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LogonAssist is a basic password organization tool. Although it's not as sophisticated as others we've seen, it's not bad for users needing a simple way to keep their log-in information organized.

The program's interface is basic and fairly intuitive, although there are a few things that could be clearer. For each account, users enter the Web address, their log-in information, and any other relevant details. Users must then both save the individual record and, when they're done adding records, save the entire file. This tripped us up at first and made us wonder where our … Read more

Payroll Master is a basic payroll program that, in theory, allows users to process payroll quickly and easily. Although the program works, we found some aspects of its operation annoying and time-consuming.

The program's interface is basic and not particularly attractive. The first annoying thing we noticed about it is that users must enter their password for every single function of the program. Want to open the employee database? Enter your password. Want to look at the tax table? Enter it again. Over and over. Since virtually all of the program's features are password-protected individually, we have no … Read more

Is it a presentation tool? Or a visual storytelling tool? Visualization software? Or a zooming editor? Budapest-based Adam Somlei-Fischer, founder and lead designer of Prezi, and Peter Halacsy, founder and CTO of Prezi, were interested in soliciting feedback on their product’s category when they visited frog design’s San Francisco studio last week and demoed their tool. Having marketed mind-mapping software previously in my career, I felt sympathetic: At the time, we went through a similar exercise, and after endless discussions and focus groups we ended up with a label only a committee could come up with: “enterprise productivity … Read more

It says something about open source's impact on the world when the the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency--a division in the Department of Defense--starts running seminars on how to shift to open-source software.

Could there be a better sign that open source has arrived?

After all, it's one thing to adopt open source, which the U.S. federal government has in earnest--but to advocate for it and teach it? That's a higher level.

The September 1 seminar, co-hosted by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and the Open Source Software Institute (OSSI), promises to … Read more

If you're worried about surreptitious key-logging software recording your every keystroke, Keystroke Interference could be the handy security utility you've been looking for. Instead of trying to detect or disable keyloggers, it interferes with what they record as your keystrokes, inserting a random sequence of additional characters based on a proprietary algorithm.

Keystroke Interference has no interface, and is visible only as an icon in your system tray and Start menu. To get it to run at start-up, you must manually place it in your Startup folder. It also offers no configurable options. However, we didn't notice … Read more

MB Zodiac Astrology offers a great opportunity to learn every conceivable detail about your astrological sign. With a simple layout and surprising answers, this is certain to enlighten and please .

The program's single-page interface is so simple, a trip to the Help file is completely unnecessary. Consisting of a single drop-down menu and a small menu, this will be intuitive to users of all experience levels. Begin by selecting your astrological sign from a pull-down menu with all listed. From there, the image of that sign appears as a drawing and some basic facts about the sign appear. The … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--How will a shift in carbon reduction play out with the world's poor? This is an issue The World Bank is grappling with as it prepares for the international climate change summit in Copenhagen this December.

Katherine Sierra, the vice president for sustainable development at The World Bank, and Awais Khan, the director of KPMG's Clean Tech Venture Capital Practice, spoke on this topic Tuesday here at the Commonwealth Club.

Along with higher temperatures, climate change is causing rising sea levels, shifts in rain/snow patterns, and an increase in weather-related natural disasters. Although the impact is … Read more

OrgPassword offers users a safe haven for their numerous user ID and password information for e-mail, credit cards, and various other private accounts. Unfortunately, several glitches prevented us from getting very far with the program.

During our tests, some testers had issues accessing the program once it had been installed, and continually received a message stating that the program had stopped working. However, other testers were able to access the program without any issues. The user interface mimics the look and feel of Microsoft Office products, so if you're familiar with any of the products in the Office family, … Read more

MB Astro Compatability Test Software allows users to look at the potential ability to pair up with another individual. While entering some of the details can be a chore, the results are quick and mostly easy to read for novices.

This program's interface is an interesting mixture of simplicity and astrological jargon, which makes it slightly confusing for newcomers. However, the program is easily navigated from its input screen and its results screen, which makes it manageable. The Help file showcases program details, but nothing about astrology. Inputting birthdays and places of birth was a simple matter of filling … Read more