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1826

General Software Discussion / Re: advice needed.....FirstDefense-ISR, ShadowProtect, ShadowUser, Rollback Rx???

« Last post by J-Mac on November 17, 2008, 09:33 PM »

First Defense-Rescue is the "Lite" version that replaced FD-ISR when Horizon Data Systems took it over. I purchased it earlier this year, but I do not recommend it at all. It must be installed on the same HDD as your OS, and it can get quite large - overbearingly large.

There are supposedly a couple of features that let you reduce the size, but they are not very helpful. They do not let you exclude in any way data that is in the Application Data folders, even though some applications load those folders up with user data that you may have backed up otherwise.

Finally, HorizonData Systems does not support this product at all.  The first time I sent a support request - an official support ticket on their website - they responded almost a month later with a reference to the Help file. The Help file contains all of about 10 pages of sales brochure material - no help there at all. Since then they simply do not reply to support tickets other than an initial auto-responder message saying that a person will contact you in 24 or 48 hours. All of my requests since the first one (two of them) have been completely ignored. And to think, I purchased a support package in addition to the application!

I wouldn’t purchase anything at all from this outfit again.

Jim

Edit:  I just checked my invoice: the added support package I purchased is as follows:

"Gold Support - 24hour response, email of updates, patches and new builds"

Ha! Some fools' "gold" I paid for, eh?

1827

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: List of disc catalogers

« Last post by J-Mac on November 17, 2008, 10:00 AM »

That's odd. I visited the site last night and got no warnings at all from my AV or AS.

Also, I just looked up cameldisc.com at SiteAdvisor and it has no problems listed at all. Only Google has a problem with it. I think it may be a false positive.

Jim

1828

General Software Discussion / Re: Direct Access 2.0 - Getting Too Pricey for Me!

« Last post by J-Mac on November 16, 2008, 11:33 PM »

Why used DirectAccess anyway? It is a .NET bloat and PhraseExpress is much more powerful anyway. All features of the upcoming DirectAccess 2 are already existing in PhraseExpress and it does so much more. Plus it is free for personal users.

So why bothering with DirectAccess? Have you found any particular feature I missed while I tested a few text replacement utilities?

Merida

-Merida (November 16, 2008, 09:54 AM)

I already downloaded the latest version of Phrase Express. I tried PE about a year and a half, maybe two years ago - probably V.4 - and it was difficult on my machine. For one, it overrode some of my existing keyboard shortcuts and had no facility to undo that other than shutting it down. At that time the developer told me to just shut all other programs down except the one I am using plus PE. That was reason to remove it IMO. And DA was much less intrusive on other applications; didn't override any shortcuts or at least allowed me to edit them.

Also, PE has the "predictive test" feature, which to be honest was driving me crazy! I thought I had turned it off several times but upon restarting it, same thing would occur. Too many times I ended up with phrases inserted that I hadn't intended. Granted I probably didn't take the time to learn all I could and get it working a little more like I wanted, but the program is designed to determine what you are trying to type and do it for you. DA only inserts exactly what I want it to, and when I want it to.

PE6 looks like it has evolved a good bit, and I might just give it another go, though it appears that I may be able to stay with Direct Access after all.

Thanks!

Jim

1829

General Software Discussion / Re: Direct Access 2.0 - Getting Too Pricey for Me!

« Last post by J-Mac on November 15, 2008, 10:48 PM »

Just in case...  (     )

[attachthumb=#1][/attachthumb]

Jim

Edit:  BTW, I know that you know this, Mike, but I didn't want anyone else here to think that I am seeing with forked eyes! 

1830

General Software Discussion / Re: Direct Access 2.0 - Getting Too Pricey for Me!

« Last post by J-Mac on November 15, 2008, 10:40 PM »

Just to note, Andrea has clarified the licencing terms on the beta forum (no public access):

I'm sorry there has been some confusion.
Upgrade to v.2.0 costs 24.95$ and includes 12 months of free upgrades.
The license will not expire after 12 months. Hope this is clear. After 12 months you just don't get any new upgrades but of course you can continue using the license you have.
The software is licenses per user/per computer and there's an option to use Direct Access on up to three PCs for 9.95$ more.

