Recent Posts

1101

General Software Discussion / Re: Save the Cookies!

« Last post by Lashiec on February 05, 2008, 11:44 AM »

BUT OMFG TIHNK OF TEH PONIEZ! TEH COOKIES CAN TRAX0R YOUR BROWZING HABITS OMGF! CLIK TIHS LINK AND DOWNLOAD COOKIE IMMUNIZAER, NO SPYWEAR GUARANTEE!

-f0dder (February 05, 2008, 09:58 AM)

lnkplz. kthnx

1102

Living Room / Re: Microsoft bids $44.6-billion for Yahoo!

« Last post by Lashiec on February 05, 2008, 11:38 AM »

I think I'd take a seat. This purchase will take a looooong time (look at Google and DoubleClick), and those involved are still thinking what to do, Yahoo! studying the proposal, Google playing the fear card and bringing up the possibility of an alliance with Yahoo!, and Microsoft wondering how are they going to get the money needed for the operation and how Yahoo! will integrate within the company.

The few articles I read talking about the whole issue consider everything as bad thing for both companies involved, for a lot of reasons (you know which are the important ones). I think the same, mostly because I despise this kind of integration between big corporations to form megacorporations that seems to be so frequent in this day and age. Of course, there are all kind of opinions, Paul Thurrott is going happy happy joy joy over the marriage, and others are claiming the death of Microsoft because this bid means they lack innovation capabilities (*ahem*)

1103

General Software Discussion / Re: Simple audio DB app. to launch default player

« Last post by Lashiec on February 05, 2008, 11:14 AM »

Since you already tried XMPlay, you know that it can't handle big assed databases, but it fits the bill for everything you're asking for.

I wonder, why do you want to duplicate functionality? Never tried musikCube, but for what I know it does exactly what you want, I'm not sure if it handles custom tags, but it has a SQL-based library, music playback and a separate view for streams. To me, it seems perfect.

My bets are on foobar2000. The newest version improved a lot of things, and it makes components like ColumnsUI useless (which couldn't evolve much further, anyway, there's only so much customization you can do with a columns-based interface). In my view, foobar is configured out of the box for anyone, I mean, you feed it music and it plays it. And it has a vast array of customization options for those wanting them coupled with advanced management tools.

If you want to achieve the complicated setups of some guys in HA it's another thing, but frankly, I never thought PanelsUI is worth the hard work that it demands for an app that I only take a look at during two or three minutes a day (and foobar is playing music all day).

The only app that comes to mind that it's not listed there is JRiver Media Center, but... hmmm, that is a complete media jukebox. Not in my tastes, but it could fit you, as it's awfully powerful. Ah, yes, and maybe MP3 Collector.

BTW, is that page yours? Looks quite interesting

1104

General Software Discussion / Re: Interesting new security freeware in december 2007

« Last post by Lashiec on February 05, 2008, 09:49 AM »

OK, so, what are they saying, then?

1105

General Software Discussion / Re: Interesting new security freeware in december 2007

« Last post by Lashiec on February 04, 2008, 10:23 AM »

Ah, yes, I'm aware of all that. It's pretty normal, considering the lack of an auto-updater, and it happens with a lot of software anyway. If Microsoft made a better system for system-wide updating, Windows is the only OS lacking that capability, and now every app out there is being tracked by security companies for vulnerabilities (the last one that stroke me: XnView. I ran to update it )

Auto-updater in Opera? That sounds great, less messing with installers, which is always a good thing

1106

General Software Discussion / Re: Interesting new security freeware in december 2007

« Last post by Lashiec on February 04, 2008, 09:56 AM »

Secunia doesn't say good things about Opera! Less vulnerabilities != safer browser!

-Lusher (February 04, 2008, 09:39 AM)

Link, please.

incidentally both are Scandinavian companies but F-Secure has around longer than Secunia and were famous for their anti-virus software in the early 90's. btw, isn't it a bit peculiar to suggest one company over another just because you haven't heard of it?

-lanux128 (February 04, 2008, 09:49 AM)

Hey, didn't know Secunia was located in Scandinavia as well. There are really good software companies in that zone, considering the number of inhabitants up there

1107

Living Room / Re: Microsoft Disavowing Vista?

« Last post by Lashiec on February 04, 2008, 09:49 AM »

Good find, Lashiec, but you have to admit that before XP-SP2, it was pretty rough sailing for users, notably with security.

-zridling (February 04, 2008, 09:30 AM)

Yep, and the current situation with Vista is the same, just as you said, except for security, of course (I wonder why Vaughan-Nichols says it's the contrary...)

I mean, it's just normal with software, it happened with Windows, it happened with Mac OS X (despite what Steve Jobs says, every new version of Mac OS X it's really a Service Pack), which was very rough during the first versions, and it happens with every Linux distro that wants to challenge the big names (the first versions of Fedora were... hellish), except PCLinuxOS, which, for some strange reason, worked like a charm since the first version. I guess the guys working on it really devoted themselves to making it as compatible as possible.

