Recent Posts

11051

General Software Discussion / Re: Does anyone know any free alternative to Driver Updater Pro?

« Last post by 40hz on November 29, 2008, 10:56 AM »

Innovative Solutions's newest version of DriverMax can check for updates.

http://www.innovative-sol.com/drivermax/



The procedure for downloading and installing driver updates is a little unintuitive, but it works. Mostly.

Note of caution: I'd suggest you ignore any recommendations it makes for updating your mobo, graphic, or chipset drivers. For those, you'd be better off going directly to the respective manufacturer's websites. My girlfriend's machine that had its sound disabled after a DriverMax recommended update was made to her Realtek drivers. I had to roll back the driver and go over to her PC manufacturer's download page to get the correct Realtek update for her machine.  Meh!

I think it's best to use an application like this purely for informational purposes. I use DMax to get a heads-up on driver updates, but I always go directly to your hardware vendor to get the actual drivers.

 

11052

General Software Discussion / Re: Is XP really that good?

« Last post by 40hz on November 29, 2008, 01:37 AM »

I keep thinking about one possible reason why XP remains so popular and Linux is still lagging behind:

     a) XP is 'good enough' technology that is effectively documented.

     b) Linux is 'good enough' (or possibly better) technology that isn't.

XP has been around long enough that there's now a lot of accurate, well-written technical information available both in print, and online. In a nutshell, it's better understood because it's more accurately documented than any other desktop OS.

I'm wondering if "good enough" technology, combined with superior documentation, is XP's real formula for success.

Thoughts anyone?

11053

Living Room / Re: The little computer that nobody wanted

« Last post by 40hz on November 29, 2008, 12:44 AM »

Quite funny - but I think it's a bit unfair to tar Honeywell as trying to pull off this goofy stunt - the computer was a legit Honeywell computer (that I imagine sold quite a few more than 0 units).

-mwb1100 (November 28, 2008, 09:55 PM)

You're probably correct. The Honeywell I remember was as stiff and serious as they come. You had to be if you wanted to coexist with IBM. IBM was known for being "very serious" about everything they did. And IBM set the tone for the entire industry back in those days.

But I can't help but wonder what they were thinking of when they came up with the pictured form factor. Why make it look like a podium? I think the answer to that would be a lot more interesting than the Neiman-Marcus "suggestion" for it.

Anybody know why they created this particular package design?

11054

Living Room / The little computer that nobody wanted

« Last post by 40hz on November 28, 2008, 06:35 PM »

Great little bit of PC history over at The Register website under Odds and Sods.

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - Georges Santayana

Link to article: http://www.theregist...ob_kitchen_computer/

Honeywell's Kitchen Computer remembered
The $62,550 machine no one bought

By Austin Modine

Posted in Odds and Sods, 27th November 2008 04:52 GMT


Let us first ponder: We've discussed several important computers in this erratically-released column. Many of these units, along their notable triumphs, come with a fair share of faults – be it a 23-pound frame on a supposedly portable PC, or the occasional electromagnetic pulse on start-up that destroys all storage tapes in the area. You can't make lemonade without some lemons.

But none, to this reporter's knowledge, sold a total of zero units. That's because hitting the big goose egg so squarely is actually rather difficult. Everyone has a mother, after all. A computer that no fool on Earth would purchase requires machinery so decadent and impractical, so awash up in the dream that super-science will simplify our lives, that it could only arrive in a Neiman-Marcus holiday catalog.

And so we explore the Honeywell Kitchen Computer. Made exclusively for the housewife that has everything but tangible proof her husband is a clueless jackass.
Honeywell H316 Pedestal AKA "Kitchen Computer"




Released: 1969
Price: $10,600
CPU: 0.6MHz
Memory: 4KB, expandable to 16K
Display: Binary lights
Special Features: Built-in cutting board

Be sure to check out the Honeywell brochure for this beastie available as a PDF:

http://archive.compu...6.1965.102646157.pdf

Makes you realize just how far we have come since then.

Or maybe not!

11055

General Software Discussion / Re: Is XP really that good?

« Last post by 40hz on November 28, 2008, 10:08 AM »

I don't think you're missing anything. 

 It's not so much an issue of XP being "so good" as it is an issue of it being "good enough."

WinXP is good enough for what most people want to do with it.

