Beyond Compare
{{Undue weight|date=April 2024|section|reason=More than half of the article consists of generally positive reviews.}}{{Short description|Data comparison software}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Beyond Compare
| logo =
| screenshot =
| caption =
| developer = Scooter Software
| latest_release_version = {{wikidata|property|edit|reference|Q4899956|P348}}
| latest_release_date = {{start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|Q4899956|P348|P577}}}}
| operating_system = Windows, Mac, Linux
| size = 25.5 MB
| genre = Data comparison
| platform = Cross-platform
| license = Proprietary
| website = [https://www.scootersoftware.com/ www.scootersoftware.com]
}}
Beyond Compare is a cross-platform proprietary data comparison utility. The program is able to compare files and multiple types of directories, as well as archives.{{cite web|url=http://www.scootersoftware.com/features.php?zz=features_agile|title=Access Data Anywhere|publisher=Scooter Software|accessdate=2014-09-05}} Beyond Compare can be configured as a difftool and mergetool of version control systems, such as git.{{cite web |url=http://superuser.com/questions/643426/configure-git-to-use-beyond-compare-for-image-diff |title=Configure Git to use Beyond Compare for image diff |date=2013-09-10 |accessdate=2014-10-16 }}
Reception
In an April 2009 review, Beyond Compare received four out of five rating stars from CNET. The reviewers initially found the user interface to be "a little overwhelming," but they "quickly got the hang of it" after using the program for a while.{{cite web|url=http://download.cnet.com/Beyond-Compare/3000-2242_4-10015731.html|title=CNET editors' review|date=2009-04-30|publisher=CNET|accessdate=2009-10-20}} PC World writer Michael Desmond included the program in a 2005 list of utilities for a "Trouble-Free PC" and praised its "watch list" feature.{{cite web |last=Desmond |first=Michael |date=2005-05-03 |title=The Trouble-Free PC |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/120340-6/the_troublefree_pc |accessdate=2009-10-20 |publisher=PC World |archive-date=2011-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606043956/http://www.pcworld.com/article/120340-6/the_troublefree_pc |url-status=dead }} Beyond Compare also was featured in the March 2005 issue of the Windows IT Pro magazine in the "What's Hot" section.{{cite web|url=http://windowsitpro.com/Windows/article/articleid/45294/whats-hot.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209185350/http://windowsitpro.com/Windows/article/articleid/45294/whats-hot.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-02-09|title=What's Hot|last=Mader|first=Carolyn|date=March 2005|publisher=Windows IT Pro|access-date=2009-10-20}}
Scott Mitchell, writing for MSDN Magazine, identified the program's comparison rules as its most powerful feature.{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163525.aspx|title=Toolbox: Synchronize Files, Rich Textboxes, and More|last=Mitchell|first=Scott|date=November 2006|publisher=MSDN Magazine|accessdate=2009-10-20}} The customizable rules control which differences between two files should be flagged as such. A set of predefined rules is included for the comparison of common file types, such as C++ source code, XML, and HTML files.
Steve Gibson of GRC described it as "a really cool...very smart Windows-based source comparison tool."{{Cite web|url=https://www.grc.com/sn/sn-855.htm|title=Security Now! Transcript of Episode #855}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.scootersoftware.com/ Scooter Software, maker of Beyond Compare]
Category:File comparison tools
Category:Pascal (programming language) software
Category:Proprietary commercial software for Linux
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