Topics

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General Software Discussion / Remote desktop software but only shows a small part around mouse?

« on: November 29, 2016, 03:13 PM »

Does anyone know of a remote desktop software (like VNC, TeamViewer, etc) that will only display just a small portion around the mouse pointer of the remote computer, say a box of 320x240 pixels, even as it moves?  I know some will show just a window of the remote computer but that’s not what I’m hoping for.  I also know that most remote desktop software only communicates the screen updates, saving bandwidth.  I usually just need to quickly access the remote computer just for quick manipulations and don’t want to have a big screen displayed and constantly being updated.

Thank you.

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Post New Requests Here / IDEA: Access app's window during multi-monitor,mouse,KBd failures

« on: April 06, 2007, 10:35 AM »

I hope other people run into this problem, and I'm not the only one, and I'm not wasting anyone's time.

Summary:
  Doing critical things with applications, when hardware, such as mouse, keyboard, or monitor (in a multi-monitor setup), fails, or a combination of failures.  This may happen when setting up a new computer, or if you have a complex computer setup.

Monitor failure:
  Those using multimonitors, have you ever had one of the monitors fail for some reason, but need to access an application's window that was being displayed on that monitor?  You can move the window with the keyboard, but you do not always have access to the taskbar to access the system menu of the application or bring it to focus, or you cannot see the alt tab display.  I've seen this happen too, with VNC type applications.  They only display one monitor, and the window you wish to use is on the other monitor.
  I would like to see an application that can be activated via right click menu on the desktop or global hotkey.  This application would either, display itself on every monitor, or display where the mouse pointer is.  You select (with the mouse or the keyboard) from a list of windows and then select the monitor you wish to move it to.

Mouse failure:
  If the mouse fails, many times, you can use the keyboard to finish up a critical task before you restart your computer to repair the mouse problem.  But not all functions can be done with the keyboard.  I've seen applications that allow you to move the mouse pointer, and click the mouse buttons, from the keyboard.  It would be nice if our application has this function integrated.

Keyboard failure:
  Really, the easiest way to deal with this problem is to run the on-screen keyboard (OSK) built in to Windows, although, the keys are too small on high res monitors.  It would be nice if our application could have a button to launch the OSK app, because you don't always have access to the start menu, and move it to where the mouse point is.  Or even a better, have an OSK integrated.

Additional information:
  Here's the reason I run into this problem, probably more often than many others.  At home, I run three computers.  I have three monitors on my main computer, a touchscreen monitor on a second computer, and a monitor on a third computer.  I use the application Synergy (awesome app) to integrate all three computers as one computer.  I also run Hamachi, VPN, at home and work.  My work computer also has two monitors, and I use VNC to access my work/home computer, so monitor display issues crop up often.

I'm sure this idea could be expanding.  But these core functions are a good start.

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Post New Requests Here / IDEA: Why do unzip apps have to be so complicated?

« on: September 27, 2006, 12:01 PM »

From the member who brought you the most viewed idea, the idea behind Skrommel's Ghoster, comes this request.

Current problem:
1) You download a zip file, let's say, to your desktop.
2) Double-click the zip file to load the default zip application and press a few other buttons to extract.
          - or -
     Right mouse button drag-drop to get the context menu to extract.
3)  Extract the files to the desktop, and depending how the zip file was originally created and how you unzip it, you get:
  i) all the files extracted on the desktop level folder, what a mess.
  ii) a folder created with the zip file name, and in that, a second folder that was zipped, then the files with in that.  Two levels of folders to go through to get to the files.
  iii) a folder with a single installation exe file.  Do you really need a folder for one file?
4) Then, after you straightened out the folders mess, you delete the original zip file.  I can't stand to see on other people's computer, the zip file and the unzipped folder on the desktop, do you really need the two copies?

Solution:
I would like to see an application do all the work for me.  Double click a zip file, the application determines:
1) If there is a single file, extract it on the same level folder as the zip file
2) If there is single folder in the zip file with multiple files in that folder, extract it and put that folder on the same level as the zip file
3) If there is multiple files in the zip file without being zipped with a containing folder, create a folder with the zip filename and extract the files to it.
Then, it deletes the zip file.  The only user input is the initial double click.

I know I'm not the only one that runs into this inconvenience.  And there are a million archive extractors out there, but none I've seen can do this.

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Finished Programs / DONE: Dim rest of desktop/windows, except for focused window

« on: April 30, 2005, 10:46 AM »

Something I’ve always thought would be kind of neat.  Dimming the entire desktop and other windows, maybe 50% brightness, except for the window that currently in focus.  This allows the user to really focus on the window at hand.  I think this would be good, too, for using the computer in low light conditions.

I don’t know, maybe not the most useful app, but I think it would be cool.

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Unfinished Requests / IDEA: Useful desktop icon for USB flash drive

« on: April 30, 2005, 10:40 AM »

Using a USB flash drive/removable drive should be easier.  I would like to see an icon on the desktop (or in a toolbar) of a newly inserted USB drive.  The drive letter used would be transparent to the user, the user would just see the drive volume label as the icon label.  Be able to move your files to and from it as usual, then right-click (or something) to eject it.  I hate the little system tray icon that you have to deal with for this task.  But here is the really cool part.  Even if the USB drive is not plugged in, you can still drag/drop files to the icon.  Then, when the USB drive is inserted, the files are automatically copied.

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Unfinished Requests / IDEA: Process monitor and restriction

« on: April 30, 2005, 10:18 AM »

In the same vein as Zone Alarm and other personal firewalls and MS Anti-Spyware, there has been a crop of applications come out lately that monitor the startups, in real time, and notify the user when something is added to the many places at which an application could run at startup.  The user can allow or disallow the change.

I would like to see an application that would do this for any executable.  When any executable is attempting to run, this program can stop it (if this is possible) and alert the user.  The user allows the app to run or blocks it, either permanently or just at that one time.  As for apps that you permanently set to allow to run, you can use something like MD5 (and of course, date/time/size) to check each time to see if it is truly the same executable.  This seems to me would be the best virus/spyware protection, along with startup monitor, BHO monitor, etc.

I know that you could write an "exe wrapper", by editing the registry at HCR\exefile\shell\open\command and putting something like  "C:\ExeWrapper.exe" "%1" %*.  This would "intercept the exe" so the exe wrapper can shell the exe or not.  But that doesn't seem like a good way to do it.  Seems like viruses could disable that.  I would think some kind of system hook would be better, but I don't know if that exists.  One thing that wouldn't work though, is a timer.  Malicious code could be run in before the next timer tick.

To be an all in one solution, this idea could be expanded to include other "code that is executed", such as services, BHOs, etc.  And then also include the startups.

The Coding Snacks is a great idea, I hope it is very successful!