Marc Lingenfelter's Blog

Despite the proliferation of bowsers, social bookmarking sites, and Instapaper-type services, or perhaps because of it, bookmarking websites is sometimes a rather complex, fragmented process. I frequently get emails from people wanting a good ‘bookmarks manager’, and if that describes you and you are looking for such a program then check out Fav-Links, a free, visual bookmark manager.

Fav-Links comes in two guises; a free application that can be installed locally on a PC, as well as a web application. This post will focus on the former, as the latter was not available at the time of this writing.

How to use: a floating dropzone icon will appear on your desktop once the program is launched. To add a bookmark,  drag the URL from the address bar to the dropzone icon, then add a category if you like.

PROS: what I like about Fav-Links

• Browser independent: which is how it ought to be.
• User-created thumbnails: zoom in and out and center the website, all manually, to create the perfect thumbnail.
• Semi-transparent screen overlay: looks really good.
• Category view: which you can get if you simply hover your mouse over the top of your screen.
• URL Search: is supported, but only in category view.

Wish list: or how this program can be even better

• The ability to add a link to multiple categories: i.e. more of a tagging system than categories.
• The ability to edit links’ categories in batch: via drag and drop for example, also the ability to simply rename a category, which is strangely missing.
• The ability to optionally add a NAME to the bookmark: especially useful for those long URLS that don’t tell us what the topic is.
• Live filtering: i.e. something which would work instantly as you type in each key, rather than a search box, would be great. Also to add this to the ALL pages and not just the ‘categories’ view.
• A way to add URLs without the use of a dropzone: such as a hotkey combination for example, would be nice.
• A bookmarks importing component: obviously, so as not to be manually adding in all those bookmarks you already stored in your browser.

More on the web app: although I was unable to register to access the web app as of this writing, a live sample is available to test it out.

Here’s a list of what I hope will be implemented once the web app is launched:

• The ability to sync your bookmarks to the cloud: and share across computers and devices (this is indeed promised).
• The ability to share individual URLs or category pages with other users as we do a lot of list sharing over here at Freewaregenius.

The verdict: a really nice app that a lot of users will embrace I am sure. It has some really attractive features, but in other ways it feels unfinished. It is good but I hope that it continues to get better. It is still in the early stages but I am really hoping that it gets pushed further, and that some of the wish list items above will be addressed.

The fact that it has a web app component is also very promising.

[Thanks to reader Panzer for the tip about this software].

Compatibility: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7; Requires MS .NET Framework 4.0.

Go to the program home page to download (~1.11 megs).

from freewaregenius.com

System maintenance and optimization tool IObit Advanced SystemCare has been updated to version 5.1, not only adding new features to the main program, but also bringing IObit Uninstaller 2.1 to the party. You’ll find that there is also improved support for Windows 8, an enhanced registry scanner, extended Privacy Sweep application support and a new Performance Monitor module.

The main bulk of the app is focused on boosting the performance and stability of your system, but there are also utilities that can be used to improve security and protect your privacy. The great thing about the utility is that you are able to get as hands-on as you feel comfortable with. There are a number of automated tools that can be used to keep your system running smoothly, but you’ll find that more impressive results can be achieved by using each one.

As well as boosting performance by optimizing your hard drives and registry, tweaking system settings and more, the suite of tools can also be used to keep your computer free from malware infections, and protect you privacy by wiping program logs and securely wiping files you want to delete. But most people will be turning to IObit Advanced SystemCare for a speed boost and this ca neb quickly achieved by activating the Turbo Boost feature.

There are free and paid-for versions of the app available and while the two include many of the same tools, the free version is ad-supported while the paid-for version offers deeper scanning for better results. Whichever version you use, the plethora of tools included in the software means that you should be able to find several that will be of use to you and your system, and the addition of the uninstaller is a great help when it comes to cleaning up your hard drive.

You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the IObit Advanced SystemCare 5.1 review page.

from BetaNews

With last week’s Iowa Caucuses in the United States, we’re starting the long haul to November’s election day where we’ll be inundated by hundreds of advertisements and speeches filled with all kinds of promises. But how do you know whether those promises will be kept, or what the your member of Congress is really about? The truth is, a candidate can tell you a lot more about what they’re going to do via their actions and their associations than their advertisements and speeches. And thanks to the work of a lot of great watchdog groups, a lot of that information is now publicly available online. More »

from Lifehacker

Have you ever double clicked on an icon, and wished that the file would temporarily open in app on your computer that is not the default program it is associated with, just for that particular session?

The Portable Extension Warlock (PEW) is a free program that allows you to create an alternative set of file associations that can be used whenever needed. It a portable applications is designed with other portable applications in mind, for those times when you might plug use a USB full of your preferred applications on a computer that is not your own. But it will also work great if you merely want to set an alternative, temporary set of file associated on your own PC.

This software is part of DonationCoder’s NANY 2012 event (NANY=New Apps for the New Year). It consists of 3 executables as follows:

• Portable Extension Warlock: lets you set the associations with your desired apps
• PEW Dropzone: once you set your new extensions, you can run tis and drag files to the dropzone to launch them (see screenshot upper right).
• PEW Launch: this one can create shortcuts that can be launched from docks and/or toolbars.

PEW will actually let you set multiple associations for the same file extension, which when launched will prompt a dialog to choose the app you want in each particular instance.

For more on how to use PEW, check out the video below:

The verdict: this one can be really useful, not just for those who use other public computers but also for users who might occasionally want to use different default apps to open some file types. The only drawback is that it requires MS .NET Framework to be installed on the machine that you are using it from, which is no big deal for Windows 7 and Vista (as it comes preinstalled) but may be an issue on XP.

If there was one thing I could wish for is for the associations to be switched automatically once PEW is running and until it I switched off, without the need for a dropzone to drag files onto.

PEW doesn’t write to the registry and doesn’t alter your system in any way. Overall a very nice program and a very cool concept!

Visit this page to download PEW (~300K).

from freewaregenius.com

If you need more storage space in your garage you can construct ceiling flanges from 2x4s and plywood that will hold any heavy-duty plastic storage bin. More »

from Lifehacker

She’s solid under pressure.

Via: dailypicksandflicks.com

from BuzzFeed – Latest

If learning to code is one of your goals or New Year’s resolutions, then Code Year is a program for you. The initiative, provided by previously mentioned webapp Codecademy will email you free interactive programming lessons each week. More »

from Lifehacker

As we all prepare for a big year ahead, we spent the month looking back at the best of the best from Lifehacker from 2011. Here’s a last look back at the best of 2011 in case you missed anything along the way.

More »

from Lifehacker

2011 was a big year for Google Chrome and all of its users. There are more Chrome users out there than ever before, and tons of great Chrome extensions to add functionality, privacy, and other services to your browser. Here are the most popular Google Chrome-related posts, extensions, and add-ons at Lifehacker during 2011. More »

from Lifehacker

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