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Recent Posts

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26726
Living Room / Re: Visual-syntactic text formatting - cool paper about optimally formatting text
« Last post by mouser on May 25, 2007, 09:56 PM »
love it  :-*
life is made more interesting by these wonderful entities on the planet who embark on such challenges  :Thmbsup:
26727
Activation/License/Language Help / Re: Welcome - READ THIS FIRST!
« Last post by mouser on May 25, 2007, 09:54 PM »
hmm, this is quite strange.. does anyone else use find+run robot on win98? i must admit i don't test on win98 very often.  ps we should move this question to the find+run robot section of the forum: https://www.donation...index.php?board=12.0
26728
ProcessTamer / Re: Process Tamer Update Coming -- Express your feature requests here!
« Last post by mouser on May 25, 2007, 09:22 PM »
definitely -- i'll be working on this quite soon actually and then ill have more details and more detailed questions.. Just have to get farr2 beta public ASAP, then i can start to work on my backlog of pt and other work.
26729
DC Website Help and Extras / Re: Windows CDBurning
« Last post by mouser on May 25, 2007, 09:05 PM »
some people have had real problems with conflicts between cd burning apps on rare occasion (roxio maybe), so its possible that some leftover cd driver stuff might be interfering?
26730
General Software Discussion / Re: Warning about a new software company scamming people
« Last post by mouser on May 25, 2007, 07:52 PM »
That is absolutely outrageous.  :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
26731
General Software Discussion / Re: Textaizer - free tool to make pictures out of text parts
« Last post by mouser on May 25, 2007, 07:49 PM »
Nice finds GekK  :up:
26732
Find And Run Robot / FARR V2 hyper-alpha - alias fiends available to test?
« Last post by mouser on May 25, 2007, 11:29 AM »
So i'm finally making a big move to use multiple alias files (in xml format) instead of one big one.

This has been discussed before and it has some giant advantages in terms of sharing and updating alias files.

Alias files are autodiscovered on startup, from 2 directories, one for readonly alias files designed to be replaced on update, and one for user alias files (by default the user has just one custom editable alias file where they can put their custom aliases).

So now someone can post a special alias file called "Yahoo Alias Set" with a bunch of aliases for yahoo stuff, and users can "install" it simply by copying the file to their alias subdirectory.

I hope this will make sharing aliases really easy and fun.

I've also added the ability to specify a default icon to show for an alias, plus the ability to specify a custom icon for every result in an alias, which should make for some pretty alias sets (just put the aliases used by an alias in a subdirectory along with the alias file, which is in xml format by the way).

NOW:

I've written code that should on first run detect all your existing custom aliases and save them to the new custom alias file.
But because of this dramatic change in the way things work, i really want to get some pro testers who use aliases and custom aliases (and might be interested in making some custom alias sets for sharing), in case i messed something up.

I'm putting this special test up somewhere and request you email me ([email protected]) or message me on the forum for the download; don't use this unless you really want to test this version, and PLEASE backup your farr config files first!
26733
Living Room / Re: Flash game: Sea of Fire
« Last post by mouser on May 25, 2007, 10:20 AM »
Fantastic combo of rts and tower defense.. very nice  :Thmbsup:
26734
Living Room / Re: Visual-syntactic text formatting - cool paper about optimally formatting tex
« Last post by mouser on May 25, 2007, 10:10 AM »
very interesting point cw.
it might be interesting to think about a plugin whose job it is to locate any columns/blocks of text that are too wide, and reduces the width of the text column.  this would still let you work full screen and on multicolumn layouts, but solve your issue.
26735
Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Maze Craze - Fun 2D game by Wreckedcarzz
« Last post by mouser on May 25, 2007, 12:26 AM »
Welcome walt, glad to see you here  :up:
26736
General Software Discussion / Re: [free] dictionary -lingoes
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 08:47 PM »
wow, looks nice -- i blogged it too.
26737
Older Newsletters / Re: --> Newsletter for May 24th, 2007 - Codename "Summer is not for Sleeping"
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 06:50 PM »
One thing i'm open to is having the newsletter "guest-edited", if any regular dc forum reader wants to give it a try.  A script makes a list of the new posts since the last newsletter, so it's mainly a matter of organizing, pruning out stuff, and writing a little extra...
26738
Developer's Corner / Re: How to bundle a game's source file and its interpreter into a single EXE
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 06:27 PM »
You'll need your interpreter to not be fussy about where it gets the binary source data from. So it should be able to read it from a file, and also quite happily accept being given a raw pointer to the data already in memory.

