Recent Posts

1626

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

« Last post by Darwin on December 12, 2008, 08:59 AM »

I don't have a problem with this at all. As Josh notes, it makes sense from a business perspective. Slysoft seem to be doing the right thing as well - they've announced the change in policy well in advance, are giving cutomers the opportunity to buy lifetime licenses until a specified date, and have pledged to honour those and previously purchased lifetime licenses in the future. This stands in stark contrast to how Collectorz handled a similar decision recently...

Lifetime licenses that I own (I assume that they are still valid  ):

WinRar
Your Uninstaller (special purchase)
XYplorer (lifetime license no longer available)
UEdit-32 (special purchase)
UltraCompare Pro (special purchase)
BOOK Collector (lifetime license no longer available)
mp3 Collector (lifetime license no longer available)
Music Collector (lifetime license no longer available)
Photo Collector (lifetime license no longer available)
exifPro
PhotoFiltre
MusicMatch Jukebox (dead)
DVDIdle Pro & DVDFab
AKVIS Filters
Sandboxie
GhostSecurity Suite
WinPatrol
Memokit
Outlook Shutdown Add-in
Check&Get
Ovis pdf-doc pro
Ovis Office
PUP for Excel
Donationcoder  
Acoustica Spin It Again
Acoustica MP3Converter
Acoustica Audio Converter
Active Excel Compare
Active File Compare
Total Commander
WinImage
Frigate File Manager
Iconico Screen Measurement Pack
FMView
FMLFNS
Textanz
FileQuestXP Gold (seems to have been abandoned  )
Tera Copy
IndieVolume
BootLogXP
Text Workbench
BareGrep Pro
BareTail Pro
RQ Search and Replace
Liquid Story Binder XE
Direct Folders
xplorer2 (special purchase)
SearchGT
Archivarius
X1
Total Recorder
EDrawMax
StarDownloader Pro (seems to have been abandoned, though they did just renew their domain - it was dormant for a couple of weeks with one of those "this domain for sale" pages as a placeholder)
MagicISO
Koingo Utilities Suite

1627

General Software Discussion / Re: Collectorz.com Book Collector 6

« Last post by Darwin on December 12, 2008, 08:42 AM »

I'd guess the reason for the change is that either the search sites were charging and Collectorz wants to cut down on costs, some of the search sites have told Collectorz to cease and desist in the old way of doing things ...

-Carol Haynes (December 12, 2008, 04:57 AM)

Actually, if that is the real reason, I'd expect Collectorz to say so. I think it would save them a lot of trouble with angry users, since it would be a valid reason to change the software, and hard to argue against for the users.

-TucknDar (December 12, 2008, 05:33 AM)

One would think that this would be an excellent way to handle an impending change in practice... But then, look at the debacle the occurred when they silently stopped selling lifetime licences. Sure, the switcheroo was clear if you read the revised EULA, but that kind of change in policy should have been splashed all-over their website, discussed in detail in a newsletter and on the forum well in advance of actually being put in place. Did they do ANY of this? No - not even a banner saying "Read revised EULA" with a link to same. They do not appear to be that interested in avoiding angering their users. As I've just outlined, it would have been easy to have done so in the past and they didn't. They're obstinately sticking to a course of action that is clearly pissing off their existing user base and AFAICT couldn't care less about it. Thus, it is my opinion, if Carol's musing are correct, that the first indication any user (existing or brand new) would have of such a change would be a pop-up in a Collectorz app directing them to pay a subscription fee so that they can access the database. Howls of protest on the users forum will be dealt with much as in the past: with a repeated strong declarations of the "correctness" of the decision (WRT business models, this might well be a VERY good decision), with acknowledgment and regrets that more should have been done to pave the way, and that'll be it...

Maybe I'm just cynical... of course, they did do right by me over the lifetime licensing issue. However, they appear NOT to have learned anything from the firestorm that ensued at that time, and I doubt that this current change in direction, with its attendant controversy, will result in much deviation from the pattern in the future.

NB I haven't looked into this, but Alwin does note that the switch to a single Collectorz run database was outlined almost a year ago, so perhaps my cynicism about their ability to learn and communicate with their customers is misplaced...

