Messages

101

General Software Discussion / Re: What Android Apps Do You Use?

« on: October 13, 2020, 03:48 PM »

If you don't want to use K-9 Mail, what are you going to use?  Most of the alternatives I glanced at wanted an insane number of permissions.

This has come into sharper focus for me because I've used a Yahoo! UK email account for ages.  Now, Yahoo!  are desperate to make users adopt Yahoo!'s own app for 'security' reasons.  They may be offering a work-around, but it would be nice to have alternatives.

102

Living Room / Re: Wanted a software collection software

« on: September 04, 2020, 04:17 PM »

For a small, very fast and free file/disk cataloguing tool, it's hard to beat Cathy.  It doesn't do version numbers if you mean according to Windows Properties, but obviously shows them if they're part of the file name.

There were lots of such tools back in the DOS days, when files were offloaded onto floppy disks.  I used to use CatDisk (shareware).  That site seems to be down. You can download the last version, dated 2003, from various web sites. It may no longer be possible to register it. WinCatalog seems popular and fairly up to date.  It's payware, but seems to be on permanent 20% discount, either via its home page, or via Bits du Jour WinCatalog deal.

103

General Software Discussion / Cyren ends F-PROT Endpoint Antivirus for home users

« on: August 12, 2020, 03:33 PM »

e-mail received today, 2020-08-12:

Dear Valued Customer,
This note is to inform you of the upcoming End-of-Sale (EOS) and End-of-Life (EOL) dates for the F-PROT Endpoint Antivirus products.
F-PROT endpoint has had a long and successful history, and we thank you for your support as a Cyren customer. There are many other options in the market for endpoint AV, and Cyren has decided to focus on enterprise solutions. As a result, we can no longer support the F-PROT Endpoint product line.
The following dates will be in effect:
°   1-Aug-2020 - End-of-Sales Date (the product cannot be ordered from Cyren beyond that date)
°   31-July-2021 End-of-Life Date (last data when the product will be supported and signature updates provided)

We thank you for your support and commitment to Cyren and F-PROT.

Sincerely,
Cyren team

I presume 'Endpoint' is jargon for individual users.  I used F-PROT for years on DOS and then Windows.  Shame to see it go.

104

General Software Discussion / Re: some useful but less-known software. share your list!!!

« on: August 11, 2020, 04:49 PM »

If you ever worked extensively with DOS computers, you probably used Vern Buerg's famous utility LIST.COM at some stage.  It was the premier file viewer for DOS.  If you yearn for something similar, The V File Viewer is the nearest thing I've seen to a spiritual descendant:

V is an all-purpose File Manager for Windows with a powerful inbuilt text file viewer which excels at viewing files quickly - whether they are 100 bytes or 100 gigabytes.

It is an indispensable utility for anyone who spends much time navigating directories and viewing files.

    Tabbed File Manager with Dual Pane interface
    Powerful text and hex file viewer (views large files quickly)
    Support for CSV files
    Search/GREP functionality
    EBCDIC support
    Unicode support
    Extensive Command Line support and keyboard shortcuts
    Thumbnails mode
    Greenbar mode
    2UP printing
    Support for ZIP, CAB, TAR, RAR, GZip, BZip2 and 7Zip archives
    Support for Alternate Data Streams and 4DOS descriptions
    Bioinformatics/DNA search (experimental)
    Spanish, French, Italian and Russian translations available

Can also do file tailing.

Take the "file manager" bit with a pinch of salt; it's primarily a viewer, with modest (but potentially useful) management features tacked on.  And the 'Dual Pane interface' isn't quite set in stone, it depends on how you set it up and invoke it.  It isn't free, but low cost, with an unusual license:

A single user license costs US$20
(and includes 6 years of free upgrades).

In practice, upgrades are exceedingly rare, but it's good as it is.

Screenshots:

105

General Software Discussion / Re: some useful but less-known software. share your list!!!

« on: August 11, 2020, 04:26 PM »

For those that want a very fast grep tool with a GUI (Windows): BareGrep

-Shades (August 09, 2020, 09:54 PM)

+1 

106

Living Room / Re: Share your photos! Travel shots, photoblogs, etc.

« on: August 04, 2020, 03:57 PM »

the photos you combine in the double spreads work really well together. (That's a real talent in itself.)

