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Recent Posts

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23401
Living Room / Re: Pirating abandoned content?
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 06:55 PM »
I wish all digital content was donationware, and that all users were willing to donate when they could afford it.  i think it would be a better world.
23402
Find And Run Robot / Re: Some Thoughts & Ideas
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 05:37 PM »
very good suggestions!

#4 has been already fixed in the to-be-released-next version; the Enter key will be used to trigger plugins that require some action to trigger them.  No more using special character at the end.  I apologize to the plugin writers for taking so long to implement this.

#2 has been suggested and i will try to do it, i can't see any problems immediately but we'll have to see if anything tricky comes up while it's being tried.

#1 im not sure about images, but i am considering adding a spreadsheet/grid style output mode that plugins could use.  i'm definitely adding an html display mode; a grid mode would be nice, just a matter of is there a real demand for it.

#5 type issues has been discussed in a lot of detail while planning for the next version which might use a multistep action type thing, closer to Quicksilver for the mac.  there are a lot of tricky issues in terms of user interface design, so i think it will have to wait a bit.. i keep hoping the perfect approach will somehow come to me before trying to implement a half-way solution.

#3 is interesting, let me consider it.
23403
Living Room / Re: Options to use Donation Credits to purchase stuff
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 04:49 PM »
Also, don't forget the member kit available for free to all supporting/honorary members:
https://www.donation...MemberKit/index.html

I was thinking of having some nice quality thing that would be cheap to include in the mail that might be nice to add to the member kits, like a high quality plastic bookmark.  That might be a fun trinket..

And of course I've said before that anyone who wants a bumper sticker can have one..
23404
Living Room / Re: Options to use Donation Credits to purchase stuff
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 04:45 PM »
Anyone can request to cash out their donationcredits in the form of an amazon gift certificate or paypal, and no one should feel bad about it at all.  In the larger scheme of things, no one here is getting rewarded sufficiently for their contributions, so any amount you cash out is a small fraction of what you've added to the site.

Now, as far as letting people use their donationcredits to buy DonationCoder swag.. I have some mixed thoughts on that..

Here's the problem as I see it.  No one participating and improving DC can ever be paid sufficiently for their contributions.  People who contribute to the site are doing so because of good will, because they enjoy it, because they are helping others, and because it's a fun community to participate in. The one thing I can do occasionally, which gives me real pleasure and satisfaction, is to send one of our mugs to someone as a reward.  Nudone did such a good job illustrating our mascot Cody, that I always feel a sense of pride in sending them.  To me, these trinkets have a real sentimental value.  I fear that letting people "buy" these things would diminish their significance as a gift.

ps.
Veign and TucknDar, you are long time active charter members in the site.. If you want a DC mug or something else like that, you'll end up with one sooner or later -- I think all long time participants who want one will get one eventually (we should have a big DC gathering in a year or two and there will have to be a mug for everyone who attends :).

23405
Living Room / Freeware Genius Round-up of free turn-based strategy games
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 04:10 PM »
Samer at Freewaregenius.com has a nice long piece up today:

the article will present an overview of 19 free turn based strategy games (empire building or war games). The games are: FreeCiv, TripleA, Stick Figure Strategy, Weewar, Eight Kingdoms, PhpDiplomacy, C-Evo, Advanced Strategic Command, Project W, Conqueror, The General, TriChromic, FreeOrion, People’s Tactics, Lgeneral, Crimson Fields, 1848, The Battle for Wesnoth, and Risk.

23406
Living Room / Re: Silly: Best web error message?
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 03:29 PM »
This gives me a great idea for a new dc contest!

Make a 404 page for DonationCoder!
It should star our mascot Cody of course.  People could use the existing images of Cody or perhaps they could just design it with a mock up sketch and we could ask Nudone if he might be willing to bring the mock-up illustration to life.

