Messages

101

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ... assistance with a tenacious BHO ...

« on: January 04, 2014, 12:07 AM »

Just to close this, nothing worked.  Wasn't really optimistic, but there's always a chance.  Yes, I did pay attention to detail, did not skip any [known] steps, got response(s) indicating success, all to no avail.  So I restored a backup that wasn't, lost a pregnancy worth of data, but did get rid of the problem.  'Course, I still don't know the cause, so still subject to reinfection.  Pretty much a worse end to a bad situation  .

102

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« on: January 03, 2014, 05:10 AM »

^Obviously not scaled for politicians/governments, but might be useful for lesser organizations  .

103

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ... reasonable backup software

« on: December 31, 2013, 11:53 PM »

My current/previous problem is several install-once pieces that are no longer available.  In order to recover [?] them, a full disk image is requisite, wherein lies my dilemma.  Not the first time  .  There's no viable way to recover what was lost, but I'd certainly like to find something viable for the future, as this will happen again.  Syncless and FreeFileSync work well, but they don't do well save for data (been using both for a while, now).  I hate it when both belt and suspenders fail  .

104

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« on: December 31, 2013, 08:14 PM »

^Ha-ha.  Haven't been to a theatre in a couple of decades, but I might actually by a ticket to see that one  .

105

General Software Discussion / Re: Mind mapping software

« on: December 31, 2013, 02:56 AM »

One (1) of the things I like about Xmind is demonstrated in the samples that come with it.  Takes a bit of brain toil, but I can pretty much create an outline tree, an org chart, a programming/planning chart/map, whatever.  I could do a lot of that in The Brain, but that prohibitive price kinda got in the way - Xmind is marginally affordable.  (And, apart from the price, do I really want a software that requires weekly videos to learn?)

All in all, XMind pretty much fills my bill.  Understandably, it's not for everyone, but then, what software is  ?

106

General Software Discussion / In search of ... reasonable backup software

« on: December 31, 2013, 02:30 AM »

Looking for effective working reasonable real backup solutions.

Just ran across this, Backing Up Gets You Only Half Way There by Dana Cardwell, and I'm pretty close to full agreement - just don't think he went far enough  .

The assessment mirrors a problem I just encountered.  I had some browser-affecting bit(s) of software on a system that brought up independent ads for almost every page I actuated.  Browser - and system - slowdowns were significant.  Tried all manner of suggestions - some of 'em here on DC, all to no avail.  So I used RollbackPC to revert to a [very] much earlier state.  That worked.  Aha!, sez me, "I'll just restore the lost data bits from a recent [daily] backup".

Considering my history with backups, the backup restore - not unexpectedly! - failed.  So, I've lost a pregnancy (~nine (9) months) of data, some of which I'd consider to be critical to my usage(s).

I've had trouble with backup since DOS 2.1 - I think 3.2 was the only one (1) that ever worked for me.  I've tried - and actually bought - any number of Windows backup systems, but none have performed.  (Don't get cocky, Linux users, same problem(s) there  .)

OK, how do ya test a backup?  Ya restore it, of course.  And that has caused more OS reinstalls than I care to consider.  I'm willing to accept that I'm doing something wrong at any given time, but c'mon, ~28 (twenty-eight) years of failed backups?  I'm willing to accept that the only common denominator is me during that period, but I don't thimk I could do it wrong that many times.

So I'm still/yet/again in search of a backup system that will work reliably in most all conditions.

I used Acronis True Image - don't recall version - to backup a Dell system with a dying hard drive.  The restore would not restore to a different hard drive - hardware signature issues I suppose.  I understand that Acronis has since addressed that issue, but it doesn't help me now.

I've tried several *nix variations of backup capability, all for naught.

So.  I'd really like to find a [functional|effective] backup resolution.

Any suggestions?

107

General Software Discussion / Re: Mind mapping software

« on: December 28, 2013, 08:30 PM »

I used The Brain for a couple of years - the free version.  Played with X-Mind and Freemind, both of which are currently installed.  Also currently playing with MindVisualizer, which also has a portable version.  Don't recall if the others have portability.

The Brain ($200+ USD) was great for tracking projects I was working on then.  Freemind is convenient for relatively quick data organization, but I dislike the Java requirements.  Haven't tried Freeplane yet - just found out about it here - but it's probably worth a shot.  MindVisualizer is fair, but it's expensive ($79.00 US$), and I don't recall how long the trial lasts.

The mind maps have been much better for me than outliners when building - and especially revising/revamping - Web sites.  Also quite helpful when debugging what little coding I do.  Biggest problem I have with them is making them too big, trying to record every little thing for a project.

As it stands right now, MindVisualizer will probably end up the choice because of the portability, but haven't explored that avenue as yet.

