Recent Posts

151

Living Room / Re: Legally Buy & Download Music Easily - Is it even possible any more?

« Last post by rjbull on January 22, 2020, 11:41 AM »

I installed X-plore, an android file manager recommended by Tuxman.

-tomos (January 21, 2020, 11:10 AM)

A sound recommendation - that's my default one on Android.

It's sort of a two pane manager, with one pane pinned on the side. If you copy/move from one pane, the destination will automatically be the other pane.
[...]
Pressing the arrow on the top-left corner with show the other pane:

-tomos (January 21, 2020, 11:10 AM)

Have you enabled automatic screen rotation (or whatever its called) on your device - i.e., when you turn your phone/tablet from vertical (portrait) format to horizontal (landscape) format, it turns the text to match?  If you do, you'd see X-plore present itself in the usual Norton Commander-style two-pane clarity.  This 'one pane in vertical format, two panes in horizontal format' behaviour seems not uncommon in Android two-pane file managers, at least, Ghost Commander and Solid Explorer both do it.  Total Commander is slightly different.  It defaults to the same scheme, but there's a configuration option to force two panes even in vertical format.  In that case, they're very narrow, of course.

152

General Software Discussion / Re: Artists: What digital hardware+software do you use for digital sketchin/painting

« Last post by rjbull on January 13, 2020, 03:43 PM »

my tools of choice are Serif's DrawPlus for vector graphics

-oblivion (January 13, 2020, 08:42 AM)

That's their pre-Affinity one, yes?  Are you still happy with it on Win10?

I have several graphics tablets: [...]10 inch Ugee

-oblivion (January 13, 2020, 08:42 AM)

I've heard of Wacom, but never of Ugee.

153

General Software Discussion / Re: What Android Apps Do You Use?

« Last post by rjbull on January 13, 2020, 03:34 PM »

I apologize for not including the links to each app.

-city_zen (January 06, 2020, 12:55 AM)

As they say, "there's an app for that", viz. List My Apps.  I've used it in a simple way here, but there're more features than you'd expect; see under Annotations, and the variables in the Templates.  There was already a template for BB code - I've modified it for DC, though I can't now remember why.



This generates a list like this;

Alarm Plus Millenium
Package name: com.milleniumapps.milleniumalarmplus


App Search+
Package name: rjt.appsearch


ArsClip Mini
Package name: com.joejoesoft.acmini


BookmarkFolder
Package name: com.coconuts.webnavigator


CalcTape
Package name: de.sfr.calctape


Glance Note
Package name: com.fangleness.glancenote


HalnaOutliner
Package name: jp.blogspot.halnablue.HalnaOutliner


List My Apps
Package name: de.onyxbits.listmyapps


Stopwatch & Timer+
Package name: com.jupiterapps.stopwatch


Total Commander
Package name: com.ghisler.android.TotalCommander


X-plore
Package name: com.lonelycatgames.Xplore

List made using List My Apps

[/list]

154

Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Possible suggestion -- variables in clips

« Last post by rjbull on January 13, 2020, 03:02 PM »

Are your podcasts common file types like MP3, and if so, do they contain metadata tags?  If the answers to both are Yes, you might try a different approach.  Some of the better bulk file renamers can read metadata, and use it to rename files, which would do the job for you.  Examples include Rename Master (RM) and Bulk Rename Utility (BRU).  You can operate RM from the command line, which would mean you could add the same author's NewFileGo automation utility to watch for new files and invoke RM on them, perhaps as a scheduled event.

155

Coding Snacks / Re: The Best Way to handle finding and removiong Duplicate Files

« Last post by rjbull on December 22, 2019, 04:22 PM »

Back when I was more excercised about nuking dupes, I used

DoubleKiller.  Last update was 2015, as the author is probably working on his PhD.

Two more different approaches:

Cathy is a media cataloguing tool; in my experience, it's very fast at making catalogues.  It has a "search duplicates or singles" feature.

Nir Sofer's SearchMyFiles has a "Find duplicates" feature that can be combined with normal file-finding criteria.

156

General Software Discussion / Re: Top 3 programs you use

« Last post by rjbull on December 22, 2019, 04:09 PM »

2. TreeDBNotes

-BGM (December 21, 2019, 07:51 PM)

Looks as if the main website is now down completely and purchase links no longer function.
The free version was always good enough for most uses.

-Dormouse (December 22, 2019, 10:12 AM)

Maybe there were too many two-pane organisers for the market to bear, as there appears to be a winnowing going on.  You're reporting TreeDBNotes development moribund.  The entire Treepad family (including the popular freeware Treepad Lite) and associated Freebyte site have gone from the web.  Smereka TreeProjects appears to be freeware.  Jot+ Notes has just been declared freeware.  Still plenty of others, of course.

