Messages

401

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Emulate a green monitor to reduce eye strain.

« on: May 21, 2007, 10:57 AM »

I have done yet more twiddling, and further refined my Green settings - I shall see if there is a way I can attach them for the benefit of other nVidia users.

The nVidia system tray app (part of the standard Forceware install) stores any colour adjustments that the user makes, so changing between 'normal' and 'green screen' only takes two or three clicks.

Interestingly if I try to take a screen-capture of the green effect, the shot comes out in normal colours. I guess that the adjustment is performed as the signal is sent to the monitor, rather than to the image in video RAM.

402

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Emulate a green monitor to reduce eye strain.

« on: May 21, 2007, 10:00 AM »

Thought of this thread again this week, and finally decided to do some experimentation...

Firstly I snuck downstairs to the theatre, and stole some green lighting gel.

• Yes - I actually do live above a theatre.
• No - I don't wear a mask and drop chandeliers on people.

Cut a section and stuck it over one of my screens. Took a photo.



Verdict: The photo doesn't do it justice. The screen goes green... very green! Deep saturated green. I certainly knocks off a lot of the glare, but having a second shiny reflective surface over the screen adds extra reflections of the room, and the monitor itself. Plus it hasn't achieved the real solution - green on black; but has given dark green on light green.

On to Edvard's idea...

Pulled up the nVidia control panel and quickly discovered that the Advanced colour options would allow you to completely invert the colour scheme...





Verdict: Total inversion generally cuts down the glare, but looks very odd indeed. Sites that use a lot of black, suddenly become very bright!

So a bit more twiddling to knock out (almost) all the red and blue gives a pretty good emulation of a green screen...





Verdict: Looks pretty good to me. Obviously a green screen has drawbacks - you certainly don't want to be doing any graphical work with this setup - but for reading text late at night, I found it very comfortable indeed.

403

General Software Discussion / Wrong mouse pointer on second screen - WinXP SP2, nVidia, dual screen

« on: May 19, 2007, 09:32 AM »

A curious little issue has arisen on my machine since my most recent reinstall of WinXP.

If I change screen resolution, the mouse pointer starts using the wrong cursor graphic on my second screen. So where it should be the standard arrow, I see vertical re-size. The busy cursor shows as the little hand etc etc.

There seems no logic as to which image is used in each case - it is different each time that the issue occurs.

The problem happens only after a resolution change - most often when I run a game full-screen and then return to the desktop.

System...
WinXP SP2, nVidia GeForce 8600 using Forceware 158.22

Any thoughts?

404

General Software Discussion / Re: Im sick and tired, and not taking it any more!?!

« on: May 14, 2007, 06:28 PM »

[fanboy] Or... you could just use Opera, and enable 'fit to width' which will resize all text and images to a width specified by you. [/fanboy]

405

General Software Discussion / Re: something to save file/program/icon associations

« on: May 12, 2007, 07:33 AM »

...a program called Association Manager (by Alexander Peckover).

-pfeerick (March 11, 2007, 07:49 PM)

pfeerick - The download link doesn't work from that site... here is one that does Associate v1.3a

BUT, from the readme...

I do not claim that this will work at all on Windows NT - In fact, please do not use it on Windows NT.

-the readme

Since XP is based upon NT, I am hesitant to use this. I did try it on one file type, and when I tried to apply the changes, the program crashed / simply vanished.

Ampa

406

What's the Best? / Re: cd burning

« on: May 11, 2007, 07:09 PM »

Re: Linux viruses... There are a few proof of concept viruses out there, but nothing like the plague that assualts Windows.

However in my opinion, the main concern should be for Windows users.  Now that applications such as Open Office can read Microsoft Word documents and the like, a Linux system will pass on Windows-based viruses in these files, just as happily as a Windows system will.  Therefore Linux users need some system to recognize whether their files are infected with Windows viruses.

407

ProcessTamer / Re: CPU Affinity

« on: May 10, 2007, 05:15 PM »

SMP SeeSaw, by Mike Lin,  is a little freeware util that allows easy management of dual-cpu affinities...

SMP Seesaw is a utility for dual-CPU or dual-core computers that controls how Windows balances the compute load between the two processors. By default, Windows balances the processing load to both CPUs as evenly as possible among all programs. SMP Seesaw provides a convenient means to change the processor affinities for all running programs at once. In particular, the most common use is to dedicate one of your processors to a single program, thereby improving the performance or responsiveness of that program.

-the author

An aside... I like Mike's use of 'glaring eyes' above his donation button - he must have read THIS research.

408

General Software Discussion / Re: Must-have apps in the System tray?

