Everyone downloads or creates or copies so much of data ( documents / files / install ables) and what not on to your desktop that over a period of time, one tends to forgot what all data you have. Now, one can install utilities like Google Desktop Search or Yahoo Omnifind Search Ed or other similar products but then these products do not allow you to tag your data as you want and still file wherever you want. How good it will be if we can tag data and then search for the same using those very tags Web 2.0 style.
The best option would had been Google Desktop supporting the tagging facility. They already index data, adding tags information on top of it would have been very easy. Alas, this is still a dream.
Then I looked around and tried to search if there are other utilities which can offer similar functionality. I stumbled on these.
1. Tag2Find
One can easily download and install the utility. It provide its own window where one can search for file and apply tags to the same. One can also import directories where based on the directory names, the utility tries to generate the tag names. It also provides explorer integration where you can right click and see the tags applied on that file.
Being a third party tool, every tag related action has to be within the application window. I know, there is nothing they can do about that. Windows Vista was meant to come with category based search capability, but they dropped the feature.
Overall it was easy to use and works fine for the functionality it meant for.
2. DocTagger
This one works for MS Word Docs and MS Power Point only. Integrates within the editor. Works well, but the scope limits it to business users only - who work only on word docs and ppts.
3. File Tagger
Paid option, hence could not try. Supposedly tags all the product installable you might have downloaded/purchased over the time.
4. FoundIt
Still in beta. Installs on your machine but works off their web site, which is a bad idea. Privacy concerns are a major issue. Further, if I am not online, I will not be able to access the data. The utility allows you to tag pre-defined set of file extensions ( doc, pdf, ppt, xls, images, email). Uses the google desktop API for searching the data on your desktop.
Overall, I am disappointed. Tag2Find is the best among these lots. But then tagging all that data on the desktop itself is a nightmare. Best way is to start tagging which all data you reference and start build the tag database
Desktop Data - Web 2.0 way
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It is easy to write one like this on Dekoh. See www.dekoh.org. There is ready to use tag cloud widget, a directory chooser widget. You can write a simple app that can scan docs, tag them and create links with proper mime type to open the right application.
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