Recent Posts

10826

Living Room / Re: Please help me build my new computer, DC!

« Last post by 40hz on January 13, 2009, 02:31 PM »

[/quote]

I'm going to write a nice formal article about it on my website, with pictures and everything.  And it will be all on one page, so it will probably be a long article. 

-superboyac (January 13, 2009, 12:20 PM)

    All on a single page? You are my hero! 

One thing I learned from all this:  I HATE all these multi-page articles from these hardware review sites.  Seriously, what is UP with that!!?  Who started this?  I can't stand how one site will do something, and then everyone will start copying it just because their website content is similar.  Who's the person that said, "I have a hardware review site, so I should make all my articles 7 pages long."  It's so freaking ridiculous.  Most of these articles go way overboard, they literally have like 2 paragraphs per page.  It uses up about 2 inches of your screen, maybe an inch and a half wide.  Absolutely insane.

I think part of it is motivated by click ad revenue considerations; and the other part is everybody gearing up for mobile browsing on netbooks and cellphones.

Why anybody would want to read a detailed tech article on a tiny screen is anybody's guess, but that's my 

But it comes as no surprise. Half the web design articles I'm seeing keep pushing RSS  feeds and formatting for handheld devices as the major design objective. And considering how half the websites out there seem to be using either a CMS or blog engine, unique web design seems to be going the way of the dodo for most sites.

Welcome to the World Wide Strip Mall™.

10827

Living Room / Re: Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by 40hz on January 13, 2009, 01:59 PM »

I"m toying with the idea of removing XP Pro machine from my desktop and the client OSes from the Vista computer and actually using my notebook for its intended purpose: being productive. What a novel idea!

-Darwin (January 13, 2009, 11:39 AM)

I hear you. Despite all the machines, appliance boxes, and servers I ditz around with, I still keep one little laptop (an antique Compaq Armada M300 no less) loaded with CrunchBang Linux or WinXP (I just swap the drives) for when I actually need to get some real work done.

And I spend almost half my time on it too!

Still, like Chris, I'll read the article with interest, even if I'm cringing a bit resisting the temptation to follow the author's lead!

Well... you could always just read it and live vicariously.

Kidding aside, I really liked the article because it was written by somebody who went into it with absolutely no agenda other than to see what Linux was about.

Furthermore this wasn't somebody pretending to be a "clueless noob" (ala all those WSJ and NYT articles) nor a techno-wonker. It's just the observations and impressions of one reasonably intelligent and technically savvy individual who decided he wanted to see at first hand what the deal was. I think Ash Pringle is more representative of the people who get into Linux than the stereotyped dummies or geeks most news articles portray them as being.

And it reads like a breath of fresh air. No FOSS political rants, Microsoft propaganda, or endless hairsplitting over file systems and kernal optimizations like you run into in so many "tell all" articles.

What can I say? I did a "copy & paste" of all 7 installments and saved it.

10828

Living Room / Switching to Linux for a week

« Last post by 40hz on January 13, 2009, 09:40 AM »

There is an excellent article recently posted on the zmogo website. In a series of seven posts, Linux newcomer Ash Pringle shares his experiences with Linux:

The plan: Ring in the new year by switching over to Linux for a week, documenting each day of the transition.

It's a great read that provides one of the most balanced and candid articles I have ever read about the whole Linux Experience. Well worth the fifteen or so minutes it takes to read all seven installments.

 

My impressions of the Linux operating system are coloured by memories of the first time my computer-whiz friend unveiled his sort-of-new copy of Redhat Linux to me. “Check this out!” he said. “This OS doesn’t suck like everything Microsoft makes!” It came in an over-sized jewel case with 4 CDs, handed down second-hand from another computer-whiz friend who recommended we try it.

Upon installing it we were greeted with an unceremonious command console that might as well have been written in the ancient tongue of the long-dead tribe of Gnitth Shhta Star-God worshippers. We had no idea what to do, and it was exciting. Linux had that combination of sparseness, functionality and seriousness that gave it the feel of being a real operating system, unlike that flighty Windows 95. In short, Linux seemed cool.

