Recent Posts

31376

Screenshot Captor / Re: Access Violation

« Last post by mouser on June 01, 2006, 10:40 AM »

any more clues about when it happens?
what do you have ctrl+prtscr set to capture in your options configuration?
do you mean that you have screenshot captor set to print the image to the printer, or were you just using the printscreen term to mean capturing an image..

31377

Living Room / Re: New Hardware Forum Starting Up

« Last post by mouser on June 01, 2006, 10:38 AM »

I noticed that it was the same post, but i didn't notice it was on the same thread of the last one..eheh

i merged it into the old post.

31378

Living Room / Re: New Hardware Forum Starting Up

« Last post by mouser on June 01, 2006, 10:32 AM »

ok, it's entering spam territory if you post the same post twice 

31379

Official Announcements / Re: Discount Summary Page

« Last post by mouser on June 01, 2006, 06:40 AM »

welcome to the site wallee, good to have you here.

"Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks."

31380

Living Room / Re: Vista: how to delete a shortcut icon in 7 simple steps!

« Last post by mouser on June 01, 2006, 05:47 AM »

absolutely wonderful. 

31381

General Software Discussion / Re: Why is so much software cracked?

« Last post by mouser on June 01, 2006, 12:10 AM »

this thread is getting way too combatitive and political.
i guess it's not so surprising given the mixture of people we have on this forum.

can i remind people that we have an explicit policy on this forum to avoid political talk?  there are plenty of other places to argue politics on the web.  i realize that when the issue of capitalism and business and illegal software comes up, it's hard to avoid talking politics.. and perhaps i am guilty as well of slipping into it.

but please let's try to keep the discussion civil and respectful of each others ideas, and avoid getting into arguments over political parties.

31382

General Software Discussion / Re: Why is so much software cracked?

« Last post by mouser on May 31, 2006, 06:06 PM »

cpilot, i really don't understand why you are arguing with carol - she is proposing solutions that she is arguing could increase profits for the company at the same time as being better for customers (i listed these points above).

you should really be focusing the anger on people like me who are advocating for an approach to software that does not make profit the primary the primary justification and motivation for all decisions.

31383

Developer's Corner / web-based logo design companies

« Last post by mouser on May 31, 2006, 04:46 PM »

If you're site isn't lucky enough to have talented people willing to contribute their time to make the perfect logo, you might consider hiring a company to design a distinctive logo for you.

I thought it might be useful to have a thread where people can post about different logo creating companies.

• logoworks (http://www.logoworks.com/) seems to be getting some attention lately;  charging $300 and up it's not cheap, but it does sound like they are trying to run a serious and quality service.

anyone know any others?

31384

Living Room / Your monthly reminder - BACK UP YOUR HARD DISK

« Last post by mouser on May 31, 2006, 01:59 AM »

If you haven't backed up everything of important in the last month - you are way overdue.
This is your reminder that you need to have a backup strategy and policy.

There are lot's of guides about developing a good backup system, find one you like and stick to it.
The one we wrote last year is a bit dated but still useful (https://www.donation...Archive/BackUpGuide/).

31385

General Software Discussion / Re: Why is so much software cracked?

« Last post by mouser on May 31, 2006, 01:23 AM »

I think app's point is important, and it reminds me of one of the very best arguments against using pirated software that i've read, from an ethical standpoint.  if anyone knows the article i'm talking about please post it.

Basically the article argued a counter-intuitive point.  That the use of pirated software doesn't hurt the software companies making the software that is pirated - since the people who use pirated versions weren't likely to be potential customers.  It argued that it hurts most the open source and free alternative companies, who would OTHERWISE be thriving if there was no piracy.  It makes some sense and it's an extremely important point to bear in mind.  Does piracy hurt the open source, free, and donationware software community, because if people really couldn't use pirated versions of programs they would be more willing to support, contribute, and encourage these alternatives?

31386

General Software Discussion / Re: Why is so much software cracked?

« Last post by mouser on May 31, 2006, 12:54 AM »

There are a couple of discussions happening simultaneously here..
One discussion is about why it might be beneficial for everyone (INCLUDING THE COMPANIES PROFITS) to have a more "enlightened" pricing system.  Clearly some companies have implemented tiered pricing for their own selfish reasons.  Dual open source licenses are becoming more popular - where the software is free for open source/non-profit use, but costs money for commercial use.  Again these companies are doing this because they think it makes economic sense.

The other discussion is about the ethics of using pirated software.  That's a much stickier issue.  I do think there is a difference between legality, morality, ethics.  I think people need to consider the ethical consequences of their actions.  But in a world so stacked against individuals (especially those who are struggling for financial survial) and so stacked in favor of large corporations, that such issues are not as simple as you might think.