-tomos (August 04, 2020, 01:46 PM)

I got candidate images printed out as the smallest, cheapest prints that PhotoBox offered, layed them out on the floor, and played endless games of Snap to find matching pairs (as far as possible, some don't).  It's more natural than you might expect.  In the explanatory section under the book I wrote "This plays into the "inscape" idea of my photography mentor, Philip Evans of North Wales, that people have sets of lines, blocks and points in their minds, and when out in the world, only press the button when what's in front of them happens to match one of their innate patterns."  In other words, people are apt to repeat compositions in terms at least of shapes, even when the subjects and scales are different.  In a somewhat similar idea, Karen, the lady who ran the classes when most were made, "likes the idea of photos "talking to each other," i.e., the whole being more than the sum of the parts."

Was listening to a photographer a while back talking about selecting prints -- for sale or maybe for a calendar. They would print them and hang them on the wall for a week and see how they felt about them after that time.

-tomos (August 04, 2020, 01:46 PM)

That's a good idea; similarly, I find it best to leave something I've written for a week or so before I can hope to proofread it properly.  I wouldn't have printed all those out full size, though, too expensive! 

Re the number of photos -- it's a lot of photos! I think any photographer would struggle to get that many together.

-tomos (August 04, 2020, 01:46 PM)

I've got more now    in case there's a revised edition, or, heaven help me, a second volume     ( definitely not imminent!)  Five of the photos were made earlier, but the great majority were gathered over almost a whole year.

If I may be critical I like the black and white photos but not sure they fit in with the rest of the images.

-tomos (August 04, 2020, 01:46 PM)

I think so too.  I also wrote in the blurb "I am not an instinctive monochrome photographer, and think that sits a little uneasily amid the rest."  I put the mono ones in because Karen likes black & white (her degree had an element of art photography) and was very determined that we should all have a go.

Thanks for your kind comments 

107

Living Room / Re: Share your photos! Travel shots, photoblogs, etc.

« on: August 03, 2020, 03:59 PM »

Lovely!
Great to see some of your photos. And the presentation works very well

-tomos (August 02, 2020, 04:33 PM)

Thank you I released the book to the CEWE Photoworld Community.  It didn't win their 'book of the month' prize, but got an honourable mention: better than a slap in the face with a wet fish, anyway.  They don't seem to require you to be a logged-in member, so you may be able to see it complete here.

I put too many photos in... some are better than others No sooner than I saw them in print, I noticed things in some photos that I hadn't seen on screen, and not improvements.  Conversely, at least one photo looks better on screen than in print.

108

Living Room / Re: Share your photos! Travel shots, photoblogs, etc.

« on: August 02, 2020, 04:11 PM »

I recently had a photo book made by CEWE-Photoworld, with photos of my local area.  There's next to no text, bar acknowledgements, as I wanted something more like the look of mounted prints in a gallery.  Here are four screenshots from the CEWE software's WYSIWYG view.

109

General Software Discussion / Re: How to automate Windows with a fast & easy (minimal programming) solution?

« on: July 27, 2020, 05:24 PM »

suggest a minimal programming Windows automation solution

-m9833 (July 22, 2020, 04:17 PM)

"minimal programming" might never be as minimal as you'd like    The closest you can get might be something like Macro Express, a well-featured, long-established program.

Cheaper but less featured; Axife Mouse Recorder (apparently written in AutoIT).

Even cheaper, plus a free version; Mini Mouse Macro.

110

General Software Discussion / Re: Recommended replacement for Push The Friggin Button (PTFB)?

« on: July 02, 2020, 05:00 PM »

I was curious how PTFB compares to other options.

-sphere (July 02, 2020, 08:36 AM)

If you check Alternatives to PTFB Pro Software Automation Tool, it doesn't look there are any direct replacements.  Most of that list are either for software testing or general macro programs.

A quick look at my Automation tools archive turned up WinSendKeys by DC member Ath.  Don't know of that would work.  Warning - Ath's site is yet another one marked as "possible Trojan" by trigger-happy MBAM.

111

General Software Discussion / Re: notepad calculator?

« on: July 02, 2020, 04:43 PM »

FWIW, I don't have the Windows version of CalcTape, but think well of the Android version.

