Tip of the Month
08-2009
Do you have more than one PC? Do you compute on multiple platforms like Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux? If you do, you may find it aggravating to find that you do not have access to all of your browser Bookmarks or Favorites. If you add a Bookmark on one machine it is not on the other computers you work on. This can be irritating. Sometimes it's hard to find or remember websites. If you have to try to remember the searches you did to find it in the first place this can be particularly frustrating. This situation, though seemingly unimportant, can rob you of productivity and keep you from finishing tasks that might have otherwise been simple. There is a solution. It is free. It works across Windows, Mac OS X and Linux and it is simple and easy to install.
Xmarks can also synchronize Bookmarks across Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari on the same computer. It does not have to be used to sync across multiple computers. It also be used as a way to backup your Bookmarks in case of a system crash.
Xmarks was a program that started as a Firefox add on and has since expanded its support to include Microsoft Internet Explorer and Apple Safari (as of this writing only Safari 3.x is supported).
To install this program simply go to http://www.xmarks.com and choose Install Now, choose to download the appropriate version for your browser and then select Run. Install the application normally like any other Windows application. If you are on OS X or Linux follow the instructions on the screen for installations specific to your operating system. Once the installation has completed, regardless of operating system, the Setup Wizard will start.
Select Next.
If this is the first time you have installed Xmarks select No: Create an account for me.
Fill out the required information and select Next. This is the only information that will be asked of you.
At this screen simply select Synchronize. This will copy all of the favorites on your computer to the Xmarks server on the internet. Then go to the next computer you would like to synchronize, download and then install the Xmarks application. The Setup Wizard will start.
Select Next.
Select Yes: Log me in.
Here type in the username and password you selected in the previous installation.
Click on Synchronize. This will Sync your bookmarks with the Xmarks server on the internet. You can then install this application on as many computers as you like to ensure that you always have access to your bookmarks. Any changes you make to your Bookmarks are automatically replicated to the internet servers ensuring that you always have access to your latest Bookmarks.
Xmarks is a useful utility which solves a very minor but irritating problem.
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07-2009
Your are at a PC and you need to copy files from or take remote control of another PC over the internet. How do you do this. There are many ways to do it both free and paid. I like to focus on the free methods because lets face it; I'm a cheapskate.
Microsoft has a new product called Live Mesh. This product is a client program and web interface that allows you to add PCs to be remote controlled and to share folders securely between PCs over the web. To install the software go to http://www.livemesh.com and sign up. You must have a Passport or Live account. If you do not have one, you will have to create one. It is free. Once that is done, you will have to add your device to the interface. In order to add another computer you must go to that other PC, go to LiveMesh.com and add that computer as well.
Once you add all the computers you want to manage you can click on the icon in the lower right to be able to remote control that computer by clicking on Connect to Device.
You will then be able to logon to the remote computer.
Now, in order to share files, you can right click on any folder and select Add folder to Live Mesh...
Give it a name. Then you can go back to the web site LiveMesh.com, sign in, and click on the default Desktop device. All folders added to Live Mesh will be visible here.
Right click on the folder you just added and select Change Sync Settings.
From here you should select "When files are added or modified" for each device you want to share files with. This will replicate the folder to each computer and keep it in sync. For instance, if you do this for a folder on the desktop, you can simply copy a file into that folder, it will sync to the web and back down to each computer in your list. You can then walk to that computer and have the file copied to the machine. If the file has not been copied to the shared folder you can take remote control of the machine that has the file on it, copy the file to the folder and it will sync to the computer you are on.
Live Mesh is a great way to do ad hoc file sharing and remote control. I recommend it for residential use with a small number of machines. For business use there are other products which may prove more useful over the long term.
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06-2009
The right-click has been a staple interface element of Windows since Windows 95. It allows you to access a context menu to view all of the different things you can do to the item you right clicked on. It is useful and intuitive.
For all Windows versions though there has been an option to the right-click that many do not know about. This option involves holding down the shift key when you right-click. Holding down the shift key allows hidden features to become visible.
As an example, lets explore right clicking on a file in Windows 7.
Here we have a standard context menu when right-clicking on a document.
Here we have a context menu obtained while holding down the shift key. You will notice there are two new items which appear in the menu. The first is Pin to Start Menu. If we choose this option on a file we use a lot, a shortcut to the document (in this case named Document) is immediately placed on the top of the Start Menu so we can access that file more easilly.
The other menu item that appears in the shift-right-click context menu is Copy as Path. This is an option that allows you to copy the file and directory path to where the file is located in the file system. This allows you to paste that path in another application or even the command line. This is something I will use upon occation but the typical user will not.
That is in fact the purpose of the shift-right-click. To hide more advanced options that most people would not access on a daily basis. Thus the end result is to unclutter the interface. This allows for greater productivity as you do not have to scan through more items than you would typically need. As you become more advanced however, you may like to have access to additional features.
Try now to experiment with different areas of the interface of Windows. You will find that there are hidden items all over the palce. Remember the items you see all depend on the context of what you right-click on.
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