Recent Posts

401

Living Room / Re: urgent: Photoshop CC + Lightroom 5 for $10 pr month

« Last post by Jibz on December 09, 2013, 11:19 AM »

Also, as far as I can tell, the discounted price is for one year only, after which you will have to pay full price to continue using the software (since it's a subscription service and not a product you buy).

402

Non-Windows Software / Re: Question for coders: What do you think of this idea?

« Last post by Jibz on December 06, 2013, 01:51 AM »

First off, that is an amazing website -- to me it feels a bit like the modern day equivalent of a page filled with blink tags and animated gifs .

Having a shrill pink and green banner that takes up half the screen, and things sliding in and out every paragraph, shouldn't take away focus from the idea though, which I really like.

Two things that worry me:

There is a tendency that developers and users speak slightly different languages, and users can sometimes have a hard time expressing what their idea is, in terms that developers can understand. Also, as soon as you've managed to communicate the idea to the developer, won't something like GitHub work better?

And what would the legal status be of the app, what if the developer wants to monetize the amazing app he wrote? what if the user who had the original idea does?

Btw, from the forum:

403

General Software Discussion / Re: WinPatrol 29.1 released today

« Last post by Jibz on December 02, 2013, 03:34 PM »

I updated as well, though I must say I am a little concerned by the description and name of that AI feature .

404

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Bvckup 2 is in open beta !

« Last post by Jibz on November 16, 2013, 03:39 AM »

If any moderators would prefer I post stuff like this on bvckup's own forum please let me know, right now it's just easier not to have to sign up and figure out one more place .

In the What to backup dialog, could there be a way to duplicate a rule so it's easier to create multiple similar rules?

Is there a way to exclude, say, files larger than 10 MB? I can only make rules for name and attributes I think.

Is there a way to edit the default set of rules? I may have some rules I would like to apply to multiple backups.

Would it be helpful with checkboxes next to the rules so they can be easily turned on/off?

405

General Software Discussion / Re: Anyone testing Daminion Media Manager ?

« Last post by Jibz on November 14, 2013, 10:42 AM »

Excellent .

Since we've discussed on this forum what the restrictions for the free version would end up being, it's probably worth noting that it appears that the limitation is on the number of files per database. The free version can store up to 15,000 files in each database.

Also, for anyone who has actively helped test the beta versions, you might be interested in this line:

Our active contributors are eligible to receive free Daminion Standalone licenses. Each case will be considered individually – please contact us by a method you’ve already used to communicate with us.

406

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Bvckup 2 is in open beta !

« Last post by Jibz on November 12, 2013, 07:52 AM »

Missed backups - there's an option for that (sans the "ask" part) - http://bvckup2.com/wip/#04102013

-apankrat (November 12, 2013, 07:04 AM)

The Browse window - I hear you and I will be redoing it shortly. Though I am so NOT looking forward to it. But regarding the file dialog - got an example?

-apankrat (November 12, 2013, 07:04 AM)

For instance SourceTree, when I click one of the '...' buttons to select a folder, I get a dialog like the one to select files, but one that lets me select a folder:

The Log open/close button - just give it few days. Existing arrangement will grow on you. I had the button initially, because it seemed to make sense, but then realized I never actually used it.

-apankrat (November 12, 2013, 07:04 AM)

Ok, I'll see how it goes .

Seconds - If I remove them after 5 minute mark, will that be better? As it is, they will get hidden once it gets over an hour.

-apankrat (November 12, 2013, 07:04 AM)

Sounds better yes. The reason I mention it was that I noticed, with the window open, that the changing seconds kept getting my attention and I checked the window even though there was no real change.

By the way, spot anything familiar? - http://bvckup2.com/wip/#24052013

-apankrat (November 12, 2013, 07:04 AM)

I like your font .. btw, I notice the bwckup in the header guard -- was the use of double-v a codename for bvckup 2?

407

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Bvckup 2 is in open beta !

« Last post by Jibz on November 12, 2013, 03:01 AM »

Finally had a chance to try it . Here are a few random thoughts:

Usually there is a button to exit the installer without running the program, here the only option is to start the program.

When I pressed the Run Bvckup button at the end of the installer, it ran the program, but the window didn't come to the front. It was hidden behind my browser, and I had to click the icon in the task bar to bring it to the front.

For missed backups under periodic backup, perhaps an option to ask me if the backup should run now or wait?