yep, that's a good place to start.
26739
Older Newsletters / Re: --> Newsletter for May 24th, 2007 - Codename "Summer is not for Sleeping"
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 05:01 PM »
i think it's a good idea to add at least one paragraph of unique editorial about the site which cannot be found elsewhere.
26740
Older Newsletters / Re: --> Newsletter for May 24th, 2007 - Codename "Summer is not for Sleeping"
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 04:43 PM »
Anyone have any requests for how we can make the newsletter better or more interesting?
26741
Older Newsletters / Newsletter for May 24th, 2007 - Codename "Summer is not for Sleeping"
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 01:05 PM »
Newsletter for May 24th, 2007
Codename "Summer is not for Sleeping"


"If you read nothing else on our site, read our BLOG"



1. DonationCoder.com Stuff
Do you wake up in the middle of the night with a cold sweat fearing that you missed some important news on our website?  We didn't think so.  But you might still be interested in catching up on some official news from the site.



2. Your Input Requested!
We want your participation on the DC forum! It's ok if you're normally shy and reserved and scared to post questions and comments -- we give you permission to make an exception for these posts.  Some people think our forum is only for expert power users, but it's really a giant mix of users, and we want you to participate, regardless of your background.  So take a deep breath and jump in!



3. Mini-Reviews by Members
The mini review section is where members on our forum can post short reviews about programs they like.  It's a great way to spread the news about an under-appreciated application, and discover a new program.  We've got some nice new mini-reviews for you this month.  What's that? You want to read more? You can view them all at: http://minireviews.donationcoder.com.



4. Discounts for May
Supporting Members, you've only got until May 31st to take advantage of this month's discounts (congratulations to everyone who won free copies already!).  Carl Thorpe has volunteered to take over as Discount Coordinator on the site, and will be contacting companies on your behalf to get discounts on your favorite software.  So if you have a program you'd like to see a discount on, stop by and send Carl (cthorpe) a message on the forum -- he'll try his best to make it happen.  This month's discounts:



5. General Software Discussion
Above all else, discussion on the DonationCoder.com forum focuses around software, old and new, and finding the best tool for the job.  Have a question or want advice on what program to use? Ask it!



6. Fun and Games
Our readers are obsessed with productivity and time management, but even the hardest workers need an occasional quick burst of recreation and diversion.  Nothing too complicated -- just enough to recharge your batteries.



7. Coding Snacks and Software Updates
Do you know about our Coding Snacks section? If you don't then you need to fire your personal assistant.  In the Coding Snacks section of our forum people can post ideas for small utilities that they need, and coders who hang out on our site try to implement them as freeware for everyone to use.  Do you have an idea for a small tool you really wish existed, post it!



8. The Wonderful World of the Web
Are you suffering from IOS (Internet Overload Syndrome)?  We thought so.  Have you just figured out what web2.0 means? (get ready because web3.0 is coming soon).  To help reduce your overload, here's a list of some of the more interesting website discussions, debates, and discoveries that have come up on the forum over the last month..



9. Developer's Corner
Don't be thrown off by the name of this section on our forum.  It's not just for programmers.  It's also for people interested in starting their own business and website developers, students and entrepreneurs.  Even if you're not sure whether you belong in that category, you might want to peek your head in and see if there's anything interesting out there that might want you to start up a new hobby.



10. Website of the Month
Did you know that DonationCoder.com has a list of all of our past best-of-the-web recommendations?  Our website of the month in May is ghacks.net - a great daily blog for software news and discovery, and PC optimization tips.


Cody's Uncle Says:

"Thank you for your continuing support of our site.  Your donations make everything we do possible!"
26742
General Software Discussion / Re: Wrong mouse pointer on second screen - WinXP SP2, nVidia, dual screen
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 11:56 AM »
strange, but no idea..
26743
Living Room / Re: 7zip + jpg file = pretty compressed file
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 11:49 AM »
clever. someone should make a little gui tool for this.
sort of like poor-man's steganography.
26744
Developer's Corner / Re: Generalizing Overloading for C++ 2000
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 09:26 AM »
 :P

