Recent Posts

1401

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Surfulater V2.30, Build 10.0 Released

« Last post by mwb1100 on November 07, 2007, 04:49 PM »

I just noticed on http://www.surfulater.com that SUL's price is going up sometime this month (to $59)... maybe whatever DC discount might be in the works can happen before the increase?

1402

General Software Discussion / Re: SyncBackSE vs. SuperFlexible

« Last post by mwb1100 on November 01, 2007, 08:11 PM »

Any donationcoder members still using SyncBackSE?

-DBC (November 01, 2007, 07:54 PM)

Yes - I haven't tried SFFS because I'm happy with SyncBackSE.  From a brief look at feature lists, it seems that SFFS might have some more powerful features, but I don't need them and SyncBackSE has plenty of options and features, too.  I think that Zaine's advice to try them both is what you need to do.  Sometimes, a lot of what makes a program good (or bad) boils down to personal preference.  If your SyncBackSE trial has expired, try shooting them an email for an extension, some outfits will do that.

1403

General Software Discussion / Re: Program to Change File Attributes on Windows

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 31, 2007, 06:06 PM »

Also, many (most?) file managers handle this pretty well.  Even with Explorer if you select multiple files the open the properties window you get a single dialog that lets you set or clear the attributes for the group in a single go.  But Explorer does not have a good way to manipulate the time stamps.

From the screenshots, that free Attribute Changer extension looks pretty nice.

For myself, I'd use XYplorer, as it's already there for me.

1404

Living Room / Real magic wands

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 31, 2007, 01:24 PM »

From a posting made by Raymond Chen on his blog (http://blogs.msdn.co...7/10/31/5788081.aspx), there's a group making magic wands that use accelerometers to detect certain motions or taps and can display messages in the air based on those motions:

http://www.rawbw.com/~acorn/wand/

The wand is a magical device for casting spells. Spells are cast by either waving the wand around or tapping the wand on a hard surface.

...

When a spell is successfully cast on the wand, the wand replies with a message. Messages are viewed by waving the wand quickly back and forth in front of you. Glowing gems display the message in red letters in midair.

Pretty neat!

edited: please attach screenshots to interesting posts like this:

1405

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Visualize mouse clicks

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 30, 2007, 06:23 PM »

SpotOnTheMouse is supposed to support this (I've never tried it).  It's not free, but it's not too expensive (about 5 Euro):

http://www.markuswel.../software/index.html

I'm surprised this isn't a common request by people who perform demos and presentations.  I wonder if it's something that might be available in the MS Intellimouse drivers (or Logitech's drivers).

1406

General Software Discussion / Re: Opening apps in a multi-monitor setup

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 29, 2007, 12:40 PM »

1. with the extended desktop dimension, what can be done about apps opening off-screen or on the other monitor, instead of the primary monitor?

-lanux128 (October 28, 2007, 11:19 PM)

I used to have a laptop configuration that included a second monitor when docked.  There were a fair number of applications that would reopen on the non-existant 2nd monitor when I was undocked.  Annoying to say the least.  I didn't look for a software solution (I imagine one exists somewhere); my solution was to:

• open a bug with the software's vendor
• until the bug was fixed (if ever), I would move the invisible window to the visible monitor by using Alt-Spacebar-M, which is the standard 'Move' menu option for a window.  Then using the arrow keys and/or the mouse I could usually get the window back on screen.

1407

Living Room / Re: Password Cracking Made Easy Thanks to the GPU

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 26, 2007, 09:17 PM »

I don't know how the Elcomsoft patent affects (or is affected by) the fact that general purpose computing has been going on on GPUs for some time.

http://www.gpgpu.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPGPU

1408

Living Room / Re: Password Cracking Made Easy Thanks to the GPU

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 26, 2007, 05:04 PM »

Generally, from a security standpoint user ID's are not considered secret.  So, even though user ID's are often sensitive information, they are not typically factored into determining how secure an authentication system is.

