Topics

126

Found Deals and Discounts / Thumbplus 7.0 Competitive upgrade for a limited time

« on: July 06, 2006, 11:22 AM »

Thumbsplus is a great image management software.

Check it out.

I know that there are some free alternatives. But some of the free ones do not cater for certain formats that Thumbsplus 7.0 have.

And if you like to annotate your images to make it easier to retrieve by keywords, Thumbsplus is really good here. Not much point collecting images when you have great difficulty looking for the one you need amongst the thousands that you accumulate.

"For a limited time only, Cerious Software is offering competitive upgrades from several products: ACDsee®, ACDsee Pro®, CompuPic®, Cumulus®, Extensis Portfolio®, and ImageAXS®. "
https://phlipper.cer...s.com/compupg7.shtml

127

Found Deals and Discounts / Pocket Informant, Flexmail, Flexwallet- great PocketPC software- 40% summer sale

« on: June 12, 2006, 08:20 AM »

This is a site with really top in it's class Pocket PC software.

http://www.pocketinf...ess/SummerSale06.php

128

Found Deals and Discounts / Inksaver 2.0 - 30% Discount during June 2006

« on: June 09, 2006, 06:37 AM »

Great way to save money on Expensive Printer Inks

http://www.inksaver..../overview/index.html

129

Found Deals and Discounts / "Ilium Software's ONE-day sale begins June 2! Here's what's on offer f

« on: June 02, 2006, 09:58 AM »

Pocket PC Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves
"Ilium Software's one-day sale begins tomorrow, June 2! Here's what's on offer for the Pocket PC:

• eWallet Professional Edition: $9.99 (originally, $29.95).
• ListPro Professional Edition: $9.99 (originally, $29.95).
• Keep Track Professional Edition: $9.99 (originally, $24.95).
• NewsBreak: $3.33 (originally, $19.95).
• DockWare Pro: $3.33 (originally, $9.95).

And if you're a Smartphone user, you can still take advantage of these excellent offers. Remember - one day only!"
http://www.pocketpct...?action=expand,49081

130

General Software Discussion / Some users locked out of Google Mail - Some Wiped (Yikes)

« on: May 26, 2006, 11:27 AM »

Backup, Backup, Backup - like via Outlook etc

Some users locked out of Google Mail | CNET News.com

Google said it is "working to resume normal service soon" for Google Mail after a number of users of the e-mail service were left without access.

The search giant on Thursday confirmed the outage after some people complained they couldn't access their e-mail accounts. Problems were also reported with Google Desktop.

Nathan Anderson, a user of Gmail (as the service is known outside the U.K., where legal issues necessitated a name change), said he was shut out of the mail service for at least three hours.

.....


"Back in March, several Google Mail users complained that they were struggling to use the free service. Two said their accounts had actually been deleted.

The search giant eventually admitted some accounts had indeed been wiped, but claimed it was not responsible."
http://news.com.com/...076957&subj=news

131

Found Deals and Discounts / Discounts at Windows User Group www.wugnet.com

« on: April 26, 2006, 12:25 PM »

You can get some deals at:

http://www.wugnet.co...chives/wugnet-db.asp

But do note that you can safely ignore the deadlines in each of the offers where they set a date for you to get the offer.

It's basically a date that is set a few days away to create the impression of scarcity. ie that the deal expires unless you respond by such and such a date.

I have gone back there from time to time and so far, the discounts have not expired on me.

So hang on to your credit cards if you are unsure. Don't be hurried by the deadlines.

132

Found Deals and Discounts / GhostSurf Platinum 2006 1 week 40% off offer

« on: April 26, 2006, 12:19 PM »

For those who must surf anonymously or paranoid about it.

The email flyer says "This offer expires in one week"

There were times when I went back past the offer date and the offer was still there.

Maybe they use a different clock than I use or they were just forgetful. But don't count on that if you have always wanted to have the software.

http://www.v-com.com...2006_060425_117.html

133

Found Deals and Discounts / "Secret" Sale at Handango just for 1 week - PocketPC & Palm related software

« on: April 25, 2006, 11:28 PM »

Secret Sale at Handango just for 1 week for PocketPC or Palm software

Don't click on the image. It has no link. Click below instead

www.handango.com

or

http://www.handango....portId=MTQ1MjUwOTcS1
or

http://tinyurl.com/rf63v

134

General Software Discussion / How do you protect yourself against faulty Windows patches

« on: April 18, 2006, 09:16 AM »

Windows patch trips up on HP tool, firewall | Tech News on ZDNet

A "critical" Windows patch can cause trouble on computers that run certain Hewlett-Packard photo-sharing software or the Kerio firewall, Microsoft said.

http://news.zdnet.co...026.html?tag=nl.e589

For me, one way is to delay the patches by a couple of days so that the problem can surface.

