Recent Posts

301

General Software Discussion / Re: web design question: layouting one 'simple' page on my own?

« Last post by app103 on September 15, 2015, 11:01 PM »

Sitepoint has a free beginner level video course available, to teach you how to build this single page responsive site.

It's kind of based on the original Learnable site design, before the service was integrated into SitePoint's main website as SitePoint Premium. Personally, I think it's quite pretty for a simple single page site.


Disclaimer: I work for SitePoint but they have not encouraged or compensated me in any way, for this post.

302

General Software Discussion / Re: raffle/random choice software

« Last post by app103 on September 15, 2015, 10:35 PM »

Aryq's suggestion of random.org is a good one if you are simply trying to choose m winners from a group of n entrants.

There are a few specialized cases where you may need to look deeper:

1. If you want to select winners not purely randomly, but with some weighted probabilities -- for example if you wanted the chance that an entrant to win to be based on how many years they have been in operation, etc. [doesn't sound like you need this].
2. If you needed to be able to *prove* to some third party rigorously that you only ran the random selection once and these are the independently verified results. [doesn't sound like you need this].
3. If you were going to be running multiple giveaways over time and wanted to make it less likely that people would win twice in a row, etc. [doesn't sound like you need this].

-mouser (June 09, 2015, 08:32 AM)

Mouser wrote an app that I know takes care of 1 and 3, which he used to select the winners in DC software giveaways of the past, but he has never made this app publicly available.

Perhaps with some urging, we can convince him to release it? 

303

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for a very flexible timer

« Last post by app103 on September 15, 2015, 10:17 PM »

You might want to try Toggl.

It's web based, but there is an official free desktop app for Windows, to go with it.

It is one of the better free task based time trackers I have found, great for freelancers and small teams.

You can set a starting amount of time elapsed, and then click the Start button and it will begin counting up from that time.

Once you have actually posted a time task, you can resume the timer for it later, or click to edit it (and then resume).

There is even an Android or iOS app for it, and a Chrome add-on to integrate it into various web apps.

304

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by app103 on September 15, 2015, 09:29 PM »

If you think heels are bad, consider the consequences of casual comments!

-barney (September 14, 2015, 10:20 PM)

Open mouth, insert foot, high heels and all. 

305

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for White-on-Black or Transparent Menu-Less Text Displayer

« Last post by app103 on September 15, 2015, 09:16 PM »

I have been hitting the "X" thinking it was a "Close" button like you surmised.  I am glad you pointed me to it.  Also, with your explanation I have been able to identify the "random" behavior.  What was happening has been my random choice to open Notezilla (and therefore the checklist note) versus letting the automation handle it.  I have been unwittingly deleting the checklist.  The good news is Notezilla does not have this "bug."  I thought my report was strange given the stability and popularity of the app.

-CodeTRUCKER (September 15, 2015, 07:58 PM)

I was using v7 when I recommended it to you, upgrading to v8 right after. Had I not done that, I wouldn't have known about the X even being there. As you can see in my original screenshots, it had the trash can there, instead of the X.

That change in the UI threw me off a bit at first, too. I was looking for the trash can when I wanted to delete a note, not immediately associating X with deleting (like you, my mind has been trained to think X in that position means close). I was hunting all over the place for the trash can.

306

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for White-on-Black or Transparent Menu-Less Text Displayer

« Last post by app103 on September 15, 2015, 07:31 PM »

Good call, April!
Thanks.

-CodeTRUCKER (September 15, 2015, 07:22 PM)

So, was that the issue?

307

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for White-on-Black or Transparent Menu-Less Text Displayer

« Last post by app103 on September 15, 2015, 07:19 PM »

FYI - Notezilla just opened and no longer had my checklist.  It deleted it again. 
Maybe I am doing something wrong to trigger this behavior, but I don't know what it would be.

-CodeTRUCKER (September 15, 2015, 01:36 PM)

When you close a note, are you clicking the X in the upper right of the bar? If so, that would be your problem. It's not a close button, like you are used to seeing in that location. It's a delete button. It was probably more clear that's what the button did in older versions, back when it used to look like a trash can and not an X.

To close a note, you'd need to click the white square (3rd from the right). That hides the note, which can then be opened again from within the Notes Browser.

308

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by app103 on September 13, 2015, 03:29 PM »

High heels suck.

309

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for White-on-Black or Transparent Menu-Less Text Displayer

« Last post by app103 on September 12, 2015, 11:11 PM »

Thanks April!  I was able to get it to work with Notezilla and I decided for green on black with no transparency for use under the flightsim window.  Works nicely and looks good!  Now all I have to decide is if it is worth thirty bucks.

-CodeTRUCKER (September 12, 2015, 07:16 PM)

You will find a lot of other uses for it, as you explore what it can do, so I say yes, it's worth the $30.

And if you want to save 30%, I think you can still use this DC members only discount code: https://www.donation....msg351513#msg351513

310

General Software Discussion / Re: urgent free AVG expired request!

