Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on May 20, 2008 by CyberNet.

Time Saving Tuesday

I enjoy taking digital pictures, but the part that I don’t like is copying them over to the computer. The file names are always such a mess, and are typically along the lines of DSC000022.JPG which doesn’t help at all when trying to identify a photo. One of the first things that I do after transferring the photos over to the computer is rename them in bulk. After all, when you get back from a vacation you don’t want to rename hundreds of photos one at a time.

There are all kinds of different ways that you can do this on both a Windows or Mac computer. Both operating systems have ways to batch rename files, such as the F2 key in Windows or Automator on a Mac, but there are free apps out there that can make the task as simple as pointing and clicking. So today we’re going to show you four bulk file renaming programs (2 for Windows and 2 for Mac) that are all free, but pack some powerful features.

One thing I noticed when searching around for file renaming tools on a Mac was that there weren’t an abundance of free solutions available. The paid versions greatly overshadowed any of the free apps, and that is disappointing considering how nice some of the free ones actually are.

–ReNamer (Homepage / Full Review)–

Windows only
This is definitely my favorite renaming utility on Windows. I’m not quite sure why that’s the case considering the variety of free bulk renaming tools, but it has a sense of simplicity that I haven’t found in any other app. Maybe the fact that you can download a no-install version is what appeals the most to me, because I’m able to keep it on my USB drive for quick use.

Just don’t let the interface deceive you! On the outside it may look overly simple, but it has a wide variety of options for renaming files. If you really want to live on the edge you can use Regular Expressions or Pascal scripts to really customize how the files are renamed, but most users will probably never have to take it that far.

–Name Mangler (Homepage)–

Mac only
This tiny little app really takes the cake when it comes to bulk file renaming on a Mac. It has a slick and simple interface that shines well above any of the other file renaming programs that I’ve come across (even compared to those on Windows). The interface really threw me for a curve ball at first because I didn’t think there were many ways you could rename files in bulk, but that wasn’t the case at all.

Name Mangler supports Regular Expressions which is often a requirement for any renamer, but it even includes it’s own Name Conversion Description Language (NCDL). That’s a custom scripting language that any programmer will be able to pick up in seconds, and gives you the opportunity to create outrageously complex file renaming conditions if that’s what you need.

To make things even easier Name Mangler lets you create Droplets, which saves your renaming rules to a file. Then you can drag and drop files onto a Droplet to have them renamed accordingly.

–Flexible Renamer (Homepage / Full Review)–

Windows only
This is a slightly more complex file renamer for Windows, but one of the nice things is that it does include a live preview feature. With that you’ll be able to see what the resulting file names will look like as you make the changes, which can save some time in the long run.

At times the interface can feel a little cluttered, but I’m guessing that is due to the built-in file explorer which makes it a bit easier to navigate for the files you want to work with. Things can really start to get messy if you switch to the advanced interface, which adds even more configuration and customizability options. If you’re looking for sheer power and live previews, this is the Windows file renamer for you.

(Click to Enlarge)

–Filewrangler (Homepage)–

Mac only
This was the first free file renamer that I had come across for a Mac, and I was pretty excited to try it out. The interface is a little oversized, and I’m not so sure that all of the fields need to be displayed at all times. Granted some of the advanced features are tucked away at the bottom, and will slide out when needed.

Renaming the files seemed a little bit clunky, and all I was trying to do was numerically order them by adding an incremental number onto the end of the filename. The reason why I had such a problem was that the “Numbering” option was disabled until I enabled the “Suffix” option, which took me a minute to realize since they aren’t located next to each other. It might not be the most intuitive, but I was still able to get the job done.

(Click to Enlarge)

–Overview–

In the end my two favorite file renaming tools are ReNamer and Name Mangler, depending on which operating system I am using. Now I’d love to hear what you use to bulk rename your files!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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This article was written on February 12, 2008 by CyberNet.

No, you didn’t read the title of the article wrong. With all of the Vista bashing going on we thought it would be fun to take a step back and see what the initial consensus was of XP when it launched back in October 2001. Since so much time has passed it is easy to forget the messages that were filling the forums and reviews.

I’ve never recommended that anyone go out and drop a few hundred dollars to upgrade their computer to Vista, but at the same time I’ve never told anyone to downgrade a newly purchased machine to XP. When Windows 7 is released in 2009/2010 the same thing is going to happen, and a new wave of “Windows 7 sucks, I’ll stick with Vista” messages will undoubtedly be sprawled across the Internet. Isn’t it obvious that with time comes maturity?

Here’s our recap on Windows XP’s first year of existence:

1. [09/08/2001] This forum post happened one month before the release of XP, and it was in response to someone wondering whether an XP upgrade is worthwhile. Guess XP wasn’t really considered a major upgrade…

   I don’t see as a really big upgrade personally. It does contain some more integrated features, like CD Burning and a firewall along with some more networking options, but I don’t see it as much of an upgrade over 2k. Win9x, however, is a different story.

2. [05/16/2002] We’ve quoted this CNet article before, but it is a really good representation of the issues people faced 6-months after the release of XP. Sound familiar?
   

   Microsoft’s latest operating system just turned six months old, and most would say that it’s neither a failure nor a raging success. While XP promised the latest and greatest multimedia, security, and ease-of-use features available, many users have not yet upgraded, fearing the hefty system requirements and potential compatibility disasters inherent in a major OS upgrade.

