Messages

126

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for a Window management software, but can't remember its name. Help?

« on: November 21, 2009, 07:06 AM »

The king of this category is ActualTools: http://www.actualtools.com, I suppose.

127

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« on: November 10, 2009, 07:18 AM »

Sorry but 32 bits can only address 4Gb - you can fudge it by adding offsets (mirrors) but it is a fudge. PAE is a fudge. You aren't physically addressing more than 4Gb at any one time it is like having a book - you can view any double page but you can't see 4 page at once - unless you use mirrors!

-Carol Haynes (November 09, 2009, 07:18 PM)

I agree 32 bits can only address 4Gb at any one time. But this has nothing to do with how many portions that made up the 4Gb and where each portion is laid. I could have N portions that add up to 4Gb but they all are just part of a 400Gb physical memory.

i.e. the fact that "32 bits can only address 4Gb at any one time" should not restrict a 32 bits O/S from handling more than 4Gb physical memory.

It is like if I can only eat one chicken at any one meal, that does not mean I must cook only one chicken for every meal. I could for example cook 3 chickens and eat 1/3 of each of them...

128

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« on: November 09, 2009, 06:45 PM »

So you are saying my example is right because you can only see behind you when you turn round and then you can't see what you were looking at Using a mirror is cheating (swine)

-Carol Haynes (November 09, 2009, 06:20 PM)

Hi Carol Haynes, still, your example is NOT right.

4G is the limit of 32bits, at a particular point of time. But even for a time=t, this limit does not have anything to do with how the 4G is laid. i.e. if I have N mirrors in front of me, I can see N+1 different angle views, though they all add up within the 120 dgree limits size... (when a mirror is placed in front of me, it blocks what is behind it)

Well, may be mirror is kind of cheat, but it is useful... and the world can't do without mirror, right?

129

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« on: November 09, 2009, 06:14 PM »

Not really accurate - a 32-bit CPU and OS can only address 4Gb at any one time. You can use an offset to point to that 4Gb if you want to but, for example, when you are looking at the 4Gb starting at 64Gb you can't see the 4Gb at 16Gb.

-Carol Haynes (November 06, 2009, 08:04 PM)

Hi Carol Haynes, your example is not right.

No matter how hard I try with my eyes, I can only see about 120 dgree of the world in front of me, but if I turn around I can see the whole world... well, even if I don't turn around, with a mirror, I can see what is in front and at the back of me at the sametime 

130

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 7 evaluation

« on: July 10, 2009, 12:17 PM »

My biggest hatre of Vista is it won't let any 16bits program to go fullscreen be it text mode application or grphical games...
Hope Win7  will lift this restriction... however I don't think MS care about backward compatibility as much as they used to, chances is there will be more restriction

131

General Software Discussion / Re: HyperSnap: impressive screen-capture app, today's Bits du Jour

« on: June 13, 2009, 04:24 AM »

I have been a long time user of HyperSnap.
I like its ability to capture "a block of text" (or a region define on the fly) with auto-scroll capability... this auto-scroll function alone has saved me a lot of effort and time especially when I need a portion of text right in the middle of a lengthy web page.

132

General Software Discussion / Re: Is XP really that good?

« on: December 10, 2008, 07:55 PM »

I did acknowledge XP's utility, however, where exactly is the untruth and "religious belief" in my response to "For your normal user, there is little reason not to run Windows"? (emphasis mine)

No big deal. I disagreed and gave 11 specific reasons based on my experience with Linux as a reasonable alternative to Windows...

-zridling (December 09, 2008, 04:10 PM)

"Let there be Light"... and there is light
Basically statement like the above gives religious impression. (Guess who said that)

I mean your 11 reasons probably are not religion founded, but the way you have stated them, is. 

e.g. you have stated:
- Viruses and Spyware (no need to buy any of that; and viruses are nil)
...
- Fun! (I haven't had this much fun on a computer since Win95.)