Shall we make it official?
23407
Living Room / Re: Pirating abandoned content?
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 12:37 PM »
For example, is it ok to purchase the latest version of Dreamweaver and then pirate a copy of Dreamweaver 4 because that is all your pc can handle?

i cannot for the life of me think of a case where i would consider this unethical.. in this case you are really doing the company a favor -- you are paying more, and you are removing yourself from the pool of people they will need to provide tech support to.  this one is too easy, everyone benefits here.
23408
Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: SnapSuite program family/Free online computer help
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 12:04 PM »
hehehe ok i think i understand why maze craze discussion is in this thread.. maze crazy 3d is going to be bundled in with SnapSuite v3  :P

ps. i think the boom! character is very cute  :up:
23409
Older Newsletters / Newsletter for May 15th, 2008 - Codename "Feathered Friends"
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 11:40 AM »
Newsletter for May 15th, 2008
Codename "Feathered Friends"


"If you read nothing else on our site, read our BLOG"
(new rss feed with images)




1. Newsletter Editorial

Hello and welcome to another edition of the newsletter.  It's been three weeks since the last one, but we will be shifting back to a twice-monthly schedule very soon.   I'm going to try to introduce a new random section into the newsletter with each edition, just to keep you on your toes.  This time we lead with a special section on some cool new websites, including a sparkling new re-launch of Gizmo's Tech Support Alert newsletter.

On the software front, after a long period of dormancy, during which I was focused on earning a living, you can expect to see some substantial updates to my software programs in the coming weeks and months.  I'll be initially focused on adding features to my Find and Run Robot (FARR) plugin interface, in recognition of all the amazing work that plugin writers (especially czechboy and ecaradec on the DC forum) have been doing.  If you haven't taken a look at the program yet, now might be a good time - and feel free to make a post requesting a new plugin or feature.

Lastly, the mods and I feel that this is a good opportunity to remind everyone that we take the issue of fake-post spamming on the forum very seriously.  We recently caught someone pretending to offer unbiased advice in response to a planted question, which in fact was just an attempt to get people to buy a product for which they receive a commission.  You can read the thread here and see how the issue was dealt with: we identified the the culprit and filed a complaint against them to the company whose product they receive a commission.  While we welcome company representatives to post on our forum, consider this a reminder that we have a strict policy requiring users to disclose any financial relationship with a product when posting about it.


2. Website Discovery Safari

In this newsletter, we're focusing on some fun new sites that have been mentioned on the DonationCoder forum recently.



3. Your Input Requested

A warm welcome to all the new members who have joined over the last month.  Here are some good topics on which to make your debut post.  Don't be shy, just jump right in, we are always happy to hear from new people.



4. DonationCoder.com Software and Issues

Things are just starting to warm up on the software development side at DonationCoder after a slow period.  Expect serious updates to some of our programs in the coming months, and some new program surprises as well..



5. Mini-Reviews by Members

Mini-reviews are a great resource for people researching software solutions and may be found on the dedicated Mini-Review Board.  Please remember to acknowledge the efforts of the reviewers with a few donationcredits if you find their reviews interesting and/or helpful.



6. Fun, Games, and Humour

One of the things that makes the forum a nice place to hang out is that there is a good balance between serious expert discussion and just plain silly fun (and everything in between).  There are always a few truly sublime discoveries posted by DC members each month, and this month was no exception.



7. Living Room

The Living Room section of the forum is where we discuss general issues that don't really belong in the other, dedicated sections.  It's kind of a catch-all section -- lots of website discoveries and recommendations, etc. This makes it a great place to explore - you never know what you're going to find!



8. General Software Discussion

Almost half the posts on the forum fall into the category of general software discussions, questions, recommendations, etc. This is one of the most active sections of the DC forum and a great resource if you're trying to solve a software or hardware related problem. We get so much traffic on this board that we've split the recent content into to sections in the newsletter - genearl software and specific software discussions.



9. Specific Software Discussion

This section of the newsletter draws attention to some of the standout discussions about specific programs that have been started since the last newsletter.



10. Developer's Corner

A pretty thin set of posts in the Developer's Corner section this month -- why is that?  Remember that this section isn't just for computer programmers, it's for entrepreneurs of all kinds to discuss the issues involving creating things and running a small business.

23410
Living Room / Re: Pirating abandoned content?
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 11:35 AM »
Here's another ethical thought experiment.. I must say i haven't given much thought to this one:

It's not uncommon for software purchases to include a "non-transferable" license.  Is this ethical? I've always found this deeply unfair (though i'm not sure i would say it's unethical -- it may just be a matter of consumers shouldnt support products with such licenses).

