Messages

201

Living Room / Re: Thinking about a DonationCoder.com fundraising thing.. opinions wanted

« on: October 10, 2005, 07:19 AM »

The beauty of cafepress is that you give them the design and the price you want to charge for an item.  Then members of DCC can buy it, knowing that a portion of the price will be returned to DCC.  For example, a small magnet is listed at $2.49.  If it were listed at $4, DCC would be sent the difference.  Since the basic service is free, there would be no DCC outlay of funds, and it could be a source of additional revenue.  The downside is that only those people who made a purchase would have something with the DCC logo on it.

If you just want to provide a DCC iron-on logo to every DCC member, you might try something like this:  http://h30094.www3.h...ltimesmb/accessories.  I estimate that you could print and ship these iron-on logos for approximately $1.75 each (purchase, printing, envelope & postage).  The question is: do you want to send one to every donator?  If so, that would be a gift, not a fund raiser (although, if worn, might generate some interest).  Or do you want to ask a donator to contribute an additional $2.00 (or $3.00), if he/she would like a iron-on logo?  The problem with the latter approach is that you may get only a few takers, and then lose the community and free publicity angle.

Personally, I like the lottery idea, with one of the donated programs as a prize.  Or, since many of the members already have these programs, what about having DCC buy the winner (who already has one of the programs that have been donated) any program of his/her choice up to a maximum monetary amount?  You'd have to chose that amount carefully, though, in case no one participates in the lottery.

202

Find And Run Robot / Re: Issues with ESC; trying to leave the joint fast…

« on: October 08, 2005, 05:06 PM »

I had to hit esc twice, too, at first.  But, once it was convinced I meant business, it is well behaved, and I only have to hit esc once.  BTW, if you enter and exit with pause/break or alt+space bar, you don't get a noise.
in and out with pause/break or alt+space bar: only tap once and get no boing noise
in with anything and out with esc, and it boings.

203

Living Room / Re: Product names — how do you come up with one?

« on: October 05, 2005, 06:35 AM »

skrommel is a master at names.  does it quickly and, seemingly, effortlessly.  Every title is witty, to the point, and related to the product.  I really think that no major program should be released from DCC without getting skrommel's input on the title.

Find and Run Robot is a great name (didn't realize there were such problems with variations).  So is Popup Wisdom.  I kind of like having the words completely spelled out, even if users will tend to establish abbreviations.  Can we all concentrate on finding the right name for clipboard help + spell?

204

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for finance app

« on: October 02, 2005, 07:21 AM »

I smell the manipulation of MS here -- like their attempt to muscle WordPerfect out of the market by the pretense (accepted by inexperienced Word users) that a document sent in WordPerfect format can't be translated into Word.

205

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for finance app

« on: October 02, 2005, 06:13 AM »

I'm sorry I didn't get to this in time to help the originator of this thread  .. but maybe in time to head others away from MS Money, which suffers from the ailments of all microsoft products in that it decides what you (the ignorant user) must want, rather than allowing you to mold it to your shape.

Quicken will make you rich (I promise), and I can guarantee that it is more user friendly and infinitely more configurable than MSMoney.  From the beginning (when it cost $11 in the face of over $100 for competing products), Quicken has been a great value (right now it is priced at $49.95, which may be too much for some, but a bargain for peace of mind).  I not only track EVERYTHING, but can tell at a glance how much I paid for oil last year, how much I spend on frivolous items (alas), how much a particular project cost me, whether or not I already contributed to Nature Conservancy this year, projection into the future to see if I'll ever have enough to retire, and, of course, it helps with income tax preparation.

It took a little doing, but I see that Quicken also allows what Shangnyun wanted:  ability to add (or change) categories for multiple items.  For you users, here's how:

Open a account where you have the transactions you want to change.  At the top of the page, click "find."  This allows you to search by such things as payee, amount, date, check number, category.  Unfortunately, it won't let you search for a blank field.

It won't let you search for a blank field.  If you already have categories entered that you want to change, click on category and enter the name.  If you haven't entered any categories yet, there are several ways to trick it.  If everything was entered in 2005, for example, just click on date, enter the number 5, and it will look up every date with a 5 in it.  Or, if you have issued checks that all start with a 1, click on check number and enter the number 1.  You see where I'm going.

