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Subject:RE: What tools are you using From:"Pinkham, Jim" <Jim -dot- Pinkham -at- voith -dot- com> To:"Nancy Allison" <maker -at- verizon -dot- net>, "Technical Writing" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:43:44 -0600
Hi, Nancy --
I can fill you in on my list:
* PTM -- Personal Task Manager, http://ptm.sourceforge.net
<http://ptm.sourceforge.net> -- An easy time-tracking freeware tool
that's small, simple, customizable. I use it when preparing my weekly
time sheets and reporting billable jobs worked on, etc. It can even be
configured to estimate project times and compare actual vs. expected.
* Xobni -- www.xobni.com -- A freeware Outlook add-in that gives
me rapid, easy access to the most important information my contacts,
e-mail, and attachments, in a fraction of the time it used to take to
dig through stuff.
* Windows Desktop Search, http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/desktopsearch/defaul
t.mspx -- A lot of this functionality is, I hear, more or less standard
in Vista, but for XP it greatly facilitates searching and finding
information not only in Outlook, but on the hard drive, and even on the
network.
* TaskSwitchXP Pro 2.0, http://www.ntwind.com/software/taskswitchxp.html -- Replaces ALT+TAB's
functionality so that I see a visual thumbnail of each window and can
get where I need to be instantly. At this moment, I have nine windows
open. It's a lifesaver.
* Yankee Clipper, http://www.intelexual.com/products/index.aspx --
YC3 is a clipboard manager that allows me to cut and paste with ease to
even the hardest places and boilerplate things I use all the time, such
as the heading rows for my parts lists.
* xplorer2 Professional, http://www.zabkat.com -- There's a lite
version, too, but I use the Pro at work. As a file manager, it makes
Windows Explorer seem positively barren. xplorer2 lets me have tabbed
directory listings (I currently have 11 network locations open that I
can switch between on a moment's notice), easy copy and paste between
directories, easy batch command execution, great search flexibility.
With vital information scattered all over the network, it saves many
hours each week.
* Personal Communications Workstation Program (AS 400) Version 5.7
-- This is our interface with our mainframe.
* Proportion Wheel, http://www.plaino.com/tools/proportion_wheel/
-- In Vista-speak, this is a "widget" -- great for rapid, precise sizing
and scaling of images and graphics. More than 25 years ago, when I first
got started, these were universally found in the composing rooms of
newspapers. BTW, I'm using this on an XP workstation.
* WinPatrol, www.winpatrol.com -- Once again makes you the boss of
what starts on your computer and when.
When the post came across, the question was what software we were using
at the moment. I took that fairly literally and did not attempt to be
exhaustive. I will, however, mention the other programs in my shortcut
menu or my desktop shortcuts that I did not mention Friday:
* Windows Media Player
* Belarc Advisor
* eCleaner
* Paint.net
* Visual CD
* Inkscape
* Sync Back
* Scribus
* Stickies
* SnagIt 7
* PDF Exchange Viewer
* Roxio Creator DE
* The Gimp (with UFRaw)
* HP PhotoSmart Esssential
* iColor Folders
* QuickSilver 2.0 - USA
* Convert
I've also got the installer for Jing but haven't reached the point of
trying it yet.
Jim
-----Original Message-----
From: Pinkham, Jim
Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 3:28 PM
To: 'Al Geist'; 'Technical Writing'
Subject: RE: What tools are you using
At this moment:
PTM v. 1.4.3 -- definitely simplified my time tracking.
Microsoft Outlook 2003 SP 3 with Xobnia 1.4.3
Xplorer2 professional 1.7.0.5
Microsoft Word 2003 SP 3
Personal Communications Workstation Program (AS 400) Version 5.7 Adobe
Framemaker 7.1p116 Adobe Illustrator 9.0 Proportion Wheel (written in
Macromedia Flash 8) Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional WinPatrol 15.9.2008
Yankee Clipper 1.0.4.3 TaskSwitchXP Pro 2.0 Windows Desktop Search
I'm half hour from shutdown, and I confess that's what excites me on
Friday afternoon of a long week. But these tools get the job done, and
I'm pleased with them, for the most part.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
<mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> ] On
Behalf Of Al Geist
Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 3:15 PM
To: 'Technical Writing'
Subject: RE: What tools are you using
Papyrus and Turkey Quill Pen, hammer and chisel on granite slab (I do
live in Vermont), graphics scribed in wet sand (permanent ones are
scribed in wet clay then dried and stored in urns)....
Okay, maybe not all of the above, but I feel that way sometimes.
I really use Office Pro 2003, Acrobat 8.0, Photoshop and Image Ready 7,
CorelDraw 11, Pinnacle Studio 10.5, Dreamweaver MX, SnagIt 8, Roxio 9,
and all the wonderful utilities that came with my Nikon CoolScan V
scanner and Canon 40D camera. The last two are the most fun.
Al Geist
Technical Communicator, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
Office/Msg: 802-872-9190
Cell: 802-578-3964
E-mail: al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
Website: www.geistassociates.com
See Also:
Fine Art Photography
Website: www.geistimages.com
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