Questions about increasing your productivity and efficiency when working with a computer.
6
votes
3answers
207 views
“English autocompletion” program for Windows
I never experimented with software which gives you "English autocompletion", but it sounds like something I'd love to use and that could make typing much much more efficient. I mean, if I start typing ...
3
votes
1answer
3k views
Is there any alternative to Anti-Social application for Windows?
Anti-Social is a simple but useful application that disables access to popular Social services (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) and hence increase your productivity. It's a subset of Freedom.
While Freedom ...
1
vote
1answer
945 views
How to show desktop apps in Windows 8's Switcher?
The Switcher in Windows 8 is really convenient for managing running applications, but unfortunately all desktop apps are grouped into one position in the switcher... I like to kill background apps ...
2
votes
2answers
641 views
Is there a todo-list /tasks widget that will sync with Google Tasks?
I'd like to be able to see an at-a-glance view of Google tasks on my desktop (XP). Has anyone found a Yahoo widget or Google gadget that will do this?
6
votes
4answers
1k views
Notepad++ Changebar
Notepad++ used to have a changebar (similar to the Microsoft code editor in Visual Studio) that would change color, if the line of text was changed. It was taken out some time ago, but I really liked ...
0
votes
1answer
121 views
Automatically Send Print Job to Printer on Email Trigger
I'm looking for a way (on Mac OS) to automatically send print jobs to a printer when a certain email (sent to a fulfillment email address) is received. Kind of like a do-it-yourself print-on-demand.
1
vote
5answers
497 views
how do I make windows “show desktop” restore the same windows it minimized?
Oftentimes, I'll have my usual mess of programs open in windows 7, when at some point I need to open some file on my desktop. I'll hit the "show desktop" button, minimizing all the rest of my windows, ...
4
votes
2answers
4k views
What's the best Virtual Desktop Manager out there for Windows 7 [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
Virtual desktop(alt+ctrl+1,2,3,4,…) like linux on windows 7
Features that are important to me:
Keyboard support
Fast.
Keyboard support
Clean
Keyboard ...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
Is there a search addon for Firefox that allows to add GET/POST variables from current page?
What I am looking for is basically the Firefox equivalent to this Chrome extension:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/selection-search/gipnlpdeieaidmmeaichnddnmjmcakoe
Now before everybody ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
Any keystroke-launcher alternative to Launchy and Executor on Windows?
does anybody know a good an actively developed alterantive to the keystroke-launcher Launchy or Executor? Launchy seems no longer to be under development. Executor also seems not to be developed ...
-1
votes
2answers
51 views
If you're back's supposed to be straight, why do you need a nice chair at the computer? [closed]
I read the article on Coding Horror (http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2008/07/investing-in-a-quality-programming-chair.html) about nice chairs, but it doesn't make sense to me. I've heard many times ...
6
votes
16answers
541 views
What Firefox UI customisations can be used to improve productivity? [closed]
Most desk jobs these days involve the frequent use of a web browser. What Firefox UI customisations increase your productivity and make your working life easier?
Not necessarily add-ons (although no ...
4
votes
2answers
28 views
Shortcut/program to list the names of open windows on Windows 7+?
I'm looking for a program for Windows that does something similar to the tabs outliner extension for chrome. I prefer reading the titles of the open windows to a visual representation of them such as ...
2
votes
1answer
595 views
Hide all application windows except a specified one on OS X
Is there a free and stable solution satisfying this kind of need and preferably having a menu bar to let the user to exclude a particular app?
-3
votes
2answers
70 views
How can I setup a way to temporarily block my own access to my /etc/hosts file? [closed]
I'm interested in being able to temporarily prevent myself from editing my /etc/hosts file for the sake of productivity. When I am trying to get work done, I like to block access to the websites that ...
0
votes
1answer
154 views
Ditto (clipboard manager): can't set shortcut of Win+<num>. Get “Error Registering Position 1”
Somone made a Youtube video on Ditto, and that person uses Win+Num to paste items from the list. He put a screenshot of his settings on Google Plus:
When I try to do the same, which is to put “1” ...