Also, some people might want to schedule backups to run say Sunday night at 2 AM, it's possible to do this by selecting first backup to run Sunday night and setting the interval to 1 week, but perhaps there could be a more intuitive way?

I loathe the default Windows choose a folder dialog -- it's tiny, has little options, starts with all paths collapsed. Would it be possible to use the choose a file dialog instead like many programs do?

Perhaps a button on the main interface to show/hide the log instead of having to go into the Options menu?

An option to not show seconds once more than a minute or two have passed since last backup? I find the ticking seconds distracting on the interface.

Impression so far: Very nice UI and seems to work well.

408

General Software Discussion / Re: How do you delete accounts you did not sign up for?

« Last post by Jibz on November 12, 2013, 01:48 AM »

Thank you for the input .

I contacted Skype, and unlike DropBox they replied, and told me to reset the password and ask them to delete the account, so I have done that for both now.

409

General Software Discussion / How do you delete accounts you did not sign up for?

« Last post by Jibz on November 10, 2013, 03:20 AM »

... or: when did the "Click here if you did not sign up for this service" links disappear from account verification e-mails?

I have a few different e-mail addresses in use, and like most I guess, I sometimes see people have signed up to something random using one of my e-mail addresses. I figure in most cases it's a typo that results in this, but it's annoying none the less. Sometimes I click an unsubscribe link if the e-mail doesn't look too scammy, but mostly I just report it as spam and don't see it again.

But now someone has signed up to DropBox and Skype using one of my e-mail addresses, and there is no apparent way to tell them that I did not sign up myself.

DropBox apparently merrily lets you sign up using whatever address you like, and then you can use that account, pretending to be that person, and you only miss out on a few features like shared folders, and the fun fact e-mails DropBox team sends you -- because I get that spam instead .

I don't know if Skype accounts need to be verified for you to use them, but they certainly do not need to be verified for you to receive lots and lots of e-mails with fun facts. And again, there is no apparent way to tell them "I did not sign up for this" in the verification e-mail.

So what are my options?

I could ignore it and mark all that mail as spam. But someone is pretending to be me using my e-mail address for his DropBox. And what if I ever needed to create a DropBox or Skype account using that address?

I could use the password reset process to try and take over these accounts and delete them. That seems morally objectionable at best.

I could report the problem to their support people. What are the chances of this actually doing anything? I tried with DropBox, reported it a couple of months ago, nothing, not even an automated we received your report e-mail.

410

General Software Discussion / Re: Sandboxie lifetime license discontinued

« Last post by Jibz on October 26, 2013, 01:19 PM »

The problem from a user perspective, is if the software stops working when you cancel your subscription. The order page and FAQ do not seem to clearly indicate if this is the case.

-Jibz (October 25, 2013, 07:18 AM)

Tzuk answered this question on the forum:

Sandboxie does not lock up when the time-limited license expires, it goes back to free mode.

411

General Software Discussion / Re: Sandboxie lifetime license discontinued

« Last post by Jibz on October 25, 2013, 07:18 AM »

That was a great post Vurbal, and it reflects many of my thoughts on licensing as well .

As I wrote, I can understand his need to make money, and lifetime licenses are a short-term solution in many cases. My concerns were with the way he implemented the change -- someone on the forum even called it a coup.

Like you say, lifetime licenses are sometimes used to get into a market. I think they can also work for some more mature products, if you sell them at a high enough premium that you feel reasonably confident they cover a large part of what revenue you could have realistically expected from one customer through regular paid upgrades (2.5-3 times the normal price seems to be a popular level).

Paid upgrades have the drawback that you have to periodically actually make enough useful changes that your users see justification in paying again. As you described, most software reaches a level of maturity where this becomes harder to achieve.

For many products, the ideal solution for the developer seems to be subscription based licenses, where you are guaranteed a steady stream of income, as long as you (at least appear to) continue updates.

The problem from a user perspective, is if the software stops working when you cancel your subscription. The order page and FAQ do not seem to clearly indicate if this is the case.

Also, by restricting the license to a single machine, you all of a sudden force people who have a desktop, a laptop for travels, and perhaps a work computer, to have 2-3 subscriptions running.