1108

Living Room / Re: Microsoft Disavowing Vista?

« Last post by Lashiec on February 04, 2008, 09:02 AM »

Ah, Vista bashing. Cool. Perhaps the author (Vaughan-Nichols, not J-Mac) should check this article, particularly the section "2002: Early development". ZOMG!1111, Microsoft started to kill Windows XP in 2002

1109

General Software Discussion / Re: windows security - what's really necessary?

« Last post by Lashiec on February 04, 2008, 08:37 AM »

But you used Windows XP's firewall, didn't you?

1110

Living Room / Mold your RSI

« Last post by Lashiec on February 03, 2008, 08:05 PM »

This is very cool. Lite-On, known for being one of the top optical drives manufacturers, recently won the Red dot award for the "Best Design Concept" with its "Moldable Mouse" proposal, that just does what it suggests.

Check it out

I wonder if Lite-On will manufacture it, expanding its market out of its lone field of expertise, or if they'll just sell the design to major manufacturers so they can make cool devices out of their idea.
via The Tech Report (again! )

1111

Living Room / Run for your life!

« Last post by Lashiec on February 03, 2008, 07:57 PM »

Literally. Scientists have discovered that exercise has a direct effect on a person's life expectancy. You may think that as long as you stay healthy, you don't need to do exercise, don't you? Wrong. It appears that, even if you're a thin, healthy person, and don't smoke, lack of exercise makes you biologically older than other persons doing regular physical activity, whether it's running or walking the dog. Also, it seems that being biologically older makes you more prone to develop Alzheimer later in your life.

Article

A walk a day keeps the doctor away, folks.
via The Tech Report

1112

General Software Discussion / Re: windows security - what's really necessary?

« Last post by Lashiec on February 03, 2008, 06:25 PM »

Just as f0dder said regarding adblocking, proxies can make your computer a less likely target to drive-by banner exploits, and you can also define a blacklist of known malware-delivering sites. So, yes, it's a valuable method of passive protection.

1113

Living Room / Re: Brush the dust from your computer

« Last post by Lashiec on February 03, 2008, 06:08 PM »

Yes, something like this, fan + heat spreader, all-in-one. If it's safe, better for me, it's a finer method than using canned air (and spreading dust everywhere )

1114

Living Room / Re: Brush the dust from your computer

« Last post by Lashiec on February 03, 2008, 05:55 PM »

Yes, I think sensitive is more appropriated in this context, and well, they're actually called coolers, but I suppose you can call them fans. I'm talking about those cooling off GPUs and CPUs, not case fans.

1115

General Software Discussion / Re: What Are Your Views On BUGS?

« Last post by Lashiec on February 03, 2008, 01:20 PM »

My view is: "Major bugs are OK *IF* there's nothing else available *AND* if using the program does not piss me off"

I'm in a such situation right now. One app that I used as a frontend for other programs it's abandoned. The program was bug-ridden before the developer released the last version with the promise to release new versions more often (previously, it was semi abandoned during various months). Then, after a couple of months, the guy disappeared off the face of the Earth. Two years have passed since then, without any person picking up its development (the program is open source), although there's some community around it trying to improve it via resource hacking, and using the expandability built into the program.

But too much time passed, mere "patches" (not code patches) are doing nothing to fix the bugs, and I have so many reservations about the program that I consider it as non-functional right now, so many usability issues it has that IMO a full rewrite is needed. Unfortunately, though there are many other options, no one can match some of the features the program has, so what do I do? Reconsider the functionality I need, lowering my demands to only the basic functions, and choose another option. At least, I won't have to waste hours trying to set up the damn thing whenever a major change in the programs it assists occurrs.

Some other thing it's going on with another program, a frontend as well. The guy developing it simply does not have a roadmap of what functionality he wants to add to the program. He even claimed a couple of times that he's abandoning the project because he's not even using it, it's only natural he does not know what he wants inside it, so he implements functions in what I call "programming bursts": he adds many features out of nowhere and releases the program. What happens then? Major bugs arise, the guy cannot fix them, gets angry, and removes the features altogether.

Well, until recently he maintained a clean programming routine, improving the program without removing nothing. But one day, he decided the program had too much fluff: he started to remove features, encountered some bugs, and decided to remove the functions affected. The result? Now I have a program that forced me to change the way the data it interacts with is stored in the computer, affecting other software that use the same data (pissing me off in the process), and it's dumbed down so much that it's a mere reflection of what it used to be (pissing me off even more). Solution? Bye, bye, dumb frontend, and hello, old friend (another program I used in the past that has many more functionality that its competitor right now)

Fun fact: The program replacing the first frontend is programmed by the same guy as the one being replaced in the second story.

EDIT: Proof reading and some rewriting.

1116

Living Room / Re: Brush the dust from your computer

« Last post by Lashiec on February 03, 2008, 12:28 PM »

So, it's safe to use it with the components located near sensible parts, that is, coolers?