PCLinuxOS is a very good distro. Very stable and polished. But unless you want to take on the role of evangelist, why bother making a case for Linux at all?

I alternate between Linux and Windows on a daily basis. Since I (like you) have the luxury of running both, I never saw the need to pick one over the other. I just use whichever (depending on what I'm trying to accomplish) although I must admit I've gone from a 50-50 to an 80-20 time split in favor of Linux over the past year.

But I'll also dump any OS like a bad habit should the day ever come when I need to do something that it won't let me do. The best advice I ever got regarding systems was the following:

          Don't ever marry your tools. Better yet, don't even fall in love.

That seemed like wisdom to me. Consequently, I only date my technology. We just hang out with each other for fun. No promises, no commitments.

I'm the exact opposite of that with people. But that's just me.

11056

General Software Discussion / Re: IDEA: programs that I have uninstalled

« Last post by 40hz on November 28, 2008, 09:21 AM »

What a great idea!  

Mouser is right about just keeping your own log if it's just your machine. But I couldn't help thinking of a bigger picture.

An uninstall log would be extremely useful for forensic and postmortem support analysis functions. I can't tell you the number of times I've had to troubleshoot a system, where the problem was caused by a piece of software that was no longer on the machine. If I knew somebody had installed and removed something in my personal 'rogues gallery' of ill-behaved applications, I'd be way ahead of the game. So if there was a way to keep an automatic audit trail of all installs and uninstalls, I'd be more grateful than words could tell.

Thought: Maybe you could suggest it to somebody the VS Revo Group if you don't want to develop the idea yourself? They make the excellent freeware Revo Uninstaller. They're usually quite receptive to suggestions for product improvements.

http://www.revounins...er.com/contacts.html

EDIT: If you want to keep a handy tech journal on your computer, check out the freebie Advanced Diary:
Link:  http://advanced-diary.uptodown.com/en/

It's a great little app. I have a copy on each machine I own for keeping notes, registration codes, etc. You could also use any one of the free tree-type note organizers if you don't like the daybook metaphor.

11057

Living Room / Re: Why Windows Rules: the QWERTY phenomenon?

« Last post by 40hz on November 27, 2008, 09:51 AM »

It's the waste-of-effort of analyzing a well understood trend that irritates me.

The simple fact that articles like this exist, if you will.

Windows is installed on zillions of workstations.  Why?  Because it's always been that way.  When will it change?  When something tremendously better compels us to switch.  Until then, analyzing why everyone runs Windows when "better" operating systems exist seems like wankery.

-Ralf Maximus (November 27, 2008, 07:50 AM)

And therefor, because you have settled this issue in your own mind (and to your own complete satisfaction) this discussion is a waste of everyone else's time too?

My goodness! What would your fluffy bunnies think?

11058

Living Room / Re: Why Windows Rules: the QWERTY phenomenon?

« Last post by 40hz on November 27, 2008, 07:23 AM »

Until that time, articles like this just piss me off.

-Ralf Maximus (November 27, 2008, 07:00 AM)

Why?

I didn't see anything in the original article, or in this thread, that warrants anybody getting "pissed off" as you so eloquently put it.

Care to clarify?

11059

Living Room / Re: Uncomplicated speaker design, please

« Last post by 40hz on November 26, 2008, 09:23 PM »

OK, I had a look-see and it looks like speakerplans.com has more about designing folded-horn bass cabs than anything.
Should be great for what you're planning, 40Hz.

-Edvard (November 26, 2008, 03:56 PM)

You mean there are other speaker systems besides bass cabinets? Interesting concept - but why?

Man! Talk about myopia! When I read you were looking to build a speaker system, I just automatically assumed you were building instrument cabinets. (My girlfriend just rolled her eyes...) Guess I've been a musician way too long.

BTW: Thanks for the pointer to Parts Express. I'm eventually going to need to make new near-field monitors for studio work, and the Usher 701 on the DIY page looks to be exactly what I'm looking for in that department.

Good luck with your mashing!

11060

Living Room / Teach computer science without a computer

« Last post by 40hz on November 26, 2008, 06:39 PM »

Just read about this over at thefreewarejunkie.com.