But that was my first and last encounter with Linux. In the ten or fifteen years since that first Linux install other operating systems have shown up, like XP and OSX, that have mostly pulled my attention away from Linux. Now my impression of Linux is bundled up with old memories of screwing around with the config.sys file on my DOS computer in order to allocate enough virtual memory to get Ultima running. In short, Linux to me has always been synonymous with “command console,” and although command consoles may work well, they definitely aren’t easy to use.

All these year later, now that those newer and simpler operating systems are available, I find myself wondering: why use Linux at all? Why go through all the trouble of installing an operating system that’s difficult to use, when almost everyone has a perfectly fine operating system already installed on their PC? I’ve never seen the reason to make the switch.

But I’ve also heard all the reports about how Linux is different nowadays. “It’s easy to use!” they say. “It’s even easy to install, and it’s way more stable than Windows!” they insist. “It’s not like the old days; Linux has changed, man! Just give a try, all the cool and smart and handsome people are using it!” Linux still has that indie cred that I experienced all those years ago that makes it seem just a little bit more elite than its competitors, and power-nerds everywhere seem to be cajoling me into trying it.

Lucky for them I have an incredibly weak will. So I’ve decided to give in to peer pressure, light me up some Linux, and trip my way through the alternative operating system carnival in the sky.

Link:  http://www.zmogo.com...to-linux-for-a-week/

10829

Living Room / Re: Apple Wheel macbook - revolutionary

« Last post by 40hz on January 13, 2009, 08:15 AM »

Is it me or is it getting hot in here ....

-Carol Haynes (January 13, 2009, 04:03 AM)

Sex is a topic that invariably generates more heat than light.

10830

General Software Discussion / Re: windows 7 beta available for free Jan 9 (!)

« Last post by 40hz on January 12, 2009, 06:28 PM »

I am deliberately running Windows 7  on an older machine that couldn't adequately handle Vista to get a better idea of how W7 stacks up.

ComponentDetails

Score   Component
------  -----------
4.1     Processor
4.1     Memory (RAM)
2.0     Graphics
3.0     Gaming graphics
2.0     Primary hard disk

------------------------------------------------

AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3500+ 1.50GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 6100 (Prerelease - WDDM 1.0)
575 MB Total available graphics memory
45GB Free (58GB Total)

Finishing up Day-1 with the little beastie. Office 2k7 works just fine, as does Firefox 3.0.5. Interface is almost snappy despite the fact that I have a very poor Windows performance score.

I was happy to see an earlier problem I had with Windows Explorer closing and restarting every time I changed my desktop theme seems to have been corrected with an online driver update through the Device Manager. Pretty cool.

10831

Living Room / Re: Whole Earth online!

« Last post by 40hz on January 12, 2009, 06:02 PM »

I suppose neither of you wise guys has heard about the gravy-browning thing either...

-cranioscopical (January 12, 2009, 04:53 PM)

No. But I have heard about Wavy Gravy and Hog Farm.

http://www.wavygravy.net/



A true American Original if there ever was one, not to mention being one terrific guy!

10832

Living Room / Re: Whole Earth online!

« Last post by 40hz on January 12, 2009, 05:55 PM »

Ah yes, the Accent Meat Tenderizer Cure 

The formula called for half a teaspoon of MSG mixed with 8 ounces of orange juice. It accelerated the breakdown of certain...shall we say 'crazy molecules'... in the bloodstream, thereby shortening the ass-end of a bad trip. Or so it was claimed. I can't really comment since I only got through high school chemistry with a B. But to borrow from the immortal words of Country Joe McDonald: "Sounds like buuuuuuulls***t to me!"

Never got into the whole Dupont (i.e. Better Living Through Chemistry) thing.

I vastly preferred a good rock concert, ideally enjoyed with some devilish red wine, and an equally devilish redhead of my acquaintance.

10833

Living Room / Re: World's First Flying Car Prepairs for Take-off

« Last post by 40hz on January 11, 2009, 09:26 PM »

If it survives its first test flight

-Deozaan (January 11, 2009, 06:08 PM)

Details, details, details...the devil's always in the details.

10834

Living Room / Re: Whole Earth online!

« Last post by 40hz on January 11, 2009, 09:21 PM »

Seeing WEC got me to thinking: Whatever happened to Project Xanadu?