112

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Chiral motion.

« on: June 28, 2020, 04:02 PM »

Have you considered trying a Trackball^w?

113

General Software Discussion / Re: A classic menu software like Direct Access for Dos but for Windows 10

« on: June 27, 2020, 04:55 PM »

I just wish there is a sort of classic menu system for me to launch my favorite programs. [...] there is just nothing that looks like the Direct Access for me.

-tofulover (June 20, 2020, 08:56 AM)

Everything is different in Windows    You might take a look at Qsel

Qsel is a "launcher" for frequently used programs, documents and web links.

    Create any number of categories with individual launcher window settings
    Easy configuration of launcher windows using drag&drop
    Switch categories: click on category title opens popup menu; back to previous (stacked)
    Access to options and configuration through context menu (right mouse click)
    SystemTray mode with tray menu for quick access to all windows and functions
    Auto-hide mode in docking position at desktop edge (right mouse click to bring window back)
    Windows optionally without title bar (see image)
    Optional at Qsel startup: auto launching items from special "startup" category
    Special launcher items: pop-up file lists to pick from
    Automatic drive letter handling on USB Flash Drives
    Unicode support

It's very different, yet might be a fairly close work-alike.

114

General Software Discussion / Re: A classic menu software like Direct Access for Dos but for Windows 10

« on: June 27, 2020, 04:49 PM »

Just saw this, but perhaps popmenu is something to look at? Review here https://www.ghacks.n...auncher-for-windows/

-Lintalist (June 27, 2020, 12:43 PM)

That leads to a web site that MBAM says is a Trojan, as I reported here: https://www.donation....msg438953#msg438953

I'm pretty sure it's a false positive, which MBAM has been too keen on lately, but I haven't tried the program.

115

Post New Requests Here / Re: Windows Clipboard Manager - ^c ^c ^c ^v ^v ^v

« on: June 19, 2020, 05:02 PM »

while doing certain tasks (like filling out forms)

-dwilbank (June 13, 2020, 01:14 PM)

If you're doing that, wouldn't you be usually pasting fixed text, like lines of an address?  In which case, wouldn't permanent clips be the answer?

I'm pretty sure mouser's Clipboard Help+Spell (CHS) can do what you want.  As an alternative, here's part of the Help file for ArsClip:

Combining Multiple Clips

In this example, the user copies three clips and wants to paste the items using the order they were copied. Notice below that the "last" copied clip is actually first on the popup, so the item numbers are reversed:

Clip 1 - [POPUPITEM=2]
Clip 2 - [POPUPITEM=1]
Clip 3 - [POPUPITEM=0]

116

General Software Discussion / Re: any software can do a batch S&R "multi strings" in "multi files" at a time?

« on: June 18, 2020, 03:04 PM »

• Minitrue, a Search / Replace Utility.  Free, but:
  
  • Original version
    DOS or Linux only
  • Recompiled by Jason Hood
    Win32 console port.
  Don't know if it does Unicode.  The rest claim to, and are also WinGUI:
  
• HandyFile Find And Replace and Text Workbench
  

  perhaps the best Windows utilities for people who have to edit multiple occurences of text at once in many text files, HTML pages, source code, logs or any other text data.
  
  Using a powerful Regular Expression engine, it will enable you to find any irregular text by creating search patterns of any level of complexity. You can preview each replacement, perform batch search and replace operations (that is, apply many search/replace operations to a file at once). The collector feature will extract text from files for you, transform it and save it to one file or individual files. The major edition can search and replace files via FTP. It is what you would like a search and replace tool to be.
  

  Various versions, from free to fairly expensive.  I used to use one of the payware versions myself, years ago.
• Handy File Tool
  

  ...  Multi-string search-and-replace. It can Find strings in files and replace their to anything

  Haven't tried it.
• TextCrawler
  

  ... tool for anyone who works with text files. This powerful program enables you to instantly find and replace words and phrases across multiple files and folders. It utilises a flexible Regular Expression engine to enable you to create sophisticated searches, preview replace, perform batch operations, extract text from files and more. It is fast and easy to use, and as powerful as you need it to be. ...

  Haven't tried this either, but it's been around for a number of years.
   

Those lusting after PowerGREP, but unable to stomach the price: don't overlook BareGrep, which is much more affordable and very, very fast.  Has been mentioned on DC before (long ago).

117

General Software Discussion / Re: I'm thinking of going primitive, with discursion into zettelkasten

« on: June 17, 2020, 04:47 PM »

Warning - I haven't tried this, and MBAM blocks the site as a Trojan.

-rjbull (June 16, 2020, 04:29 PM)

I wondered whether Info Select needed cloning,  and then noticed the .ch.

-Dormouse (June 16, 2020, 05:25 PM)

?

After your MBAM warning,  I decided not to visit the site.

-Dormouse (June 16, 2020, 05:25 PM)

MBAM's 'Web Protection' is now far too eager to block a site as 'Trojan.'  It did it to Horst Schaeffer's site, and I've used his software for decades.  It did it to PowerPro, and that must be one of the oldest macro-type programs still around.  I got MBAM to check and whitelist those, but it gets tedious for every site.

118

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Affinity offers 90-day free trial/50% discount on all software

« on: June 17, 2020, 04:40 PM »

Official confirmation of the end of the offers, received 2020-06-17 by email:

The 90-day trial in particular proved to be especially popular since so many creatives, students and others had lost access to their usual tools. In fact, over 250,000 people downloaded the trial—a whole lot more than we were expecting. Because of that, we extended the 90-day free trial and half-price offers well beyond what we originally planned, but they will now officially end on 20 June.

119

General Software Discussion / Re: I'm thinking of going primitive, with discursion into zettelkasten

« on: June 16, 2020, 04:29 PM »

I just stumbled across this:

Info-Base - Personal Informations Manager / Freeform Database

http://freeware.pers...ft.ch/program_en.htm

9.7 - 14.06.2020
5.0 MB    

a "clone" (with new options) of the good and old "Info-Select" (Version 1.0) ...

    supports Unicode, external and internal links.
    very fast (also with very large amount of data) and effectively for any kind of data ...
    no complex formatting, only TAB and CR/LF.
    the rules are limited to the bare minimum and they can be adjusted arbitrarily.
    the idea is that of a "note spear" (stack) on the desk.
    new notes are easily and quickly placed on top of the appropriate stack.
    free customizable templates for different data.
    clip import from other programs (f.e. browser, e-mail client).
    extremely fast full-text search in each stack (local F4) or in all stacks (global F3).
    combined filter (with logical and), bookmarks, alarm by date (tickler).
    all databases can be edited with any unicode-text-editor.
    unlimited (only disc space) number of notes / stacks.
    the ideal "Zettelkasten" ...

Data from Info-Select can be imported. (IS 1.0 for each stack: "Group", "Export to file" or in newer Versions: export as "Note Delimited", may change (temp.) in InfoBase the "file delimiter" !)

My emphasis.  I doubt it would fit the dizzyingly complex requirements of DC's 'zettelkasteners', though 

Warning - I haven't tried this, and MBAM blocks the site as a Trojan.  It's done that so frequently of late that I'm beginning to ignore it 

120

Found Deals and Discounts / 'PhotoGlory' for restoring old photos, 50% off until May 25, 2020

« on: May 22, 2020, 04:48 PM »

PhotoGlory

PhotoGlory
Get powerful software for restoring old photos at 50% OFF - Memorial Day special, live until May 25, 2020!

    Remove scratches, creases, stains, tears
    Colorize a black and white photo in a click
    Restore colors to faded & washed out images
    Add stylized text labels and date stamps

$56.00 $28.00

Sanity check - I received a notification for this, but I haven't tried it.  It's by AMS Software.

121

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Syncovery Pro 50% off at BitsDuJour - Today 19thDec19

« on: May 21, 2020, 06:06 PM »

the version I have has 'file system monitoring' -- in order to get that now, one has to buy the Premium version which is 99$/€
That's too much

-tomos (May 21, 2020, 07:17 AM)

Does that mean real-time monitoring of files and folders?  If so, SyncBackPro is about £55.95...  which is much the same.  Alternatively there's AJC Active Backup at £29.60, but that's all it does, not 'normal' backups, which AJC serve by a separate program, AJC Sync.  I never used AJC Active Backup very much, and haven't ported it to the latest laptop.

122

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Affinity offers 90-day free trial/50% discount on all software

« on: May 21, 2020, 05:49 PM »

Definitely make use of the 90-day trial before you buy, as you may be unhappy with the results.

-Deozaan (May 20, 2020, 05:41 PM)

All too true.  I've been bitten several times myself, and I'm struggling with Affinity Publisher.  I think there are several reasons:

• I haven't ever done desktop publishing before, and barely understand what the program is trying to do.
• It's a big complicated program, so there's a steep learning curve anyway.
• Too much if it is hair-trigger; too easy to change things inadvertently.
• I suspect its Mac heritage might be causing difficulties for anyone used to Windows. UK magazine 'ComputerActive!' thought Affinity Photo ran better on a Mac than a PC.
• I'm using a laptop.  It's probably better on a big monitor.  Some of the dropdown icons are tiny.
• I suspect I might have run into a bug...

noticed some bugs and issues, including a serious performance issue. Then I posted on their forums to report the bugs or otherwise get support, and. . . nothing.

-Deozaan (May 20, 2020, 05:41 PM)

I've only posted once, and received a couple of helpful replies from experienced users rather than Serif.  I haven't posted about what I think might be a bug yet, until I get a handle on it.

I bought the Affinity Designer Workbook. When it arrived, I opened it up and started reading through it so I could learn how to use the software. A within the first ~15 pages or so, still within the introductory chapter which explains the UI and basic tools, I noticed a few discrepancies between what the book showed me and what the software showed me.

-Deozaan (May 20, 2020, 05:41 PM)

This is annoying, but the book is always going to be behind the software ("Documentation - the worst part of programming").  The books seem to me very expensive.  If they want people to use, and evangelise for, the software, maybe Serif should make the books freely available as a PDF or something.  They would be easier to keep up to date in a purely electronic format.

So far, getting Publisher to do what I wanted has been a nightmare, but bear in mind the issues I mention above.  At the moment, I feel like I never want to go through this again, but I assume it's much better than I give it credit for ("can't be much worse") and the pain is  mostly because of my own ignorance.  Even so, the learning curve is far too steep.

123

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Affinity offers 90-day free trial/50% discount on all software

« on: May 20, 2020, 03:38 PM »

90-day free trial and half-price offer extended again, until 20th June.  This will probably be the last extension.

90-day trial
SIGN UP NOW (https://affinity.ser...19&mc=COVID19E03)

50% off all apps
BUY NOW (https://affinity.ser...19&mc=COVID19E03)

124

Found Deals and Discounts / WinX Anniversary Special Pack All-in-one Video Multimedia Toolkit Save More 75%

« on: May 05, 2020, 05:39 PM »

WinX Anniversary Special Pack: All-in-one Video Multimedia Toolkit Save More 75% OFF
    - Full Version.
    - Lifetime Free Upgrade.
    - 30-Day Money Back Guarantee

https://www.winxdvd....aloffer/?ttref=index

DVD Ripper Platinum
5 min - rip DVD to MP4 and any digital. Strongest for 99-title disc and the latest DVDs.
Input: DVD disc, DVD folder, ISO image
Output: MP4/H.264, HEVC, MPEG, WMV, MOV, FLV, AVI, iPhone, iPad, Samsung, Huawei, etc.

HD Video Converter Deluxe
All-in-one video converter, editor & downloader. Compress, trim, merge, crop, subtitle, and more.
Input: UHD/HD/SD MKV/AVI/FLV videos, photos
Output: MP4, MP3, H.264, AVI, MKV, WMV, FLV, HEVC/H.265, iPhone, iPad, Android, etc.

DVD Copy Pro
DVD to DVD/ISO image. 9 DVD copy modes. 1:1 revive even old discs.
Input: DVD disc, DVD folder, ISO image
Output: Blank DVD disc, ISO image, folder, MPEG-2 file, ISO virtual drive, video/audio tracks.

MediaTrans
More than iTunes alternative. Transfer & manage iOS files freely. No data erasing.
Features: Transfer, convert, manage, kill iTunes DRM
Supported files: photo, video, music, ringtone, ebook, voice memo, podcast, iTunes U, etc.

125

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« on: April 24, 2020, 03:08 PM »