Computer Science Unplugged is a terrific resource if you do any teaching or find yourself trying to explain something to a complete technical neophyte. Kudos to the folks at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch New Zealand for hosting and sharing this great resource.

From the website:

Teach Computer Science without a computer!

http://csunplugged.com/

Computer Science Unplugged is a collection of activities designed to teach the fundamentals of computer science without requiring a computer. Because they're independent of any particular hardware or software, Unplugged activities can be used anywhere, and the ideas they contain will never go out of date. Unplugged activities have been trialed and refined over 15 years in classrooms and out-of-school programmes around the world.

And it's free!

You can download Unplugged activities as individual PDF files from their pages on this site, or download a teachers' version of the collection as a single file. But it's worth browsing this site. You'll find supplementary material for each activity: videos, links, photos, feedback, curiosities and more. We're also working on online games, competitions, links to curricula, and new material. Printed versions of the Unplugged material are available for purchase, and proceeds from sales are put back into the project.

Nice educational resource.

11061

Living Room / Re: A fork in the road - dangers of web services

« Last post by 40hz on November 26, 2008, 06:28 PM »

...old man is obviously living in the dinosaur age of business, I think? :p

-Paul Keith (November 26, 2008, 04:35 PM)

Yeah. I heard that said about the "New Economy" too during the dot.boom years.

But in the end there really wasn't any new economy, because the age old formula: "revenues minus expenses equals profits" is just as true as it ever was. And we can read the Chapter 11 filings of all those "new economy" ventures until we go blind if we don't believe it.

So, if the current Western idea of "business innovation" boils down to finding a way to become a big enough thorn in some corporate lion's paw in order to be bought out by same...well...we'd better start brushing up on our Mandarin and Hindi. Because there are some new players in the global economy that haven't forgotten what being in business means.
 

11062

Living Room / Re: A fork in the road - dangers of web services

« Last post by 40hz on November 26, 2008, 04:23 PM »

Not only is it a valid concern, but it's a business model.

This is one of the reasons why people like me are extremely reluctant to use these (often) free web services.. the prospect of them closing up shop and leaving you and your data in limbo seems quite high -- and it seems like it's often part of the business model.

Basically a company creates a web service and get as many people using it as possible by keeping it free.  [as a side note, make sure to call it "In Beta" forever so no one can complain about anything] They don't worry about profits yet.  Then at some point they say we have all these users, now is there a way to make a profit on it -- via advertising or whatever.  If not, then just close up shop and move on.  And the user is out of luck.

-mouser (November 25, 2008, 05:37 AM)

Offering your product/service for free is not a business model. If there is no sale, there is no business.

Giving something away to establish credibility, or to identify a new market, is one thing. But I think that is also the major flaw in most web-based "business" plans. Companies offering these services seem to forget that the willingness of someone to pay for something is one of the best reality checks available for how well your product or service meets a genuine need. If people are willing to "do without" if they have to pay you for something, then your offering is not addressing a real need.

I once heard an anecdote about a guy who inherited some money and used it to start his own business. He hired some excellent people, rented nice office space, and got the best equipment available. Once he was all set up, he invited his old Business School professor to come visit. When the elderly professor was escorted into the new CEO's office he looked around at the artwork and state of the art computer setup.

"So what do you think of my new business," the CEO said.

"I don't know. Who are your customers," the professor asked.

"Well, we don't actually have any yet," said the CEO. "We're just starting up."

"Then you don't have a business yet," the professor said.

"Then what do you call all of this," the CEO said, waving his hand around the room.

"A lease," the old man said, with a sad little smile.

 

11063

General Software Discussion / Re: Acronis total dirt OS selector - kills hard drives!

« Last post by 40hz on November 26, 2008, 04:03 PM »

in the past i would have done what zaine said and unplug the other drives. i'd just become over confident by how well everything else had worked with the GAG loader, etc.

-nudone (November 26, 2008, 04:51 AM)

If you want to try something a little more up-to-date interface-wise than GAG, you could try XOSL.

-4wd (November 26, 2008, 02:30 PM)

Is XOSL still under development? Last time I heard, they stopped doing anything with it after 2000 or 2001 - and XOSL2 (its successor) seems to have died around the beginning of 2007. Last news on SourceForge is 16-FEB-2007, and the xosl2.com website looks like it's been abandoned.

