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1726

General Software Discussion / Re: Is it finally time to abandon IE?

« Last post by Josh on December 17, 2008, 09:09 AM »

I receive alerts alot of the times. When it comes to IE installing something, you get prompted when a control tries to install itself (ActiveX). Not once has something gotten by me that I didn't personally choose to install. Security really boils down to a matter of how comfortable a user is with the tools they are given. If they are happy with their A/V, Firewall, Ad removal tool, Anti-spyware tool and hardware router? Then I guess to them the risk is worth it. To each their own. I have qualms with the idea of switching to a SUPERIOR product if it is justified, but switching to another product which has it's own set of flaws just to get rid of another set of flaws isn't really a justification or cause to switch, TO ME.

IE has proven rock solid to me. Granted, I don't use it as much as I used to. I use it all the time where I am now because it's what the government computers use, but I guess it proves that IE can be very secure because the gov't and US Military rely on it. They have recently authorized firefox for the users who want to use it, but as app pointed out, a lot of the applications the US Military uses rely on IE (websites). Firefox does not support smart card authentication very well and as such is not as accepted in the community.

1727

Living Room / Re: Can you throw a shoe at Bush?

« Last post by Josh on December 17, 2008, 08:51 AM »

I found this rather humorous. Sending shoes to bush as a gesture and then telling him what charities will take them!

1728

General Software Discussion / Re: Is it finally time to abandon IE?

« Last post by Josh on December 17, 2008, 08:40 AM »

Where did I say you were an idiot? If I said that or implied that somewhere in my post, please point it out to me as I will correct it. What I did say was that telling a user to switch because a security hole exists is not the right answer. Most of these exploits require a bit of user interaction for them to function. A lot of them won't function in a normal user mode. My statement about idiocy, again, was not directed at a particular user, but the idea that we should switch products when it has a security hole. Software is programmed by man, man by nature is prone to error, thus, software is prone to error.

What can you do? Educate yourself. Many users are trained by themselves and out of habit to click yes automatically, or whatever makes the message box go away. Many people install programs and do not take the time to read the screens and then complain when they have hundreds of pieces of malware on their machine.

IE might have security holes, but please show me, how many have working exploits in the wild and what is the percentage of users affected by said holes? I don't mean what is the POTENTIAL number of affected users, I want to know what the ACTUAL affected user numbers are.

1729

General Software Discussion / Re: Is it finally time to abandon IE?

« Last post by Josh on December 17, 2008, 07:39 AM »

Plus, what if I were to drop every product that had a security hole? I wouldn't even be allowed to use my computer with the exception of maybe reversi from Windows 3.0

1730

Living Room / Re: Can you throw a shoe at Bush?

« Last post by Josh on December 17, 2008, 07:31 AM »

URL?

1731

General Software Discussion / Re: Is it finally time to abandon IE?

« Last post by Josh on December 17, 2008, 07:31 AM »

That, and calling for users to switch due to security holes is just sheer idiocy. Every product has security holes, some get more attention because the product is used far more and by more people. The products used less get noticed less when a hole is found. A hacker is not going to spend hours trying to exploit a hole in a product that only 1-2% of the users use. To get noticed, you have to exploit what is in wide use. Put firefox in IE's shoes and you will see the same thing. How many times have I had to install a second update (3.03 to 3.04) just to fix a problem that the last update 2 days prior introduced? Microsoft at least takes time to fix and test their patches.

1732

General Software Discussion / Re: Is it finally time to abandon IE?

« Last post by Josh on December 17, 2008, 07:08 AM »

Or just wait for a patch as again, I have not been affected by a single security exploit which wasn't activex related since IE6 SP2. Every time a new security hole is found, the fanatics jump at the chance to bad mouth microsoft. I have stayed patched for years and have never been exploited by IE, again, since V6 SP2.

1733

General Software Discussion / Re: Collectorz.com... again!

« Last post by Josh on December 17, 2008, 06:55 AM »

It also appears that the administrator, Alwin, is removing all negative posts so that users "Which are happy" can post. He even deleted his post about him deleting other users posts. A good majority of the posts complaining about the change mentioned above have been or are in the process of being removed. Am I the only one who feels he is shooting himself and his company in the foot with this move?

1734

General Software Discussion / Re: Collectorz.com... again!

« Last post by Josh on December 17, 2008, 02:55 AM »

It looks like not only is Alwin talking down to his users and making it known that people who have already paid are not their primary focus anymore, but he is deleting posts that he does not agree with. While this is his right, I find it highly detestable.

See here

1735

DC Gamer Club / Re: The Best Gaming Moments of 2008

« Last post by Josh on December 16, 2008, 07:28 AM »

Wouldn't scancode being pwned by p3lb0x be one of the best gaming moments of 2008?

