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Application Review
SearchPlus
Review
by: Craig Miller – 06/01/11
OS Reviewed on: eComStation
2.0
Audio: Uniaud16 V1.9.25 & Uniaud32 V2.1.2
Video
Card Driver: SNAP, version 3 (eCS 2.0 package)
Year:
2011
Version: 2.00
Application Type: Search
Developed by:
Keith Merrington
Published by: Keith Merrington
Homepage
Link: None
Wikipedia
Link: None
Download
SearchPlus v2.00 now!
This
version is fully functional for 31 days and is packaged in WarpIn
format. File Size: 5.76 Megs
If you enjoy SearchPlus v2.00, then support it. It is not freeware. But for a limited time, it's almost half off! Normally SearchPlus is $35.00, but for the next 31 days it's going for $20.00! Keith takes orders via email so email him at: k.merington@gmail.com to take advantage of this discount!
(1)
Introduction:
While on the newsgroups I notice a post from Keith Merrington about a program called SearchPlus 2.0, I was intrigued, since, honestly, I have never heard of it before. I emailed Keith and asked him about it and decided for myself to try it out, because honestly, the eComStation search program PMSEEK 2.0 blows.
SearchPlus locates files and or directories quickly by searching multiple locations simultaneously by using parallel processing thus avoiding time consuming sequential searches. This is further enhanced by allowing multiple filters to be used at the same time. For example if you are searching for all images with Italy in the name and you are unsure if the file type was jpg or png, then by specifying the filter as * Italy*.jpg; *Italy*.png; all files meeting either criteria will be found.
As well as using filename filters there is an extensive range of other filter types available ranging from file attributes, size, modification date, drive type ( USB, Network, Fixed, CD/DVD ROM etc) and file contents. Searching is not limited to directly available files but can be extended to search within zip archives. Once those files which meet the search criteria have been found they are displayed in a fully configurable multi-column window. Each column can be selected such that the results are shown sorted in ascending or descending order based on the column type. The columns are last modification date, last modification time, current file size, fully qualified path name.
(2) Installation:
After so many reviews on programs using their own installer, it's nice to get back to WarpIn format. SearchPlus is packaged in WarpIn and weighs in a 5.76 Megs. Not sure where that size comes from, but maybe we will uncover that. Let's install!
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When done, you will have the SearchPlus icon on your desktop:
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(3)
Startup:
So this is a little different for me, normally there is a folder with some icons and readme's but not here. One simple icon called SearchPlus (see above). Double click on it and lets look at SearchPlus's Home screen:
It's a nice, straight to the point, interface that is very much eCS (a good thing). Before we go randomly searching your hard drive for all your lost beanie baby collection pictures (I know you do), lets go over the options and then we'll head right back to the program.
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For example, if you want to use a zip/unzip program that did not come with eCS, you can. |
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When
your done, do not forget to press on the save button. Now lets see
how SearchPlus compares with eComStation's search application:
PMSEEK 2.0.
(4) The Program:
As far as how SearchPlus looks and feels, it is a great program already, you can tell there someone behind this application that cared how it felt to the user. It has a lot of information but not to much that you just want to close it out. Also, the help file is so complete that if you need anything answered, it's just a click away.
What I want to do though is have SearchPlus Battle PMSEEK 2.0, because at the end of the day, if you have to pay for a program, when you have a free one in the OS, it better be good.
Round one: Presentation
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First
thing that annoys me is that PMSEEK's windows cannot be adjusted.
SearchPlus's can to a point, there is a limit of how much you
bring it in, you can though, expand it. Not only that, but you can
adjust the columns and sort the items found anyway you like on
SearchPlus, where PMSEEK has no such features.
SearchPlus also has more controls at the welcome screen so on the fly, you can change your search easier than with PMSEEK.
The help file in SearchPlus is much more in-depth, it does show a desire to teach the user every little function it has with pictures and general terms. I cannot stress how nice this is, there are commercial products out that that have thinner help files.
