Recent Posts

3051

Official Announcements / Re: Change to Official License Key Policy

« Last post by rjbull on January 03, 2006, 04:16 AM »

Google adsense?  EGG DONORS?

<sigh>

3052

Official Announcements / Re: Change to Official License Key Policy

« Last post by rjbull on December 22, 2005, 04:17 AM »

They believe that software should be free, 100%, always, forever as in Free Beer and Freedom of speech.

-cembree (December 21, 2005, 07:35 PM)

Strikes me the people in alt.comp.freeware only believe in free beer.  In all their whining, I never noticed anything about free speech, i.e. source code availability.

3053

Find And Run Robot / What's the correct abbreviation?

« Last post by rjbull on December 21, 2005, 03:53 AM »

Mouser,

Is there an official abbreviation of Find&RunRobot's name?  I've seen it written FARR, FaRR, F&RR, f+r, etc.

Just wondering...  the more so if the forum software's search feature is global, in which case using the "wrong" abbreviation might not retrieve what you were looking for.

3054

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: My new favorite pen

« Last post by rjbull on December 20, 2005, 03:49 AM »

I use fountain pens too, but I'm in the cheap-pen camp.  This is partly because of cost/loss/breakage/theft, of course, but only partly.  The other part; it seems to me that the pen/pencil you write best with is the one that wants to help you write, so in my case, I want a barrel that's not too thin in a pen that's light in the hand, and not cold to the touch.  That rules out most quality fountain pens because they're often metal and therefore heavy.  My current choice in fountain pens is the Sheaffer No-Nonsense range, which meet the above criteria and seem to have pretty good nibs.  The latest bottle of their black ink isn't to my mind as good as the last one, though.  Meanwhile, I keep casting sheep's eyes at Lamy pens.  They look very modern, but have what look like very ergonomic barrels.  I see the author Garth Nix now uses Waterman fountain pens to write his fantasy novels:  http://members.ozema...arthnix/writing.html
He adds some notes on why he likes to write in longhand.

3055

Post New Requests Here / Re: auto website loginer

« Last post by rjbull on December 14, 2005, 05:29 AM »

Why is Roboform so much better than the Saved Passwords system in Mozilla Firefox, or a freestanding thing like KeePass?

I still have lots of little-used ones stored in Passpack though I have to remember to switch ClipCache off before I use it.  KeePass avoids sending clips, and with Firefox they're irrelevant.

3056

Post New Requests Here / Re: auto website loginer

« Last post by rjbull on December 14, 2005, 04:03 AM »

I haven't tried Roboform, but took a quick look at the Roboform site a while back.  They seem to try so hard to entice you with add-on desirable doodads that you could easily spend $70.

3057

Find And Run Robot / Re: TalkAboutShareware thread

« Last post by rjbull on December 12, 2005, 06:09 AM »

Thanks, Mouser - you're too good for this world    Forget postcards, we should send you extra-virgin beeswax to buff up your halo...

3058

Official Announcements / Re: Change to Official License Key Policy

« Last post by rjbull on December 12, 2005, 03:57 AM »

Minor point you haven't made yet - anyone who is a committed user of one of your programs would probably want to come back at six-monthly intervals anyway, in case there's an updated version?

3059

Find And Run Robot / Re: TalkAboutShareware thread

« Last post by rjbull on December 12, 2005, 03:42 AM »

I'm truly sorry I started this, though I suppose someone had to draw attention to the alt.comp.freeware thread.

Was reading "Survivor" last night, an SF story by Charles Stross.  Found this apposite:

They're pigs in cyberspace, wallowing happily in the mudbath of their own limited cognitive bandwidth.

3060

Find And Run Robot / Re: TalkAboutShareware thread

« Last post by rjbull on December 09, 2005, 11:19 AM »

Whew, what a futile firestorm from greedy people.  I suppose now I can see the suspicions.  It's certainly right to put the full license details on the front page - that's one of the good things about DoubleKiller, Jan put license and price details where you can see them before downloading.  So many shareware programs make you click the "Buy Now" link before you can see how much they cost.

I see Azzman got a free key from you, so that should show your "bona fides" to people who haven't been here.  Of course, maybe you'll get so many requests that you'll have to change the system...