1628

General Software Discussion / Re: Collectorz.com Book Collector 6

« Last post by Darwin on December 11, 2008, 03:39 PM »

Tuckndar - 40hz and I posted within moments of each other and his post got relegated to the end of the previous page. If you missed it, have a read as it's more pertinent than mine, above 

1629

General Software Discussion / Re: Collectorz.com Book Collector 6

« Last post by Darwin on December 11, 2008, 03:08 PM »

Trust me, Darwin, I know. This was just a kind of thought experiment

-TucknDar (December 11, 2008, 03:07 PM)

Yeah... I had meant to note in my posting above that I'm sure you know all this - you've been fairly active on their forum and likely know this better than I!

FWIW - I think it's a grand idea  

1630

General Software Discussion / Re: Collectorz.com Book Collector 6

« Last post by Darwin on December 11, 2008, 03:02 PM »

By the way, I was thinking of a suggestion to Collectorz. Since they're more or less abandoning v5.x of BoC and MoC, it would be interesting challenging them with this: Sell these "dead" pieces of software at 50% or even better $10 with ONE YEAR LIMITED SUPPORT and see how sales compare to the current version, 6.x.

-TucknDar (December 11, 2008, 02:40 PM)

Good luck with that, Tuckndar  Alwin has been... "prickly" about any suggested re-direction of his business model. From what I have seen, always level-headed, but prickly... I don't think he is the slightest bit interested in user input WRT the direction Collectorz is taking. See the link Josh directed us to, above.

1631

General Software Discussion / Re: Editor for PDFs: recommendations, please?

« Last post by Darwin on December 11, 2008, 02:57 PM »

Last week I recall Amazon.com and Buy.com advertising PDF Converter Professional 5 for about $62 shipped. Newegg has a downloadable version for $64.99. Prices seem to fluctuate often. The documentation indicates this product uses online activation. I am trying to decide between this product and Acrobat 9 Standard which I can get as an upgrade for $99.

-cchian (December 11, 2008, 02:24 PM)

There you go! Can't really comment on the PDFCP vs Adobe Acrobat Std issue, though... My vague understanding is that PDFCP is roughly equivalent to Acrobat Standard, but I could be wrong about that. I no longer have any idea what features are included in what versions of Acrobat, so...

1632

General Software Discussion / Re: Collectorz.com Book Collector 6

« Last post by Darwin on December 11, 2008, 12:31 PM »

Thanks for the note, 40hz. I've actually got a licence for SoftCat Plus Software Database lying around here somewhere. It was nice and quick but I didn't really use it much so unisntalled it. I'd forgotten that they do a range of cataloguing applications. Well worth a look 

1633

General Software Discussion / Re: Editor for PDFs: recommendations, please?

« Last post by Darwin on December 11, 2008, 12:27 PM »

PS to rjbull - should have noted that you can often pick up boxed versions of Nuance apps in places like Staples cheaper than the on-line discounts. I paid $79.95 US for the upgrade from PDFCP 4 to 5, having missed the opportunity to buy it for $79 Cdn. at Staples. At the time the Cdn. dollar was around parity so I didn't really care, and suspect that I saved a bit because I didn't have to pay any taxes on the download version! Besides, it's the "green" thing to do - who needs CDs/DVDs and all the packaging. But still...

1634

General Software Discussion / Re: Editor for PDFs: recommendations, please?

« Last post by Darwin on December 11, 2008, 12:24 PM »

@rjbull - I received an offer on PDF Converter Professional 5 today - $69.95. PM me if you'd like more information.

On other fronts, I wrote and thought I had posted a brief update on Serif PagePlus X2. Can't see/find it anywhere, so must be further down the path to senility than I thought 

At any rate, PP X2 is quite nice WRT its PDF editing capabilities. However, there are a couple of limitations that I'd like to highlight (though admittedly they are probably more related to entrenched perceptions of how things should be done on my part, thanks to years of working with first Adobe Acrobat and then the Scansoft/Nuance offerings):

1. I can see no way to scroll though a document a la Word procesor (and yes, I am aware that PP X2 is NOT a Word processor  ). True, one can view pages tiled across the work space, but this is not the same thing.
2. Unless one has an OCR application installed, there is no way that you can open a pdf that has been generated from image files together and edit the text. This is a serious limitation for many PDF editing applications.