Lets see how I put mine for DOS6:
- Viruses and Spyware
   a) The population of DOS6 user is very small relatively (compare to the most popular O/S - Windows), so no Virus is interested in attacking DOS6, because ... it is hard to find DOS6 user, too few of them.
   b) Even if there are many Viruses waiting on-line to attack DOS6 user, but generally they still won't fall a victim because there is no Internet Browser in DOS6 ... DOS6 users basically don't go on line, the viruses simply got no chance.
   
   As a conclusion, no need to buy any of that; and viruses are nil 
   
- Fun!
   a) I am kind of person who like to torture myself, very very much. For example, I like to spend hours after hours just to find out why a device does not work in DOS6, even though I know ahead there is no documentation to help.
   b) Sometime I could go on line and ask one million experts a few billion times in order to find out how to configure a device driver for DOS6... even if I am told there is no driver for certain device ... etc
   c) I am lucky that I enjoy setting up DOS6 environment bit by bit until I got my heart attack... I am happily dying just for that... which I think could be a torture to most other people.
   
   As a conclusion, I have had this much fun on a computer with DOS since ver 6 
   
Well, you need to have strong ground in order to support your reasons like what I have done, right?     

133

General Software Discussion / Re: Is XP really that good?

« on: December 06, 2008, 01:38 PM »

As for old games booting faster than new ones, sure - old games didn't have to load a gigabyte of 3D models and texture data .

-f0dder (December 05, 2008, 10:21 PM)

So as the case for DOS main screen is cleaner than XP desktop, because it simply does not have Startup Menu, Recycle Bin and Shortcuts with icon. It only has a C prompt.

In fact for all I have listed, those are, IMO, WRONG factors to be taken into account when trying to compare 2 different O/S. Simply put, they are merely personal concerns, not universal factors in O/S comparison.

One might like a wonder woman who helps her boy friend in every aspect of life though sometime she can cause problems, the others might prefer a slim, innocent girl whom he needs to give help in every aspect of life and she never cause problem because she herself is the problem...
I can list a thousand reasons why my girl friend is better than yours, yet I am sure you won't agree with me. I think computer O/S is something hard to evaluate, it is as complicated as girl friend...

BTW, me too have never come across registry corruption for years, except when a virus/trojan writes something to registry in my friend's PC (if that is considered corruption)...

... and to be frank, as of this writing, I love XP the most!

134

General Software Discussion / Re: Is XP really that good?

« on: December 05, 2008, 12:51 PM »

Hi,

I still have a Pentium 3 machine runs DOS VER6.0
I normally use it to play old games like Dig Dug, Road Runner, Roller and the brush.. etc

On the Pentium 3, Dos 6 boot-up 100 times faster than XP on my QuadCore machine.
Dos 6 main screen is 100 time cleaner than my XP desktop (it only has a C prompt)
Those old games boot-up 100 times faster than Civ4 or any recent games in XP

Dos 6 does not has a registry so it never has registry corruption problem like XP
and ...
with DOS 6, I have never used more than 1 Mb ram to run any program...

I think DOS 6 is the best O/S, better than XP
and...
I have no experience at all in Linux, so I am not quite sure about DOS6 VS LINUX, but I suppose DOS 6 is also better than Linux.

135

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Is there no way to keep My Favorite clips?

« on: September 29, 2008, 11:27 AM »

Ha!Ha!

mouser, in fact I am doing it just the way as you have suggested in that thread.

Btw,  I have tried several clipboard programs, those commercial one which I need to pay, but I just don't know why, my favorite is still this one. This is a great program

136

Clipboard Help+Spell / Is there no way to keep My Favorite clips?

« on: September 29, 2008, 11:13 AM »

Hi,

I enable all the 3 "Automatic filling" option under  Backup/Maintenance tab, but I want clips that I click as "Favorite" to be exempted, is it possible?

137

General Software Discussion / Re: What do you use to bookmark and annotate your .chm files?

