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I develop "MusToe" for N.A.N.Y. :-))

[Hello, My name is JoTo and i must admit i am a DC-Holic!]

My thanks go to FARR (Find and Run Robot). 

YES FARR! Because a google search for a program like FARR lead me to DC. And therefore my thanks goes to mouser as well for creating FARR and founding DC. 

To make a long story short, i agree 100% with jgpaivas post. And i can't live without my daily dose of DC anymore!     

[JoTo stands up...looks at all the others, wait until he gets attention from all people here and start to say...]

Hello, My name is JoTo and i must admit i am a DC-Holic!

[JoTo sits down]

But beware! No-bo-dy should try to start to cure me from this addiction.  He/She will have no success...PROMISED!!!   

Thanks again mouser and to all the other great people here that allow me to be a part of DC.

Yours
JoTo

[JoTo lifts his right hand]
I swear....with the help of the mighty God...to make an app from scratch and release it on Jan. 1, 2007 on DC!

... Hmmm....Not so ceremonial?  OK!
[JoTo lowers his right hand again]

Guys...I'm in too! 

CU
JoTo

Just to keep up-to-date...seen today on OrbitDev-Blog:

Orbit V1.0.3 is released

We has released Orbit v1.0.3 yesterday.

changelog:
* Add a manual setting to enable/disable p2p connection.
* Fix a bug in Drop Zone.
* Fix a bug in Orbit update.

I just downloaded and installed the new version. The promised "disable p2p" setting is there. After switching it off and restart OrbitDownloader there is no more "orbitnet.exe" process and after exiting the main program no "orbit*" process is left over anymore.

So thanks to the Orbit-Devs to respect the wish and the OrbitDownloader. I am using OrbitDev now for a while and i am sure the Devs are serious and kind and OrbitDev is a great and free DownloadManager.

I only have still a little problem with OrbitDev ("How to download temporarily without it, when a download with it will fail"). In FreeDownloadManager i can click on "Cancel" and the Download will be handed over to normal IE-Download, what not happens in OrbitDownloader. But i am sure i can clarify this in near future with the Orbit-Devs.

CU all
JoTo

Stumbled upon this today. Find it very interesting or kind of funny ... i cant stop reading all through.

Have you ever wonder:

• What Makes No. 2 Pencils So Darn Special?
• Is There One Move That’s More Likely to Win a Game of Rock-Paper-Scissors?
• Can a Pregnant Woman Drive in the Carpool Lane?
• Which Came First, the Can Opener or the Can?
• and 21 more interesting questions

Then head toward it and get the answers to the 25 most important questions in the History of the Universe. 

http://www.neatorama.com/2006/07/24/the-25-most-important-questions-in-the-history-of-the-universe

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Hope you like it too
CU
JoTo

Today in the IRC Channel, Ken was in need of a System Information Tool that tells him about his installed memory a.s.o. He got "Everest" that does the trick, but is no longer freeware.

So i jumped in and told him about my favourite System Informationtool for Windows (SIW), that is very good one and free (Donationware).

After that, Ken "forced" me to post this goodie on the forum, even if i replied that SIW is a long time companion, everybody knows about it and it was surely mentioned here on DC a lot of times. But nothing helps...he insisted that i have to post.

After a forum search, i found only one thread that mentioned SIW and in a completely different context (as a revealing password tool - what SIW can do, but it is not its "general idea").

At this point i was conviced that i have to post it. :-)

Primary homepage (DOWN! a.t.m): http://www.gtopala.com/index.html
Secondary Homepage: http://www3.sympatico.ca/gtopala/siw_download.html

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From the site:

SIW  performs computer configuration analysis and diagnostics. It gives detailed information about your computer properties and settings, detailed specs for:
 - Software (Operating System, Installed Programs and Hotfixes, Processes, Services, Product Keys, Serial Numbers, Users, Open Files, System Uptime, Passwords hidden behind asterisks, Installed Codecs),
 - Hardware (Motherboard, Sensors, BIOS, CPU, chipset, PCI/AGP, USB and ISA/PnP Devices, Memory, Video Card, Monitor, Disk Drives, CD/DVD Devices, SCSI Devices, S.M.A.R.T., Ports, Printers),
 - Network (Network Cards, Network Shares, currently active Network Connections),
as well as real-time monitors for CPU, Memory, Page File usage and Network Traffic.
SIW can create a report file (CSV, HTML, TXT or XML), and is able to run in batch mode.
SIW is a standalone tool that does not require installation - one less installed program on your PC as well the fact that you can run the program directly from a USB flash drive (Portable Freeware).