To my surprise it's still around and can be found here:

http://www.xanadu.com/

Talk about a "blast from the past." 

10835

Living Room / Re: New here, is there's any accounting or billing software - here or elsewhere

« Last post by 40hz on January 11, 2009, 08:42 PM »

I don't know what your budget is, but the two "industry standards" are Sage Timeslips and Billquick. Both are feature rich - and expensive. At approximately $500 each they're usually too pricey for most small businesses and freelancers.

Links:

Timeslips: http://www.timeslips.com/

Billquick: http://www.bqe.com/Default.asp

---------------------------------

BillingTracker Pro ($89-single user) is a capable, simpler, and significantly less expensive all-in-one system.

Link: http://www.billingtracker.com/

---------------------------------

If you're really strapped for cash, you can combine a free invoicing system with a free time tracking application. This would involve a little extra work for you since the two systems wouldn't be integrated. You would first need to track your time, and then generate a report for creating your client invoice.

One excellent free time tracker is HourGuard Free Timesheet Recorder

Link: http://www.nchsoftwa...timesheet/index.html

This could be coupled with a free accounting package like MS Accounting Express or GNUCash:

Microsoft Accounting Express
http://office.micros.../FX101729681033.aspx

GNUCash
http://gnucash.org/

-----------------------

I would suggest downloading trial copies of anything before you buy it.

I'd especially recommend you download Billquick's 30-day trial just to get an idea of what a heavy-duty pro time billing app is like. You could then use that experience to evaluate anything else you're looking at.

----------------

I think Dormouse made a very astute observation earlier:

What I wouldn't use them for (again) is a situation where the business is essentially selling hours/minutes of time. Too complex, too unrelated to the main activity.

Whatever you decide to get, make an effort to keep it as simple as possible. Anything that distracts you from "taking care of business" just isn't worth it. Better to loose a few billable minutes than get bogged down for hours running an overly complex accounting package.

FWIW: I used a basic Excel spreadsheet to track my billable time and expenses for the first three years I was in business. And I did my billing with a $39 Invoice/Estimate package I picked up at Staples. And that simple combination worked out just fine until I needed to add employees.


 

10836

General Software Discussion / Re: windows 7 beta available for free Jan 9 (!)

« Last post by 40hz on January 11, 2009, 12:21 PM »

2Deozaan
How does it look like without whole fancy-glassy Aero stuff? Is it possible to disable theming service?

-fenixproductions (January 10, 2009, 10:32 PM)

Looks pretty good to me. Especially since it can't run Aero with my test machine's onboard video.

10837

General Software Discussion / Re: windows 7 beta available for free Jan 9 (!)

« Last post by 40hz on January 10, 2009, 08:47 PM »

Maybe just me but I've always liked the blue, sure beats ubuntu brown

-Eóin (January 10, 2009, 07:33 PM)

It's not just you.

I use Ubuntu.

Anything beats Ubuntu brown.

10838

Living Room / Re: Do you guys have any experience with routers? because i have some questions

« Last post by 40hz on January 10, 2009, 08:39 PM »

I have just set up a machine that is to be used for a limited set of business purposes only.
It has no need to be connect to another machine in any way.
It just sits there, isolated, doing its job.
None of its capacity is wasted on trying to protect itself.
What a relief it is to deal with something so simple.

-cranioscopical (January 10, 2009, 08:54 AM)

I am so happy to hear somebody else is doing that.

About three years ago I put all my business's financial, planning and related apps on a separate machine named LucaPacioli, and I never looked back. It doesn't connect to anything other than a printer via a parallel cable.

All it does is "mind the store" for me. Like your machine, it just sits in its own little universe - keeping track of billable time and materials, generating invoices, doing accounting, assisting  with business and marketing plans, etc.

There is absolutely no security software on this machine other than TrueCrypt. And nothing on it ever gets updated unless absolutely necessary.

And it runs like a champ.

Quite a relief indeed.

10839

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

« Last post by 40hz on January 10, 2009, 06:06 PM »

I am still in search of finding the right career for me, that will allow me to express my creativity, express my ability to teach others, and allow me to continue to grow in knowledge about computer related things or all things in general. These are really the things that matter most to me

-Kamel (January 01, 2009, 10:26 AM)

good luck with that Chad, still looking around myself too ...