157

General Software Discussion / Re: Good Freeware Video Editor?

« Last post by rjbull on December 06, 2019, 04:55 PM »

In its latest issue (dated 4-17 December 2019) UK magazine Computeractive published its list of "Best Free Software for 2020."  They recommend:

• VSDC Free Video Editor as having plenty of features but easy to master, with excellent tutorials.
• DaVinci Resolve 16 (as noted by sphere earlier).  More advanced than VSDC, but also harder to master.

Both of those are cut-down versions of payware programs.  The full version of DaVinci Resolve is very expensive.  VSDC Pro is more approachable, and appears to currently be on offer at $19.99

They DON'T recommend HitFilm Express because while it's a decent if complex program, they don't like the way it requires you to sign up for an account before you can even download it.  It also needs a powerful computer, including a graphics card with a minimum of 1 GB of memory.

158

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by rjbull on December 04, 2019, 02:41 PM »

I went to register a product on Panasonic's site.  Had to enter date of birth.  When I got to the year field, accidentally pressed End.  The site's response had a certain lack of making connections about it...

159

Living Room / Re: Happy Thanksgiving 2019 to all DonationCoder folks!

« Last post by rjbull on November 28, 2019, 05:41 PM »

Becoming a black-Friday pauper.

-cranioscopical (November 28, 2019, 05:05 PM)

Me too   

160

General Software Discussion / Re: IS THERE AN ADJUSTABLE "DARK SCREEN" FOR WINDOWS?

« Last post by rjbull on November 27, 2019, 04:19 PM »

To flesh out superboyac's post:  f.lux® software to make your life better

Ever notice how people texting at night have that eerie blue glow?

Or wake up ready to write down the Next Great Idea, and get blinded by your computer screen?

During the day, computer screens look good—they're designed to look like the sun. But, at 9PM, 10PM, or 3AM, you probably shouldn't be looking at the sun.
f.lux

f.lux fixes this: it makes the color of your computer's display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day.

It's even possible that you're staying up too late because of your computer. You could use f.lux because it makes you sleep better, or you could just use it just because it makes your computer look better.

Free on Windows, for personal use

161

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by rjbull on November 24, 2019, 03:48 PM »

A lion and a witch were carrying a wardrobe down the street.  I asked, "Where are you going with that?"  They replied, "Narnia business."

- from The Last Laugh, The Countryman, Nov. 2019

162

Coding Snacks / Re: Killing app the way Alfred can in OSX

« Last post by rjbull on October 29, 2019, 04:21 PM »

Maybe one of these, though they're quite old?

• KillProcess by Orange Lamp Software
  KillProcess is an application assassin of the extreme kind. It can terminate almost any process on a Windows machine, including any service and process running in the system. Even protected Microsoft system processes can be terminated. All of this can be done in the matter of milliseconds.
  
  The speed that KillProcess can kill your applications with is determined by your computer speed and is not restricted by any other settings within the OS itself. KillProcess is way more powerful than the Task Manager in other terms than speed. It can kill multiple processes, either by multi-select or by clever use of “kill lists”. Using these techniques it is possible to “batch” terminate processes, quickly and swiftly, with a click of a button.
  
  KillProcess can also scan the running processes on the computer, and kill them on sight, much like an anti-spyware application would. In KillProcess however you are in charge of which applications should be allowed to run or not – and that applies to the computer as long as you say so.
   
• Taskill by DS Software (Dariusz Stanislawek)
  Taskill is a process viewer and killer. It works in GUI or CLI mode and can kill multiple instances of the same task in one go.
   
• AppSwat by Dikiye Dvizheniya
  AppSwat is a process viewer and terminator. It shows a list of all running programs on a computer and lets the user terminate any process unconditionally. This is especially useful for Win9x based systems: On NT based systems like Windows 2000 or XP the built in task manager has quite some control over processes. On Windows 9x/ME it often fails to shutdown programs or even display their presence.
  [ very old - dodgy web site, beware popups ]
  

Some of the hotkey programs offer the ability to kill the process under the cursor, e.g.:

• HoeKey by bCheck
   Tiny hotkey program, configurable with an .ini file.
   
• HotkeyP by Petr Laštovicka
  You can assign a keyboard shortcut, a mouse shortcut or a joystick shortcut to any executable file, document, folder or WWW page. You can also use all multimedia keys, the fourth and fifth mouse buttons and a remote control (if you install WinLIRC). Other commands are: change keys in other applications, shutdown, restart, lock computer, start a screen saver, change the desktop resolution, set window opacity, audio volume, set process priorities, terminate applications, eject CD, set CD speed, show disk free space, empty the recycle bin, delete temporary files, change desktop wallpaper, save/restore desktop icons positions, minimize any application to the system tray, hide window, change window transparency, zoom tool, screenshot to BMP file, set window always on top, paste date/time or any text, ...
   

