Tag: developers

RANT! Desktop Index ideas

RANT! Desktop Index ideas

Like a lot of people, I have become hooked on “desktop search” products. These products index your hard drive’s documents so that you can quickly and easily search for that piece of information you know that you have but are missing. The most popular version of this is Google Desktop but there are others and I particularly like Copernic Desktop Search because I find it more stable than the other utilities on the market and it can read my calendar in Outlook which is a big deal to me.

As much as I like these tools, I find that there is one big thing that they all miss. They don’t rank my favorite sites higher than other sites if I am doing a web search. This simply doesn’t make sense. Obviously, I have been to that site before (or else it wouldn’t be in my Favorites/Bookmarks folder). Therefore, I trust that information more than other information.

So to all of the developers of desktop search: PRIORITIZE MY FAVORITE SITES ABOVE THE REST OF THE WORLD WHEN YOU SHOW ME SEARCH RESULTS!

I am done with this topic for now but I reserve the right to rant more on it someday.

Did you know that you can have these articles emailed to you? Click on the Email link in the upper right corner Subscribe section, fill out the details, and you are set. No one will see your email address and you won’t get more spam by doing this.

Technorati Tags:

RANT! Software doesn’t know best- it should be stupid

RANT! Software doesn’t know best- it should be stupid

I despise software that thinks it knows best! I want it to be smart enough to know what to do no matter where I put it or where its data resides.

Why do software companies think they know where to put stuff? I hate it when the install of the software doesn’t allow me to put the application on the hard drive that I choose (it is rarely the C drive that it likes). Software programmers that don’t ask where to install should be FIRED and their software should be THROWN INTO THE BIT HEAP!

I also don’t like it when it tells me where to store my data. Sometimes, I want it in My Documents and sometimes I don’t. If I know I am going to back up that data then I want it in My Documents. If I am not going to back it up, I don’t want it in My Documents. Apple is really guilty of this with their iTunes software (don’t ever let them manage your music – it will be lost forever).

While I am at it, here is a good reference to show how to change the location of your My Documents. I didn’t know how to do this until a friend showed me.

Software developers – YOU NEED TO BE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING!

I am done with this topic for now but I reserve the right to rant more on it someday.

Here is some related reading for you to enjoy:
RANT! Music formats should get along – 1 of 2
RANT! Music formats should get along – 2 of 2

Technorati Tags: