Messages

1

Living Room / Re: Why My Mom Bought an Android, Returned It, and Got an iPhone

« on: September 26, 2011, 11:11 AM »

I consider myself a Geek but choose not to use Android.  Why is it that people say Android is for Geeks?  If this is the case, then Google really messed up.  There are more normal everyday users out there than there are Geeks.  If you are trying to succeed and become the world leader of any platform, you need to realize who you are designing it for.

This is why Linux has and never will succeed to the level of Windows or OSX.

As a Geek, I am also a professional a husband and a father.  My life is busy enough as it is and I need my Tech devices to simply work.  The iPhone is not only simple, but it does exactly what I need it to do in a simple and predictable way.

I love and use most of Google Services but I still carry an iPhone.  I love Google Services but love Apple hardware.  I don't think this makes me a newbie or stupid.  I think spending less time with a device that should make life easier is intelligent.  Having a device suck more energy out of me than I need and making my life more difficult is actually stupid.

Android is too unpredictable.  When I look at the offerings, I need to consider the manufacturer because their UI's are completely different.  I need to pay attention to the version of the OS since there are several out there.  I need to be careful of the Market place since a lot of Malware is found in there because it's not policed. 

No thanks.  I will stick with the iPhone.  It works, it's simple, I always have the latest version and I can spend more time living life rather than tweaking my device.

2

General Software Discussion / Re: Couldn't be more disappointed in Windows 8 :(

« on: September 26, 2011, 11:00 AM »

I have used my CR-48 Chromebook as my only computer for many months now.  I don't miss my PC one bit.  My next device will be a Tablet because I can do 95% of everything that matters to me.

The only reason I keep a PC around is for high end Graphics software such as Photoshop or Movie Editing software.  That's about it.  Once tablets get powerful enough to run these type of programs, I won't need a PC at all.

Most of what I do is consumption.  When I feel like creating a blog post, I can always dock it to a keyboard.   

3

General Software Discussion / Re: Google+

« on: July 19, 2011, 09:16 AM »

I enjoy using G+ and think it's a much better solution than Facebook.  G+ takes the best of Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter, under one easy to use UI.

Facebook added lots of features as an after though of their original intent.  G+ takes their web applications that are designed for specific content and adds them to G+, so you get a much better experience.  Gmail, Calendar, Photo's, Video's, etc.  All of these technologies already existed on their own, so they are designed to work great.  Now you add them all to G+ and you have a much better experience than Facebook.

Facebook forces people to join in order to communicate with them.  G+ does not.  I can post something on G+ and add anyone with an email.  If they have a G+ account, they can choose to add me to their circles or not and we can still communicate.  If you don't have G+ and choose not to get an account, we can still communicate.  This is much better than the walled garden of Facebook.

G+ allows me to send the post or articles I want to share to specific circle of people.  So I don't bore my non gaming friends with the latest review of a game or bother my gamer friends with my new camera gear that my photo friends would be interested in.   I can decide to post something to multiple circles such as Family and Friends if it's something I want a broader audience to see.  I can also post things Public like Twitter, if I wanted to share something with the world.

People can follow me and I can follow them like Twitter, but they will be in my "Following" circle. I never have to worry about posting something to the wrong people with G+.

G+ allows me to take all my data with me with a click of a button and I can completely delete my account and all my data from Google's servers with a click of a button.  Try that with Facebook.

Everyone is trying to make money from our data and habits, but if I had to trust a company with this information, I would trust Google much more than Facebook. 

Circles, Hangout, Sparks, Huddle and more great features coming.  FINALLY, a competitor to Facebook that will be a game changer.  G+ will make Facebook and Twitter better, so in the end, we all win.  I already use all Google services, so G+ is a perfect fit for me.  Just because you prefer one from the other, does not mean you can't keep both.  I will keep my Facebook for some time, but will do less and less there with G+ taking center stage as my social platform.

Just my thoughts on G+

4

Developer's Corner / Re: What path to take for learning Web Development?

« on: November 21, 2010, 07:24 AM »

Thank you very much.

I will start with HTML and CSS first.   

5

Developer's Corner / Re: What path to take for learning Web Development?

« on: November 02, 2010, 04:34 PM »

You guys are fantastic.