Hope some find it still interesting...
CU
JoTo

I laughed tears...Hope you'll like it too.

http://www.febgia.com/italy.htm

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CU
JoTo

Hi IconBoy,

i have made a quick and dirty script for you in PHP, and compiled it also to a standalone windows executable, so you can use it normally and without the need to have PHP installed on your PC.

It does what you requested (as far as i tested it :-)) ). But dont expect too much. Its only a quick and dirty 20 min. hack and not a fully bloated application.

So you have to use the console window and enter the following commandline

        touchfiles <SourceDir> <StartDate> <StartTime>

e.g.   touchfiles c:\mypics\vacation 2006/08/25 11:20:13

to start setting the files in c:\mypics\vacation to date 25th August 2006 beginning at 11:20:13 am...11:21:13am...11:22.13am... and so on.

It then does basic input checking, gets and sorts all files in SourceDir alphabetically in natural order and sets their datestamps to StartDate and the Timestamps to StartTime. For every next file StartTime is incremented by 1 minute (as you wished). If StartTime reaches 23:59:59->00:00:00 StartDate is incremented by 1 day.

If you start the program with no parameters or wrong or invalid ones, a detailed usage message is printed in the console window.

Both, the last accessed and last modification date/timestamp is set. Cannot help for creation date/timestamps. Havent found a function that will do this in PHP. But in Explorer the files are shown with the correct timestamps as set by TouchFiles.

I include the SourceCode of the Script also in the ZIPFile, in fact you are a PHP-Programmer and want to modify sth. Feel free to do that.

Hope it will help you in your task. Have fun!

CU
JoTo

If not, try it out how it would look like in the flash diversion "Nudist Trampolining".

http://www.nudisttrampolining.com/
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Tsk, Tsk! There is nothing you can't find on the internet, can you? 

["Group Shot"]

Found today!

"Group Shot"
A free Tool from the Microsoft Research Group.

http://research.microsoft.com/projects/GroupShot/
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A product of Microsoft Research’s Redmond lab, Group Shot was developed by Alex Colburn, Matt Uyttendaele, and Michael Cohen of the Interactive Visual Media group over a period of six weeks late in 2005. Group Shot has the express purpose of helping a user to improve a flawed group photo to the desired state envisioned when the picture was taken.

“Photographs are instants of time,” Colburn smiles, “but we don’t necessarily remember an instant in time. We’re actually remembering a moment, and our brains backfill in the details. For example, you don’t remember your family portrait as a moment when everyone has their eyes closed and their mouths open. You remember a moment when everyone is smiling and looks good. With a camera, it is hard to capture those perfect photos, because those moments might not have existed, or you may have just missed them.”

“What we want to do is to use multiple photos to help reconstruct a moment.”

Group Shot, available for download, makes it easy for a user to take a part of an image from one photo and replace a similar but flawed part of an image in another photo, thereby creating a composite shot better than either original and more approximating what was seen in the photographer’s mind’s eye.

Not tested yet by myself, but it sounds interesting as you not only can change persons. You can also clip out unwanted parts and/or take a photo with and one without flashlight and compose a new image from that two with any lightning level that looks best for you.

There are many more (mostly very weird) projects to download from the Microsoft Research Group under http://research.microsoft.com/research/downloads/default.aspx

Hope this post is useful to someone out there.

CU
JoTo

Sorry, cant follow your bug report and cant reproduce this behaviour here.

I use Kontrast#1 Theme all the time and have problems with maaaany programs in the way you mentioned. But not with FARR. All works great here and is very readable.

See my screenshots:

[attach=1]

[attach=2]

Cant think why it wont work at your pc. Maybe mouser have an idea.

CU
JoTo

Oh, and by the way...
A chinese maxim says:
Dont burn a firework all at the same time!

