Filed under: Software, Productivity, Odds and ends
Backtrack: log everything you type
A while ago we posted on using a keylogger to recover text after a program crash. While that sort of works, it's a very inelegant solution, as the keylogger records, unsurprisingly, each and every keystroke including backspaces and deletes, etc. so getting the text back out often requires quite a bit of editing work. Well I recently discovered BackTrack, a logging program that does something similar but in a much more intelligent, that is, Mac-like way. It monitors your typing and records all of it (except passwords) in a database organized by the title of the window you're typing in. Unlike a pure keylogger, though, it records the typed text, including self-corrections, rather than just the individual keystrokes. So if an application you've been typing in (e.g. Word or a browser) crashes ,your text (but no formatting) is recoverable from the BackTrack interface.
I don't generally purchase software after just one use, but I've been looking for something like this for ages and plunked down my own hard earned money after using it for only a few minutes. I now consider this an essential part of my Mac experience. The only downside I can see is that you have to manually purge the database periodically (I don't see why this couldn't be automated to only keep the last 30 days, etc.). This, however, is a quibble as it's very easy to purge from within the preferences. Also, of course keep in mind that although it generally doesn't save passwords, there may be security considerations and you'll want to keep potential snoops away from your computer.
Backtrack is $15 and a demo is available, but if you act quickly it is on sale (until midnight tonight) for only $9.95 at MacUpdate. Highly recommended!
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