Messages

76

General Software Discussion / Re: RegDefend v2.000 Beta and CryptoSuite

« on: August 25, 2005, 04:12 PM »

Two bits of good news in one post. 

I've been a long-term user of Process Guard, but have been holding off on GhostSecurity RegDefend due to a few limitations with 1.X.  2.0 looks like a significant step forward so I'm looking forward to trying it out again.  RegDefend has a growing reputation over at Wilders for being an excellent, and perhaps essential addition to PC protection in this dangerous world.

I'm also looking forward to Jason's views on PC security and software development.

Thanks Jason!

77

Activation/License/Language Help / Re: Hi mouser, I have a problem for the license key using in Process Tamer.

« on: August 25, 2005, 04:02 PM »

I definitely agree with keeping the tray tool sleek and efficient as it is one of the best features of Process Tamer.

Perhaps allowing/checking for key entry during setup may make things a little clearer?  Otherwise launching the Config tool after install would indeed be a good solution.

78

Drag&Drop Robot / Re: CounterSpy flagged files - query

« on: August 13, 2005, 05:02 PM »

CounterSpy is notorious for false positives and it seems that since the acquisition of Giant by Microsoft the (CounterSpy is a rebadged Giant variant) false positives have increased further as Sunbelt (a rebadging/marketing vendor rather than a dedicated developer) have been forced to take on product deployment in-house.  I'm pretty safe to say this is a perfect example of a false positive, though it would do no harm to check with MS Anti-Spyware, SpyBot and Ad-Aware for peer confirmation.

You may also want to submit any dubious files to the excellent Jotti Malware Scanner: -

http://virusscan.jotti.org/

79

Living Room / Re: Deluxe/Pro versions: Good or Bad?

« on: August 13, 2005, 04:24 PM »

It seems we both agree completely.

80

Living Room / Re: Deluxe/Pro versions: Good or Bad?

« on: August 13, 2005, 02:53 PM »

I understand your sentiment and can also confirm that many software companies do indeed have a conscience and would (do) provide software for free if/when they feel it is a just cause (I know of cases where software has been provided to the UN and humanitarian agencies for exactly this reason - think tsunami).  At the same time, software companies will make pennies from the lite versions of their product and can only hope to spread it so widely as to make enough overall to be worth bothering at all, or to attract enough new customers to the pro version because of the additional features it offers over the lite version they no doubt have only recently discovered, via bundling etc.  I do agree that there are many disparities in current software licenses which I can only hope are ironed out over time, yet I strongly believe that a good product is always worth its price to an interested party.

Think about CD burning software here.  With every $40 DVD burner sold a software writing solution is bundled with it.  For most end users (think your parents here) who just want to burn the occasional documents or digital camera pictures the bundled solution is perfect.  The software company get an almost incalculably small sum from each sale but hope to make it up on the bulk of sales.  For techies who want to make their own Boot DVDs, Video DVDs, AAC/MPEG4/MP3Pro/Ogg DVDs etc. etc. the bundled solution is not suitable and the pro version is worth every penny for these additional features and perhaps a small discount to trade up from one license to another benefits everyone.

81

Official Announcements / Re: Welcome our new blog columnist, Sentinel

« on: August 13, 2005, 02:21 PM »

Thank you, thank you!  Glad to be here.  I'm also glad to have an outlet to vent my spleen.  For anyone who has any constructive criticisms, opposing viewpoints or ideas for future columns, then I am genuinely interested.  Also if you work for an enterprise and could benefit from assistance in any of the areas covered in my posts or would just like to chat, then feel free to PM me.

Regards,

Sentinel.

82

Living Room / Re: Deluxe/Pro versions: Good or Bad?

« on: August 13, 2005, 01:59 PM »

i definitely agree with you jpfx -
the absurdity is really that software has no cost to reproduce.

so the bizarre nature of capitalism means that it would cost them $0 to give you the pro version; but they sell you the lite version because they need to force you to pay the maximum you will pay.

in other words, if a company KNEW you would never buy the pro version then they should just give it to you for price of lite version (or in fact for whatever price you would be willing to pay for it, even if it was $1).  but because no one can trust each other to pay what they think something is worth, we are in a game of trying to figure out ways to extort the most money from people as possible, and as consumers we are in a game of trying to pay as little as possible, regardless of worth or our financial situation.  it's depressing.

