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4301

Developer's Corner / Re: Apple's App Store Mistake

« Last post by superboyac on November 22, 2009, 05:02 AM »

Very interesting.  Apple does demand control, that's mostly why I avoid their products no matter how cool I think they are.  I have not once bought an apple product in my life, yet I think they are super cool.  I don't think I can say that for any other company.

After reading that article, I have a couple of questions that may or may not be related:
--I've never understood why other companies never challenge the Apple products even though they have the time AND resources to do so.  For example, in the article, they say the RIM doesn't have a chance to compete with iphone apps despite their market share in that industry.  I don't get that, why not?  How come there aren't a lot of Blackberry apps?  What is it about the Blackberry that makes people not want or not want to create apps for it?  I don't understand, because just as many people have Blackberry's as iphones.

--The same goes for other Apple innovations.  The nice, new touchpad on their new laptops is really nice.  But why didn't any of the PC companies (Dell, HP, Toshiba) come up with a new idea for the touchpads in all those years?  Same goes for the ipod.  Other companies were years ahead of Apple in the portable mp3 player market (ahem...Sony) yet they could never get a hold of it.

It's always the same for me for all the Apple stuff.  I always ask myself, why don't these other companies just use their brains and compete with Apple?  They sit on their asses taking their sweet ass time doing nothing really interesting, then Apple comes along and completely takes over, despite coming late in the game.

4302

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for a good project time tracking application

« Last post by superboyac on November 21, 2009, 04:11 PM »

Tekzel, the program is called Grindstone and unless I'm mistaken, it is exactly what you are looking for.  I haven't used the program for about 2 years, but if you have questions, let me know.  Or better yet, ask the forum on the website.  The author, Daniel Henry, is a very nice man as well.  It's a well designed program that does what it is supposed to do and I love that.

Oh, and it's free!  It didn't used to be.

4303

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for a good project time tracking application

« Last post by superboyac on November 21, 2009, 03:56 PM »

Oh, hold on...I have just the application for you!  I just can't remember the name, the author asked me to critique it for him a long, long time ago.  It was great.  I'll be back with an answer.

4304

General Software Discussion / Re: General brainstorming for Note-taking software

« Last post by superboyac on November 20, 2009, 11:18 PM »

rgdot: nice blog, by the way.  I just saw it for the first time!

4305

General Software Discussion / Re: General brainstorming for Note-taking software

« Last post by superboyac on November 20, 2009, 05:48 PM »

I have read this thread and all or most others on organizing and I wanted to get some feedback.

What has been on my mind is finding a note repository or PIM that is capable of presenting a view of all my saved notes or appointments or tasks and to me this is important, not just their respective titles or headers but a more detailed view. There are examples that come close like Do-Organizer and others which have 'reports' but I believe these are more tailored for printing purposes. May be what I am looking for is to have my notes arranged on the screen like a mind mapper but again may be.

Any thoughts? Point me to one discussed in this or other threads that may come close?

-rgdot (October 25, 2009, 11:10 PM)

I almost posted a link for Text Block Writer - well why not - Text Block Writer which I havent tried yet but came across at this great blog here which it turns out is yours lol

-tomos (November 20, 2009, 03:52 PM)

I'm going to have to compare Text Block Writer with OneNote.  THey seem very similar.  What are the strengths of each one?

4306

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by superboyac on November 19, 2009, 06:08 PM »

i see, I understand.  I'll keep an eye out and report if I notice anything as I try out these 64-bit OS's.

4307

General Software Discussion / Re: Which MP3 tagger do you use?

« Last post by superboyac on November 19, 2009, 06:06 PM »

At first glance, IMHO, when comparing Tag&Rename to mp3tag the easy answer is Tag&Rename, but mp3tag has a deceptively simple interface. Lurking under the surface is a scripting language that is compatible with Foobar2000's Tagz scripting language. Users are free to write their own scripts for many things including tagging from web sources that don't come stock with the program. Actions may also be scripted that can perform any number of operations on your files with the scripting language being powerful enough that your imagination is the only limiting factor. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, either, as their forum is full of actions and scripts you can add to your installation easily.

What cinched me as a user is unlike most tagging programs, Tag&Rename included, you are not boxed into a pre-determined set of tags that the program author feels should be all you will need. You can use mp3tag to create, edit, and delete any tag. I'm talking any tag written by any tagging program ever & you are free to even create your own tags. Even if you have no interest in creating your own tags maybe you have some music files that were tagged by some other program you were using 5-10 years ago.

Who knows what weird tags are lurking in your files that your old program utilized that your new one doesn't? Well, mp3tag knows and gives you the ability to look at the raw list of tags & add, edit, or delete any your new tagging scheme & tagging program don't use. For a specific example, this is especially useful for those who used MusicMatch back at the height of its popularity. MusicMatch used a LOT of custom tags that no other tagging program uses. Loading up these files in mp3tag will allow you to nuke those relics from the past with impunity.