Then ask it to "find all" and you will see them all listed, with the "category" row either blank or containing the category you entered.

At the bottom click on "edit transaction"

Chose "category" to edit.

Just put in the category you want for all the listed transactions.  It will let you change to an existing category or create one on the spot.  Voila, you have your desired category (or changed category, or any other wholesale changes you want to make) in all the transactions.

This is just one of the many examples I could mention.  Having kneaded this product for many years, I would be happy to answer any other questions about using it.  quicken.com also has a user forum, of course.

206

Living Room / Re: Thinking about a DonationCoder.com fundraising thing.. opinions wanted

« on: September 30, 2005, 08:14 PM »

Oh, I see what you mean.

BTW, I'm totally opposed to charging people to download during the fundraising period.  So far, all contributions have been voluntary, and should stay that way.  Nothing wrong, though, with telling folks that they can be entered in a raffle if they join during this fundraising window.

207

Living Room / Re: Thinking about a DonationCoder.com fundraising thing.. opinions wanted

« on: September 30, 2005, 08:04 PM »

BrotherS's ideas are so great -- except I agree with Mouser that a prize for someone who gives over a certain amount seems to go against the principles he has established: that each person has a comfort level for donating, and that even a small amount is dear to someone with a low income.

While an auction has a nice ring to it, I think it has the same problem.  The person with the highest bid wins, but what about someone with little income?  That's why I think a raffle is the way to go, with each person contributing what they can to get in the game.  And, no, I don't think people who have contributed in the past would feel bad if they weren't included.  It is understood that only contributions received during the fundraising period would be eligible.

About ads, I can take them or leave them (so to speak).  As long as they aren't from software developers or the like -- and exclude DCC members from the assault.

And I really like the idea of a contest for a great logo.  Not being a designer myself,   I feel free to suggest that a prize may not be necessary.  What would probably be the most inspiring would be attribution -- and lavish praise.  But you artists may disagree.  Let' us hear what you think.

208

Living Room / Re: scrubbing downloaded utilities

« on: September 20, 2005, 06:53 AM »

Thank you everyone -- and especially you, CarolHaynes.  Thank you so much for taking the time to expand on this topic.

209

Living Room / scrubbing downloaded utilities

« on: September 16, 2005, 10:15 PM »

 In another post, CarolHaynes gave a list of tasks she performs to "scrub" a downloaded utility before installing it.  This is what she said:

Read user reviews - if there aren't any I am already suspicious
Do a google search on the app name + Review
Do a google search on app name + Spyware/AdWare/Malware etc.
Download the software and virus scan
Unpack the archive/installer and virus scan again
Use SpySweeper to check the unpacked folder contents
Set a system restore point
Install app but don't run it
Run virus & spyware check on installation folder, memory and registry

Only if it is still clean do I run the app.

If it unexpectedly asks to connect to the internet I check to see if there as automatic update and switch it off. If it still wants to connect to the internet for no good reason than I block it. Anything odd starts to happen it is uninstalled and the system restore point applied.  Am I paranoid? Probably - but it takes a hell of a lot of hours to sort out a screwed up system ....

Since I recently had huge trouble that I suspect was caused by something I downloaded, I would love to hear more detail about what you do, CarolHaynes, in more detail, and it would be great to hear techniques others use, as well.  Do any of you have anything that absolutely positively workd every time?  If so, could you explain it in a way the rest of us could duplicate?

210

Mouser's Zone / Re: Suggestion for forum navigation

« on: September 09, 2005, 05:13 AM »

Mouser, thanks for adding the go-up go-down buttons suggested by CarolHaynes.    Like painting the room and then noticing the carpet should be cleaned, though, I now see another refinement that would make navigation even easier.  Is it possible to install the "unread posts" button at the bottom of the file (where now resides such things as "mark as unread" and "send to")?  With the addition, we can easily get from top to bottom, but have to get back up to the beginning to return to the unread posts page.

211

Living Room / Re: Mark thread as unread - Side map - checkbox right hand side

« on: September 03, 2005, 08:01 AM »

Sometimes it's helpful to go to the beginning of a thread and scan through before reading the message, but I, too, often wish to get right to the point of reading a message when I already understand the thread.  I expect you all know that, when you're on the unread posts page, you can get right to that message by clicking on little page thingy at the RIGHT of the post (rather than clicking on the link, which would lead you to the beginning of the thread).

