metaViper

The trend has matured into a way of life. Open source software takes many forms, from operating systems like Linux to free online word processing, most commercially developed solutions have an open source alternative. To help find those programs , check out Open Source as Alternative.

It’s a site that ranks open source and commercial software solutions by popularity and gives brief descriptions of each. A very useful site!

Here’s a snapshot of their current top rated open source solutions:

It’s easy to forget the world exists when staring into a monitor. That’s where all the attention goes, and what focuses that attention? The eyes.

After hours of focusing eyes on even the best monitor, strain sets in. That can lead to all sorts of nasty things like headaches, dizziness, and vertigo. The easiest (and cheapest) solution is to build in time away from the computer every day. I know it’s hard, those flickering pixels are a siren’s call, but be strong!

Still here huh? Then let me introduce you to Workrave. It’s free software that prompts the user for periodic microbreaks, which can include stretching eyes, hands, and legs. Coworkers may look at you funny when a sheep pops up on your screen prompting you to bend your fingers in a particular pattern, but isn’t it worth it to preserve those million-dollar digits?

I thought so.

Workrave only prompts as often as it’s configured to. I generally recommend the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes take 20 seconds to look at something at least 20 feet away and do some mild stretching. It helps to focus on an object in the distance so that different muscles in the eyes get some exercise.

In the long run this will make you more productive as your mind stays fresh and extremeties limber.

For some people it’s more severe, but anyone who uses Microsoft’s ubiquitous Windows operating system has to deal with an ever-growing Start Menu. One way to pull the most important applications to fore is with the quick launch toolbar, but that takes up precious screen real estate, fills up fast, and presents a lot of symbols to browse. On the other hand some people give up any semblance of organization and clutter their desktop with a maze of shortcuts.

Launchy. It’s a free program (though the author welcomes donations!) that launches applications by asking for a keyword from the user. It runs in the Windows background in a small footprint, and pushing Alt+Space activates the Launchy query box.The flexibility of the program is what drew me in. It’s capable of indexing a variety of file types. By default it scans the Start Menu for .lnk shortcut files but you can add directories and file types. I use it to instantly access parts of my shared drives, and stored pdf and word files. It reduces the amount of time I spend hunting through my computer’s file system for information. Vipers are opportunistic creatures after all :-}

Launchy also has a plugin development community and has generated buzz in the blogosphere.

Congratulations to Josh Karlin for creating such a useful tool, keep up the great work!