Recent Posts

1501

Find And Run Robot / Re: Latest FARR Release v2.107.04 beta - Sep 23, 2012

« Last post by J-Mac on April 19, 2009, 10:27 PM »

Hi mouser.

When I saw that a new version was out I got a little lazy and instead of navigating to the download page I just right-clicked on the SSC tray icon and then clicked "Check for Updates". Nothing happened. I tried again - still nothing. I don't mean that it doesn't find an update; it just doesn't seem to do anything at all. Doesn't say there is an update, doesn't say there is not an update, doesn't open a browser page. Since DCupdater doesn't work with SSC I thought that maybe at least the individual Update Check in the program would help. Is this turned off by design for some reason? If so, why not just take that link out of there - frustrating to see it but not be able to use it.

Thanks!

Jim

Whoa!! Wrong forum! Sorry about that, but the post is still valid for Screenshot Captor! (I can't get any action from the Check for Updates link when there is an update available). Move this if possible, please. 

1502

Living Room / Re: for the past 50 years, American students were taught bullshit

« Last post by J-Mac on April 19, 2009, 12:47 PM »

An educated person might know 10.000 words meanwhile so called uneducated person might know only 2000. It makes no difference and should not be used to create "division" among societies.

-kartal (April 19, 2009, 12:27 PM)

The breadth of vocabulary is not the same as knowing proper grammar. You can use proper grammar knowing only a couple of hundred words. I don't think that knowing how to speak properly is used to create class divisions any more than knowing calculus is.

If you were going to read the Wall Street Journal for investment research, which would you tend to trust more:
- "We believe the future of the economy is on the upswing"
- "We be thinkin yo gonna have mo money nex year"

-edbro (April 19, 2009, 12:43 PM)

The economy? In the US? Whom to believe??  Bad example!

Jim

1503

Living Room / Re: for the past 50 years, American students were taught bullshit

« Last post by J-Mac on April 19, 2009, 12:38 PM »

Not sure I'd agree there kartal, there has to be a 'right' way to say things otherwise the ambiguities of language would get out of hand. Also language rules were not decided by some elitist, they evolved over time with the language as spoken by whole populations. Who are we in this generation to turn our backs on the rules of a language much more ancient than ourselves.

And surely grammar is no more unnatural than language itself, they always go hand in hand.

-Eóin (April 19, 2009, 04:04 AM)

Does following all the grammar rules really help eliminate ambiguities? And yes, the "language rules" were indeed decided by some elitists. The problem with such pedantry is that you seem to wish to disallow any further evolution of the language by preventing this generation, or any for that matter, from adding to the evolution.

Listen to Stephen Fry's podcasts on language. Very interesting.

Jim

1504

Screenshot Captor / Re: autoscroll capture need fixed bug.

« Last post by J-Mac on April 19, 2009, 12:02 AM »

Thank you for this app.
I have the same problem encountered when I use auto-scroll feature.
My browser is Firefox 3.0.8 and I have Fireshot addon installed on my browser.

-bigspanner (April 18, 2009, 03:12 PM)

Wow - that darned EYE is watching me!! Amazingly eerie and distracting! I like it   

Jim

1505

Site/Forum Features / Re: March 2009 Survey Discussion

« Last post by J-Mac on April 18, 2009, 11:58 PM »

 I use FARR, but not many of its features at all - mostly just for program launching. I've read the Help pages over and over but mostly I don't get it.

-J-Mac (March 30, 2009, 02:59 AM)

would it be safe to say that if I've never heard of FARR I don't need it?
(eg, if you have to ask the price you can't afford it)

sorry--just (belatedly) took the survey and am feeling a bit giddy. I needed some release after the brain workout. 

-notanartist (April 18, 2009, 02:51 PM)

Not safe to say at all!  I use it for its program launching abilities. I believe that is what it started out as - a program launcher primarily. Though its search abilities have been greatly extended via plugins written by bith mouser and a host of other gifted members here. I understand you can use FARR to search either on your computer or just about anywhere else.

