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Topics - Lutz_ [ switch to compact view ]

Pages: [1]
1
Hi all,

I am working in lab with several windows machines running very expensive lab equipment. The head of the lab has disabled all usb ports in fear of virus transfers.  Consequently getting data off these machines is a pain in the b#*t, because only few of the personal are allowed to transfer data off via FTP transfers. 
Is there a better option to keep these machines "safe without any doubt" (paranoia has to be considered) and still somehow enable users to transfer their data on a USB stick?  Is there a way to create a "sandbox" on these windows machines and allow people to only transfer data out of this sandbox to their USB drives and disable any other transfers?

Thanks a lot in advance,
Lutz

2
Living Room / Memorable holiday gifts
« on: December 03, 2010, 07:01 PM »
Since a lot of people will still be searching for just the right gifts for the holidays, I would suggest a thread with gift suggestions that are certain to be memorable and might gain you long lasting  gratitude.  :-[

The snuggies wearable blankets http://www.youtube.c...dSU&feature=fvsr are already well known and the commercial has been amended frequently (e.g http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=h05ZQ7WHw8Y ).
Now, we are finally getting some technical improvements to this softwear product. The "forever lazy" overall (ForeverLazy); also on Youtube; please note the ingenious zippers on the back an how good it looks worn to a party.
 

3
Living Room / "GoogleSharing" FF plugin for anonymity
« on: May 07, 2010, 05:22 PM »
We had several threads here lately dealing in one way or another with the power of Google and the potential misuse of their gigantic data collection.
I just came across a Firefox plugin which promises to provide more anonymity for web searches: GoogleSharing .

GoogleSharing is a system that mixes the requests of many different users together, such that Google is not capable of telling what is coming from whom. GoogleSharing aims to do a few very specific things:

   1. Provide a system that will prevent Google from collecting information about you from services which don't require a login.
   2. Make this system completely transparent to the user. No special websites, no change to your work flow.
   3. Leave your non-Google traffic completely untouched, unredirected, and unaffected.

GoogleSharing seems to work fine for me so far, although I got once directed to the Spanish language Google site.  Generally, I am now using Cuil and Duck Duck Go for web searches and Google and Bing only for shopping "advice" - thanks to some recent discussions here.

4
Google Buzz - Gmail with facebook features:

http://www.google.com/buzz    Check the video there.
And this article: http://technology.ti...b/article7021156.ece
It seems to have nothing to do with the previously presented Google Wave service.

And I just read previously today that facebook is going to start a freemail service. (http://news.softpedi...Service-134212.shtml). Looks like they might be a little bit late to the battle.
Buzz does not seem to work for me yet.  The website says the roll out is ongoing.

5
I just came a cross these two defraggers which seem to have not been mentioned yet in all the defrag discussions here.

-  UltraDefrag is an open source project which claims to provide a comparatively fast defragmentation.  The program has many of the advanced options found in commercial defraggers and also in MyDefrag.   I have not tried the program myself yet.  According to their forum, the next version should have a much faster full hard drive optimization procedure.
http://ultradefrag.s...ge.net/overview.html

- Advanced Defrag presents some novelties.  The website claims that it defragments MFT, registry , as well as the regular files all without requiring a re-boot and boot-time defragmentation. I gave it a try and it is doing "something" as advertised.  I do not have the expertise to figure out how successful the defragmentation really is.  The fragmentation scan is extremely fast compared to Perfect Disk or Puran Defrag. The simple defragmentation is also  quite fast, but the full optimization took about 20 hours on a 100 GB harddrive that was only half full and previously defragged with Advanced Defrag.  The background defragmentation option did not slow down my computer at all.  You might want to be careful, as the registry defrag also carries out "registry fixes" without offering a backup or an option to decline the fixes. I have not had any problems due to the about 20 fixes it carried out.  Not very confidence inspiring is the lack of a physical address on the Advanced Defrag website.  The authors English seems to need some polishing; but so does mine.   ;)
http://www.advanceddefrag.com/

Does anybody else have any experience with these tools?

6
This is the professional version with disk, partition, and file backup options.

http://www.giveawayo...ion-english-version/

(The commenters on GAOTD also have tips on how to install it later on ???)

7
The described free offer is no longer available.


FREE - but today only

Please see their twitter page:
http://twitter.com/LightCrafts

Aurora is an image editor for all those people, who really do NOT want to learn anything about image editing. But is does quite a good job.


8
Looks like Google Wave will be able to to "everything" instantly. Somehow I got the impression that perhaps the dumbed down protocols (twitter) might be more successful than the complex ones.

http://www.pcmag.com...,2817,2347795,00.asp

"......What is Google Wave? Think of an open-source version of Gmail constructed via instant messaging. To start a wave, two users start what is essentially an instant-message session, which can be archived as a conversation. Other users can then be invited to join each wave or conversation, and there's even a "playback" feature to track the process of the conversation. Google also said it intends Wave to be a platform as well as a protocol, with the appropriate tools and extensions for each.