So i think, getting your links in handy portions is better than getting a whole list at once.

Keep going please, but piece by piece!
Thx. again
JoTo

thunder, drunkwalk make me really laugh! 56 meters!
Yodeladiüh! Come on Baby over here!

Thanks!

Hi DC-Folks,

If you are in need to distribute and/or use a full website or web application that runs offline directly from a CD or USB-Thumbdrive without installation on the local computer, there are a lot of such standalone webservers out there.

But today i stumbled upon a new "product" that was new to me and looks very interesting:

Server2Go (http://www.server2go-web.de/index.html).

Server2Go v 1.3.0 is based on WampOnCD and extends it with features that Wamp is lacking. It uses Apache 1.3.35 (there is a version for Apache 2.0.58 in experimental state too) provides access to PHP 5.1.4, SQLite and MySQL 4.1.20.

The user of the CD only needs a browser installed on the local PC. And for donators there is even a very small, simple browser available that can be put on the CD too, so nothing has to be installed on the local PC. This simple browser has no controls and no possibility to enter the url or use back/forward functionality. So you have full control over the user actions from within your application and makes the usage of your app for the user very simple.

Oh, and if i forgot to mention : Of course Server2Go is FREE for non commercial use and Donationware for commercial use and people that want to donate. Donators, the author suggests a donation of only Euro 10,00, get an user id and password for accessing some non-public pages of the site with some more programs that can be used to add more whistles and bells to Server2Go or to make it more easier to configure and build your customized version of Server2Go.

From the authors website:

What is Server2Go

Server2Go is a Webserver that runs out of box without any installation. That means it is a webserver that can run directly from cdrom, usb stick or from any folder on harddisk. Server2Go allows you to create a standalone working web site or PHP application on a CD-ROM. Server2Go was primary developed for the usage on CD-ROM but there is no problem use it from other drives too. Using a web browser, a user can run php programs as well as view html files on the CD-ROM. He only need to insert a CD with Server2Go under the supported Windows operations systems. The server starts automaticly and opens a browser with the Website of the CD-ROM.

Server2Go was build to replace a tool called WampOnCD that lacks some important features and isn't activly developed.

Server2Go supports PHP5, SQLite and MySQL.

Features

* Free! No royalties
* Complete WAMPP Server
* Runs directly from CD-ROM, USB Stick or Harddisk without installation
* Full featured webserver (based on apache)
* PHP 5.1.4 support with many extensions installed (i.e. gd)
* Supports SQLite databases
* Running on all Windows Win 98 and newer
* Support for MySQL Databases
* Supports many PHP extensions (GD-Lib, PDO...) by default
* Support for Perl 5.8

Hope this will be interesting for some of you.

Greetings
JoTo

Hi PitrPaulus,

It seems that the connection between the icon and SC is broken. Maybe you installed SC at another location as before and the old icon is pointing to the old location.

Question: Does SC start up when you doubleclick the "wrong" icon? If not, my a.m. suggestion seems right.

If so, then RIGHT click the wrong icon with the mouse and select "Properties" in the context menue. Go to "Shortcut" tab and look in the field "Target". Compare this with the location where you installed SC. If it doesn't match, klick the button "Find Target" and browse for the SC executable "ScreenshotCapture.exe" (maybe the .exe is missing at your pc if you have enabled the windows option to hide known extensions) at the location where you installed it. Select OK on all open dialogs and wait 1-2 seconds. If you've done all right, the icon should change to the normal one.

Hope this will bring back your "right" icon! If my suggestion is wrong and the target path in the shortcut match the installation location, then we have to search further. I need more information then.

CU
JoTo

Dear PitrPaulus,

i am glad that it works soon for you.

And as mouser said...you are always welcome with your questions here.

But always remember. The donations and/or donationcredits you send are always at your own choice. We dont help here expecting money. If it feels right for you, do it. If don't, its okay too.

Its more important, at least for me, that you feel you comfortable here in our "family" and you'll take an active part in the forum (writing posts and replys) and in our podcast (recording a short segment about sth. you like to report to others) or write some little reviews about programs you like/dont like and you have tested or whatsoever.