Just my two bits.

I like PagePlus X2, but am much happier using PDFCP 5 to edit PDFs.... 

1635

General Software Discussion / Re: Collectorz.com Book Collector 6

« Last post by Darwin on December 11, 2008, 12:02 PM »

I've been playing around with Librarian Pro, which is $29.95 and for which you receive a licence that allows you to install and activate under both Windows and OSX. You can also install it on as many machines as you like, as long as you're the main user of each machine. It will allow you to search Amazon for books, music, and dvd's and to specify the local amazon site you want to use (ie Canada, USA, UK, Germany, etc.). It will catalogue all media, including software, not just Books. Overall, it's pretty slick. I wish it would connect to more databases - at the moment it is almost as limited as are the latest generation of Collectorz apps. HOwever, it's only at version 1.4 and the developer may be receptive to adding more sources.

Reading through the link that Josh provided for Cloq above, this little gem caught my eye (posted by user MMMDI):

The old, cumbersome, disgusting way:
1) Type in the movie title - "Bikini Bloodbath Car Wash"
2) Click "Search", wait five seconds.
3) There it is on iMDB and DVD Empire. Click "Add"
--Done--

The new, totally awesome, automated way:
1) Type in the movie title - "Bikini Bloodbath Car Wash"
2) Click "Search".
3) No results found.
--Drats--

EDIT: grammar 

1636

General Software Discussion / Re: Microsoft updates - annoying folder proliferation

« Last post by Darwin on December 09, 2008, 11:53 AM »

Yeah... I just checked two XP Pro notebooks, one Win2k, and one Vista Home Premium notebook and none of them have anything remotely like the folders you are describing, Carol 

PS They're all completely up to date WRT MS updates and each has a copy of either Office 2003 Pro or Office 2007 Enterprise installed, each of which is also fully patched.

1637

Living Room / Re: Need some comparison help on laptop coolers.

« Last post by Darwin on December 09, 2008, 11:49 AM »

Maybe I am just cynical, but I think the companies would rather make something that is going to run a little too hot and wear out faster so that they can sell you a new one sooner.

-TAF2000 (December 09, 2008, 10:31 AM)

I don't think you're cynical. However, I think that in order to deal effectively with heat they'd have to install more expensive components/spend much more on R&D, so the cost to the consumer would go up. A lot. So, in terms of consumer perceptions, they're damned if they do, damned if they don't, but win either way! That is, if they spend the R&D $$ and install pricier parts, they can charge more BUT consumers will moan and complain about costs. If they don't bother, costs are down, consumers are happy with the supply of cheap notebooks BUT they moan about heat dissipation issues and short-lived notebooks... However, in a hypothetical world where ALL notebook manufacturers spend the same R&D $$ and install the same level-of-quality components, they collectively either make money selling new notebooks to repeat customers every 18 months OR they make money on higher purchase costs to consumers. Add in the fact that s/w, O/S's, and hardware keep advancing and there is a market for new equipment either way... Ramble, ramble, ramble  .

1638

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Synergy: Sharing your keyboard and mouse

« Last post by Darwin on December 09, 2008, 09:29 AM »

Thanks for the tip, cmpm. I was trying that yesterday but no joy. I'm going to reboot both computers and try again...

One general note: I've taken to using the Synergy GUI to configure my primary computer and Xhirl for the secondary ones. Has the bonus of allowing me to more precisely configure the placement of the various computers, allows me to share to more than two other computers, and has the test feature mentioned above 

1639

General Software Discussion / Re: Editor for PDFs: recommendations, please?

« Last post by Darwin on December 09, 2008, 09:22 AM »

Thanks for posting that, Mike. I just gave my copy of PagePlusX2 a shot and it does have a very nice find and replace function. Almost makes me regret not jumping at the $29 upgrade to X3 I was offered recently! I"m going to play around with X2 some more - I've only test it with a pdf I generated from a text file - and report back here 

1640

Living Room / Re: I had the strangest dream last night...

« Last post by Darwin on December 09, 2008, 12:34 AM »

You mean this? http://www.therawfee...ta-toilet-paper.html

I would like to see the EULA...
 

-Edvard (December 08, 2008, 03:36 PM)

"End User Latrine Agreement" 

-Darwin (December 08, 2008, 03:38 PM)

You're on a roll there, Mike!

