Replacements for PC Mag utiliities.

J

John Corliss

Since you now have to subscribe to their site in order to access
the download of PC Magazine utilities (formerly they were free) and
because several of the utilities were listed in the Pricelessware
List, I thought it might be a good idea if the group came up with
suggestions for replacements of those programs.
I'm aware that you can still download most of these from alternate
sites, but the ethics of doing so are open to debate. Not only that,
but I suspect that such sources will eventually dry up.
I'm also aware that not all of the utilities will have
replacements, nor will any replacement be a precise equal in features.
Some will be better, some not as good. However, it seems to me like a
worthy task to find these replacements and also to let PC Magazine
know that their decision to charge for their utilities SUCKS, BIG
TIME. In fact, we also might want to come up with a list of utilities
for which there is no replacement and use it to provide ideas for
freeware programmers.

The first step will be to come up with a list of the utilities that we
actually want to find replacements for since not all of the PC
Magazine utilities were useful. You can go here to select the
utilities you liked:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1937,00.asp

As a starting point only, here are the ones I found useful:

ContextEdit
CookieCop (any version)
CursorDance
DaysEase
EndItAll 2
Freedom of Association (kinda buggy though)
IconEdit32
IconJack32
Iconlock
InCtrl 4 or 5
Mailcall
Registry Detective
Seethru
Startup Cop
ZDKeyMap
 
S

Susan Bugher

John said:
Since you now have to subscribe to their site in order to access the
download of PC Magazine utilities (formerly they were free) and because
several of the utilities were listed in the Pricelessware List, I
thought it might be a good idea if the group came up with suggestions
for replacements of those programs.
I'm aware that you can still download most of these from alternate
sites, but the ethics of doing so are open to debate. Not only that, but
I suspect that such sources will eventually dry up.
I'm also aware that not all of the utilities will have replacements,
nor will any replacement be a precise equal in features. Some will be
better, some not as good. However, it seems to me like a worthy task to
find these replacements and also to let PC Magazine know that their
decision to charge for their utilities SUCKS, BIG TIME. In fact, we also
might want to come up with a list of utilities for which there is no
replacement and use it to provide ideas for freeware programmers.

The first step will be to come up with a list of the utilities that we
actually want to find replacements for since not all of the PC Magazine
utilities were useful. You can go here to select the utilities you liked:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1937,00.asp
Click to expand...

Why not just mention apps with the suggested replacements. FWIW I added
a list of the apps to the ACF wiki:

http://www.markcarter.me.uk/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?PCmagUtilities

A question mark after the name of an app means the name is also a "wiki
word" (two or more capitalized words with no spaces between them).
Clicking on the question mark will create a new web page for that app
where comments could be added. The wiki might be a good place to
summarize this thread for future reference.

Susan
 
P

Phred

Since you now have to subscribe to their site in order to access
the download of PC Magazine utilities (formerly they were free) and
because several of the utilities were listed in the Pricelessware
List, I thought it might be a good idea if the group came up with
suggestions for replacements of those programs.
I'm aware that you can still download most of these from alternate
sites, but the ethics of doing so are open to debate. Not only that,
but I suspect that such sources will eventually dry up.
I'm also aware that not all of the utilities will have
replacements, nor will any replacement be a precise equal in features.
Some will be better, some not as good. However, it seems to me like a
worthy task to find these replacements and also to let PC Magazine
know that their decision to charge for their utilities SUCKS, BIG
TIME. In fact, we also might want to come up with a list of utilities
for which there is no replacement and use it to provide ideas for
freeware programmers.

The first step will be to come up with a list of the utilities that we
actually want to find replacements for since not all of the PC
Click to expand...

G'day John,

On this issue, I tend to agree with Susie -- by looking for
"replacements" there is an implication of making do with second best
and, consequently, an endorsement of the original PC Mag utilities as
"the best".

Better to simply document the purpose of each program and list one of
more freeware solutions for achieving a similar outcome. I think this
is more or less what Susie's suggestion would accomplish anyway;
albeit by still acknowledging the specific PC Mag utilities as entry
points for searching the database. But that's a rather ambiguous form
of endorsement. ;-)

I find it interesting that PC Mag has stooped to this way of
maintaining subscriptions. Clearly they are not meeting their
former objective of providing useful advice and information as a way
of attracting subscribers. I know I gave up on them several years ago
after about 10 years of happily subscribing. It just got to the stage
where they had nothing to offer that I couldn't find closer to home.
Magazine utilities were useful. You can go here to select the
utilities you liked:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1937,00.asp

As a starting point only, here are the ones I found useful:

ContextEdit
CookieCop (any version)
CursorDance
DaysEase
EndItAll 2
Freedom of Association (kinda buggy though)
IconEdit32
IconJack32
Iconlock
InCtrl 4 or 5
Mailcall
Registry Detective
Seethru
Startup Cop
ZDKeyMap
Click to expand...

Cheers, Phred.
 
