Messages

36351

Living Room / Re: We're going to try something new with our software downloads

« on: July 29, 2005, 08:07 AM »

we can do a few things to address that.

first of all, the programs will not ever stop working - so you'll never be in a situation where a program you use suddenly stops working.
after some number of days you will have to come get a freeware license to prevent nag messages.

next, maybe we could make it so that you could uninstall and reinstall in order to reset the period.

third, it will be the explicit policy of this site that should for some unforseen reason the site dissapears, which will not ever happen since we are not going anywhere.  but i am happy to state clearly that should the site ever dissapear, all member keyfiles may be shared freely.  ie if site dies, anyone may put their legal licenses up on the web for everyone to use.  the keyfiles are not going to be tied to machine hardware or anything, so that is not going to be an issue.

i very much want this to be a good experience and a good thing - we have no desire to make the software harder to use or more of a pain - and it's important that the software remains freeware; im just trying to figure out a way to get downloaders to at least visit the site and take into consideration what we are trying to do, rather than just downloading by clicking an external link and never bothering to consider our ideas.

36352

General Software Discussion / Re: For dictionary lovers

« on: July 29, 2005, 05:01 AM »

And another free dictionary, searches online wordnet:
http://www.wordnet-online.com/downloads/

36353

General Software Discussion / Re: Re-Enable Right-Click When Web Pages Disable It

« on: July 29, 2005, 03:32 AM »

nice!

36354

Living Room / Re: We're going to try something new with our software downloads

« on: July 29, 2005, 03:26 AM »

well - it will be more work up front coding some generic keyfile support.
but after that it should actually save us some time.

all of the keyfile request and generation will be instantaneous and automatic through the website.

members will simply go to the keyfile page and download their keyfiles - it will as with everything here, be based on forum login, so you won't have to provide any special info or do any special logging in, and they won't have to request stuff by email and wait for us to deliver it to them.

it will also save us from having to keep different member download page updated, and multiple versions of programs; and will make it easier as you say for us to announce new releases, since everyone will always be using the most recent versions.

36355

Living Room / whatsthatbug.com

« on: July 28, 2005, 11:27 PM »

http://whatsthatbug.com/

"Have you ever found a bug in the house or garden but didn't know what kind it was? Take a picture of it and send it to this site. Plenty of creepy crawly pics for you to browse."

credit where credit is due, link found from http://cynical-c.com/index.html, which found it from http://exclamationmark.typepad.com/blog/

36356

Living Room / Re: Scripting utility suggestions?

« on: July 28, 2005, 03:55 PM »

i'll raise you this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainfuck

"Brainfuck is a computer programming language noted for its extreme minimalism. It was designed to challenge and amuse programmers.."

36357

ProcessTamer / Re: Option to set CPU usage trigger app-individually?

« on: July 28, 2005, 03:50 PM »

ok i see, let me see if i can figure out a way to do this in the next version..
perhaps i can provide some advanced per-application options that might be a little tricky to explain but would be available for experts.

36358

Backup Guide / Re: Information about Paragon Drive Backup

« on: July 28, 2005, 03:34 PM »

 

damn i'm sorry.. sounds painful - these backup disasters can be so upsetting.

36359

Living Room / Re: IRC DAY 7/29 and 7/30

« on: July 28, 2005, 03:29 PM »

Instructions for connecting to the #donationcoder channel on irc

Ok so connecting to irc is not so difficult.

The first thing you need is a program to do it, often called an irc client.

One of the most popular irc clients, and the one i use is a shareware program called mirc: http://www.mirc.com.
The download page for mirc is here: http://www.mirc.com/get.html

The rest of these instructions are for the mirc client, but you should be able to figure out how to use them to connect to the channel with a different program too, and perhaps other people can post instructions for other clients.

The basic idea of irc is not complex once you understand the basics.

First i'll give you the summary: you want to Connect to Any Server the EFNET network, and then join the #donationcoder Channel.


Now some more details:

Unlike instant messenger programs, in irc you rarely connect to a single person.  Usually you join "channels" which have multiple people in them; often you will be in many channels at the same time.

But before you can join any channels you must connect to a SERVER.  A server is giant collection of channels, thousands of them.
Now, try not to let your brain explode when i tell you that each server is part of a specific NETWORK.
There are thousands of servers, but only a few different networks.
Think of a network as a universe.  All the channels in a network are shared between all the servers on that network.

So if i tell you to meet me in the #donationcoder channel, it doesn't matter what server you choose to use to get there, but that server needs to be part of the EFNET network (where I hang out), otherwise you will be in a different universe and you won't see me when you go into the alternate reality channel on that network (maybe you will discover an alternate reality mouser who is better than me, i don't know).

To summarize: you want to Connect to Any Server the EFNET network, and then join the #donationcoder Channel.


