Recent Posts

1326

General Software Discussion / Re: Forte Agent reaches 6.0, now with "hide quoted text"

« Last post by Innuendo on November 24, 2009, 06:31 PM »

Web forums have taken over so much the last few years, it makes the usenet groups almost useless to me.

-superboyac (November 24, 2009, 10:44 AM)

I always preferred usenet over web forums as web sites tend to disappear and there goes your knowledgebase. With Agent & usenet, the messages are on your HD forever.

So for actually reading the discussions taking place over usenet, I still think Agent is king.  For downloading, not so much.

For discussions, yes. Nothing can top Agent. It's unmatched. As for downloading, this v6.0 seems to have closed the gap between it and other binary downloaders. I'm rather impressed.

Another thing about Agent, they sure seem to spend a lot of their efforts on their email component.  I always wondered how many people actually use Agent for their email client.  And why?  There are much better email clients out there.  I never got that.

There's a certain demographic out there that wants all of their correspondence in one place. I can respect that, but that's not how I work.

1327

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Get Stubbs the Zombie for free!

« Last post by Innuendo on November 24, 2009, 06:20 PM »

This was a fun game on the Xbox. A must for fans of 50s horror movies.

I'm going to grab this as it may come in handy sometime. Thanks for this!

It's a 2 GB download in case anyone's curious.

1328

General Software Discussion / Re: Top Greasemonkey userscripts that you use

« Last post by Innuendo on November 24, 2009, 09:21 AM »

NOTE: You'll probably need to override compatibility to install in FireFox 3.5+ but it still works.

-4wd (November 24, 2009, 12:32 AM)

Looks like Greasefire v1.04 works with Firefox 3.5+ by default. I'm going to give this extension a try.

(Whoa...3MB extension!)

1329

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by Innuendo on November 24, 2009, 09:14 AM »

For me its all about maximum program compatability. This is why I am using xp and not a mac os or umbuntu or whatever.

-delwoode (November 24, 2009, 07:16 AM)

I did the "I'm going to run the less popular, but infinitely more cool OS" thing a long time ago. It was the Amiga & to this day modern OSes could learn a thing about it's elegance and grace. AmigaOS could pre-emptively multi-task very well with just 512K of RAM. Installing device drivers was a simple matter of copying one or two files into a certain directory on your hard drive. Remove the device later? Just delete those two files & you're done. Independent file formats ensured that any word processor could load a file written with another. Same with images and graphics programs. Just try to tell me that wasn't elegant.

I moved to a PC when I realized that, for me, a computer isn't about it's OS. It's about the apps.

I tried Win7 for a couple of weeks. Too many of my  apps didnt like it or would not work. I tried work arounds.  So I will stay with xp for a couple more years until the apps catch up with the operating system.

No offense, but your problem isn't a case of your apps not catching up to the operating system. That's already happened. Anything that can work on Vista (a two year old OS) can work on Win7. Anything that can't needs to be upgraded or replaced. Any apps still in development will work with Win7. If yours don't then chances are development stopped a long time ago and you need to start searching for a replacement that'll do what it did.

1330

General Software Discussion / Re: Forte Agent reaches 6.0, now with "hide quoted text"

« Last post by Innuendo on November 24, 2009, 09:04 AM »

Not to derail the "Let's Bash The Bat!" train, but I'm curious as to if anyone is still using Agent? More specifically, anyone here on DC use it? Or ever use it?

There was a time when Agent dominated the Usenet landscape, but these days it's regarded more as a fringe player.

1331

Living Room / Re: What is a "Gentleman's drink"

« Last post by Innuendo on November 24, 2009, 09:01 AM »

There's actually a thing called "night train"? I always thought "I'm on the night train" was figuratively speaking

-f0dder (December 28, 2007, 06:40 AM)

Yes...there's indeed a Night Train. Night Train Express is the full name.

http://www.bumwine.com/nighttrain.html

1332

Living Room / Apple Declares Smoking Near Apple Computers Voids Warranty

« Last post by Innuendo on November 23, 2009, 05:09 PM »

According to an article in The Consumerist if Apple finds evidence that there's been people smoking around your computer when you take it in to be serviced this will void your AppleCare warranty.

http://consumerist.c...azard-voids-warranty

Mac users better start erecting clean rooms for their computers & buy some air purifiers as well.