-Innuendo (November 19, 2009, 05:48 PM)

i agree with you.  That's I always say "for basic purposes" for these tagging programs.  Most users do not encounter situations like you described.  For basic tagging with normal fields, it's very quick and easy in Tag&Rename, and because that's 90% what I do, it's my favorite program for it.  now, sometimes i do need something fancier, and I do use other programs for that.  (I still don't know what to do about classical music).  But a few years ago, i railed against programs like Godfather, which turned something as simple as managing mp3 tags into a phd class in programming...just completely unintuitive and nonproductive.

4308

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by superboyac on November 19, 2009, 03:58 PM »

Honestly I think the 32 bit on 64 bit performance issue is mostly a myth (in practice - in theory there is a genuine reason for it) that has been perpetuated. I'll clam up on that if I see some real-world benchmarks to the contrary though.

But regardless, as someone who has used a 64 bit OS consistently for the last several years, I can say the difference is negligible at most.

- Oshyan

-JavaJones (November 19, 2009, 01:48 PM)

Hold on, I'm not familiar about this, can you clarify?  What is the myth?  That 32-bit applications suffer in performance in 64-bit OS?  Or that the difference in performance in general for 64-bit OS's is negligible relative to 32-bit?  Because I was considering moving to Windows 7 64-bit and taking advantage of the additional RAM.

4309

Living Room / Re: Choosing a new PC package for a relative.. Post your recommendations

« Last post by superboyac on November 19, 2009, 01:06 PM »

If they insist on having a computer at home I'd encourage them to get a Mac.  That way when they have a problem I can say "Gee! I'd love to help you out but I've never used a Mac.  You know more about it than I do!"

-MilesAhead (November 19, 2009, 12:56 PM)

I never thought of it that way...brilliant!

4310

General Software Discussion / Re: Has anyone discovered any cool Windows 7 third-party utilities?

« Last post by superboyac on November 19, 2009, 01:05 PM »

Thanks 40hz.  You're the man.

4311

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by superboyac on November 19, 2009, 01:03 PM »

I'm actually moving full-time linux. But win7/w2008 was ok.

-urlwolf (November 19, 2009, 12:55 PM)

@urlwolf - Just out of curiosity - which distro do you use or plan on using?  

-40hz (November 19, 2009, 01:02 PM)

Yes, I'm curious also.  Zridling recommends opensuse and KDE (i think).

4312

General Software Discussion / Re: Which MP3 tagger do you use?

« Last post by superboyac on November 19, 2009, 12:34 PM »

I've always been a huge fan of Tag&Rename, and I've talked about it many times here.  You can't beat it.  I know MP3tag is a lot more popular, but I've tried it and I feel it's more popular because it's free, not because it's the better program.  Tag&Rename has just the right balance of power and convenient interface for most mp3 tagging operations.

4313

General Software Discussion / Re: Has anyone discovered any cool Windows 7 third-party utilities?

« Last post by superboyac on November 19, 2009, 10:31 AM »

Wow, just quickly looking over the features, this is a pretty darn cool program.  It offers TONS of features collected in a reasonably user-friendly way.  Kind of like a GUI for the registry, if that makes sense!

-superboyac (November 19, 2009, 12:02 AM)

And X-Setup has been around a very long time. It's a very respectable program & these guys know what they are doing.

-Innuendo (November 19, 2009, 09:25 AM)

Good to hear.  I'm very impressed!

4314

General Software Discussion / Re: Has anyone discovered any cool Windows 7 third-party utilities?

« Last post by superboyac on November 19, 2009, 12:02 AM »

regarding "tweakers", there really is only one: http://www.x-setup.net/

-Curt (November 18, 2009, 11:01 AM)

Wow, just quickly looking over the features, this is a pretty darn cool program.  It offers TONS of features collected in a reasonably user-friendly way.  Kind of like a GUI for the registry, if that makes sense!

4315

Living Room / Re: Choosing a new PC package for a relative.. Post your recommendations

« Last post by superboyac on November 17, 2009, 06:45 PM »

i think I came across that.  i think I was being stubborn in refusing to activate it.  Screw Mcafee.

-superboyac (November 17, 2009, 06:21 PM)

Um yeah...that showed em! 

(kidding. just kidding... )

---

P.S. I don't blame you. I tend to get crotchety and go into hack mode when somebody pulls stuff like that on me too.

-40hz (November 17, 2009, 06:25 PM)

Seriously.  The whole time i was like "Why the F do I have to get a username and login for a freaking antivirus program."  Now, i know NOD32 does that also, but at least they don't nag you about it with every click of the mouse.  i remember a few years ago, before I had Roboform and before everything in the world required a username and login, i would just lose it whenever programs or web forms kept asking me for user names and passwords for every little thing.  now, I'm used to it.  It's like back in the day where Radio Shack would always ask for a zip code...as Kramer would say, "Why does Radio Shack ask for a zip code when you buy batteries?"