Ok so when you first start mirc youll want to fill in your info in the dialog that pops up.  You don't have to (shouldnt?) fill in your real name and email, it's not important, just pick a nickname.

There is a great website to help beginners on irc, and it has a very gentle introduction to mirc with pictures here: http://www.ircbeginn...om/ircinfo/mirc.html

After you fill in your nick name, click on the "Servers" item in that dialog.

Select "EFnet" from the "IRC Network" dropdown list.

Then from the Servers list you are just going to try different servers until you find one that lets you connect.  Yes, it's a bit odd that there are so many here but some won't let you connect, but that is the way of irc.  So just select EFnet and a server near you and try it - if it won't let you connect, try another.  That beginners intro to mirc page above may help explain it better.

Ok so to try a server, just hit the "Connect to Server" button and wait while mirc tries to connect.  It will tell you what its doing and it's results.  If it fails to connect, just choose File -> Select server from the menu and try another server.

Once you connect you should be shown a list of some (but not all) of the channels on the server.  Remember you can (and most people are) be connected to multiple channels at the same time, they will appear as separate windows.

If you don't see the channels list dialog, hit the thirst button that looks like a folder with a # inside it.

Type in #donationcoder for the channel name and hit the Join button.

If you want to make it easier to join in the future, click the ADD button instead and add a permanent entry for #donationcoder (don't worry about the other options in the Add Channel dialog, just type #donationcoder for name and description and hit OK); after that you can just double click on #donationcoder to join it.

That's all there is to it!

The channel will never be empty - there are always a few of us in there, so if you join and don't see anyone, probably you did something wrong like you didnt join the EFnet network.

See you there, and please post any further suggestions.

If you are a real novice and succeed, post a note about any difficulties you had for others to learn from.

And if anyone feels like writing a little tutorial for how to connect using one of the alternative free irc clients or instant messenger tools, please do.  I'll make this into a web page later.

Good luck and please join us in the channel any time, and especially this friday and saturday!

36360

ProcessTamer / Re: Option to set CPU usage trigger app-individually?

« on: July 28, 2005, 02:52 PM »

that's not currently possible but it's an interesting idea and wouldn't be too hard.
as with most stuff - the real trouble is not actually doing it but providing a nice user interface to let the user say that they want to do it.  ironic but i find that that's the hard part usually.

if you can, it might be helpful to hear some more specifics of the process and what you want to do and why, so we can figure out whether there is an alternate solution or something else that might be useful..

36361

Official Announcements / New Forum Section - Tips & Tricks / Questions and Answers

« on: July 28, 2005, 07:51 AM »

I thought we would start a little section where people could post little tips and tricks they discover for using their computer or specific software, that wouldn't get lost in the main Living Room section.

And i thought this might be a nice place for newbie users to ask basic questions about using their computer that others might benefit from.

https://www.donation...index.php?board=50.0

36362

General Software Discussion / Question from member: What do I do with a zip file containing a program?

« on: July 28, 2005, 07:39 AM »

I received this email from someone having trouble running one of our coding snacks downloads (i've edited it for a bit of clarity)

"I downloaded the zip file, but when i ran the exe program inside the zip file it says something about some missing files.
Is there something I'm doing wrong?"

ANSWER:

Unless the zip file contains a single setup exe program, you always need to UNPACK/EXTRACT the zip file first, creating a new folder with the contents of the zip file in it.

This new folder with the extracted contents of the zip file will be the new home of this program - you can then move the folder someplace permanent and run the program from there.

So in short, don't try to run programs from inside zip file directly - always extract the files first, otherwise the program won't be able to find its data files.

36363

Living Room / We're going to try something new with our software downloads

« on: July 28, 2005, 07:27 AM »

ok, i have something new i want to try; we talked about this before but i think in the next two weeks i'm going to actually implement it.
suggestions, complaints, fears, etc. are all welcome on this thread.

First let's re-cap current situation:

• the programs available for download on this site are all pure freeware.
• some early releases and the newest versions are often available only for members to download, until after some time they become public.=
  

There are some real downsides to this approach:

• harder to make the newest programs available for testing by people who might want to try them before joining
• we have to keep multiple copies of each program; and when imp. bugfixes are made, non-members don't get them

So here is what i would like to try.  we can always go back to old way if it turns out the old way was better:

• there will be only one version of each program, the lastest version.  this includes early beta releases.
• these downloads will be available to public and to members
• we will start using key files for the programs.  any member will be able to generate a keyfile for any program very easily through the website, customized to their name or any other info they want in it
• we may add the ability to customize the about box or titlebar in some way when you make your key file
• or you could just email us for a full set of key files
• without a key file, the program will not stop working, and will not have any limits, BUT it will pop up a message after 30 days or so, asking the user to visit our site and either become a member, OR request a freeware non-member keyfile
• the freeware non-member key file will either make the program run forever as freeware with no nags,
• OR make the program run forever as freeware with no nags until they upgrade to the next version and then they will have to request a new keyfile from site again
• OR make the program run for 6months or a year before they need to go to the site and grab another non-member keyfile