ROUND 1 – SearchPlus 2.0
Round two: Search Speed
To perform this test, I simply let them both run several searches on my hard drive. The hard drive is split into two virtual drives: C:\ is 10gigs, D:\ is 112 gigs. I ran each test four times to make sure the results were the same. I ran SearchPlus first for two of the test, then PMSEEK first for the other two (per test). The programs running at the time of the test were: OpenOffice 3.2, PMView 3.61, and Object Desktop 2
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SearchPlus 2.0 |
PMSEEK 2.0 |
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PMSEEK
2.0 wins every time, and even though it is only by a second or
two, for some people it's all about speed. On each test, both
programs found the same amount of fires except on the .jpg file
search. I ran the test more than twice the amount I did with the
other searches and even though the times might of changed (PMSEEK
still always won), SearchPlus still always found that extra file.
And even though I would say that would make PMSEEK lose that
batter, it still won the war on search speed
ROUND 2 – PMSEEK 2.0
Round 3: Search depth
Being allowed to search for specific files focuses, and thus speeds up, one's search. Lets go over some of the search functions allowed by each program.
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Then you pick a file you want to look for in the “File name to search for” If you want to search for a specific string of text, type the text in the Text to search for field. |
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In the name section, instead of trying to remember a folder, say, you know the file is in the eCS folder, you can click on the arrow to the left of the Name box, and you will get a file menu window:
This makes it much easier to pinpoint a folder, then trying to remember it, or if your like me, spell it. SearchPlus allows the user to search for files with specific attributes, so if you are looking for pdf files that are read only, you can.
This is pretty much a no brainer, if you need to be specific on your searching, or you have a large hard drive that will take forever to search and you need to focus your target more, then SearchPlus is what you need. |
More
importantly you can search buy time. SearchPlus will only find
files from an hour to whenever, this is nice for people with
large picture files. If you click on the “More option”,
you will be introduced to a new option, clicking on the arrow
will close it again.
This
also applies to File Size, this is good for pretty much
anything. One good example would be searching for a .zip file
that you know is “X” large, so instead of looking
though 500 zip files, you cut that search down to 20.
ROUND
3 – SearchPlus 2.0
Round 4: Search Data
As you can imagine, PMSEEK is a bare-bones search engine that provides the user enough information that they know a file is there. With SearchPlus, once the search is done, you can then click on the file and work with it. PMSEEK is frustrating since the search speed is misleading, this is because even though it is faster, to access the file in any meaningful way, you still need to dig into the drive file to use to use the data. An example of this is a search of the *.jpg file.
PMSEEK will find is the file faster than SearchPlus, but if you click on the file, what do you get:
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This
will continue with any thing you search for. PMSEEK is simply
there to find the file, not do anything with it.
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See
a pattern forming? PMSEEK is pretty much worthless after it finds
your data.
As for the data both search applications find, they are the same, there was one test where SearchPlus found one additional file (.jpg test), but nothing to really to talk about.
ROUND 4 – SearchPlus
Round 5: After the Search
Once you find the file you are looking for, the search application should give you the option to use it like you would use any object in eComStation, with PMSEEK, this is simply impossible. As I stated before, you can only find the application with PMSEEK, after that, you basicly have to go though a file manager to get to the data you were looking for.
SearchPlus allows you to use the file you searched for like you think you should.
Once you find the file, you can open the folder it resides in, copy, rename, delete, and even execute the file.
Oddly, one thing you cannot do is drag and drop from either application, this is just strange being an eComStation program.
ROUND 5 – SearchPlus
(5) Final Thoughts:
So the final score is PMSEEK -1, SearchPlus- 4, but winning the battles does not mean you win the war.
Before I get to what I mean though, this was really an unfair contest, like putting a light weight and heavy weight boxer in the ring together, they both box, but we all know who is going to win the match.
PMSEEK is just sad and barely usable as a search program. SearchPlus is a great, it fills a roll that should have been there with eComStation 2.0.
