Messages

151

Find And Run Robot / Re: FARR v2 Tricks and Tips Clinic

« on: June 09, 2007, 01:30 AM »

im going to change the import and export format to use xml like the new alias files use, so this import and export format may not be very important to remember, but you can see the hotkey and result filter format simply by "exporting" an alias with those things.

basically its:

SCORE>>>NAME>->RESULTS>+>REGULAREXPRESSION>/>HOTKEYNUMBER>#>REGEXRESULTFILTER

-mouser (June 08, 2007, 06:26 PM)

<slaps head>
Thanks mouser, I've been out of the testing loop for a while, revising for final BSc exams. The download link seems to have changed - can you send me the new one?

152

Find And Run Robot / Re: FARR v2 Tricks and Tips Clinic

« on: June 08, 2007, 03:51 PM »

How does the line of code relate to what you would put in the text boxes if you were defining the aliases yourself?

here's the screenshot:

-mouser (June 08, 2007, 06:35 AM)

Thanks, that clears things up a bit. I've just checked the "display preformatted aliases for copying" function on "Import and Export"

One entry per line
>>> starts group alias name
>-> starts Result(s)
>n> starts new line in results
>+> starts regular expression pattern

What do you use for Result Filter or Hotkey shold you need to specify them?

could you back up a bit and recommend a simple reference to regexes as used in Farr for people who are not used to working with them?

http://www.regular-expressions.info/

Thanks. Very useful! 

153

Find And Run Robot / Re: FARR v2 Tricks and Tips Clinic

« on: June 08, 2007, 05:20 AM »

I thought i'd start a little thread for FARR tricks+tips on some of the more unusual stuff in FARR v2.

I'll start with a trick that demonstrates the "dosearch" special alias action.  Although described in the help file its not obvious how you might use this special action.  Here's one way.

You know that FARR2 can do direct browsing of folders, etc.
So you could type "C:\Program Files\Microsoft\..." etc.

Here's an alias that will let you type "pf\" instead of "C:\Program Files\" as a shorthand:

[Select]

1000>>>pf alias search>->dosearch C:\Program Files\$$1>+>^pf\\(.*)$

just select that code and go to your alias file and choose IMPORT menu.

basically it just says that on matching regular expression "^pf\\(.*)$"
treat that as if user typed "C:\Program Files\$$1"

so the dosearch alias action is a way of letting the user type one thing, and making the program think they typed another.

-mouser (June 06, 2007, 10:41 AM)

I can sortof follow that, but could you back up a bit and recommend a simple reference to regexes as used in Farr for people who are not used to working with them? How does the line of code relate to what you would put in the text boxes if you were defining the aliases yourself?

I'd like to see aliases working more like folders: if you select an alias that takes parameters it presents in the results window a list of those parameters that you have already used. Further typing filters the list as if it were a file list, and you can select-and-launch, or launch with the parameter you have just typed in.

154

Living Room / Re: Mac Mini & Boot Camp alternatives?

« on: June 06, 2007, 11:50 AM »

Decisions, decisions!   

I can get a pretty well-specced minitower locally for the same price as the Mac Mini, but I'm still tempted by the Mac Mini and OSX for everyday use. At least it will be quieter than the old tractor I have now. 

I've found a very useful and informative forum at http://www.123macmini.com/

155

Living Room / Re: Microsoft's proposed new user interface

« on: June 02, 2007, 01:36 AM »

ok Seriously, does MS really think they are still cool? They should rename their company to macro thief. First in their vista they stole ideas from mac and they stole their search feature from Google (Google desktop), and now they are using someone else's ideas for touch technology, though at least they are giving him some credit. Time for me to go do mass research on how to use linux, and then switch to linux.

-nite_monkey (June 01, 2007, 06:48 PM)

It's not that simple. This is only the most recent examlpeof a whole body of work. Here's an overview of multi-touch by someone who's  been working in the field for over 20 years:

http://www.billbuxto...titouchOverview.html

156

Living Room / Re: My Generation ...

« on: May 29, 2007, 03:58 AM »

I don't know when "old" is, but middle-aged is ten years older than you are yourself!

157

Living Room / Mac Mini & Boot Camp alternatives?

« on: May 14, 2007, 01:50 AM »

Time for a new computer. I'm looking for something quiet and unobtrusive, mainly for writing, light programming and website maintenance, that I can easily shift from from room to room.

I'm very tempted by the Mac Mini because I have suitable peripherals already, including a nice 19" LCD. That means that to use some of my favourite software I'd need Boot Camp. Has anyone any experience with this, or can suggest suitable Mac writing software? (I think the bundled office suite is a trial).