Ok so what's the point of the new approach:

• the foundation of this site is the belief that most people who can afford to donate will donate if you can shake them out of their complacency
• but they need a little encouragement, otherwise laziness gets the better of them
• so our approach has been to try to find a way to keep the software free for those who cant or wont donate, but give others enough motivation to go forward with the donation
• and this has the added benefit of bringing people to the actual site if they keep using their original download - rather than simply clicking on an external link and never even bothering to visit us

Ok, so i'm pretty sure i want to at least try this approach, and see how it works, so be kind with your criticisms.
But i do want to hear your thoughts on this.

36364

Living Room / Re: Thank you DCC for the Best of Award on the Links Page!

« on: July 28, 2005, 03:38 AM »

it's our pleasure to know you

36365

General Software Discussion / Re: Unlock files because of sharing violations

« on: July 28, 2005, 03:33 AM »

i've used "wholockme" to report what app is locking a file, which can be very useful
http://www.dr-hoiby..../WhoLockMe/index.php

but this app seems like it might be better.

36366

Living Room / Re: interesting article on "Software Pricing"

« on: July 28, 2005, 03:08 AM »

yeah i guess it was really focusing on large enterprise software for big companies, and making the case that open source software could be viewed in terms of the added benefit open source software has in therms of paying for after-the-purcase support.  confusing though, i admit it.

36367

Unfinished Requests / Re: EXISTS - IDEA: Regular Expression Helper

« on: July 27, 2005, 09:06 PM »

that is awesome...
this is why you have to love this section

nice find.

ps. program is donationware and written in.. LISP(!)

36368

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Clipboard Help+Spell Version 1.02.04 is now avilable on members page

« on: July 27, 2005, 11:33 AM »

i'm going to try some alternative editor components, especially some with better undo functionality. i'll check this bug in the process.


hahahaha - funny avatar carol

36369

Living Room / Re: A free software prize goes to.. kfitting

« on: July 27, 2005, 11:32 AM »

vmware license sent.

it's really my pleasure to be on a board with people like you who are willing to help test stuff, make suggestions, report bugs, help others, etc.

ps.
Thanks to VmWare for their donation.
And kevin you should also thank zaine the next time you see him - this copy was originally given to him but in traditional generous zaine spirit he said he would rather have it given to someone else who needs it more.

36370

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Clipboard Help+Spell Version 1.02.04 is now avilable on members page

« on: July 27, 2005, 10:18 AM »

these aren't retarded !
i want all the suggestions i can get about CHS so we can add the functions people really need.

ps kfitting did you see the post about you in the Living Room?

36371

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Clipboard Help+Spell Version 1.02.04 is now avilable on members page

« on: July 27, 2005, 10:16 AM »

yes there is, and the new help file with this version tells you how.

just use \t for tab
and \n for newline

36372

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Clipboard Help+Spell Version 1.02.04 is now avilable on members page

« on: July 27, 2005, 10:01 AM »

yes - CHS is going to have a totally revamped clip list and all the problems with that clip list are going to be fixed, i promise. i'm aiming for a major improvement by monday.  the problem is very annoying i agree.

I'll look into losing the startup options, probably something simple.

ps.
carol when you get a chance pick yourself out an avatar image from the "Profile" page, gives the pages a little more personality

36373

Living Room / Funny Windows Error Message Generator

« on: July 27, 2005, 08:57 AM »

web page that lets you create your own funny windows error messages:
http://atom.smasher.org/error/

check out the gallery of other people's work here:
http://atom.smasher.org/error/gallery/

HHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH

36374

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Clipboard Help+Spell Version 1.02.04 is now avilable on members page

« on: July 27, 2005, 07:51 AM »

i'll look into it anyway since it could be that im not loading the settings from the application directory on reboot.

( the new version will lose settings of the old version when i moved to a separate options dialog, so if those options were checked in the old version then they would be cleared on first start).

36375

Living Room / Your member group is now shown at the top of the page - check it!

« on: July 27, 2005, 07:29 AM »

Your member group is now shown at the top of the forum page under the current date.

IF you have donated or otherwise contacted me and been made a member, please check to make sure your member group does not say "Visitor" or "Guest".

If it does, then it means your account did not get upgraded to membership status.  If this is the case, just send me an email ([email protected]) or a personal message through the forum (https://www.donation...ction=pm;sa=send;u=2) and let me know your forum username so i can fix it.