However, the patches were released last week and I only knew about the problems today.

So this is where a software line Goback really helps which allows me to turn back the clock literally.
http://www.goback.com/

It's the only Symantec product I have and have saved me before but not this round since I do not have the affected software mentioned in the article.

But who knows when the next problematical "critical" patch will come around and mess things up for me or you.

But in that sense, I'm prepared.

It would be good to find out how others "protect" themselves from potential patching disaster other than imaging your system before patching.

135

General Software Discussion / Does anyone use PocketPCs

« on: April 01, 2006, 03:39 AM »

I was just curious.

I hardly see any post in this forum on PocketPCs. Do you all only live in front of the PC ?

Does anyone who visits this forum use PocketPCs and what are their favourite software, freeware they could not live without.

I just went to http://bitsdujour.com/ and discovered that they had one of the favourites on sale :ewallet at 55% off this weekend.

Perhaps I can kick it off with a list of what I use or cannot live without.

Pocket Informant 
A very well endowed PIM - regularly updated
www.pocketinformant.com

If you are patient, I think his anniversay date when the company was formed is around Oct 15. At that point, he has been known to knock down the price.
Beats the heck out of the software that came bundled with the ipaq and synchronizes with your Outlook.

ewallet
Currently on offer at http://bitsdujour.com/ this weekend         
Keep your private info, software serials etc and can synch with your desktop if you buy the desktop version as well.
www.iliumsoft.com

Pocket Bible   
Daily Reader
You can buy devotionals, motivational books (not many) etc
www.laridian.com

Calligrapher   
Wonderful handwriting recognition, macros, shortcuts etc

Phatnotes Professional
Great note taking utility and organizer. Synchs with desktop or Outlook depending on version

Phatpat
Take graphical notes. Synchs with desktop.
Bought them a while back when they had one of those mad 3 day sale when everything was at one unbelievably cheap price.
www.phatware.com

Sprite Backup 
Works - a real lifesaver
www.spritebackup.com

Stoptime
Stopwatch, alarm etc
Freeware, plus a few other freebies at his site
http://home.comcast.net/~jonsachs/

Magic Button
Enables you to switch between programs.
http://www.trancreative.com/mb.aspx

SimpleSMS
For those who struggle with typing long SMS with your handphone. Write your sms on your PocketPC and send SMS via Handphone via IR or Bluetooth. But may not work with all phones.
http://www.visualit....cketPC/simplesms.htm

Avantgo
Newsreader
Freeware
www.avantgo.com

Battery pack pro
Utility that tracks battery condition. Launch buttons etc.
http://www.omegaone.com/home.htm

Wolfclock
Under test- hopefully functional enough to replace ptravelalarm which is shareware
Freeware
Alarm clock
http://www.freewarep...lock/wolfclock.shtml

There are lots of freeware but a bit overwhelming so it would be good to hear the recommendations of people here.

You can also find other freeware at www.handango.com

136

Found Deals and Discounts / Bits du Jour - One Software Title Each Day At A Big Discount

« on: March 30, 2006, 08:59 AM »

Extract from :
Pocket PC Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves
Bits du Jour - One Software Title Each Day At A Big Discount
http://bitsdujour.com/

Posted by Ed Hansberry @ 07:00 AM
"Bits du Jour will feature one downloadable product each day, at a big discount. The downloadable products will usually be software, including games, but we'll occasionally also have online memberships, or music or video downloads."

I've talked with one of the persons involved in setting this site up. Most of the time it will be desktop software, but having ties to the mobile device space, they are committed to having the occasional PDA title as well, so subscribe to the RSS feed and load up on bits at discount prices. :way to go: And if you happen to be a software developer, get in touch with them if you want to have your software appear one day. It is a great way to get mass exposure and a big buy in, albeit at discount prices, but that can turn into nice upgrade fees and other purchases that spread by word of mouth."
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/

137

General Software Discussion / A Search and Replace Utility to increment range of numbers in a text file ?