3061

Find And Run Robot / Re: TalkAboutShareware thread

« Last post by rjbull on December 09, 2005, 05:54 AM »

Mouser,

Most of these people are shameless parasites, but part of the problem may be that the donation concept is new.  How's this post as a start towards a succinct definition?

Mouser's idea of Donationware -requests- money, but does not -require- it.

Shareware -absolutely- requires money, often with threat of legal action.

Mouser seems to have hit on a new paradigm between freeware and shareware.  OK, I see that the nature of the "requests" irritates some people, but they still don't have to pay anything, and payment's what I take to be the prime criterion for shareware or commercial software.
[\quote]

3062

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: My new favorite pen

« Last post by rjbull on December 09, 2005, 04:11 AM »

Personally I'd swear by my Fisher space pen.  Pros: Small and light in the pocket, writes on almost anything (whilst upside down!), looks good and has a
http://www.spacepen.com/usa/index2.htm

-Sentinel (August 07, 2005, 07:09 AM)

I can't remember where I saw this - maybe the fisher Web site - but it is/was possible to obtain Fisher space-pen refills that fit other brands of barrel, like Papermate or Parker.

3063

Find And Run Robot / TalkAboutShareware thread

« Last post by rjbull on December 08, 2005, 04:10 AM »

Mouser,

TalkAboutShareware has had a thread on FARR and equivalents in the last couple of days, with several sour comments about the licensing, as if some people think they have a moral right to have free software.  You and others might like to put them to rights...

3064

General Software Discussion / Re: Managing Favourites

« Last post by rjbull on December 07, 2005, 04:49 AM »

In his "smallwares" list, MarkTAW notes that he used to use Powermarks, but now uses a Wiki instead:
http://www.marktaw.c...voriteSmallware.html

but keeping annotated bookmarks on your own PC (and preferably on something you can carry about on a USB stick) is still very appealing.

3065

Best Dialog Extender / Re: Review updated: File-Ex added to best-in-class list (and discount avail.)

« Last post by rjbull on December 06, 2005, 05:48 AM »

Mouser,

Just to add to the spreading haze, I think the "response to Nudone's blog" thread mentions several more programs in this category that weren't included in the review;  e.g.  Nutty's post https://www.donation...=506.msg3333#msg3333
which mentions Folder View (freeware)

3066

Best Dialog Extender / Re: Review updated: File-Ex added to best-in-class list

« Last post by rjbull on December 05, 2005, 07:57 AM »

Mouser,

Nothing against File-Ex,  but aren't there rather a lot of "best-in-class" given that it's a pretty small class?

3067

General Software Discussion / Re: IBasic Professional - A Fantastic Bargain

« Last post by rjbull on December 05, 2005, 03:40 AM »

Until the end of the year, you can buy the complete package for $24.99, which

-mrainey (December 04, 2005, 02:22 PM)

I don't see that on their Web site, only Standard at $14.99 and Pro 1.3 at $49.99.  Discount discontinued?

3068

General Software Discussion / Re: Living without AutoHotkey - possible?

« Last post by rjbull on November 29, 2005, 08:30 AM »

Millions of people should not use AutoHotkey!

...too bad billions aren't.

-brotherS (November 26, 2005, 02:43 PM)

Shouting downsized...  <bewildered> what was all that about?

What's the best way to get started with AutoHotKey?  Is the Yahoo! Groups forum worthwhile?

3069

General Software Discussion / Re: Recommend directory tracker?

« Last post by rjbull on November 24, 2005, 04:42 AM »

I really, really need a clean list of filenames to use in another process, so it looks like I'll have to go the roll-your-own route with DIR and batch files, or perhaps Horst Schaeffer's CRCtool and batch files.  Horst makes good software.

http://home.mnet-online.de/horst.muc/

3070

General Software Discussion / Recommend directory tracker?

« Last post by rjbull on November 23, 2005, 11:17 AM »

Also posted in TalkAboutShareware;

Can anyone recommend a directory tracker, please?  I mean something that will take a snapshot of a directory now, then at a later date, compare it with a new snapshot, and show what's changed.  In particular I want it to give a clean listing of new and/or changed files, which disqualifies 2BrightSparks' FingerPrint utility, good though it is for other purposes.  Really, LFNs are needed too, which disqualifies certain old DOS programs.

