Ever since reflector tool was moved as paid service, there has been a good number of initiatives for an alternate tool.

BitTorrent is a useful term we netizens use to download useful and large pieces of information from the net

Never knew such a site existed in Chennai for bus routes
This is an innovative effort in collective intelligence
Click the URL to see the site http://busroutes.in/

If interested in the story behind this tool, click here

I would put this under tools still :)

update: there is one more site that does the same work and also provides information if travelling by your own transportation (through google maps)
http://my.metrocommute.in/

I read a good collection of ebooks (PDFs in main) with a grouse that it does not match that of real book reading.
Here is a useful tool called martview that helps in loading ebooks in book reading way
The feel is too good and the reader can flip pages just like an actual book. The resolution and look and feel is quite natural and you will get the feel of having the book in your hands

Go ahead and try martview.com

You have a flashy new machine and wondering what needs to be installed for optimal developer experience?

here is a list that will help
http://weblogs.asp.net/rosherove/archive/2010/04/09/things-to-install-on-a-new-machine-revisited.aspx

I use google reader for about 2 years or so with 100+ subscriptions. Google reader is good enough but lacks in some snazzy effects.
Thanks to greasemonkey and some innovative js code, a better readable ui is available.

Thanks to :
http://longair.net/blog/2010/01/03/superficially-improving-google-reader/
and
http://helvetireader.com/

ISO images are files which are specific to be burnt using a DVD/CD burner
These include OS/major tools installation files like Visual studio

Ideally you need blank CD/DVD and a burner software to use these iso images to install the software. What if you donot have these tools?

MS Virtual CDROM is a tool that does precisely what a burner and mount does. It lets you assign a logical drive in your file system and then mounts the iso to that drive

You need to have the drive mounted until the full installation is completed.

The tool can be downloaded from http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Virtual-CDROM-Control-Panel-v-Download-16468.html

The readme file inside the tool has to be read before using the tool. Donot worry its list of 5 steps or so.

the tool is free :)

I am part of a team that keeps doing nightly builds for our product. During these builds, often there will be a situation to compare the tables and respective entries when there is a new bug.

I was searching for a free tool that does this analysis and present the results in a nice format. Thankfully, Microsoft has provided a tool called Tablediff along with sqlserver 2005.


But the downside is this is a command line utility which is good enough for continuos integration processs but not for off the shelf comparison. There is a UI version of this tool, courtesy of this site

Try using these tools.

In general, we often see apps take more than 5 MB in size. But Nirsoft utils take very less space (less than 1 MB) and are pretty useful too.

You can find list of more utilities here: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/index.html

I love to use small utilities that take care of the routine tasks. The thing is many such tool need to installed to start working. But here is a nice collection of tools that can be ported using the USB or just copy/pasted to work.

http://www.portablefreeware.com/?p=11

Ever notice how people working @ night have that eerie blue glow?

Or wake up ready to write down the Next Great Idea, and get blinded by your computer screen?

During the day, computer screens look good—they're designed to look like the sun. But, at 9PM, 10PM, or 3AM, you probably shouldn't be looking at the sun.

How many web browsers you know? FF, IE, NS (defunct now), Opera, safari..?
Well here is an exhaustive list of browsers.

My choices:

In terms of startup time (chronological order)
K-meleon
Chrome
FF
IE

In terms of customization options
FF
other browsers yet to catch up

Look & feel
FF
Opera (comes close second considering its not an open source)

Page render time
K-meleon (amazingly this browser loads google search much faster than google Chrome :) )
Chrome
FF
IE

Official information on the google chrome browser.
Official Google Blog: A fresh take on the browser

Not so official one
Here is a nice list of hidden features in Google Chrome.

This is my personal review of Google Chrome, the browser.

installation:
+ve
very smooth - typical google style of silent and minimal intrusive.

-ve
takes about 4 mins to install
would have been better if an offline download msi is also available since there could be

firewalls that block exe downloads.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Startup:
+ve takes 1 min or so to show the first screen.

-ve
requires firefox to be shutdown for initial import. Guess this is more to do with FF that

chrome

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Appearance

+ve
nice blue skin - resembles word 2007 title bar and ribbon
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Addressbar: auto complete is similar to FF
status bar is minimal and stretches as per the message lenght. does not appear static.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tabs on top:
+ve you get a full view of the browsing page.

-ve:
need some practice to locate the tabs since we are accustomed to look just right below the

address bar for so long.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Default home page:
this is similar to opera qucik tabs where in you get to see your favorite pages as small

screenshots for selection. in this case its the last 6 visited pages that is displayed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now for the crux of the matter:

Chrome does have an inbuilt task manager in 2 versions. a simple and advanced ones
Simple one is similar to the listing of various tabs and memory it consumes. and the CPU

usage %
Advanced model contains detailed stats on the process like virtual mem, private, mapped mem

and so on.

Now I tried to "end process" a time consuming tab, and yes it does not quite neatly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over all:
neat and typically google in nature, needs themes and skins for usage.
security, performance thru puts like html rendering, js parsing will need to be tested in

the days to come.

this page will list my most used tools. Trying to keep it as open source tools lists

screenshot studio: nice tool to take screenshots easy

Nirsoft Packet sniffer: Network packet sniffer tool. Not an open source tool but very useful.

StickyNotes for Windows: Best way to productivity is through writing your goals and keeping it in a place where you can see. What better place than your windows desktop to store such memos. This is an open source tool written in c# that helps to do just what you need.

Extensive collection of open source tools for windows platform.

Open source folder synchronization tool: http://www.cockos.com/pathsync/

Fast and reliable.

Online Pdf edit: upload pdf to this site and start editing online

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Makeuseof/~3/WbIolIBem8k/

USB drive tools (data transfer, error check etc) http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-lightweight-tools-to-check-the-speed-of-your-usb-flash-drive-windows/

List of tools that would make ur life as a .net developer easier !!
.NET Tools: Ten Must-Have Tools Every Developer Should Download Now -- MSDN Magazine, July 2004