-mouser (August 13, 2005, 09:33 AM)

Wait, wait, wait.  Although the reproduction cost is $0, the development cost can be rather high.  Offering a lite version to occasional users helps cut down piracy (better to make some money than no money), allows the developers to make money from selling bulk licenses to resellers (hardware manufacturers etc) without having to bear the associated distribution/bandwidth costs etc and offering a pro version ensures they get to eat and experienced and devout users get what they desire.  Where is the probelm with that? 

If software developers were to offer a pro version for a tiny margin above a lite version it would be a kick in the teeth for both lite and pro customers who have invested in a product to date.  I think as regards pro version are concerned 'reassuringly expensive' is the appropriate term.

83

Living Room / Re: Deluxe/Pro versions: Good or Bad?

« on: August 13, 2005, 01:42 PM »

I have no problems with standard/pro/whatever versions.  You pay for what you need.  If you don't need the features you don't pay for them and the associated development time.  Choice can only benefit the end consumer.

84

General Software Discussion / Re: Google Earth - free tool/toy

« on: August 07, 2005, 10:12 AM »

It makes my back office PC cry in ineptitude.  It seems you need a pretty darned good gaming PC to even run this stuff (GeForce 2 not good enough for ya Google?).  Having compared this to the Microsoft effort, it is definitely ahead on points, but both solutions need some further work, especially if you are outside of the United States.

85

General Software Discussion / Re: Re-Enable Right-Click When Web Pages Disable It

« on: August 07, 2005, 09:17 AM »

Pretty cute tip, but I'd also mention AdMuncher ;-)

https://www.donation...ndex.php?topic=592.0

86

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: My new favorite pen

« on: August 07, 2005, 09:08 AM »

you are right, this is a bit off topic, but this section is so empty i thought i could sneak it in without anyone noticing 

-mouser (August 07, 2005, 08:05 AM)

Good point Mouser, I didn't notice at all. 

4 colours?  Typical programmer!  Having progressed to the achitypal 'pointless manager' position I'd recommend a good black pen (the Fisher mentioned earlier) combined with some quality high-lighters instead.

They almost make my day-to-day pouring over 'dead listings' of supposidly obsolete scripts a pleasure.  I keep telling myself that at least...

http://www.stabilo.com/index_fl.php

The luminator range never ceases to impress.  Shame about the Flash site. 

The BIC for all its conveniences still sucks  though...

87

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: AdMuncher 20% discount code (advertisement blocker)

« on: August 07, 2005, 08:36 AM »

Hi Josh,

Your post helps re-enforce my warm and fuzzy feeling of support from the AdMuncher team. 

Reading through my previous mail and checking though my AdMuncher settings, I think now would be a good time to clarify what I have said previously.  Frankly it may have understandably been misinterpreted as AdMuncher requiring (significant) user input to work effectively.  I'd hate to tar AdMuncher with that unjustified and inaccurate brush.

Firstly, manual filters.  Looking through my manual filters it appears that two of my filters stop the site in question from being blocked, *one* blocks adware/banners and several others block annoying logos and graphics which I'm sure would only be a problem to me.

Secondly, malware.  I'm pretty certain that AdMuncher's purpose was not that of blocking Malware, though strangely it works significantly better than an (unmentioned) anti-malware tool that was posted on DonationCoder.  I've retested the latest beta today with my previously known malware site (all IE and Avant blocking switched off) and can confirm that this does indeed now completely block the Istbar.J implementation that they have in place.  Of course, I'd have to say that AdMuncher should still be used as a layered approach in any security solution, though frankly as a first point of prevention it is worth more than its weight in gold.

I have noticed a rather quirky bug in the latest beta of AdMuncher regarding Website-Watcher and FTP, but I'll gladly report that as well as the banner site mentioned above via the official channels.

I can safely say that AdMuncher came out of nowhere and made it to my 'A list' in one swift blow.  I cannot recommend this software highly enough (and two weeks ago I didn't think it would be possible for me to say such a thing for this 'type' of software).

If you are sceptical or feel AdMuncher fills a non-existent niche, I can only recommend that you try it and see if you still feel the same way one hour later.

Thanks again AdMuncher team!

88

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: My new favorite pen

« on: August 07, 2005, 07:09 AM »

Hey, since when was your pen "software"?  As you are the moderator I'm going to let you off on this one.

I've owned a previous version of this Pilot pen and did have a slight leakage problem.  Nothing that actually made it out of the pen, but with the clear design it did make it look rather messy and made me feel that the ink could break loose at any second.  In fact it was the leak 'fear factor' that made me give up this particular pen - white shirt, black pen = trouble.  Apart from that it was a rather nice writing implement.