P

*ProteanThread*

On this issue, I tend to agree with Susie -- by looking for
"replacements" there is an implication of making do with second best
and, consequently, an endorsement of the original PC Mag utilities as
"the best".
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. Replacements don't always mean 2nd best in fact
replacements might be newer, updated, more robust, etc where a lot of PC Mag
Utilities are not or have not been updated in a while. In fact, some
replacements have proven to be better than the PC Mag versions (in fact most
pc mag utilities are just basic utils that are either working examples with
source code for you to look at and improve or duplicated functions in newer
versions of windows)
Better to simply document the purpose of each program and list one of
more freeware solutions for achieving a similar outcome. I think this
is more or less what Susie's suggestion would accomplish anyway;
albeit by still acknowledging the specific PC Mag utilities as entry
points for searching the database. But that's a rather ambiguous form
of endorsement. ;-)
Click to expand...

Either way, everyone here will agree that what PC Mag did was for the
benefit of the company and not the users / readers. Even before the
downloads became a subscription service, there has always been a question
about the legalities of posting PC Mag "freeware" on sites outside of the PC
Mag domain. There was a thread several years ago on this topic well before
PC Mag downloads became a subscription service.
I find it interesting that PC Mag has stooped to this way of
maintaining subscriptions. Clearly they are not meeting their
former objective of providing useful advice and information as a way
of attracting subscribers. I know I gave up on them several years ago
after about 10 years of happily subscribing. It just got to the stage
where they had nothing to offer that I couldn't find closer to home.
Click to expand...

I don't. With the amount resources freely available on the internet, the
number of print subscribers has probably dropped considerably. PC Mag isn't
the only magazine / newspaper to charge for access to its online website.
For example, my local newspaper (http://www.wyomingnews.com) requires a
print subscription before you can access other parts of the website.

a lot of those mentioned are duplicated already in newer versions of windows
or in other freeware recommended by loyal fans of acf, so really a list
would be redundant.


--
Woodzy

http://www.rtdos.com (alt OS for games based on the classics)
http://u.webring.com/hub?ring=ringoferoticsf ( ring of erotica and sci fi
writers )
 
S

Susan Bugher

Susan said:
Why not just mention apps with the suggested replacements. FWIW I added
a list of the apps to the ACF wiki:

http://www.markcarter.me.uk/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?PCmagUtilities
Click to expand...

and added the suggested replacements that were mentioned in other recent
threads. It's easy to add or edit info in the wiki - using it should
help keep this thread from getting too tangled.
A question mark after the name of an app means the name is also a "wiki
word" (two or more capitalized words with no spaces between them).
Clicking on the question mark will create a new web page for that app
where comments could be added. The wiki might be a good place to
summarize this thread for future reference.
Click to expand...

Susan
 
J

John Corliss

Susan said:
Why not just mention apps with the suggested replacements.
Click to expand...

Progressing in an orderly fashion will make it easier to compile a
list and to know when we're done. If we list only the ones we're
interested in, then the list will be shorter and the goal more defined.
FWIW I added a list of the apps to the ACF wiki:

http://www.markcarter.me.uk/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?PCmagUtilities

A question mark after the name of an app means the name is also a "wiki
word" (two or more capitalized words with no spaces between them).
Clicking on the question mark will create a new web page for that app
where comments could be added. The wiki might be a good place to
summarize this thread for future reference.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I'm just not into that "wiki" stuff. Discussing this kind of
topic is just what this group is for and frankly, I don't see the need
for a wiki on it.
 
J

John Corliss

Phred said:
G'day John,

On this issue, I tend to agree with Susie -- by looking for
"replacements" there is an implication of making do with second best
and, consequently, an endorsement of the original PC Mag utilities as
"the best".
Click to expand...

I'm afraid I don't understand where any endorsement (other than the
idea for the utility itself) could be derived in any way. Besides,
many of the newer freeware replacements are actually *better* than
similar PC Magazine utilities.
Better to simply document the purpose of each program and list one of
more freeware solutions for achieving a similar outcome.
Click to expand...

That would be a lot of unnecessary work. The program descriptions are
already conveniently listed at the link I provided (quoted below) and
can be used to find replacements.
I think this is more or less what Susie's suggestion would accomplish
anyway; albeit by still acknowledging the specific PC Mag utilities
as entry points for searching the database. But that's a rather
ambiguous form of endorsement. ;-)
Click to expand...

Far too ambiguous to be effective in any degree.
I find it interesting that PC Mag has stooped to this way of
maintaining subscriptions. Clearly they are not meeting their
former objective of providing useful advice and information as a way
of attracting subscribers. I know I gave up on them several years ago
after about 10 years of happily subscribing. It just got to the stage
where they had nothing to offer that I couldn't find closer to home.
Click to expand...

They're still not *too* bad, but I find that they're slowly inching
into more product endorsement than technical advice.

Cheers.
 
V

Vic Dura

I find it interesting that PC Mag has stooped to this way of
maintaining subscriptions. Clearly they are not meeting their
former objective of providing useful advice and information as a way
of attracting subscribers. I know I gave up on them several years ago
after about 10 years of happily subscribing. It just got to the stage
where they had nothing to offer that I couldn't find closer to home.
Click to expand...