1
vote
3answers
221 views
Locally redirecting domains (like with /etc/hosts) during certain hours of the day
folks. In the interest of upping my productivity, I'd like to selectively block or redirect certain websites in blocks of time during the day. I've already got some sites completely blocked in my ...
2
votes
4answers
249 views
Launching gnome-shell-timer in Unity?
I'd like to have a countdown timer in my taskbar on an Ubuntu 12.04 machine with Unity 2D. My use case is primarily time management, for example "countdown from 30 minutes, and I'll take a break when ...
1
vote
0answers
140 views
Windows 8 Reader Switch Between Documents
Before Windows 8, opening multiple PDFs would result in a window for each one, and you could then alt+tab between open documents.
In Windows 8, they all open to the Reader app, but only one instance ...
8
votes
1answer
955 views
Disable OS X Enter Full Screen animation
Most applications have a hotkey for entering full-screen in OS X with CmdCtrlF, for others I created a keyboard shortcut for Enter Full Screen and Exit Full Screen in system preferences.
But the 3.0 ...
2
votes
1answer
180 views
Is there a way to script setting up a space (mission control) in OSX?
It seems that Spaces was designed with assigning apps to a space in mind (see this KB article). Even apps like TotalSpaces are built with this model. This seems redundant to me as there is already ...
0
votes
0answers
48 views
Is there a software similar to Think (Mac) for Windows? [closed]
I really like this software - Think. Is there any Windows alternative of this app?
Thanks,
A
0
votes
1answer
79 views
In gnu screen, how do you reload .bashrc in all windows?
I typically use about 10 windows in gnu screen and am constantly customizing my .bashrc. I would like to be able to source .bashrc across screen windows with a one-liner. Can I broadcast a command ...
1
vote
2answers
647 views
Cross-platform shooting script (screenplay) software
My wife's company needs to do some video for client websites. Her consultants use both Mac OSX and Windows.
I think she ought to start using industry-standard shooting script format. Anything out ...
13
votes
3answers
1k views
“Virtual mouse” using the keyboard
(For Windows.)
I'm looking for a kind of program that I hope exists. If it doesn't I might try to create it.
I passionately hate using the mouse. I've learned how to use the keyboard for 99% of the ...
0
votes
0answers
31 views
Expanding Application Switching Paradigm Within Windows 7 to behave like RTS game?
Background: Within RTS games important buildings and units can often be grouped using a Ctrl+(0-9) combination. This combined with in-game hotkeys makes game 'productivity' (i.e. APM, EPM) extremely ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
PowerShell: history enhancements (readline)?
Some of the things I like in Bash and would love to know how to do in PowerShell:
In Bash, I have history scrolling set up so that it only scrolls commands that begin with the same prefix as the ...
2
votes
1answer
140 views
Tab key doesn't complete commands in Run dialog
I like to use the Tab key to complete or skip commands and links in shells and browsers when I am typing, but when I hit the Tab key in the Run dialog, it causes focus to leave the text box, so I'm ...
1
vote
0answers
73 views
Disable unread count in the Skype taskbar icon
This is a Windows-equivalent question of this OSX question here on SuperUser: Disable unread count in the Skype dock icon.
Rationale: sometimes I don't want to be disturbed by incoming Skype messages ...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
Barebones “work-only” Station
I want to buy/build/configure a computer to be used only for programming work. In order to avoid distractions, I want limit myself to use no more than command-line terminals. I don't want to have any ...
7
votes
2answers
182 views
gnu screen - Copying text between windows
Is it possible to paste text copied in a paste buffer to a different window with some keybinding, without having to leave the current window? I.e., instead of going to the window and doing a Ctr-a + ...
3
votes
4answers
8k views
Hide/unhide applications on Mac OS X
How can I hide all applications but the current one on Mac OS X (Snow Leopard), and restore them again?
Sometimes I want to concentrate on the application I'm working with currently, and make all ...
8
votes
15answers
2k views
Being as productive in Windows as in Linux [closed]
I'm contemplating moving from Linux to Windows. What worries me is being less productive. E.g.:
In Linux, I can run applications fairly quickly if they are in the PATH (and most applications are ...