-tomos (January 01, 2009, 11:40 AM)

The best comment I ever heard made about that "problem" was in an imagined commencement speech written by journalist Mary Schmich.

(BTW: This same "speech" was also wrongly attributed to Kurt Vonnegut after a hoaxer put it up on the net saying it was given by Vonnegut at MIT's commencement.)

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The
most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with
their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

I derive a great deal of comfort from those words. 

10840

General Software Discussion / Re: windows 7 beta available for free Jan 9 (!)

« Last post by 40hz on January 10, 2009, 05:50 PM »

Well, I finally got the 64-bit version downloaded via the direct links provided by Download Squad.

It's currently installed on my AMD test box (Athlon 64 2.20ghz/RAM=2gb/NVidia chipset with onboard GeForce 6100 graphics) which is probably not the best platform to run it on. But it is equivalent to what most of my clients are using (if they're running a 64-bit CPU) so it provides me with some idea of what to tell them when/if they ask.

First impressions: very smooth install on a raw drive with only 2 reboots. Total time for the install was a little over 25 minutes from initial power-up to a functioning desktop with no surprises along the way. (I thought putting a Betta Splendens on the default desktop was kinda cute.)

All my major hardware was recognized except for one 1Gb NIC card. This card also needed a driver installed under XP so it's no big deal (although Ubuntu 8.04 did recognize and configure it automatically).

I only ran into one glitch so far. At one point, when I went to change the desktop theme, Windows Explorer crashed and had to restart itself. Other than that, everything seems to be working ok. I'm going to have to really push it when I figure out where everything is and get a little more comfortable using it. Microsoft obviously put some serious thought into the new control panels and system management tools.

IMHO: The "new look" is functional but boring with a capital B. (What is this fetish with baby-blue lately?) The best I can say about it is that I like it better than Vista.

Fingers crossed

10841

Living Room / Re: Whole Earth online!

« Last post by 40hz on January 10, 2009, 02:19 PM »

It's great to see WEC finally up on the web. Especially since I'm "of the generation" so to speak.

I remember reading this in their Whole Software Catalog sister publication:

One arena where personal computer users suffer from functional fixedness on a large scale involves the informational-control software commonly referred to as "database management systems." These software packages are the most underutilized tools in the computer world. They originated for such problems as inventory control in shoe stores and reservation books for airUnes. It's fine that computers have improved those record-keeping functions, but consider what mental inventory you could control. Could you use perfect retrieval of every idea you ever had and the ability to cross-index those ideas according to the project you have underway? Would musicians, poets, monks, or playwrights like a perfect catalog of every inspiration that fired their brains? Would students, teachers, or speakers like an index of every publication they might reference in the future? Would mechanics, farmers, or contractors like a perfect memory for every oddball problem they ever solved, and for how that solution might work on similar problems? These functions can presently be performed by harmonizing a human mind with a database management system.

Those who value the information in their own minds can benefit from extending their memories and retrieval abilities with a computer. First you select a worthy and affordable database package that will perform the filing, searching, updating, cross-indexing, and reporting you require. Second, the more difficult step, you must change your habits. You must discipline yourself to scribble down or tape record the ideas you want to catalog as they occur. This habit change is critical, because important details of information are lost from human memory in a very short time. Stick these slips of paper or tapes near your microcomputer. Last, once a week or month, discipline yourself to sit down with your database program and expand the files of your mind. You can name your inspiration file EUREKA and your future projects MANANA. In just a few months you will build up a catalog of inspirations, insights, and fertile references that you could never buy off any computer store's shelf.

If you use the product of your mind in any valued way, then there may be no more valuable tool in your life than a good database management system keeping an ever-expanding, never-forgetting, totally cross-indexed catalog of your mind. Your personal computer can serve this mind-extension role and still balance your books, explore your income tax options, and (ho-hum)
type another letter.

That's what first got me "into" computers - and ultimately pointed to a lifestyle and career path I've followed ever since.

10842

Developer's Corner / Re: help needed to unpack a exe (example creakme)

« Last post by 40hz on January 09, 2009, 07:03 PM »

There are several unpacking utilities available.

