Recent Posts

351

General Software Discussion / Re: So, what pdf reader app is your fav?

« Last post by dr_andus on April 09, 2015, 12:04 PM »

Apparently the Editor is a bit slower than the viewer - I had been wondering about that - but not enough to be really aggravating.

-Stoic Joker (April 09, 2015, 07:04 AM)

I haven't noticed much degradation in speed from Viewer to Editor (I have PRO), or it's not bothering me enough to notice it. I think the Editor's extra features (and the way it integrates with Dopus) make up for any slowness (such as the ability to collapse various toolbars and panes or the macros one can set up for saving file names when converting them to image files etc.).

352

General Software Discussion / Re: You can now run Android apps on a Mac or PC with Google Chrome

« Last post by dr_andus on April 04, 2015, 03:48 PM »

From developer point : it is good news. Write once and run in both Android Phone and Windows machine.

-anandcoral (April 04, 2015, 05:05 AM)

From a Chromebook user's point of view maybe not so good news. Developers might be even less likely to develop Chrome OS versions of their apps, prefering to port their Android apps instead. However, the ported Android apps I've tried so far were disappointing. For instance, I can't even maximise their app windows on my 14" screen (they only use about 2/3 of the screen), can't zoom in etc. Functionality is generally rather limited.

353

DC Website Help and Extras / Re: I have put a "share with facebook" type thing on the pages (temporarily?)..

« Last post by dr_andus on March 28, 2015, 07:58 PM »

I find bothersome that blue bar that follows us when we scroll the page.

-Giampy (March 28, 2015, 06:50 PM)

Same here. I would never use it, so it just ends up permanently eating into screen real estate for no good reason.

I don't mind if it pops up once, but then it should hide somewhere, until one wants to call it up specifically to use it.

354

General Software Discussion / Re: Need help guidance as a beginner of Android world

« Last post by dr_andus on March 11, 2015, 05:44 AM »

Evernote is on my list but it is very big with options I may not require. A smaller simple would be better for startup.

-anandcoral (March 10, 2015, 12:04 PM)

How about Google Keep?

-dr_andus (March 10, 2015, 03:54 PM)

What will you do when Google decides to abandon it?

-eleman (March 11, 2015, 01:00 AM)

Nothing, really. I only use it to capture notes on an Android tablet, then open a browser on my PC and copy and paste the notes to my main notes database (ConnectedText), after which I delete the original notes in Google Keep.

But even if they were to abandon it at one point, normally they give you 6 months notice and a way to export your data.

For the longest time I didn't understand what Google Keep was for, as it looked really lame compared to competitors. But when recently I got my Android tablet, I realised it was specially designed for that. What I like about it is that it only takes one tap to launch the app and start taking a note, and that it syncs automatically, so the notes are available when I launch my browser on the PC.

355

General Software Discussion / Re: Need help guidance as a beginner of Android world

« Last post by dr_andus on March 10, 2015, 03:54 PM »

Evernote is on my list but it is very big with options I may not require. A smaller simple would be better for startup.

-anandcoral (March 10, 2015, 12:04 PM)

How about Google Keep?

356

General Software Discussion / Re: Firefox drastically bleeding market share

« Last post by dr_andus on March 09, 2015, 10:57 AM »

I've tried many times to switch to Chrome on my PC and netbook (to benefit from syncing with my Chromebook and Android tablet), but I came back to FF every time, as I just keep finding Chrome inferior to FF in my Win7 and XP environments. So as long as Chrome continues to underperform in Win (and MS doesn't come up with something better than IE), there should be hope for FF...

357

Living Room / Re: I'd like to get a Windows Tablet: help me decide.

« Last post by dr_andus on March 06, 2015, 04:47 PM »

OK fine, but android has the same problem and they've figured it out.

-superboyac (March 06, 2015, 12:14 PM)

Not so sure about that. Got myself my first Android tablet recently (Hudl 2), and I was shocked to see that it depleted itself in a single day in standby without me ever touching it, while my ancient iPad 1 can still hold its charge for weeks in standby (even if it's useless now for browsing).

-dr_andus (March 06, 2015, 03:04 PM)

That could be hardware related, however.  My Nook is an android tablet, and as I said, it goes a week or more.  Not as good as my ipad, but still good enough for occasional reading.  The battery life is pointed out as one of the cons on that particular tablet in the reviews I've seen.

-wraith808 (March 06, 2015, 03:28 PM)

You might be right about that. But when I look at the battery usage on the Hudl 2, it says Android OS is responsible for 52% of the power consumption (screen is 34%, and Wi-Fi 9%), which made me think that the OS might have something to do with it.

Anyway, otherwise I'm pretty happy with both the Hudl 2 and Android for my purposes (though I'm very much a novice user).

But, yes, it's disappointing MS can't get it together in this regard.

358

Living Room / Re: I'd like to get a Windows Tablet: help me decide.

« Last post by dr_andus on March 06, 2015, 03:04 PM »

OK fine, but android has the same problem and they've figured it out.

