John Cox

Blogs · @wyome

Tagged software · everything

HandBrake

HandBrake is a free, open-source video conversion tool maintained by volunteers that supports conversion from virtually any video format to modern, widely-compatible codecs. The software runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms and requires no payment or licensing fees.

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CrossLoop - Secure Screen Sharing

This is a marketing page for Avast One antivirus software, not a saved article or reportage. It promotes the free antivirus app and its features—including AI-powered scam protection, device optimization, and dark web monitoring—while listing industry awards from AV-Comparatives, AVLab, and other testing organizations. The page contains product descriptions, award citations, and a download prompt rather than analytical or informational content.

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Techcrunch » Blog Archive » Google Makes Its Move: Office 2.0

Google has launched Google Apps for your Domain, offering Gmail, Talk, Calendar, and Page Creator to businesses through a single control panel with free hosting and ad support, with plans to add document creation and spreadsheet tools plus collaboration features. The move directly challenges Microsoft's multibillion-dollar Office business by enabling online document storage and collaboration, positioning Google with a clean slate but behind in customer acquisition against Microsoft's entrenched advantage despite Microsoft's vulnerability to disrupting its own revenue model. The outcome of this competition could reshape office software pricing within the next year as Office 2007 launches and Google expands its capabilities, though other competitors like Zoho are also building competitive suites.

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Projxpert - Software Issue Tracker, Subversion Control & Forums

projXpert is a project management tool designed for small teams that combines long-term planning with daily execution through dual timeline and board views of the same work. It addresses common coordination problems—unclear availability, cascading date impacts, scattered task information—by centralizing task visibility, automating notifications when schedules change, and providing individual dashboards tailored to each person's role. The platform emphasizes transparency through features like extension requests that require justification, preview-before-apply cascading changes, and time tracking that surfaces variance between planned and actual effort.

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Project collaboration, management, and task software: Basecamp

This is Basecamp's marketing homepage pitch for their project management software. They're positioning Basecamp as a deliberately simple alternative to bloated project management tools, emphasizing that after 20+ years and nearly a million users worldwide, their longevity proves the product actually works for real teams across different industries. The appeal centers on ease of use, reliable customer service (with unusually long-tenured support staff), and impressive scale metrics, with an invitation to try it free or attend a live demo class.

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An Inside View From a Google Employee

A purported Google engineer named ZorbaTHut conducted an extensive forum interview describing internal practices and culture at Google circa 2006, covering topics like the company's flat hierarchy (just five levels for engineers), the actual flexibility of the famous 20% time policy (adjusted based on project deadlines), the prevalence of Linux systems, and hiring processes that emphasize skills over credentials. The interview also touches on practical matters like click-fraud concerns with AdSense, confidentiality rules around unreleased products, and the company's approach to programmer autonomy, suggesting Google's management philosophy trusted skilled workers to manage their own time and didn't micromanage their work-life boundaries.

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