If your userID's really are secret, then I suppose they could count to the length of the password (ie., it's the same as having a universal user with different passwords for the resources).

On the other hand, userID's usually often have a much more restricted set of characters and/or they follow a standard format (like an email address).  So the characters in the userID would not add to the strength of the overall password nearly as much as the characters in the password portion (which presumably can contain any characters).

So, I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable suggesting that someone factor in the userID as part of the password strength.

How successful might someone be if they guessed the userID on some of those protected pages was 'mrainey'?   

1409

Living Room / Re: Password Cracking Made Easy Thanks to the GPU

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 26, 2007, 10:39 AM »

LOL. He's thinking too high of users. A ongoing discussion we're having in another forum about the recent imposition of better passwords is showing that most people there is dumb and don't care about their security.

-Lashiec (October 25, 2007, 07:27 PM)

But then again, the password you use for a forum probably isn't particularly sensitive.  While I wouldn't particularly  want anyone to know my DC password, I'm not losing any sleep worrying about it, even though DC has the credits which have something to do with money - with most forums all a password gets you is the ability to post.  I haven't looked at the code for any forum software, but I'd be willing to bet that in most cases the password is stored in some recoverable fashion (probably even in plaintext) in the database - potentially a much bigger security risk than allowing weak passwords.

In my quick sample of 3 forums I have accounts on, I found that when I log on:

• one sends my password in plaintext
• one sends an MD5 hash of my password.  More secure, but a rainbow table dictionary lookup will have no problem getting pretty much any password less than14 characters long
• one sent a SHA1 hash of the password combined with the userID and sessionID.  That's not too bad.

Am I worried? No.

On the other hand, my passwords for work and banking are something I take a bit more seriously.  And when I access them over the Internet, I ensure that SSL is used.

1410

Living Room / Re: Leech Attacks

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 25, 2007, 01:41 PM »

Something I've wondered about before which may not really be related to leeches, but I'll ask anyway...

I often come across single message postings in forums by user IDs that never post again that go something like:

Hi, I just found forum.  Its really nice, I'll be vistiing often.

They seem like some sort of spam, but I can't for the life of me figure out what the purpose of those messages are since they aren't asking for anything or pointing to some other site.  Is there something going on that I'm not seeing, or is it simply that people legitimately like to drop a 'hello' into a forum then go into lurk mode?  There would be absolutely nothing wrong with that, it just seems strange to me (which may well be a cultural thing).

The other thing that makes me curious about these postings is that they often mention how nice the forum *software* is (as opposed to the discussions going on in the forum), and they usually don't mention anything specifically related to the forum they like so much.

1411

General Software Discussion / Re: Not looking for AutoClick, but for some auto-clicker ??

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 20, 2007, 03:22 PM »

Edit: - but PTFBPro is $30, so I am kind of still in the need...

-Curt (October 20, 2007, 02:59 AM)

Yeah, I should have mentioned that PTFTBPro is not free.  There's an old thread here that points to the last free version of PFTB (as well as a couple other options):

https://www.donation...index.php?topic=2773

1412

General Software Discussion / Re: Not looking for AutoClick, but for some auto-clicker ??

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 19, 2007, 07:15 PM »

PTFBPro is one such app:  http://www.ptfbpro.com/

I tried it for its macro capabilities, but didn't take to it.

One problem that you'll have with solving this problem is that when Windows is shutting down I assume that it's as likely as not to have already shutdown whatever auto clicking program you have running before it gets around to trying to close the app that's causing your problems.  I don't know if there's a reliable way to have a program designated as 'the last program Windows should shut down'.

1413

General Review Discussion / Re: UltraEdit Review and Giveaway ($50 value)

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 16, 2007, 05:50 PM »

The funny thing is that you can purchase the application for $49.95, and then buy the lifetime license for $62.95 = $112.90! You can save about $12 by not purchasing the lifetime license upfront. That's kinda funny.