In other words, it is also very acceptable if you "pay back" sth. in this form. And be sure...there will be an issue were YOU are the expert and can help others.

You won't believe how some hints or also warnings/donts, that i've read here from others, come helpful to me. How many hours of fun i have had from website findings the DCs made and posted here, with games and/or free utilities.

You can't calculate this advantages i got from here in money.

CU
JoTo

Hi PitrPaulus, welcome to the forum!

.... everytime when I reboot the computer I have to find the program in My Firefox Downloads > start it and then it works.
How can I make it start up right from the start of the computer?

Move the File with the Windows-Explorer from your MyFirefoxDownlads directory to somewhere else where it better fits for a program that you want to keep and use. E.g. make a new folder in C:\program files with the name MouseMark and move the file there in.

Then grab the program in the explorerwindow with the RIGHT! Mousebutton and DONT release the button. Hold the button! Then move your mouse over the start button from windows in the lower left corner of your screen, wait until the start menu pops up, move the mouse (still hold the right button!) to "programs" and wait again until it pops up, then move the mouse over "autostart" and wait until it pops up (have you still pressed down the right button? - This is important! :-) ), then move the mouse IN the popped up autostart group. Finally release the right button NOW! In the now popping up context menu select the entry "create a shortcut here". Then rename the new created shortcut (right klick on the entry name and select "rename" in the context menu) to MouseMark.

Youre set! The next time you boot up, MouseMark will start automagically. :-) By the way...every program you put a shortcut for in the autostart folder will start automatic when windows starts.

HTH
JoTo

Hi DCs,

our great mouser found another free PHP-Compiler to achieve standalone executables from php scripts. As he is in deep meditation now about the new blog portal feature of our great site, he wished, as he knows that i am interested in this sort of programs, that i'll do the job of looking at them and post about my very first opinion and experiences.

mouser found (so far) the following alternatives:

- Roadsend PHP Compiler
seems to be the best and completest, but it is commercial and very expensive (about $139 for a personal licence) (see: http://www.roadsend.com)

- phc-win
A compiler that goes together with winbinder (see: http://winbinder.org/), a windows api binding for PHP. (See: http://winbinder.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=282)
It confuses me a little, at the first look, but it sounds interesting. And its free. Cons: It needs beside the application exe at least some extra dlls in the appdir (a php-dll and the winbinder.dll). So you have not really a single, stand-alone application. But there is no need to install sth. Just deliver the dlls with your app and you're set.

- bambalam PHP Compiler
Another free PHP Compiler that sounds interesting. It is based on PHP 4.4.x (5.x will come as the author states) and has some php-libs statically linked within the "core". It creates a really single, stand-alone file of your app that dont need any further files. If you need php-extensions, you have to have a own php.ini with the php-extensions variable set with relative paths and the neccessary php-files in the app dir too. Then bambalam claims, that it can compile a single file exe, (including php.ini and the extension libs) that can access these extensions like the builtin ones. Exes can be compressed automatically (via a commanline option) with upx to get smaller results.
(see: http://www.bambalam.se/bamcompile/)

Both free compilers can compile multi-script applications. You can compile a whole directory of php-scripts of an application together in one executable. Then you have to tell the compiler which script is the main/startscript.

I have quick-tested both free compilers only with a single phpinfo-script yet. Both worked for me. Pro for bambalam over PHC, it was really only a single EXE-file, while phc needs more "helperfiles" (dlls). Not tested Roadsend, because i feel it is too expensive to purchase when there are free alternatives.

As i said earlier: Have not tested very much and have not digged in very deep in both free compilers so far. But i will test both more deeply in future and report.

Maybe there are more experiences with this by other users who will contribute with informations. If there are more free PHP-Compilers out there, this will be a helpful information too.

CU
JoTo

Hi,

dunno if the "stupid user" story is a hoax or not.

BUT...after 18 years working in the helpdesk i can imagine that it CAN be true.

And, believe it or not, the story at the a.m. site with sending XEROX copies of a floppy to the helpdesk instead of a copy of the floppies itself has happened to myself long time ago, when computers weren't so wide spreaded than today. I said to the customer: send me a copy...and i received a copy...a xerox copy! And that's TRUE i swear!