In fact, it might not even be accurate to call it a reinvention of e-mail. Google executives tied the instant-message/e-mail model to real-time document collaboration, even search, and extended it to the Web and to blogs.  ................."

http://bits.blogs.ny...-collaboration-tool/

"..... Google Wave is an application running in a Web browser that creates a shared online desktop where two or more users can interact easily. They can exchange messages like they would do in e-mail or instant messaging conversation. They can share and edit rich documents that include formatted text, images and graphics. They can also drag-and-drop simple applications called widgets into a Wave to, for example, play a game together. And they can save and publish any Wave resulting from their collaboration to the Web. ...."

challenging facebook?
http://www.pcworld.c...ork_oversharing.html
" ...  One of the problems with Facebook is that most of the things you share through it go to everybody you have friended, whether those people are relatives, tennis buddies, coworkers, or your boss. But few people want to share everything with everyone they know. The stereotypical example, of course, is posting pictures of weekend debauchery and having your boss see them. But it's not just a matter of being unintentionally embarrassed. Sometimes you come across a video you know your friends will love, but your mom and dad just won't get the joke. Or you want to share a work-related link with professional colleagues, but know that your friends will be utterly bored with it. ..."

The official info/video from Google:
http://wave.google.com/                     The video seems to be down atm.
http://wave.google.c...help/wave/about.html

9
Living Room / a not-so-geeky blog on PCs etc.
« on: May 19, 2009, 02:18 PM »
I recently found the Auslogics blog by accident.   
Contrary to their own description the blog is mostly not about Auslogics and their stuff. Instead it has a lot of general PC tips and news, and to me it appears mostly written exceptionally well. Instructions for non-geeks. For example:
http://www.auslogics.com/en/blog/2009/05/how-to-stop-svchostexe-high-cpu-usage/#more-598
The blog is not updated very frequently, but I find most posts well worth reading.

10
Living Room / TV via broadband ?
« on: January 19, 2009, 12:30 PM »
Hello,

I would be interested in tips and comments regarding "watching TV" via broadband internet. 
Is dedicated software recommended? Are there any bearable offerings available at all ? Favorite web sites?

Thanks in advance for any insights!
Lutz

11
Mini-Reviews by Members / PhotoLine - Advanced Image Editor
« on: January 18, 2008, 10:30 PM »
Advanced Image Editor - PhotoLine

App NamePhotoLine
App URLwww.pl32.com
App Version Reviewed14
Test System SpecsWin XP Pro, Pentium 2.0 GHz, 2GB RAM
Supported OSesfrom WIN98 to Vista, Mac OS X, and (unofficialy) Linux under WINE
Support Methodsforum, email, phone
Upgrade Policypay per major upgrade 29 Euro
Trial Version Available? trial available, "fully" functional for 30 days (I was not able to find the restrictions)
Pricing Scheme59 Euro
Relationship btwn. Reviewer and Product no special relationship; end user

Intro:

Although PhotoLine has already arrived at version 14, it has remained largely unknown outside its country of origin, Germany.  PhotoLine is an advanced image editor which also packs considerable vector editing and page layout functionalities. Highlights are for example the 16-bit capability throughout the program, LAB  color space and CMYK support, color management,  and extensive options for lossless editing.  Since I am used to do my vector graphics in CorelDraw I never did learn the vector and page layout aspects of PhotoLine and this mini-review is focused on the bitmap- or photo-editing capabilities of PhotoLine. I have been interested in photo enhancement and image editing for a long time, but could never get used to the unwelcoming photoshop user interface.  Thus I have used Paintshop Pro instead for years as it is easily usable without memorizing a multitude of keyboard shortcuts. I did switch to PhotoLine 32 (now named just PhotoLine) a year ago, as it is similarly mouse-friendly but provides several more advanced features.
screenshot.jpg


Who is this app designed for:

PhotoLine is certainly best suited for people that already have a bit of experience with layer-based image editing. The manual is pretty extensive however (280 pages). Thus it could be possible even for beginners to get the hang of it. PhotoLine is of special interest for people who want to leave the restrictions of the “consumerized” image editors like Paintshop Pro, PhotoImpact  and Photoshop Elements behind (these keep on getting “upgraded” with marketing gimmicks only and do not see any development of their core features), but still do no want to pay the heavy price for the full photoshop.  It might be interesting also, for potential photoshop users in search for a less keyboard intensive working style.
Since PhotoLine combines bitmap editing, vector editing, and page layout features it might be interesting for people in need of such a combo-product  (similar to Acdsee Canvas, which, AFAIK, has far more refined vector tools but weaker bitmap features).


The Good

PhotoLine is a fully featured image editor which, unique in its class, provides for full 16-bit per channel editing, LAB and CMYK support and color management. It has all of photoshops  standard tools (adjustment layers, layer masks, layer styles), has a download size of only 12.3 MB, loads quickly and can be run from an USB-stick. PhotoLine is available for both, MAC and Windows.

