Messages

201

Living Room / Re: Myer-Briggs Personality Test For Programmers (or anybody)

« on: August 06, 2009, 07:14 AM »

I come out as an ENTJ

Extraverted 44
Intuitive 100
Thinking 1
Judging 22

202

General Software Discussion / Lost Article: Using javascript to activate a mailto link after a delay

« on: August 05, 2009, 01:49 PM »

I read an article a couple of months ago about using JavaScript to activate a clickable mailto: link after a few seconds delay, as a possible method of avoiding spam.

There was a little more to it than that - I seem to remember the email address was encrypted somehow.

But my Google skills have let me down and I can't find the article again.

I think it was a blog post on someone's webdesign page, but who's I've no idea.

Anybody seen it? The internet is a big place!!

Ampa

203

General Software Discussion / Re: MonsterCart

« on: August 05, 2009, 08:58 AM »

Yes - the links that you found are all that I could find when I searched earlier.

Ooops. Not sure that I realised that there is a difference between ASP and ASP.NET - have never used either!

I agree with your assessment that it is a disasterous platform on which to build a shop, so shall be looking into the alternatives (starting with Magneto).

Any thoughts on other systems - I have a friend who uses ZenCart for example?

204

General Software Discussion / MonsterCart

« on: August 05, 2009, 05:02 AM »

A potential client has asked me to look at their e-commerce site, which is powered by MonsterCart, an asp cart script.

I've been searching for some time now, and am not coming up with any good info about this particular script... no homepage ( www.monstercart.com is just a holding page ), no forum posts are talking about it, no entry on Wikipedia, no faq!

Anyone heard of this software before?
Is it still supported?
If not, would they be advised to transition to some other cart system?
If so, which do you recommend?

Thanks, Ampa

205

General Software Discussion / Re: August 2009: 30 Days of DonationCoder Screencasts

« on: August 03, 2009, 12:35 PM »

Awesome stuff so far - beginning at the basic stuff, but still I am learning things.

One thought: Is it possible to have a next video or collection of thumbnails at the bottom of the screencast pages to facilitate the watching of a series of videos without bobbing back and forth to the forum page?

Ampa

206

Official Announcements / Re: JULY 2009 Discounts - Giveaway Winners Announced

« on: August 02, 2009, 06:40 AM »

Hooray for another month of super giveaways.

Nod5 I'll be in touch right away and get your prize in the post asap!!

Ampa

207

ProcessTamer / Re: 为什么不更新了

« on: July 21, 2009, 09:36 AM »

Wow! This has to be the only forum on the web where a foreign language post is not only tollerated, but multiple translations are offered and a warm welcome extended.

I love DC

208

General Software Discussion / Re: Problems with HTML & Javascript.

« on: July 10, 2009, 07:41 AM »

It is now considered bad practice to embed javascript event triggers into the html directly. Far better to attach them dynamically once the page has been served.

See this javascript event tutorial which shows how to do this using mootools framework (though most other frameworks will have similar funtionality).

Similarly - I'd suggest that you separate the css style information from the HTML and load it from an external file. This makes code far more understandable, and brings performance advantages too.

209

General Software Discussion / Re: Text-To-Speech Freeware?

« on: July 01, 2009, 05:13 AM »

Having tried many, I settled upon Balabolka.

It is free, regularly updated (though I must confess that I am not quite sure what changes each time!), there is a portable version, will follow along in the text, and export mp3s.

Note that the quality of output has a great deal to do with the voice pack you are using, Microsoft Sam will always sound rough, where the AT&T Natural Voices are probably the best quality, but are expensive and take a lot of space.

210

Living Room / Re: Giampy... how does it sound?

« on: June 29, 2009, 09:26 AM »

Sounds like "jumpy" with an Italian accent.

Which is fine

Welcome to DC.

211

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Actual Window Manager mini review

« on: June 26, 2009, 10:08 AM »

Thank you and congratulations on a very thorough review.

Software seems nice enough, but… you know what is coming!

I am very happy using WindowPad (an AHK script), which allows me to control all my windows on dual monitors via logical keypresses, with no (intrusive) interface.

212

Finished Programs / Re: InEverything - Search inside files using the Everything search engine

« on: June 20, 2009, 08:33 PM »

Um. Wow! I think.