I don't presume to have all the answers.  This site will not condone software piracy - we are more interested in finding an alternative way to find a healthy medium.  Your description of business as only concerned with profit is what i think is wrong with this world - everyone seems to be coming to accept the idea that the only rational goal of any individual or business is simply to grab as much profit as possible as fast as possible, and damned the consequences or anyone else.  The only goal of any business it to get as big as possible, as fast as possible, and aquire as much power as possible.  that's an exaggeration but not a huge one.  does it have to be that way? i hope not.  i hope there's still room in this world for reasonable people to seek a reasonable middle ground.  those of us who recognize we have to make some money to live but who have desires that are more important than profit, like doing something we enjoy that doesn't make the world a worse place.

31387

General Software Discussion / Re: Why is so much software cracked?

« Last post by mouser on May 31, 2006, 12:05 AM »

cpilot -
i think you missed the entire point of javajones reply to my saying that, which i agree with.
no one said they should be forced to price things that way - we are simply suggesting that if they did that they might:

• make more money
• gain larger market share
• build a more loyal and happy user base
• do some good for the world

there are some difficulties of course, but perhaps not insurmountable ones.  the use of tiered pricing *is* increasing it seems.. let's hope this trend continues.

31388

Living Room / Structured Procrastination - hahaha

« Last post by mouser on May 31, 2006, 12:02 AM »

ok, i know a lot of us hardcore procrastinators have already thought of this, but this is the best i've ever seen it described.

...
I have been intending to write this essay for months. Why am I finally doing it? Because I finally found some uncommitted time? Wrong. I have papers to grade, textbook orders to fill out, an NSF proposal to referee, dissertation drafts to read. I am working on this essay as a way of not doing all of those things. This is the essence of what I call structured procrastination, an amazing strategy I have discovered that converts procrastinators into effective human beings, respected and admired for all that they can accomplish and the good use they make of time.
...

http://www.structure...procrastination.com/

from digg.com

31389

General Software Discussion / Re: Why is so much software cracked?

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 11:22 PM »

i want to echo the idea that tiered pricing seems to me like it might help these things a lot.
if you could find a more reasonable way of properly classifying home users vs. moderate sized companies, then you might be able to do it on a larger scale.  it would make a lot of sense to say photoshop is $5 for the unemployed, $50 for home users, and $500 for companies.

31390

Living Room / Re: Nice Article, DIGITAL MAOISM: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 10:51 PM »

good points javajones - i'm not endorsing everything he says - but i think he has some great points and does a nice job of pointing out different scenerios that may need novel solutions.

31391

Living Room / Re: Nice Article, DIGITAL MAOISM: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 06:51 PM »

There are certain types of answers that ought not be provided by an individual. When a government bureaucrat sets a price, for instance, the result is often inferior to the answer that would come from a reasonably informed collective that is reasonably free of manipulation or runaway internal resonances. But when a collective designs a product, you get design by committee, which is a derogatory expression for a reason.

Here I must take a moment to comment on Linux and similar efforts. The various formulations of "open" or "free" software are different from the Wikipedia and the race to be most Meta in important ways. Linux programmers are not anonymous and in fact personal glory is part of the motivational engine that keeps such enterprises in motion. But there are similarities, and the lack of a coherent voice or design sensibility in an esthetic sense is one negative quality of both open source software and the Wikipedia.

These movements are at their most efficient while building hidden information plumbing layers, such as Web servers. They are hopeless when it comes to producing fine user interfaces or user experiences. If the code that ran the Wikipedia user interface were as open as the contents of the entries, it would churn itself into impenetrable muck almost immediately. The collective is good at solving problems which demand results that can be evaluated by uncontroversial performance parameters, but bad when taste and judgment matter.

31392

Living Room / Re: Nice Article, DIGITAL MAOISM: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 06:48 PM »

More people appear to vote in this pop competition than in presidential elections, and one reason why is the instant convenience of information technology. The collective can vote by phone or by texting, and some vote more than once. The collective is flattered and it responds. The winners are likable, almost by definition.

But John Lennon wouldn't have won. He wouldn't have made it to the finals. Or if he had, he would have ended up a different sort of person and artist. The same could be said about Jimi Hendrix, Elvis, Joni Mitchell, Duke Ellington, David Byrne, Grandmaster Flash, Bob Dylan (please!), and almost anyone else who has been vastly influential in creating pop music.

As below, so above. The New York Times, of all places, has recently published op-ed pieces supporting the pseudo-idea of intelligent design. This is astonishing. The Times has become the paper of averaging opinions. Something is lost when American Idol becomes a leader instead of a follower of pop music. But when intelligent design shares the stage with real science in the paper of record, everything is lost.

How could the Times have fallen so far? I don't know, but I would imagine the process was similar to what I've seen in the consulting world of late. It's safer to be the aggregator of the collective. You get to include all sorts of material without committing to anything. You can be superficially interesting without having to worry about the possibility of being wrong.

