Recent Posts

2701

General Software Discussion / Re: Should licensed Vista users get free upgrade to Windows 7?

« Last post by Shades on November 17, 2008, 12:20 AM »

@Josh:
Although I'm inclined to agree with you, I'll side with Kartal on the Windows updates. Mainly because of my own experience fixing/working with army computers, ISP servers, helpdesk computers, POS systems and ICPC's (ICU = Ignorant Client P.C.), ranging from Windows 3.11 till Vista (including Server editions).

Consider yourself lucky if you yourself did not experience (self induced) Windows update problems. Especially in the army (with certified computers) updates were feared...the POS systems were also a headache but that was mainly because of the POS software itself...created by an official Microsoft Business partner using certified hardware.

After a force fed update by MS on an ISP server (read: traffic monitor) we lost two days of data because there was a fix for the force fed update required (netto result: 15.000 euro's of lost revenue...and a dramatic increase of Linux servers replacing the Windows systems).

Yes, with the ICPC's I agree that drivers and their (mis-)use were the main reason for failure and a good source of income I might add...so you could consider me a little biased  

2702

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows Countdown Timer Showdown

« Last post by Shades on November 16, 2008, 08:52 PM »

Than you didn't encounter my (ex-)girlfriends...yet! 

2703

Living Room / Re: Introduction To Public Key Cryptography

« Last post by Shades on November 15, 2008, 10:18 AM »

True, and AFAIK OpenVPN (and the included 'Easy-RSA' certificate creation scripts) makes use of OpenSSL.

Although Abylon reader has the ability to create its own certificates, I have never used it for that purpose. The reader helps you find out the where/which/when about the certificates in your system more quickly and clearly than the certificate MMC console from Windows.

Plus the reader comes with extra tools for the perfect price, free.

2704

Developer's Corner / Re: CSS and field width

« Last post by Shades on November 15, 2008, 09:34 AM »

A (basic) CMS is no solution for them? (like Wordpress, Joomla!, Drupal etc.)

Most of those CMS'es come with an editor (FCK editor, TinyMCE) that looks and feels like a stripped down Word application.

These editors can also be used/included in your own PHP scripts as well (both are open source).

2705

General Software Discussion / Re: I am looking for a file browser that is optimized especially for networks

« Last post by Shades on November 13, 2008, 10:59 PM »

That is indeed the one I am using. 

When I copy/move files over the (100Mbit) LAN it reports speeds of 12000 kbps. Normally you would be happy to get anything around 9000kbps using the standard Windows explorer and the default settings (because of network traffic overhead/congestion etc.)

As far as I know, you can "push" more data through the LAN (per cycle) when the size of the packages that contain the actual data is increased. The ideal setting is mostly found by trial and error, the default Microsoft settings err on the safe side giving the impression that it is (reasonably) robust and fast.

Having good and properly shielded cabling together with matching hardware (switch/router) you do have some "room" to play with package sizes.

2706

ProcessTamer / Re: Feature Suggestion: Limit CPU usage

« Last post by Shades on November 12, 2008, 04:59 PM »

Well, I just saw that only a few days ago a new version (v3.22) was made available and that it is still free for home/personal use...

And I agree with Kartal, this piece of software is worth it's weight in gold 

2707

ProcessTamer / Re: also check out process lasso (new free lite version)

« Last post by Shades on November 12, 2008, 04:47 PM »

Well, I just saw that only a few days ago a new version was made and that it is still free for home/personal use..

2708

General Software Discussion / Re: I am looking for a file browser that is optimized especially for networks

« Last post by Shades on November 11, 2008, 07:38 PM »

Ah well, at least you gained the "snappiness"   

Now for the speed:
On my system I have installed a piece of software that really increases the speed with which I copy big files over the LAN network. The name of that piece of software is Total Copy (or something similar). This software will embed itself in your system, so that when you copy using the right-click context menu you get two extra options to either 'Total copy' or 'Total move'.

I assume it uses the maximal packet size that the LAN will sustain (without breaking), so that is also a way to go for you.
When the connection between the systems is very dependable, you could definitely try it.

