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276

Find And Run Robot / Re: FARR not a commonly downloaded program?

« Last post by db90h on October 31, 2011, 01:52 PM »

I wonder if certificate signing really is the solution, do we have any definitive knowledge that it is? If so, I understand the intention, but really don't agree with the methodology. As the recent rash of compromised CAs has shown, this is hardly an effective security measure. What good is "trust" when the trusted parties don't care enough to implement proper security on their trust-granting systems?!

-JavaJones (October 16, 2011, 12:32 PM)

Indeed, the mere presence of a valid cert signed by a trusted CA does not mean squat. What happens is that the security companies rate known certificates as 'not risky', 'risky', or somewhere in between. Not having a valid certificate at all prevents them from doing so, making the executable inherently more risky, since the author can not be ascertained - what IE was trying to inform the user of.

This is a totally different issue than the False Positive Report supports, and I was not happy to see our Twitter account had retweeted this. I expressed that this was not to be a part of our mission. I did so because we support Microsoft and all other security companies, and I have developed a fragile working relationship with them. This moves us one step farther from what we want. We also feel this is outside the realm of what The False Positive Report should address. http://falsepositivereport.org

277

General Software Discussion / Re: Fairware: an interesting experiment in getting paid for Open Source

« Last post by db90h on October 30, 2011, 07:31 PM »

... probably nobody will ever bother to read (or maybe re-read, lol) these statements, but if you ever do understand my argument.. well, lol, you just might 'get it'. If so, hats off to you, as I have a real trouble communicating sometimes.

278

General Software Discussion / Re: Fairware: an interesting experiment in getting paid for Open Source

« Last post by db90h on October 30, 2011, 07:02 PM »

..merged.. keep updating . Gone now. I am sure it all read terrible, but I am trying to convey an important point. Don't take it offensive, please. I'm sure some will, because their concern will be purely selfish or ideologic. The simple refusal to pay $1 for software. I know, I've tried lowering my prices, those willing to pay will pay a reasonable price. Those not willing to pay, won't.

The utility of this site, as I tried to say, was in creating small software applications that are too specialized or easy to charge anyone for. Not to say all are like that, because mouser's apps are definitely large, but that is what I had hoped the site would become.

Oh, and if you want to go on the quality argument, well -- then you'll get into capital investment. It will become impossible for a new shareware author to get off the ground without sufficient capital investment, and then we'll have ruined it all. The guy in the basement can't make something to sell because he has to make it super-good to compete with super-good corporate backed freeware tricks. Their growth will be stagnated by the expectation of freeware, unless they bundle, which is - if you read - by definition, unethical, in my opinion. At least by the best definition of ethical we have, again in my opinion.

279

General Software Discussion / Re: Fairware: an interesting experiment in getting paid for Open Source

« Last post by db90h on October 30, 2011, 06:28 PM »

And, of course, consumers are all going to be 100% for anything free... of course. BUT, software costs money and productive time to MAKE, MAINTAIN, and SUPPORT. We pay for socks, cheeseburgers, stupid trinkets. This refusal, by some, to pay for software is just because they've gotten spoiled by all the pseudo-freeware out there. Maybe you can uncheck that 'bundle' box, but your grandma might not, and maybe you're the one cleaning up her PC.

And, please, spare me the 'good bundle' argument. 100 good bundles = 1 bad machine.

Any moral highground freeware authors once had is being lost by many (not all).. generalizations are so dangerous.

Do you see where I'm coming from though? How would an honest Shareware vendor make money when all software is supposed to be 100% free? Bundle? That is definitely not ethical because it harms society at large, the definition of morality. The direction we are moving is unethical.

280

General Software Discussion / Re: Fairware: an interesting experiment in getting paid for Open Source

« Last post by db90h on October 30, 2011, 06:22 PM »

Here is my point, since so many missed it, from the perspective of one who saw that not *everything* can be given away freely. At some point you have to put food on the table.

Freeware authors create freeware ... THEN:

• Criticize all other business models
• Run people out of business, destroy families, - you know, those who dared charge ANY price for their software, no matter how liberally licensed, no matter how inexpensive
• Then you see *some* (not all) complain when they have not enough donations
• Then you see *some* (not all) jump into the bundle segment. There is apparently good money there, but the collateral damage is high, as all this 'crap' gets installed on people's machines. Sure, in *some* cases you can uncheck said bundle and it won't install, but the idea is to miss that checkbox - else why would it be checked by default, and why would it be there? And don't tell me people want that stuff. Nobody buys that, and you surely don't buy it yourself.
• Then you see *some* (not all) just go straight up time limited shareware or nagware with timers (e.g. mirc)
• Those who don't do the above just eventually lose interest, and are forever the freeware alternative to any new business (update to this post)

Is Freeware with a Bundle still Freeware? Is that ethically superior to Shareware? Is charging for something 'wrong' in some way? You know, charging for the fruits of thousands of hours of labor and other expenses related to the production of said goods.