Care to explain to how it works? I mean if it is scanning inside files then surely it isn't going to be very fast anymore?

213

General Software Discussion / Re: Opera Unite: a server within the browser. Opera innovating as it used to

« on: June 16, 2009, 09:43 PM »

Many features opera "implements" tend to stagnate after final release.

-Josh (June 16, 2009, 06:07 PM)

That certainly happened with the Widgets. I installed a few such as the calculator, colour picker and tv guide when the feature was first added, but over the years all have been replaced by websites or better external tools.

With Unite the alternatives already exist, so Opera will have to do something very special if this is really to take off. The user interface and associated jargon will make or break the product, and given that 50% of the comments on this and every other site on the web are of the nature "Eh? What? Can someone explain what this actually is?" today's launch seems to be doing more harm than good!

214

Living Room / Re: Looking for P2p file sharing for personal use

« on: June 16, 2009, 11:30 AM »

I wonder whether Opera Unite is a solution? If the file sharing module is too simplisitc at the moment, you may have to wait and see what other widgets are developed for it. But the basic idea would mean you could share your files through the browser.

215

General Software Discussion / Re: Opera Unite: a server within the browser. Opera innovating as it used to

« on: June 16, 2009, 06:42 AM »

Just installed it - too early to say what my opinion is; but I agree that it is too difficult to describe in the way they are currently marketing it!

Now, if only I had some friends, then I could test it!

Update: Played with a few of the apps / widgets now, and am surprised by the lack of configurability or Web2.0-ness.

For example - the Fridge app lets me add tiny notes (40 characters, which is almost too short!) to anyone's message board, but there is no control over placement, colour, font, or size. Also the Fridge door has a number of fridge magnets on it, adding to the theme, but I can't move these, or customise them in any way.

Sure, this is only release 1 and essentially a proof of concept, so I guess these things will come with time; but what a missed opportunity to capture people's imagination!

Rightly or wrongly, I'd be much more likely to use Fridge if I could add my own Cody magnet and make my notes turquisoe and purple!

216

FARR Plugins and Aliases / Re: KlipKeeper crashes FARR

« on: June 15, 2009, 03:20 PM »

Thanks for the pointer... I did search for "KlipKeeper" before posting and did not come up with that post?!?! I guess the space makes all the different.

217

FARR Plugins and Aliases / KlipKeeper crashes FARR

« on: June 15, 2009, 11:36 AM »

Latest version of FARR (though this has been happening for some time).
Latest version of KK.

I type kk, and see the clipboard history, but as soon as I try to select an entry FARR crashes with the following error...

---
Find+Run Robot Encountered an exception error (EAccessViolation). Please report to [email protected].
---

Have tried deleting the KK directory and reinstalling, but problem persists.

Anyone else seen this? Anyone got a fix?

Ampa

218

General Software Discussion / Re: Monkey Dash: Play test my game!

« on: June 12, 2009, 04:58 PM »

Thanks Lew and Mouser for the words of encouragement

I shall be posting some details of the whole experience on the website over the next few weeks, and shall add a feed so that you can subscribe to receive news, new game-play variants etc.

219

General Software Discussion / At long last - some news…

« on: June 12, 2009, 12:25 PM »

!! Major Update Alert !!

I am proud to announce that Monkey Dash has launched. I took the first (tiny) batch of games to the UK Games Expo 2009, last weekend, not knowing whether we'd sell a single copy.

The result: we almost ran out of stock! The game is a hit!

I am exhausted but very happy, and now need to keep up momentum to sell the second (slightly larger) set of games.

The game was also entered in the Best New Strategy Game competition. The judges placed us second, but Monkey Dash received more public votes than any other game at the expo!

Special thanks to Deozaan, ToxMox and LJBirn from DC who tested the game for me and sent valuable feedback, you are all listed in the rule book as official play testers!

If you want to learn more about the game then visit the Monkey Dash website or Monkey Dash on BoardGameGeek.

Several visitors to the show said that Monkey Dash would make an browser game, and would be ideal to port to the i-phone I am interested in both options both to raise interest in the board game, and as business opportunities in their own right. If anyone at DC has the skills or contacts to develop such things - get in touch!

220

Living Room / Re: Lawn of the Dead

« on: May 24, 2009, 06:58 AM »

Grrr.. I am not usually a fan of Tower Defense style games, but this is super addictive!