I do want to go over something that bothered me at first, and that is the size of the application itself. I know it's silly, but 5.76 megs, what is in there? To put it in perspective, GTIRC, PMINews, and FTPBrowser (with all patches), is just over 4 megs. I am assuming the size is from all the extra languages in the install file, I think most people will skip them all except one or two, so that will reduce the final install size to just around 2.5megs. This is a trade off to have the ability to run it in a persons native language. I just got worried because I am used to having eComStation and it's apps light on the Hard Drive footprint, because one day, when I am riding my Unicorn, I will have a eComStation tablet and we will be limited on drive space. Anyways, I need to remember you can buy a 1TB Hard Drive for 50 bucks, also, nothing says you have to keep the install file when you are done.
So now I think of it as a positive (or at least neutral thing), having the ability for a user to pick their language and discard others is a great feature.
There is room for improvement though, not in the core application, but in making it easier for users to collect data the way they want it.
The first item is the data it finds. It would be nice if we could have a choice of how we view the data that SearchPlus finds, such as an icon view, or better yet, if I have done a search of .jpg files, see thumbnail pictures.
As stated above, drag and drop really should work, right clicking does a great job, don't get me wrong, but eCS (OS/2) is built around that philosophy. It would be nice if it found a file I needed and I could simply drag it to the desktop (or wherever).
In the filters section, it would be nice if I just wanted to tell it to search for all documents on my computer without me thinking about file types. Maybe have a button called documents, I click on it, and it uses a pre-done grouping of files to search such as .doc., txt., odt., and so on. It would also be smart for users, in the options, to add a file also, so as file formats grow, so does SearchPlus. This could also be done for pictures, click on the button and it automaticly hunts for common files such as .jpg, bmp, png, and so on.
So what do I think of SearchPlus version 2? I think it's a well built application that has a lot going for it and it sure fills a big hole in eComStation. The download of SearchPlus is a 31 day trial and so I invite you to try it out. I can see people that have a large amount of files on their computer interested in this as it will make your life much easier.
So how could it lose the war? Keith Merrington made a great program here that he is updating, I will always support this. On the other hand our community is small and so every dollar is important. As long as you give to someone that is working on an eCS app or project, I applaud you. The thing is, as a consumer, $35.00 is hard to justify for this application, where I would be worried, is that PMSEEK is no where as good, but it might be “good enough” that people don't buy SearchPlus. If this SearchPlus was $15.00, it would be a no brainier, buy it, at $35.00 though, I starting looking at donating that income to the Java for eComStation project. I hate to say that but, well, it's true.
I think the best analogy would be when Netscape was $45.00 and IE was free. At the time (and this was years ago) IE was no where as good, but it was good enough because it was hard to justify the cost over free. IE over took Netscape quickly, and no matter what they did, Netscape never recovered.
I'm afraid people will think this with SearchPlus, it is so much better then PMSEEK, but then again, this review had a five point score, how many points does free get you?
(6) Updates after the review:
06-02-11 – Tom Heite had a great comment about the review:
It has to do with opening a file that pmseek has found. You give some examples, and pmseek goes wrong in these cases. But that is, because pmseek was not set up correctly.
pmseek has 3 entry boxes, and the 3rd one has the title "Editor program specification" and is filled with E.EXE . That is the default program to be used for opening a file that has been found by pmseek. But it can be changed into (for example) lucide.exe . If you found a .pdf-file, and have specified lucide.exe as the editor to be used, double-clicking on the filename in the list with results, causes that file to be opened correctly.
If you are looking for a picture, specifying (for example) PMView will open a .jpg-file correctly, etc etc.
If you are finished and close pmseek, it will remember what you have specified as the editor to be used, and it will use that next time you start pmseek. And then you can still change it on a per-file basis.
Searchplus still is a nice program, regardless of the above addition on pmseek.
Kind regards from The Netherlands, Tom.
I agree with Tom on this, and as much as this is a good thing to know, I would still award the win to SearchPlus, this is because I should not have to pick an application to see a picture file, but if I do, it should be easier for me to understand how, I never even noticed that!
06-01-11 – I'm excited to announce that for a limited time, SearchPlus 2.0 is almost 50% off the normal price! For the next 31 days, SearchPlus is only $20.00! We all know you have been downloading software (free) after reading my reviews, now it's time to put back some and support a programmer that is writing a native eCS app, and a useful one to boot! Return to the top of this page to buy!