« on: May 10, 2007, 05:49 AM »

If you simply don't want to see it then...


• Open the Taskbar properties (right click on Taskbar)



• Edit icon visibility - set to always hide



...then it will continue to function, but not irk you.

409

What's the Best? / Re: cd burning

« on: May 09, 2007, 10:27 AM »

I am currently using ImgBurn - I like it because it is so small and discreet, but the Build mode, for compiling CDs from many files could use some refinement.

However, for your current task (burning an ISO image), I can't recommend it strongly enough.

410

Living Room / Re: Volunteer to help me with some (blog-related) posting on daily basis?

« on: May 09, 2007, 08:33 AM »

I am sure that I could help out here... though not on my own, since there are times when I have to disappear for several days at a time.

But when I am at my PC I check DC frequently, and read the majority of posts.

I like Perry's idea, that blog posts should ideally be added by a member who has some interest or knowledge of the topic in question.

Hopefully we can gather a small group together who can share the responsibility.

Ampa

411

General Software Discussion / Backup my Dial Up Network Setting (DUN) in WinXP

« on: May 09, 2007, 05:31 AM »

My HomeCall (now Pipex) broadband install CD takes for ever to run, due to its fancy Shockwave animated menus. It is a pain to have to wait for it whenever I need to reinstall.

I can skip the process by installing the modem drivers manually, but then I also have to configure the DUN settings by hand.

None of this is rocket science, but takes at least as long as running the crappy install disk! So...

Is there a nice piece of freeware that will backup and restore my DUN settings with minimal fuss? Ideally with no install or even better using standard WinXP functionality

So far I found...

DUNDUP - which is in English, is free, and will sync DUN settings across a network, or import / export to a file. The negative is that it needs installing (though could possible just grab the exe for future use) and exports to a .pbk file (Windows Phonebook). I am unclear whether I need the DUNDUP software to restore these settings, or whether XP will handle a .pbk file on its own.

DUN-Backup - which is in German, is free and certainly backs up the DUN settings, possibly other things too. (My German is rudimentary, and tops out at 'please can I have directions to the train station'). The DUN settings are written to a .dat file, which would require DUN-Backup to import the settings.

Any other recommendations?

412

General Software Discussion / Re: Intel Core 2 Duo + WinXP SP2 problem - only single core detected and used

« on: May 08, 2007, 07:23 AM »

dk70 & cmpm: Thanks for your additional suggestions.

Success!

Here's how...

The answer was staring me in the face all along - BUT Microsoft's XP installer has the worst interface I've ever seen!!

Hit F5 to enter the secret HAL menu and I could only see two options... BUT the other options were there all along - the screen only ever shows two, you have to scroll (using cursor keys) to see the other 6 options.

There is absolutely no indication of this anywhere on screen!!!

Utterly maddening - I have wasted 2 days going in circles because Microsoft didn't put all the options on screen, OR at least write "Scroll up / down for more options!"

Grrr - very happy that it works, very pissed off that it took this long.

Thanks again for all your helpful input DCers.

413

General Software Discussion / Re: Intel Core 2 Duo + WinXP SP2 problem - only single core detected and used

« on: May 08, 2007, 04:45 AM »

db90h: Have downloaded another version of XP to try... and I get the same issue in the F5 Hal install menu... StandardPC or nothing.

So I guess that sort of proves that my hardware really isn't being recognised. (Though I am suprised that I can't force a different HAL even if the hardware isn't there... surely that is what forcing means?!).

As for updating the BIOS... The Abit USA site doesn't have any other BIOS, though the Abit TW site does have one small upgrade. However, I am unsure how to flash my BIOS when I don't have a floppy drive. More investigation required I guess.

mwb1100: This looks interesting, and not too dangerous, since I can ghost the partition before doing this.

I would need to identify which APIC / HAL my processor needs as there seem to be a number of options here...

• ACPI PIC-based PC
• ACPI APIC-based PC (UniProcessor)
• ACPI APIC-based PC (MultiProcessor)
• MPS UniProcessor PC
• MPS MultiProcessor PC

Hirudin: Sure enough, when I right click, I get no such option. I also found a freeware program called SMP SeeSaw which helps assign programs to specific cores, and it fails because it doesn't find the 2nd core. Conclusive proof I'd say.

Eóin: Yes, I did get a CD of drivers with the motherboard... I have examined it thoroughly. The menu offers drivers for LAN, Chipset + Onboard Audio, and a link for USB2 drivers (tells you to download SP2!). I have also googled and can find no mention of needing a driver.

Thanks for all the advice so far... Please keep the ideas coming!!