3. [09/09/2002] Almost a year after the release of Vista this UK site primarily covered the performance of the operating system, but also had this to say about software compatibility:
   

   Having a PC that is up to the task of running Windows XP isn’t the only issue that has rankled with PC users. Perhaps even more of a bugbear has been compatibility. The truth is that XP just doesn’t work well with a lot of older software and hardware.

4. [09/12/2002] It’s been about a year since the release of Vista, and I still think it’s astonishing the people who criticize Vista without having tried it. This forum is a shining example of the same thing happening to XP:
   

   dont goto XP … ive heard bad stuff about it 2 … more than the others

5. [Sometime in 2002] I’m not sure exactly when this was written, but it was sometime in 2002. It’s essentially a guide of what to expect when upgrading to XP, and they mention the same thing about the minimum requirements that I tell people who want to upgrade to Vista:
   

   Face the facts. If you’re running the minimum 233-MHz Intel or AMD compatible processor, 64-MB RAM, 1.5 GB of free disk space, Super VGA (800×600) video adapter and monitor, and Microsoft-compatible keyboard and pointing device, you aren’t going to be happy with Windows XP. Nor will you be able to enjoy all the features that XP offers. It would be like driving a Ferrari with a Ford Pinto motor.

You might be saying to yourself that there wasn’t as much XP bashing as there is with Vista, but you also have to consider how many more opportunities people have to be vocal about their experiences. There weren’t many blogs back in 2001, forum activity was generally light, and sites like MySpace and Facebook didn’t exist. You didn’t have the opportunity to create a “XP sucks” Facebook group to see how many thousands of people you could get to join.

Another thing you need to realize is that some of the Vista opinions are based on experiences people had with pre-release versions. Microsoft decided this time around to open up Vista Beta testing to the public early on so that they could get feedback, and users didn’t have to pay a dime to test it out. I remember when I wanted to test XP I had to fork out $10 just to download the Release Candidate, and boy was that a driver nightmare at the time. Millions of people tested out Vista, and I know several people who haven’t tried it since then… therefore skewing their perception of the final operating system.

The reason I defend Vista is because it’s been a great operating system for me as a consumer. I think it looks better than XP, performs better in most areas, and hardly ever nags me (ex. Vista installs necessary device drivers in the background automatically instead of popping up with a window). So don’t rush out to buy the operating system, but if you get a new computer I don’t see any reason as to why you shouldn’t get the latest version of Windows.

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The writers over at Busy Mommy Media have run the Nissan Leaf through a special battery of ‘family’ tests to produce the kind of review of the EV that we don’t see every day around here. Still, the family perspective is an especially interesting one for the electric vehicle, since widespread adoption will largely depend on how it fares in just such lifestyles. So how did the Leaf fare? Exceedingly well, it turns out, getting high marks for performance, cargo space, and interior space. The only problem raised was the fact that the reviewer could not fit all three of her required car seats into the back seat, but was able to change them out for slimmer models which did, in fact, fit. Check out the video after the break for the full mommy (and daddy) treatment.

Continue reading Nissan Leaf gets the ‘family’ review treatment, earns high marks

Nissan Leaf gets the ‘family’ review treatment, earns high marks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog Green  |  Busy Mommy Media  | Email this | Comments

This article was written on January 19, 2007 by CyberNet.

Now before I get started I want to say that I use openSUSE as my choice of Linux distribution and couldn’t be happier with it. They always seem to be on top of implementing new technologies that are easy-to-use and really appealing to those who want the latest and greatest. For example, the latest version of openSUSE includes a new KDE Start Menu that is unlike anything you’ll find in other Linux distributions.

With that being said I think Novell, the company that develops SUSE, might be taking things a little far now. They have started a website that compares their Enterprise operating system with Windows Vista, in hopes of attracting more customers. Sure, that sounds like normal competition at first but the only comparisons that they make are the ones that favor them…with the most obvious being pricing.

Novell provides a table (pictured below) that demonstrates the pricing difference between the two major versions of Vista and SUSE Linux Enterprise. They then go on to show you what the total cost (with maintenance) would be over the next year and three years, but they conveniently don’t have maintenance cost information available for their operating system, so they leave that number out of the total.

It is definitely fair for them to do such a comparison because I could have seen Microsoft doing the same thing is the situation was reversed, but this was the part that really caught my attention:

The license costs for Windows Vista Ultimate with Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 reaches a whopping $1,078. With SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, you receive over 90 percent of the functionality of Vista and Office for less than 10 percent of the price.

90 percent of the functionality? That sounds a little high especially if you think about the applications businesses run on their machines that probably won’t work right on Linux. I guess they are probably talking about general features, like managing photos, but that still irks me a little bit.

As far as maintenance goes I would say that the cost to maintain SUSE would be much higher than it would be for Vista. Unless you’re able to get a staff that completely understands Linux the cost for supporting the system and paying IT professionals to do training would probably total more than upgrading to Vista.

I guess that is the end of my rant, which I try not to do very often, but it seems like they are misleading people a little bit. I agree that almost all versions of Linux are probably more secure than Windows, which is probably the area that Novell should have tried to focus the attention on.

What does everyone else think about this? Is Novell going about this the wrong way or are they smart for pursuing the marketing so aggressively?

News Source: Desktop Linux

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