Emphasis mine.

-Darwin (November 15, 2008, 06:34 PM)

I mentioned that post to her earlier today and she changed it. It did most certainly read as I quoted previously in this thread. Are you doubting me, Mike?

I wojnt use it now anyway since she is also insisting on an additional license for using it on a notebook. If that is how they want to run it, that's cool. But they can also KOJA! 

Jim

1831

General Software Discussion / Re: What's your music player of choice?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 14, 2008, 07:36 PM »

Can anyone suggest a good portable music organizer? (I'm a big fan of MediaMonkey, but it's not portable)

I put my whole library onto an external harddrive so that it can travel with me. And the MM installation on my own system has it all indexed in its database. But when I'm at another machine, I'd like to be able to search and browse the library quickly.

-CWuestefeld (November 14, 2008, 06:56 PM)

I've been hoping for this for a long time! I finally broke down and purchased a Lifetime Gold license - though in this day and age, "lifetime" seems to have a completely different meaning than I was brought up to believe.

Portable version would be great, and a lot of users want this, but the deleveoper has never really sounded overly eager for it.

Jim

1832

Living Room / Re: Surfulater 3 - huge price hike (166%) + where is the Firefox add-on?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 14, 2008, 05:50 PM »

Hi Neville. And thank you for posting that explanation here; regardless of the posts above complaining about the pricing, I'm certain that your post is appreciated by all here. Just the fact users are posting about Surfulater shows that they are indeed following and interested in Surfulater.

I do apologize for mentioning Surfulater in the same post about Kinook's stopping development on Ultra Recall. I was not trying to imply that Surfulater is contemplating anything similar, as I have not heard anything remotely suggesting that. To be honest, all comments I have read about you and your responsiveness over on outlinersoftware.com have been extremely complimentary!

My point was just that for many personal users, those of us who are not using PIM/database applications for any kind of business reasons but for purely personal use, prices in the range of Surfulater are getting tougher to justify - particularly in light of what happened recently with GemX and Ultra Recall. I have not purchased Surfulater so I am not one who should comment on the upgrade pricing to you; I'm sure someone else will.

Thanks again for the post.

Jim

1833

Living Room / Re: Surfulater 3 - huge price hike (166%) + where is the Firefox add-on?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 14, 2008, 12:22 PM »

I had decided to take a good look at it but declined when I saw the price. As I mentioned above, I purchased Ultra Recall just a few months ago and yesterday I was just browsing on their forum to see if any informative posts had been made - it is not an easy app to pick up; not real intuitive, but powerful. I found out that they had made an announcement that they had decided to stop all further development of Ultra Recall. The developer posted that message in place of their "Roadmap".

After a bit of an outcry from their users they replaced that announcement with a much-scaled down version of their roadmap, but most seem to believe that was done so they could continue selling Ultra Recall and not suffer anymore revenue-wise.

I mention that because Ultra Recall is also a fairly expensive software application - The price of the Pro version I purchased is $99. That's not to say that Surfulater is planning the same kind of abandonment, but it certainly makes me extremely gun shy about purchasing expensive software from small developers. There are no guarantees at all!

Jim

1834

General Software Discussion / Re: SQLNotes...what is it exactly?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 13, 2008, 11:42 PM »

If the drop-down has too many entries, you can switch to a fixed list (uncheck Auto-list and enter your own list).

-PPLandry (November 13, 2008, 11:32 PM)

Really?  Didn't know that. Sounds good!

Also, I can code for having auto-list drop-down showing only values in the current grid...

-PPLandry (November 13, 2008, 11:32 PM)

Now that sounds even better! Don’t do it just for me, though. If others have also asked for this, OK. If not, I know you have a long list in front of you already - don’t make it bigger just for this dufus!