11064

General Software Discussion / Re: Acronis total dirt OS selector - kills hard drives!

« Last post by 40hz on November 26, 2008, 02:26 PM »

Can't really think of a good reason why your disk would be nuked, though... sounds weird. Btw, never do "in place" recovery if you can avoid it, the best solution is always to restore files to another partition. The best recovery software I've found so far has been GetDataBack. It's slow, but it's been able to recovery pretty well.

-f0dder (November 25, 2008, 04:46 PM)

If it helps, I can thoroughly recommend GetDataBack (NTFS/FAT).

It recovered all files off of a 320GB HDD in about 2 hours after a format in which the single partition on the HDD was described as "unrecognised filesystem" by the system, ie. all the partition info had disappeared.

-4wd (November 25, 2008, 04:48 PM)

GetDataBack is an excellent utility. Highly recommended. FWIW: I've also had equally good luck with EASUS's Data Recovery Wizard Professional. It works particularly well with Dynamic Disks although I like GetDataBack a lot more.

EDIT: Dang It!  f0dder beat me 

-4wd (November 25, 2008, 04:48 PM)

He usually does me too...

11065

Living Room / Re: Uncomplicated speaker design, please

« Last post by 40hz on November 26, 2008, 02:02 PM »

A lot of it is determined by what speakers you're using. Different types/brands/sizes have different physics behind them. Quite a few manufacturers have speaker enclosure plans available for their products.

If you want to go complete DIY, this link has pointers to some very useful sites:

http://www.speakerpl...m/index.php?id=links

Speakerplans.com also has some plans up online that might be what you're looking for although they're more geared towards band sound reinforcement. Now that I'm primarily playing an active 5-string bass, I'm looking to put together a G-SUB or HD-15 from this website as soon as I get a little free time and money.

Good luck, and let us know what you finally come up with.

11066

Living Room / Re: A fork in the road - dangers of web services

« Last post by 40hz on November 25, 2008, 03:48 PM »

We spent the last thirty years trying to get away from the old terminal-mainframe centrally controlled computer metaphors. Web services are just trying to bring them back, except they're now dressed in prettier clothes.

Sod web services. I insist on the "personal" in personal computing: my CPU, my machine, my universe to be a lesser deity in.

Funny thing: that attitude used to be what got me branded as a rebel. Now they call that same attitude old-fashioned.

I must be on to something!

11067

Living Room / Re: Why does it say paper jam when there is no paper jam?!

« Last post by 40hz on November 25, 2008, 03:39 PM »

Do people drug their cats for these videos, or are all those animals just that batshit insane?

-f0dder (November 25, 2008, 02:06 PM)

Not all of them. Just most of them.

-Deozaan (November 25, 2008, 02:13 PM)

Virtually all, in fact.

11068

General Software Discussion / Re: Acronis total dirt OS selector - kills hard drives!

« Last post by 40hz on November 25, 2008, 03:37 PM »

On a sort of related note... I tried to install Ubuntu on a partition last night (have C for programs, D for data and created a newie for Ubuntu)
During the install, the "partitioner" fired up, showed me I diagram which looked to me like C, D were to be left alone and the diag had the word "Ubuntu" next to the 3rd partition.
Imaging my surprise when I didn't have my XP C drive or data D drive anymore. Wouldn't it be simple for the install routione to say in plain english "hey, you're about to lose XP and a data partition"?

-tsaint (November 25, 2008, 03:29 PM)

That's a weird one. I've installed Ubuntu alongside WinXP for about thirty people to date, and so far (knock wood) it's behaved perfectly. The WinXP environment worked fine and GRUB reports and boots into either OS without a hitch.

Now I'm nervous.

What version of Ubu are you running? And did you install Ubu on a drive with a native Microsoft MBR - or did you modify it previously with some other security utility, boot loader, or manufacturer's formatting tool?

11069

General Software Discussion / Re: Acronis total dirt OS selector - kills hard drives!

« Last post by 40hz on November 25, 2008, 03:30 PM »

it also just reaffirms my recommendation to stay away from dual booting / multibooting loaders.

-mouser (November 25, 2008, 02:42 PM)

Bummer!  

I'm on the same page as Mouser when it comes to dual-booting. Far better to get some swappable drive trays if you want to support multiple OSs on one machine. Alternatively, you could also just bring one of your SATA headers out to a plug, and use external drives for your OS if you don't like trays.

