	Chainsaw	Log Viewer
Dev	Cobertura	Code Coverage Tool
Dev	Eclipse	IDE
Dev	Groovy	Programming Language
Dev	GWT	Google Web Toolkit
Dev	HermesJMS	JMS Browser
Dev	HSQLDB	Java Database Engine
Dev	JAD	Java Decompiler
Dev	Java	Programming Language
Dev	Maven	Project Build Tool
Dev	Perl	Programming Language
Dev	PuTTy	SSH Client
Dev	Python 2.6	Programming Language
Dev	SciTE	Source Code Editor
Dev	soapUI	Web Service Caller
Dev	SQLite	SQL database engine
Dev	Tomcat	Servlet Engine
Dev	TortoiseCVS	CVS Client
Dev	WinMerge	Differencing and Merging Tool
Dev	xmlbeans-2.4.0	XML to Java type binding
Editor	Altova XML Spy	XML Editor
Editor	Emacs 22.3	Text Editor
Editor	TextPad 4	Text Editor
Performance	CachemanXP	Windows Tuneup Utility
Performance	CCleaner	PC Cleaner
Performance	Defraggler	Disk Defragmenter
Performance	HijackThis	System Scanner
Productivity	Alt-Tab Task Switcher	MS Powertoys
Productivity	Calculator Powertoy	MS Powertoys
Productivity	ClipX	Clipboard History Manager
Productivity	CmdHere Powertoy	MS Powertoys
Productivity	LClock	Clock
Productivity	Password Safe	Password Manager
Productivity	ProcessExplorer	Task Manager
Productivity	PsTools	Windows Tools
Productivity	SlickRun	Quick Application Launcher
Productivity	Taskix	Reorder taskbar items
Productivity	Tweak UI	MS Powertoys
Productivity	UnxUtils	GNU Utilities for Windows
Productivity	xplorer² lite	Windows File Manager
Utilities	Convert Image To PDF	PDF Converter
Utilities	doPDF 7	PDF Converter
Utilities	Foxit	PDF Reader
Utilities	WinRAR	Archive Manager
Utilities	xmltidy	TextPad addon
Web	Mozilla Firefox	Web Browser
Web	Pidgin	Instant Messenger

And, ofcourse, browsing wouldn't be the same without my Firefox addons:

Firefox Addons
Adblock Plus
All-in-One Sidebar
British English Dictionary
Cache Status
Colorful Tabs
Delicious Bookmarks
Download Statusbar
DownThemAll!
dragdropupload
FaviconizeTab
Firebug
Fission
Flashblock
Forecastfox
FoxClocks
Greasemonkey
Mouse Gestures Redox
Tab Mix Plus
Tab Preview
Ubiquity
URL Fixer

If you think you have better alternatives for any of the applications above, please write a comment!

Eclipse Ganymede

Eclipse Ganymede is the annual release of Eclipse projects; this year including 23 projects. Some highlights of the release include the new p2 provisioning platform, new Equinox security features, new Ecore modeling tools, support for SOA and much more.

I have been using the new Eclipse Ganymede release for about two weeks now and think its time to write a review and share some of my experiences with the rest of the developer community. On the whole, I think the new release is as snappy as previous versions and brings some welcome improvements. Here are some of the features that I really like in this release:

Breadcrumbs:
The editor now displays a breadcrumb navigation bar showing the path to the current file. You can easily access the project and package structure as well as the individual classes, fields and methods from the bar itself. I really like this feature because I no longer have to keep my Package Explorer and Outline views open, thus saving on precious screen estate.

Enhanced Hover:
In the previous version, you had to use the awkward keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+1 on top of an Error or Warning to get the Quick Fix options. In Ganymede, all you have to do is hover over the problem and it pops up a window with links to the options. Great!

Highlight Read/Write Variables:
A small but useful addition to this release is that Mark Occurrences (Alt+Shift+O) now marks read and write accesses with different colours. Previously, Eclipse offered the ability to highlight all occurrences of a variable but now it distinguishes between read and writes for you.

Call Hierarchy for Fields and Types:
This allows you to find all the members which access the field (for read or write) and the constructors of a type. Previously, you could only find callers of a method.

Support for External Class Folders
Class folders located outside the workspace (external) can now be added to the build path. Previously, I had to build a jar file and then add it using "Add External JARs" so this is a welcome improvement! You can even add other kinds of zip archives to the build path e.g. RAR files.

Performance:
To be honest, I haven't noticed any increase or decrease in either the start-up time or interaction with the user interface. However, there has reportedly been a lot of internal improvement to the JDT compiler so that compilation can now be spread across multiple cores rather than being able to utilise only one. This should speed up build times.

There are still many more things for me to try out. In particular I would really like to try out the Test and Performance Tools Platform Project.

Got your own experiences with Ganymede? Share them in the comments.

For more details:
What's New in 3.4 (JDT)
Learn more about Ganymede

Firefox Sets Record 8,002,530 Downloads

Got an email from the Firefox guys today, confirming that they have indeed set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloads in 24 hours! Email quoted below:

We did it!