Have completed the main adventure, and am pleased to discover that there are numerous mini-games and puzzles that get unlocked along the way. So I'm still able to avoid work with this charming little title.

Ampa

221

General Software Discussion / Re: What is better than Excel for costing a project?

« on: May 11, 2009, 04:18 AM »

Thank you both for the reassurance that I'm using the right tool - now I just need to learn how to use it!

I am sure the tutorial will prove useful.

Still finding the Excel interface rather clunky though!

For example... I want to name a cell "MyTotal", which I can do easily by entering the name, in the cell reference box top left. So far so good, but now I need to rename it. Rather than simply edit the name in the cell reference box, I have to...

1. Switch to the Formula tab on the ribbon.
2. Open the Name Manager.
3. Select the name I wish to edit, and click Edit (or double click)
4. Make the change - "MyTotal" to "MyTotalNoTax"
5. Click OK
6. Click Close

Why couldn't I simply edit the name in the cell reference box, where I entered it in the first place? After all I can edit formulas that way.

And even worse, if I do try to edit the name in the cell reference box it appears to work, but has in fact created a second reference to the same cell under the new name. I mow have formula referring to the old name, but only the new name is displayed when I select the cell.

Surely a simple pop-up could have asked me whether I wanted to rename or create a new name, rather than employing a six step multi-gui procedure for a very simple operation?

Ampa

222

General Software Discussion / What is better than Excel for costing a project?

« on: May 10, 2009, 07:36 AM »

I am trying to cost my board-game project...

• There are four items to be manufactured - a board, a box, some cards and the rule book.
• Each of these items can be made in a variety of ways - eg a rigid box or a carton box, a folding board or a flat board.
• Each method has fixed costs and variable costs, depending upon number of units manufactured
• Each of these items can be made by a number of companies.
• Each company has their own minimum order size, perhaps 500 or 1000 units.

I need to collate all this information, so that...

• It is clear which component(s) should be made by each company.
• What the unit cost will be.
• What the total project cost will be.

I am using Excel, since it is the only spreadsheet that I have any experience with, but I am startled at how convoluted it is to present this complex set of variables in a meaningful, and approachable way; and how difficult it is to swap the numerous different options in and out of the equation.

It may well be that I do not know the most effective ways to use Excel, or it may be that there is a better tool for the job; after all I can't possibly be the first person to be engaged with this type of costing operation!

Can any DCers suggest...

• A tutorial / example that shows how to use Excel to simplify my task.
• A better piece of software for solving this problem.

Thanks,

Ampa

223

Finished Programs / Re: IDEA: Allow input commands to be sent to background windows.

« on: May 10, 2009, 07:00 AM »

It think that big_smile is probably refering to keyboard input, rather than mouse input, so wr975's suggestions don't quite fit the bill.

Here are some potential problems with the idea...

* Keyboard hardware is designed to accept a few keys being pressed at at time. Having 2 players at the same keyboard doubles the number of inputs that must be handled and I don't think that the hardware is up to it.

* How does the software know which keys to send to which application? Presumably I'd have to configure it for each combination of programs that I want to use.

* What if I need to send the same key to different applications, at different times? eg I have two browsers open and I hit F5 to refresh... which browser gets refreshed?

Perhaps you should seek better solutions to the problems you bring up...

* Opera (and probably other modern browsers) allow you to set an auto refresh time for each tab, removing the need to manually refresh the page at intervals.

* Look for an emulator that already incorporates 2 players, or one that will allow a network connection to play the game on 2 machines?

Ampa

224

DC Gamer Club / Re: Braid - Awesome independent run 'n' jump game

« on: April 30, 2009, 12:55 PM »

Bought it - completed it - can't praise it highly enough.

225

DC Gamer Club / Re: $10 Orange Box on Steam

« on: April 26, 2009, 07:20 AM »

OK I bought it, having sworn blind never to give steam any more of my money, after nasty incompatability problems with HL2 Ep1, back when it first came out.

So I now have a spare copy of HL2 and HL2 Ep1, if any one here at DC would like them - for free - then send me a PM with your steam username and I'll send them your way. Gone to Lanux128

Happy gaming! Apart from those of you with exams / work deadlines / family responsibilities that you are no doubt prioritising first