2709

General Software Discussion / Re: I am looking for a file browser that is optimized especially for networks

« Last post by Shades on November 10, 2008, 09:07 PM »

Although it will sound very strange coming from me, but did you try TotalCommander already.

My linux friends use that one all the time when they have to use a Windows system. My own experience of navigating/copying etc. between two Linux PC's over a WAN is that it goes really, really fast. True, it works in a DOS-like environment but if that is no problem you could create a similar setup using specific software for Windows (in case your machine and the WAN machine are both using Windows).

Less is more...especially over a WAN  

2710

Living Room / Re: Whats on your desktop?

« Last post by Shades on November 09, 2008, 09:07 PM »

My desktop is graced with wallpapers from interfacelift.

2711

Living Room / Re: Things your kids will never know - old school tech!

« Last post by Shades on November 09, 2008, 09:04 PM »

@J-Mac:
How many of those square roots did those nuns beat into you?

I mean, if you still can extract them till this day...  

2712

General Software Discussion / Re: Total Commander 7.03 for Windows released!

« Last post by Shades on November 09, 2008, 08:54 PM »

@fenixproductions:
It was also not my intent to convince you to change from favorite file-manager. You just asked a question why (a lot of) people do not perceive TC as "normal".

Since I belong to that group I tried to explain. During the writing of that I might have included too much emotion. For that I'm sorry.    (also for the lack of research to my 'UNIX roots' claim)

Actually, I agree completely with your suggestion for the name change of DOpus. 

2713

Living Room / Re: How to figure out which is dying, my screen or my graphics card

« Last post by Shades on November 09, 2008, 11:57 AM »

@4WD:
You are right about the VGA cable, but from personal experience I can tell that it is quite possible to have PC's fail to show anything on a screen when changing a minor graphical setting, because the VGA cable in use was not sufficiently shielded. This was on a KVM swith from a cheapskate that used thin VGA cables so he could shave 20 euro's off the price.

Mind you, the KVM switch could handle a max. resolution of 1600x1200 without breaking a sweat, but the guy could never manage to get more than 1280x1024 because of the cables.

2714

General Software Discussion / Re: Total Commander 7.03 for Windows released!

« Last post by Shades on November 09, 2008, 11:17 AM »

@fenixproductions:
No offense of any kind was meant in my previous comment. And I agree that the DO interface from the image in your comment doesn't look like much, so books are not judged on cover alone.
The true beauty from this version of DO was that each of the buttons could be adjusted in functionality, hotkey and location. Actually, you could assign more than one function to a button. And if you were adept with AREXX and had software that supported AREXX you could use the accessible functions from that software directly in DO without opening that specific software. It was even possible to not use the default routines from DOpus but use similar routines from your favorite piece of software.     

Today's file-managers (incl. DO 9.x for PC) do not even come close matching the raw power of that version and they never will because of hardware architectural differences.

What is totally beyond my grasp...why do I have to use F8 to delete something when there is a beautiful button called 'Delete' on a keyboard that is (more or less) in the same position already for more than 15 years?    UNIX roots? Come on, give me a break! In my opinion, anything that takes getting used to has a structural/basic design flaw.

<off-topic>
VIM is in the same class of software. Pure power with functionality beyond belief...but it is hard to grasp (for me) which key-combo's have to be pressed to access all that power. Ha, rubber fingers are almost a requirement to use VIM.
</off-topic>

2715

General Software Discussion / Re: Total Commander 7.03 for Windows released!

« Last post by Shades on November 08, 2008, 06:59 PM »

@fenixproductions:
A lot from TC's interface is borrowed from the old and trusty Midnight Commander in Linux. Also the keys function practically the same.

This is all nice and dandy but I don't think that is a good thing. In my own experience, Putty and MC are very helpful when doing some file managing on a Linux machine (using a Windows PC). But I honestly don't know why the key-layout is like it is.

Speaking for myself, I hate this layout...and TC uses the same layout. For a Linux guy that has to work on a WIndows machine, the TC key-layout will feel like 'home'. Well I'm sorry, but I will not voluntarily suffer this key-layout using native Windows software. I know for a fact that I'm not alone in this.