[edit]My error, XMind has the portable edition[/edit]


Mind, this is on a Win7 Ultimate box, so may not be useful on other OSes.  I'd still like to see something that could run on Android, Linux, & Win w/o using Java - and licensed per user, not per machine - but that's prolly a pipe dream with the pipe smoked out and no refill available  .

108

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« on: December 26, 2013, 11:06 PM »

Wow!  I just found out I'm the king of Israel  .

109

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« on: December 25, 2013, 06:59 PM »

...At the very basic level, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” presents a fairly grim, Hobbesian vision of society: If you want to be accepted, you have to prove your economic utility—which, in the case of magical flying reindeer, appears to only involve the annual sleigh-pull...

http://www.newrepubl...s-bullying-exclusion

-mouser (December 25, 2013, 10:29 AM)

Our beer cabal (?) had a discussion on that song just recently.  Apologies to Gene Autry, but the consensus was that the song encourages bullying. 

[sidenote] Apparently we have way to much idle time on our hands  . [/sidenote]

110

General Software Discussion / Re: jv16 Powertools 2014- Endorse Study Results Before They're Published?!

« on: December 23, 2013, 09:39 PM »

All I know is that I have no intention of making any connection between my [rarely used] social media accounts and Macecraft's attempt to go open source.

-cyberdiva (December 23, 2013, 01:07 PM)

And then there are those of us who have no such social accounts.  Wonder if I'd have to join Facebook - yech! - just to use the product - a product that never appealed to me anyway?  Thanks, but no thanks.  The tools ain't that powerful  .

111

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of an alternative to InfoSelect ...

« on: December 19, 2013, 03:53 AM »

which alternatives you tried (and cursed) ?[/li]
[li]what do you mean by a "a transparent, almost instant backup system"?[/li]
[/list]
...
If you want instant backup have you tried some backup software that will monitor the file/folder? (Dont know would that disrupt use of the file(s)...)

-tomos (December 19, 2013, 03:36 AM)

For the first query, I've tried MyBase, EssentialPIM, amongst others.  Don't remember all of 'em anymore.  None were really bad, just not good enough  .

For the second query, as mentioned previously, I'm using Syncless.  It does real-time sync w/o any delay that I've discerned, but it loses the target if the target is not available when Syncless starts.

<sidenote> I tried InfoQube, but it just didn't measure up to my needs.</sidenote>

112

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of an alternative to InfoSelect ...

« on: December 18, 2013, 06:29 PM »

What functionality are you particularly looking for?

-dr_andus (December 18, 2013, 07:34 AM)

It's kinda polyglot.  I capture certain Web pages, recipes, save code snippets, save registration information/keys, general notes, data about sites I've created or support, personal notes, access information (passwords, access codes & the like), calendar data - appointments, medical, ... - schedule data, and more.  Yes, there are applications that do all those things, but I prefer to have it all in one (1) place.  MyInfo has been the best I've found to date.  It doesn't do well with Web graphics when the graphic is linked rather than embedded.  And the tag system is overly simplistic.  But it's the best I've found so far.

113

General Software Discussion / Re: In search of an alternative to InfoSelect ...

« on: December 17, 2013, 05:39 PM »

After trying - and cursing - several alternatives, I've pretty much settled upon MyInfo.  I'm a bit disappointed with the tag system, but it works well enough for most usages.  The interface has a few foibles, e.g., the interface doesn't always retain changes from one (1) instance to the next, but it's the best I've found to date.  I am still looking, however.  In the process, there needs to be a transparent, almost instant backup system for the portable version.  Right now I'm using Syncless, but it tends to lose the sync instruction if the synched folder/files be missing when it is started.

114

General Software Discussion / In search of ... assistance with a tenacious BHO ...

« on: December 16, 2013, 03:01 PM »

... which may not even be a true BHO.

At some point in the last month or two (2), a sneaky little bit of ware installed itself on my system.  It likely came, unheralded, with some installation package.  Part - evidently not all - of the package was ScorpionSaver, which I [thought I] managed to eradicate.  However, something is still here and I'm unable to find it.  It slows things terribly, almost to the point of making a browser useless.

Symptoms:

• 5-6 line banner ad at top of page
• ~3"x3" ad block, usually lower left corner, sometimes titled Ad not from this page
• Small banner, usually below a site graphic, usually with left-right scroll arrows and clickable graphics, usually hardware
• Transparent graphic covering the entire page such that any click on that page will load a new Web page (sometimes even on my Gmail page)

Not all symptoms are displayed on every page, but I can tell when something is coming because of the slow loading of the page.  Each of the ads is more-or-less relevant to the page being loaded.  I've tried several cleaners, but all that accomplished was to completely wipe my Firefox configuration(s).  Search (Google, DuckDuckGo) has yielded naught but the ScorpionSaver removal process - which may have been somewhat less than completely effective.

Primary browser is Firefox.  IE doesn't seem to show the ads, but has the same slowdown problem, as does Chrome.

