Gimme Some of That Software
It's time to get personal. Here's a list of software I -- and a few folk I know -- can't live without. These items may not be for everyone, but some of them could change your life. (Unfortunately for Apple and Linux users, they're all for Windows.)
First, organizing files -- the unglamorous end of software, until you really need to find a file, are running out of space, or just want to impose some order on the mess that is your computer. My personal favorite is PowerDesk from U.S.-based V Communications Inc. (
www.v-com.com). This manages to do what most other programs can't: It lets you see what files you've got, and what's inside them without having to actually launch them in a program. Now into its fifth version, PowerDesk sells for $40. A free version is available but it lacks some features, including the ability to view the contents of files inside PowerDesk. An alternative to PowerDesk is Total Commander ($32 from Switzerland's Christian Ghisler, C. Ghisler & Co. at
www.ghisler.com).
For tracking who reads my e-mails, and when, I still use MessageTag, or MSGTAG, which I reviewed last year. MSGTAG adds some code to the bottom of your e-mail message that then reports back to you once that e-mail is opened by the recipient. It's a great time-saver -- you know whether your e-mail got through, and you have a vague idea about when to expect a reply. Not everyone likes the idea of other people knowing when they've opened e-mail, but the number of complaints I've received has been negligible and there's an option to ensure that those who don't like it don't receive e-mails using MSGTAG again. The full version costs $60 but there's a cheaper edition, and a free one, too (
www.messagetag.com).
While I'm on the subject of e-mail, I use a free spam filter called POPFile (
http://popfile.sourceforge.net) to keep out unwanted junk mail. It quickly learns what to keep out, and works particularly well with my obscure but trusty e-mail program: Courier, from U.S.-based Rose City Software ($30 from
http://rosecitysoftware.com/Courier). If you prefer Outlook for your e-mail, and a lot of people do, at least buy a plug-in to organize your mail. I'd suggest NEO, developed by Vancouver-based Caelo Software ($40 for the basic version, $70 for the one with extra features, from
www.emailorganizer.com). Another option is Lookout (free, for the moment, from
www.lookoutsoft.com) that does a basic, but very comprehensive, index of your Outlook files.
Automating yourself: I've written before about software which tries to help you with repetitive tasks. ActiveWords (
www.activewords.com), which I reviewed recently, is an excellent tool for people who prefer to keep their hands on the keyboard. It allows you to type an easily remembered word or code to open a file, program, or automatically insert some text you often find yourself typing.
There are simpler options out there, however: Taka Muraoka, an Australian software developer, uses a free little program called WinKey (
www.copernic.com/winkey), which can assign any program to any keyboard combination. Say you want to open your e-mail program: Just hit the Windows key and E. A more extensive version of WinKey is ActiveLaunch, from a Russian company called GSI Software Research, which lets you launch frequently used applications, documents, or folders -- or combinations of them -- using a single icon, a mouse click or a key. ActiveLaunch costs $15 from
www.gsiresearch.com.Finally, something I simply couldn't live without is a search program. How people find old files on their computer without one, I don't know. I go for brute strength, via something called dtSearch Desktop ($200 from
www.dtsearch.com) but it may be too much for some folk. If you're looking for something simpler, check out X1's Find ($100 from
www.x1.com). If that's still a bit steep for you, wait around for something called Tukaroo which promises to do more or less the same thing -- for free (the Web site is up, but the product isn't available yet:
www.tukaroo.com).
一些名不见经传的实用小软件
是将你的电脑个性化的时候了！在这里我将和你谈一些我──以及一些我认识的人──日常必不可少的软件。这些软件也许不是每个人都合适，但其中有一些可能会改变你的生活。（不幸的是，这些软件只适用于Windows操作平台，不适用于Apple和 Linux。）
首先是组织文件──这是软件工作中最乏味的一部分，你平常无需为此担忧，除非你真的要找一个文件、或文件已经占满空间，又或者想给电脑里乱糟糟的文档归类的时候。我个人偏爱美国V Communications (
www.v-com.com)公司的PowerDesk，它能做大部份其他程序不能做的工作：它能让你看到你有什么文件，你不用打开程序也能知道文件里面有什么内容。PowerDesk现在已经是第五个版本，售价$40。你可以获得免费版本，但功能减少──包括不能在PowerDesk里看到文件内容。一个可以替代PowerDesk的软件是Total Commander（售价$32，可以从Switzerland's Christian Ghisler, C. Ghisler & Co.购买，网址：
www.ghisler.com）
我仍然用MessageTag（即MSGTAG）来跟踪了解谁读了我的e-mail，什么时候读的。MSGTAG在你e-mail信息的末尾添加一些代码，你的e-mail一旦被接收人打开，它就会向你报告。这个软件能节省很多时间──你可以知道邮件是否成功发出，并且估计大约什么时候能收到回复。并不是每个人都喜欢让人知道自己什么时候打开邮件，但我收到的不满意见不是很多。你也可以选择让那些不喜欢被别人知道自己什么时候打开邮件的人不会再收到使用MSGTAG的邮件。这个软件的完全版本售价$60，有便宜些的版本，也有免费版本(www. messagetag. com)。
说到e-mail，我使用一个名叫POPFile的免费垃圾邮件过滤程序(
http://popfile. sourceforge.net)来阻挡垃圾邮件。它很快就懂得什么邮件应该过滤，而且它和我那个有些含糊但值得信赖的e-mail程序──美国Rose City Software公司的Courier（售价$30，网址：
http://rosecitysoftware.com/Courier）配合得很好。如果你和很多人一样喜欢用Outlook作为e-mail收发工具，那么你至少需要买一个插件来管理你的邮件。我推荐温哥华Caelo Software 公司开发的NEO（基本版本售价$40，带额外功能的版本卖$70，网址：
www.emailorganizer.com）。另一个选择是Lookout（目前免费，网址：
www.lookoutsoft.com），它可以给你的Outlook文件做一个基本但很全面的索引。
学会自动操作：我曾经写过关于软件能免却你重复劳动的文章。我最近评论过的ActiveWords (
www.activewords.com)对于那些喜欢用键盘的人来说是个出色的工具。你只需轻松地输入一个容易记住的单词或代码就能打开文件、程序或自动插入一些你经常输入的文本。
然而还有更简单的选择：澳洲软件开发者Taka Muraoka使用一个名叫WinKey的免费小程序(
www.copernic.com/winkey)，它可以用键盘组合来代表任何程序。例如，你想打开e-mail程序，那么只需敲Windows键和E。WinKey的一个扩展版本是俄罗斯公司GSI Software Research的ActiveLaunch，这个软件可以让你只需用一个简单的图标、击鼠标或按键就能启动经常使用的应用程序、文档、文件夹，或是它们的组合。ActiveLaunch在
www.gsiresearch.com上售价$15。
最后就是不能缺少的搜索程序。我不知道有些人没有搜索程序是怎么找到老文件的。我讨厌费力找东西，所以我用dtSearch Desktop （售价$200，网址：
www.dtsearch.com）。但对有些人来说也许太贵了。如果你想要简单点的软件，不妨看看X1的Find（售价$100，网址：
www.x1.com）。如果你还是觉得太贵，那就等一个叫Tukaroo的软件吧，它承诺能提供这种功能──免费（网站出来了，但产品目前还没有，网址：
www.tukaroo.com）。
