Rule the World

Things keep hopping at the Tool Bar & Grill, even while I sweep Louise away for a beach resort weekend. After I describe my latest utility discoveries, Linux rabble-rouser Mark Lautman explains the wonders of window managers.

Where’s a Ruler When You Need One?

Sometimes the little things drive you crazy. And sometimes it’s the big things. Heaven knows that sitting at home on Saturday nights and watching me write my blog could have sent the lovely, long-suffering Louise to the brink of madness, if she were not so patient. In fact, Louise did reach the end of her tether last weekend:

Another little thing that can make you nuts is measuring things on your computer screen. Measurements can be crucial when you’re laying out a brochure or newsletter, designing a Web site, or creating fine art on your computer. Many’s the time I held a wooden ruler up to my monitor.

Now comes JR Screen Ruler from Spadix Software to save your sanity. This simple, absolutely free utility displays a ruler on your screen.

Drag it next to whatever you want to measure. Its simplicity hides the Screen Ruler’s versatility. You can adjust the ruler’s size with the slider, and you can flip it to vertical. You can measure in inches, centimeters, picas, or pixels (and specify the number of pixels per inch), and mark the center point.

The paid version, JR Ruler Pro, offers even greater capabilities.

Special Offer: Titan Backup Business for Free!

As you may know, my pick for the best shareware local backup program is Titan Backup (see my post of 7 October 2007).

Titan Backup has a big brother, Titan Backup Business. This backup solution provides both central server and client workstation software for securing the data on multiple desktop and laptop computers over the Internet, regardless of location. Based on the publisher’s description and my experience with the single-user version, it appears to offer impressive functionality at a reasonable price.

I can’t recommend this program personally, because I have not yet had a chance to try it out for myself (though I plan to soon). Meanwhile, however, Titan publisher Neobyte Solutions has made a generous offer to Tool Bar readers only. I have five free keys for Titan Backup Business, each good for up to 10 workstations.

All you have to do to get one of these five free registration keys is to write to me at ]]