I won't lie when I tell you that I am excited and scared at the same time.  I am diving into a world that I am not familiar with at all.  I just get frustrated when I find a web app that does too much or not enough and I would like to just make it myself.  

Should I leave HTML5 alone for now? 

I know everything is going forward with HTML5 but the standard is not yet fully released if I remember correctly.  I guess if I learn XHTML, I should be able to pick up on the HTML5 later.

6

Developer's Corner / What path to take for learning Web Development?

« on: September 20, 2010, 08:28 AM »

I know this topic will have many different opinions, but I am honestly ready to start learning how to develop web applications.

My focus is on Web Applications at the moment, so I am wondering what would be a good suggested path of learning.

Should I learn XHTML, HTML5 and CSS first?

What language should I learn first to get my feet wet and what to move onto from there?

I am a 100% complete novice with very no experience.  I have some ideas for web applications that I want to create myself, but at first I want to simply learn the very basics and create simple web applications for fun.

I am a 3D Designer and Animator by profession, so I am a visual type person.  Programming in my eyes seems like the most complicated thing in the world, so please suggest the simplest approach for me to get going. 

Should I start with a particular language because it's easy to learn and then transition to something more involved?

Do I need to have a grasp of HTML and CSS before I even get going?

Any information would be appreciated.   

7

Living Room / Re: install win7 32 or 64 bit on a 4 gig ram machine - opinions, please.

« on: June 14, 2010, 06:05 AM »

I just received 16 new workstations that have W7 Professional x64 and did not notice any performance issues with my 32bit applications.

I did not even need to use XP mode for any of my older apps.  The drivers gave me a little challenge on one of my printers but I resolved it by installing a different driver.

I am running Quad Xeons @ 2.93GHz, 6GB or RAM and the Nvidia Quadro FX 3800 with 1GB video RAM.

LOVE IT!

8

DC Gamer Club / Re: Sniper Elite for $2 on Steam

« on: April 13, 2010, 09:32 AM »

This is one of my favorite Sniping games of all time.  I own it for the Playstation 2 and it's the first true sniping game I have ever played.

Snipers are stealthy, take their time, time their shots, recon the situation ahead of time.  You do a lot of slow crawling in this game to get into a good position, you mask your shot with the bombing in the backdrop of the battle.  You try to take out targets in a way where they will not alert others of your presence, so you must pay attention to who is facing who and what patterns they patrol.

It's a fantastic game for those who enjoy the true essence of sniping.  If you think this is like Moder Warfare 2 or Bad Company 2, you will be frustrated.  Instead of a kill every 20 seconds, think of a kill ever 20 to 30 minutes.  But you had to EARN that kill by crawling your way into position, checking your surrounding, finding the enemy and understanding their locations.

Great game.  Wish they would make Sniper Elite 2 with today's graphics.

9

DC Gamer Club / Re: 30 PC Games to Play Before You Die

« on: May 12, 2009, 05:54 AM »

I played 11 of the 30 on that list.  The only problem with creating a list like this is simply that gamers have different taste.  No matter how good a game is, you will always find people that don't like it and vise versa.

What I think this article should have been called is.  "30 games I think you should try before you die" because it's simply the persons opinion.  Many gamers like certain Genre's in games and no matter how good a particular game can be, if you are not into that Genre, you will not enjoy it.

One example is Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.  I believe it's one of the best game I have played simply because of the replay value.  I also love the RPG Genre.   Now this does not mean that someone how does not care for RPG Genre would also enjoy this game as much as I do.

With that said.  Some good games on that list and some other games I would not have any interest in ever playing. 

10

General Software Discussion / Re: JkDefrag further developed as MyDefrag

« on: May 12, 2009, 05:39 AM »

I am a big JKDefrag user and sure how "My Defrag" is only a name change.  I don't care much for shareware.

11

Living Room / Re: OK - lets get to know each other... who are you, what do you do, where from?

« on: May 06, 2009, 10:10 PM »

Hello everyone.

I am Proximo.  I have been using or accessing Donation Coder for some time now but I am now going to be more active. 

I am a 3D Designer/Animator by profession and my current position is Computer Aided Design Manager.  I teach Mechanical Engineers how to Design world class products in 3D.

