Messages

101

General Software Discussion / Re: Download managers: Get your fingers out of my browser!!

« on: November 13, 2010, 12:26 PM »

Yes, I believe it's possible to install and use multiple download managers without significant problems.

You'll want to go to the monitoring settings of each download manager to configure your preferences. Who's primary as to clipboard, clicks, flash, etc.? Probably not a good idea to have multiple managers battling each other!

I have IDM (primary), FlashGet (classic), and Orbit (not used much anymore) without known conflict. I recently turned off Orbit's flash/streaming media catcher because I added .swf into IDM's download panel. (ie. to avoid duplicate function)

102

General Software Discussion / Re: Download managers: Get your fingers out of my browser!!

« on: November 12, 2010, 03:37 PM »

True enough these Browser Helper Objects can sometimes be Browser Annoying Objects.

I've used Internet Download Manager for a long while, and it's usually easy to override that download manager with the default ALT + mouse click. Only thing is I sometimes release ALT too soon and IDM steps up anyway. But the overall experience is pretty smooth-- it's there when I need it and absent when unwanted.

103

General Software Discussion / Re: Anybody know Depeche View?

« on: November 12, 2010, 01:18 PM »

Well, apparently somebody does know Depeche View.
http://www.rgdot.com...earch-for-text-fast/

btw rgdot, I like your site and have bookmarked it for future reference.

104

Living Room / Re: Too Stupid to Own a Computer

« on: November 11, 2010, 06:56 PM »

Ha! I'll bet Halliburton is somehow behind this entire sordid tale.

(edit: just a little petrochemical humor--it's apparently trendy to slam Halliburton these days. )

105

General Software Discussion / Re: photo duplicate scanner

« on: November 11, 2010, 04:56 PM »

Seems like both AntiDupl & UniqueFiler have their bugs, AD finds a bunch of quasi-equal images (few pixels different for a 1280*1024 image) that UF didn't catch, while the exact same happens the other way around.

-Szero (November 11, 2010, 01:27 AM)

This finding is fairly common, and it's why I don't rely on a single program to detect similar images. All of these duplicate image finders have strengths and weaknesses based on algorithm.

For example, I recently had a pic which was much darker than its duplicate. I could easily see they were the same, but many of these tools were blind to the match. Also, inaccuracies will occur with dark/light backgrounds and captioned images; many algorithms aren't smart enough to deal with these situations. It's sometimes really surprising when a particular software is unable to "see" what is in fact a visually similar image.

106

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Duplicate Image Finder

« on: November 11, 2010, 04:36 PM »

This new software Boxoft Duplicate Image Finder (version 1.0.0) is in dire need of performance optimizations. Currently the scanning speed is very slow even when processing less than 100 images. More significantly, the program uses obscene amounts of memory!!

The few times it completed a scan, I have to admit the results looked very accurate. But most of the time the program struggled forever without completing a scan.

If they fix the performance issues, I would definitely take another look. As is, there's no way I would have the patience to endure this software.

107

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: PuranDefrag V7 now free for home use

« on: November 10, 2010, 03:23 PM »

Boot time defrag is a notable advantage Puran has had over other free alternatives.

But now Piriform mentions "offline defragmentation of system files during boot process" in the newest version of Defraggler.

Hmmm...plenty of good defrag choices nowadays.

108

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Duplicate Image Finder

« on: November 10, 2010, 03:04 PM »

Hmmm...interesting. I'll surely check this out in the next few days.

There are plenty of duplicate image finders (including some very good freeware), but I cannot resist checking out new efforts.

109

General Software Discussion / Re: Filter directory tree by file type?

« on: November 08, 2010, 01:46 PM »

In addition to search tools and file mangers, some system profilers could help out.

For example, WinDirStat displays file types. I know there are many more I'm not recalling at the moment.

110

General Software Discussion / Re: BD Rebuilder Beta 0.36.01

« on: November 06, 2010, 08:37 PM »

Same here, I've always chosen the "Best" profile in DVD Rebuilder. If you're going to stick with DVD5 except for special situations, I would think you'd definitely want to select the "Best" profile to ensure optimal quality. Dunno.