Alternatively, Windows system boxes in the same price range?

158

Post New Requests Here / Re: Idea: A directory box

« on: May 08, 2007, 06:01 AM »

The folder bars you create by dragging folders to the edge can be configured by right clicking the dotted line, for example small icons and/or auto hide. Unfortunately once you uncheck them from the bars list, they're gone with your customisations.
You can right click your taskbar, create new bar, drop files and folders on it and customise, I believe Windows should store those settings.

-Maggy160 (May 04, 2007, 02:33 AM)

I hadn't noticed it before, but if you drop a folder onto the title of a toolbar, that folder gets added as a separate toolbar within the same bar area. To get rid of it, right-click on the bar that contains it, select Toolbars, and un-check it. Not as neat as Blackbox, but still pretty handy.  I like to have the taskbar on the right edge, so all the toolbars stack on top of each other with just the title and the double arrow showing. Just like a sidebar

159

Post New Requests Here / Re: Idea: A directory box

« on: April 26, 2007, 03:12 PM »

hey,
Idea: a little resizeable box that sit on your desktop/stays on top that lists the content of a directory of your choosing

....

I hope this is possible and not too hand to do, it would be great if someone was able to code this
i know it would really to useful to me and probably a good few others.

Thanks

-brain3000 (April 17, 2007, 04:50 PM)

Blackbox has tear-off menus which are *very* useful. Any menu list, any level, click and drag on the top label to drag it anywhere and hold it open and on top of anything. Right-click the label to dismiss. You can have as many open at one time as you like. 

I really wish that were standard Windows behaviour. 

160

Living Room / Re: Help! PC hanging on first boot

« on: April 25, 2007, 03:15 AM »

Booted up again after dinner first time, so things are better, but not 100%. I"m all my current work well backed up in the meantime.

Thanks again to everyone who replied on this thread for your helpful advice.

161

Living Room / Re: Help! PC hanging on first boot

« on: April 25, 2007, 12:49 AM »

The (Antec) PSU that came with the Antec case I bought for a friend has one of those teeny-weeny connectors for measuring rpm speed, nifty enough. Can't remember if my own Antec PSU has one, I don't keep that kind of monitoring software running

12.5-12.9v does seem a bit excessive, I'm not too fond when there's more than 0.2v deviation from the specified voltage.

-f0dder (April 24, 2007, 04:44 PM)

First boot this morning and it stalled again as soon as the floppy drive lit.  Booted OK on the second attempt.  Looks like I'll need a new PSU.

162

Living Room / Re: Help! PC hanging on first boot

« on: April 24, 2007, 07:54 AM »

Too early to say for sure, but switching Windows back to manual log in and replacing the button cell seemsto have done the trick. The PSU fan is running Ok even though the BIOS doesn't detect it.

Given Mouser's recent experience, I'm not inclined to mess with it any more!   

163

Living Room / Re: Help! PC hanging on first boot

« on: April 22, 2007, 01:32 AM »

Another thought on the Windows side. Some time ago I changed the default account to limited and added an admin account for installing software. It still (normally) boots into thedefault account. How can I change that, so that I get the choice on boot?

164

Living Room / Re: Help! PC hanging on first boot

« on: April 22, 2007, 01:26 AM »

Thanks for the replies, guys. 

I did a memtest on it yesterday and it passed OK. I'll replace the CMOS tomorrow.

When I first switched on just now it got as far as lighting the floppy and then I got a continuous squeal from the speaker and everything stopped. Turned it off, selected "last known good configuration" and it booted OK.

ATM I think the main problem may be the PSU. The 12V + and - is showing fluctuating between 12.5 and 12.9 in steady state, so I'm guessing it's even more erratic on power-up. The BIOS is set to "Halt on all errors" so...

165

Living Room / Re: Help! PC hanging on first boot

« on: April 21, 2007, 11:00 AM »

Do you get any beep codes from the BIOS? (assuming you have your pc speaker (the cruddy little one inside the computer casing) connected). Does it hang, or does it "black out"? Does it happen in the BIOS startup sequence, or while windows is loading?

And yeah, be sure your fans are working... I don't think a duron would melt down within seconds as long as there's a heatsink on it, but even those old CPUs get rather hot, so eventually your cpu could end up fried if the fan isn't working.

-f0dder (April 21, 2007, 09:51 AM)

I've just let it cool off for half an hour, and it came back O.K. first time.