I believe many people would agree. That's why they are probably
hurting. Their rag is half the number of pages it was 18-years ago.
Ziff-Davis bought PCMag when it was flying high and probably paid
top-dollar for it. Now they probably need to generate more revenue to
compensate for their diminished market so they decided to try shooting
themselves in the foot.

In a few more years they'll sell out to someone.
 
J

John Corliss

John said:
Since you now have to subscribe to their site in order to access the
download of PC Magazine utilities (formerly they were free) and because
several of the utilities were listed in the Pricelessware List, I
thought it might be a good idea if the group came up with suggestions
for replacements of those programs.
I'm aware that you can still download most of these from alternate
sites, but the ethics of doing so are open to debate. Not only that, but
I suspect that such sources will eventually dry up.
I'm also aware that not all of the utilities will have replacements,
nor will any replacement be a precise equal in features. Some will be
better, some not as good. However, it seems to me like a worthy task to
find these replacements and also to let PC Magazine know that their
decision to charge for their utilities SUCKS, BIG TIME. In fact, we also
might want to come up with a list of utilities for which there is no
replacement and use it to provide ideas for freeware programmers.

The first step will be to come up with a list of the utilities that we
actually want to find replacements for since not all of the PC Magazine
utilities were useful. You can go here to select the utilities you liked:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1937,00.asp

As a starting point only, here are the ones I found useful:

ContextEdit
CookieCop (any version)
CursorDance
DaysEase
EndItAll 2
Freedom of Association (kinda buggy though)
IconEdit32
IconJack32
Iconlock
InCtrl 4 or 5
Mailcall
Registry Detective
Seethru
Startup Cop
ZDKeyMap
Click to expand...

To this list I would like to add the following:

HotKey Detective 2
UnClean 2
 
J

jo

John said:
Mailcall
Click to expand...

===================
Internet e-mail notification programs let you know when you have e-mail
waiting for you on the server. Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape
Navigator both come with bare-bones versions of this feature. PC
Magazine's e-mail notification utility, MailCall, adds numerous
enhancements. You can monitor multiple e-mail accounts, preview and
delete messages without retrieving them, and launch the e-mail program
of your choice. Special options accommodate people who leave e-mail on
the server after reading it
==================

EPrompter essentially does this.

http://www.eprompter.com/

Magic Mail Monitor does it so much better.

http://mmm3.sourceforge.net/
 
J

jo

John said:
The first step will be to come up with a list of the utilities that we
actually want to find replacements for since not all of the PC
Magazine utilities were useful.
Click to expand...

BHO Cop is nice.
 
J

John Corliss

jo said:
John Corliss wrote:




===================
Internet e-mail notification programs let you know when you have e-mail
waiting for you on the server. Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape
Navigator both come with bare-bones versions of this feature. PC
Magazine's e-mail notification utility, MailCall, adds numerous
enhancements. You can monitor multiple e-mail accounts, preview and
delete messages without retrieving them, and launch the e-mail program
of your choice. Special options accommodate people who leave e-mail on
the server after reading it
==================

EPrompter essentially does this.

http://www.eprompter.com/

Magic Mail Monitor does it so much better.

http://mmm3.sourceforge.net/
Click to expand...

Noted. Thanks.
 
J

John Corliss

J

jo

John said:
It might be better to find a freeware alternative that's still under
development as freeware.
Click to expand...

Why?

If we are looking for PC Mag replacements do we not simply need to look
for a freeware app that is competitive?

Development is not necessarily a good thing; look at Kerio. Or are you
talking about the finer points of freeware ethics in going for Last
Freeware Builds?
 
P

Phred

Not necessarily. Replacements don't always mean 2nd best in fact
Click to expand...

Of course not. That's why I said "implication".
[...]
I don't. With the amount resources freely available on the internet, the
number of print subscribers has probably dropped considerably. PC Mag isn't
the only magazine / newspaper to charge for access to its online website.
For example, my local newspaper (http://www.wyomingnews.com) requires a
print subscription before you can access other parts of the website.
Click to expand...

Exactly. If you don't provide the online service to subscribers only,
then no one will subscribe to the printed mag. I find that
interesting, and it's an admission that the printed mag no longer
offers an indispensible service to enough readers. (There are still
one or two of us out here -- well, one anyway -- who *much* prefer the
printed word to the VDU version. But, as I said, I don't need PC Mag
for that anymore anyway. Their competitors are now "near enough". :)

Cheers, Phred.
 
J

John Corliss

jo said:
Why?

If we are looking for PC Mag replacements do we not simply need to look
for a freeware app that is competitive?
Click to expand...

So that the link or program is less likely to need being replaced in
the near future.
Development is not necessarily a good thing; look at Kerio. Or are you
talking about the finer points of freeware ethics in going for Last
Freeware Builds?
Click to expand...

Nope. Just the above reason.
 

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