Categories
IT for all Support technique

DBF viewing

It happens as programmers that we have to deal with older database formats.

If you are in need of a dbf viewer, DBFPlus at http://www.alexnolan.net/software/dbf.htm does the trick.

It saved me a lot of time today.

Categories
IT for all Security

I was annoyed with passwords ? I’m not anymore.

Hi everyone,

Couple of months ago I got really fed up with passwords. If you deal with many websites, it can get to dozens of different passwords. Off course, If you actually have different passwords for each of them. Let’s be honest, I was actually guilty of using the same one over and over.

I found the solution through a youtube video by Nixie, http://youtu.be/RvV698aztNs

With keepass, download here,  you can store your logins easily and it’s nicely encrypted and it’s cross platform, meaning you can use it on Windows, Mac and linux.

  • Organize your logins using categories (it can be subscriptions, email accounts, banking).
  • Generate strong passwords using the Password generator
  • Use the copy feature when it’s time to use your password. It stays in memory just long enough for you to paste it in the password field.
  • Bring it with you, it has a portable version.
  • Back it up just by copying the keepass database file.

I use it daily. If you don’t use a password manager already, you should start now. It’s free and easy to use.

Categories
IT for all

Utilities and tools

I’ve been looking for inspiration for days now. I have some domains and haven’t done anything with them. It just bugs me. I accomplish a lot at work but this is my own personal stuff and I feel kind of guilty about it.

And tonight it came to me. What I have been doing lately ?

Recently I did a full reinstall of windows on my personal computer at home and realized how I always use the same tools. I do the same with friends and family computers and also at work.

Here are the basic tools I use.

Utilities

  • 7-zip. To compress and decompress files. It’s free and it’s probably the best. It’s fast and the compression ratio is just amazing. If you want to automate, take a look at the command line version, it works like a charm.  http://www.7-zip.org/
  • Cute PDF writer. You don’t always have a printer ready and sometimes you just don’t need a paper copy. This application acts as a printer and it gives you pdf. When you print to it, a window pops up and you enter the name you want for your file. It’s simple and it works.
    http://www.cutepdf.com/products/cutepdf/writer.asp
  • PSPad. It’s a simple yet powerful text editor. When you have large text files and notepad chokes when opening them. It’s the tool you want to use. It’s also very good with encoding. Just pay attention to say no to the junk when installing it. http://www.pspad.com/
  • LibreOffice. Sometimes it’s too pricey to get microsoft office or you just don’t need the advanced stuff you find in Excel. Basically a good editor for writing, good spreadsheet editor, and other great tools. If you can’t afford Visio, Draw might do the job.

What are the utilities or tools you first install when you get your hands on a computer ?