I have a right to say this since I author F/OSS, freeware, and shareware (all in the purest sense of the word with no bundles). It bothers me to see the GREED that takes hold when a freeware author realizes they can make money off something. Then their ethics fly out the window, in many cases (not all). These are generalizations, which I've made clear, so please don't cite exceptions.

It just goes to show you, freeware will be freeware until they think they can make money off it - then you see a rapid transformation. So, quit kidding yourselves, and consider what you are doing to those who realized before you that a purely donation driven model was not going to put sufficient food on the table.

Sorry to be so blunt, but that's how it is. If you want paid, charge for your work. Don't bundle. Don't play word-games (back on topic). And don't whine.

... Lastly, many freeware projects, those that don't think they can turn a profit, after running competitors out of business, then lose interest... After all, they aren't paying the bills. Or at least they didn't, before bundles became the norm for 'freeware'. Then the market dies. Anyway, they sit stagnant and cause harm to any competitor that might emerge and dare charge anything. They are forever cited as that 'free' alternative. Consumers learn the lesson they need not pay for anything, and find any non-freeware model offensive, but then act surprised when this bait and switch is pulled on them by freeware vendor after freeware vendor... or offended when they find 100 crap toolbars and other apps on their PC (or have to cleanup a PC in that state).

281

Find And Run Robot / Re: Just curious - what's the difference between FARR and UltraSearch

« Last post by db90h on October 30, 2011, 11:18 AM »

I tried it couple of weeks ago but I didn't really like it and I read somewhere that the google desktop database is not small file and it always trying to scan for changes(I didn't like it how it worked even on my Virtual PC with have only one hdd and 8000 files)

-vsub (October 30, 2011, 11:15 AM)

Yea, it is very large as it indexes everything by default. You can set it to exclude specific drives, folders, or filetypes though. It does have excellent speed, as you know Google engineers are good at quickly indexing and searching . It does consume a lot of resources as it continually indexes your filesystem and detects changes on-demand.

282

Find And Run Robot / Re: Just curious - what's the difference between FARR and UltraSearch

« Last post by db90h on October 30, 2011, 11:09 AM »

True enough. BTW, if you want to compare all products, you need to throw Google Desktop in the mix.

283

Find And Run Robot / Re: Just curious - what's the difference between FARR and UltraSearch

« Last post by db90h on October 30, 2011, 11:04 AM »

I did not know FARR operated like that. Yes, see the topic Josh pointed you to. It explains it all.. and how you can make FARR much faster by interfacing it with Locate32 or another indexing app. Basically, you are outside the realm of what FARR was intended to originally do.

284

Find And Run Robot / Re: Just curious - what's the difference between FARR and UltraSearch

« Last post by db90h on October 30, 2011, 10:45 AM »

The search algorithm used is most likely the difference. You see, when the data is cataloged, the efficiency of the format in which it is stored (the data tree/algorithm) determines how fast it can later be recalled. This is CS 101. A bad algorithm can take 100 seconds and a good algorithm 0.1 seconds, that is how big a difference there is. Of course, the algorithms aren't rated in 'seconds', but rather in O notation, which I'll spare you the details of (basically a way to mathematically represent how long a search takes).

That is why explorer takes so long when you turned off indexing, it is doing a linear search, the slowest possible.

Other factors can also play a role. Such as the amount of data indexed. Some of these products may index more data than others. Etc...

285

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 29, 2011, 10:06 PM »

You guys gotta see this to believe it: http://www.ebay.com/..._trksid=p3286.c0.m14

LOL

-db90h (October 29, 2011, 08:42 PM)

I'd like to think they screwed up with some pricing updates. Because looking at the site, prices are all over the place. You've got a WD WD1001FAES Black 1TB 64MB 7200RPM SATA6.0 Hard Drive listed with the same seller for $199 - which is high compared to two weeks ago. But it's not totally insane.

Weird...

-40hz (October 29, 2011, 09:51 PM)

Yea, and half the advertised prices (everywhere), when you click on them, have gone up. It is ALL speculation though at this point, ALL of it. I'm more convinced of that than ever now. This speculation will lead to a temporary supply shortage, but it won't last more than a few weeks at most.