I'll probably try "Normal" one of these days and see if I can tell any difference in quality.  I only mess with this stuff every few months or so; if I encoded more frequently I'd likely be more concerned with the time factor.

111

General Software Discussion / Re: photo duplicate scanner

« on: November 06, 2010, 07:41 PM »

Ha Ha! Cool, works for me 4wd! The intent was sufficiently clear!

Just kidding around with Curt of course! (certainly no offense was intended )

edit: Oops, Curt posted before me. Curt, no offense man, my spelling gets worse and worse with each passing year!

112

DC Gamer Club / Steel Storm 1 indie arcade shooter

« on: November 06, 2010, 07:25 PM »

Steel Storm- Episode 1 is available for download (265 MB). It is described as an indie Top-Down arcade shooter for the Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.

http://www.steel-storm.com/

- Deathmatch and coop game modes;
- Exploration and time-trial gameplay types;
- Competition driven gameplay - master your skills to stay ahead;
- Intelligent AI knows no mercy;
- Hordes of enemies to destroy;
- Vast numbers of destroyable structures and obstacles;
- Huge territories to reclaim;
- 6 missions of various difficulty, for beginners & hardcore gamers, coop oriented;
- Edit or create your own missions with SandStorm in-game realtime multi-user editor.

Looks like Episode 2 will be a commercial project. I personally don't have much time to game anymore so I cannot comment on the quality of this game. I only mention it for the benefit of those who might be interested.

Regards

113

General Software Discussion / Re: BD Rebuilder Beta 0.36.01

« on: November 06, 2010, 03:02 PM »

Wazzup MilesAhead.
 
The new version of BD Rebuilder certainly sounds interesting. So BluRay to standard DVD with Hcenc? Sweet!

Thanks for continuing the updates.

114

General Software Discussion / Re: photo duplicate scanner

« on: November 06, 2010, 01:55 PM »

You people are suffering from retrofixial!   

-Curt (November 05, 2010, 07:19 PM)

btw Curt it seems I need a larger (and I mean much much larger) dictionary. Maybe one of those ten pound gigantic dictionaries like I've seen in schools and libraries.

115

Living Room / Re: Truely awesome 404 page!

« on: November 06, 2010, 01:23 PM »

Ha! That's very clever and nicely done.

116

General Software Discussion / Re: Anybody know Depeche View?

« on: November 06, 2010, 12:59 PM »

Just noticed there is a new release of Depeche View: version 1.4.4.

Thanks StahlWorks for this useful software. I'm finding it really addictive.

117

General Software Discussion / Re: photo duplicate scanner

« on: November 05, 2010, 08:23 PM »

In my experience Curt's Unique Filer accuracy findings were quite typical. Once you begin to increase Unique Filer's tolerance setting much above 15, you start to see images which are clearly visually dissimilar. These "mistakes" will of course happen with all of these tools, but they happen too soon (ie. too low tolerance setting) with Unique Filer. This lack of precision is why I don't use UF as often as I used to.

Regarding speed, it's like asking "Which is the faster file finder- Agent Ransack or Everything?" Obviously the indexer will always win the battle. So when processing large numbers of files Unique Filer will actually be faster (ie. after the initial scan which creates the index). But as many users know, AntiDupl.NET is no slouch in the speed department; it's probably the fastest non-indexer I've ever used.

Though I have to say I've never in 5+ years encountered that missing file issue when running Unique Filer- strange! You might consider keeping it for a bit to see if it's a recurring problem; who knows-- maybe UF will settle down. I mean, there is at least one compelling reason to keep Unique Filer: Smart Dupe Filter.  

118

General Software Discussion / Re: photo duplicate scanner

« on: November 05, 2010, 06:45 PM »

@Curt: Thanks for telling about the latest AntiDupl. I just updated a few weeks ago, and already there's another update.  Seems the author has been busy lately.

@Szero: I respectfully disagree about which software (AntiDupl or Unique Filer) is the best, but I consider both very good options. I've tested a great many of these similar image tools, and an amazing percentage of them are woefully slow and/or inaccurate. Man, I would have loved to see Unique Filer developed further.

119

General Software Discussion / Re: photo duplicate scanner

« on: November 05, 2010, 06:09 PM »

Unique Filer looks shareware.  As you say it's abandoned, does that mean the author is no longer accepting registrations, or what?