1736

Living Room / Re: Childhood Memory

« Last post by Josh on December 16, 2008, 07:01 AM »

I've moved a total of at least 9 times since my childhood so no, i do not remember it.

1737

General Software Discussion / Re: Bear Bottoms Freeware: A very nice high-quality software site

« Last post by Josh on December 15, 2008, 10:28 AM »

OK Folks, until we can get further advisement from administration, I am placing a temporary hold on this thread.

1738

General Software Discussion / Re: VLC making improvements

« Last post by Josh on December 15, 2008, 10:04 AM »

There is one minor annoyance which has annoyed me since V 0.93 on windows. That is the fact that it DOES NOT REMEMBER YOUR LAST USED DIRECTORY OR FOLDER!!!!! This has been reported and is highly annoying. If I have several videos I want to scroll through or open, I have to re-browse to the folder which can get 8-9 deep.

1739

General Software Discussion / Re: Bear Bottoms Freeware: A very nice high-quality software site

« Last post by Josh on December 15, 2008, 08:15 AM »

Yes, let's all listen to cranioscopical

1740

Living Room / Re: In-car GPS

« Last post by Josh on December 13, 2008, 01:52 PM »

I have a Garmin nuvi 750 and I swear by it, although my wife is a different story. Every time I have had to go somewhere it will get me there. The voice is understandable if you are even vaguely familiar with an area, but even if you do not understand, a simple glance and you are on your way. The device is highly configurable and works better than I imagined.

As far as visibility, yes, it comes with a cradle which mounts to the center of your windshield (or dash if you choose) and the screen is very bright and easy to read. The most desirable features I have found in this device is the ability to add user-submitted data to it as that can add items not covered by the already thorough map data provided by Garmin.

I do not have the voice recog model but I have heard good things. After some training, like any voice recog program, I am told it works quite well from a friend who has one.

My wife had a wee incident when she was having car issues travelling from MD to IA and got stuck in indiana but I think that was because this was a very low travelled road and not one that might have been updated in a while in the map data.

That said, the only negative thing I can say is that sometimes the route selection isn't optimal or updated. My issue mainly lies on post because most military posts are NOT indexed for operational security and force protection reasons. I wish it had a feature where you could say "Spend majority of time on side roads" or "interstates/highways".

Other than that, I love it!

1741

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

« Last post by Josh on December 13, 2008, 06:37 AM »

Conversion takes far too long zaine, that is why I have yet to do it. When you have a collection of almost 800 movies, it is not justifiable to spend the time. Just pop in the disc when needed. That is what my media center PC does for me.

I agree wholeheartedly with you regarding the piracy issue. People expect that because they can pirate something that it should be free or almost no cost. Now that I am to the point, financially, I have no problem supporting programs I enjoy and use. I am running almost no, I say almost because I still cannot justify spending the ungodly price for photoshop, pirated software. Granted, photoshop is my next purchase because my wife is starting her degree in photography. So for me, it is justifiable as an education expense.

This thread alone is proof that people often times do not understand the concepts implimented in software. When I purchased AnyDVD, I KNEW that I was getting free updates to the ANYDVD product which DECRYPTED DVDS. I bought this when DVD was just a fledgling technology and knew that it would be a while before I would have to invest in something new. But now that this new technology has presented itself, i gladly paid my extra money for my license to the HD addon because I was going to take advantage of the upgraded technology. As much as people hate the idea, BRD is not DVD. Yes, they both use optical discs for storage, but that is the end of the similarities. Different codecs are used, different encoding schemes, different protections, different hardware is required.

1742

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

« Last post by Josh on December 13, 2008, 01:14 AM »

Are there really programs out there that quit working after the license period has expired?

If you buy Quicken right now I'm pretty sure you're locked into their product line, but if you don't feel like buying their UPGRADED (everyone else is writing that in all caps, so I decided to as well) product you can still use their old version if I'm not mistaken.

If you create a document in Office2007 right now you can use it from now until the end of time (or the next Y2K-type bug/limitation pops up).

-Hirudin (December 12, 2008, 05:54 PM)

Actually, you are not locked in. Almost all major financial programs can read from quicken's formats, and quicken itself can export to the ever popular QIF import format. Quicken upgrades every year due to the constant change in tax and finance laws, they have to update each year for people who DO USE quicken for tax tracking and purposes. You are not required to update if all you do is track finances (unless your bank stops supporting older versions), even if it does you can still manually reconcile so you do not lose that ability.

1743

Living Room / Re: Finally a DonationCoder.com License Key for Time Travelers..

« Last post by Josh on December 12, 2008, 11:40 PM »

So app, you will actually be owed money correct?

1744

Living Room / Re: Finally a DonationCoder.com License Key for Time Travelers..

