Mac OS X comes with an inbuilt, basic, no-nonsense PDF viewer that, well, just does the job. So, why not Windows? Heck, it comes with inbuilt Zipping functionality nowadays.

As the proud owner of a brand spanking new laptop with a fresh Windows install atop a self-formatted hard drive I'm reluctant to install any program I don't truly need that it isn't lightweight and hassle free.

After less than a day with the new PC I'm already finding I really need a PDF viewer. It's at this point I normally just install Adobe Reader. Well not this time. I've had it with Adobe's bloated software and it's annoying upgrade prompts. So much so that my old PC got downgraded from Adobe Reader 26 (or whatever version it's on now -- how can they warrant so many new versions!?) back to version 6. And even that prompted me all the time to upgrade.

No. This time I've opted for an alternative. After some digging around I went for Sumatra PDF, which is small, fast and does everything I want it to -- view, print, search etc.

On of my many, many tasks today is to enable the output of a Notes-based view as an iCalendar (.ics) file, so uses can import it to the own calendar application.

To do this is simple. Just print the content-type "text/calendar" from the outputting agent and then print out all the entries in the required format.

I wrote the code to do this in very little time but then spent just as long wondering why on earth the content wasn't being outputted.

Then I realised what I'd done. Remember a couple of years ago I mentioned a way to print data to the content headers of a page? Inadvertently, that is what I had done.

Here's what my code looked like (simplified to prove a point):

Print "content-type: text/calendar"
Print "BEGIN:VCALENDAR"
Print "BEGIN:VEVENT"
Print "DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090909"
Print "END:VEVENT"
Print "BEGIN:VCALENDAR"

When I opened it in the browser all that was in the file downloaded was:

DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090909
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VCALENDAR

After a maddening ten minutes or so I realised that all the lines after the content-type header were also being treated as headers. Firstly because they are in the format "XXX: yyyyy" i.e. a word followed by a colon. Secondly because I hadn't put a blank line between the header and the output. My code should (and does now) have looked like this:

Print "content-type: text/calendar"
Print ""
Print "BEGIN:VCALENDAR"
Print "BEGIN:VEVENT"
Print "DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090909"
Print "END:VEVENT"
Print "BEGIN:VCALENDAR"

There's a lesson in there somewhere!

iCalendar Format??

Didn't know you could export in a standard calendar format? Well, you can. Here's an example file which is based on this standard.

To output your Notes-stored dates in the right format you can do this:

Print "CREATED:"+Format(doc.Created, "yyyymmddThhMM00")

Although you might need to modify that if you want it accurate to the second or you're in a different timezone to GMT etc.

• Full support available for NTLM authentication protocol in non-Active Directory environments
• Seamlessly integrate Microsoft Active Directory and the Kerberos authentication protocol
• Leverage Active Directory password policies to unify Lotus applications

As requested (by one person) here are some photos of the new Lenovo T400 laptop (next to the IBM T42 it's replacing):

Notice the smaller form-factor. All very well but then you get a great ugly battery sticking out the back. It also means the screen isn't as tall. So I now have 1440*900 instead of 1400*1050, which I'd prefer to still have.

As you can see it's different but similar too. Familiar enough for it not to seem like a change though.

Here it is when docked. 

My major peeve at the moment is with the docking station. While the laptop running undocked is so quiet you'd think it were turned off the docking station uses a great big fan for no obvious reason and it sounds like an old tower-style PC is sat on the desk. I'm trying to learn to live with it.

So far I love it, but would really like a quiet docking station (thinking of disconnecting the fan!) and a larger form factor/hidden battery.

Mark Teichman suggested I update my list of essential software, which is probably a good idea. Here in some kind of order is what I've installed on my new T400 since it arrived:

1. Windows 7 Ultimate
2. Adobe Flex Builder 3 Professional
3. Adobe Fireworks CS4
4. Lotus Notes & Domino Designer 8.5
5. Windows Live Writer
6. FeedDemon (RSS reader)
7. Google Chrome (now my default browser)
8. Firefox 3.5
9. Thunderbird 2.0
10. Microsoft Office Enterprise (Word, Excel, OneNote only)
11. Skype
12. AVG Free (virus protection)
13. HTTPWatch (browser network sniffing add-on)
14. ScanEZ (my can't-live-without-it add-on for Notes)
15. Sumatra PDF reader (in place of Adobe's)
16. TextPad 5.3

All very boring and predictable so far.

There are still a few bits of software from the original list that I've yet to install. Mainly because they're up for review -- do I really need them or is there not something newer and better out there. Up for review currently are:

Textpad

I love TextPad but it's not been updated for years now, which I guess is the sign of great software, but... Just went to look at the site and low-n-behold it has been updated to v5 after "years" of no updates. Looks like they've added some nice features, so I guess this can be added to the list.

I'm eagerly awaiting the release of InType, which seems cool for hand-coders and lovers of Mac's TextMate, but the development seems to be snail's pace...

ACDSee

This is another case of software I've downgraded. Until now I've been "happily" using version 6, although it is now on version 9+ or something, with no obvious sign it's any better.

Although I like ACDSee it does tend to crash a lot. That said I'm not sure I can live without it. It does batch resizing of images and quick editing or individual images that you can't do out the box with Windows.

Anybody know of a better alternative to it?

ActionOutline

I have loved AO since I first used it. It's so simple. It's just a simple text-based note pad really. What makes it so special is the ease of access -- Windows key + A to open and then escape key to save changes and minimise to tray. Bit like a semi-permanent clipboard.

The trouble is it's become more of a dumping ground for ideas, bits of code etc and I rarely use it as a reference place.

TopStyle

I used to love this app, but find I use it less and less. The only time I do use it is when I want to hand code an HTML page and want to use its template as a starting point, which makes it seem like over-kill to install an app for that. Must be able to add templates to TextPad. Surely.

Smart Capture

Taking screenshots is a big part of blogging/running a site like this. I've normally used Smart Capture to take the shot and then Fireworks to blur parts, add highlights etc.

Windows 7 however has a handy little app called Snipping Tool, which lets you do all of that without 3rd party apps.

You can even do "freeform" selections of the screen, whereby you draw the area you want with the mouse, like so:

Can't see a way to tie my Print Screen button to the application though, which is a shame.

So, there you go. For now, that's my list. It will likely changes over the following weeks and I'll make sure I update you as and when.

• A workflow is routed to John Doe, who is the only one who can work on this job.
• John Doe does not claim the job.
• John Doe leaves the office next day for, lets say, three weeks.
• The job cannot be processed by anyone until an administrator reroutes the job.

• A workflow is routed to a group of persons.
• John Doe claims the job.
• John Doe does not finish the job but is unexpectedly unavailable for a longer period of time.
• The job cannot be processed by anyone until an administrator reroutes the job.