We set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloads in 24 hours. With your help we reached 8,002,530 downloads.

You are now part of a World Record and the proud owner of the best version of Firefox yet!

Don't forget to download your very own certificate for helping set a Guinness World Record.

View my certificate

Firefox 3 Released!

Firefox 3 is here! Download it now and help set a Guinness World Record for the most downloads in 24 hours!

You even get a certificate!

Connect to AOL Broadband Without Their Application

When you subscribe to AOL Broadband, you are forced to install a resource intensive application (AOL8.0 or AOL9.0) and connect to the internet from there. I have noticed that this application (waol.exe) sometimes uses upto 99% CPU and my computer grinds to a halt!

In order to avoid having to use the AOL application and connect directly to the internet, follow the following steps:

• Go to Control Panel and select Network Connections
• Click New Connection Wizard
• Choose to "Connect to the Internet" and then press Next
• Choose to "Set up my connection manually" and then press Next
• Choose to "Connect using a broadband connection that requires a user name and password" and then press Next
• Type the name of your ISP e.g. "AOL Broadband" and then press Next
• Choose for "Anyone's use" and then press Next
• Type your User name e.g. "JohnSmith@aol.com", Password, Confirm password and then press Next
• Tick "Add a shortcut to this connection to my desktop" and click Finish to close the wizard.
  

Now you can connect straight to the internet by going to your desktop and clicking on the "AOL Broadband" icon.

In order to automatically connect whenever you startup your computer, add this icon to the Startup folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Recovering Deleted Files

When you delete a file using Windows Explorer, the file is normally be moved to the Recycle Bin, unless you used "Shift+Delete". While it is in the Recycle Bin, the file can easily be restored without any problem. So the first thing to do when you want to recover a deleted file is look in the Recycle Bin.

Nothing on your drive is permanently removed when you delete it. Whenever you delete a file Windows simply marks it for deletion by changing one character in the file table. The entire file is still sitting on your hard drive, but it is hidden from view. Windows then allows other files to write over the space where it resides if required, but the file is not gone from your hard drive until it is completely overwritten at some point. This means that you can actually recover files that have been 'permanently' deleted, but you will require special software to do so.

RESTORATION

The best utility I have found to restore deleted files is a small free tool called Restoration. Upon start, you can scan for all files that can be recovered and also limit the results by entering a search term or extension. You can then select a file and click 'Restore by Copying' to recover it - however note that the file may not be complete since portions of it may have already been overwritten, so there is no guarantee you can recover an entire file this way. The chances of recovering the file intact decrease the longer you leave it - because the longer you leave it, the more likely it is that the computer will reuse all or part of the file's disk space for something else.

If you have accidentally deleted an important file, try and minimise any further disk activity. Do not start an application, save files, defragment your hard drive or even reboot Windows for example as these all aid in potentially overwriting the area where the file is sitting. Don't even leave your system idle for long periods of time either, since by default Windows XP starts defragmenting your hard drive in the background when idle. Run an undelete program like Restoration immediately.

Permanently Deleting Files

Restoration also provides the option to permanently delete files so that they cannot be recovered.


ISOBUSTER

If you want to recover deleted or damaged files on a CD or DVD, you will have to use a utility like IsoBuster. However just like hard drive data recovery, there is no guarantee that any usable data can be recovered from a damaged or deleted disk - particularly if it has been erased.

Windows System Tools

These are useful tools which will tell you all you need to know about your Windows system:


BUILT-IN UTILITIES

• MS INFO
  Start > Run > msinfo32
  System information.
  You will need to have the 'Help and Support' service enabled


• DEVICE MANAGER
  Start > Run > devmgmt.msc
  Displays your hardware devices which you can choose to update or uninstall


• DIRECTX DIAGNOSTICS
  Start > Run > dxdiag
  The most useful function for DXDiag is its ability to create a text file with all your major system information, including your main hardware specifications, driver files, and environmental settings.


• MSCONFIG
  Start > Run > msconfig
  Allows you to select which programs are automatically launched when your computer first starts up. Also allows you to stop/start services.


• REGEDIT
  Start > Run > regedit
  Launches the Registry Editor. The Registry contains information that Windows continually references during operation, such as profiles for each user, the applications installed on the computer and the types of documents that each can create, property sheet settings for folders and application icons, what hardware exists on the system, and the ports that are being used.

EXTERNAL SOFTWARE

• System Information for Windows
  SIW is the System Information for Windows tool which can be downloaded from the SIW Website. "Everything you want to know about your computer."


• CPU-Z
  You can download CPU-Z from the CPU-Z Website. Provides you with everything you need to know about your CPU, such as its name/number, core stepping, package, voltage, cache information etc. It will also tell you about your system's current Bus speed under the CPU tab, your full motherboard details under the Motherboard tab, and your RAM's complete details under the Memory and SPD tabs. Note that for information to appear under the SPD tab you will have to first select the slot(s) on the motherboard that your RAM stick(s) occupy, otherwise the box will be empty.


