Favourite / Useful Software

Here's a list of my favourite/ useful software/online services I use which has helped simplify the execution of some tasks and I hope it'll be useful to you too. The items are listed in no particular order.

Dropbox

Dropbox is the main cloud storage I use besides Google Drive for storing my files online. I've been using it since I was in polytechnic. I like its simple web interface and its single-desktop-folder concept where whatever files or folders that are stored in the desktop-folder is automatically synced to the Dropbox cloud. This makes it simple and intuitive to use. I've also used Dropbox to share files with team members when working on a project.

I have tried other storage services like JustCloud but it didn't appeal to me although they provided better rates for their services. Firstly, the desktop-folder feature means that an internet connection isn't necessary to access the files. Since is syncs files from different computers automatically, I don't have to keep downloading and uploading the same file between them whenever there are changes. I just have to overwrite the file in the Dropbox folder, and the service takes care of ensuring other devices have the updated copy of the file. For the same reason, I sometimes use Dropbox as a pseudo-backup storage service for important files like the images I use for this blog, etc.

Secondly, by the time I discovered JustCloud, I already had a large amount of files stored on Dropbox and couldn't be bothered transferring them over. And the same reason goes for Google Drive and OneDrive even though they provide more free storage.

Thirdly, since I have been using Dropbox for a long time, I have managed to accumulate almost 30GB worth of free storage pace.

Google Drive & Google Docs

Google Drive is another cloud storage regularly I use too; mainly for Google Docs. I usually use Google Drive to store Google Docs documents, PDFs and images. While Google Drive currently offers more free storage than Dropbox, it didn't when it first came out, hence why I stuck with Dropbox.

CV-Mkr

I chanced upon cvmkr when I was looking for a quick to do up a CV. It's very intuitive and easy to use. You can add as many fields as you want and this online service will generate a CV for you in 6 different styles. You can choose to preview it and download it as a HTML or PDF document.

Here are what the 6 styles look like. It may not look fancy, but it's a good tool if you don't have the time to do a nice one.

Trello

I use Trello as my personal task organizer. I was introduced to it through a team member while working on a school project. I like its simple and intuitive design and controls. The free account has just enough tools for personal use like checklists, deadlines and labels. Trello also has a mobile app which syncs to your Trello account. Once you subscribe to a List or Card, you'll receive updates on any changes made to that particular List or Card.

While Trello is a pretty good app, it does have its flaws. One downside is that it doesn't yet have a way to mark a task as 'done' so deadlines will continue to show even though the task is done. While it doesn't affect me as I can always remove the deadline, it can be problem for teams. As of now, the only way to solve this is to have a List named "Done". Another thing I find lacking is the ability to create custom colours for labels. You're stuck with colours provided; like I had to use the same colour for the "Top Priority" and "Important" labels because of the limited colours. I sometimes use Trello to store important information like links and code. Hence why I have two separate labels. I use "Top Priority" to mark tasks and "Important" to mark notes. It would been cool if I could use a darker red to help distinguish between the two.

Below is a screenshot of my tasks. 

You can check out updates of requested features at the Trello Development Board.

Setuna 2

I was first introduced to Setuna through the lecturer who taught me 3D modelling. This is the second version of the software. Setuna is a screen capture software which allows you to capture a section of the screen which always stays on top other software allowing one to see the captured image's contents.

How to use:

1. Run Setuna 2 and you should see a dialogue box like the image below:

2. Click on "Capture". Your cursor should turn into a crosshair. You can press "Esc" to cancel the action. *Make sure the dialogue box isn't covering the area you want to capture.

3. Click and drag around the area you want to capture. Setuna 2 should generate a bevelled version of the captured area.

4. Now you can click on the captured image an drag it anywhere around the screen.

5. If you feel the image takes up too much space, you can double click on it to shirk it into a tiny square.

6. To remove a captured image, click on it and press "Esc".