Category: Dev Tools


If you want to be able to ctrl-c/v to copy-paste in Octave, ditch the Octave.exe command window and download the open source Console2 from SourceForge.

Follow Scott Hanselman’s instructions for installing Console2:

http://www.hanselman.com/blog/Console2ABetterWindowsCommandPrompt.aspx

Once you’ve installed Console2, here’s how you add an Octave window:

  1. Open Settings (right-click on the window and go to File, then Settings), then go to Tabs, and Add a new tab.
  2. Change the new tab’s title to Octave.
  3. Set the Icon to the Octave icon (e.g. the default location would be C:\Octave\3.2.4_gcc-4.4.0\bin\octave.ico).
  4. Set the Shell to the Octave exe (e.g. the default location would be C:\Octave\3.2.4_gcc-4.4.0\bin\octave-3.2.4.exe)
  5. Set the Startup dir to your homework project folder (such as C:\stanford_machine_learning\mlclass-ex1).

That’s it! Now in your Console2 window, go to File, New Tab, Octave and you’re off and running.

If I had a nickel for every time someone wanted me to make a “quick change” to some code while I was in the middle of open brain surgery with a dozen files checked out, I’d be able to pay for the Team Foundation Server license in record ROI time. Now when that happens, I can shelve what I’m working on, pull code from source (or even someone else’s shelveset), make my change, check it in, and then pull back my shelveset and get back to work. Awesome.

Here’s how to do it in Visual Studio 2010

Replace WinZip with 7-Zip

7-Zip is simply the best zip management tool out there, paid or unpaid.  It handles ALL zip formats, not just some.  It compresses zip files more efficiently than WinZip, and 7-Zip’s “.7z” format is even more compressed and performs faster than its .zip format.  7-Zip has a wonderful user interface: colorful, simple and intuitive.  Opening a zip in 7-Zip defaults to folder view, so you always see the folder format (or lack thereof) and you’re never surprised by a hundred files dumped onto your desktop.

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Still not convinced?  Try it for yourself, it’s also free and open source.

You can finally write cool apps using your Kinect for your Windows 7 PC, but if you use them at work (even for in-house development), Microsoft will come at you with everything they have.

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/kinectsdk/

Long list of ways using your expensive Kinect system is actually illegal:  http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/kinectsdk/faq.aspx

Replace cmd with Console2

Scott Hanselman has a great post on how to set up a better cmd, powershell, and vscommand all-in-one console with separate tabs.  The upgraded console lets you copy & paste like a normal person, let’s you set default directories, and even resizes in both directions! Here’s my setup in retro green-on-black. (Notice the cmd, Powershell, and VSCommand icons in the tabs)

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Here’s how you do it:

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© 2012 Robert Corvus