1333

Developer's Corner / Re: Apple's App Store Mistake

« Last post by Innuendo on November 23, 2009, 11:48 AM »

Hm... (I was not aware of that part of the story) ...But on that note, it doesn't really sound like Apple innovated anything...They were (by the sound of it) more of an armchair general that got lucky with a captain obvious moment.

-Stoic Joker (November 23, 2009, 05:54 AM)

I'm probably going to take a lot of heat for what I'm about to say, but what the heck...I'll say it anyway.

Apple isn't about innovating, as in...their strength in coming up with something totally new. However, what they are extremely good at (probably better than darn near anyone else) is making the better mousetrap. They are very good about taking an existing idea or product & making it usable/accessible to everyone. Portable music players are one example of this. Another example, to a lesser degree, is OS X. Before OS X was released who'd imagine average people wanting a BSD-based OS in their home? But like Wraith said, they've made some bad (maybe not bad, but not as successful) moves as well. Apple threw their weight behind Firewire, but it didn't beat USB in the popularity race.

I wish Apple (and Microsoft for that matter!) would support more file formats in their players. FLAC support would be most welcome.

1334

General Software Discussion / Re: Forte Agent reaches 6.0, now with "hide quoted text"

« Last post by Innuendo on November 23, 2009, 11:40 AM »

Good luck...Ritlabs only adds extremely subtle and minor features as far as I've seen.  For them to add newsreader support like that, well, that would be the most significant thing they've done in  several years.

-superboyac (November 22, 2009, 10:53 PM)

I don't think tranglos was wishing for newsreader support, but rather the new "hide quoting" feature that Agent just added.

I downloaded Agent v6.0 last night to check it out. Looks like they have added all the features that I deemed to be too important for a newsreader to lack since I left Agent behind a few years ago. My first observation on configuring the beast was that I was amazed by the number of options they have crammed into the menus and dialogs. Anyone who wants to micro-manage their newsreader will be pleased.

1335

General Software Discussion / Re: Forte Agent reaches 6.0, now with "hide quoted text"

« Last post by Innuendo on November 22, 2009, 08:59 PM »

Forte has released version 6.0 of its venerable newsreader, Agent.

-tranglos (November 22, 2009, 06:36 PM)

Egads...is this program still around? I remember when I started using Forte Agent. The version number was v0.90.

1336

Developer's Corner / Re: Apple's App Store Mistake

« Last post by Innuendo on November 22, 2009, 08:55 PM »

Really ironic, seeing what iTunes does to files.

-rgdot (November 22, 2009, 11:18 AM)

Apple & iTunes had their proprietary format, but at least you could load your MP3s onto your iPod. Sony's early devices only handled their proprietary format. If you wanted to listen to your MP3s on their devices you had to use their program to convert your files to their proprietary format first.

We see how well that worked out for them.

1337

General Software Discussion / Re: McAfee Online Backup - New Web Service

« Last post by Innuendo on November 22, 2009, 10:31 AM »

Can someone explain the advantage over buying an external USB drive or two?

-Carol Haynes (November 22, 2009, 03:37 AM)

I think the advantage is supposed to be if your computer and peripherals are burned in a fire or if someone came in and stole it all your data would be safely stored on a server many miles away.

Of course, you could take that "external USB drive or two" and store them at a friend's or relative's house & have that same advantage.

1338

Developer's Corner / Re: Apple's App Store Mistake

« Last post by Innuendo on November 22, 2009, 10:24 AM »

I have not once bought an apple product in my life, yet I think they are super cool.  I don't think I can say that for any other company.

-superboyac (November 22, 2009, 05:02 AM)

I feel the exact same way. I was out shopping yesterday & got a hands-on look at the iTouch 32 GB. Man, it was slim...it was sleek...it was sexy. I'd buy one if the jailbreaking was not such a cat and mouse game.

--I've never understood why other companies never challenge the Apple products even though they have the time AND resources to do so.  For example, in the article, they say the RIM doesn't have a chance to compete with iphone apps despite their market share in that industry.  I don't get that, why not?  How come there aren't a lot of Blackberry apps?  What is it about the Blackberry that makes people not want or not want to create apps for it?  I don't understand, because just as many people have Blackberry's as iphones.

