Rruben send me a link to an interesting software called Resizor which is an image resizer that utilizes the newly introduced seam carving technology to create impressive results. Instead of modifying the dimensions the same percentage throughout the image it analyzes areas that are less important and removes or adds to those with priority.

The tool itself is very easy to use with only a few options to choose from. If there is something that I would have to criticize it would be that the program window cannot be resized. Only a small portion of large pictures is shown and you have to use scrollbars to look at other parts of the image.

Resizor needs some tweaking to become a real great software but what I have seen so far is impressive enough already. It shines when resizing images with wide panoramas. It lead to some distorted images however. I tried it on an image of a person sitting in a chair with only a few pixels on the left and right and it resampled the image so that the persons head would be really big while the rest of the body much smaller in comparison.

continue reading "Resizing images with seam carving technology"

I think we can all agree that the default way of removing software in Windows is probably the worst way possible. It takes ages until the Add or Remove Programs window populates the entries and removing entries is painfully slow and sometimes not working as well. I have been using MyUninstaller until now which is faster and comes with some comfort like removing entries from the list of installed programs and details about the software that has been installed.

A reader mentioned Safarp recently in the comments which is another software handling the uninstallation process far better than Windows would ever do. I was pleasantly surprised about Safarps speed. It populated the list a lot faster than MyUninstaller which maybe can be attributed to the reduced amount of information that are displayed. By default only the name, the publisher and the estimated size are displayed while MyUninstaller displays additional information such as installation location and product version. Safarp displays version on most items if they are selected.

Both support uninstallation of programs, removal of entries in the list, quiet uninstall and program repair but that’s where the similarities end - better, that is where Safarps functionality ends.

continue reading "Battle of the Uninstallers: Safarp vs. MyUninstaller"

I seldom come upon a software that is small and packed with so many useful features that should have been integrated in Windows in the first place. What I really do not understand is that Microsoft does not seem to look at those applications and put the most thought after functionality into their next Windows.

Pitaschio is a small software that can be run from any location. It lets the user configure windows and mouse behavior to an extent that even the nerdiest nerds should be satisfied with. Most of the settings can be altered in two windows. The first window has so many options that is is problematic to find some words that describe it.

It lets the user disable several keys and functions in Windows like disabling the minimize, maximize and close button of every window, disabling keys like the Windows or Caps Lock key but also other settings like transparency settings for windows, aligning windows to the grid automatically or controlling the volume with the mouse wheel.

continue reading "Configure Window and Mouse behavior with Pitaschio"

Running Windows XP on a hard drive or partition with the NTFS file system has several advantages. One of them being a increase in system and file security because it is possible to alter file access rights on a per user base. Most Windows users do not know that it is possible to set those rights much similar to those on Linux and Unix systems.

The following rights can be given or denied to all users known to the system: Full Access, Modify, Read and Execute, Read, Write and Special. Please note that you need administration rights to modify those security permissions. Make sure you do not alter those settings for system administrators unless you really know what you are doing, you could lock yourself out easily.

Let me give you a practical example. You want to prevent that your two kids who use the computer as well alter certain system files or access some directories on the hard drive. Remove access to those folders and files by choosing the user account of your kids and checking Deny for every action that they should not be allowed to perform.

continue reading "Windows XP File Security Extension"

This is going to blow you away. What do you normally do when you save a file or want to open a file in a specific folder on your hard drive ? You click your way through the folder structure of your operating system until you finally reach the desired folder. This is a thing of the past because we can use bookmarked folders to reach those folders instantly.

Want to save a file ? Press a hotkey in the Save File window and it displays that folder instantly. Want to access a folder in Windows Explorer ? Press another hotkey and Windows Explorer opens displaying the contents of that folder. All of that functionality in an 146 Kilobyte application, wonderful.

Setting up Dirkey could not be easier. You either bookmark them when a Open / Save window is active or by adding the full path of the folder to the software directly. You can test it out by opening the Run box and clicking on Browse for instance. Once you mark a folder you press the keys CTRL + ALT and a number between 0 and 9.

continue reading "Create Global Folder Bookmarks"