-superboyac (March 06, 2015, 12:14 PM)

Not so sure about that. Got myself my first Android tablet recently (Hudl 2), and I was shocked to see that it depleted itself in a single day in standby without me ever touching it, while my ancient iPad 1 can still hold its charge for weeks in standby (even if it's useless now for browsing).

359

General Software Discussion / Re: online tool or software to create a treeview

« Last post by dr_andus on March 05, 2015, 06:30 PM »

Planz?

360

General Software Discussion / Re: Win7 update loop

« Last post by dr_andus on February 20, 2015, 06:08 PM »

This way you keep Windows updated  despite the one bugger.

-Curt (February 14, 2015, 03:16 AM)

I've done this (I'm on XP), but KB3013455 keeps reinstalling itself, making the font in FF and Chrome all blurry. Can I stop this update from installing some other way, without disabling the auto update? (The update is being triggered by Cacheman somehow anyway, since MS is not supporting XP any longer.)

---

P.S. I changed it to "Download updates, but let me choose when" option for now. Let's see, maybe this will stop it from installing automatically every time, despite the fact that I unticked the box.

-dr_andus (February 20, 2015, 06:01 PM)

P.P.S. OK, I see. this now brought up a dialog box "Hide Updates" and "don't notify me about them." Maybe that was the step I missed before.

361

General Software Discussion / Re: Win7 update loop

« Last post by dr_andus on February 20, 2015, 06:01 PM »

This way you keep Windows updated   despite the one bugger.

-Curt (February 14, 2015, 03:16 AM)

I've done this (I'm on XP), but KB3013455 keeps reinstalling itself, making the font in FF and Chrome all blurry. Can I stop this update from installing some other way, without disabling the auto update? (The update is being triggered by Cacheman somehow anyway, since MS is not supporting XP any longer.)

---

P.S. I changed it to "Download updates, but let me choose when" option for now. Let's see, maybe this will stop it from installing automatically every time, despite the fact that I unticked the box.

362

General Software Discussion / Re: Win7 update loop

« Last post by dr_andus on February 14, 2015, 09:19 AM »

Speaking of bad WU behavior, has anyone else noticed Windows suddenly deciding to re-enabled the automatic reboot by itself? I've been on a manual update schedule for years. But this past week - after making none of my own changes - my computer just decided to start rebooting for updates ... All by its evil little self.

-Stoic Joker (February 14, 2015, 08:14 AM)

I didn't notice that specifically, but I had to unistall the recent KB3013455 update on XP, as it messed up my fonts (made them all blurry) in Firefox and Chrome: Patch Tuesday: Font Corruption with KB3013455

363

General Software Discussion / Re: publishing notes to the net

« Last post by dr_andus on February 11, 2015, 07:09 AM »

The question for me was whether I had to write in markdown rather than RTF for ConnectedText. 
Am I taking a dilettante approach?  Are there wiki's with RTF?

-Steven Avery (February 10, 2015, 06:16 PM)

If you don't want to get involved with wiki markup, Google Sites could be another option for a simple website.

364

General Software Discussion / Re: publishing notes to the net

« Last post by dr_andus on February 10, 2015, 05:33 PM »

Desktop wikis might be another option (after all the notes are already linked, like a website's pages). E.g. here is a website created and maintained using ConnectedText: Global Sourcebook for International Data Management

365

General Software Discussion / Re: taskbar clutter - back to the virtual desktop GoScreen

« Last post by dr_andus on February 08, 2015, 06:53 PM »

PS Tray Factory looks similar. they talk of a $25 registration
http://www.pssoftlab...er_screenshots.phtml

-Steven Avery (February 08, 2015, 06:18 PM)

I checked them out in the past and liked what I saw but was put off by the price vis-a-vis what it offers, and that it hasn't been updated for 5 years. It comes to GBP 21.44 in the UK, which is quite a lot. Of course they're entitled to charge whatever they like, but it's putting me off a second time now. At a lower price I would have been game.

366

General Software Discussion / Re: taskbar clutter - back to the virtual desktop GoScreen

« Last post by dr_andus on February 08, 2015, 06:43 PM »

SE Tray-Menu can do the job, and is free.

Maybe best is single column in alphabetical order.

-Steven Avery (February 08, 2015, 06:18 PM)

Yes, I also use single column, but I use manual order, with most frequently used apps at the bottom, so it takes less time looking for them. 20/80 rule applies in my case, i.e. in 80% of the time I tend to use the bottom 20% of the apps.

367

General Software Discussion / Re: taskbar clutter - back to the virtual desktop GoScreen

« Last post by dr_andus on February 08, 2015, 10:46 AM »

Not sure if this is along the lines of what you're looking for, but I've cleared up my taskbar by moving stuff to SE-TrayMenu, which lives under a single icon in the system tray, so a very efficient use of space, but allows you access to programs with two clicks.

368

General Software Discussion / Re: How To Filter Out Background Dining Hall Noise From Voice Recording?

« Last post by dr_andus on February 08, 2015, 07:41 AM »

Sorry, it's not free, but I use Olympus DSS Player Plus (v. 7.4.1) for this, which has a "noise cancellation" feature, and also the ability to slow down playback speed. The rewind hotkey is also handy, when you need to listen again 20x to make sense of a mumbled phrase... Newer versions might be available, as I got this years ago.