If you say that it's fine for a company to make such a restriction, then would it be ethical if a computer or car salesman told you that the computer you just bought could not be given to a friend or family member when it outlived it's usefulness for you?
23411
Living Room / Re: Pirating abandoned content?
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 11:28 AM »
I like the idea of starting out with the question: "Who's the Victim?" or perhaps more generally "Who Suffers?"

As with many things in life, one is often faced with having to balance interests that may be in some competition.

I find the economic disparity in the world almost unfathomable, and I think for some people this has to be taken into consideration.  No one is going to be able to convince me that the harm done by some kid in an impoverished shanty who gets his hand on a bootleg scan of a math textbook so that he can learn, can ever outweigh the harm done to a big textbook publisher from that act of piracy.
23412
Living Room / Re: Pirating abandoned content?
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 10:14 AM »
I'm actually quite fond of these kinds of ethical/moral questions.. they make you think.

Let me start with what i consider one of the easiest cases:

Let's say you buy a physical book.  But no ebook form of it exists, and you wish you had an ebook copy.  Then you find that someone has scanned the book and posted it on the web, for free but against publisher's wishes.  Is it immoral to download that (unofficial/potentially illegal) ebook?  My inclination is no -- you've lived up to your responsibilities by buying the book.

There is one wrinkle in all of these abandonware type questions that I do think needs contemplating.  In the very long view of things, one needs to consider the chicken-and-egg interactions that can occur in terms of economic incentives. 

For example -- let's say a book is out of print and no one is selling any used copies, and so no one can buy it.  So you might say to yourself, well then what's the harm in me grabbing a pirated copy.  And my tendency is to agree with you.  But what if the mere existence of these "pirated" copies, is what keeps the demand for a new edition being published from ever reaching critical mass.  In other words, perhaps if the underground copy did not exist, there would have been enough demand for the book that the publisher would have decided to put it back in print.

Having said that.. I think it's probably mostly a facetious theoretical argument, and that the much more likely outcome of a popular underground pirated copy would be larger readership, more fans, and even more demand for it to go back in print.  So in general i don't think such things hurt the publishers, and so i wouldn't lose sleep over it.  But it is important to consider such consequences when wrestling with moral issues.

23413
General Software Discussion / Re: Track a Stolen PC with Freeware LocatePC - Cybernetnews Essay
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 10:01 AM »
 :huh: what did i do, i just posted a link to a story  :huh:
23414
General Software Discussion / Track a Stolen PC with Freeware LocatePC - Cybernetnews Essay
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 09:28 AM »
Today on cybernetnews is a little tutorial on how to set up the freeware program LocatePC which basically sends you an email every day with information on the computer's internet connection, to aid you in recovering it if it is stolen.

Give a hardy welcome to LocatePC. First and foremost it will keep you informed of your computer’s whereabouts by sending you an email either on a daily basis or anytime the IP address of the machine changes. In the email it will give you all kinds of details that can help you track the PC’s location, such as the ISP it’s connected to and IP address of the machine.

23415
General Software Discussion / Re: simple software recommendation
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 08:57 AM »
while we are offering meta suggestions -- can i suggest that people try to be more specific in their message titles? instead of "simple software recommendation" try to be more specific like "need recommendation for program to make a badge/seal image"
23416
General Software Discussion / Gizmo's Tech Support Alert Site Gets Wikified and it Looks Gorgeous
« Last post by mouser on May 15, 2008, 12:28 AM »
Well, Gizmo's Tech Support Alert site has revealed it's new look and structure, and it's quite dazzling.

In addition to looking great, it's been completely wikified, with the ability for users to add comments to each of the "best of" freeware categories.

I do take issue with some of the choices (best freeware screenshot program, cough cough), but it's clear that a great site has just gotten better, and gizmo's site is one of the first places you should go when looking for a freeware program to do any given task.  Well done Gizmo!  :Thmbsup:

There's even a freeware forum on the site now, though it's a bit quiet since things are just getting started over there.  I'm sure it will pick up soon.