-cybernetnews (October 16, 2007, 04:47 PM)

Not to mention that you can wait for a year to pay the $62.95 (I suppose there's the risk that they'll raise the price in the meantime).

1414

Living Room / Re: More uses for old stuff

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 16, 2007, 05:47 PM »

That fly swatter thing looks like it'll cause the same problem as the Opti-Grab (tm) (http://www.muhka.be/...ginal/image_1740.jpg) - the inventor should prepare for a big class action lawsuit.

1415

Living Room / Re: How much RAM do you have on your PC?

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 16, 2007, 04:16 PM »

On my 4GB system (well, 3.25GB) I've devoted 1.5 GB to disk cache.  End result is a ~2GB workstation with a really fast disk subsystem.

-Ralf Maximus (October 16, 2007, 12:58 PM)

How exactly do you do that?  I'd like to have some ability to tune this on my system.

1416

Living Room / Re: The Ugliest Products in Tech History

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 16, 2007, 10:36 AM »

This is kind of cheating since it's only a prototype not an actual product, but this thing made me laugh out loud when I first saw it:

http://www.productwi...-reality-helmet.html

I'm not sure where I got the link to it (might have been some other DC thread).

1417

General Software Discussion / Re: Back up files with a printer and scanner

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 05, 2007, 11:01 AM »

My point in posting was to point out the absurdity of this technology for future-proofing data.  The suggested use of making durable paper backups usable by future generations was just too amusing to ignore.

-Ralf Maximus (October 05, 2007, 08:28 AM)

You're correct.  Though I wasn't really serious about using PaperBack to future-proof your data.

If something is so important that you worry your great-grandkids will suffer for not knowing it, then become a famous author and publish... Hundreds of years from now at least ONE of your books will survive, insuring your AOL password (or whatever) is safe.

-Ralf Maximus (October 05, 2007, 08:28 AM)

But I am serious that data longevity is a problem that needs to be thought about.

What about my will, family's genealogy, or personal papers that I may think are just great (but no one else does - yet)?  I doubt you're interested in my photos of my grandfather from WWI.  Samuel Pepy's Diary was not published until 100 years after he died.  I know that that PaperBack is not the way to archive this stuff; my point is that CD's, DVDs, Travan tapes, floppies, etc. are also not the way to preserve this stuff.

Even when something is deemed important today, if you want it to be accessible centuries from now, then some thought needs to go into deciding how you're going to ensure it will endure and be usable.

http://www.usatoday....reers/hottopic16.htm
http://www.library.y...s/0405/msg00079.html
http://blog.pacdat.n...ry=20050424115412139
http://www.popularme...ndustry/4201645.html
http://physicsworld..../article/print/26768

As for carving your important info into granite - this is exactly why Kings & Emperors have gone through the expense.

1418

Developer's Corner / Re: Microsoft providing .NET Framework source code!

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 04, 2007, 11:00 PM »

but I don't think I really agree with Miguel that it's not "open source".

-Renegade (October 04, 2007, 07:21 PM)

One concern that Miguel has is that it's not appropriate to incorporate the MS code into Mono (Miguel's project) because the MS code is not open source 'enough'.  Hence his warning for anyone who might contribute to Mono to avoid studying the MS code - that course of action avoids tainting the Mono code base.

1419

Developer's Corner / Re: Microsoft providing .NET Framework source code!

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 04, 2007, 10:46 AM »

MS did something similar with .NET 1.0 - the difference being that for 1.0 the source they released was not exactly what they created the released version of the .NET binaries with, it was more a 'reference implementation'.  This time it appears they are releasing the source for the actual .NET binaries.

In reference to the GPL thread that's going on elsewhere, note that the license for the .NET source is a 'look-but-don't-touch' license.

