brutallyblue

Software Reviews by brutallyblue

The reviews and opinions below are posted by SnapFiles visitors. They do not necessarily reflect our opinion, and they are solely based upon the experience of individual users.

MakeitOne MP3 Album Maker

It is almost magical

This is a hidden gem of a program. I have used it for about four months. I am a local DJ and have a small mailing list of people that want to keep up with my personal Top 10 each week. What I used to do was send out an email with the list of the week's 10 songs, and then a link so the people on my mailing list could download them, one by one from my skydrive. Now, each week in their mailboxes, they get (ONE) MP3 which plays the ten songs in sequence. Everyone loves the new format. A LOT. The other day, I was working on a project for myself and I had about 100 songs lined up. I wanted to make one gigantic MP3. Before I clicked on the start button, I figured this is going to go either two ways: it is going to freeze and as Windows puts it, "stopped responding", OR it would work but take forever. It processed the 100 songs so fast and did so perfectly I didn't even notice. Like an earlier reviewer remarked, I too, thought I had dome something wrong, too, because I saw no action. Turns out, like TEN SECONDS later, it had all 100 songs slammed together to make the one MP3 (and that part took like 30 seconds). It is a workhorse and I can't recommend it enough. Whether you are really into music, or you work with music in any capacity, download this powerful little application. Price: Free

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Mixxx

Never met a beat I did not like

Just a few short years ago to get your hands on software like this, you'd end up paying hundreds of dollars. I have Sonar Studio XL, and I paid 249 for it about five years ago. I used it for a few months, but never really got any results that I was happy with, and it took forever to learn. Before Mixx, I tried (and now am enamored with) Virtual DJ Home Free which has the tools to make phenomenal mixes. To the first reviewer - Virtual DJ does indeed have looper, in fact one set for each side. They reside right under the turntables. Mixx is the perfect companion for Virtual DJ, in that it has several features the Virtual DJ is missing, and in return, Mixx benefits from various aspects that Virtual DJ contains. Additionally, where I find Virtual DJ is the best for remixes, edits, and sequencing, Mixx is hands down the winner for live performances, whether you are playing in a large club, or just DJ'ing for a few friends. Mixx + Virtual DJ + Audacity A DJ mixer's dream suite, and unbelievably, free of charge! Price: Free

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Folderico

Serious lagging on windows 7, 64-bit

I'll start off by saying that once you've colored a folder with this program, it is vibrant and impossible to miss. You are given more than a dozen color choices. It's so easy to go right to a folder in explorer instead of scanning for it. That said, this program performed very poorly. Although it is supposed to be for Windows 7, it reacted like a much older program on a new operating system. Maybe I experienced this trouble because I am running the 64-bit version of Windows 7. When I first tried to use it, I clicked a button and there was about a minute or so of nothing, then Windows changed its status to "not responding". I was about to close it through the task menu when all of a sudden it came to life and colorized my folder. I figured it had to be a compatibility problem. So I tried several different settings and the one that worked best for me was Windows XP (Service Pack 3), and running it as the administrator. Even its best setting, when clicking the program, it did not respond for at least 45 seconds each time I selected a folder to color. Although the results were nice after each wait, it is too fussy and time-intensive for my taste. Additionally, this is one of just a handful of programs that I could not coax to work properly using compatibility settings. Hopefully a later release will solve the lags and non-responsiveness. Price: Free

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F.lux

Don't stay up past your bedtime

I read about f.lux in an article that offered several different ways to overcome insomnia, and also those (me) who tend to stay up too late. It's less than favorable to be a night owl when you have to be at work early in the morning. Even so, every night I'd be at my computer doing any number of tasks and wondering why I wasn't getting sleepy - even with sleep medication. After I installed f.lux, 9 times out of 10, I will go to bed when I am supposed to - and without the use of medication. It seems that what was keeping me wide awake was the bright light from the monitor, and naturally, what sort of activity I was doing. f.lux, follows the natural patterns of the sun, and as the evening wears on, it slowly dims your monitor - so slowly that it is impossible to perceive, and problem is solved. Your monitor has mellowed out by bedtime, and not wildly stimulating the brain into the late, late hours of the night like before. Of course, your mileage may vary, but everyone I've recommended it to has had positive results. This falls into the category of "the first programs I install" after reformatting my hard drive or setting up a new PC. It's an insomniac's best friend, and a must have. Many thanks to Michael Herf, the creator! Price: Free