0
votes
0answers
40 views
Simpler alternatives to commands with complicated options/syntax [closed]
A few I've found myself:
HTTPie instead of cURL
http PUT example.org name=John email=john@example.org
https://github.com/jkbr/httpie
ffind instead of find
ffind --type=f make-?dist\.sh$
...
0
votes
1answer
83 views
Formatting not retained in paste from Ditto (clipboard manager). Plain text pasted instead [Solved] Add supported types
I'm trying to use Ditto on the Ditto documentation. If I were to copy the table of contents, then paste it (without Ditto) to the word processor, I get http://i.imgur.com/V1GU3.png,
and the formatting ...
2
votes
6answers
1k views
Single line diff
Is there a diff tool I can run from the command line or maybe just an online webpage that will compare single lines? GitHub diffs do this but I'm don't want to publish things to GitHub just to read ...
0
votes
1answer
24 views
How to manage course progress and manage notes as well [closed]
I am taking few courses at the same time. The courses have videos and books that i need to cover. Right now, i am putting the course list in Excel with all videos and books (Chapterwise) and pasting ...
2
votes
3answers
185 views
How can I delete faster? Word boundary backspace?
I like to type fast. I'm a chronic delete-keyer. I will type first, re-think the output later and hit delete. It seems I'm addicted to always doing something fast.
Anyways, I have to tap the delete ...
0
votes
1answer
44 views
How can I block Firefox from allowing me to create new profiles?
I'm very easily distracted so I use Leechblock with Firefox to help me focus while I'm at work. This works great (especially because I have it set to require a 64-character password in order to make ...
5
votes
1answer
210 views
How do you map a solo press of a modifier key to its own function or mapping on Windows?
Today on hacker news there was a clever article on custom shortcut keys.
The author talks about a technique for remapping a modifier key such as CTRL to ESC if CTRL were pressed without a modifier. ...
2
votes
3answers
596 views
Time tracking tool for monitoring application usage
I want to know how I'm really using my computer, and where the time goes (I have an English paper due, and I intend on getting it done, it's 2:30 PM... no wait, it's 8:30 PM...).
Which software can ...
6
votes
1answer
12 views
Integrated Help - Merged Help Indexes
If anyone has had more than a couple of Microsoft tools or products installed (or a local install of the MSDN library) side by side, you might have noticed that opening help (hitting F1) or opening, ...
3
votes
1answer
191 views
VIM is great for text. Is there, too, an efficient, mouseless way to manipulate files on OS X?
I am having trouble navigating through files on OS X. That is, creating files, copying, moving, and so on. I am currently using the Finder, but the act of clicking with the mouse is not very ...
4
votes
2answers
140 views
Emacs email reader with “conversation view” support
I'm a happy long time Wanderlust user. Since I adopted Inbox Zero, however, I feel that archiving read emails does not work very well with Wanderlust and ordinary IMAP folders, because when a new ...
5
votes
2answers
201 views
Automatic highlighting of text in thunderbird
In days with large email influx, some emails tend to slip out of my attention. Usually these are email where I am not the primary recipient, but I am referenced at some point as having to perform some ...
3
votes
1answer
713 views
Is there a native OS X app like WorkRave? [closed]
I'd like a (preferably free) break reminder app that's native to OS X. Does anyone know of such a tool? There's WorkRave for Windows and Linux.
4
votes
2answers
336 views
Auto suspend after X minutes to stop myself procrastinating
Right now, I'm using a line in /etc/crontab to run pm-suspend every 30 minutes, but I would like an application displaying a warning before suspending (for example a countdown in the taskbar). An ...
2
votes
2answers
66 views
Can documents be forced in a printing queue?
I have recently been moved to work on a desk that is a bit far from the printer. One of the tasks I'm supposed to work on requires me to either have documents stacking up in the printer then go get it ...
2
votes
3answers
336 views
Should I learn Vim without mapping keys?
I have been using vim for a few months its been a love/hate relationship. I love the concept of modal editing and never having the need to move you hands from the keyboard. The problem is that a lot ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
Is there any tool for windows emulating functionality of command-T plugin for vim?
As in the title. It would be usefull to have, for example, a tool like Executor or launchy, but with command-T fuzzy matching.