369

General Software Discussion / Re: Program to open groups of programs.

« Last post by dr_andus on February 05, 2015, 03:03 PM »

Other options are still welcome

-miva2 (February 05, 2015, 02:45 PM)

TaskLayout may achieve a similar effect (though I haven't tried it).

370

General Software Discussion / Re: stickies Notezilla memoboard as full-blown personal note system

« Last post by dr_andus on February 01, 2015, 08:39 AM »

Outline 4D emphasizes in their blurbs screen writing and fiction writing.  And it does look like a solid tool in many ways. The question is whether it adapts well to non-fiction writing.

In my case I have a number of articles planned on the history  (includes the writings of specific individuals) and textual and translational aspects of certain Bible verses.  Take any technical non-fiction writing (e.g. theories relating to 911 or the shooting of JFK or an analysis of freeware and software strengths). The question is simple .. do the strengths of Outine 4D carry over?  Have you found the program a big help on non-fiction writing? 

-Steven Avery (February 01, 2015, 06:40 AM)

I'd consider O4D a fairly generic outliner (at least the outliner part, the timeline part might be a bit more specific), so it's perfectly suitable for nonfiction writing. I often use it for academic writing. The outliner part of it is a classical single-pane outliner with inline notes and some basic rich text formatting.

371

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 as an Internet service?

« Last post by dr_andus on January 29, 2015, 10:38 AM »

Everything people have said about subscriptions is based upon zero information and much speculation.

-wraith808 (January 28, 2015, 04:47 PM)

Not quite true, although it is entirely speculation (and highly unlikely) at this point.

-40hz (January 29, 2015, 08:21 AM)

It does raise the question though of how they're going to make money off of consumers and small businesses if there would be no subscription. If it's not the OS that has the subscription, then the software it runs does (MS Office etc.), or it's a walled garden to which developers have to pay through the teeth to access it. Or they would need to make their money on the hardware (equivalent of Apple's various devices, especially phones and tablets), and then periodically make the hardware obsolete by new OS upgrades. But this last one somehow failed to take off for MS...

372

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 as an Internet service?

« Last post by dr_andus on January 29, 2015, 05:30 AM »

and don't get where the talks of a subscription are.

-wraith808 (January 28, 2015, 10:48 PM)

As far as I understand it, the free upgrade is only valid for the lifetime of the "device" (whatever that means). So if my Win7 device is pretty old (which it is), then if I upgrade now (and if it works like 40hz suggested, i.e. that it invalidates my Win7 licence), then I would have to start paying for a Win10 license (possibly an annual subscription fee, by the sound of it) on whatever new machine I will get. And as yet, we don't know how much that would be. So sticking with my Win7 license seems like a safer option (less uncertainty in the face of MS not revealing their cards about how exactly they are going to make money out of Win10).

373

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 as an Internet service?

« Last post by dr_andus on January 28, 2015, 05:37 PM »

As with a lot of things... there's FUD clouding the issue.

-wraith808 (January 28, 2015, 04:47 PM)

Yes, except this time they are doing it to themselves...  My point is that MS introducing so much uncertainty may have created the opposite effect they wanted to achieve, i.e. people may be more inclined to stick with their Win7 instead (or even go out and buy a retail pack - at least looking at Amazon UK, people still seem to be buying them, even though it's 60 pounds (!) more expensive now than what I paid for it exactly 2 yrs ago).

374

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 as an Internet service?

« Last post by dr_andus on January 28, 2015, 04:16 PM »

They intend to tombstone Windows 7. So as long as Windows 10 does as it claims on the tin, and doesn't try to fence you in too much without a viable escape hatch (which is probably too much to hope for), it's probably silly not to upgrade. Or at least no sillier than sticking with Windows to begin with.

-40hz (January 26, 2015, 06:43 PM)

Well, or maybe not so silly if I don't want to pay the annual subscription fee when I move onto a newer "device" (considering that we don't even know how much that is going to be). I have invested a bit of money into my Win7 retail box, so it might be financially better to make the most of that investment, rather than starting to pay X no. of $$ annually....

I'm guessing they'll handle it through the same mechanism they use for their Anytime Upgrade. It'll probably read your ID and activation info, and update their customer database so they know you requested the upgrade - and then irrevocably move you up to 10 - after which you likely won't ever be able to downgrade to (or reactivate) Windows 7. Even if you have disks.

-40hz (January 26, 2015, 06:55 PM)

Again, in that case I might just want to stick with my Win7 disk for a while, in the face of all this uncertainty about the details (which even businesses do not tend to like). Wouldn't it just have been easier if they'd revealed a bit more detail and put our minds at ease??

375

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows 10 as an Internet service?

« Last post by dr_andus on January 26, 2015, 04:00 PM »

I wouldn't think you'd have to install it to get the upgrade, nor have zero media.  Why not get the upgrade, and just not install it?

-wraith808 (January 26, 2015, 03:15 PM)

Oh, can that be done? I thought there would be some activation code or licence that expires?