Thanks Pierre.

Jim

1835

General Software Discussion / Re: SQLNotes...what is it exactly?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 13, 2008, 11:27 PM »

Armando,

Most fields I use ARE created fields. I don’t like using the "stock" fields that come with IQ; as I have mentioned before the inpput drop-down menu becomes overfilled with unnecessary data too quickly. I prefer to create fields that are named to match what I am doing, and then have the input drop-down menu show only the values that I need to see for that particular data.

Thanks!

Jim

1836

General Software Discussion / Re: SQLNotes...what is it exactly?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 13, 2008, 10:35 PM »

You did the correct thing (copying to a file was not required, as you can solely work from the clipboard)

However, fields are not created when pasting XML (they will eventually), so you need to create your fields and grids in the destination database first, and then paste

-PPLandry (November 12, 2008, 03:02 PM)

Ouch. I think I'll leave well enough alone for now!

Thanks!

Jim

1837

General Software Discussion / Re: SQLNotes...what is it exactly?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 13, 2008, 10:34 PM »

Is there a quicker way to refresh the grid?

-J-Mac (November 13, 2008, 09:34 PM)

F5 will refresh the grid (manual refresh is currently required)

-PPLandry (November 13, 2008, 10:18 PM)

Thanks! That's the usual hotkey but I didn't see it on the menu - I've come across applications where F5 did something entirely different and I hate when that happens!

BTW, I also found the toolbar icon for Refresh; I had removed that in the past - kept mistaking that with the icon for syncing with external data.

Thanks!

Jim

1838

Living Room / Re: Surfulater 3 - huge price hike (166%) + where is the Firefox add-on?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 13, 2008, 10:29 PM »

Don’t feel bad...  I purchased Ultra Recall only a few months ago and the developer just posted last week that it is basically being abandoned. If Surfalater was an application I really liked and used, a price hike might be a little less biting than dropping all development for it!

BTW, over at OutlinerSoftware.com I saw a post saying that the web clipping in Surfalater 3 outdoes Evernote's clips and praising the developer. I've not tried it so I can't comment either way.

Jim

1839

General Software Discussion / Re: SQLNotes...what is it exactly?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 13, 2008, 09:34 PM »

Pretty cool web clipper, Pierre!

I made a few test clips; first one showed in Inbox, subsequent clips do not show unless I close Inbox and then re-open it. Is there a quicker way to refresh the grid?

Thanks!

Jim

1840

General Software Discussion / Re: Direct Access 2.0 - Getting Too Pricey for Me!

« Last post by J-Mac on November 13, 2008, 11:50 AM »

Here's the reply I received this morning from the developer at her forum:

I'm sorry there has been some confusion.
Upgrade to v.2.0 costs 24.95$ and includes 12 months of free upgrades.
The license will not expire after 12 months. Hope this is clear. After 12 months you just don't get any new upgrades but of course you cannot continue using the license you have.
The software is licenses per user/per computer and there's an option to use Direct Access on up to three PCs for 9.95$ more.

Once again, emphasis is mine.  Weird - almost sounds like it was meant to say the opposite, doesn’t it?

Jim

1841

General Software Discussion / Re: Direct Access 2.0 - Getting Too Pricey for Me!

« Last post by J-Mac on November 13, 2008, 12:41 AM »

Here's a quote from my email:

We you purchase Direct Access you get 12 months of upgrade protection: you will get priority support and access to any version (minor or major) of Direct Access that is released during your coverage period. Upgrade protection costs 24.95$/year.

Please note that the emphasis is mine. "access to" sure sounds like you need the subscription to use it. Either way, I have no desire to use Direct Access through a subscription plan, and definitely no desire to pay for an additional license for my notebook.

Jim

1842

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

« Last post by J-Mac on November 12, 2008, 11:53 PM »

There is a button (Linkman icon) in the right lower corner of the Firefox window.