However I've never gotten very good at using it for anything more than a program launcher - and an excellent one at that. I just press the Pause/Break key as a hotkey and start typing the first few letters of the program I want to open and FARR immediately finds it. Very quick and easy program launching from your keyboard.

Jim

BTW - I just noticed that was your first post here. Welcome aboard!! Ask away about, umm, just about anything you want! And please DO check out the software created by the members here - just click on the Software link at the top of the page. Lots of neat stuff.   

1506

General Software Discussion / Re: Really impressed: BB Flashback, Blueberry software upgrade policy

« Last post by J-Mac on April 17, 2009, 04:14 PM »

... (Oh, I feel wike Elmeh Fuud when I twy to say your username out loud!!    )

-J-Mac (April 11, 2009, 10:57 PM)

You hit the nail white on da head! My CB handle from the 80's was ridgerunner and that is the username I always try to get when signing up for this or that internet site, but it is frequently taken. Thus I came up with the Elmer Fudd version with its "off-the-beaten-path" spelling. As you can see from my avatar, I fly hang gliders for fun and fweqwentwy wun widges! - check out my "widgewunner channel" on YouTube for some cheesy videos! :^)

-widgewunner (April 17, 2009, 03:25 PM)

 

1507

General Software Discussion / Re: Another 'Lifetime' license bites the dust

« Last post by J-Mac on April 17, 2009, 04:11 PM »

I've never used Any-DVD, or any variant, so I'm basing my comments on what I've read here. First, I agree the company was not unethical in what they did; the new release was a new product. However, I think there is a lesson here for small companies, that while customers do expect ethical behaviour, they also expect to be treated well. If I'm reading it correctly, they sold the earlier program, then, in the case of one poster, days after he bought this earlier license, a new product came out, with new functionality but also with all the functions of the old. So I do think they erred in failing to treat their customers in the way most customers would like to be treated.

Look at that experience from the point of view of the customer: if he'd known the new product was coming out, and would be treated separately, he could have waited and obtained all the functions of both for the single price. Instead, they didn't make this plain, so to get both he needed to pay for both programs. (The amounts don't matter. Buying both would cost more than buying one. That is all that matters to make my point.) I'd be upset, not that designating new functionality as a new program was unethical, but simply because they withheld information about the upcoming release (presumably to gain a few more sales of the old one - who's going to buy it once they know it will be outdated?). I wouldn't want to do business with a company that treated me that way. High standards? Maybe, but customers have just as much right to insist on whatever standards they like as companies do to decide what standards they will follow.

So, to my mind, this company alienated a certain number of customers by the way they acted. To gain a limited amount of extra sales, they lost untold future sales. What would I suggest they could have done? Be honest, at the very beginning, about the new program they're developing, and the fact it will be treated as a new product. At that point, they might scare away a few sales, but most folks won't want to wait that long for the new product - and, since the old one is becoming outdated, they could encourage sales by cutting the price a bit. As time passed, they could announce that any purchaser of the old program after a specified date would qualify for a certain percentage discount off the price of the new one. Finally, they could announce that those who bought the old license after a specific date, close to the new release (say, within a month) would just get a free license to the new product. Yes, this would cost them a bit more - but I think it would earn them even more goodwill.

Am I saying they should be obligated to do this? No, I'm simply saying it seems like a policy that would have alienated a lot fewer customers, and would have more than paid for itself in the long run. I know there are a few small businesses I deal with that have gone the extra mile - and, when they show me they're willing to do that, I'm much more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in cases that aren't terribly clear. I've knowingly paid more, even when customer service wasn't a consideration - when I'm dealing with a business I know is generally willing to treat me as I'd like to be treated.

-raybeere (April 17, 2009, 03:27 PM)

I disagree with just about your entire post. And not having ever used or purchased their software is probably the cause of the misinformation.