Good luck.  (BTW: What does Acronis' Tech Support have to say about what happened?)

11070

General Software Discussion / Re: What is your boot time?

« Last post by 40hz on November 25, 2008, 11:40 AM »

My system boots up somewhere in the time interval it takes for me to get a cup of coffee or tea. And I'm perfectly happy with that. If it booted quicker, I'd probably just sit there and wait for it

11071

General Software Discussion / Re: making a recovery partition

« Last post by 40hz on November 25, 2008, 11:29 AM »

Perhaps Clonezilla is up to the job? Never used it myself, though.

-f0dder (November 24, 2008, 09:47 PM)

 

If you can live with its dos-like interface and non-Windows terminology, Clonezilla Live is easily one of the best apps out there. I'm a big Clonezilla fan. If you have a large deployment to do, or you're supporting multi-seat Linux clients, the Conezlla-SE (server edition) is worth it's weight in whatever you value the most.

Well worth the download.

Note: If you're going to use Clonezilla with Windows, be sure to look at FAQ item 21 which addresses some potential problem areas.


edit by jgpaiva: fixed quote tag

11072

General Software Discussion / Re: making a recovery partition

« Last post by 40hz on November 24, 2008, 09:36 PM »

There are several very good "clone" type utilities at this link:

http://www.thefreeco...backupandimage.shtml

Possibly one of these apps will meet your requirements.

I've used Selfimage, PING and Durabon.
(BTW: Durabon is nowr eleased under GPL2. The restriction "for personal use" no longer applies.)

11073

General Software Discussion / Re: making a recovery partition

« Last post by 40hz on November 23, 2008, 11:28 PM »

If your primary goal is to "lock down:" the PC, you could use Windows SteadyState. It's from Microsoft and it's free.

Link & Info:

http://www.microsoft...daccess/default.mspx

From the website:

Windows SteadyState in Action

Depending on the purpose and requirements of your shared computers, different features and configuration options of Windows SteadyState prove particularly valuable. Click the scenario below that most closely matches your situation.
   
In the classroom

Classrooms and computer labs can offer groups of users a consistent and reliable computer learning environment more efficiently, while increasing the productivity of the teaching staff.
   
In an Internet café

Internet cafés, kiosks, and other businesses offering commercial access to shared computers can help increase customer satisfaction while reducing computer down time, administrative costs, and total cost of ownership.
   
At the library

Libraries and community technology centers can help protect computers against tampering cost effectively. They can customize shared user profiles to meet the needs of different patrons.
   
At home

Parents can use Windows SteadyState on a household computer to let their children share it without causing harm or accessing inappropriate sites on the Internet.

Other uses for Windows SteadyState

Anyone whose work involves repeatedly installing and uninstalling programs on a computer can make good use of Windows SteadyState. Software testers are a good example. If disk protection is on when they install a new program, any problems the program causes won't become permanent. Even a complete uninstall of a faulty program is only a reboot away.

11074

General Software Discussion / Re: Zapr File Sharing, Your computer the Server

« Last post by 40hz on November 23, 2008, 01:05 PM »

was just curious, if Zapr offers something special.

-yksyks (November 22, 2008, 04:18 PM)

If I've read the product info correctly, Zapr has integrated SSL right out of the box. You have to do a little hacking (i.e. install and configure OpenSSL) to use SSL with the HFS-HTTP File server.

BTW: Thank both you guys for the heads-up on these little servers. I can already think of several interesting things to do with them.

11075

Living Room / Re: Things your kids will never know - old school tech!

« Last post by 40hz on November 21, 2008, 01:23 PM »

Paul, that looks a bit like Merlin, which was amazing:
Wikipedia page on Merlin
 (see attachment in previous post)

-mouser (November 21, 2008, 11:27 AM)

Merlin was definitely cool. It actually got used for some very serious research on human memory and learning systems back in the 70s. I forget exactly why it was considered so useful. I vaguely remember something about it being a perfect demonstration of operant something or another. When my girlfriend was getting her Master's degree in cognitive psych, she showed me a dozen interesting experiments you could do with it. (Yes, I was her guinea pig on more than one occasion!)

She still has one of these little red monsters. And it still works.