Basically, what I reacted to, was that it feels like a big shift, from one end of the licensing spectrum to the other, with no warning. But of course I do not have all the facts. (And to be honest, I am a little annoyed I did not decide to buy a license a couple of weeks earlier, I would have been happy to buy the lifetime license if I had been told the option was going away soon).

412

General Software Discussion / Re: Sandboxie lifetime license discontinued

« Last post by Jibz on October 24, 2013, 04:21 AM »

It's certainly not a good way to convince people like me, who can live with the free version, to pay.

When EmEditor and XYplorer decided to stop offering lifetime licenses, they both had a period after the announcement where people could buy it (and on a side note, both have gone back to offering the lifetime license again). I wonder, if he had given people a month to buy the lifetime license from the announcement, how many users of the free version would have bought it.

Are there any good alternatives? perhaps something like Shadow Defender?

413

General Software Discussion / Sandboxie lifetime license discontinued

« Last post by Jibz on October 24, 2013, 01:47 AM »

I finally decided I was using (the free version of) sandboxie enough that I should probably buy a license, but when I got to the ordering page, the lifetime license option had disappeared .

I went to the forum and found this post:

To ensure future growth of Sandboxie, the licensing model shifts today from a lifetime licensing model to an annual licensing model.

Licenses issued in the past which did not include an expiration date will remain without expiration date, and may be used on more than one computer, per past licensing terms.

All new licenses issued starting today will expire in one year after initial activation of the product key, and are limited to one computer per one product key.

I can understand that the developer needs to make some money, but going from lifetime licenses you can run on any number of computers, to a license you have to renew every year that only runs on one single machine, with no warning or grace period for people to get the lifetime license seems slightly harsh.

414

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Bvckup 2 is in open beta !

« Last post by Jibz on October 23, 2013, 02:09 AM »

Somehow it just makes me feel that all of that disappears with Deltas unless you have "perfect rollback to any point in time to recreate that day's files. Can your deltas do that?

-TaoPhoenix (October 23, 2013, 12:47 AM)

Try to think about Bvckup as a one-way sync app instead of a backup app.

Terminology like snapshots and deltas usually mean other things in backup software, but in the case of Bvckup, there is only one "snapshot" which is the last sync, and there is no delta encoding involved, it does "delta copy" which just means it copies only the blocks of a file that have changed while doing a sync.

One solution to get multiple snapshots would be to do like in the screenshots, and create a daily job that syncs to a folder called daily, and a weekly that syncs to a folder called weekly. That way, even if you screw up the daily snapshot, you have a weekly to fall back to.

Another simple option would be if apenkrat added support for adding a timedate stamp to the destination folder, so each time the job runs it syncs to a new folder.

But of course, using something like git content tracking would give a lot more options.

415

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Bvckup 2 is in open beta !

« Last post by Jibz on October 22, 2013, 02:02 PM »

I seem to remember we've discussed the name before -- I think "backup" gives people some associations about features like restore, compression, etc. As I understand it, what Bvckup does is one-way sync, which can be used for simple backups.

-Jibz (October 22, 2013, 12:27 PM)

It's a matter of terminology really. To each his own. For example, I disagree that compression is an expected part of backup. Nor do I think that Restore should be a built-in app's function, especially if it"s essentially a thinly veiled basic file copy. I hear you that many people were led to believe that a backup without compression is not a "proper" backup, but that's not a reason enough for me to play along. This tendency to compete on the length of a feature list is very unfortunate.

-apankrat (October 22, 2013, 01:03 PM)

Personally I think there is definitely a use case for one-way sync used as backup, and I commend you for sticking to doing one thing really well, instead of adding all the features other backup software has .

416

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Bvckup 2 is in open beta !

« Last post by Jibz on October 22, 2013, 12:27 PM »

Bvckup is not a system backup, it's a data backup. The principal difference is that it is not aware of things like bootable sector, MBR and other file system elements that are not files, but that are required for a successful OS boot-up. So while you can backup entire C:\, it will not give you a bootable image.

Basically the use-case for Bvckup is that of backing up your precious data, but not the program files or drivers or DLLs. Then, if the source collapses, you'd reinstall the OS and all the apps and then restore app's data from the backup created with Bvckup.

-apankrat (October 22, 2013, 11:50 AM)

I seem to remember we've discussed the name before -- I think "backup" gives people some associations about features like restore, compression, etc. As I understand it, what Bvckup does is one-way sync, which can be used for simple backups.

417

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Bvckup 2 is in open beta !