To answer your questions:

A single beep from the BIOS on power-up

It hangs. Processes stop, no response to mouse and keyboard, screen remains on.
Mostly at the "Loading Your Personal Settings"  stage, but it has stalled at various stages:

Turn on - some gibberish on the screen. After that time it told me the CMOS was corrupt, and it was loading the default values
BIOS loads OK, but disk light flashes once, but nothing seems to be read.
Windows loads OK, but hangs before all the systray items load.

A real puzzler 

Re: Fans - the cpu fan is fine. The fan at the back of the PSU doesn't start spinning unitl about five seconds after power-up. "Cutting in and out" was a bit of an exaggeration, it's more like a speeding up and slowing down. It's quite noisy during the boot sequence, and still just noticeable thereafter.

166

Living Room / Help! PC hanging on first boot

« on: April 21, 2007, 08:18 AM »

It's pretty ancient - AMD Duron 1.3 Ghz, 256 Ram, XP Home -but it's all I have or can afford at present. Once up to speed, it's fine, but lately it's taken to hanging when I first switch on.  Not always at the same point, it could be anywhere in the boot sequence, which makes me think it could be hardware. The sysfan also seems to cut in and out, and run roughly.

It will (almost) always boot perfectly when I switch off and switch on again, and as I said, it's fine once it gets going, but it's not helping my nerves!

Any suggestions - (apart from leaving it switched on 24-7)?

167

General Software Discussion / Re: Alternatives to Google Groups for Usenet?

« on: March 29, 2007, 05:15 AM »

http://www.news.astraweb.com/plans.html
$10 for 25Gb of downloads, that's a lot of usenet posts if you are not downloading, so basically that's $10 for life then as it never expires. Headers are not counted towards your downloads

-justice (March 29, 2007, 04:52 AM)

Looks like a good deal, and supports the newsgroups I want. Thanks. 

Yes, unfortunately these days if a British ISP says "newsgroups" it generally means only their own newsgroups. 

{EDIT}
My mistake. My ISP (Plusnet) has a web-based reader that just shows links to their own groups. Looking more closely, they have a search link that allows you to find other groups. In fact, they do have a pretty comprehensive list, but they keep *very* quiet about it. 

 O.K. Now I've discovered the settings to subcribe in an external newsreader, and have got them working in Opera. Does anyone have good tips for filtering the gold out of the dross?

168

General Software Discussion / Alternatives to Google Groups for Usenet?

« on: March 28, 2007, 02:54 PM »

Does anyone remember when ISPs provided feeds to hundreds of newsgroups?  Google Groups is not the same as a dedicated reader such as Free Agent, but I can't find a server these days. 

A lot of the old groups seem to be dying, but I'm still subscribed to comp.lang.forth, soc.religion.quaker, talk.origins and soc.history.what-if.

169

Find And Run Robot / Re: add Wikipedia to the alias search

« on: March 19, 2007, 06:14 AM »

in the meantime, try this:

[Select]

Wikipedia $$1 |http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=$$1

-lanux128 (March 19, 2007, 01:22 AM)

Or even better:

[Select]

Wikiseek $$1 |http://www.wikiseek.com/results.php?q=$$1

A search engine that searches Wikipedia *and* the pages it links to

170

Find And Run Robot / Re: Latest FARR v2.00.59 ALPHA PREVIEW Release - MARCH 14, 2007

« on: March 16, 2007, 11:48 AM »

the extended results list is in answer to a request earlier.  it's used when you are specifying an explicit directory,
e.g. if you type "C:\Windows\System\"

-mouser (March 16, 2007, 06:43 AM)

Hmm.. my thought in requesting that was that displaying a full listing should actually be faster than doing a search. 

Displaying a folder of 34 files in FARR by (for example) right arrow - 18 seconds
Double-clicking on the same entry to launch DOpus - under 3 seconds

171

Living Room / Re: cost of running a pc (in the UK)?

« on: March 15, 2007, 05:36 AM »

It's mostly visible in photos and in games - and as I said he doesn't mind.

But when i compared it for example to my 17" laptop at similar res things looked better to me on a 17". I have rather acute eyesight (sounds so wrong, like an illness), I can read signs far away in the distance and be annoyed by little things like dust on my sunglasses (or the car windscreen) which really don't bother others. I can see a tiny vibration at the edges of screen at the moment and be kind of distracted by it, which other people don't even notice until i force them to look for it (i suspect my screen is possibly going to die this year, just short of 10 years).