If the user you refer to had purchased it only days before, he would have gotten the newer version free - or contacted Slysoft and it would be covered. I've seen this and been there myself. They have never been deceptive in their sales practices. I don't think Slysoft alienated many users at all, actually. What do you base that on? One or two comments here?

Though their HD product sells separately the original AnyDVD is still fully supported - a lot of users watch DVD's and not Blue Ray, myself included. And when Slysoft made the announcement that the selling of lifetime licenses was coming to an end, they delayed the cutoff date at least four times when asked by users. I don't think I have seen that before in the software industry.

IMO you are picking on the wrong developer. There are plenty who do it differently and deserve such wrath. 

Jim

1508

General Software Discussion / Re: Another 'Lifetime' license bites the dust

« Last post by J-Mac on April 16, 2009, 02:27 PM »

Slysoft should have created a new product AnyHD that cannot do DVD at all, and then package with every license of AnyHD a free license to AnyDVD so that its users can do DVDs as well.

-CWuestefeld (April 16, 2009, 01:24 PM)

Why should a user of AnyHD have to suffer for the sake of mindset?  Suffer how you ask?  To have to open separate applications just so people's 'mindset' would be in a certain way.  It's sort of like regular versions vs pro versions- the pro version has more features than the regular version, but both are built into the same application.  What's wrong with that?

-wraith808 (April 16, 2009, 02:10 PM)

It is not a "separate app"; it simply adds the ability to strip the copy protection from HD-DVD and BRD. People open the exact same application that they always have. It just has more capabilities.

Slysoft was the first to break the copy protection for the HD-DVD and BRD, and then when a newer, supposedly better copy protection was introduced, Slysoft broke it again. Don't you think they deserve to earn a little more revenue for that?

Jim

1509

General Software Discussion / Re: Another 'Lifetime' license bites the dust

« Last post by J-Mac on April 16, 2009, 02:07 PM »

I have Lifetime licenses for both AnyDVD and CloneDVD, and I have benefitted from them - along with literally dozens, maybe over a hundred, updates for AnyDVD alone - for more than 6 years now. And guess what - I went ahead and purchased an upgrade to my AnyDVD lifetime license to add HD/BRD capability. Even though I currently don't have either an HD-DVD nor BRD player! Well, if you already had a license the upgrade was ridiculously inexpensive, plus I figure that I'll probably be using the HD stuff sooner or later. But without the HD/BRD upgrade I have gotten an immense amount of use, along with innumerable upgrades and flawless, uncomplaining support from Slysoft so this was probably the only way I could continue to support them. I don't mind at all.

Others do drive me mad, though....

Jim

1510

General Software Discussion / Re: Really impressed: BB Flashback, Blueberry software upgrade policy

« Last post by J-Mac on April 12, 2009, 11:16 PM »

Leftover from April 1? 

Jim

1511

General Software Discussion / Re: Really impressed: BB Flashback, Blueberry software upgrade policy

« Last post by J-Mac on April 12, 2009, 02:34 AM »

Hi everybody,

  First post. I recently discovered this place after searching for screencasting software. Was impressed with your thorough software reviews and the overall positive tone of the posts and content here. I registered and am posting here to let everyone know that the BB Flashback Express version is now free. Figured some of you might want to know.

-widgewunner (April 11, 2009, 08:35 PM)

thanks for the heads-up, widgewunner.. btw, is there a link showing the difference between full program and the express edition? i can't seem to find any..

-lanux128 (April 12, 2009, 01:24 AM)

Right here:  http://www.bbsoftware.co.uk/BBFlashBackExpress/CompareEditions.aspx

Jim

1512

General Software Discussion / Re: BB Flashback Express version is now free

« Last post by J-Mac on April 11, 2009, 10:57 PM »

Hi everybody,

  First post. I recently discovered this place after searching for screencasting software. Was impressed with your thorough software reviews and the overall positive tone of the posts and content here. I registered and am posting here to let everyone know that the BB Flashback Express version is now free. Figured some of you might want to know.