Selecting of drives in TC 'feels' and functions very much like windows 3.11. There is a good reason why computer users hailed the interface from windows '95 and above. For me that method really does not compute anymore.

All this gives makes TC not "normal" (again speaking for myself). TC's look and feel works for a lot of people and that is a good thing. For me it does not work at all and almost any alternative will be used by me before I even consider to entertain a thought about installing TC, let alone using it. Again, I know for a fact that I'm not alone in this.

Having used DOpus since it third edition (yes, on the Commodore Amiga home computer) you will have an extremely hard time convincing me otherwise. Yes, I know you can change the look and feel from TC to a great extend, expand it with plug-ins etc.,etc.

Here in South America Linux rules and I get 'ridiculed' by my friends here (almost on a daily basis) for using DOpus while they are TC die-hard's. But I honestly feel that I'm way more productive using anything else than TC. If TC makes you more productive, all power to you.

2716

Living Room / Re: Things your kids will never know - old school tech!

« Last post by Shades on November 08, 2008, 02:04 PM »

Where I was stationed when doing my military service (draft), we had a tube post system like that. And (mis)used it mainly to send food to each other...with or without those containers   

2717

General Software Discussion / Re: Do you keep two computers synchronized? i.e. work + home. If so, how?

« Last post by Shades on November 08, 2008, 01:15 PM »

Since I believe that all those companies offering their services for storing your backups/synchronize your files can never be trusted (after all it is my unique data and for them it's just business).

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the off-site backup concept that they offer. I just think that since it is my data, I want to have as much control over it as possible.

While looking for an update for a tool called ExamDiffPro, I saw that the author also has a simple version control system that only requires FTP access. It doesn't require you to setup a CVS, SVN (or any other similar) server, it just requires plain and simple FTP access. With this software you don't need to pay for an extra monthly fee (besides your internet access and own website) to keep your data in your own hands.

For the ones interested, FtpVC
While it is not cheap (50 USD), it is a one time buy. They hand out 20% discounts for students and educators.

2718

General Software Discussion / Re: Should licensed Vista users get free upgrade to Windows 7?

« Last post by Shades on November 07, 2008, 02:25 PM »

When I was installing a Wifi network for a girlfriend of mine so she could surf with her brand new Vista laptop (Acer) I had to work for a longer period with that laptop.

Man, talk about slow! Not only hardware wise, but also clicking wise, first of all it took me way more clicks to go somewhere in Vista and had to click away the security screens as well.

Although I kinda like the look of Vista, productivity wise it's a definite no-no for me. Actually, that girlfriend was requesting/begging/offering herself to me to put XP on that laptop. :-)  Unfortunately the drivers for the hardware from the laptop were Vista-only. No XP drivers were available at Acer or the manufacturers.

Because of all this I (strongly!) dislike Vista in any shape and/or form. Actually, the future for Windows in my household is becoming bleaker with each new incarnation. I do like Windows 2003 Server though.

2719

Living Room / Re: Things your kids will never know - old school tech!

« Last post by Shades on November 02, 2008, 08:24 PM »

It is a shame I didn't made a picture from the 'update' I made in my Commodore 64 (many, many moons ago) although the lack of access to a photo-camera at that time could have contributed to that sad fact. Anyway, involved were three customized ROM's, a special designed circuit board, a lot(!!) of wires, 18 external switches to select the software inside the ROM's and a cooling fan...any combination you could make with these switches resulted in a new software goodie to play with.

That C64 really had everything you could wish for at that time...SPEEDDOS, DOLPHINDOS and even it's own graphical user interface (very similar in look and feel to the Commodore Amiga's Workbench) completely controllable with a mouse.

With the money I made selling that C64 I was able to by my first (3rd hand) Amiga 1000.  Man, happy days that were. 

Later on, I repeated that feat somewhat by building an Amiga 1200 into a high tower PC case. Ah well, what can I say...the thrill was gone. Not for the Amiga (never!!!), but the custom building.

Now I just build my own PC's. 

