Windows XP - Empty Recycle Bin From Right Click

June 9th, 2007


There is only one efficient way to empty your Recycle Bin in Windows XP; by right-clicking the desktop icon and selecting Empty Recycle Bin. This method works well for those casually browsing, blogging, and otherwise having fun, however for those of us whose livelihoods depend on their computer, this method of emptying the recycle bin can be somewhat irritating. Outside of just being a hassle, some of us really loathe having icons on our desktop and choose to have no icons whatsoever.

I was quite surprised when I came across a registry edit a few months ago that adds a Empty Recycle Bin entry to Explorer right-click context menus. I expect that most people won't find this tool exceptionally useful, but for those who use explorer as much and as extensively as I do, this will come as a godsend.

How to use:
  1. Extract the file from the zip. double click the .reg file and accept the warning that pops up
  2. Open My Computer/Windows Explorer; right click in any white space, in any folder, in any directory. You'll see the empty recycle bin option.
Guaranteed for use with Windows XP; I haven't tested this with Vista yet, but I plan on getting around to it eventually.

Download: Empty Recycle Bin Registry Addition

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Wakoopa.com - Software Social Networking

June 4th, 2007


You can add another tick to the checklist, as software has officially been socially networked. Wakoopa.com is a social networking site targeted to software usage and recommendations. It does this by use of a tracker program, which interestingly enough, tracks your software usage. The tracker keeps tabs on usage of active processes, while also keeping tabs on processes 'running in the background'. This all adds up to a nice overview of what applications you use, and how often you use them.

Wakoopa tracks what kind of software or games you use, and lets you create your own software profile. Ready for you to share with the world. Why? Because what you use on your desktop is who you are!
From a technical standpoint, both the site and tracker software should be considered beta. And not the Google, "this isn't beta but we're going to call it beta so as not to need support", beta... real beta. Not that the software is flawed by any means, it is simply lacking features that one would assume would come with it. For example the tracker doesn't do to well on full screen applications, leading to large discrepancies. For example I use Media Player Classic to watch video, movies, etc. My usage times for this are not accurate however as 99% of my MPC usage is fullscreen.

There are two reasons which make Wakoopa.com worthwhile to me: It allows me to see my software usage, which is good motivation to spend more time working, and less time on irc. Secondly, it's entertaining to watch trends of other users. For example, did you know that Internet Explorer uses generally use a majority of Microsoft apps? Outlook express, wordpad, notepad, calculator all see major use by IE users.

If you decide to join Wakoopa.com, don't forget to add little ole me to your friends list.

My screenshot

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QT TabBar - Windows Explorer Tabs

June 1st, 2007


QT TabBar, a small little program created by Quizo, is an extension of sorts for Windows Explorer that allows for browser-like tab functionality. I've been using this program for a couple of weeks now and it is undoubtedly one of the finest pieces of software I've used. The program comes along with a shortcut key editor, making it a piece of cake to add or change keyboard shortcuts. It also brings tooltip functionality to Explorer, allowing users to view the contents of a file simply by mousing over it. Here's a feature list straight from the site:

Features:
  • Tab bar for Windows Explorer
  • QT TabBar allows you to operates files and folders like tab browser
  • folder grouping, histories, etc.
Be warned that this feature list is not very complete and does not do the program justice. Anyway, as for the program itself I'm absolutely in love with it. It's pretty transparent right out of the box, not putting another icon in my system tray. It also uses very little resources, pretty much none whatsoever. I urge you to download it and try it out for yourself. The manual is online as well.

You can see some pictures from the site below, and soon I'll have some of my own screenshots to show.
Preview tooltips Subfolder tooltips My screenshot

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First Weeks at A Small Orange

May 31st, 2007


If you didn't know, I was recently lucky enough to be hired as the newest employee of A Small Orange. ASO is a web hosting and software development company based out of Atlanta. I am part of the admin/support team, and I work nights. It is a fantastic and refreshing environment to work in. All the other employees are very nice, and quite knowledgeable. So I'm a day away from finishing my second week here, and I could not be happier. Our customers seem to be completely satisfied by the service and support we provide, and I'm glad to be a part of that. It's great when people compliment your work. Customer testimonials are always strong and supportive. Here's a sample of what one of our customers had to say about ASO:

I've tried several hosts in the past and ASO seems to be the best I've ever bought. I've tried DreamHost, GoDaddy, 1&1, and they may have a lot of space and bandwidth (cough)OVERSELLING(cough), but I will never go back to any other webhost than ASO. The services are fully-featured, the price isn't that bad, and support seems to rock.
As for my co-workers, I must admit that it is somewhat humbling to be around them. They are all very knowledgeable in server administration and support, and I'm eager to learn as much as I can from this team. BTW, if you'd like to learn more about the owner of ASO, you can check his personal site here. Don't forget to tell him who sent you. Anyway, I plan on posting some photos of the office up here in a little while, so keep a look out for them.

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Gentoo 2007.0 Released!

May 11th, 2007


I am happy to announce that Gentoo Linux version 2007.0 has finally been released after numerous delays. If you weren’t aware, Gentoo is my preferred flavor (distribution) of Linux. The Gentoo press release can explain much better than I:

After several delays, the Gentoo Release Engineering team is proud to announce the release of Gentoo Linux 2007.0, code named “Secret Sauce”. This release includes a completely rewritten version of the Gentoo Linux Installer on the AMD64 and x86 LiveCD and LiveDVD images. It also includes GNOME 2.16.2, KDE 3.5.5, Xfce 4.4, Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.3, OpenOffice.org 2.1.0, and the 2.6.19 Linux kernel.
The press release also mentions the major changes to the x86/amd64 platforms:

x86/amd64:

Updated hardware support is among the highlights of the x86 release. Besides the many updated office and productivity packages x86 also brings an update to GLIBC 2.5.

On amd64 you can enjoy updated 32-bit emulation libraries improving support for many closed source applications and browser plugins.

x86 and amd64 also provides both hardened and non-hardened stages in this release. Hardened stages are still using GCC 3.4.6 and GLIBC 2.3.6 but it’s possible to upgrade from hardened to non-hardened stages, if needed.
I have been awaiting this new version for a while, even though when it comes to Gentoo, releases are just formalities. Much congratulations to the dedicated teams who made this release possible.

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