« Last post by app103 on September 10, 2015, 10:30 PM »

As a more general answer I should say that I'm more of a satisfactionizer than an optimizer when it comes to system tools -- once a tool works well enough i tend to stop looking for the best tool..

-mouser (September 06, 2015, 01:38 PM)

Once I find something I like and does what I want and need, I stick with it till it doesn't, which is usually when an OS upgrade happens and the old tool doesn't run well on the new OS. Then I cry, as I search for a replacement that is as close to what I had as I can get. Sometimes the thing I am replacing is some really old piece of software made back in the Win9x days.  (I still have and use Paintshop Pro v7 and on occasion, Macromedia Dreamweaver 4, and just gave up on Windows Live Writer, yesterday)

311

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for White-on-Black or Transparent Menu-Less Text Displayer

« Last post by app103 on September 10, 2015, 10:03 PM »

5 screenshots of the same sticky note from Notezilla:

This is a black note with white text, with the transparency set to medium (I have this set as the default for all new notes).



This is what it looks like when I click the note. The toolbar on top stays hidden unless you click. On the toolbar, there is an option to pin the note to always on top. There is also a roll-up option which you might find handy.



This is what it looks like when it is the active window, without the toolbar showing, which I have not figured out how to do this with any measure of consistancy, except through bringing it to the front from the Notes Browser.



This is how it looks as a single line plus the (optional) title.



Same as above, but active.

312

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: AppSumo presents SitePoint Premium deal of a lifetime

« Last post by app103 on September 07, 2015, 08:18 AM »

Yes, our primary focus is web development & design, and there is very little that would be of use to anyone that wasn't interested in these topics, specifically.

-app103 (September 05, 2015, 10:16 AM)

Our? SitePoint is your employer? Just curious.

-Innuendo (September 06, 2015, 02:13 PM)

below from the OP -
easy enough to miss though ;-)

* Disclaimer: I work for SitePoint but they have not encouraged nor offered me any compensation to make this post.

-app103 (September 01, 2015, 01:08 AM)

-tomos (September 06, 2015, 02:24 PM)

Also from the OP:

As some of you may know, I have been working for SitePoint/Learnable for a couple of years, now, so when I tell you that this deal is unprecedented, consider where it's coming from.*

-app103 (September 01, 2015, 01:08 AM)

I have been a member of their support staff for the last 2 years, and very recently promoted to Support Manager. I have disclosed my affiliation on every thread that I have started about any SitePoint/Learnable deals, since I started working there.  And I don't post about all of their deals...just the more exciting ones.

313

Living Room / Re: In a world free from ads, one font reigns supreme. COMIC SANS!

« Last post by app103 on September 05, 2015, 03:47 PM »

And even besides malware, the "either-or" said *ads*, and I want those to include the site's own increasingly obnoxious focus-stealing pop-ups!

-TaoPhoenix (September 05, 2015, 08:03 AM)

Please stop french-kissing your site visitors

314

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: AppSumo presents SitePoint Premium deal of a lifetime

« Last post by app103 on September 05, 2015, 11:26 AM »

@app - Thx for the heads up. My GF is a big fan of SitePoint books. She has several.

Purchased it for my GF. Unfortunately it appears there's a glitch with redeeming the voucher. Which surprised me because I've purchased discounts deals through AppSumo before and never had a problem.

-40hz (September 01, 2015, 08:11 AM)

Looks like that issue has been resolved.  AppSumo has a new update:

UPDATE #1: All suspension issues are NOW FIXED! Additionally, all accounts now have offline access. Sorry about the "Sumo Effect" issues and enjoy! :-)

-cthorpe (September 01, 2015, 08:50 AM)

That was something we didn't anticipate and it has been fixed...and it was fixed quite quickly, I must add.

315

General Software Discussion / Re: Mozilla to replace add-ons with Chrome compatible extensions

« Last post by app103 on September 05, 2015, 11:16 AM »

I don't know if I detect a hint of Firefox wanting to be bought out by Google, but I do detect one of them becoming what the original developers of Firefox were fighting against.

I'm currently using Pale Moon. It's not perfect, but it has x86 & x64 versions available for Windows & it looks like they have a version for Linux as well. It's a Firefox fork that has ripped out all the silliness that Mozilla has implemented lately (user-tracking telemetry, Australis, social media features, etc.) all the while being able to use most Firefox extensions (and not requiring they be signed).

Pale Moon is currently trying to distance themselves even farther from Firefox by coming up with their own web engine to replace Gecko. It's still early days on that so it remains to be seen how fruitful that endeavor will be.

If you like what Firefox used to stand for without the detour into Crazy Town that the Mozilla devs have been on lately, you may want to give PM a go.