« on: September 04, 2008, 12:38 AM »

What if SQLNotes could automatically decompile CHM files and create an ouline of items with the CHM content... You'd get viewing, annotation, bookmarking and search.

-PPLandry (September 03, 2008, 02:55 PM)

... and more!

Wow.

It would be a very interesting thing to try... And it might be yet another compelling feature... not only for me. Superboyac seemed interested too...??

-Armando (September 03, 2008, 05:08 PM)

IMO, Importing material like CHM or emails into a note taker's database is too good a feature to be true.
The problem is not only decompile/extract, the bigger challenge is how to reconstruct/outline the material in the note taker program itself. For example, if a note taker program can decompile a CHM then recompile/reconstruct it exactly or very close to the original layout, that feature alone could be sold as an application.

Anyway, besides Evernote, I am also using a Chinese made note taker program CyberArticle, it supports import of CHM and emails from Outlook. But I don't use those features, you may want to try it to see how well those feature actually work.

138

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ideal backup utility

« on: September 03, 2008, 02:22 AM »

In fact,
SyncBackPro still miss a minor thing, it can't let me decide whether a folder junction should be treated as a file item or an ordinary folder (thus backup whatever pointed by it), instead it strictly treats folder junction as the former.
Anyway, this feature is quite minor, I don't really insist of having this one.

139

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ideal backup utility

« on: September 03, 2008, 02:18 AM »

But couldn't you use something separate just for registry?

-Armando (September 03, 2008, 01:48 AM)

I could. But I don't want to.

140

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ideal backup utility

« on: September 03, 2008, 12:52 AM »

Unfortunately, SyncBackPro does not support registry key(s) backup.

141

General Software Discussion / Re: What do you use to bookmark and annotate your .chm files?

« on: September 02, 2008, 02:58 PM »

tslim, here's what it says on the CHM To WORD page :

*  Create Microsoft Word Document From CHM Files Windows CHM  to HTML's greatest strength. As you know, Windows CHM To WORD is designed to convert .chm file to word

* Recompile Help projects: an added benefit for developers and serious users. Windows CHM To WORD provides not just the ability to generate more flexible HTML document storage, but also allows you to generate a completely recompile Help project, complete with all text, formatting, jumps, graphics, keywords, secondary windows and more, exactly as the original author intended them to appear.


*  Convert CHM To HTML: In act, Windows CHM To WORD is Windows CHM To HTML's upgrade version. It means you will get both Windows CHM To HTML & Windows CHM To  WORD after purchase Windows CHM To WORD only.

That means that you could transfert all your CHM files to a big word document, Convert them to OpenOffice format (example) and then from there to pdf.

Of course chm to word is a bit expensive, depending on how much you'll use it in the futre... $38

-Armando (September 02, 2008, 01:40 PM)

???
Please, I am talking about combining several CHM and PDF books into 1 big CHM... not PDF.

142

General Software Discussion / Re: What do you use to bookmark and annotate your .chm files?

« on: September 02, 2008, 09:45 AM »

Hi Armando,
What a great recommendation , I like this UltraCHM a lot.

I have about 30 technical reference books, half in PDF format, half in CHM format.
What I intend to do (a dream for years never come true) is to combine all the 30 books into 1 big CHM for super fast search. PDF search speed is no way close to the CHM's. But in order to combine the books I need to first convert all those PDF books to CHM. If I can have them converted I can then use ABC Amber CHM Merger - a freeware which can merge CHM files quite well.

My problem is I can't find a good PDF to CHM converter.

The best PDF to CHM converter I can find is PowerCHM. But its latest version still has some bug and I have no way to contact the author. (I send about half a dozen emails to the author throughout a year and got no reply), I think it is a dead product by now...

If I can find a good PDF to CHM converter, then I sure will get this UltraCHM. Making note in a CHM is always what I intend to do.

143

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ideal backup utility

« on: September 02, 2008, 05:22 AM »

Hi,

Nobody tried SyncBackPro v5, even Mouser in its backup tests !
I think it does everything required in the 1st post.