-Outertech Support (November 12, 2008, 10:55 PM)

Aha - I hadn't noticed. Actually it is more to the left side of my status bar; other things already have the right side reserved, I guess. Plus it isn't a very noticeable icon; not something you would otherwise associate with Linkman. But now that I know it's there I'll be using it.

Thanks!

Jim

1843

General Software Discussion / Direct Access 2.0 - Getting Too Pricey for Me!

« Last post by J-Mac on November 12, 2008, 11:43 PM »

Direct Access, which has been running a beta of their version 2 for a few months, recently announced a major change in their pricing scheme - and I do mean "scheme".

Instead of the current standard license, this version will require users - existing users - to purchase a one year subscription for $24.95. ($49.95 for new users). One year and done. No option to continue using the current version - I asked and that apparently will not be allowed.

On top of that, if you want to run Direct Access on both your desktop and a notebook computers - as I presently do - you must pay an additional $9.95 for some kind of "Power User License". Oh, and that additional license is both user AND computer restricted; Direct Access must be used by the same person on the same desktop and notebook. I guess Andrea thinks that Direct Access has reached some kind of "elite" plateau. I think not!

This is the kind of bull that I refuse to accommodate. Time to take my software dollars elsewhere.

Adios, Direct Access. Hello Phrase Express, I guess!

Jim

1844

General Software Discussion / Re: SQLNotes...what is it exactly?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 12, 2008, 02:59 PM »

BTW, one thing I tried to do a couple of days ago was to export a grid from one database and then import it into another. I'm trying to get stuff that I had put into separate databases into one. However it isn't working that well. I posted about this in the IQ forum but haven't received any replies.

I followed the instructions in the wiki:  I copy the contents of the grid into an XML file, paste that into a text editor and save it as an XML file, copy that, and then try to paste it into a newly created grid in the other database. No indication that anything happened. However if I do Ctrl+F and look at all items I see the data, but the fields, columns, etc. apparently don’t come over that way.

So I just ditched the database and started over.

Is there any working way to move data from one database to another?

Thanks!

Jim

1845

General Software Discussion / Re: SQLNotes...what is it exactly?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 12, 2008, 02:52 PM »

Armando,

Thanks for the detailed reply! I'm still going through it in detail while IQ is open on my desktop - trying to learn more here. The documentation is getting better, BTW. Much appreciated.

Pierre,

I must agree that you are a tireless worker; no argument there! I'll get better w/IQ, I'm sure. Please do not take my posts as criticism - if I felt critical all the time, I'd just stop trying to use it altogether. I do want to use IQ for tasks that I am currently accomplishing with other applications, but I need to feel more comfortable first.

Workin' it, Boss!

Jim

1846

General Software Discussion / Re: 'Everything' is one FAST file search engine

« Last post by J-Mac on November 12, 2008, 01:43 AM »

OK - it's scaring me a little! I had downloaded this about two weeks ago when I first saw the thread here. Then promptly forgot about it! (Happens with age!) Noticed it here again just now and went and installed it. An empty window opens as soon as it finishes installing. While looking through the menubar items the window suddenly filled with files!

I have to check but...  Did Everything just index everything? If so, that was unbelievable. I am guessing that it just indexed my main HDD, but I'll start playing with it now to see.

Thanks for this one - looking very nice!

Jim

EDIT - Didn't get too far but I see that it indexed every doggone drive connected to my computer! Darn that's fast! About 1.5 TB of drive space, though not nearly all filled. Wow!

1847

General Software Discussion / Re: Open Link Host - Firefox Add-ons

« Last post by J-Mac on November 12, 2008, 01:33 AM »

How well does this work for you? Just curious.

Thanks!

Jim

1848

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

« Last post by J-Mac on November 12, 2008, 12:01 AM »

Just downloaded and installed the new version - looks good!

Haven't had a chance to work with it yet. No toolbar or buttons, right? Just the Tools and Context menu items as far as I can see. (Not a problem; just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything).

Thank you.