286

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 29, 2011, 08:42 PM »

You guys gotta see this to believe it: http://www.ebay.com/..._trksid=p3286.c0.m14

LOL

287

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 29, 2011, 06:11 PM »

...

288

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 29, 2011, 06:05 PM »

Oops... sold out, speculators (you guys?) hit those last few in stock. I bet that guy is wondering how come everyone bought up his hard drives so fast, lol.

UPDATE: NO wait, 1 left in stock, and a few other sellers who haven't gotten the message on these yet.

289

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 29, 2011, 05:56 PM »

I don't have the money to 'invest' in this potential opportunity, and it is sure to blow up in my face anyway, hard drive prices will likely recover next week, lol.

However, if anyone does want to participate in this speculation, here is a seller that has not yet marked up the price of this drive: http://www.amazon.co...319928405&sr=8-3

This drive is selling for $140 on TigerDirect right now ... same at NewEgg (http://www.newegg.co...Item=N82E16822136755).. same at Amazon (via Amazon and not an Amazon sub-seller, or whatever you call those people).

Price at aforementioned Amazon seller, plus carrying case, is about $100 -- pre-flood price. 4 left in stock, so giving you guys the heads up, since I know you most likely all are poor as I am, and I estimate at 30% profit on this drive at current prices. Of course, you'll pay taxes on that income, making it more like 15%. Ah, you decide if it is worth it.

You can't really lose much, since this is the retail price of the drive pre-flood.

290

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 29, 2011, 05:41 PM »

The curious thing is that external 2.5" drives seem less affected by the price increases. I think that speculators haven't 'hit' them yet, this proving it is speculators and greedy retailers that are driving these prices up.

UPDATE: I take that back, *some* retailers have adjusted the prices on these, others not. Example: I just picked up a brand new WD My Passport SE 1TB (great little USB powered backup drive) for $99 (current retail price before disaster, though I did buy one for $79 before the disaster, having found a sale). It is going on amazon new for $140+ ... So . Opportunities are out there for opportunists. I don't have enough capital to make any money, and this is sure to backfire, but I couldn't resist ;p.

I just WISH I had waited to sell some old hard drives I offloaded last month, darn it.

291

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 29, 2011, 05:13 PM »

I was in a Costco in Canada today. It was selling WD2TB external drives (MyBook) for $149 which is pretty close to their pre-flood price IIRC. Nice to see that they're not milking the price increase by inflating the cost of current stock.

-cranioscopical (October 29, 2011, 04:54 PM)

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I think that is quite a bit above pre-flood condition pricing, which was sub-$100 for that model. They'd gone down rapidly prior to the flood, so maybe if you had last checked 6 months ago, the price might seem about right.

292

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 29, 2011, 03:58 PM »

USED WD20EARS drives are now selling for MORE than they cost NEW a month ago (and this auction is far from over, it is likely to rise much higher):
http://www.ebay.com/...e58d0#ht_3657wt_1139

293

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 29, 2011, 08:49 AM »

WD hard drives have now mostly sold out at the larger retailers. Many people have a preferred HDD manufacturer, so this may cause a slight premium in the value of WD drives. Of course, already going for twice what they were, I'm not sure how much higher they may go. One guy on ebay is trying to sell a wd20ears new drive for $279, a drive selling for $139-$159 after price increases at retailers where it isn't sold out. That is a heavy bet for massive inflation beyond what we see now. Of course, that person may simply be .. misguided

Of course, many of these retailers may not be actually sold out, but rather waiting to see if the price further increases before offering the drives up for sale again, as I speculated above.

294

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 28, 2011, 09:49 AM »

Good point. Once the carpetbaggers and opportunists start making a run on the supply, any near-term shortages are likely to be strongly affected by those vermin.

-40hz (October 28, 2011, 07:55 AM)

Were in not for these speculators, there may be no real supply problem. Given the continual drop in HDD prices we've seen, I would speculate there has been an over-supply. Therefore, a lack of sufficient supply for a short period should not substantially affect prices. I strongly believe all prices have been artificially inflated by the current media circus over this, and am with Intel on this one: As they say, the semiconductor industry proved more resilient than people thought in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquakes. I suspect the same is true here.