« Last post by Jibz on October 22, 2013, 08:41 AM »

Looks great, looking forward to trying it out .

418

General Software Discussion / Re: LZIP - When you THINK you've seen it all...

« Last post by Jibz on October 14, 2013, 05:44 PM »

It looks like it does pretty much the same as xz (LZMA with a gzip interface), but released under a different license.

419

Living Room / Re: Google to Sell User Profiles, Photos in Ads

« Last post by Jibz on October 13, 2013, 02:49 AM »

Mine was disabled as well, and I had opted out of it previously.

You can opt out.. though there's no real 'link' to the opt-out page.

-wraith808 (October 12, 2013, 11:38 AM)

In my settings, under the Google+ tab, there was a link to the page (something like shared recommendations), and I got an e-mail telling me about it. There is also a big old blue bar at the top of google searches that says there was a policy change, with a link to the policy, which has a link to the setting for it. I think, compared to some other social sites, and previous cases for google as well, they have done a reasonable job making me aware of the change this time.

I don't know how I feel about it -- on one hand I want to be able to disable it of course, on the other hand I've found the +1 information to sometimes be helpful when trying to figure out what search result to click.

Btw: https://plus.google....35/posts/MRgubNY3kyg

420

Living Room / Re: Google's Storage Problem

« Last post by Jibz on October 12, 2013, 03:35 AM »

Now that Yahoo Mail offers 1TB of free storage and Outlook.com "includes email storage that expands to provide you with as much storage space as you need", Gmail's 15GB limit doesn't look that impressive. Maybe Google wants to encourage people to use Google Drive for uploading files, instead of using Gmail attachments.

As long as people are just storing regular email, promising 1 TB or unlimited space is a bit hollow, since nobody has that much normal email.

If people start using 3rd party tools that enable them to use ymail and outlook.com as cloud storage (like they did with gmail), I think it's likely they will find "as much storage space as you need" does probably not mean what it says, and 1 TB likely has some fair use limits as well.

For the file storage part (Drive), I agree that 15 GB is no longer anywhere near impressive. It's still better than the 2 GB offered by DropBox though.

421

General Software Discussion / Re: Silent installer for java and adobe products

« Last post by Jibz on October 10, 2013, 08:06 AM »

Ninite can update Java and Reader, but they removed support for Flash a while back (I think due to some dispute with Adobe).

Flash is supposed to be able to update itself, but apparently getting that to work more than half the time is too complex for a billion dollar multinational business giant .

422

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

« Last post by Jibz on September 22, 2013, 11:09 AM »

Bit surprising that it looks like X1 is removing support for things like Thunderbird . I guess they are focusing mainly on Microsoft products and corporate needs.

423

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Mini-Review of GNU Emacs

« Last post by Jibz on September 20, 2013, 07:24 AM »

In Sublime Text, when you press Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on those... what do they call it? "Mac" or somethings), a small box appears in the top right corner of the window, allowing you to open files, jump to a certain function/symbol or line in the current file and a couple of other things.

-Tuxman (September 19, 2013, 06:57 PM)

This was one of the things that got me to use ST as well. This, and the way multiple cursors work -- they are a very elegant visual way to do a lot of things .

That's one of the major "cons" of Sublime Text whose highlighting (and indentation) rules are rather FUBAR. Once you've stumbled upon Emacs, you'll notice what has been missing...

-Tuxman (September 19, 2013, 04:11 PM)

I agree, the highlighting varies somewhat in quality. I guess ST inherited the highlighters from TextMate, and I was surprised that even for common languages like C/C++ they are not exactly great.

424

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Review of Zeus Edit

« Last post by Jibz on September 19, 2013, 04:22 AM »

Thank you for the very nice and thorough review, wraith808 .

And thanks to Jussi for taking the time to comment in this thread .

Do you have any insight on how Zeus Edit compares to UEStudio?

425

Jibz's Tools / Re: Feature request - accented characters

« Last post by Jibz on September 19, 2013, 03:01 AM »

Glad to hear you like Dina .

To do that properly, I would have to create a separate set of font files encoded as Windows-1250 / CP852. The way I am currently maintaining the font makes it difficult to handle this.

I am trying to get my hands on better tools, but there aren't many options for managing bitmap fonts on Windows .

So, maybe if I find a better workflow, I will be able to support more encodings in the future.