Lots of companies do try to compete with Apple. Nearly every year there are at least 3 or 4 products that are billed as being an iPhone killer or an iPod killer, but the problem is that even if the products are as good as Apple's offerings they aren't better to the degree it would take to get people to give up the time & money they have invested in Apple's schemes. People would have to leave a lot of apps & music & TV shows behind to move to a different platform & Apple's products are good enough that even if a competitor comes out with a cool feature it's not enough to break Apple's hold over people.

As for Blackberry, they do have an app store, but their strength is their downfall. They've always aimed their products at business. Well, most IT departments don't want employees clogging up company phones with a bunch fo apps that could muck things up so these devices are locked down. Most individuals won't own a Blackberry. They'll pass it up so they can own what their friends have...Apple products.

Other companies were years ahead of Apple in the portable mp3 player market (ahem...Sony) yet they could never get a hold of it.

Sony had personal music players, sure...and they could have owned the market, but they piddled away their head start by not embracing the MP3 format right away. For the longest time, their personal music players only dealt in their weird proprietary format. By the time they wised up, it was too late.

1339

Living Room / Re: Bad technology day!

« Last post by Innuendo on November 21, 2009, 05:38 PM »

Here on DonationCoder a similar saying declares "Let's get out of here! tranglos is coming!" 

Seriously, I think we've all had days like that.

1340

Living Room / Re: Microsoft decries standards grandstanding

« Last post by Innuendo on November 21, 2009, 05:36 PM »

Browser that launched an industry? Wouldn't that be Mosaic?

1341

Developer's Corner / Re: Apple's App Store Mistake

« Last post by Innuendo on November 21, 2009, 05:32 PM »

I don't see how the article's author can say the process is broken. It's absolutely, positively working as Apple intended. Apple wants to control completely the process in which applications and data interface with their hardware.

Remember when the first iPods were released? One could just hook it up to one's computer & it'd appear on your desktop as another storage device which you could copy & move music & non-music files freely. That freedom didn't last long & that's what Apple wants. If you want to use their hardware you have to play by their rules.

I'm not going to get into jailbreaking as that's a cat and mouse game as Apple is always trying to take control of your devices again once you've wrested control away from them.

1342

Living Room / Re: Best Free and Pay FTP Client

« Last post by Innuendo on November 21, 2009, 05:26 PM »

I nearly always use Total Commander these days, but when I used a stand-alone FTP program it was AceFTP Pro. It's the only FTP program I have found that allows you to move files in one operation rather than copying them & then having to delete them as a separate operation.

1343

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by Innuendo on November 21, 2009, 12:29 PM »

Of course, when I posted that, I neglected to mention DOpus - File Management is what keeps me on Windows.

-Darwin (November 21, 2009, 10:29 AM)

DOpus is an app I can't imagine it working under WINE or Crossover, either. It's just too heavily buried into the Windows API. I can't imagine there being a clone on Windows, either, as DOpus is very much oriented to the Windows Explorer (but on steroids) way of doing things. I think if any Linux developer coded a Windows Explorer clone they'd be run out of town on a rail.

1344

General Software Discussion / Re: If you have more than 2 optical drives would you test Tray app?

« Last post by Innuendo on November 21, 2009, 10:27 AM »

I had a request from a user of my Tray optical drive tray open/close gizmo to update it to support 4 optical drives.  I've made the revision and sent the person a copy to test but I would appreciate it if anyone with more than 2 optical drives in their system would try it out.

-MilesAhead (November 20, 2009, 04:24 PM)

Crap...last month I had 3 optical drives in my PC, but I've since taken two of them out as I don't have the specialized needs I used to anymore. If it's working with mounted images, though, it sounds like it's working well.

1345

General Software Discussion / Re: Has anyone discovered any cool Windows 7 third-party utilities?

« Last post by Innuendo on November 21, 2009, 10:25 AM »

for fans of taskbar shuffle that have been missing the middle-click to close function in win7, there exists 7 taskbar tweaker. this has similar functions, and some win7 specific ones.

