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Craig Crossman National Newspaper Computer Columnist Click here to see the index of Craig's columns. |
ONE APPLICATION COORDINATES OTHERSThe average computer user typically runs around four or more programs in a given day. Email, word processor, browser and database applications exemplify the average session. With so many applications bringing in and processing information from countless sources, wouldn't it be nice to have some sort of master program that could manage all of it, organize and even point out related items that we might otherwise miss? That program has a name and it's aptly called "onespace" since it does a very good job of bringing everything to you and putting what you need to see into one space on your screen. After installing onespace, the program looks at the contents of every file on your hard drive and creates a master index of everything and every word. The index is virtual so that none of your data is disturbed. Depending on the size of your hard drive, a typical multi-gigabyte drive creates a onespace file of around 20 to 30 megabytes. The initial process takes about 20 minutes. Once created, onespace will continue to monitor any new data and update everything in real time. Basically, onespace creates links within all of your data. If something is related, a link is created and is highlighted in yellow. When you start your computer session, onespace presents you with a browser-like display with windows containing an appointment calendar, email and stories from the web. You initially tell onespace which web sites you typically visit. Another window displays a directory of folders. As you begin reading your email for example, any item related to appointments or data online will display yellow highlighted links alerting you to possible connections that may be of interest. The link could possibly reveal a related story from an online newsletter you downloaded but overlooked. With so much to read, we wind up scanning more than ever and having something like onespace serves as an ideal way of making sure something important isn't overlooked. Finding something with onespace is a breeze. Just type in a word and links to everything related appear. The actions of onespace is dynamic so as you type in a reminder note for example, links will appear to relevant data. Onespace also indexes removable media such as Zip disks as well as networked drives. For data that is not to be included in onespace's linking database, a facility is provided to overlook specific folders. Enfish, the publisher of onespace is currently providing the program for free on their web site. Enfish has made partnership agreements with many online shopping retailers and makes its revenue from those sources. However, Enfish plans to sell future versions of onespace so now is the best time to give it a spin around the Internet block. Partnered online shopping sites use an online wallet that makes shopping with onespace an easy and secure operation. All of your credit card and other pertinent information is kept on your hard drive and not on someone else's server. Currently, onespace is only available on the Windows platform but according to Enfish, Macintosh and other operating systems are being considered. After trying onespace for only one day, I found items and related data I never knew existed on my hard drive. Related story items literally snapped up on the screen with a click on a link. It's almost like having one big neural network tying everything together making serendipitous inspiration a more frequently occurring phenomenon. |
| Craig Crossman is a McClatchy-Tribune newspaper columnist writing about computers and technology. He also hosts the nation's longest running nationally syndicated radio talk show on computers and technology, Computer America, heard on both the Business TalkRadio Network® and the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network®, weeknights at 10PM Eastern time. Visit his website at http://www.computeramerica.com |
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