« on: March 25, 2006, 08:06 AM »

I'm looking for a Search and Replace Utility that can process and increase or decrease numbers in a simple text file that contains text such as :

<target="2"/>
<target="12"/>
<target="13"/>
<target="14"/>
<target="15"/>
<target="16"/>
<target="17"/>
<target="3"/>
<target="4"/>


2</PARA>
3</PARA>
4</PARA>
12</PARA>
13</PARA>
14</PARA>
15</PARA>
16</PARA>
17</PARA>

2
3
4
12
13
17
15
16
17

What it needs to do is to search through the file and increase or decrease only the numbers that is
preceeded by
<target=
and greater than or equal to say 13 by a definable number of say 2

Likewise it should be able to search through the file and incease or decrease also the numbers that is followed by
</PARA>
and greater than or equal to say 13 by a definable number of say 2

It should leave any other numbers it encounters alone.

End result should be

<target="2"/>
<target="12"/>
<target="15"/>
<target="16"/>
<target="17"/>
<target="18"/>
<target="19"/>
<target="3"/>
<target="4"/>


2</PARA>
3</PARA>
4</PARA>
12</PARA>
15</PARA>
16</PARA>
17</PARA>
18</PARA>
19</PARA>

2
3
4
12
13
17
15
16
17

I tried Replacem http://www.orbit.org/replace/ but it does not have a facility to increase or decrease numbers found it a search string.

Why I would find such a utility useful is that I have to change many more numbers and the process would be quite tedious.

If no such utility is available, can such a utility be written with the Autohotkey that so many are raving about.

138

General Software Discussion / Filenotes for Downloading Amnesiacs

« on: March 09, 2006, 08:54 AM »

Do you have this problem with download amnesia ?

You are busily surfing download sites, you see an interesting download at www.lifehacker.com or wherever, and you download them over a period of weeks/months.

And you told yourself that one of these days you are going to install and try them.

But now the "That" day of reckoning has arrived. You see all the .exe and zip files with cryptic names, you cannot for the life of you remember why you downloaded them in the first place or even where you got them from.

There's a solution www.filenotes.com

But it does have some problems with a 3rd party file detection service it uses that conflicts with some software I use.

But it can still be used effectively without this file detection service although with some incovenience.

Some have claimed that the 3rd party file detection service multiappnt.exe contributes to system instability leading to BSOD Bad_Pool_Header. You can read about this in their forum. I have experiend the BSOD problems although I cannot say for certain it's due to this.

As a result, I now use the program without the file detection service.

I'm also wondering if anyone knows of another way to annotate files with filenotes easliy besides those below:

Xplorer2 Professional  www.zabkat.com

xplorer2 allows you to annotate files although the annotation:
"add comments to any file, providing it's on an NTFS partition. These comments are different from file-internal comment/preview features of some files like Word or Excel. They are strored in an alternate data stream (ADS), and can be added/edited from x2 with Alt+Z.
Yes they are limited; but 257 characters seems like a lot to me. "


Filenotes Professional Edition (I have not tried this)
http://home.flash.ne.../FileNotes/index.htm

139

General Software Discussion / Don't Buy Anything with a load of CRAP

« on: March 02, 2006, 09:15 AM »

If you are thinking whether you should be buying one of the cool devices, the articles below will give you some food for thought.


Transcript - A load of C.R.A.P. - At The Whiteboard - ZDNet.com
"ZDNet Executive Editor David Berlind suggests that CRAP or Content, Restriction, Annulment, and Protection, is a catchier phrase than DRM - Digital Rights Management. Why does he think this technology is crap? Once you've bought music or other content to play on one device, it won't play on any other device because of the proprietary layer of CRAP"

http://news.zdnet.co...ml/z/wb/6035707.html

You can also watch an interesting video on the same subject by clicking the link at the bottom of the above article.

A related article :
» Jobs iPod Hi-Fi: Home stereo reinvented? Or load of HorseCRAP? | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

"Cancellation, Restriction, and Punishment"
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=2642

140

Living Room / To All Hot Blooded Meat eaters out there - Look carefully before you bite

« on: February 20, 2006, 11:00 AM »

FDA Is Urged to Ban Carbon-Monoxide-Treated Meat
"Picture two steaks on a grocer's shelf, each hermetically sealed in clear plastic wrap. One is bright pink, rimmed with a crescent of pearly white fat. The other is brown, its fat the color of a smoker's teeth.

Which do you reach for?
   
The meat industry knows the answer, which is why it has quietly begun to spike meat packages with carbon monoxide."
http://www.washingto...AR2006021901101.html

What can you trust anymore ?

