progTools

Every operating system relies on its own type of code, with corresponding functions in all others. Creating cross-platform programs requires solid knowledge of such codes, or converters to help you out. This is exactly where progTools comes in handy, letting you easily convert timestamps to and from Unix time, and perform checksum calculus.

You get to check out the set of features in no time at all. However, before the application can run, or even be installed, you need to check whether or not Adobe AIR is on your computer and grab it if it’s not.

The main window displays all the application has to offer in an intuitive design. Although the window can’t be resized, it’s large enough to make all elements clearly visible, and navigation easy. Accommodation is of no concern, especially because most fields you need to fill in are fitted with short descriptions so you don’t get stuck along the way.

One of the two possible operations is timestamp conversion. This features is fitted with a couple of fields to skip you the effort of going through multiple menus. On the one hand, conversion can be done to Unix time, with the possibility to leave the field blank if you want to convert current time. The other field converts from Unix timestamp, with results showing local time, UTC, and ISO 8601 UTC.

On the other hand, the application can be used to calculate checksums. Only two algorithms are at your disposal, such as MD5, and SHA1. Both types can calculate checksum from text string you write in a dedicated field. However, file hash is only determined through MD5.

Taking everything into consideration, we can safely state that progTools is a fast method of converting timestamps to and from Unix format, and calculating text string or file checksum. Although it’s pretty lightweight, and intuitive overall, it feels a little rough around the edges, with no save option, or possibility to use SHA1 with files.