1117

Post New Requests Here / Re: DONE: MiniMe (aka MaxiMe)

« Last post by Lashiec on February 03, 2008, 12:19 PM »

It works here, but no tray icon is showed, that's true. And I'm running the latest version of AutoHotkey. Solution? Clear this line: #NoTrayIcon

1118

Find And Run Robot / Re: FARR review

« Last post by Lashiec on February 03, 2008, 12:08 PM »

IMO though, farr is superior to Quicksilver (I know some will think this is blasphemy, but...)! And although others are cute, they're definitely not as powerful and flexible. (BTW, this page could be updated : http://en.wikipedia....pplication_launchers)

-Armando (February 02, 2008, 11:08 PM)

Lack of "cutesy" is my main concern about FARR

Ah, yes, that page. I held off its updating due to mouser desire to not spread the word about the new FARR yet (besides, that page only holds information about the stable versions of the apps). If he does not mind, I'll update it right away.

Lashiec : I don't know if Katapult has dramatically changed since last time I tried it, but it was pretty elementary back then. Nothing, really, in comparison to farr or quicksilver. I actually found alternatives, like Launchbox or Gnome Do, superior.

I see. I though it was more powerful, and though its screenshots page show some potential, it may not be comparable with Gnome Do, which seems to have some tricks of its own. Never heard about Launchbox, that looks interesting as well, but it's also powered by GTK. Ow.

1119

General Software Discussion / Re: Best free firewall for Windows?

« Last post by Lashiec on February 03, 2008, 11:59 AM »

Hmmm, that's pretty impressive, considering that µTorrent conflicts with nearly every other security app out there. The only problem you may face is something similar to the high resource usage Armando experienced in brief moments, due to the Defense+ feature. Of course, that depends of your usage of the computer and all that.

1120

General Software Discussion / Re: Replace Windows Explorer [SOLUTION]

« Last post by Lashiec on February 02, 2008, 01:32 PM »

I'll try typing that secret phase in Notepad, never bothered to do so 'til now

-Lashiec (December 29, 2007, 12:50 PM)

-Darwin (February 02, 2008, 10:22 AM)

In the page you linked in your message, search for "Notepad Phrases"

1121

Living Room / Re: How many germs are living on your keyboard?

« Last post by Lashiec on February 01, 2008, 06:34 PM »

Time for another Mythbusters episode: Are really so many germs living in your keyboard?

That said, you settle a new record. Congratulations, I think

1122

Find And Run Robot / Re: FARR review

« Last post by Lashiec on February 01, 2008, 02:59 PM »

Hey, you get mentioned as one of the three Quicksilver alumni most likely to succeed in life . Congrats!

With the advent of KDE to Windows, I wonder if Katapult could be also a challenger. I mean, interface wise is very similar to Quicksilver, but haven't investigated its advanced capabilities too much. Gnome Do seems like a worthy contender as well, but GTK under Windows...

1123

Find And Run Robot / Re: Enso 2 redesign...

« Last post by Lashiec on February 01, 2008, 02:42 PM »

i just hope i can read their stuff without gagging on their normal "this is the most revolutionary idea in the history of the universe" vibe that i got from their previous work.

-mouser (January 31, 2008, 07:28 PM)

Don't worry, they've kicked up their ego a notch:

By paring the quasimodal portion of Enso down to just the command name, Enso has become the best keyboard shortcut system in existence.

Bravo, someone has forgotten about the meaning of the expression "being humble"

It's amazing how someone can be so arrogant and yet have a program with huge usability issues, like forcing you to hold CAPS Lock while typing something. And yet, the guys are still maintaining it while they think for the best approach (they call that "a complex process") to focus Enso. Fella, use a damn hotkey, like any other launcher out there, sheesh. Also, they try to reinvent the wheel too much when it comes to interact with Enso using previously used data, something that FARR resolves with a single key and the use of the standard shortcuts in Windows. OK, enough bashing.

Actually, the program has good ideas and some others are planned. The autocompletion thingy, with the template boxes (I can't remember the exact name) giving you a visual cue of what the action does and what arguments you can use with it, it's really cool, I mean, it clears much of the problems of having to remember how this or the other function works. Kudos for that idea.

Some of the things they're investigating for the next major version are also quite good. First, the learning algorithm means one can create on the fly, and with usage time, their own reduced shortcuts for the various actions the program has. Applying it to FARR means that someone can customize the FARR default aliases without actually modifying them. And finally, the resume option. I like that, it does exactly what it suggests, sending Enso to sleep with the already inputted options and bringing it up with another hotkey stroke, something that could be easily integrated with FARR (I think somebody already asked for it...)

1124

Find And Run Robot / Re: Suggestion: arrow keys to scroll result list

« Last post by Lashiec on February 01, 2008, 01:48 PM »

Absolutely, it always happens that I get a lot of results and most are not showed, and one can't remember +sall always

1125

Post New Requests Here / Re: DONE: MiniMe (aka MaxiMe)

« Last post by Lashiec on February 01, 2008, 01:44 PM »

Sounds interesting. I usually don't use AutoHotkey apps (except for WinWarden), but I think I could find an use for this one. Thanks for your work!