But what exactly are you trying to accomplish by unpacking the exe installer file as opposed to just running the executable itself?

If you're trying to circumvent a licensing or registration "wrapper," or to break some form of copy protection, or to reverse-engineer a product, then I don't think anybody here will be able to help you.

 

10843

General Software Discussion / Re: windows 7 beta available for free Jan 9 (!)

« Last post by 40hz on January 09, 2009, 06:55 PM »

They have an estimated 2.5 million parties queuing up (at Microsoft's invitation) to download a multi-gigabyte ISO - and they're trying to act like they're surprised by the bandwidth hit on their server farm?

Coupled with the torrent "leak" last week, this whole thing is starting to feel like they're trying to engineer a little "press" for the product.

I'd really hate to download something that size simply because there was no other alternative for getting it.

I am hoping they'll include it in the next MS Partner Action-Pack distribution. If we're expected to help them sell this thing, we're going to need a little more to work with than a white paper and some extensively choreographed videos.

10844

Living Room / Re: When you make your 100'th Post

« Last post by 40hz on January 09, 2009, 06:18 PM »

f0dder *almost* slipped in under the radar with his 5000th post:

-Darwin (January 07, 2009, 03:17 PM)

I'm impressed. Especially when you consider the detailed tech posts f0dder often creates- some of which border on being publishable articles in their own right.

---------

Mouser: is there any way to check how many words f0dder (and possibly some of the other more prolific  and literate members) have generated up on DC?

It might be interesting to see who has said (as opposed to posted) the most in the forums.

---------
f0dder: Bravo! Very well done.

10845

Living Room / Re: BBS: The Documentary

« Last post by 40hz on January 09, 2009, 10:46 AM »

Great find!

Brings back memories: Fidonet...RBBS-PC...Galacticom...Wildcat!

"Have 9600 baud - Will travel."

10846

General Software Discussion / Re: windows 7 beta available for free Jan 9 (!)

« Last post by 40hz on January 08, 2009, 11:32 PM »

FYI:

Non-MSDN and TechNet subscribers download available starting @ 12:00PM Pacific Time.

10847

Living Room / Re: Please help me build my new computer, DC!

« Last post by 40hz on January 08, 2009, 06:56 PM »

As for other devices - even retail DVD drives and hard drives rarely come with any cables - or even fixing screws

-Carol Haynes (January 08, 2009, 06:41 PM)

Is that unique to the UK? Every retail drive (HD and CD/DVD) I've bought in the last five or so years has come with screws and cables. The only exception was a couple of floppy drives that came with absolutely nothing other than a swappable (Black/white) faceplate. (But I suspect that's because they're doing some "Aversion Therapy" behavioral modification on floppy buyers.)

10848

Living Room / Re: Please help me build my new computer, DC!

« Last post by 40hz on January 08, 2009, 06:34 PM »

Gigabyte's retail boxed versions always come with a nice collection of cables, unless they've radically changed the way they do business.

If the Newegg pix are correct, it looks like you should get 4 SATA connector sets; a floppy and CDROM cable; and what looks like an external header for 2 SATA ports.

You s/b all set.

---------

BTW: Yet another Avatar, SB?

(That one would make a nice case badge!   )

<EDIT: Whoops! Looks like you guys already nailed it before I could hit SAVE.  >

10849

General Software Discussion / Re: windows 7 beta available for free Jan 9 (!)

« Last post by 40hz on January 08, 2009, 03:16 PM »

Why do people keep on using Win9x style BSODs? I mean, no wonder people think Windows is unstable if Win9x is all they've tried.

-f0dder (January 08, 2009, 02:50 PM)

Probably because there are so many screen captures of them. They're virtually an icon.

10850

Living Room / Re: Please help me build my new computer, DC!

« Last post by 40hz on January 08, 2009, 02:24 PM »

For Crucial memory use their memory picker and then it is guaranteed compatible.

-Carol Haynes (January 08, 2009, 01:14 PM)

Completely agree.

Two rules to follow if you're buying Crucial RAM:

1.  If you are not 100% sure about what to order - use the memory picker.

2.  If you are 100% sure about what to order - use the memory picker anyway.

   http://www.crucial.com/index.aspx