  Also, I'm curious if there are any currrent discounts for the more deluxe BB Flashback versions? I haven't donated anything yet, but might be inticed into it... :^)

-widgewunner (April 11, 2009, 08:35 PM)

Wow! And here I was just at their site recently, drooling as usual over the full version and wishing I had a strong enough need to get it! Of course I dod not even take notice that the Express version was free. Story of my life!

Thank you for the heads up, widgewunner! On my way to download it now!  (Oh, I feel wike Elmeh Fuud when I twy to say your username out loud!!    )

Jim

Edit:  Hmm.. Weird - Looks like the policy is the same: Express is a free download and a 30 trial. But on the Express page itself it says "Free forever". I guess they just changed this and haven't edited all their pages yet. Cool - Thanks again.

1513

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Quality Comparison: 8 x freeware PDF Readers / Viewers

« Last post by J-Mac on April 11, 2009, 10:48 PM »

of course, adobe couldn't help but screw this one too.
There's no way to do full screen. Of course, a reader, for people reading pdfs, should not care about maximizing reading space.

And the copy-paste brain damage is pure evil.
Here's when one misses having the sources for every app (OSS world).

I'd suggest a feature, but their forums is not functional on my browser (maybe admuncher acting up)?

The rendering quality is top-notch, though, making all other free viewers look bad.

-urlwolf (April 11, 2009, 09:35 PM)

urlwolf: I doubt that it is admuncher. The Nuance forum can only be viewed in Internet Explorer. Actually it CAN be viewed - but you cannot post or add a reply unless you use IE. Adobe may very well have the same issue. I have no idea why a company would do that. Nonsensical!

Jim

1514

General Software Discussion / Re: Win Patrol Plus (Bits Du Jour- Fri) Chameleon Startup Manager, Startup Organizer

« Last post by J-Mac on April 11, 2009, 02:06 AM »

Trilinea, J-Mac:
You most of all use what functions in Anvir Task Manager?

Best regards,
Evgeni

-evgeni (April 11, 2009, 01:36 AM)

Hi Evgeni.

I use Anvir Task Manager Pro basically as a replacement for the Windows Task Manager. I have it auto-reduce memory usage by programs, I view what handles and/or strings a program is using or waiting on, I look for invisible windows if I am having a display issue that makes me suspect an invisible window. TMP has a lot of very helpful views and tweaks that I do use. However I use Chameleon for my startup programs.

Jim

1515

General Software Discussion / Re: Win Patrol Plus (Bits Du Jour- Fri) Chameleon Startup Manager, Startup Organizer

« Last post by J-Mac on April 11, 2009, 12:20 AM »

Trillinea,

Chameleon has a "monitoring" setting that is for exactly what you mentioned - the tray icon changes color and pops up a balloon saying a program has tried to add itself to the startup group. You can configure it to remove it or allow it to be added automatically if you don't respond to the alert.

My biggest frustration is that occasionally a program which has a delay assigned will suddenly begin ignoring the delay. Only way to get it back is to remove it and then add it back to startup and reset the delay. However I think this has been established as an XP issue - or maybe a Windows issue. This doesn't happen depending on how the program is added to startup: through the registry or otherwise - I'm not certain what all the details are but it has happened to me on a few occasions. Used to happen with PC Mag's Startup Cop Pro also back when I used that.

Jim

1516

General Software Discussion / Re: alternatives to firstDefense ISR

« Last post by J-Mac on April 10, 2009, 11:33 PM »

IIRC, Leapfrog at one point had stepped back from this situation because over at the FD-ISR forums many long-time users were dissing the changes big time and I think Leapfrog was getting inundated with requests.

Darn, now I cannot even find that forum - looks like Horizon has a new forum as there are very few posts in it. The forum I was referring to was kind of odd looking - a relatively wide table on the left side with all their product links listed and the forum on the extreme right side. Hardly any room for posts; very narrow but long posts!

Maybe the crap has stopped flying as fast and furiously and Leapfrog has relented a bit. Can't blame them though since they aren't the cause of the users' angst.