« Last post by Josh on December 12, 2008, 11:14 PM »

Please note that lifetime licenses will soon be eliminated and a monthly subscription will be required to continue reading the forums at donationcoder.com
</sarcasm>

1745

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

« Last post by Josh on December 12, 2008, 02:54 PM »

In my book, yes, updates are merely bug fixes and functionality fixes for existing features. In AnyDVD's case, the product was DESIGNED to handle DVD restrictions. BRD and HD-DVD are new technologies, not just to AnyDVD, but to the market as a whole. As such, the research behind cracking them (which slysoft was the first) is something I would think deems an UPGRADE as opposed to an update. Another example would be a board game catalogging software program expanding into video games. The originally program was designed to catalog board games, not video games. As such, an upgrade would be warranted since video games were not the original intended purpose of the application. AnyDVD decrypted and still does decrypt DVD's. AnyDVD HD is an UPGRADE as it now supports something more than the program itself was intended to support.

As for app's which store data, I rarely use ANY application which locks me in. The only exception to this is Roboform since it is unparalleled in what it does. People would say Microsoft locks you in with Office, however, I fail to see how they do as office can save to quite a few different formats. If the user chooses to use a closed source and locked format, that is their choice. Lack of education is not the fault of the author.

1746

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

« Last post by Josh on December 12, 2008, 02:17 PM »

Zaine, AnyDVD and AnyDVD HD support two totally different technologies. Just because they both come on an optical disc does not mean they are the same. Slysoft promised free lifetime UPDATES, not UPGRADES. AnyDVD HD is an UPGRADE. Not everyone needs the HD option and are probably satisfied with DVD capabilities. I, for one, have a BRD player, two to be exact, and I do love the ability which slysoft provides me. If you are going to invest in a BRD player at 2-300 dollars, meaning you probably have a decent tv to take advantage of its offerings, then whats another 40 dollars?

This is yet again proof that the modern day person expects everything to be free on the net because it can be pirated for free. Lifetime updates means just that, lifetime updates. Slysoft did honor and continue to honor their lifetime license. I can almost guarantee that AnyDVD will be around for a while as the DVD market will not dry up for at least another 5-10 years (remember how long it took DVD to gain traction from VHS)? Slysoft provided an adequate time window to allow users to upgrade if they want to the HD option with lifetime updates (NOT UPGRADES). They also realize that not everyone needs HD. Yes, it would have been nice if they could have provided it for free, but as you said it is one of the most pirated apps on the market.

Let's look at this in perspective now. We are talking about an application which removes protections from discs, meaning people are either ripping a disc or downloading a pirated copy and ripping the VOB's/IFO's to whatever format they want. What makes you think that many people would pay for this anyways? The lack of people actually purchasing and choosing instead to pirate the product drives up prices. I really don't care what a product costs, if you pirate it you have no right to complain about it's price because you are the reason it is high. I bought AnyDVD when it was at a reasonable cost and I again paid for the HD option because I do in fact own a BRD Drive for my PC.

However, I will agree that AnyDVD is a highly pirated app, perhaps not in the realm of photoshop or final draft as you say, but it is highly pirated by the DVD Ripping community.

1747

Living Room / Re: Finally a DonationCoder.com License Key for Time Travelers..

« Last post by Josh on December 12, 2008, 01:47 PM »

You can use the DonationCoder.com Anytime Upgrade feature to gain this license. All you have to do is post your credit card numbers, social security number or federal ID number, address, mothers maiden name, fathers middle name, your most embarassing childhood memory, and your thoughts on what it would feel like to be beaten by packs of rabid raving leprechauns! Mouser is a stickler for the small details, so please ensure you get all of the information to him and your license will be upgraded immediately to the ULTIMATE license.

Whewff, that took too long to type.

1748

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

« Last post by Josh on December 12, 2008, 12:22 PM »

How many companies offer many products with a PLUS SIGN or the word ROBOT in their title!

1749

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

« Last post by Josh on December 12, 2008, 09:20 AM »

Donationcoder.com better be a lifetime license! I sold my soul to get it!

1750

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

« Last post by Josh on December 12, 2008, 07:45 AM »

SlySoft also have a good marketting ploy here - tell all your friends, post around the web .... quick buy your stuff now with lifetime updates --- while you can!

Actually the one that pissed me off is FruityLoops. They SOLD lifetime updates and then changed the product name from FruityLoops to FruityLoops Professional and said it was anew product.

Very strange that when you installed it looked identical to the previous version.

Guess what --- they now SELL life time updates for that product too!

-Carol Haynes (December 12, 2008, 07:39 AM)

Someone get Carol some beer to calm down with. We don't want to see an explosion here. Between Microsoft, Linux, FruityLoops and gri, I don't think we have much longer before an explosion occur's with Carol.