Jim

1849

General Software Discussion / Re: SQLNotes...what is it exactly?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 10, 2008, 11:42 PM »

1- when one doesn't really understand why items show up in a grid or not. (I'm not saying that in a dismissive way...)

-Armando (November 10, 2008, 10:26 PM)

I agree. But that's exactly the problem: Why DO items show up sometimes - and not show up at others? If it is due to filters, then I'm baffled, as I have not touched any of the filters.

2- because some parts of the UI need to be rearranged to allow the user to have a clearer view of what filter is at work.

-Armando (November 10, 2008, 10:26 PM)

Amen!

Concerning point 1 : really, the only thing one needs to understand is that SQLNotes/IQ  grids show items that meet the filters. They are NOT folders. That's all. There's "nothing" more to it (at a basic level). Fundamentally, SQLNotes works like a desktop search software : take X1 (very similar to SQLNotes in many ways) : the different grids show what meets the filters/sources...

Now, what usually happens is that a lot of users don't realize that some filters are on, and others are off, etc. and that "hierarchy mode" is off, and that "show context  parent" is on, etc.
This could be because the UI needs some improvement (a Basic/Advanced UI will eventually be available). It could also be that some of the ways SQLNotes works should be slightly modified. And it could also be that a lot of users just don't ready the wiki at all... (I'm not saying you haven't, J-mac... But it's clear to me that most don't. Which is okay, I guess.)

-Armando (November 10, 2008, 10:26 PM)

True enough about the filters. But... I don’t go off looking at all the various filters (and there are a few of them, aren't there?) because I never touched them. Are some filters set automatically? Or are some filters already set by default when you first start using the program? If I didn't put anything in a filter, I don’t expect it to be there.

And yes - I have read the wiki, front to back. And I go back and check often to see what, if anything, has been added. (BTW, the "New" tag sint working too well in the IQ wiki. I still see "New" tags on articles that haven't changed since the beginning.) Actually I have put every page from the wiki into a single PDF file so that I can read it when I'm not sitting at the computer. The wiki has only just started getting some much-needed attention. Up until now it read more like a brochure than an instruction document.

One thing that really helps though, is to REALLY go through the already available documentation. Because, it contains enough info to get someone started.

-Armando (November 10, 2008, 10:26 PM)

I have read everything written about IQ, including most of the forum over there - which is not easy as that forum is not working well at all; hasn’t since I first saw it. And that's about all I'll say about the state of the documentation.

Thank you.

Jim

1850

General Software Discussion / Re: SQLNotes...what is it exactly?

« Last post by J-Mac on November 10, 2008, 09:31 PM »

Pierre, Armando, superboyac:

These are the kinds of details that make IQ so difficult for me (and I suspect, others) to learn!

I also have "lost" items that I was sure had been in a given grid, and "found" items where I didn't expect them. Is the above concept documented anywhere at all? So many times when I ask how to do or find certain things I am told by someone or another that it isn't yet in the wiki or anywhere else in particular, but that if I keep trying this and that and read forum posts I'll eventually learn about these features.

Is that really how everyone else has learned how to use IQ? Don’t get me wrong; I know that any worthwhile software application, and particularly a database-type application, requires the user to do some degree of trial and error in order to become proficient in the various features. I definitely don’t expect to just open IQ and know everything. But the learning curve really has been painfully slow with IQ. Mostly because I want to start using it for real, often-used data; stuff that I need to access and edit/update regularly. But up to now I am only putting "test data" into it. Real enough data that I can play around with, but nothing that I truly need. I'm still not confident enough in how I can make IQ work to put my important data into it.

Someone who knows IQ - really knows it well - needs to compose some sort of documentation that covers all the bases. If not in detail at least an overview, but an overview that covers all the topics, all the features. And then it must be fleshed out as quickly as reasonably possible. I don’t think that a lot of people will be willing to buy into a program that is as complex as IQ without any kind of "instruction manual" - that is, other than former Ecco users.

Thank you.

Jim