My main problem was that the backup must be contained on the C: or system drive and my box has a relatively small system drive with very large data drives. (80 GB vs. 500 GB x 3, all internal). There is a feature that allows you to exclude certain directories from the backup, with a strong caveat about ensuring you properly backup the excluded data. I forget exactly what it was called now. Anyway, several of the directories I selected for such exclusion were not being excluded, and my system drive was getting way too full, causing problems. I requested support for that three times and never got one reply from them. Not going to spam filters either, as I capture all spam for review if necessary. They just were not responding, which was also evidenced by the multitude of other users who were getting the same silent treatment.

Thanks for editing the topic title, Carl.

Jim

Aha - memory loss took a short break and I remember the name of the feature now: anchors or anchor points, methinks. 

1517

General Software Discussion / Re: Win Patrol Plus (Bits Du Jour- Fri) Chameleon Startup Manager, Startup Organizer

« Last post by J-Mac on April 10, 2009, 11:15 PM »

I'm not sure how to say's this without coming on like a smarty but how about actually trying the instructions I gave you.

-Trilinea (April 10, 2009, 06:35 PM)

No problem. And as I said before I prefer Chameleon so I have no incentive to try your instructions. Also, what I posted is all that I could find when I WAS trying to get ATM Pro to do custom delays. The help pages on their site did NOT mention that option at that time, about two - three years ago. Correspondence with the developer were not very clear or revealing, either. Possibly a language issue, but when originally asked about this he did not offer what you show and he outright admitted that this feature was not yet well developed.

I am not insisting you use the program only trying to help because you stated this was your issue and that you couldn't get support.

-Trilinea (April 10, 2009, 06:35 PM)

And that is the truth! If he has developed the feature further, great! But it hasn't been heavily advertised to users. Heck, it's difficult to find out if there is a later version available! (Updates use Version + Build numbers yet download files just use Version numbers).

Jim

1518

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the new desktop?

« Last post by J-Mac on April 10, 2009, 11:06 PM »

A nice Clairefontaine or Levenger notepad and a good, quality fountain pen!

Jim

-J-Mac (April 10, 2009, 01:48 PM)

Or in my case (and on my budget ): a Pilot-G2 XFine gel pen; a high quality stiff-backed pad of ¼-inch graph paper; and a pack of 3X5 index cards.
 

-40hz (April 10, 2009, 06:53 PM)

Ah, you'd be surprised, 40hz. Paper is purchased only during extraordinary sales or on Ebay (Levenger actually has an Ebay ID and sells off stuff there cheaper than usual - often used but what do I care!), and the same goes for fountain pens. I either hit up Ebay for deals or I use Craig's List or the For Sale forum at the Fountain Pen Network.   

Jim

1519

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the new desktop?

« Last post by J-Mac on April 10, 2009, 01:48 PM »

A nice Clairefontaine or Levenger notepad and a good, quality fountain pen!

Jim

1520

General Software Discussion / Re: alternatives to firstDefense ISR

« Last post by J-Mac on April 10, 2009, 01:46 PM »

I own two licenses for firstDefense ISR.
Since I have moved to windows server 2008, they are not valid anymore; they ask for >$300 for a license.
I emailed support to see if I can upgrade. They didn't even bother answering.

Is there anything out there that does the same job, and doesn't cost a fortune for windows server?
Any alternative to take snapshots of your working install?

Thanks

-urlwolf (April 10, 2009, 02:37 AM)

Horizon Data, right? I purchased FD ISR AND their alleged "Gold Support Plan". I never, ever received any response from them with support questions. A complete sham outfit. Personally I think the DC reviews for this product - which are very complimentary, and which also were written - I believe - when ISR was offered by a different developer should be revised to reflect the horrible nature of the current developer.

Sorry they got you too!

Jim

1521

General Software Discussion / Re: Win Patrol Plus (Bits Du Jour- Fri) Chameleon Startup Manager, Startup Organizer

« Last post by J-Mac on April 10, 2009, 11:38 AM »

Anvir allows you to add a delay but only a very short one. Or you can add custom delays but I think that it affects all startup programs rather than individual ones.