PhotoLine has a larger set of adjustment layers than photoshop (19 different types including the standard types and for example unsharp masking and gaussian blur). Thus PhotoLine is very well suited for lossless editing. Similarly the rotation of layers is also carried out in the way adjustment layers are handled. This means the interpolation of the rotation is only carried out on export and all changes and adjustments are handled losslessly.

Uniquely, many filters and all blend modes have adjustment options ranging from -200% to + 200% ( other applications only have ranges from 0 to 100%). This feature becomes very useful once one gets used to the additional leeway.
LayersChannelsR.png
Similarly, many filter dialogs allow choosing the channels to which the effects are applied, without the need to convert the image to a different color space beforehand.
usm_r.png

other "pluses":
- PhotoLine can use photoshop plugins of the "*.8bf" variety and in contrast to many other applications it lets them work in 16-bit and also reports EXIF data to these plugins. As always you might be able to find a few plugins which will not work in PhotoLine, but the compatibility is comparatively high.
- Macro (action) recording and batch processing
- Very customizable user interface; keyboard shortcuts can be assigned to almost any feature or command
- multiprocessor support
- A big assortment of sharpening, blurring, noise reduction, and artistic filters (but I have not used the artistic filters much).
- animation options
- A helpful and active user community with great interaction of the authors (English and German language forums).

The "room for improvements" section

PhotoLine runs very solidly and all the tools I have used are working for me as expected. Thus the most annoying aspect of the program is its sometimes unusual terminology for tools and filters, which make the switch from another program to PhotoLine unnecessarily complicated. Gradients (a term used in all other graphic apps for the same feature) for example are termed blends in PhotoLine. Selections are called “Lassos”, adjustment layers are working layers and there are a few other such complications.  The translation of the help files from German to English could be improved, although the manual is perfectly readable and far better than for example the one of Silkypix.
Macros (actions) seem to be restricted to the recording of PhotoLine activities. Thus the coders on this forum might not be fully satisfied.
I would love to have the option added to edit gradients "on canvas" (edit: this was implemented in the latest beta version).
There is a quite a variety of tutorials available in German but few of them are currently translated to English.
The RAW file conversion is very adjustable. But it is DCRAW based and thus slow compared to dedicated RAW converters.
The authors of the program seem to be not really interested in marketing. This becomes apparent for instance when opening the supplied example files and images or also when looking at the images on their website. These rather bland and unimpressive examples are in no way indicative of what is achievable with the software. Do not be too disappointed when opening the supplied example files. A better impression of the graphics capabilities can be gained for example here http://www.dayhuber.ch/pl.html (please scroll down on this site) or here: Pekele uses Photoline to color his comics http://www.comicspace.com/pekele/.


Why it would not be a bad idea to give PhotoLine a workout

PhotoLine is a very capable tool for advanced and high quality image editing and montages with a unique feature set in its class.


How does it compare to similar apps

PhotoLine is technically quite a bit more powerful than other middle-class image editors (e.g. 16-bit editing, LAB and CMYK support, etc.).  PhotoLine does provide very little hand-holding for beginners however and has comparatively few instant effects. It’s built-in RAW conversion provides high quality results but is comparatively slow.  However, only PS Elements is superior in this regard. On the other hand Elements is very much restricted in many basic image editing aspects. Picture Window Pro is an editor specializing in photo enhancement and is the only other fully 16-bit capable editor I am aware of. But PWP is far more specialized and is not very approachable due its very idiosyncratic layer-less workflow. Compared to the pricy big photoshop, there is certainly quite a huge feature gap (e.g. perspective cloning, or ACR a fully featured RAW converter) between the two, but PhotoLine has all the important tools and then some. On the other hand PhotoLine is far more accessible for a mouse-only editing style than photoshop. Further, many layer and channel operations are handled more elegantly in PhotoLine and are thus carried out with far less mouse and keyboard clicks.


Conclusions

PhotoLine is not necessarily for beginners, but is a high powered solution for people looking for an universal image editor - and with a little bit of time on their hand to figure out the terminology idiosyncrasies.  PhotoLine lacks gimmicks (e.g. groupshot and teeth-whitening tools) but is an excellent tool for people who want full control over the image editing process. AFAIK,  it is the only editor in this class offering CMYK,  LAB and 16-bit capabilities. In addition it provides the, here not tested and not reviewed, vector editing and desktop publishing functionality.
All my thumbs up   :up:  :up:

Links to other reviews of this application

From the Australian online magazine PC Update: http://www.marketnow...ew_for_PC_Update.pdf
Added 01/20/2008: Just found a brand new review of the MAC version: http://macapper.com/...otoshop-alternative/
Actually, most reviews are in German; in general these reviews show mixed ratings because they are all geared toward absolute image editing beginners.  For example in this relatively extensive review in a computer mag from 2006 it came in fifth out of five (and PSP first): http://www.chip.de/a...m-Test_19329460.html . Well, the review praises “wizards” and automatic enhancement tools in their introduction and PhotoLine has none of the former and only a few of the latter (these are working well however).
Another nice writeup about PhotoLine: http://www.plugsandp...s.com/photoline.html

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