Personally I'd swear by my Fisher space pen.  Pros: Small and light in the pocket, writes on almost anything (whilst upside down!), looks good and has a certain street-cred factor, is available in precious metals such as silver and platinum (if you have too much money and don't mind hunting around).  Cons: Small and easy to lose, no pocket clip, relatively expensive.

http://www.spacepen.com/usa/index2.htm

Actually, being a complete gadget freak, I think it would be a good idea to have a separate board to discuss/review 'physical devices' be it computer hardware or the latest high-tech aluminium toaster.  At the same time, I wouldn't want to get too far away from the true ethos of this site. 

P.S. The BIC pen was a novel concept (back when I was a kid at least) but was always a little large and klunky and never quite delivered.

89

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: AdMuncher 20% discount code (advertisement blocker)

« on: August 05, 2005, 02:52 PM »

I know this is a bit of an old thread, but I though I'd add my viewpoint, especially as the offer is still valid.

I've heard AdMuncher mentioned many times over the years on many different sites, but thought it would be of limited use to me as I already had a pop-up blocker and highly customised hosts file blocking hundreds of advertising sites.  Anyway, I decided to finally trial it after reading this thread and I have to admit, I am hooked!  Within an hour of using it I knew I had to buy it.  Both my old pop-up blocker and hosts file go out the window - Well, the hosts file gets a good pruning at least.

I didn't expect the Ad blocking to work anywhere near so well and with a few manual filters, adverts and pop-ups are *literally* a thing of the past.  I've even done a few tests on known spyware sites and it does a fine job of blocking most (but not all) spyware/adware threats.  Combined with a good anti-virus/anti-trojan/anti-spyware solution it should help take security of your PC to the next level.  I love the fact it hooks into and protects any applications that access the Internet (excellent for Website-Watcher) and the daily updates filter updates also give a warm and fuzzy feeling of being a valued customer.

Since I've started using AdMuncher I can honestly say that with very little work NOTHING pop-up or ad related has got past me.  It is definitely the best $20 I've spent in ages.  If you haven't checked this software out yet, I'd highly recommend it.

Thanks mouser for bringing this to my attention and the AdMuncher team for such a great little tool.

90

Living Room / Re: power up your brain

« on: July 22, 2005, 06:01 PM »

I'm pretty certain the mental picture of the thong was more than required though. 

91

Found Deals and Discounts / Free O&O DriveLED 2.0 License (read for catch)

« on: July 22, 2005, 01:43 PM »

O&O Software are offering a free license of their O&O DriveLED 2.0 drive activity and SMART monitor to anyone who registers a previously purchased O&O product or anyone who buys and registers a product before the 21st of September.

Update: I'm pleased to say I've just received my free license and it is a rather nice util.

Here is the blurb from the press release: -

Dear O&O user,

the new Summer Offer for all O&O Customers is our way of saying thank you to all our valued users for their loyalty to O&O. If it were not for our worldwide family of users putting their faith in products from O&O, we could never have been so successful with our "Tools for Windows". Through our network of partners spanning the globe from Japan to the USA, O&O Software is now available in a myriad of counties.

Our Summer Offer: A Free O&O DriveLED V2.0 for you!* - Simply register any previously purchased O&O product with O&O and receive a free license for O&O DriveLED by e-mail; a $19.95 value! With O&O DriveLED monitor your drives effectively and be ready when disaster strikes. Because the lifespan of even your hard disk is limited! Register you O&O product here! (http://www.oo-softwa.../register/index.html)


The control center of O&O DriveLED provides
a complete and concise overview of all disks

Don't already own a license for an O&O product? No problem! It is possible to purchase an O&O product and still take advantage of our Summer Offer. Our products may be found in the O&O Online Shop and at your local software retailer. More information on a selection of our quality products may be found below. The choice is yours!

Best regards,

Frank Alperstaedt
Managing Director, O&O Software GmbH

*Note: The license will be sent by e-mail after a valid registration has been processed. This Summer Offer is valid for all software registrations of products with O&O until 09/21/2005. This offer is limited to one (1) per O&O software license or software bundle.

92

Site/Forum Features / Re: RSS Feeds for DonationCoder.com and this Forum

« on: July 07, 2005, 09:44 AM »

Thanks mouser!  This is a most welcome feature. 

93

ProcessTamer / Re: also check out process lasso (new free lite version)

« on: July 03, 2005, 01:39 PM »

I have to agree with you on the update policy.  At least the Bitsum products are frequently updated.  I've been stung too many times by support expiring a few weeks before a new version of an app is released or getting not a single update within a year. 