163

Screenshot Captor / Re: Is there any plan to update to ScreenShot Captor ?

« Last post by rjbull on October 06, 2019, 03:55 PM »

I'd appreciate a rules-based file-renamer within Screenshot Captor.

-lanux128 (October 05, 2019, 01:09 AM)

Would it be enough, or easier, to harness a command-line file renamer like BRC  (brother of the better-known Bulk Rename Utility (BRU)) or Rename Master?

164

Android Apps / Re: Re-usable ToDo lists (possibly using *Checklist DC*?)

« Last post by rjbull on October 01, 2019, 03:11 PM »

EPIM seems to only do two levels of hierarchy.

-tomos (September 29, 2019, 06:08 PM)

On a quick test, Android EPIM can do at least four levels of Tasks below he base level.  I'm using a registered copy of PC-EPIM - don't know if that makes a difference.  I don't remember paying for a copy on Android.

165

N.A.N.Y. 2020 / Re: IrfanView Panorama

« Last post by rjbull on October 01, 2019, 03:04 PM »

Is this going to be free-standing, or a plugin for IrfanView?

166

Android Apps / Re: Re-usable ToDo lists (possibly using *Checklist DC*?)

« Last post by rjbull on September 29, 2019, 03:59 PM »

I want an app for ToDo lists that would be re-used.

-tomos (September 28, 2019, 03:05 PM)

I'm not certain it would do what you want - but have you looked at the Android version of Essential PIM (EPIM)?  I think it's free.

167

Android Apps / Re: Other app ideas based on WhenLast code

« Last post by rjbull on September 29, 2019, 03:55 PM »

Another wish probably not covered by WhenLast code: a decent cooking timer that allows you to save and recall named "scenarios," i.e. various times/titles for "put this veg on," "turn sausages," "put that veg on", "check pans," "Cooked!" etc., with a wide range of alarm sounds built in.  I use Big Clock, PocketDoan and Ramen on the Palm - sometimes all together...  I've seen plenty of Android timer apps, but none able to save a set of timers in a named group.

-rjbull (March 08, 2015, 04:46 PM)

rj, this sounds very close to an idea that dc member ewemoa and i have been talking about.. groups of sequenced timers..

-mouser (March 08, 2015, 04:50 PM)

would love this idea.

-tomos (September 28, 2019, 12:56 PM)

I should say that my needs in this area are now covered by two apps, both of which I strongly recommend:

• StopWatch & Timer+  by Jupiter Apps
• Alarm Clock Millennium  by Millennium Apps

I have paid-for copies of both, and am not up to date on the free ones, but as far as I know, you need the paid-for Jupiter Apps program to gain the ability to save and recall scenarios (but Android apps typically don't cost much).  Its UI isn't as determinedly slick a some, but it works, and the "clock face" is clear and bold.

The Millennium Apps one doesn't in fact offer save-and-recall scenarios, but it allows you to set as many timers as you want, check off the tickboxes of the ones you currently need, and set them all off together.  That means you can change scenarios quickly, if not quite as conveniently as the Jupiter Apps program.  However, Millennium Apps offer is a much more all-round reminder software, and it's the one I use on Android for most recurring and ad hoc alarms.  There are glitches, but it's more than good enough for most purposes.  Last time I looked, I thought the author was shooting himself in the foot by offering so much functionality in the free version.

168

Living Room / Hotmail hates non-Hotmail: is there a cure?

« Last post by rjbull on September 23, 2019, 05:29 PM »

I'm in a photography class, and send photos to the tutor's Hotmail address.  Most of the time my messages end up in her spam folder and she has to move them over manually, despite repeatedly telling Hotmail that my address isn't spam.  Now I hear from a friend who sends lots of emails to members of a club that all the messages that he gets returned as "undeliverable" also have Hotmail addresses.

Has anyone else noticed this?  Is there a cure for it?  And is Hotmail accessible by POP3, or web interface only, as it seemed to be when I tried year or two back?

Thanks...

169

Living Room / Re: What books are you reading?

« Last post by rjbull on September 11, 2019, 03:47 PM »

Ghosts of the Tsunami
Author: Lloyd Parry, Richard
ISBN: 9781784704889
Physical Description: 276 pages : illustrations (black and white), maps (black and white) ; 20 cm



Abstract:
On 11th March 2011, a massive earthquake sent a 120-foot-high tsunami smashing into the coast of north-east Japan. By the time the sea retreated, more than 18,000 people had been crushed, burned to death, or drowned. It was Japan's greatest single loss of life since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. It set off a national crisis, and the meltdown of a nuclear power plant. And even after the immediate emergency had abated, the trauma of the disaster continued to express itself in bizarre and mysterious ways. Richard Lloyd Parry lived through the earthquake in Tokyo, and spent six years reporting from the disaster zone. 'Ghosts of the Tsunami' is a classic of literary non-fiction, a heart-breaking and intimate account of an epic tragedy, told through the personal accounts of those who lived through it.