-Innuendo (August 23, 2015, 12:54 PM)

I love Pale Moon and this news has me a bit worried about the future of the add-ons that I love and have come to depend on. Currently, most of them are hosted and made available through Mozilla's add-ons site. What will happen with that, once the add-ons are phased out by Mozilla? Where will one go to install them? Is Pale Moon ready to pick up the pieces of that and duplicate the entire collection on their own servers? What about the add-on developers? Will they be willing to still support add-ons for what are currently considered Firefox compatible browsers, once they are not really compatible any more?

316

General Software Discussion / Re: How are we all getting by with our reading organization/tracking post-RSS?

« Last post by app103 on September 05, 2015, 10:52 AM »

I stopped reading RSS feeds for awhile, once I started following bloggers on Friendfeed. But with the Friendfeed shutdown earlier this year, I have gone back to using Newzie.

But rather than using the main window with the built in browser (like I used to use), I have switched to using the Today window, with just the headlines and short excerpt on hover. Click the headline and it open the page in my default browser.  It allows me to get through the feeds, reading anything that catches my eye, much quicker.

317

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: AppSumo presents SitePoint Premium deal of a lifetime

« Last post by app103 on September 05, 2015, 10:16 AM »

Looks like a dang good deal, but digging around on the SitePoint site it appears that most of their stuff is heavily centered around web design. That's not really my wheelhouse.

-Innuendo (September 05, 2015, 10:05 AM)

Yes, our primary focus is web development & design, and there is very little that would be of use to anyone that wasn't interested in these topics, specifically. Even our Photoshop courses are focused on using Photoshop for web design, which is something that is usually less emphasized in the Photoshop course offerings of other services.

318

Living Room / Re: In a world free from ads, one font reigns supreme. COMIC SANS!

« Last post by app103 on September 04, 2015, 05:41 AM »

I think they turned it off, because I am not seeing Comic Sans any more, or the extra yellow bar at the top with the cute little pro Comic Sans quips.

To be honest, I'd rather have the Comic Sans on every site, rather than the ads. I have never heard of anyone's PC becoming infected with malware and it being legitimately blamed on Comic Sans.

And a Greasemonkey script that changes all instances of Comic Sans found on any page, to Arial, would be trivial.

Of course if every site did something like this and each chose a different goofy font, it could become a bit more difficult.

There is a long running Papyrus joke at SitePoint, complete with screenshots of what the site would look like in all Papyrus, and it's a hoot...better than Comic Sans. 

319

Living Room / In a world free from ads, one font reigns supreme. COMIC SANS!

« Last post by app103 on September 02, 2015, 06:47 PM »

If you visit How-to Geek with an ad blocker enabled, it now displays the site all in Comic Sans.

320

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« Last post by app103 on September 02, 2015, 06:35 PM »

321

Found Deals and Discounts / AppSumo presents SitePoint Premium deal of a lifetime

« Last post by app103 on September 01, 2015, 01:08 AM »

As some of you may know, I have been working for SitePoint/Learnable for a couple of years, now, so when I tell you that this deal is unprecedented, consider where it's coming from.*

AppSumo is presenting a deal for a LIFETIME membership to SitePoint Premium (formerly Learnable) for $49, and that comes with unlimited downloads of all our books and courses.

You pay $49, once, and you get access to all of our book and course that we have now and every book and course we will ever release in the future.

Annual memberships are currently worth $108 per year, so this is a serious unprecedented bargain on something we have never offered before...lifetime memberships. (if and when we do offer this plan for sale on our site, it's likely to be priced at $500 or more)

Now, this is a limited time offer, good for the first 5000 that manage to take advantage of it before they are all gone. So, if you want it, hop on it now and don't wait.

http://www.appsumo.c.../sitepoint-lifetime/

* Disclaimer: I work for SitePoint but they have not encouraged nor offered me any compensation to make this post.

322

Living Room / Re: Anti-Necrospamming

« Last post by app103 on August 30, 2015, 12:39 PM »

Ewemoa's Nemse script needs updating again.

323

Living Room / Re: When you make your 100'th Post

« Last post by app103 on August 30, 2015, 12:38 PM »

There was a 5,000 post mug but i don't think very many were sent out.

It might be nice to have a mug celebrating the new forum too, like "I survived the DonationCoder.com upgrade of 2015"

But we need someone to create the images!

-mouser (August 14, 2015, 08:35 AM)

You plan on sending out over 250,000 mugs to celebrate the forum upgrade?

PS: I am still waiting for my 5000 posts mug. That special extra large size I mentioned was available, back in May, I think.

324

General Software Discussion / Re: 'create Restore Point' question

« Last post by app103 on August 30, 2015, 12:15 PM »

My PaleMoon also uses the Self-Destructing Cookies add-on, preventing permanent yt settings.

-bit (August 29, 2015, 11:58 PM)

That would explain why it keeps reverting to default of flash. The setting is stored in a cookie, per browser, rather than in your account to work across all browsers.

325

General Software Discussion / Re: 'create Restore Point' question

« Last post by app103 on August 29, 2015, 05:48 PM »

Go here and make sure it can and is using the HTML5 player, instead of using the default flash based player: https://www.youtube.com/html5