-laurentdc (September 01, 2008, 05:35 PM)

I think the best way is to ask in their forum. As of this writing I am still waiting for the forum member registration activation email.

Are you sure it support registry key(s) and Alternate Data Stream backup?
I flip through their PDF guide, the grouping profile feature looks excellent!

144

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ideal backup utility

« on: September 01, 2008, 04:26 AM »

Hi mwang,

I like your way of testing it out to the bottom of the fact. Thanks a lot for letting me know that GBM Pro does not actually employ a up-to-date zip engine and it only supports unicode zipping partially or with some sort of work around... um.. so call GRename Technology.

I might be lucky that I have always (and am expecting it to be so for a long time) set non-unicode language of my XP to Chinese Simplified and I don't have filenames in Korean.
Put it this way, even if I need to search, I won't have problem.
To be frank, I never search my backup set. Maybe it is because I build/group backup from jobs in quite a systematic way, so locating a piece/a file from all backup sets is relatively easy.

Strictly speaking, what GBM Pro can do, in term of unicode support, is already up to my requirement. I am so eager to find something better to replace it due to 3 major things:
1) Its brainless interface design throughout the whole program.
2) Its backup filter is poor.
3) It does not support grouping of jobs.

and excuse me, I just couldn't help myself... let me moan one more time on the 1):
You won't believe it, a simple thing like picking a backup job can become such a great challenge... a picture worth a thousand words, please see the attachment.

I hope some kind-hearted person will invite the GBM Pro author to this thread, let him see what have he done.

145

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ideal backup utility

« on: August 31, 2008, 10:04 AM »

I also load the .gbp file in Total Commander (7.04a, also downloaded just now). I know .gbp files are just .zip filies in another name, but my Directory Opus doesn't recognize it (not even after I set the association), and I don't want to change the ext name to reduce any doubt of tempering.

-mwang (August 31, 2008, 12:56 AM)

Glad you try Total Commander, for zip or archive files handling, no other explorer like utility come close to it. Its rename dialog is so far the most intuitive interface design that I have ever come acrosss.
I also own a license for xPlorer2, but I seldom use it. I use it only if I need to work with a flat directory listing. It fully support ADS in its copy and move functions.
As for DOpus, I like its ability to let user set multiple functions per toolbar button, but I really dislike its rename dialog and innocent about rar file.

146

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ideal backup utility

« on: August 31, 2008, 09:18 AM »

I set up a test folder with 6 files, 1 with English name, 1 Japanese, 1 Korean, 1 Simplified Chinese (same as yours), 2 with Traditional Chinese (one the same as yours, converted Traditional Chinese, the other with characters that often cause troubles).

-mwang (August 31, 2008, 12:56 AM)

What do you mean by "one the same as yours, converted Traditional Chinese"?

Screenshot 1: The "Rename unicode files" option in GBM Pro isn't checked.
Screenshot 6: directory structure of test.gbp on the left, and my test folder ("K:\gbmtest") on the right. See the "GRename" and "MF" subfolder?

-mwang (August 31, 2008, 12:56 AM)

I suppose if the "Rename unicode files" option is not ticked then foreign file names should be saved as it is. There shouldn't be a rename during backup nor a "GRename" folder in the gbp file.

After reading your reply, I try again with 3 files named in Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional and Japanese respectively. Backup with GBM Pro and open up the gbp with Total Commander, I see no "GRename" folder inside??? and I can see the 3 files as before, correctly stored in the gbp. Please see the attachment.

Screenshot 4: Simplifed Chinese search: filter view (background) worked, but Advanced Search found nothing.
Screenshot 5: Same with Japanese (and Korean, screenshot omitted.)

-mwang (August 31, 2008, 12:56 AM)

Those search failures are expected. Think about it, if the file names are stored in non-native way, how could there be any match. Do you notice all your search failures happen only when you search for those files whose name is stored by the so called GRename Technology (in GRename folder)?