This little beastie also seems to slow the whole system,  but I cannot find it in memory with any of the tools available - might not be able to recognize if if I did  .

115

PBOL / Re: Latest Progress Bars of Life - Version 1.09 - Nov 30, 2013

« on: December 02, 2013, 01:55 AM »

^
What phitsc said ...

116

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« on: December 01, 2013, 07:29 PM »

There is a dichotomy 'tween humor and funny, donchano  .

117

PBOL / Re: Latest Progress Bars of Life - Version 1.09 - Nov 30, 2013

« on: November 30, 2013, 05:00 PM »

Been using it for a while, since ~April, 2013, I think.  Closest thing I've found to a program I used to have - lost it, don't recall name - that gave me a countdown to multiple future and annual events, e.g., birthdays, anniversaries, appointments, and the like.  Beats the hell out of Far superior to a datebook/calendar  .

118

Living Room / Re: The most disturbing news story I've read all year

« on: November 14, 2013, 11:17 PM »

the whole 1984 theme is So Past Due ...

-TaoPhoenix (November 14, 2013, 10:33 PM)

I wanna live in your reality!  It's already here in mine.

119

Living Room / Re: Does anyone here use Bitcoins?

« on: November 09, 2013, 03:30 PM »

@barney, nothing wrong with looking for loopholes, but I get the impression you're looking for loopholes *because* you are against bitcoin (or the concept) for some reason?

-tomos (November 09, 2013, 10:59 AM)

Neither for nor against.  But what I've read to date does not encourage me to participate.  In fact, much of what I've read seems very E-Trade-ish.  My primary concern is the security aspect, but I'm also a bit dubious about the constant growth in value:  at some point that will have to diminish or cease.  Of course, my knowledge of economics may be faulty in this arena  , but I have to work with what [I think] I know  .

120

Living Room / Re: Does anyone here use Bitcoins?

« on: November 08, 2013, 11:09 PM »

The site was a bank - not a wallet. Securing your bitcoins is simple. If you want to know more, post over at http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/ or http://bitcointalk.org/ and someone can explain why.

-Renegade (November 08, 2013, 08:41 PM)

Been there, done that.  Security is still an issue, always will be for anything online.  There's an old saying to the effect that what Man can devise, Man can destroy.  Anything online is vulnerable to a sufficiently skilled person.  Denial of that does not make it untrue.  I can lose my wallet by any number of physical means, but that is, in most cases, carelessness on my part, a lack of physical security - basically my fault, I failed to secure it properly in a physical manner.  I do not have that security option online.  Others might, but I ain't that bright.

121

Living Room / Re: Does anyone here use Bitcoins?

« on: November 08, 2013, 08:24 PM »

$1.2M Hack Shows Why You Should Never Store Bitcoins on the Internet

-Arizona Hot (November 08, 2013, 04:11 PM)

A somewhat eye-opening, albeit not unexpected, treatise.  So, the question becomes, "How do I store/protect my bitcoins?"  While I have non-Internet-connected boxes, that's not true of most folk. So do I store my coins on a USB key or memory card (both of which [are|can be] easily misplaced)?  Do I trust to some form of Internet bank?  Just how do I protect my investment, should I make it?

122

Living Room / Re: Does anyone here use Bitcoins?

« on: November 06, 2013, 02:18 AM »

Seems a bit off...

-wraith808 (November 05, 2013, 11:52 PM)

Perhaps so, but, technology notwithstanding, the general feel of the thread (to me, at least) is more toward profit and less toward the technology.  What I've seen is fiat $$ to bitcoin back to fiat $$.  That seems more financially than technology oriented.  Investments in technology are all good and well, but is this the proper place for that particular discussion?  E-Trade might be a better venue.  There's no particular animus toward the proponents, nor even for the concept, but how does this thread promote the principles of donationcoder.com?

123

Living Room / Re: Does anyone here use Bitcoins?

« on: November 05, 2013, 11:45 PM »

I'd like to add financial market prediction and investment advice to the list of topics we should avoid like the plague on this forum.

-mouser (November 05, 2013, 10:54 PM)

+1

This is not a venue for discussions of any stock market, soft or hard.  On a personal level, it is completely boring and inconsequential.  On a forum level, it just does not belong here.  We discuss software and related hardware, not an ersatz stock market.  Move it off-forum, please.

124

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« on: November 01, 2013, 11:41 PM »

That was a bit nutty.  And nary a squirrel sigh[t]ing.

125

Living Room / Re: Does anyone here use Bitcoins?

« on: October 28, 2013, 02:16 AM »

Why spend bitcoins when you can get rid of fiat? (This is a general problem.) What I'm thinking is that constantly funnelling fiat into bitcoins then spending that is a good way to preserve value

-Renegade (October 28, 2013, 12:01 AM)

???