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I was introduced to a neat little utility today called Launchy.  It’s particularly useful if you, like me, have far too many applications installed on your computer and can never find “that handy tool” when you need it!

What it does is it builds an index of your installed applications and lets you get to them using a short-cut keystroke (ALT-Space by default) then typing the first few letters of the application name.  It doesn’t help in those all too common instances when you’re thinking “now what was that great app called…..”

Take a look for yourself at http://www.launchy.net/.

If you’ve been doing any sort of Web development for any length of time, then the chances are high that you’ve come across Dreamweaver.  I’ve used it for many years and have found it to be completely invaluable - not only for the way it helps you manage your site organisation (especially useful if you’re working on multiple sites) but also for the way that it assists with the overall design and construction of the pages.  It truly is one of the best IDE’s for Web development.

I remember when I first started using it.  I spent many hours wrestling with the manual, then bought a book that helped, but didn’t show me exactly what I needed! 

Things have changed now - espcially with the release of products such as Dreamweaver Made Simple.  This aims to teach people how to start working with Dreamweaver to produce professional looking websites without the hassle (and cost) of attending training courses or buying multiple books.  In my opinion, the reasonable price represents great value for money - especially since I’ve paid more in the past just for a single book which even then was less comprehensive!

To find out more, have a look at http://www.johnlandells.com/Recommends/DreamweaverMadeSimple/ and make up your own mind.

Does anyone else out there remember Hungarian Notation?  Does anyone else still use it in any shape or form???  I know I do and I still find it as useful as the day I first read about Charles Simonyi’s revolutionary naming conventions!  It may not be as popular today as it used to be, but anyone who’s tried it will attest to its value!

If you don’t know what I’m even talking about, take a look at this description from Microsoft at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa260976(VS.60).aspx, or the Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_notation.

Anyway, the purpose of this post was to point out that Charles Simonyi has made the news again on CNET (http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9785568-7.html).  It appears that his new company, Intentional Software (http://www.intentionalsoftware.com/) is now looking to revolutionise software design in the same way that Charles revolutionised coding back in the early days of PC’s.

My opinion?  Watch Intentional Software closely - we’ll be seeing more of them!

As Windows has become more and more complex, it’s become harder to write useful scripts that keep you on track. 

Enter “PowerShell” - a great tool from Microsoft that helps you get to grips with all the scripting you could want within a Windows environment.  Essentially, I see it as a cross between batch files, Perl, and UNIX shell scripting with the end result being a powerful tool for system admins.

I could tell you more about it, but you’re better off either looking at the Microsoft PowerShell Blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/PowerShell/, or getting hold of a book on the subject, such as the excellent Windows PowerShell in Action.

Enjoy!

…but there’s no mention of why it went down!  In fact, the last post on the site is dated June 24th 2007.

Have a look for yourself at www.semiologic.com.