170

Living Room / Re: What books are you reading?

« Last post by rjbull on September 03, 2019, 04:23 PM »

Re-reading - more accurately, reading the second edition - of The Tough Guide to Fantasyland^w by Diana Wynne Jones^w.  IMO the first (UK) edition has a better cover, and they lost at least one good pun in the second, but only the latter has the Dark Lord Approved! stamp.

This is the cult classic in which Diana Wynne Jones, no mean fantasist herself, ruthlessly skewers [OMT] every tired trope and cobwebbed cliche of the entire fantasy genre.

171

General Software Discussion / TED Notepad updated to Version 6.2.1 (Aug 22, 2019)

« Last post by rjbull on August 29, 2019, 05:26 PM »

TED Notepad ChangeLog

This listing describes all major changes between previous versions of TED Notepad. Minor changes that did not affect difference between major versions listed here are omitted.

Version 6.2.1 (Aug 22, 2019)
    + Added: Text Coloring.
    + Added: Grep, Filter lines by Pattern tool.
    + Added: Visually highlight Current Line.
    + Added: Length of the Current Selection shown in the Status bar.
    + Added: Visible newlines based on actual newlines.
    + Added: Visible Tabs.
    * Optimized drawing long lines and lines containing surrogates, composite characters, clusters.
    * Left margin no longer obscures text shifted to the left by horizontal scroll.
    * Added hint to Replace All Abort dialog suggesting Extended Replace tool instead.
    * Changed default value for File size warning setting to 10MiB.
    - Fixed: Undoing all changes makes the document unmodified.
    - Fixed: Unicode and non-unicode version no longer share the same config when storing strings.
    - Fixed: Preventing one file operation to run within another one, e.g. auto-save while loading a document.
    - Fixed: Including an empty file no longer changes current document's newlines.
    - Fixed: Drag-and-drop editing and Right-click on a single-character selection no longer impossible.
    - Fixed: Longer lines were not fully drawn with larger fonts due to limitations in Windows API.
    - Fixed: Default font size, printing font size, and font sizing algorithms, better DPI aware-ness.
    - Fixed: Line lengths are no longer jumping back and forth when selecting lines.
    - Fixed: Resizing window height recalculates potentially changing size of the horizontal scrollbar.
    - Fixed: Horizontal scrolling no longer recalculates horizontal scrollbar.
    - Fixed: Printing leading line tabs with non-zero left page margin.
    - Fixed: Replacing text unnecessarily redrawing following lines.
    - Fixed: Tab size visual extent rendering.
    - Fixed: Replace tool zero-length matching after non-zero-length matches.
    - Fixed: Partial loading of files over 4GB large.
    - Fixed: Partial UTF-8 BOM recognition.
    Changes against version 6.1.1. (Dec 4, 2016)

TED Notepad home page
TED Notepad Download

172

General Software Discussion / Re: Eudora, Hermes and Pandora - also compared to TheBat! and other email clients

« Last post by rjbull on August 22, 2019, 05:07 PM »

The next The Bat! (version 9) will have a ribbon layout. Ribbons!  Blergh.

-Tuxman (August 22, 2019, 04:08 AM)

If that's compulsory, I doubt I'll "upgrade."

173

Living Room / Re: What books are you reading?

« Last post by rjbull on August 19, 2019, 03:27 PM »

Biography of the author of The Wind in the Willows^w:

174

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: VideoProc/Digiarty of WinXDVD Fame - ST FREE 4K/HD Capture/Edit/Download/Convert

« Last post by rjbull on August 17, 2019, 04:31 PM »

It does include mouse clicks (shown as a circle) and the keystrokes are shown too, [...] I made a short screen capture and enclosed it for you so that you can see.

-brahman (August 16, 2019, 08:08 PM)

Many thanks!    Especially for taking the trouble to make the demonstration video.  You are right, it's an outstandingly good deal for a lifetime license, and I bought one.


I asked a similar question before, and ended up combining FastStone Capture with skrommel's ShowOff;
Display keystrokes in video?  This works even on Vista, but it's nice to have alternatives, and ShowOff's display isn't wide enough to show multiple key modifiers, e.g. something like Win+Crtl+Alt+Shift+F12.

175

General Software Discussion / Re: Best reliable freeware download sites?

« Last post by rjbull on August 17, 2019, 03:52 PM »

Would Last Freeware Version count?

I see it's "powered by" FREEWARE GUIDE, which I have not investigated.