Although present in Word 2003, versioning of documents is a drastically under-used feature, which is probably largely due to the way it operates.

For example, Word’s implementation stores successive versions within the original file. The result is predictable: documents rapidly become enormous and unwieldy.

They also have a tendency to become unstable and, because they exist as a single file, are vulnerable to accidental deletion.

Contrast this with the way Versomatic, from Acertant Technologies, operates. The trial version takes about half a minute to install. After this, it has to be activated, which involves supplying name details and a valid email address.

From this point on there is almost nothing left for the user to do. For the majority of the time, the only screen presence is a taskbar icon. In the background, Versomatic automatically archives successive versions of specific document types (the user can add new types).

Unlike Word, consecutive iterations are not contained inside the file itself. Instead, you simply have to right-click a file within Windows Explorer or My Computer to view a menu showing all previous versions. Clicking a version’s entry opens it in the native editor.

Versomatic also functions even when files are renamed or deleted, which is an extremely useful feature for people in a workgroup environment where incorrect versions of files are likely to be erased in error.

This functionality makes Versomatic superior to undelete utilities that can only be guaranteed to work when run immediately after the deletion.

Versomatic complements conventional backup applications, which usually only provide a limited number of backups. Versomatic, on the other hand, simply goes on archiving versions to its dedicated database (viewable and searchable via the dedicated Explorer-like Version Manager).

Older versions can be purged, but only at an interval preset by the user.

In short, it's a great utility if you're always working on documents.

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