-J-Mac (April 07, 2009, 04:47 PM)

@ J-Mac: Did you try?

Create Delayed Startup items you want to customize...

On Startup Tab Highlight Delayed Startup Items >> Right Click Item you want to customize >> Click Edit Delayed Startup Item >> Select custom Delay Time.

Not sure why or how the individual settings would affect the delay time of all of the startup programs. Hopefully I've helped you.

-Trilinea (April 10, 2009, 04:43 AM)

I guess my first hint was trying to see how I could delay startup items in Anvir and only finding this dialog:

[attachthumb=#1][/attachthumb]

Notice in here that setting a delay will affect all startup items - or so it seems to indicate so.

Besides, it definitely does not have the ability to create profiles so that necessitates another program for me anyway. I still use Anvir Task Manager Pro and love the program; I just prefer Chameleon's startup delay more.

Thank you.

Jim

1522

General Software Discussion / Re: What's the Most Accurate Burner?

« Last post by J-Mac on April 08, 2009, 11:30 PM »

That really depends just what you want to burn. Each does some things well; none really do ALL things well. Of course that is true in many areas.

E.g., I use CloneDVD and AnyDVD for backing up my DVDs for a long time but I recently started using another in that family - CloneCD - for my DVD and CD backups. But it doesn't do general CD ripping or data disk burns. It does, however, create exact 1 for 1 copies for backup/archival using RAW Mode. It's CD copies conform to Redbook standards. But as I said it is only for certain burns. I have been using Imgbrn or CD BurnerXP for all other burns on my computer.

I have used Nero Ultra (up to V7) and Roxio Creator but they both force large suites of a lot of useless apps on you. Plus "indexing" services that are as difficult to disable or remove as the original RealAudio junk.

Jim

1523

General Software Discussion / Re: Win Patrol Plus (Bits Du Jour- Fri) Chameleon Startup Manager, Startup Organizer

« Last post by J-Mac on April 07, 2009, 04:47 PM »

I do use Anvir Task Manager Pro but I still prefer Chameleon Startup Manager for controlling startup items. Anvir allows you to add a delay but only a very short one. Or you can add custom delays but I think that it affects all startup programs rather than individual ones. I asked how I could assign different delays to separate programs at the Anvir forum but the replies from the developer weren't exactly enlightening. Might be a language thing, I believe.

Plus Anvir does not have the ability to create profiles where I can assign different startup programs to different profiles depending on what workflow I have planned. E.g., If I wish to work on video editing for a few hours I generally do not want my usual startup/background stuff running because video editing is CPU intensive and needs all the free resources I can spare. So rather than do what I used to do - let them all startup and then exit the extraneous stuff - I just select the profile I created in Chameleon which has only the programs I need in startup and reboot. Stuff like Screenshot Captor or Snagit, Ultra Recall, Surfulater - I usually have all or some of those start with Windows but not when I am editing video.

I know I sometimes complain about annoyances in Chameleon's somewhat arcane UI, but the profiles and the ability to assign different delays to programs - and delays as long as desired rather than one minute - are what makes it invaluable IMO. 

Jim

1524

General Software Discussion / Re: logitech mouse drivers are pure evil

« Last post by J-Mac on April 05, 2009, 03:16 PM »

As do their webcam drivers.

Ehtyar.

-Ehtyar (April 05, 2009, 01:35 AM)

Logitech web cam drivers crashed my desktop computer when it was only three days old - what a mess! Returned it and bought a Creative instead. Creative doesn't have the best driver record by far, but they're not nearly as evil as Logitech's.

Jim

1525

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: MiniReview of Linkman URL Organizer and Search Tool

« Last post by J-Mac on April 01, 2009, 11:31 PM »

When I first imported my Firefox bookmarks last year the Bookmarks Toolbar came in as a folder and all folders under it came in too. Weird.

Jim