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Big files can be a big problem. They're hard to manipulate. They don't fit on a CD or a thumb drive. Online file sharing systems have size limits. So what do you do if you've got a big file and need to make it small? How about cutting it into pieces.

Data Glue is a tool that help you to make big files small. Give it a file, and you can decide how to break it up. If you're going to burn it to CD or DVD, then it breaks it into appropriate sized chunks. Have a 10 GB limit on uploads? Break it into 10 GB pieces. Of course, those pieces aren't worth anything by themselves, so you can also use Data Glue to, as they say, glue them back together. Now you've got your big file back, and everybody's happy.

Data Glue is HJSplit compatible, and works with with lots of different file part formats, including files created using the Unix split command. It runs on your Mac under OS X.

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Do you love your printer? No matter how much everyone touted the coming "paperless office", we just can't live without a bunch of documents printed on paper. This can present several problems. Like the environmental issues involved with manufacture of printers themselves, as well as all the chemicals used in making the paper and printer supplies. Oh yeah, there's the cost too. If you think it's time to look at your relationship with your printer, you may want to check out PaperCut.

This tool lets you keep track of what your printer is up to. It keeps an eye on paper consumption, and lets you not only monitor, but also control, printer usage. You can set quotas for individuals and groups, to make sure that folks aren't using company resources to print their first novel. It also gives you realtime numbers on just how your printing is affecting the environment.

PaperCut is available as a free download for small office and home use (up to 5 users). It is compatible with Linux, Mac, Windows, and even Novell networks.

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While we all acknowledge the inevitability of death and taxes, that doesn't make either of them any less frustrating (especially that death thing). Even though it's not at the same level on the frustration meter as those big two, there are certainly other things in life to get frustrated about. Like trying to eject a removable volume—maybe a thumb drive, perhaps a CD—when there's a file open. It's not always obvious what the problem is (otherwise you probably would have just fixed it), but one thing is clear: you can't make it go until you fix it.

WhatsOpen is a tool that can let you know what the problem is. It'll tell you what file is open, and maybe remind you to close that Finder window you forgot about. And while it's in the neighborhood, it can give you information about more of the comings and goings on your Mac.

WhatsOpen is a free download. It runs under OS X 10.5 and later.

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You bought a Mac because it works, right? That is, until it doesn't. Yes, we know that it's your pride and joy, but sometimes bad things just happen. And when those bad things include files that have been bent, broken, and deleted, you may need some help to get them back.

Disk Drill is a tool that helps you recover files that aren't having a good day. Whether you're dealing with your system's hard drive, a removable FireWire or USB volume, a thumb drive, or memory card, this guy's on the case. It'll dig through the mess and help bring your files back from the Great Beyond. It's a native Mac application, so it understands the idiosyncrasies of the HFS/HFS+ file systems, as well as FAT, NTFS, and more. If you had it on your Mac, this tool will do its best to bring it back.

Disk Drill is a free Mac application. It runs under OS X (10.5 and later), and is compatible with both PowerPC and Intel Macs.

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Black holes are strange beasts. They're the ultimate read-only dropbox for light, matter, and anything else that gets close enough to them. (I'm not a physicist, nor do I play one on TV, so let's just agree to file this under "poetic license".) Metaphorically, they are used to stand for anything where once something goes in, it's never seen or heard from again. So how might this apply to software?

Black Hole is an app that lets you really, really get rid of stuff. Whether it's deleting files, clearing caches, emptying the clipboard, quitting apps, or securely dumping and getting rid of everything in the trash, this tool acts like a black hole for the stuff on your machine you don't want to have hanging around. It's easy to configure, only requiring you to tick checkboxes to decide which of these you want to accomplish with the application. And it comes with instructions to help you tweak advanced settings, like which recent items you want to send away.

You can grab a copy of Black Hole for your Mac. You'll need to be running OS X 10.6 to use it. (And when you jump to the publisher's site, you'll find the app about half-way down the page.)

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When it comes to keeping the nasties off your computer, you're well prepared. Of course you've got an antivirus app running all the time. Your firewall keeps outsiders out. You don't open email attachments you aren't expecting. But what about the stuff you download? How do you know you're getting what you think you are? Many reputable sites include an MD5 hash for the files they make available. After you download the file, you compare the hash on the file you downloaded with the one on the site. If they match, then you're golden; otherwise, you may not be getting what you're looking for.