-cranioscopical (December 08, 2008, 10:45 PM)

Crap! That took me a second, but I got it. Good one 

1641

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: StopKa - desktop search tool

« Last post by Darwin on December 09, 2008, 12:32 AM »

"I'm going to create a blank index file in my chosen Index folder via notepad"
you should not create any file by the hands - this is one more suggestion from you - thanks!

-vitali_y (December 08, 2008, 08:49 PM)

So I discovered 

To answer your questions:

1. I've only ever started indexing runs
2. As above - folder to index
3. Volume is NTFS
4. Docs are doc, docx, xls, xlsx, pdf, ppt, pptx, txt, and others
5. I'm running Windows Firewall and Webroots Internet Security Essentials
6. XP Pro Sp-3

1642

Living Room / Re: Need some comparison help on laptop coolers.

« Last post by Darwin on December 09, 2008, 12:29 AM »

Under normal circumstances, if the is such a thing, why would  a laptop overheat?

-Stephen47 (December 08, 2008, 07:51 PM)

Mostly due to the vents being blocked by either clothing/bedding or by dust. Also, I find that if my CPU and harddrive are getting a good workout, my notebook heats up...

1643

Living Room / Re: OK - lets get to know each other... who are you, what do you do, where from?

« Last post by Darwin on December 09, 2008, 12:27 AM »

Welcome to DC, sal_paradise and David Theo   Hope to see more of both of you around here.

1644

General Software Discussion / Re: Security Software for OS X

« Last post by Darwin on December 09, 2008, 12:26 AM »

Awesome! Thanks, nontroppo - I'll take a look at these options 

1645

Living Room / Re: Tech News Weekly: Edition 45

« Last post by Darwin on December 08, 2008, 07:32 PM »

Unfortunately they have no such agreements for the Acronis True Image Home versions.

-J-Mac (December 08, 2008, 03:39 PM)

Ah... pity. That's probably why I upgraded to the Workstation version! When they rolled out the Workstation version, they offered Home users a very attractive upgrade and I jumped. I've never regretted doing so. I wonder if they still have a reasonable upgrade price for Home licensees?

1646

Living Room / Re: Why Vista's DRM Is Bad For You and other jewels by Bruce Schneier

« Last post by Darwin on December 08, 2008, 07:30 PM »

Here it is hosted by a service not run by a bunch of tools.
I saved the hi-def version as I expected this to happen, if anyone wants it let me know and I'll upload it when I get home tonight.

Ehtyar.

-Ehtyar (December 08, 2008, 05:48 PM)

1647

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Synergy: Sharing your keyboard and mouse

« Last post by Darwin on December 08, 2008, 07:27 PM »

Synergy is great, but it craps out for unknown reasons every so often... Can't get a functioning configuration back at the moment, so am trying Input Director again. Problem I am having with Input Director is that anytime I try to use the mousewheel in the slave, the mouse jumps back to the master and IT starts scrolling I also find that the mouse cursor will just randomly disappear (completely - absent from both Slave and Master systems), even though the keyboard still works as expected on whatever system had focus before the cursor disappeared. Eventually, it comes back, but it's damned annoying. Suspect a reboot will fix it, but then I expect that a reboot will revive Synergy...

1648

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: StopKa - desktop search tool

« Last post by Darwin on December 08, 2008, 06:20 PM »

After the above crash, I created a prj file with custom settings and this time got a system error telling me that StopKa had stopped working. I'm going to create a blank index file in my chosen Index folder via notepad and write to that to see if it solves the problem.

1649

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: StopKa - desktop search tool

« Last post by Darwin on December 08, 2008, 06:12 PM »

OK - I'll try those settings. I ran StopKa for about 30 minutes before it crashed with this error:

---------------------------
Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library
---------------------------
Runtime Error!

Program: E:\My Documents\Software\Software\StopKa\StopKa.exe



This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way.
Please contact the application's support team for more information.


---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------

1650

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: StopKa - desktop search tool

« Last post by Darwin on December 08, 2008, 03:40 PM »

Ah, you're right Vitali! However, I *did* make that change when I first set up StopKa but it crashed after a while and my settings weren't saved. I'm trying it again - will report back!