Another good command-line/batch utility for managing process priorities is PrcView.  It supports launching of processes at set priorites as well as giving the ability to change the priority of a running process.

http://www.xmlsp.com/pview/prcview.htm

I also find PsSuspend from Sysinternals is really useful as it allows tasks to be completely suspended like in UNIX.  For anyone interested, you can get it from: -

http://www.sysintern...ilities/PsTools.html

94

Living Room / Re: DonationCoder.com Mascot needed

« on: July 03, 2005, 05:19 AM »

I definitely think the mascot has to be an uniquely identifiable character rather than a generic object such a keyboard, computer or suchlike.

I also think there shouldn't be too much going on in any of the logos E.G. a cat coding whilst connected to the internet, drinking coke, smoking a cigarette with a TV on in the background, phone ringing, donations coming through the letterbox and dinner burning in the kitchen - though it probably would accurately describe some of us here (minus donations). 

Simple and effective is the only way to go.  A cartoon cat at a keyboard does have a certain charm and hopefully does get across the spirit of the site.

95

Living Room / Re: how to give out software gifts

« on: July 03, 2005, 05:08 AM »

Great idea vegas! 

96

Unfinished Requests / Re: IDEA: Pre-select user on log-in

« on: July 03, 2005, 04:30 AM »

There is no way to do exactly what you want (as you don't want it to autologon), but you can get most of the way there.  As Foxen said, first switch off the Welcome screen in Control Panel.  This will revert to the classic Windows login screen, which by default always remembers the previous login name and starts with the cursor in the password box.

You will have to type the other username in though if you want to use it, and once you logout it will be displayed as the last login meaning you have to type your original username back in again. 

Unfortunately if you wanted the functionality you describe you would need a custom GINA to provide the account management.  This is probably a little too large a task for Coding Snacks, I would think. 

97

ProcessTamer / Re: also check out process lasso (new free lite version)

« on: July 03, 2005, 04:19 AM »

He says "Windows provides no method to set the default process priority for specific processes".  Not entirely true, since the START command offers exactly that.

-Scott (July 02, 2005, 10:06 PM)

You are correct about the start method for setting initial priorities, although it is a little messy when it comes to launching processes from icons as you have the console window popup each time you launch an app.  Of course this can be minimised, but you still get an additional process on the taskbar for a couple of seconds.  There is also all the fiddling about setting the icon back to the original and considering additional switches to provide the functionality the .lnk is providing to the cmd console rather than to your app.  Sure, this is fine when you have a single app priority you wish to change, but when you have 30+ it become unpleasant.  It brings back so many bad memories. 

There is also Microsoft Windows Resource Manager (which ships with 2003) which gives the ability to pre-define process priority on many different criteria (and does an awful lot more besides).  It is only licensed to operation on 2003 server though. 

I've been using Process Lasso Pro (Process Supervisor back then) for some time on my personal server and have found it to be an excellent product.  The main advantage is it allows the changing of priorities for processes owned by other users, providing it is being run as an Admin equiv.  Attempting the same task via Task Manager will only get you 'access denied'.

I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you run processes/services as several different users or are running a Citrix server.

98

Living Room / Re: anyone know a tool to empty recycle bin when drive gets full?

« on: July 02, 2005, 09:51 AM »

Doh!  I knew there was something I forgot.  This may be overkill, as it does a lot more besides emptying the recycle bin when it reaches a set threshold.

http://www.undelete.com

It is a rather nice product, though just a little expensive if you only want it for automatically emptying the bin when the volume starts to get full. 

My company uses the server version as a first line recovery solution.  It saves us a lot of time and hassle by allowing us to avoid tape restores in 90% of deletions and corruptions.  Pesky users!

99

ProcessTamer / Re: Final version

« on: July 02, 2005, 12:40 AM »

Shorter would be nice.  I understand that there are Windows limitations for the minimum time balloon tips are displayed for, but I think the minimum display time is around 10 seconds and the process tamer tips seem to stay forever (30 seconds plus?).

I find the info given by the balloon tips is really useful to know what is going on, but on the other hand I hate having to dismiss pop-ups that are sitting on top of the app I'm using.  I guess you just can't please some people.

100

ProcessTamer / Re: Final version

« on: July 01, 2005, 03:51 PM »

Hi Mouser,

The ability to alter the delay for the display of balloon tips would also be rather welcome in the official release.