CU
JoTo

German Translation is in progress from me. Ready soon!

CU
JoTo

Hi,

13 Years ago in 1993 there was a special programmers contest. The goal was to write the obfuscated C-code ever written. At that time i downloaded the winner code from the contest page.

If you want to have fun, look (like me) at the code and try to understand. I am willing to admit, that until today i never have understand that pointerstew. 

But i promise the following:

- The program can be compiled unmodified (at least the core functionality - maybe you have to adjust some compiler instructions and/or includefiles) with a normal C-Compiler with no errors and only one ignorable warning. A "ready to build" Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2003 solution is included in the ZIPfile.

- The program creates an understandable output in the console window. (Its a console app, so open a commandprompt window first and start it from there). I will not reveal the output, try it by yourself. 


For those that don't want or can't compile the code itself, i upload a ready to run compiled windows exe too.

Have fun!
CU
JoTo

As a native german audio submitter to our DCPodCast #1, i first must thank you for all the kind words about our "german-english". That was my biggest concern, that i only make you laugh with my spoken english. Err, okay...with my "Just for Grins" segment i wish that i have made you laugh of course. 

I really enyoyed the podcast and love it. The in-between music is great (Thx. SuperBoyAC) and can't say enough, how much i must agree with the "free but only  free downlad" and the "bulky-skin" rants. Never heard of groklaw so far...but i sure will visit them soon.

It was real fun to hear the voices behind the scenes. And last but not least i am glad to hear, that i am not the only "computer dinosaur" here in the community. 

Thanks to all other contributors for giving our first podcast such a good start. Hope we can make it a regular thingy here for a long time.

Only one wish to the native english speaking people from me: Please talk a little bit slower. Almost for me i often have to hear a segment multiple times to get it all because it is spoken a little bit too fast. No offense here. It's only a wish. TIA!

CU
JoTo

mouser have you ever thought about going into diplomacy work? :-)

I can really live with your plan. So i'll go and donate now for AHK Fund.

And to be clear: I never said, that AHK STOLE Code (as cited above). All AHK is absolutely legal in my opinion. And i'm not against AHK, i'm only ALSO pro AutoIt.

Thanks mouser for such a salomonic solution.

CU
JoTo

I think it is good to split the pot.

1. AHK based on old code from AutoIT but it IS definitely based upon.

2. Some code and parts of AHK bases on the NEWER AutoIT3 Code as well (as long it was open source) not only on the old AutoIT2 Code.

3. Some of the Ideas that are now in AHK is from the new AutoIT3 even it is implemented in own Code of the AHK-Author (i.E. DLLCall). Sure there are many features in AHK that have nothing to do with AutoIT but there are definitely some that has to do.

4. I, for example, use AutoIt as well. Every program has it advantages and disadvantages. There is definitely no "one and only". Its every time a question what to use for what task.

5. Cant agree with brotherS that the AutoIT Forum/Mailinglist is less helpful or kind than the AHK one. My experience tells me, that Jonathan, Larry and many other regulars there ALWAYS are willing to help out when kindly asked for and the question is in a well formed state. No bad results for me from that side.

Maybe we find another split point, because more people here use AHK than AutoIT. But splitting in itself i think is a good idea.

How about: 30% AutoIt / 70% AHK.

Maybe than we all can live with it and sleep well.

Just my 2ct.
JoTo

For those who are interested in the article and not able to understand german, i've translated it in english:

[QUOTE:]
Find and Run Robot 1.09.04

Fast search and program starting tool for the startmenu.

Find and Run Robot searches the start menu for specified entries and shows these results. The program window starts with a press on the "break"-key on the keyboard.

A click on a result entry and the link or program will be started. The software helps especially to keep the overall view when there is a big startmenu.

Notice:
The program is freeware in itself, but sometime a nagscreen appears in which you can enter a license key. This license key is available, after a free registration, from the homepage and can then be entered there. The generated key is valid for 180 days, but you can repeat this procedure unlimited times. If somebody won't do this, he can click on the "dismiss"-button and use the program further with no limitations.
[/QUOTE:]

Hmmm...it says only 1% of FARR. There is MUCH more they could have said about it. :-(( But better this than nothing.

CU
JoTo