It would be possible to lists the posts in reverse chronological order (which I've seen on some sites), but that is very disorienting.  I see nothing wrong with leaving things as they are, so long as we can get to the listed post by clicking on the little page thingy at the right.

I second the requests for these, though:

1.  ability to bookmark favorite posts or threads

2.  ability to mark individual posts as "read" or "unread."  As it stands now, clicking on "mark as read" removes ALL posts from the unread posts screen.

212

Living Room / power up your brain

« on: July 21, 2005, 10:54 PM »

I was looking at reviews for a book on brain power (hey, you can never have too much of that), when I read this runny (I think i meant funny) review - a little too funny maybe.  So I decided to see what else this character had reviewed.  It just kept getting better.  Try it out for a break.
http://www.amazon.co...Z/ref=cm_aya_rev_all

213

Unfinished Requests / Re: IDEA: Babies on keyboard

« on: July 17, 2005, 03:33 PM »

I was thinking something like "Computer Baby" or "Baby Safe."  A search on the names, though, turned up a similar program put out by batista.org and called baby safe II.  It is designed for MAC, but otherwise seems similar.  Not sure how this impacts our plans, and you may already know about it.  In any event, that leaves only computer baby on my list of possible names.

214

Living Room / over 400 members

« on: July 17, 2005, 12:03 AM »

I just noticed that, with new member "nilness," there are now 401 members among us.  Feels good.  Thank you mouser and all you other solid contributors for making a lively, living site out of this!!   I'm proud to be a member, and am looking forward to welcoming number 1,000.

215

Unfinished Requests / Re: IDEA: Babies on keyboard

« on: July 16, 2005, 09:24 PM »

A program like this would make my day.  I have a one-year-old in my house who is a techno-whizz.  Give her anything with a bunch of buttons, and she will hover over it for just a second before she pushes one finger firmly into the power button.  She can already work the TV remote and loves to make magic things happen on the screen.  Although she knows that pushing the little power button on my computer tower is strictly forbidden, she also knows that pushing it is terribly entertaining since it causes me to stand up and jump around the room like a jack-in-the box.  So she will play innocently nearby until she sees an opportunity to drop something and casually push the power button on the way down to pick it up.  While I would like to give her little finger a shock so it would never happen again  , I would certainly settle for a lock and something fascinating to do when I pick her up to see what great work I have created on the screen.  I vote for this as the next coding snack -- even if you can't get to the larger program you no doubt have planned.

216

Image Manager Shootout / Re: Thanks Nudone, great review!

« on: July 12, 2005, 12:03 PM »

Great job, Nudone.  We appreciate all the time and energy you squandered to enlighten us.  I'm happy to add my meagre contribution to the masses you have no doubt already received. Hope it helps a little.

217

DesktopCoral / Re: window classes?

« on: June 26, 2005, 08:35 AM »

quixos,
How can I get my minimized buttons on the top and leave my tray on the bottom, like you have?  Now that I've discovered the power of the tray, I want to be able to see everything at once.  Or is that a launch bar at the bottom?  I have heard of "replacement shells."  Is that what you use?

I also love the little screens you have open.  Must be something special.  I like to have an organized desktop, but it seems there are vast possibilities I don't even know about.  Can you share a little about what you use, and why?
 

218

Best Weather Monitor Tool / Re: some comments after using some of the programs

« on: June 26, 2005, 08:26 AM »

 I know you already know all the features of weather watcher, but, if not, check out the little globe of maps.  You can see the radar of your area, pictures of weather alerts, approaching storms, etc.  I can see at a glance, what the conditions are anywhere -- in a picture.  Find out what's happening over the head of a friend.

Okay, not entirely current or live, like WeatherBug, but fun anyway -- and anywhere in the world.  I'm beginning to like it more, as I explore the possibilities buried in the little globe.  It seems like this type of program is something most of your active users, understandably, have no interest in.  I didn't think I did, either, until I got into looking over the programs.  I like the idea of alternating serious programs with fun stuff.  It gives the reviewers -- and the loyal readers -- a break.
 

