diff

Solve differential equations and evaluate definite integrals with SolveDiffEq for Mac

Looking for a very simple standalone application that can help you resolve some intriguing mathematical operations such as differential equations and definite integrals? SolveDiffEq for Mac proves to be a very simple but useful app.

The program comes as freeware and takes no time to download, install, and get running. It does not take much space, as it is very small. Being very straightforward and without too many options, SolveDiffEq for Mac performs very well. The interface lacks looks, but this is to be expected as this type of program doesn't really require a richer interface. It is divided … Read more

DiffEngineX finds Excel data differences fast

So important is Microsoft Excel to the world's data that the smallest difference between datasets can have consequences that ripple outward like a stone thrown in a calm pond. DiffEngineX is a powerful tool that identifies the differences between two Excel workbooks or individual worksheets, even thousands at a time. But unlike standard difference analysis, it takes into account any new or blank rows, cells, and columns. It's not something you can just fire up and run, but the payoff for a little prep is accurate identification of actual differences in huge amounts of data in minutes or … Read more

Compare PDFs with DiffPDF

Visually comparing PDFs to identify changes or differences is harder than it sounds, and it sounds hard enough, not to mention extremely boring. But it's all too easy to miss subtle differences with the Mark I Eyeball, and some changes might not be visible at all. Why put yourself through it when there's a free tool that can do the job for you, only much faster and more thoroughly? It's called DiffPDF, and it's from RubyPDF Technologies. With dual file selection tools and display panes, this efficient tool makes quick work of a tedious but necessary … Read more

Create a bootable clone of your hard drive

SuperDuper is a popular, powerful, and easy-to-use app for quickly creating a fully bootable backup (or "clone") of your hard drive, whether you're recovering from a mishap or just migrating between machines. Even better, SuperDuper is free if you don't want to pay for its more advanced features, including scheduling, scripting, and "Smart Updates" (which save you time by making incremental updates to backups using only recent changes).

SuperDuper's interface sets out to make backups painless. Less technical users will love its friendly, plain-language approach--for example, explicitly explaining what will happen when you … Read more

Minisodes: For those who find 30-minute sitcoms too deep and drawn out

The average half hour sitcom runs about 22 minutes, but for some people that's simply too long. Most successful web videos average between 2 and 5 minutes, and the folks at Sony Pictures Television have found a new way to deliver classic television to this shortened-attention-span set. As highlighted in a recent story by CNN, The The Minisode Network is presented on Myspace and offers a swath of retro television episodes that have been carefully edited down to five minutes in an effort to update the old shows for the post millennium web format.

The network offers a variety of programming from Dilbert to Diff'rent Strokes, but is something lost in translation as the video editors slice and dice everything from the original that is considered not essential? Are these mostly ancient sitcoms even worth watching today in either form? While I can't be certain whether it's a result of the hack jobs or the dated material, most of the mini-episodes I watched felt incomplete and not really worth watching. The editing was clean and seamless, but the stories lacked any real development (something that's already a problem with the sitcom genre). The jokes were still there and the punchlines were also kept intact, but the timing was wrong and the humor was all but lost on me.

ExamDiff

This program displays two files side by side, highlighting the differences. ExamDiff's handy interface offers several navigation schemes: buttons taking you to the previous or next change, a drop-down list of lines, or mouse functionality going directly to any line. It lets you scroll files in tandem or separately. You can customize the colors the program uses to mark added, deleted, and changed lines. When running a comparison, you can ignore white spaces and case differences. It outputs results as standard Unix DIFF files. Unfortunately, no manual is available. This free tool is mainly useful for developers.