I know, I know...  I suppose I could make one by redirecting DIR to a file, then using a DIFF utility...  but does a neat solution already exist?

(Mouser, is this the right area for this kind of question?)

3071

Best Dialog Extender / Folder View crash-prone?

« Last post by rjbull on November 23, 2005, 03:51 AM »

and don't feel shy about testing out tools and giving me your thoughts.

-mouser (November 22, 2005, 05:54 AM)

FWIW, I briefly looked at Folder View.  It crashed/hung my system so badly I had to promptly remove it again.  This might be an issue with this particular machine.  It's a Win2000 at work, and partially crippled by the IT Dept. on grounds of "security."  No direct access to CMD.EXE, for example, and some programs can't even "see" the C: drive because IT Dept. expect you to save everything directly on the server.

I've partially got round the need for a folder box extender by using <ahem> Total Commander.  TC has built-in "macros."  I have one attached to a button.  With the cursor on a file, or a directory, I click the button, and it sends the full UNC path+name to the clipboard.  If whatever program I'm using has a standard dialog box, I can paste it in and go straight to the file.

Neither Agent Ransack nor Bulk Rename Utility (BRU) seem to have standard dialog boxes, just dropdown lists of visible drives to pick from.   That means that, combined with the "invisible C: drive" problem noted above, I can't use either of them.

(Later) I should have added a link etc. for Folder View, which I originally heard of on Nudone's blog.  Quoting him:

Folder View  http://www.folderview.com/folderview/  is freeware, and enhances Explorer in several useful ways to help find often-used folders easier.  It's very configurable, and I've found it quite useful once I got used to it.

3072

Best Dialog Extender / "Rebound" to last file

« Last post by rjbull on November 22, 2005, 05:51 AM »

Direct Folders has this feature:

It "rebounds" back to the last item that you opened in a folder. You no longer have to browse through the file listing for a particular document you were working on before - the list scrolls to the last opened file.

That would be important to me.  If, for example, you need to use Acrobat Reader to print a long series of files, you wouldn't lose your place, and either miss files or repeat them.

Will the presence or absence of this feature be noted in the reviews, please?

3073

General Software Discussion / Re: ClipCache Plus 3.xx Preview...Don't Get Too Excited

« Last post by rjbull on November 17, 2005, 10:36 AM »

a preview of the next release of ClipCache.

-Nighted (November 17, 2005, 05:33 AM)

I registered out of sheer gratitude, but I've never bothered to install the shareware version as the old free one (clipc141.zip) does all I want...

I feel like I've lost an old friend. I'm going to miss this program. 

Do you feel an absolute need to change to something with more features?  Someone on Fidonet used to have a sign-off line: "in a pinch, a stone ax still works."

3074

General Software Discussion / Re: software i love

« Last post by rjbull on November 17, 2005, 10:31 AM »

hierarchical note tools (outliners)?

-mouser (November 17, 2005, 09:16 AM)

I'm still looking for a Windows  NON-hierarchical notes tool for storing (semi) random notes, like Memory Mate and InfoSelect for DOS were.  Everyone who's tried it says MM for Win is a dog, and InfoSelect for Win is far too expensive, besides doing lots that I don't want.

What I do want: indexed files for fast retrieval, and sensible Boolean search logic, not just single words or some crippled patronising "you can't possibly understand it" cut-down version.  However, useful as /regular expressions/ are in some situations, I don't need them here.

Mouser, if you do a directory synchronization review, will that include programs that synchronize laptops over a serial or parallel cable, as well as PCs over a network?  IThat last is all that SynchBack does - very useful, but not all I want.  I should add that Total Commander can easily synchronize PCs over a cable, but you have to do it manually.  That is, you can't (as far as I know) give it a script for a set of directories and actions and leave it over the lunch hour, or something like that.

3075

Best E-mail Client / Re: Pegasus Mail?

« Last post by rjbull on November 17, 2005, 10:15 AM »

I am a Batevangelist - I love it, and can't see myself changing email client for a long while.

-m_s (November 17, 2005, 04:17 AM)

Hmmm.  As long as that isn't a Battyvangelist...