I have been working in CAD for over 20+ years and started writing scripts to automate some task and installation routines.  I really started appreciating the ability to write something on my own that made my life easier, but never considered programming.  I simply thought it was to difficult and a scary world for me to venture into.

I became a big supporter of Open Source software and eventually found Donation Coder.  I enjoyed using the programs that others freely shared to make my life easy but I started to find that I could not always find what I wanted.  The software either had more features than I wanted or not enough.

This is where my passion for learning programming started.  I enjoyed using others programs and decided that it was time for me to learn programming and venture into this crazy world, at least from my perspective.

I am excited about learning and hopefully sharing my own programs in the future.  I decided on C# for my own reasons and I am currently in the learning process.

I want to thank all of you who share your knowledge and I wish to pay you back in a similar fashion in the future.

12

C# / Re: Some nice C# tutorials by dc member kyrathaba

« on: May 06, 2009, 10:22 AM »

Kyrathaba,

I did forget to mention this to you.   You are a great teacher. 

The fact that you use analogies that are easy to follow and understand says a lot about a teacher.  Many people have skills in one area or the other, but this does not mean they can teach.

Teaching is not just knowing the material but having the ability to explain it in a way a new person can understand and learn from.

Just wanted to share my thoughts.   I really enjoy your tutorials.

13

C# / Re: Some nice C# tutorials by dc member kyrathaba

« on: May 06, 2009, 09:44 AM »

Kyrathaba,

I really appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge.  I just started to learn C# and I am excited about your tutorials and any information that can help me.

I am a 3D Designer by profession and recently decided to learn programming.  A passion developed inside of me over the years and I am using this new passion to seriously learn C#.   I have 19+ years experience with 3D Computer Aided Design and this is the first time in 19 years that I developed a passion as strong as I have for 3D.

As a professional trainer/consultant in 3D Design.  I will say this about video tutorials.  It's the most natural method of learning because a video will allow you to actually see in real time how to do something while having the benefit of listening to the explanation by voice.  Many times you may have some tricks, tips or suggestions that can be more naturally explained and covered in the course of a video than it would be to write it out in text.  In a video, you can also go through the examples of these tricks to clearly show what you mean.

Having a video is like sitting behind you and watching you do your thing while I sit there and learn.  If I miss something, I can simply rewind a little and listen to it again and again.  From my experience, Video's are the best method of training someone and keep it interesting.  You may say a joke or two during a video that you may not think about when you are writing it out for example.

Now if you do have the resources to use the video method,  I think it would be the most effective way to teach others.  Not to say that your current method is not successful, because it surely is.

Lynda.com has gained a lot of popularity because of the video training method vs. the traditional method.  In a world where bandwidth is getting faster and people get used to the new innovative ways of interaction.  Video's are the future.   This is why so many major colleges are filming their lectures and sharing them freely on the web.  YouTube EDU is an example or Academic Earth.

In any case.  We all appreciate you sharing and we will be happy with any method you are able to provide.   

Thanks.

14

Living Room / Re: Best Buy Geek Squad Confession (long and interesting)

« on: May 10, 2007, 01:33 PM »

One experience I had with Geek Squad said it all for me.  I build my own computers and have a good knowledge of computers as a whole.  I went into a Best Buy one day and noticed two PC's next to each other running a game.  The same game, but one was running much faster (Normal) and the other was skipping frames like crazy.

The sign on the table pointed out that the faster computer was optimized by Geek Squad.  I found this interesting because I know you can only do so much to the SAME EXACT computer to make it run faster.  So I asked the Geek Squad Person about it.  They where talking a bunch of smoke and dancing around some fancy terms to make it sound like they know their stuff.  They mentioned tweaks to drivers and registry bla bla. 

I said really.  So the only difference between these two computers is the tweaks you made?  The Geek then commented that they upgraded the Graphics card on the faster one.  I asked them what card was put in there and to my amazement.  It was a gaming card that was capable of actually running the game.  So I asked them how much for the service and it was about $100 more than the price of the graphics card alone.  So basically, they charged you $100 to install something that takes about 2 minutes.  That my friends is what Geek Squad is all about.  You don't need to do anything else to that computer to make it run that game faster.  Just swipe the graphics card out.

What a SCAM.