Recent Posts

25576

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Virtual Flashlight

« Last post by mouser on September 14, 2007, 06:15 AM »

kip has it exactly right, any legitimate program that uses a global "keyboard hook" to catch characters typed has a high chance of being flagged by antivirus programs, it's a bit annoying for developers who need keyboard hooking functionality in order to catch keys pressed by the user when in another window.

ps -- i think in this case kip you could just register global hotkeys instead of using a keyboard hook since your app only needs to watch for a couple of keys.

25577

General Software Discussion / Re: WTF utility??

« Last post by mouser on September 14, 2007, 06:02 AM »

That's kind of an ironic request to post on this site because one of the more popular programs I've written is called "Process Tamer", which many use for the exact purpose you are describing:

https://www.donation...proctamer/index.html

You might also like to read this writeup from gizmo's techsupportalert newsletter describing how he used it for the kind of thing you are talking about:

6.1 A Free Utility That Stops Programs From Hogging Your PC

It was driving me mad. My laptop would sporadically run at 100% CPU utilization and lock up. It defied all attempts at analysis as the PC was seized and I couldn't do anything. Only a hard reboot was possible, but on rebooting the problem was gone.

Eventually I solved it with a superb little utility called Process Tamer, written by "Mouser" over at Donation Coder. Process Tamer is a monitor that watches the CPU utilization of all running processes. Once the usage of a single process gets above a certain level (by default 70%) Process Tamer reduces the usage by lowering the process priority.

It's a simple idea and Process Tamer implements it immaculately. With Process Tamer installed, the next time the problem occurred on my laptop it didn't totally lock up but rather just ran very slowly. This allowed me to do a quick diagnosis. The problem turned out to be simple but non-obvious. Two programs, Diskeeper and X1, had been accidentally scheduled to start at the same time and were getting into an embrace of death. It was unexpected, as these two normally peacefully co-exist. Simply re-scheduling the programs to start at different times solved the problem.

I couldn't have solved the problem as easily without Process Tamer. However Process Tamer has much broader application than just this kind of problem.

It's a great tool for preventing any one program from hogging your processor. Every user has experienced the situation where their PC has been slowed down to the point of being unusable, by a background program such as a desktop search program, that starts and takes all the resources. Process Tamer will stop that from ever happening again.

For the same reason it can also help speed up your Windows Startup. Make sure though, that you enable Process Tamer to start automatically with Windows. By default it does not, but it's easily changed from within the program's options.

Yet another use for Process Tamer is intra-server load balancing. It's near ideal for this task.
If you actually want a program to able to use all available resources, such as a digital editing program, you can set the program to be excluded from Process Tamer's watchful eye.

I was so impressed with Process Tamer that I've permanently installed it on my laptop. It takes only around 6MB of memory space and its own CPU usage is so low I could barely measure it.

Process Tamer is available for free from the Donation Coder site. They use a novel licensing system: you have to register to get a free license key which allows you to download any number of programs on the site. This key lasts six months after which you must return to the site to download another free license key. After a year you are given a permanent license. Alternatively, you can make a once-up donation of any size and get a permanent key straight away. It's a clever and ethical way to encourage users to recognize the work done by freeware authors and I support it fully. I donated generously and I hope you do too.
Donationware, Windows 2K, XP, 2.23MB

Note that the Process Tamer includes a process viewer which by default only shows the very top resource eating processes.

25578

Find And Run Robot / Re: Folders bug

« Last post by mouser on September 14, 2007, 05:59 AM »

i think this is a bug with the - characters being treated as keyword modifiers by FARR and stripped out.  it was posted about in the past and i think i can fix it, sorry i haven't yet.. look for an update next week.

25579

General Software Discussion / Re: Real Player 11 is actually quite good!

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 05:04 PM »

As a c-span junkied I've always had a very soft spot in my heart for RealPlayer, and i've always liked it.  So this news is even sweeter.

25580

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Direct Access - text expander and application launcher (and much more)

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 04:13 PM »

Darwin you should probably remove the link to "donate to the author, Andrea" in the table -- it may confuse people into about whether its donationware or shareware.  If people like it they can thank the author by buying it

25581

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Direct Access - text expander and application launcher (and much more)

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 04:11 PM »

Great review.. Thanks Darwin

ps. Andrea has given DC members a discount before and has expressed a willingness to do so in the future..
Looks like I forgot that Andrea extended the discount to Direct Access (nice!), so supporting members of DC can get it at a 30% discount; details in this post.

25582

Coding Snacks / MOVED: KeyStroke Activated Timer

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 03:52 PM »

This topic has been moved to Post New Requests Here.

https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=9972.0

25583

Activation/License/Language Help / Re: need license key

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 03:51 PM »

this site has nothing to do with providing license keys for programs made by other companies.. best way to get a license key is to buy the program

25584

Living Room / Programming Can Ruin Your Life: A Fantastic Blog Essay on the Mind of a Coder

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 03:02 PM »

I was going to post the in the Developer's section of our forum but in my view it's too important for that.