2720

Developer's Corner / Re: Where to start with computer programing

« Last post by Shades on October 26, 2008, 11:57 PM »

@Ehtyar:
At some point in time Tinjaw posted a picture of him together with his girlfriend...which I saw back then (you know...that inquiring thingy  ).

Unfortunately I cannot recall the link anymore and it will very likely be removed (one's inquiry is opposed to others privacy).

Let's just say that if you are jealous now, you definitely should not have taken a look at that picture. Not only would you give Tinjaw permission, you would gladly your blessings as well. I for one totally understand why we don't see so many Tinjaw posts here anymore.   

@Tinjaw:
My best wishes for you and your loved ones. Hope you can forgive me for being so liberal. 

2721

General Software Discussion / Re: Anyone uses MediaMonkey? I need your advices.

« Last post by Shades on October 26, 2008, 11:22 PM »

@Curt:
To repair a network connection, see the highlighted menu option in the picture.
Yes I know, running a Dutch version of Windows is not that helpful, but the location of this option will not differ from your (localized) Windows version.

2722

General Software Discussion / Re: Best Python IDE

« Last post by Shades on October 25, 2008, 09:35 PM »

Although I don't have any experience with the solution I offer: PyDev
my friend who is a very adept C/C++/Java programmer (with 20 years of programming experience under his belt) who swears by the Eclipse IDE. The original intent or this IDE is JAVA related programming, but there are a boatload of plug-ins of other programming languages available for it.

With that in mind and after taking a quick look, there was also a plug-in for Python. Price-wise it couldn't be better (free EPL license). The comments that you can see when you visit the link are very positive, which should make up for my lack of experience ;-).

2723

General Software Discussion / Re: Suggestions for switching from Vista (64-bit) to XP (32-bit)?

« Last post by Shades on October 25, 2008, 11:54 AM »

@city_zen:
Excellent find! (the site that still has the last freeware version, I mean).

Thanks for that one 

2724

General Software Discussion / Re: Suggestions for switching from Vista (64-bit) to XP (32-bit)?

« Last post by Shades on October 25, 2008, 12:17 AM »

If possible, download all patches and updates from every piece of software you would use in your XP machine. Then find out exactly which hardware is in your system (for example, harddisk, video, sound, wifi etc.) and download the latest (but foremost greatest) XP drivers for your equipment.

Download now a tool called: nLite
With this software you create a new installation cd, containing all the updates, patches and drivers you have downloaded. The wizard from nLite does a very good job of guiding you through the necessary steps.

As a result you have created a fine-tuned installation cd that is ideal for your laptop. You should also automatize the installation process (again, nLite's wizard will guide you) so you can do an unsupervised re-installation whenever you deem it necessary. Shaves easily 10 to 15 minutes of a re-installation.

You could even create an installation DVD that includes all installation/setup files from every piece of software you find essential. That way you have all important software in one place and again saves you a lot of time recreating your ideal Windows environment using a fresh Windows installation.

For the true tweak-animals amongst us, find a freeware version from the tool: xq-setup
Not only can you make every tweak known to man/woman, this software can also store all these tweaks in a file. If this file is also stored on your installation DVD, you have in a flash your super tweaked system back as well.

As long as your hardware will be useful to you, that disk will prove a lifesaver and a serious alternative for imaging software, because a total re-installation will take some two hours at most. Why spend money on such software when a total re-installation only takes such a (relativity) short time.

The disadvantage from this method is that it will take quite some time to create such a DVD.

However, I did this once for an elderly client of mine (when I was doing PC repairs). That client was so happy with that DVD, it didn't take long for the word of mouth to spread, increasing my client base in a major way (he had a big family ;-))

2725

General Software Discussion / Re: Voice thru Modem port to landline?

« Last post by Shades on October 21, 2008, 03:18 PM »

Maybe a bit of overkill....

...but you might want to take a look at 3CX: they offer a free PBX (up to 10 users iirc) that should be able to convert the signals from your headset to a useable format for landlines. Check the modem support to see if the modem from the Vaio is in the list.

Have fun playing :-)