1420

General Software Discussion / Re: Back up files with a printer and scanner

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 04, 2007, 10:35 AM »

Well, like I said, PaperBack is really just for curiosity sake or experimentation - not a real backup solution.  I don't really think that ink-jet printers with office grade paper is a good backup solution.  However, I still believe that the considerations for long-term data archiving present an interesting, non-trivial problem.

But, if anyone's interested, I'll lay down $100 that my inkjet printout of whatever text document will still be usable in 50 years while your copy of that same document on a CD will be a useless hunk of plastic.  Unfortunately, that $100 will only be good for a soda pop.  Oh, and I'll likely be a useless pile of ashes, so maybe we should just hang on to our $100.

1421

General Software Discussion / Re: Question: Does the GPL allow program redistribution?

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 04, 2007, 10:17 AM »

I still really don't understand the animosity toward the GPL - not that I'm saying it's the best license, just that it's better than most software licenses I come across.  All it says fundamentally is that if you pass on the GPL code (whether in a modified form or not), that you have to provide the same rights as you were given 'downstream' for the GPL'ed code and any derivatives.  Basically, that you can't take the GPL rights that were applied to the code away.

The main reason that the GPL can be so complicated is that if it were not there would be loopholes that would allow people to easily subvert the intent.  I can't tell you how many times I've read about people trying to incorporate GPL code into their programs without releasing source to their work by saying they'd add a plug-in interface to the GPL code and release that little bit  as GPL.  Then their real code would simply use the plug-in interface and remain proprietary.  Closing that end-run attempt is the reason for much of the complexity in the GPL.

When someone releases the source code to *their* work under GPL, why should anyone be critical of it?  Would it be better if the source were never released? The only privilege that's not given is the ability to take that code, make something else that incorporates it but not do the same for the derived code.  I can certainly see why someone would not want to release their own code under the GPL (whether to make the license more restrictive, or to make it less restrictive like BSD).  The BSD license is more favorable to developers, but it says I can't claim the work as my own.  Should I complain about that condition?  I've seen people complain about Mouser's license for his programs because it requires you to get a no-cost license key to remove nag dialogs.  I think that's a ridiculous complaint.  But, why is the burden that the GPL places on a very few people who deal with GPL software (remember that the GPL places *no* burden or requirements on *users* - only those who distribute) so awful?

I also fail to see how this is anything remotely close to DRM, which is intended to place all control not only to distribute a work, but to use a work in the hands of the copyright owner.  In addition to preventing distribution of a work, DRM is a tool that enables copyright owners to limit how long, on what device, and under what conditions you can use a work.  The GPL does none of these things - it simply says if you distribute, you have to provide the same rights as were provided to you.

1422

General Software Discussion / Re: Back up files with a printer and scanner

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 03, 2007, 07:15 PM »

But what if you want to ensure that you can reconstitute the data 50 - or 500 - years from now?

Digital media is great for storing a ton of data cheaply, but it's not so great for getting the data back years from now - which is something paper's not too bad at.  The author of PaperBack isn't seriously intending that his program be used except for curiosity or experimentation (at least that's my read of his webpage), and I'm certainly not suggesting that it be used for your normal backup (or even your abnormal backup).  However there are some interesting problems with long-term data archival - will the media retain it's data for a long period of time?  I don't know what the lifetime will be of CD-R's will be, but I'd bet it's less than my lifetime, and there are issues beyond the durability of the media.  For example, the PaperBack author mentions that he still has some 8 inch floppies lying around.  I imagine it wouldn't be particularly easy to find working hardware today that'll read those.  In 20 years will there be anything that'll read my old DAT backups, and if there is will the tapes still actually be readable?  For certain things, these issues may well be important, and they should be thought about.

You'll always be able to get an image of something on paper. And if that paper is stored with a printout of the program that can decode the image (a Rosetta Stone if you will), you'll have a shot at getting your data back.

Then you'll have to deal with the problem of deciphering the data into something useful (tip - store those long-term archives in something simple like ASCII, if that'll do the trick).