219

Best Weather Monitor Tool / some comments after using some of the programs

« on: June 25, 2005, 11:18 PM »

Since you haven’t receive much interest in your proposal for a weather program review, I’ll add a little something, in case you still plan to do it.  I have WeatherBug, so I’m real familiar with it and have used it as a standard against which to measure the others.  In addition to WeatherBug, I only seriously looked at Weather Watcher, Weather1, Cli-mate and Froggy.  The others either irritated me or had detailed information that I did not appreciate.

Froggy is cute, I must admit, but it falls far short of the others.  The most serious flaw is that it is far too general and does not provide access to cities near where I live.  Something a couple of hundred miles away just doesn’t do it.  A link to meteoXpress takes you to a website with a lot of words and no information.  The only useful button is the exit button.

I couldn’t get Cli-mate to give me any information.  Something I was doing wrong, I suspect, but still . . .  I didn’t have this problem with the other programs.

Weather1 is amazingly customizable.  It is almost entirely text, but allows several locations, which can be switched with ease.  Alerts are simple, detailed information is given, such as highs and lows and record highs and lows.  You can even get the temperature spoken to you each time you open the program.  In addition to providing weather from nearby cities, there are many local personal weather sites listed, which can be added as optional locations.  A satellite picture of the moon completes the picture, and the program can be minimized to a bar that can be easily expanded at any time.  Very specific international locations and a great program if you have idle curiosity about what’s going on, weather wise, in other parts of the world..  Full registration costs $18, but the unregistered version is still useful.

WeatherWatcher is simple, clear, and you can easily switch from current conditions, to hourly forecast, to daily forecast.  Very fun maps option of maps, which provide satellite pictures of every imaginable place in the world.  International information is readily available, and in many formats.  If you should want to get a picture of the way things look over Argentina or India, for example, no problem.  And you can get far more detailed information about many of the areas.  Take Mexico as an example.  You have many choices, like temperature and humidity, including animated satellite photos of wind movement, temperature change, and storm progress.  Even if you don’t care about the information, the pictures are awesome.  One problem with this program is that it gets its information from Weather.com, which only updates once every hour.  You don’t really get real-time information.  It’s 12:01 am where I am right now, for example, and refreshing the information only brought me up to 11:13 pm. 

Which brings me to WeatherBug.  WeatherBug is beautiful, picturesque, and super easy to use.  Even though it is a little annoying to deal with the advertisement screen when first logging on, I don’t find the little ads distracting and dealing with them initially is a small price to pay for such fun.  You can get any basic information you want here, from current temperature, humidity, etc. to dew points and wind velocity.  The greatest thing, though, is that it’s completely live.  You can watch the little wind velocity/direction dial move as the wind shifts, the temperature changes before your eyes.  Best yet is that the weather station used is the one closest to you, often only 15 or 20 miles away – and you can find a live camera shot from the station, with an animated version, if you want.   This is the one program to have if you really want to know what’s happening right that minute in your actual area of the world.  Nice alerts and sweet graphics.  U.S. only.

In summary, I love WeatherBug and wouldn’t be without it and its cute little bug icon.  I’m considering purchasing Weather 1, though, as a complement to get more complete information about what’s going on elsewhere.  And I’ll probably keep Weather Watcher, too, for its amazing satellite pictures, since I don’t particularly care if the information isn’t completely current.

220

Living Room / Re: What Programs Run In Your System Tray?

« on: June 25, 2005, 07:26 AM »

2 email clients
notesholder (provides annoying reminders of scheduled tasks -- which, apparently, I require
weather bug (with live reminders of weather problems)
weatherwatcher (slightly different features)
find and run robot
MSN anti spyware
storage snyc backup
browser tray switch
volume control

221

Living Room / Re: photo-editing software

« on: May 31, 2005, 01:37 PM »

Mouser writes: "not sure what you mean by enlargeable."  I want the prospective buyer to be able to enlarge an image to view details.  I'll try the paint shop pro studio, as I'm open to any product that's not created by microsoft, and love that it's produced by rival Corel.   Thanks for taking the time to pass your tips on to me.

222

Living Room / photo-editing software

« on: May 31, 2005, 10:17 AM »

I want to put a couple of things for sale on ebay.  I'd like the pictures to show up really well (absent backlighting, enlargeable, good color).  Any ideas -- especially something free?