I urge all programmers and loved ones of programmers to read this essay.  It may seem pessimistic but it's beautifully written and better captures any description of the pitfalls (and amazing drive) of programmer-centric mindset that i have ever read.

I think most programmers will recognize some of themselves in this essay -- but it's real value may be to those people who live with coders and want some insight into why they are the way they are.

So if you're a coder with a significant other, print this out and give your loved one a copy to read.  It may help them understand why you are the way you are..

http://devizen.com/blog/2007/09/11/ruin/

...Programming changes the way you think...
Programming presents you with a problem and allows you to eventually solve it provided you don’t quit. A solution is out there somewhere. Make enough attempts and chances are you’ll eventually prevail. Aren’t computers great? They afford a large degree of freedom in problem solving. If nothing else, you are able to make as may attempts as you please and it will happily execute each one. This instills in you a sense that failure is not final. Any obstacle can be hurdled. This is not true in the real world. While you may find second chances now and again, the wheels that turn in the big blue room are largely unforgiving. Time marches on in one direction.

When faced with an interesting programming problem your mind will chew it over in the background. Maybe it’s an algorithm you need to develop, maybe it’s a tricky architecture problem, maybe it’s data that needs to be modeled. It doesn’t matter. Your mind will quietly work the problem over in search of a solution. The “ah-ha!” moment will come when you’re in the shower, or playing Tetris. This practice of constant churning will slowly work its way into the rest of your life. Each problem or puzzle you encounter will start it’s own thread; the toughest and most troubling of which will be blocking.

...

Programmers become obsessed with perfection. This is why they are constantly talking about rewrites. They cannot resist optimum solutions. Perfection requires tossing aside mediocre ideas in search of great ones. A good programmer would rather leave a problem temporarily unsolved than solve it poorly. A good solution takes into account all predictable outcomes and solves the largest number of them in the most efficient way. This mindset prevents you from writing code with limited utility and life span. While it’s a wonderful trait to have in programming, the demons of scope and efficiency will start to assert themselves on your ordinary life. You will avoid taking care of simple things because the solution is inelegant or simply feels wrong. Time to think will no doubt yield a better result, you’ll say.

The obsession with perfection develops a forward-thinking mindset. The ability to anticipate provides a huge advantage because you won’t waste your time implementing solutions that ultimately fail due to short-sightedness or lack of imagination. You will constantly be mapping out flows and running the permutations through your head. Back in the real world, you will find yourself piecing together plans of breath-taking size and beauty that simultaneously resolve multiple problems and fulfill numerous dreams. You will attempt to kill every bird with one stone. The impossibility of actualizing these plans will be agonizing, yet your mind will continue to pour over every detail as it seeks to anticipate every possible outcome and construct the perfect solution.

Everything is now data. Every bit is worthy of attention. Every interaction is worthy of analysis. Your mind has been trained to do this since it is usually the insignificant or subtle bits that have to be rooted out when debugging. You will find it frustrating that everyone else does not collect and analyze data. You will notice details that others simply gloss over. Your penchant for detail and over-analysis will earn you strange glances and confused shrugs. Your decision making process will resemble that of your peers less and less.

The frantic pace of the software world will instill in you a sense of panic and urgency. You must do everything now. Tomorrow is too late. The thought of working constantly will no longer seem foreign or ridiculous. You will spend your free time feeling guilty about not working. But you will be working. Your hands may not be at the keyboard, but your mind will be.

http://devizen.com/blog/2007/09/11/ruin/

from http://www.nedbatche....com/blog/index.html

25585

Living Room / Grow Island: Flash Game of the Week

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 02:42 PM »

If you've never played a "grow" game, basically they are a genre of casual games where at each turn you choose some action to perform from a small set, and the world evolves a little bit between each action.  Often, you can only perform each action only once, so that the game comes down to determining what *order* to perform each of your actions, with each action affecting the environment and thus how the subsequent actions unfold.

It's a fun example of how simplifying gameplay can still lead to a fun and interesting experience.

Grow Island is a really beautifully animated, unpredictable grow game puzzle -- as much of a toy as a game.  But there is an objective (a way to "win") -- get each object to its maximum level of development.

Read the review on JayIsGames for some more context about the author and the series.

http://shingakunet.c...4301/0285/index.html

from http://jayisgames.com/

25586

Living Room / Re: Forum Signature Spam: Let's discuss how to handle..

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 02:19 PM »

So do you think that in the majority of cases that the spammer will be identified before they get to add their signature??

in the ideal case, the spammer person signing up (or the bot if it's automated) will discover that they can't create a signature yet since they don't have enough posts, and will just go away without ever posting. 

in the worst case, the automated script that posts won't realize that it's signature with the spam link wasn't created, and will make their fake post anyway, but with no spam advert link, it will be harder for us to recognize the post as spam. 

