Take Control of Your PC

PCs can bring out everybody's inner control freak. This month, grab a powerful desktop utility, a Firefox tab tamer, and an astronomy app that puts the universe at your fingertips.

Oh, Robot Servant...!

We may not have Jetsons-style technology, but you can play George or Jane with this time-saving robot, which streamlines some routine PC tasks. Find and Run Robot (aka FARR) comes stocked with handy tricks, and you can create your own or plug in add-ons as you go.

You can access FARR from the system tray, but pressing the default Break key is easier. Then, as you start typing the name of the program, folder, or file that you want--presto!--FARR displays possible matches, each of them assigned a probability score based on a formula (which you can tweak) that factors in spelling, frequency of use, and other parameters.

FARR also uses what it calls aliases--short phrases that access programs, command-line utilities, Web sites, or folders. Type "define" and a word, and you get access to fifteen online dictionaries and thesauri. Type "imdb" and a name of cinematic note to view IMDB search results in a browser window. And as you'd guess, typing "run" plus a command runs that command--no additional prompt required.

You can create your own aliases with a simple drag-and-drop, or grab those created by others by browsing the FARR add-ons forum at DonationCoder.com. Signing up at the site gives you posting privileges so you can ask questions or request new add-ons.

Find and Run Robot is free to try, but author Mouser accepts and encourages donations.

Make Firefox Fan-tab-stic

Basic browser tabs have fewer features than manila folders do. With the add-on Tab Mix Plus, however, you can tweak Firefox so that it works the way you do.

Tab Mix Plus lets you set new tabs to open as blank, as your home page, or as a duplicate of the current page. You can also have bookmarks open in new tabs instead of overwriting the tab on top. TMP abounds with mouse functions, as well, such as selecting a page by hovering the mouse pointer over the tab.

TMP one-ups Firefox's own tab-saving option, allowing you to restore either your last batch of open tabs or the previous batch. TMP's session restoration highlights the titles of unvisited tabs, too, so you can quickly tell which ones you've seen recently.

Once you start making changes with TMP, it's hard to imagine how you lived without this handy extension. Tab Mix Plus is free to try, but donating a few bucks might help developer CPU add even more goodies.

Rule the Galaxy

If the world's not big enough for you, how about the universe? Microsoft WorldWide Telescope lets you visit distant stars. This slick, attractive program--now in free beta--sets you loose in space, either alone or with a guide.

The Explore menu opens up heavenly bodies stored in easily understood collections: Constellations, Solar System, Hubble Images, Named Stars, and the like. Just click a collection and scroll through the thumbnails until you find a spot you'd like to examine more fully.

The images, from Earth to Orion and beyond, are breathtaking. I spotted a few blocky artifacts while the camera moved, but nothing ruined the view. You can sightsee for hours--or try the downloadable Guided Tours, in which astronomy experts briefly explain the wonders on your screen.

Did you have an interesting experience with one of these programs? Is your favorite file missing from PC World's Downloads library? E-mail your comments to Laura Blackwell. Messages containing attached files will be deleted unread.