JB Enterprises - Johan Bezem

Interim Management & Consulting

Linkfarm

I often get asked about some small utility or a tool I use, and sometimes I even ask myself a question, like "I used to have or see a program doing this for me, where can I get the latest version?"
Therefore, this page is for me! ;-)
Subdivided in some sections I present the non-mainstream tools and programs I regularly depend upon, each with a small explanation. Standard programs like MS Office, Firefox, Thunderbird and Acrobat Reader don't need extra explanations, so I'll not mention them here.
Take what you like, and if you like, let me know what you think.

Main programs
Duplicati	A free and open-source backup solution for online or cloud backups. I've been using it for more than 5 years, but for a backup solution I am conservative and use the stable version. It is available for Windows, Linux and MacOS.
Todoist	For me the way to organize my professional and partly also my private life. It is a cloud-based application that can be used with a browser, but also with apps for any environment you can think of. There is a free version, but I'm using the premium version because I cannot live without filters, labels, or comments for tasks.
MailStore	I tend to save all my emails, almost 25 years of emails from multiple providers, and over the years also using various applications and protocols, including Outlook, Thunderbird, Webmail (POP3 and IMAP). And MailStore has collected it all in its database – except the last 6 months – and made it fully searchable for me: 60k emails compressed into 1.6GB, also ideal for creating backups. And, yes, there's a free version for non-commericial usage which is more than you'll normally need.
Total Commander	I have used Norton Commander extensively in the eighties. Total Commander brings back that feeling, already for many years. I don't use it as much as in those days, but for my websites' maintenance it is a very simple and easy SFTP solution. It is a shareware program, with a 30-day test period, after which you have to pay. Depending on your usage, it might be worth it.

Software Development
SlickEdit	My personal and absolutely preferred editor environment. It is a programmable editor environment with support for more than 60 programming and scripting languages, a built-in language for advanced macro programming and much more. I've been using this environment since 1993...

Utilities that come in handy
KatMouse	A small utility that I use mainly to be able to scroll in a window that does not currently have the focus, i.e. in the background. Not really necessary, but when you're used to it, you don't want to miss it. I've had few issues with it under Windows 7, even though there have been very few updates.
AES Crypt	A simple, multi-platform program to encrypt/decrypt files, available on Windows, Mac, Linux and other formats. Does what it promises, does it well, and no more than that. If you carry sensitive information with you, recommended.
WinDirStat	Do you ever wonder why your harddisk or SSD is filling up so fast, what is taking up all that space? Then WinDirStat is for you. It not only gives you an overview of the filesystem, which directory takes up how much space, but it gives a graphical representation where you can really see the big files and find out what and where they are.

Good to have available
SpinRite	"The best maintenance and recovery utility!", as Leo Laporte calls it in the TWiT podcast Security Now with Steve Gibson. Currently a good choice for smaller hard disks and SSDs. We are all waiting for version 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, and later version 7...

Know-how
SS64	The best quick reference I have found for creating BAT/CMD batch files, with descriptions of all commands, syntax explanations, etc. The site contains more, for example for PowerShell or bash, but I have not really used those parts.

Podcasts
Security Now	Steve Gibson explains current events in the realm of IT security, in a TWiT podcast with Leo Laporte. If the news is not too enormous, Q&A episodes are interspersed with technical explanations of basic and in-depth topics.
Manager Tools	Mark Horstman and Michael "Mike" Auzenne started in 2005 on a quest to 'make every manager effective'. With far over 500 podcasts they created a tremendous framework for managers, directors and higher ups to make the most out of the hours spent on business.

Various
Perfect Passwords	If you need a new password, take one from this site. Steve Gibson, the man from SpinRite and Security Now!, has created a non-spoofable website with absolutely random passwords in three different character sets. And if you refresh the page, you get a totally different set. If you're interested, the rest of the page explains exactly how it is done.