Except when intelligent thought really matters. In that case the average idea can be quite wrong, and only the best ideas have lasting value. Science is like that.

31393

Living Room / Re: Nice Article, DIGITAL MAOISM: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 06:47 PM »

I've participated in a number of elite, well-paid wikis and Meta-surveys lately and have had a chance to observe the results. I have even been part of a wiki about wikis. What I've seen is a loss of insight and subtlety, a disregard for the nuances of considered opinions, and an increased tendency to enshrine the official or normative beliefs of an organization.

31394

Living Room / Re: Nice Article, DIGITAL MAOISM: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 06:47 PM »

The artificial elevation of all things Meta is not confined to online culture. It is having a profound influence on how decisions are made in America.

What we are witnessing today is the alarming rise of the fallacy of the infallible collective. Numerous elite organizations have been swept off their feet by the idea. They are inspired by the rise of the Wikipedia, by the wealth of Google, and by the rush of entrepreneurs to be the most Meta. Government agencies, top corporate planning departments, and major universities have all gotten the bug.

As a consultant, I used to be asked to test an idea or propose a new one to solve a problem. In the last couple of years I've often been asked to work quite differently. You might find me and the other consultants filling out survey forms or tweaking edits to a collective essay. I'm saying and doing much less than I used to, even though I'm still being paid the same amount. Maybe I shouldn't complain, but the actions of big institutions do matter, and it's time to speak out against the collectivity fad that is upon us.

31395

Living Room / Re: Nice Article, DIGITAL MAOISM: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 06:41 PM »

some excerpts i found interesting:

For instance, most of the technical or scientific information that is in the Wikipedia was already on the Web before the Wikipedia was started. You could always use Google or other search services to find information about items that are now wikified. In some cases I have noticed specific texts get cloned from original sites at universities or labs onto wiki pages. And when that happens, each text loses part of its value. Since search engines are now more likely to point you to the wikified versions, the Web has lost some of its flavor in casual use.
..
When you see the context in which something was written and you know who the author was beyond just a name, you learn so much more than when you find the same text placed in the anonymous, faux-authoritative, anti-contextual brew of the Wikipedia. The question isn't just one of authentication and accountability, though those are important, but something more subtle. A voice should be sensed as a whole. You have to have a chance to sense personality in order for language to have its full meaning. Personal Web pages do that, as do journals and books.

31396

Living Room / Nice Article, DIGITAL MAOISM: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 06:14 PM »

I really enjoyed this article - very thought provoking and runs countrary to current trends in thinking..
highly recommended!

..
There was a well-publicized study in Nature last year comparing the accuracy of the Wikipedia to Encyclopedia Britannica. The results were a toss up. While there is a lingering debate about the validity of the study. The items selected for the comparison were just the sort that Wikipedia would do well on: Science topics that the collective at large doesn't care much about. "Kinetic isotope effect" or "Vesalius, Andreas" are examples of topics that make the Britannica hard to maintain, because it takes work to find the right authors to research and review a multitude of diverse topics. But they are perfect for the Wikipedia. There is little controversy around these items, plus the Net provides ready access to a reasonably small number of competent specialist graduate student types possessing the manic motivation of youth.
..

http://www.edge.org/...archive/edge183.html

from digg technology

31397

School Showcase / Re: DcTiles - A Tile Matching Game by Tekzel from C# Assignment 2.1

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 05:57 PM »

31398

School Showcase / Re: DcTiles - A Tile Matching Game by Tekzel from C# Assignment 2.1

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 05:43 PM »

no one will ever beat my DcTiles Score (6x6 grid) - my secret strategy is patented!

Score: 421 = Cells: +720 | Elapsed: -79 | Failed: -220

ps. click the copy button after you complete a puzzle to get the score text to paste.

31399

School Showcase / DcTiles - A Tile Matching Game by Tekzel from C# Assignment 2.1

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 05:25 PM »

This is a nice example of the kinds of fun things you'll make in the programming school.

Tekzel definitely took this assignment to the next level, with sound effects and images taken from the avatars used on the DonationCoder.com forum.  In fact he won a bonus medal at the programming school for this game, which is so good we had to share it.

Tekzel's DcTiles:

In addition to the great fun of playing using the DonationCoder.com avatar images, Tekzel has made it easy to use your own images and sounds - make one for your family to play using home photos!

And another great feature is the scoring, which takes into account matrix size, time, and mistakes.
Warning: it's addictive!

Post your best scores!


DC Tiles now has its own web page with instructions on how to add your own images:

• http://tekzel.dcmembers.com/dctiles/

31400

Living Room / Re: PDAs - any use?

« Last post by mouser on May 30, 2006, 04:54 PM »

heres a mini-pda i keep in my wallet..
i almost never use it but at least i never even realize i'm carrying it, so it's always with me.
(ps you can write c programs for it!):

“The world's smallest full-function PDA”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REX_6000