My search in all Japanese, Chinese Traditional and Simplified are successful! Please see attachment. The question is why in your case a GRename folder appear in the gbp file whereas mine does not have that? i.e why in your case GBM Pro insists of using its "GRename Technology" whereas in mine case it respect my preference setting: me too have the "Rename unicode files" option unchecked.

Side note: why doesn't GPB remember the size and position of the Advanced Search dialog box?

-mwang (August 31, 2008, 12:56 AM)

Your are fingering my G-Spot, ah! Ah! AH
It has to be that way in order to uphold GBM Pro's world no.1 bad interface design status.

Btw, if you want to set a permenant size ans position of the GBM's Advanced Search dialog box (which happen to be at top-level), you can try Actual Window Manager, see my reply in previous post

147

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ideal backup utility

« on: August 30, 2008, 01:02 PM »

Completely unrelated, but what do you use to get this, tslim?
 (see attachment in previous post)
Thanks!

-tranglos (August 30, 2008, 12:52 PM)

Actual Window Manager Ver 5.1 (http://actualtools.com)
A must for whom who likes to open window after window until getting lost in the sea of windows.

148

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ideal backup utility

« on: August 30, 2008, 12:08 PM »

The GBM Pro is the world most extreme software. It has fast zip engine, it is unicode aware

-tslim (August 21, 2008, 01:58 PM)

Last time I tried, GBM Pro v.8 did backup and restore files with unicode filenames fine, but its search function couldn't find them in the zipped archives. Zip format doesn't have native unicode support, and GBM has to change the filenames before storing them. When searching, however, it didn't handle this conversion properly.

Not sure if it's still a valid observation, but be sure to check if this is important to you.

-mwang (August 29, 2008, 07:49 AM)

There are 2 things I want to clarify here:

1) GBM does not change filenames in foreign language (I mean language which is not the master language of Windows) when it stores them in its gbp file. The proof is simple, I open a gbp file containing Chinese Traditional file name with Total Commander and I can see the filename is stored exactly as it is (on HDD and also) in the gbp. If GBM Pro has a proprietary way to store a foreign language filename, then opening the zip with another utility should not show the filename in its original (foreign) language.
Please see the attachment. My WinXp is English version and I set my non-unicode language as Chinse Simplified -- NOT Chinese Traditional.

2) GBM Pro support unicode search correctly. At least that is the case with ver 8.0.259.429
Again, please see the attachment.

149

General Software Discussion / Re: Anyone uses MediaMonkey? I need your advices.

« on: August 28, 2008, 02:02 PM »

I wonder how everyone buy software license?
In my case:
Step1: check whether there is a discount code from, well this site: www.donationcoder.com
Step2: otherwise check shareware plaza: www.sharewareplaza.com (many software there got discount)
Step3: otherwise search google with xxx+coupon+discount+special offer
Otherwise: just buy.

150

General Software Discussion / Re: Anyone uses MediaMonkey? I need your advices.

« on: August 28, 2008, 01:05 PM »

I've been a MM user (lifetime license) for a number of years now and can vouch for it's ability to do 2, 3 and 4 (not sure about 1).  The mp3 tagging support is superb and the mp3 conversion uses the LAME encoder, so is excellent quality.

Would I buy it now?  Not sure - there are many more efficient players around for free (e.g. foobar, xmplayer etc.).  Tagging can be done via Picard http://musicbrainz.org/ - although the track properties in MM gives you a huge amount of control over the tracks (e.g. tempo, mood etc.) - and there are a thousand-and-one CD rippers, converters and burners.

The MM skins really put me off at first, but the non-skinned version looks better.

So, it's good, but you'll really need to demo it before buying to decide if it's $40 better than the free stuff.

-mnemonic (August 28, 2008, 12:51 PM)

I just bought my lifetime license at USD29.96 with this coupon: MM2-UPG-DISC25, that save me 25% off the price. In this particular case, I prefer the utility that manage the audio files to be the one who rip and burn as well... so I ma satisfy!