-iphigenie (March 15, 2007, 04:21 AM)

That's why the original Mac screen looked so good in its day. The resolution wasn't any more tahn that of a PC, but on a 9" screen the pixels were soo much smaller. 

My eyes were sharper then, too. 

172

Find And Run Robot / Re: Latest FARR v2.00.59 ALPHA PREVIEW Release - MARCH 14, 2007

« on: March 14, 2007, 03:59 PM »

It took some time to find it, but I realized, that it has something to do with launch history. If launch history contains a pure folder e.g. "C:\backup\", then the search "c:\back" shows the results:

Disabling or deleting the entry in launch history returns result to normal behavior.

-hornsts (March 14, 2007, 02:51 PM)

That's it!  I'm guessing, Mouser, that you have a routine that ignores the last character of an entry in the launch history if it's a \, and somehow it's getting called twice.

173

Find And Run Robot / Re: Latest FARR v2.00.59 ALPHA PREVIEW Release - MARCH 14, 2007

« on: March 14, 2007, 02:55 AM »

I'm now getting spurious entries in lists of directory contents, which duplicate an existing entry but omit the last letter (see second in list).

174

General Software Discussion / Re: Got my Ubuntu disk,got two hard drives,can i dual boot off of a seperate drive?

« on: March 14, 2007, 02:32 AM »

 Ok,my machine has two hard drives,one drive has Windows XP Pro and the other has nothing (or will have Ubuntu)

 Is it possible to boot from the second drive ?

Complete newbie to linux,and this is my primary machine so i don't want to bork it.

Any input is appreciated.

-tinyvillager (March 14, 2007, 12:12 AM)

I got caught doing this on a similar system. Ubuntu installed OK (the process is actually very easy) but grub went on the XP disk and that refused to boot. That is, XP showed as anoption on the GRUB boot menu, but selecting it laoded nothing. I had to reinstall XP, which was by no means so easy 

My advice: disconnect the XP disc and install Ubuntu standalone on the other one. Then reconnect the XP disc and use the BIOS to select which to boot from.

175

Living Room / Re: Drawing with 2 mice

« on: March 08, 2007, 08:31 AM »

Google "toolglass" for some some interesting work on two-handed interfaces doneby Bill Buton about ten years ago.

For a simple modern example see http://grouplab.cpsc...n=Toolkits.Toolglass  using a .Net toolkit

A quote from the same site about the difficulties of progamming two independent mouse cursors:

Windows offers only a single system mouse, and consequently draws only a single system cursor on the screen. When you plug in multiple mice, windows just combines their input to move the system cursor. Similarly, all widgets in windows react to input from the single mouse.

Because SDGToolkit provides multiple mice and cursors (without the knowledge of Windows), it directly violates the Windows GUI. This creates several issues ...

Setting SDG Mice coordinates.
In windows, mice coordinates are normally reported relative to a window. SDG mice work differently.
By default, coordinates are always relative to the top left corner of the screen. This is fine for a full screen application, but bad if your SDG application lives in a window.
You can tell the SDG Toolkit to deliver coordinates so they are relative to the insider top-left corner of a window (a Form). To do this, set the RelativeTo property in the SDGManager to a form.


What should we do with the system mouse?
The system mouse is still around when you use SDGToolkit. However, it does provide several strategies for dealing with it.

Parking the mouse. (Recommended).
The SDGManager has a property called Emulate System Mouse. When this is set to Park, the system mouse is moved to the location given in ParkSystemMouseLocation, made invisible, and left there. That is, it does not move no matter how you move any of the SDG mice. This means that clicks outside of the SDG window will be ignored. The downside is that standard non-SDG widgets will not work (including your window title bar options), nor will you be able to do any task switching through mouse selection. This is why you have to press Alt-F4 to close the window, or Alt-Tab to switch between applications.
 
Full screen applications.
Another way around this problem is to park the mouse, and make the application full screen. This at least removes the visual conflict of having an SDG application surrounded by a non-SDG environment.


Normal GUI widgets won't work at all if the System Mouse is parked. Yet you can have the System Mouse follow a specific SDG mouse...
Expect strange behaviours. Other people will expect their mouse to work like a system mouse, but it won't. Also, other people's mouse actions may interfere with your use of the system mouse.
If you click do click outside the SDG Window, several unpleasant things happen.
Your SDG application (and the other mice) will stop working....

In practice, its best not to use this mode unless you really know what you are doing or have a good reason for doing it.

Confused? It all comes from having a window system with an ingrained notion that there could ever be a single mouse pointer. All commercial systems work this way. how bizarre.