23417
General Software Discussion / Re: Xara Xtreme Pro and Magix Xtreme Graphic Designer.
« Last post by mouser on May 14, 2008, 11:03 PM »
Carol Haynes on our forum is a big fan of these, hopefully she will post a reply soon.
23418
Living Room / Re: What to do when you receive bootleg videos?
« Last post by mouser on May 14, 2008, 07:33 PM »
mwb, good catch.

sounds like this is an example of "rhyming slang":
grass      Noun. 1. An informer. Possibly from the rhyming slang grass in the park - 'nark', meaning informer. E.g."Don't tell John about this, he's a grass and I don't want to get into trouble." - from http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/g.htm


to an outsider, british rhyming slang is so cool.
23419
Living Room / Re: An idea for the forum regarding disclosure
« Last post by mouser on May 14, 2008, 02:50 PM »
Carol, thank you for the considered ideas..

I do think though that our primary concern needs to be not making things more annoying for new people, so many of these things are overkill in my opinion -- and i don't want to put any restrictions on people who don't donate.

In fact the mods here (including Carol) do an incredible and superfast job of catching spammers fast -- it's really only the case where someone is really sneaky that gets by us (and usually it's me they fool and not some of the other mods who can detect spam better.. i guess i'm too trusting).

That's why i'd prefer the most minimally intrusive approach.  Mark0's idea is cool because it helps *detect* spammers behind the scenes rather than making it harder for people to post.

I think something like this, combined with maybe a pop up message to any user only the first time they ever try to post, just reiterating our rules (saying they need to say if they are affiliated with a product, pointing them to help desk, telling them what we do to spammers) would go a long way and make people think twice before proceeding.

And i agree with Carol that perhaps we should put on the complaints section a list of all websites/products that have attempted to spam the forum.
23420
Living Room / Re: LibriVox: Free Audiobooks
« Last post by mouser on May 14, 2008, 02:43 PM »
what i think is particularly cool and unique is how they have volunteers reading and submitting their recordings -- and how you can even choose from different narrators for different chapters of the same book.  that is damn cool.. bound to take you back to childhood when your mother (or father) would read to you.
23421
Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Free Password Manager - Cute Password Manager
« Last post by mouser on May 14, 2008, 10:11 AM »
just wanted to make clear that the cutepassword user is affiliated with the company, which should be obvious given the username and this section.  nothing wrong with that, just wanted to make it clear -- and everyone should make clear such situations when they post.

--

one thing that would be helpful would be to compare the tool to the other top of the line password managers (like KeePass) and form fillers (like RoboForm).
23422
Find And Run Robot / Re: FARR v2 plugin issue - locking behavior when plugins delay results
« Last post by mouser on May 14, 2008, 07:50 AM »
As you know i have a new FARR release that i have been working on, focusing on plugin writer requests and issues -- i'll put it up in the next couple of days and i will look into this before i do.
23423
Living Room / Re: An idea for the forum regarding disclosure
« Last post by mouser on May 14, 2008, 12:02 AM »
Perhaps a checkbox people have to click saying "I agree to disclose my affiliation with products when i post about them" when people sign up for the forum or something, and make it stand out from the rest of the signup formalities.

this gives me a good idea --
we could have that checkbox only on the first time they ever post -- that seems to be like it might be a good compromise.
23424
Living Room / An idea for the forum regarding disclosure
« Last post by mouser on May 13, 2008, 11:47 PM »
We recently had a fake question and answer pair of posts made by people who were affiliated with and trying to spam about a product while pretending to be making honest recommendations.

Because so much of the discussion on this forum deals with people recommending software they like, it's definitely something we have to work hard to prevent.

I had an idea:
What if we added some warning to the post/reply form saying "if you are in any way affiliated with (or have a financial stake in) a product mentioned in this post, you must disclose it.  And we could even have a pop-up confirmation any time an html link is included in a post if we wanted (or is that too annoying).
23425
FARR Plugins and Aliases / Re: Post your FARR v2 Plugin Idea Requests Here - Plugin Writers Read In
« Last post by mouser on May 13, 2008, 01:17 PM »
I don't use twitter, but it seems to me that if there was ever a plugin that would be a natural for FARR, it's a twitter plugin.. doesnt anyone want to write this?
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