It is 2045, he suggests, and his grandchildren are exploring the attic of his old house when they come across a CD-ROM and a letter, which explains that the disk contains a document that provides directions to obtaining the family fortune. The children are excited. "But they've never seen a CD before - except in old movies - and, even if they found a suitable disk drive, how will they run the software necessary to interpret the information on the disk? How can they read my obsolete digital document?"

-http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/the-digital-dark-age/2005/09/22/1126982184206.html

his advice is simple: keep a hard copy. Or, assuming it's not already too late, make one.

-http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/the-digital-dark-age/2005/09/22/1126982184206.html

1423

General Software Discussion / Re: Question: Does the GPL allow program redistribution?

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 03, 2007, 09:49 AM »

Calling the GPL evil is a bit too... religious.  The GPL is a tool that has a particular desired outcome. Just like any other license - even commercial licenses.

Now, I'm not a free software or GPL zealot, but I also don't consider it evil, or even bad.  One thing to keep in mind is that the GPL is *not* intended to make life easy for developers.  It's intended to make life easy for *users* of the software.  In fact, users of the software do not need to agree to *anything* to use GPL software.  The requirements of the GPL only apply when you are going to distribute software licensed under the GPL or software derived from GPL license software.

Let's compare it with some other licenses that you might come across - the GPL requires none of these things that you might come across in some (most) commercial licenses:

• you may only install the software on a single machine
• only a single person is allowed to use the software
• you must allow the software to phone home in order to use it
• you are not allowed to study how the program works

The GPL has none of those restrictions.  But remember - the idea is that this benefits the users, not necessarily developers.

Now, if you're a developer who sees some GPL software you'd like to use in your software, then  you have some hard choices.  But one option that's always open to you is to not use it - which is no worse than most commercial software, which never even gives you the option to derive your own software from it.

Are there better licenses from a developer's point of view?  Sure, and as Renegade mentions, some of those licenses might be commercial.

But that doesn't make the GPL evil - just unsuitable for what you might want.

1424

General Software Discussion / Re: Question: Does the GPL allow program redistribution?

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 02, 2007, 06:58 PM »

> I was unable to find any information about this subject on your page,
> so I am hoping you can help clear up what the rules are.
>
> The question is: Is it legal to distribute files covered by the GPL in
> a self-extracting archive or installer, if the stub is not GPL'ed?

No.

-GPL Compliance Engineer

-Jibz (October 02, 2007, 03:22 AM)

I can't believe you got that answer - here's what their FAQ (presumably vetted by their most knowledgeable staff) says:

I would like to bundle GPLed software with some sort of installation software. Does that installer need to have a GPL-compatible license?

    No. The installer and the files it installs are separate works. As a result, the terms of the GPL do not apply to the installation software.

-http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLCompatInstaller

So your installer would not need to be GPL'ed.  However, since you would be distributing GPL-licensed software you would be required to make the source for the GPL'ed software available in some form - there are several acceptable ways to do that (it does not need to be in the installation package).  See the FAQ for details.

1425

General Software Discussion / Re: Back up files with a printer and scanner

« Last post by mwb1100 on October 02, 2007, 02:17 PM »

This reminds me of a system that came out in the 80's that let you print high density barcodes that could be read by a special scanner.  For a short period, Dr. Dobb's Journal printed these high density barcodes in their magazine so people with the scanner could get the code listing on their computer without having to order a floppy disc or download from the BBS.  If I remember correctly, the system was also sold as a way to archive data more safely than on floppy discs.

I'm surprised that I can't find any mention of this scheme on the Internet (maybe my Googling skillz just aren't up to snuff).

In any case, I think the idea is very interesting, even if it might not be 100% practical.  And if there's anybody who still has a bunch of floppies lying around archiving data just waiting for the magnetic signal to fade, archiving that data to paper might just end up being more permanent.