Ampa

414

General Software Discussion / RESOLVED: Intel Core 2 Duo + WinXP SP2 problem: only single core detected / used

« on: May 07, 2007, 03:19 PM »

I have bought new hardware, but am having great problems getting WinXP to use it correctly. I hope that one of DC's hardware gurus can shed some light on the problem...

Hardware
Mobo: Abit Il 9 Pro
CPU:  Intel Core 2 Duo E6320
RAM:  Corsair 2GB
HDs:  2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200 16MB 250GB
_{All bought as an upgrade kit from Komplett.co.uk}

The Issue
WinXP SP2 doesn't detect / use the second core.

Issue verified by...

• Only one CPU graph in Task Manager > Performance (one graph per CPU is checked)
• Generally slow performance.
• CPU-z reads correct CPU info, but cores drop down is greyed out and only shows core 1.
• Device Manager > Computer = StandardPC (I believe that dual core would read ACPI of some variety)

Test eith Other OSes
Ubuntu and Vista both find and use both cores... but I can't use either as my RT.x100 video editing card, does not have drivers for either.

I found a forum post (I forget where), which suggests that a dual core must have an ACPI version of the kernel HAL, and suggests that this can be forced during install of WinXP by hitting F5. This brings up a text menu of different HALs.

When I press F5, my menu only contains two items... Standard PC with C-Step i486 (which I know doesn't work) and Other.

Other prompts me to insert a floppy with drivers... I have neither a floppy drive nor any driver to give it!

I have also tried changing the computer type via the control panel, but again get no options other than StandardPC.

My WinXP cd is a slipstream of my original (which I no longer have) and includes SP2. I suppose it is possible that I have removed something from it which is removing support for dual cores... I have no idea what!

Any ideas??

RESOLUTION HERE

415

Official Announcements / Re: cthorpe has agreed to be Discount Coordinator: thank you!

« on: May 06, 2007, 04:42 AM »

If Carl follows the route that Mouser and I used... we write to the software author, using an email that follows a template, and ask for a discount!

The email...

• describes the ethos of DonationCoder
• explains that we are not asking for a percentage of the sales
• links to any appropriate reviews / discussions of the software on the DC site
• gives a few stats about our membership
• invites the author to become a part of our community
• gives guidelines on the size / type of discounts that we like to offer
• explains that the discount will be published in our newsletter - and gives the latest readership figures

I found that response was generally very good, most authors wrote back, and around 50% showed interest in offering a discount, and many offered free copies for the monthly give-away.

However, it is hard work! There are lots of details to iron out and it all takes time and dedication; so please support Carl and wish him success...

His work is for our benefit!

416

General Software Discussion / Re: To Vista or not to Vista that is the ?

« on: May 05, 2007, 08:52 AM »

Had my first experience of Vista this last week (my girlfriend's laptop came with it installed).

Pros...

• it is very pretty.

Cons...

• On a brand new dual core laptop it felt slow.

Just deleting things to the recycle bin took an age, while the pretty animation ran, and the glowing windows faded in and out, and the clever algorithm told me in a friendly manner that it was going to take less than 1 second to delete my text file.

• Incompatible software

Out of four alternative media players that I tried (MPlayer UI, Media Player Clasic, VLC and GOM) none were properly compatible, all crashed with one media file or another.
Comodo Firewall didn't work, nor did SketchUp.

• Unstable - I blue screened the system twice
  
• Couldn't find ways to disable elements of the UI that we didn't like (eg favourites, within Explorer)

nLite is great, give it a try - I am using it as I type to create a WinXP cinfigured to my requirements.[/list]

417

Official Announcements / Re: cthorpe has agreed to be Discount Coordinator: thank you!

« on: May 05, 2007, 08:40 AM »

Well done Carl for taking on the job - we DCers appreciate it.

Ampa

_{Former donations manager}

418

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Quality Comparison: PDF Readers / Viewers (Update +1 and Conclusion)

« on: April 30, 2007, 05:40 PM »

Your wish is my commanc...

Cool PDF added to the review. Sadly I found it to be rather uncool... the quality is below average, and the render speed is by far the slowest I've seen. My CPU maxed out for a couple of seconds to redraw the page everytime I scrolled or resized the window.

CoolPDF gets a  from me I'm afraid.

Ampa

419

DC Website Help and Extras / Re: recent post link to topic start instead

« on: April 30, 2007, 07:04 AM »

OK - now I feel dumb

420

DC Website Help and Extras / Re: recent post link to topic start instead

« on: April 30, 2007, 06:16 AM »

I agree with tomos - I use 'unread posts' and get frustrated having to scroll (or hit END) to read the latest updates.

Semantically it makes sense to me that...