I was just helping my dad understand all the new fangled electronics and buttons in his car today and I suddenly remembered reading somewhere that the "new car" smells are a probably a toxic mixture of fumes being emitted by a whole ranges of plastics, synthetic materials or chemically treated leather used for making the car.  Boy I have to hold my breath longer when I'm his new car or have the windows down.

141

General Software Discussion / Defragmentation programs doesn't co-exist that well with Norton Goback

« on: February 09, 2006, 12:43 PM »

How many times have you installed something and deeply regretted it, you deleted the important spreadsheet and only realised your mistake a few days later when your boss asked you for it and of course you just cleared your recycled bin and the os has also overwritten the area where it was last stored.

How you wished you could "Goback".

Well, I've been doing that for years with Goback which maintains a large history file of all activity on your PC and once the file is full, it drops off the oldest history and depending on how large this file is (goback.bin) your history can run into many days, ie you can goback several days.

I was kind of surprised that there's only one other mention of Goback in this forum at
https://www.donation...index.php?topic=84.0

Some mentioned was made in that post about strain to the system.

But frankly, even when I was using it years ago, the strain if any wasn't visible and certainly not in today's speedy system.

But I can say that it certainly has save my "life" countless times, whether due to a virus, a malware when I installed something a new download or messed up some settings etc or even a dreaded BSOD.

And if you are a download junkie who likes to try new software, Goback can really keep your system clean, just like VMware, but in a different way by allowing you to Goback if you have problems.

I can say that looking at some of the posts here of people who have experienced crashes etc due to addition of a new hardware driver, software etc, Goback would have saved them endless gnashing of teeth or even a complete reinstall.

Now a proviso and a request for any ideas.

I also use defragmenters, in this case Diskeeper 9.

The only problem is that Defragmenters create lots of file activity when they are defragmenting and this kind of fills up the goback.bin and if it proceeds for too long, Goback stops recording and gives you a warning that it has "Suspended because of massive file activity"to give Goback time to catch up.

It then resumes maybe like 5 - 8 hours later (don't know why it needs so long to catch up) which can be an eternity if you happen to have installed something that messes up your system during this intervening period. The problem is that you may not even know that Goback has been suspended until you need it.

So my strategy to overcome this is to initially fully defragment the disk and then use the "Set it and forget it scheduler" in diskeeper for it to do bits and pieces of defragmenting every now and then.

So this kind of keeps Diskeeper and Goback working together happily.

Unfortunately, periodically when I'm doing a lot more work deleting and doing file maintenance, Diskeeper tend to work harder at too long a stretch creating too much activity at one go - resulting in "Goback Suspended because of massive file activity"

Ideally Diskeeper should have a setting that limits it to 10 minutes, wait say 30 minutes before it restarts.

Does anybody out there know of a defragmenter like Perfect Disk which can do this work 10 minutes, wait 30 minutes before it restarts.

I kind of read somewhere that PerfectDisk has a full commandline interface too - so I guess it can be combined with some scheduling software to achieve this Work Stop Wait functionality.

Any additional ideas will be appreciated.

142

General Software Discussion / Find words as you type - on the fly searching, almost anywhere

« on: October 26, 2005, 08:00 AM »

I'm a fan of instanteous search tools like, Powermarks, Find and Run Robot, Yahoo Desktop Search Programs, Seek (which I used before Find and Run Robot) http://home.ripway.com/2004-10/188589/

And here's another one I suggest : Handyfind http://www.handykeys.com/

Some of you may find it useful, like help you look for a needle in a haystack on a webpage, Microsoft Word, Emails and more.

Unfortunately it does not work in Firefox (which already have a better search than IE, though not quite as good as HandyFind http://www.handykeys.com/  and it's Donationware.

I have been using it for several weeks now and it's quite amazing, the speed of the search and it easily allows you to move on to the next search via the keyboard. Very good for keyboard freaks - I'm one of them.

It works very well, but just a word of caution on a bug. It places an icon in the system tray which I think it's for configuration purposes. For some reason, I can right click it but it kind of hangs on me after that- which means I cannot configure it to change some settings. And I may even have to reboot.

But in its default mode, it already works like a dream if you use IE. I have yet to email the author about this particular bug.

If anyone of you try the program and experience the same bug, do let me know.

 

Update of apparent bug : The author has responded to me and I terminated as many resident programs as I could and this time, there's no hanging. It could be some other programs causing a conflict.