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Comodo Backup

First comodo product that has disappointed

Due to past experience, I have a high regard for Comodo. As a cash-strapped college student, their freeware was a blessing. Choosing their backup program was a no-brainer. Installing it was easy. Although the UI was a bit overwhelming, I still was able to figure out how to tell the program what I wanted to back up, where I wanted it to go, and how often. I clicked "start backup" and it began. The check box to have the program turn off the PC when it was done was very handy. The next day, I turned on my computer, and read the log, and everything went as planned. I was really pleased, but not surprised because Comodo quality to me. The trouble started when I tried to do a 2nd (incremental) backup. To start this task I just had to take my best guess, as there was no help. Nowhere to pick up where I left off. The schedule I had set was even gone.I was told it had to "scan" the backup in order to process the subsequent files to be backed up.I clicked on back up and it began. I came back three hours later. 0 of the files had been backed up. It was still scanning the backup."155644 files found" was what I got as updates every few minutes.The Comodo help site wasn't much assistance because I couldn't come up with the correct phrase to describe my problem in a search engine.I stopped it after 4.5 hours with 0 backed up. I don't have the time to research this problem right now, due to work and grad school. I will look elsewhere, but I still have high regard for Comodo. Price: Free

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SlimDrivers

I want drivers, not a badge

I downloaded and installed Slimdrivers and I was pleased with its interface. I had it do a search for drivers that needed updated. It found 11. So, I started to download one, and then and ONLY THEN was I informed I was required to join their site if I wanted to install the driver. I really wanted that driver. I had to fill out a form to continue. I surmise that if they imparted joining information BEFORE downloading the product, or even scanning for old drivers, 75 percent of users (me being one) would have given it a pass. Then I was told to LIKE them if I wanted software updates and more freeware. Since I don't belong to Facebook, that was not something I could do. Even though I could not LIKE them, I was allowed to sign on using my new user name and password. I was told about the cool social site I just joined. I could get a badge for reviewing a product, etc. I don't need nor want a virtual badge. I suddenly felt like I was way too old for this, and I am not old. The driver installed fine, and it was one that I needed. I appreciated that. Also, it did ask if I wanted to create a restore point before it proceeded to install the driver. That was also a plus. If the software was not tethered to this social site thing, I would have definitely kept it. But, I felt kind of tricked to join,(to be fair, I could have backed out when I was told about the join requirement) and that seemed somewhat seedy. It left me wary of a company I know nothing about. Price: Free

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FreeCommander XE

No more libraries!!

I love this software for many reasons. It is like going from using index cards in a box to a quick computer search. Like going from 1979 to 2011. Windows Explorer always lacked. At best it was obtuse, and it seemed more and more clicks were required to get to any folder you wanted. In Windows 7 (or maybe Vista?) Microsoft took a big step backward by removing the customization of toolbars in Windows Explorer. Most of all, I love FreeCommmander because I do not have to deal with those !X libraries. I tried to like them. I tried to use them. I tried to see why they were useful. In the end, I found them to be a nuisance, an extra step and confusing. It was one of the few fatal flaws of Windows 7. I hope they kick them to the curb in the next release. So no more libraries, and major organization that I have just tapped the surface of. I love so much useful information in front of me at once. Oh, and I the customizable toolbars are the icing on the cake! Price: Free

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AM-DeadLink

Simplistic yet powerful

I had a bookmark collection that was comprised of over 16,000 sites, amassed over several years and out of control. I knew there were many duplicates, and with some of the collection being a bit old, I figured some probably moved or closed. <br /> With a fast connection, I pushed it up to check 20 sites at a time, which it did without so much as a pause. When it was done, many of them were 404 errors. Many more were redirected. Then it scanned for duplicates. WOW. So many! It is very clever, catching sites which have vastly different names but lead to the about same place. <br /> Here is why I love this software: it saves time and mind-numbing tedium because it highlights all of your dupes (except one for you to keep). There were well over 4000. Imagine how boring that would be, to delete them one by one. After a quick glance, I just clicked delete and my list instantly became manageable. It shaved over 6800 dupes/dead entries in minutes. Price: Free

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Software Reviews by brutallyblue

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