• If I ask to see the unread posts, i want to see the latest replies that I've not yet read.

Where as...

• If I ask to see new posts, I just want to catch up on the latest topics, from the start.

_{I am sure that others will enjoy disagreeing with me}

421

General Software Discussion / Participate: Online survey of installed fonts

« on: April 30, 2007, 05:03 AM »

As a web designer it is frustrating to be limited to the fonts that end users have installed on their machines. Yes, there are workarounds... use flash, use text > image replacement, use text > flash replacement.

Part of the frustration comes from the fact that we don't really know what fonts the majority of users have installed. To this end there are a couple of websites that are trying to gauge an accurate picture of the fonts available.

My request is that fellow DCers spare a few minutes to visit the following sites and participate in the surveys to further our understanding...

Visibone's font survey | Codestyle's font survey

Both are very straight forward, as they are fully automated, and will take only a few minutes of your precious time.

Thank you.

422

General Software Discussion / Re: Outsourcing web design

« on: April 30, 2007, 03:58 AM »

Although the replies so far are interesting, Nudone is indeed correct: my main point concerns the outsourcing of part of my work as a webdesigner...

I am perfectly capable of coding a website myself, but that is probably not where my real skill lies. I am better at almost all the other roles a one-man web design company has to take on...

• Salesman
• Real-world troubleshooter
• Graphic designer
• Interface designer
• Database designer
• Content editor
• Mentor and Teacher
• After-sales support

...all of which are skills that the coding services will lack.

But if an expert in xHTML and CSS can whip up a prototype of my design solution, in less time than it would take me to do the same; if the quality of the work is good, and their hourly rate is less than mine, why would I not outsource this part of the process to someone else?

Does it matter that they have no design skill, since the design would be mine?

Does it matter that they are only providing a template, since this is only an early part of the process, designed to save me time and money?

All of this, of course, assumes that they really are an expert at what they do. That the code really is well structured, standards compliant, cross browser compatible. If it is not, then I would spend so much time rewriting it, that the outsourcing becomes pointless.

So to rephrase the question slightly...

Is outsourcing the HTML and CSS coding of one of my designs, a cost effective way for a web designer to prototype a website?

423

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Xara X1 for $19 (less than £10)

« on: April 29, 2007, 03:48 PM »

Carol: Indeed I was a RiscOS user... did my computing A-level on an Archimedies A3010 - happy days.

I remember booting the machine, and running ArtWorks (from floppy), editing an image and printing it, before my dad's 486 had even finished booting Windows v3 from its, massive, 400MB harddisk.

It is interesting to note that Xara's interface actually appears to have fewer tools than ArtWorks did 15 years ago, yet the feature set has improved with every release.

For those who don't know - the secret lies in the direct-action tools, which are so intuitive that they remove the need for countless menus, panels, toolbars etc.

424

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Xara X1 for $19 (less than £10)

« on: April 29, 2007, 02:31 PM »

Regarding the versions...

I have used Xara since before it was called Xara (ArtWorks on the Archimedies) and have to say that each and every update has brought great new features that really add to the product.

There is nothing about the program that could reasonably be called bloat, either in resources or feature set.

I said it before, but it is worth saying again... please, if you think that you might ever want to create any vecotr art, try Xara's product.

I have tried the competitors... Illustrator, Fireworks, Inkscape, RealDraw, CorelDraw and even though all of those have at least one unique feature, I always end up back with Xara.

Why?

It is so darned small, so fast, so intuitive - and it has a small but friendly community who are alway there to help.

Ampa

425

General Software Discussion / Outsourcing web design

« on: April 28, 2007, 04:55 PM »

I have recently moved from my job in education, back to a spot of graphic / web design (sadly you can't make a living in education in the UK).

Whilst brushing up on some of the latest HTML / CSS techniques I have noticed a new type of advert appearing on the web...

A number of companies are now offering to take your site design as a flat file (psd, png, ai - they don't seem to fussed on the format), and return it to you as a working template. Not only that - it will also be xhtml and CSS compliant, cross browser compatible, and their turn around is, in some cases, less that 8 hours. AND it is 'dirt cheap'!

I have sought out, and read, a number of reviews, all of which extol the virtues of the services, showering praise on the companies for great results, excellent communication, and lightning speed.

So here are the questions...

1. Why on earth would I code my own design if I can truly outsource it so cheaply?
2. How can an independent designer, like me, compete with a machine like this?
3. Is this the way the design industry is set to go, with designers who design, and coders who code?
4. Has anyone at DC tried one of these services? How did it go?

A few example companies... psd2html | xHTMLslicer | xhtmlized