if you're not a c++ pro you might not get that this is an april fools day joke.
26745
Developer's Corner / Re: How to bundle a game's source file and its interpreter into a single EXE
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 08:26 AM »
Re-reading kyrathaba's posts, it is true that he is writing the programs, rather than needing to bundle an executable interpreter written by someone else.  In this case, it's true that the most elegant solution is to write your own code that can build a single exe with the interpreter and data combined.  It's not as hard as you might think, all installer tools do this, and there are a variety of ways.
26746
Developer's Corner / Re: How to bundle a game's source file and its interpreter into a single EXE
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 08:11 AM »
I think people are over-complicating the matter.  There are plenty of tools out there designed to bundle up a set of files to make a single exe than can be run, for exactly the purpose you want.  Just find one that you like the best.
26747
Developer's Corner / Re: How to bundle a game's source file and its interpreter into a single EXE
« Last post by mouser on May 24, 2007, 06:53 AM »
i'm not sure why tinjaw is retracting, i think sfx tools will do what you want, though they are mainly designed to be used with installers.  they should still do the job though i think.  there are also specific programs designed to for this task as well (for example see this page).
26748
Developer's Corner / Why Ruby is so great and why I'll pass and wait for the next big thing..
« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 07:53 PM »
Scott Hanselman writes good stuff on programming but his article today on what's so great about Ruby is good reading for people like me looking for an excuse to give Ruby a pass.  I consider these examples to be shiboleths and i find myself squarly in the camp of those who find the "Ruby Way" to be the wrong way.

A user named yesthatmcgurk left a comment on DotNetKicks where he/she said:

I must be a complete loser, because I can't see where Ruby is such hot shit. I'd love to read a story, "What you're not getting about Ruby and why its the tits."

Such a great comment that I had to get involved. One of the other commenters pointed to a post over on "Softies on Rails" that's really worth reading.

Note: Forgive the use of "the tits" in this context. "Slang Definition: A description of something you show great liking to, or greatly appreciate..." Usually not a work-friendly phrase, but perhaps pub-appropriate.

There's a simple snippet of Ruby code:

Code: Ruby [Select]
  1. def shutter_clicked
  2. if @camera.off? || @camera.memory_card_full?
  3.   return
  4. end
  5.   capture_image
  6. end

Ruby folks have their own aesthetic and sense of beauty. They would say that the Programmer's Intent is better expressed like this:

Code: Ruby [Select]
  1. def shutter_clicked
  2.   capture_image if @camera.on? && @camera.memory_available?
  3. end

These two functions identically express the Programmer's Intent and the second one expresses it better, many believe.

Guess what, i don't think the second one is better, to me it's just one more example of the perl approach that the shorter the code the better the code.  I don't believe that.  I believe clarity is often best served by writing longer blocks (and good comments).  Whenever someone shows me these kinds of statements i always show them how easy it is to properly comment/debug the longer example and not the short one.
e.g.
Code: Ruby [Select]
  1. def shutter_clicked
  2. if @camera.off? || @camera.memory_card_full?
  3.   // the camera either got turned off by mistake or is full
  4.   // TODO: write error handling and detect which problem
  5.   // for now let's just return without an error.
  6.  return
  7. end
  8.  // ok, camera is ready so let's capture the image
  9.   // TODO: make sure to reset camera state later
  10.   capture_image
  11. end


Here's another:

There are some fun one-liner comparisons though and some folks think that paying a:
Java: 
Code: Java [Select]
  1. new Date(new Date().getTime() - 20 * 60 * 1000)
Ruby:
Code: Ruby [Select]
  1. 20.minutes.ago

In this example, the elegance is a combination of how Ruby works, and a Rails library called ActiveSupport that is a Domain Specific Language that extends Ruby. There's a special satisfaction when you read a well-written novel and you go over a turn of phrase and think, "wow, what a great way to express that. That was a perfect way to describe ____," and there's no ambiguity.

This reminds me of everything that's wrong with (the often exceptional) boost libraries for C++, a love of abusing syntax and using "domain-specific" additions to the language.  Again the attraction seems to be to poetic tiny little segments of code.  If you are trying to write a 5-line haiku in code, fine.  But my experience is that when you start working on larger projects, you're better of knowing when you are calling a function or accessing a variable, and not introducing operator overloading and other fancy domain language extensions, etc.

Now of course this is just a minor part of Ruby, there are other things I don't like, and other things I do like, but Ruby, like most languages, seems to have developed a strong culture of style behind it that i don't fit into, so i'll keep looking.. Just my 2 cents.
26749
Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Feature: include windows hotkeys?
« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 07:39 PM »
yeah i really need to add that i know..
26750
Clipboard Help+Spell / Re: Configuring user tools
« Last post by mouser on May 23, 2007, 07:01 PM »
please let me know if you get it to work and if not what problems you have..
it would be nice to have a little list of tools and how to configure them somewhere, maybe start a thread for it.
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