• NERO INFOTOOL
  You can download the Nero Disk InfoTool Utility from the CD Speed Website. It is a utility which analyses and displays the most important information about a drive, disc, configuration and software. The information can also be printed or saved to a text file.


• JDiskReport
  You can download it from JGoodies. Illustrates with the help of graphs, how much space the files and directories consume on your disk drives and it helps you find where space is being used up.

Stay Off Vista

Here are some of the reasons why I won't be getting Vista anytime soon:

• Vista is slower than XP and needs more resources; it has some pretty hefty requirements compared to Windows XP. The fact of the matter is that Windows is bloated - it is now so big and onerous because of the size of its code base, the size of its ecosystem and its insistence on compatibility with the legacy hardware and software, that it just slows everything down. I believe that with time, users are going to end up with a more and more inferior operating system, which is really quite sad. Linux, on the other hand, can run on a 386.
  
  
• Windows is buggy and prone to virus attacks. There is already a Vista Speech Recognition remote execution flaw which could allow an attacker to use the speech recognition feature in Windows Vista to verbally execute commands on a user’s computer. Therefore, its best to let the viruses get unleashed on Vista and stick to XP or another OS.
  
  
• Although 80% of the changes in Windows Vista are positive, there is nothing about Vista that is truly innovative or compelling; there's no transformational, gotta-have-it feature in Vista. But the real problem isn't with Vista, its with Microsoft itself...
  
  
• Vista's Aero graphics are an unnecessary waste of power and slow your system down.
  
  
• You may not alter any of this evil. By installing it, you have agreed that "you may not work around any technical limitations in the software".
  
  
• It is also advisable to wait until Service Pack 1 for Vista is available to upgrade from XP. Microsoft has announced that Vista SP1 will be released in the second half of 2007.

Bug in iTunes 7.0

iTunes 7 is flawed. Importing music CDs into your iTunes library is extremely slow - it takes hours to import a CD whereas it only used to take at most half an hour on the old version.

I have uninstalled version 7.0.1 and gone back to version 6.0.5. However my "iTunes Library.itl" file was no longer compatible with the old version, so I had to delete it and rebuild my library again!

I'm not upgrading until Apple have fixed this issue...

Memory Leak in Windows Live Messenger 8.0

Yesterday, I thought I'd try out the new Live Messenger. It comes with some great new features such as offline messaging (as in Yahoo! Messenger) and also allows you to add and communicate with Yahoo! contacts.

The first thing I noticed was how slow it is. I decided to check its memory and CPU usage and so brought up the Task Manager. Here is what I saw:

Fig 1. Task Manager showing Windows Live Messenger 8.0

Live Messenger is using 95% CPU, but more shocking is the fact that it is using a whopping 210 Megs of RAM!

I have now uninstalled it and have reverted back to MSN Messenger 7.5. Just for comparison, here is a screenshot of my Task Manager now, which looks much better:

Fig 2. Task Manager showing MSN Messenger 7.5

Needless to say, I'm going to be sticking to 7.5 till Microsoft fixes this leak.

Software Review - SlickRun

SlickRun is a must-have program for techies like me, who are used to a *NIX environment and hate having to leave their keyboards to double-click icons on their desktop. I can't even remember what my desktop looks like or what wallpaper I have anymore! (Hmmm... I bet its something to do with Space though.)

SlickRun is a small command-line floating window which sits in the bottom right-hand corner of my screen. I simply press Win+Q and it flies up to my cursor and grabs focus, allowing me to enter any one of my favourite magic words. A "magic word" is basically a shortcut to various frequently used programs. All you do is type it in and press Enter and it launches your program(s). You can set up as many magic words as you like and even pass in arguments to your magic words.

For example, the magic word "firefox" would launch the Firefox browser and typing in "define Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" would take you to the web definition of the word. (For those interested, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is the 34 lettered song title from the 1964 movie Mary Poppins. As a song title, it is a proper noun, but the word, and variations, has entered the English language as an adjective. It is one of the longest words in the English language.)

Any Windows commands such as "calc" are magic words anyway, so you don't need to set them up. You can even set up a single magic word to run multiple commands, so that after a reboot, you can simply type it in to start up all your programs.

SlickRun also auto-completes magic words for you and you can use the arrow keys to scroll through your history of previously invoked commands.

The main thing I love about SlickRun, is how simple it is. It doesn't get in your way or take up much CPU power. It just sits innocently in a corner, responds quickly to your commands and allows you to be more productive!

Here are some of my magic words that I thought I'd share with you:

• define - goes to google definitions
  
• eclipse
• excel
  
• firefox
• google
• jsql
• mail - launches Lotus Notes
• mydocs - goes to My Documents
• paint
  
• pf - goes to C:\Program Files
  
• player - Windows media player
  
• putty
• shutdown
  
• startup - launches all my programs after a reboot
• toad
• weather
• windiff
• word
• xmlspy
• ymail
• ymsgr
• ! - runs cmd /k e.g. ! ipconfig
  
• lots of folder/drive shortcut names
  

Download SlickRun here!