Regardless, if you need an HDD in the next 6 months, you may pay a heavy premium for it. Why that long? I'd imagine that prices will be SLOW to decline to previous levels, even after supply has been re-established. Retailers and manufacturers all want to maximize profits. Although no price setting (as in anti-competitive collusion) would likely take place, this natural tendency would slow the competitive effects, and thus keep the prices artificially inflated for a considerable period. This is especially true in markets with few competitors, such as the HDD market.

In fact, given the low profit margin, manufacturers may choose in some cases to intentionally keep supply suppressed, long after they've regained production capacity ;o. Taking advantage of this situation ... I mean, think about it.. if your stuff suddenly was selling for 2 to 3 times what it once was, in a market where your profit margin is so slim you can barely survive, would you be so eager to increase supply? Still, competition will force things back to normal, eventually.. but it will take as long as they can make it take. Each step *down* in price will be slow and incremental.

(UPDATE: Prices have increased at some vendors since this morning. It seems the speculation continues. a WD20EARS (WD Green 2TB) 3.5" internal OEM drive cost as little as $69 prior to this disaster. The highest I've seen it priced is now $279 by a crazy person on ebay, and the average price seems to be $149 and rising - with it being $159 at many vendors).

295

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 28, 2011, 06:49 AM »

LOL, all hard drives sold out or doubled+ at almost all big name retailers, locally and online. Speculators are now driving up the prices. How affected the supply really is we won't know for a while...

296

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 28, 2011, 05:59 AM »

"Thailand is the second-largest manufacturer of hard drives, and even companies like Samsung, which haven't had to shut down production facilities, are facing part shortages. The HDD drive motor manufacturer Nidec, which supplies between 70-80 percent of the market with motors is expected to limit production due to flooding. Other companies potentially facing shortages include Hitachi, Seagate, and Toshiba. "
- http://hothardware.c...e-of-2011-is-Coming/

Any local shop unaware of the shortage, I'd go buy all their HDDs if possible. Small retailers at the ones most likely not to have yet realized this change. Unless someone beat you to it

Prices have doubled already everywhere... and are continuing to rise. After people quit freaking out, they may recede, so it is a risky proposition to buy at current prices.

297

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 28, 2011, 05:54 AM »

Oh.. as for Seagate and other manufacturers.. whether directly affected or not, they will raise their prices as their competition just got 'hit', so they have an excuse to raise them. There is insufficient competition and supply in this market to accommodate the temporary shutdown of WD without massively affecting market prices. That said, I would not at all be surprised if all manufacturers are affected, as they likely all get their components manufactured or assembled in the same (cheapest) global location they could find. The HDD market is such that it would have forced the few remaining HDD manufacturers to do this, as the profit margin has to be extremely low. Or it was until now ;o

298

Living Room / Re: Hard drive shortage

« Last post by db90h on October 28, 2011, 05:49 AM »

Had I been paying closer attention to this, or been thinking more like a 'shark', I'd have run to any local retailers who didn't yet adjusted their prices and buy every hard drive I could see. Interestingly enough, Walmart has already removed all 3.5" internal HDDs from their web site, leaving only SSDs and external HDDs (which of course either contain a standard 2.5" or 3.5" internal HDD with appropriate external interfaces and PSU). However, the external HDDs that do remain have all gone up in price, with most sold out.

Many retailers profited from this unfortunate experience, you can bet on that. Their existing inventory instantly sky-rocketed in value. Many may be holding onto inventory until the market stabilizes and prices are set.

If any of you wish to profit from this, go find any local retailer who isn't keeping up with things, and buy up all their hard drives . Of course, with darn eBay seller fees, and the trouble of selling crap, you'd need to find a good stash of them to make any real money. For me, I don't have the capital or time to muck with doing such -- but for anyone who does have free time on their hands and enough capital, there you go .

Similarly, if you have any used HDDs laying around, now is the time to dump them on the market. You never know who might be desperate to find an HDD in this shortage.

299

DC Member Programs and Projects / Re: RegMerge - Import REG files safely and selectively, or compare their content

« Last post by db90h on October 21, 2011, 09:00 AM »

Very nice utility; this one is going in the toolbox.    One suggestion/correction, if I may.  At the top right, you have the following text:

This system differs from the loaded REG file in the ways:

I think you may have meant to put "in the following ways:"

-skwire (October 21, 2011, 08:58 AM)

EDIT: Went to fix, but that is an old screenshot, already fixed (through removal)

300

DC Member Programs and Projects / Re: RegMerge - Import REG files safely and selectively, or compare their content

« Last post by db90h on October 21, 2011, 08:50 AM »

Reshared at G+ to give DC some publicity: https://plus.google....57/posts/1oBNTmBwLs9