-azgarth (November 21, 2009, 09:14 AM)

Wow...7 Taskbar Tweaker brings back all the old, retro, and archaic taskbar behaviors of Windows versions past.

I hereby declare 7 Taskbar Tweaker to be the pioneer embarking on the discovery of a new class of software. New class of software, I dub thee curmudgeonware!!! Software for the curmudgeon in all of us.

1346

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by Innuendo on November 21, 2009, 10:21 AM »

I'm loving Windows 7, but increasingly I'm losing my "loyalty" to the 3rd party shareware that I have purchased over the years that has kept me on Windows.

-Darwin (November 19, 2009, 12:59 PM)

To hop back in the thread a little bit...Darwin, I wish had a core set of apps which were OS-agnostic & were multi-platform then I wouldn't feel tied to Windows, but I'm tied to Windows because of the power of the apps. To illustrate:

1) The Bat! email program - It has the ability to store thousands upon thousands of emails without bogging down & has a powerful search engine to find what you are looking for fast. Last I checked, The Bat! didn't fare well under WINE due to custom Windows tricks the program uses & there's no email client on Linux that can compete on features.

2) Total Commander - This is a huge one. Reports say that Total Commander can run pretty well under WINE, but a lot of the plugins available won't & that's where the true power lies with this program. And like The Bat! nothing on the Linux platform compares to this program in its class.

3) Foobar2000 - This just became my default music player. Programmed by an eccentric mad genius there isn't another music player available anywhere that can do half of what this thing can do. Like Total Commander, the core app itself will run under WINE, but a lot of plugins won't & that's where its true power lies. Again, there's nothing that runs on Linux natively (or any other OS) that can touch it.

It's probably much the same for Mac users when they discover Quicksilver. Nothing on any other platform can touch it.

1347

General Software Discussion / Re: Which MP3 tagger do you use?

« Last post by Innuendo on November 21, 2009, 10:08 AM »

MP3tag

-paarkhi (November 21, 2009, 10:04 AM)

That's what I've been trying to tell these people. I probably should mention at this point the mp3tag I've been raving about is the one at http://www.mp3tag.de/en/ .

The MP3 Tag Pro made by Maniac Tools is rather craptacular.

1348

General Software Discussion / Re: Which MP3 tagger do you use?

« Last post by Innuendo on November 21, 2009, 10:06 AM »

Not really my thing, but someone may be interested in this. Helium Music Manager 7 has been released. I haven't tried it out myself extensively yet, but lots of things look encouraging. They've re-wrote a lot of the code so everything is Unicode-aware now. The GUI has been streamlined a bit. Also gone is the 30-day trial mode. That's been replaced with a free mode that never expires and if you find you want to shell out the bucks for paid mode you'll be pleased to find out that the price has been lowered from $44.95 to $29.95.

Registered Helium 6 owners need to check their receipts. If you bought Helium 6 anytime in the last year you're entitled to a free upgrade to a version 7 network license.

1349

General Software Discussion / Re: Which MP3 tagger do you use?

« Last post by Innuendo on November 21, 2009, 10:02 AM »

I used to use MusicBrainz Tagger, but I have since switched foobar2000 with foo_discogs (honestly, it's an awesome plugin).

-Xenonym (November 21, 2009, 08:45 AM)

Foobar2000's tagging abilities are truly awesome. Start adding components like the foo_discogs one you just mentioned and you go from awesome to crazy-powerful quickly. My only beef with Foobar's tagging, and this is my own personal quirk, is that there's no way to tag files without modifying the file dates.

This behavior of mine goes all the way back to the very first mp3 I got my hands on. I may have to try to break this habit in order to use some programs I can't otherwise.

1350

Living Room / Re: Tip if router won't connect properly to cable modem: Clone the MAC address

« Last post by Innuendo on November 20, 2009, 02:45 PM »

Either dilemma will require mousers above approach.

-Stoic Joker (November 20, 2009, 12:39 PM)

Yep...either that or you're on the phone with your ISP begging them to change the MAC address they've got in their system. Most ISPs don't engage in such archaic behavior anymore & fortunately for me, none of the ISPs where I live took part in that little game.