-rjbull (November 05, 2010, 05:30 PM)

http://www.uniquefiler.com/beta.htm

I've used the "newest" beta version of Unique Filer for many years. I vaguely recall reading the author had passed away. Don't know this for sure, but clearly the software and site were left behind.

But it's free and has been for many years. Upon launching v2 there's a popup indicating the software is beta. IIRC it's never once crashed or caused a problem in 5+ years.

120

General Software Discussion / Re: photo duplicate scanner

« on: November 05, 2010, 05:07 PM »

Oh my! This AntiDupl doesn't even come close to Unique Filer
Am I missing something or are you really forced to making a decision from looking at 2 thumbnails ? 

-Szero (November 05, 2010, 03:55 PM)

Well... pretty much all these apps display two images at a time for comparison (I can't remember about ImageDupeless?) including Unique Filer.

But maybe you are referring to the grouping of results? If so, I would have to agree with you. I don't much care for AntiDupl.NET's sorting (including Group 0 ?). Unique Filer will present two or more similar images for consideration--arguably a more logical presentation.

However, it should be noted there are often multiple groups with the same # in AntiDupl. So in the case where there are three very similar images, Unique Filer will display them together in the tree results while AntiDupl will display two grouping with the same #. In other words, it's the same data with a different presentation. Unfortunately, you may have to sort AntiDupl's columns to appreciate the logic (hey, the author's Belarusian ).

In terms of accuracy/precision, AntiDupl.NET is clearly the superior software (IMO). You may have to tighten up its settings a bit, but the results will speak for themselves after several testing trials.

But don't get me wrong. As mentioned earlier, I still have Unique Filer and have always like it.

121

General Software Discussion / Re: photo duplicate scanner

« on: November 05, 2010, 01:12 PM »

Hi Szero.

Yep, Unique Filer is a classic. One of the fastest similar image finders ever! It utilizes very efficient database files which allow very fast processing speeds. Many thousands of files can be processed in a few seconds.

Although Unique Filer isn't as precise as many of the newer softwares, I still have it around for occasional use. Too bad it was abandoned.

122

General Software Discussion / Anybody know Depeche View?

« on: November 04, 2010, 03:39 PM »

I have several search tools which can search inside text files, but I was looking around for an alternative when I found this...

Depeche View is a portable app which can perform realtime text search on multiple files.
http://stahlworks.co...ev/depeche-view.html

Depeche View loads all text files from a folder, showing all content in one window. It is used to search, analyze and edit huge amounts of text (source code, CSV data, log files or documentation) at high speed with the smallest possible effort. Portable executable, try the freeware edition without installation!

Version differences are provided on this page; the Extended Edition is priced at $19.90.

I've just started tinkering with the free version (aka Depeche View Base). I'm impressed so far--darn useful app!  Anybody know Depeche View?

123

General Software Discussion / Re: Format Factory TOTAL-BULL installation of Ask.com (warning: cursing inside)

« on: November 04, 2010, 02:29 PM »

...And maybe it's a bug.  fine.  maybe something weird just happened this one time.  but I find it funny that the part something would screw up on is the part where I'm trying to get rid of the advertisement.  A little too coincidental for me...

-superboyac (November 03, 2010, 09:28 PM)

I agree with you. This crap has been going on for too long to be an innocent mistake on their part. I tested a Format Factory version a good while back and it installed some Chinese toolbar (Baidu toolbar iirc).

Oh well, there's no shortage of video converters. And the old versions work well enough. I guess there's not much incentive to upgrade.

btw Sandboxie can also be useful for testing (most) software.

124

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Zentimo at GAOTD (Nov 03, 2010)

« on: November 04, 2010, 02:18 PM »

Got Zentimo yesterday--thanks for posting this lanux128.

USB Disk Ejector works fine for removing an external drive, but often it couldn't reconnect the drive without rebooting (pita). Now it's much more convenient with Zentimo.

125

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: [Freeware] Text Filter - search and filter text files with ease

« on: October 29, 2010, 03:22 PM »

OK, thanks for the info musetips. I can't blame you for keeping the emphasis on the simplicity of this software.

Looking forward to the development of Text Filter.