HashTab makes it easy to generate a hash for your download, so that you can compare it to the one on the site. Naturally it supports MD5, but also can generate SHA1, SHA2, and other values as well. All you need to do to check your latest download is to right-click on the file and select File Hashes from the context menu. It doesn't get any easier than that.

HashTab is available for both Mac (OS X 10.4 and later) and Windows (XP and later).

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It's been said that a clean desk is the sign of a sick mind. Presumably if you're spending all that time making sure the file folders, legal pads, coffee cups, and yesterday's (last week's?) Chinese take out box are all tidied up, then you're just not working hard enough. But what about that virtual desktop you work at, on your computer?

Spirited Away helps you take control of all the junk scattered across your computer desktop. As you slave away, you've got all kinds of applications up and running on your system. You can't remember the last time you saw your desktop wallpaper, 'cause there are so many open windows in front of you. Spirited Away keeps an eye on all those apps, and when it decides something's been idle for long enough, it just hides that application. No windows are closed and no data is lost, it just takes them out of your way so you can focus on the windows that you're still really actively working in right now. All you need to do is click on an application's Dock icon or [Command] + [Tab] to the app you're interested in, and it springs back to life. You still get to get your work done, but you haven't had to trip over stuff along the way.

You can grab a copy of Spirited Away for free, It's a Mac application, and runs under Leopard (OS X version 10.5) and later.

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There's no doubt your computer is a powerful tool. It can crunch numbers, process data, and do a whole bunch of other great stuff. Unfortunately, it's a complicated piece of machinery, and from time to time, it can go on the fritz. You can have problems with memory; the CPU can mess up, and the hard drive can flake out on you. Fortunately, there is help out there.

TestDisk is an application that can give you a hand when your hard drive starts to go nuts. Specifically, it deals with broken, missing, or lost partitions, and with bootable disks that don't boot any more. If your problem is a specific hardware issue, it's not going to help, but if your hard drive has seen better days because of runaway programs, nasty viruses, or (shudder) operator error, you might want to give it a go.

This app can deal with a wide variety of different operating system and disk combinations. It knows about FAT and NTFS file systems on your Windows machine, HFS and variants on your Mac, as well as ext2 and ext3 filesystems on your Linux machine, and a bunch of others. Because this is complicated and potentially dangerous stuff, there are detailed instructions on just how to use this tool.

TestDisk is a free download. And good luck.

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"One size fits all" is a nice promise. Unfortunately, what that generally means is that it's a poor fit for everyone. Yes, it may be a floor wax and a dessert topping, but it's not very good at either.

Mac files, especially executable programs, often carry a lot of extra baggage with them along with the actual executable code. Universal Binaries, for example, include the code necessary to run on that fancy new Intel box you've got, as well as your reliable old PowerPC. But any given machine can only use one of those chunks of code—the rest is a waste. Lots of apps include messages, instructions, and what-have-you in multiple languages. Great if you're trying to bring everybody on board, but if you can't read Mandarin, you're just using up space on your machine.

Trimmit is a tool that helps get rid of the extra "stuff" in your Mac files. Along with unwanted Universal Binary pieces and multiple language info, it clears out resource forks, compresses TIFFs, and more. Just drag your file onto its window, press the button, and it goes to town trimming your file. You can save a backup of your original, so if something goes horribly wrong, all is not lost. And when it's all done, it lets you know what it's done for you. They warn that this tool is designed to work with native Cocoa apps, and that it may break other applications.

You can grab a copy of Trimmit for free. It's a Mac program and runs under OS X 10.4 or later.

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Want to keep a file from being edited? Lock it. Want to keep a folder from being changed? Lock it. Pick your files in Finder, [Command] + I, check a box, and you're on your way. Seems easy enough. Unlock 'em? Just reverse the process. Okay, until you start dealing with folders that have some locked files, some unlocked files, several sub-folders, and so on. Now it's gotten complicated.

Locker is a tool that lets you lock and unlock documents, images—any files really—as well as folders. It's got a drag-and-drop interface, which means it's super easy to just grab those files and lock or unlock them. Choose a single file, several files, or a whole folder and all its subfolders. You've become a veritable locksmith (or security guard) on your system.

Locker is a free download. It's a Mac application, and runs under OS X version 10.4 or better on both PowerPC and Intel systems. And you're a late adopter, they've still got a version you can run on Jaguar (10.2).

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