folder

Fast fixes for five Word woes

You use your browser a lot. You use your e-mail program a lot. But the chances are better than even that you spend a big chunk of your workday in Microsoft Word. There's no way any application used by so many people for so many different tasks is going to be set up just right for you. Here are the five settings I changed to make Word work my way, more or less.

I say "more or less" because Word isn't quite the paragon of flexibility. You can make serious changes to the program's look … Read more

One thing Leopard doesn't have: Default Folder X

Leopard has now only been available for a week, so even if you waited in line to purchase the latest Mac OS, you're probably still getting used to all the new features. My personal favorite at this point is probably Spaces, because I can split up my work into different areas and quickly switch between them. The addition of Stacks is a welcome change, too, because I now have all my articles in the same place--right there on the Dock. One surprise for me, though it probably shouldn't have been, was that I soon realized I missed a certain program immediately when I went to save a document.… Read more

Kill folder clutter with Remove Empty Directories

For many of us, empty directory folders are a cause for little concern. Sure it's annoying when you open a folder, not able to remember its contents, and discover it emptier than your fridge on a midnight munchies run. That annoyance--the empty folders, not the empty fridge--has spurned one programmer to action. Remove Empty Directories is the result, and it's not hard to guess what it does.

Folder Lock's interface should be locked up

Folder Lock does a lot of things right, but its interface makes me want to rip out my eyes. It's great for 1998, but nearly 10 years on you'd think that since we'd all gotten away from animated icons on Web pages, that the goofy UIs publishers try to foist on us would be gone, too.

But you'd be wrong.

Power Downloader finds a better way to manage files

On his main desktop computer at the Power Lair, Power Downloader has huge hard drive volumes filled with old case files, spy photos, and secret documents. Though he's a master of software and navigating the intricacies of Windows to get the files he wants, he has always found that Windows Explorer isn't exactly ideal for some of his more complicated file management tasks. Fortunately there's a better way.… Read more

Use the Web to keep two PCs in sync

Featured on this week's Real Deal podcast: Synchronizing two computers. If you want to know how to keep yourself sane if you regularly use more than one PC, tune into this show for a rundown of my tips on how to keep files, bookmarks, and e-mail synchronized over the Web.

Products mentioned:

FolderShare LogMeIn SimplifyMedia Orb FoxMarks Del.icio.us Google Docs and Spreadsheets.

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Google Docs and Spreadsheets gets new look. Gmail next?

This morning Google updated their Docs and Spreadsheets service with a new start page, one that turns the old list view into a two-pane workspace. Users can now see a larger listing of their documents and spreadsheets, as well as organize them in folders. Yes, you read that right--Google is letting users create and manage their stuff in folders. Users can even drag and drop files.

I actually asked the Docs and Spreadsheets team about a feature like this last week, and they told me the combination of tags and search worked better. The new system continues to tag items--albeit … Read more