25587

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Virtual Flashlight

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 02:14 PM »

wonderful... and may i say you have some cool programs there on your site 

can i make a small suggestion:
make the size modification hotkeys use some alt combination, it will eliminate the likelyhood of interfering with keys.
alt+arrow up and alt+arrow down are likely to be very safe to use, wheras some apps may need the regular arrow keys.

25588

Living Room / Re: Forum Signature Spam: Let's discuss how to handle..

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 08:11 AM »

to tell the truth, ironically, i'm afraid hiding the sigs will make this worse, in that we won't recognize the posts as spam so easily...

i think we will have to block users from SETTING their signature until after a few posts, then hopefully this will scare them off early.

this quote of mine:

So in addition to this being spam, it's also likely to result in wasted efforts by helpful people trying to answer their questions.

i guess i was just lamenting the fact that the posts can look real, but i still think we would spot them before they made multiple posts.

25589

Living Room / Re: Forum Signature Spam: Let's discuss how to handle..

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 07:59 AM »

s was noted before, if it's just requiring n posts before signatures will be shown, then the spammer will just post n+1, and that makes the problem worse.

i don't think this is realistic because well before they get to n+1, we will have spotted fake posts and deleted the user.

25590

Developer's Corner / Re: 18 Monospace fonts comparison screenshot

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 07:32 AM »

i use Dina myself -- if you like keeping your fonts small so you can see the most lines of code, then 8pt Dina is wonderful.

Consolas at 10pt beats Dina at 10pt in my opinion, but Dina at 8pt is the best bang for the buck for me.

25591

DcUpdater / Re: For developers who want to add DcUpdater check to their apps: dcuhelper.exe

« Last post by mouser on September 13, 2007, 04:19 AM »

mouser, what if the dcupdater tool is installed in a custom folder? i get the message box saying it's not installed..

i'll be fixing this soon.

25592

Developer's Corner / Re: Netflix contest: $1M to developer of best movie recommendation engine

« Last post by mouser on September 12, 2007, 07:58 PM »

about 20 days until first round closes..
i'm playing around with some code and hope to have it done in time to submit.

25593

Living Room / Re: Forum Signature Spam: Let's discuss how to handle..

« Last post by mouser on September 12, 2007, 06:22 PM »

i don't think we need to get so complicated..
the people who register to spam do not have any intention of wasting time making real posts, etc.  they are looking for a quick way to spam people with minimal effort.

that's why simply blocking signatures until a few posts solves the problem because we catch the fake posts before they hit that many.

25594

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Kaspersky Internet Security 7

« Last post by mouser on September 12, 2007, 10:59 AM »

great work! 

25595

General Software Discussion / Re: Realtime Screencasting Software

« Last post by mouser on September 12, 2007, 10:36 AM »

Ken just pointed me to this short article that came out today related to this subject:

http://www.download....-12.html?tag=blogHed

25596

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

« Last post by mouser on September 12, 2007, 06:43 AM »

frappr seems quite buggy..
hence this post: https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=9936.0

25597

Find And Run Robot / Re: Possible to trigger alias actions with a user-defined path?

« Last post by mouser on September 12, 2007, 06:33 AM »

as a quick fix for now you could probably get away with this: put in the regular expression pattern:
(.*) \+snag

25598

Find And Run Robot / Re: Possible to trigger alias actions with a user-defined path?

« Last post by mouser on September 12, 2007, 06:31 AM »

ok sorry i got confused, i thought it was going to be that you forgot to use a regular expression in your alias, but i realize now the problem is exactly as you said, because it's not finding a match it's not showing a result for you to trigger.

when you use a regular expression match, then what you type does not have to yield a result, but the way you are using the alias in +alias mode, it seems it does.

i agree fully that in this case it should show the results.. give me a few days and i'll add it in the next farr update.

25599

Find And Run Robot / Re: Possible to trigger alias actions with a user-defined path?

« Last post by mouser on September 12, 2007, 06:06 AM »

can you paste a screenshot of your snag alias and i can advise further

25600

Living Room / Forum Signature Spam: Let's discuss how to handle..

« Last post by mouser on September 12, 2007, 04:15 AM »

Well.. lately we've been getting more and more "signature" spammers here on the DC forum.

What happens is a spammer will create an account on the forum, then create a signature with links in their signature like "great stock tips!" that lead to their scam site.  Then they just post 1 or 5 messages that are generated from a script, that "look" more or less like real posts and questions about software etc.

So in addition to this being spam, it's also likely to result in wasted efforts by helpful people trying to answer their questions.

Anyway.. I'm going to implement a quick fix that basically does not show signatures for new users until they have a few posts under their belt.. And/or does not allow links in signatures until they have been around for a while.

But, at the risk of opening up the floodgates of controversy, perhaps it's time we talked a little about signature policy on the forum and if we want to make any other changes, or just suggested guidelines, etc.

In general, I know some people love signatures, some people hate them, some people love their own and hate all others, etc.  It does add a little fun to the place, though i fear sometimes they can get carried away when they are 500 pixels tall, etc..

Thoughts?