4316

Living Room / Re: Choosing a new PC package for a relative.. Post your recommendations

« Last post by superboyac on November 17, 2009, 06:21 PM »

I had a real problem with the Mcafee on my mom's laptop.  It wouldn't come off no matter.  I had to do all sorts of safe mode, command prompt, etc. to get rid of it.

-superboyac (November 17, 2009, 01:50 PM)

McAfee has published a how-to (Document ID: TS100507) and utility (MCPR.exe) to deal with that problem.
Link: http://service.mcafe...ent.aspx?id=TS100507

One thing that might have tripped you up is that OEM copies of McAfee need to be activated before you can uninstall them.

I know. Truly weird, but that's the way they wrote it.

-40hz (November 17, 2009, 06:19 PM)

Yeah, i think I came across that.  i think I was being stubborn in refusing to activate it.  Screw Mcafee.  I hate that program.

4317

Living Room / Re: Choosing a new PC package for a relative.. Post your recommendations

« Last post by superboyac on November 17, 2009, 01:50 PM »

... The fact that Dell includes a real, honest to goodness OS install disc with their PCs that are devoid of any crapware makes it an attractive feature for the newbie...

-Innuendo (November 17, 2009, 12:15 PM)

Oh good grief, crapware/junkware is a real pet peeve of mine. I understand why the manufacturers load all the trial junk ($$) so I guess I was naive to believe they would listen to customer complaints and eventually stop this practice.

So what's the story with junkware these days--has the practice lessened at all? Can anybody say, for example, if Toshiba or HP loads trialware junk on their laptops?

Much as I try to not be so picky, junkware actually affects my buying decision.

-sajman99 (November 17, 2009, 01:35 PM)

First thing I usually do is uninstall all that stuff.  I had a real problem with the Mcafee on my mom's laptop.  It wouldn't come off no matter.  I had to do all sorts of safe mode, command prompt, etc. to get rid of it.

4318

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Hound: a grep-alike that searches inside PDFs

« Last post by superboyac on November 16, 2009, 04:37 PM »

haha thanks Saj Glad you appreciate it. I want to add more of a personal touch to the programs.

and Superboyac, I know what you mean! Some people very much prefer the command line tools but my personal preference is for the windowed approach (for this at least)

-fiddyschmitt (November 16, 2009, 04:00 PM)

Yeah, totally.  I'm a button guy.  Buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, menus...all that stuff.

4319

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Hound: a grep-alike that searches inside PDFs

« Last post by superboyac on November 16, 2009, 03:38 PM »

I came across this and thought, "WTF is grep?!"  Anyway, I looked it up.  You command line people...you guys are all crazy.

4320

Living Room / Re: Choosing a new PC package for a relative.. Post your recommendations

« Last post by superboyac on November 16, 2009, 02:18 PM »

Cool story.  I love hearing about the experiences of others in these kinds of things.  So much of this is not talked about enough around the internet, you know what I'm saying?  Nobody talks about the headache of buying a computer for someone who's just a casual computer user.  yet, that's how it always happens with people like us, right?  We're the computer geeks, so our friends and family come to us about advice about what to buy and so forth.  And when we're young and foolish, we get all excited and recommend these cool parts and nice things that we like, but then you quickly learn...you learn that these people have no use for the cool things you're getting them and they will probably be overwhelmed by some of the fancier items.  That leads to follow up sessions for you, and it becomes this big headache.

That's why I now recommend the easiest solution for most people.  A dell, or hp (like mouser).  Heck, I may even recommend Macs to people if I see they want something like that.  Recently, I got my mom a Dell and my Dad an HP, and it's worked out great.  My mom barely uses it to browse the web.  My dad uses his every day, but only for email, web browsing, and some solitaire.  I've had no headaches.  My dad calls me every now an then because kaspersky gives him a message about something, that's about it.

What mouser did was exactly the right way of doing it.  Find out what your friend/family member wants and make sure you get that.  For everything else, keep it as simple as possible.  Nothing fancy, nothing expensive.

4321

General Software Discussion / Re: Graphic Design question: Services and prices?

« Last post by superboyac on November 15, 2009, 02:44 AM »

Hey you might want to try Poser and Poser libraries. They might be helpful either for posing-final rendering or for making initial poses and then tracing.

-kartal (November 15, 2009, 01:57 AM)

Actually, I already looked into that and liked the idea.  One of the graphics guys I know has it and showed how to make a muscular character and move him around in all kinds of poses.  I thought it would come in extremely handy for references.  I wouldn't use it for actual artwork since I'm planning on doing these as sketches.  But yeah, it was really cool.

4322

General Software Discussion / Re: Graphic Design question: Services and prices?

« Last post by superboyac on November 15, 2009, 01:49 AM »

After skimming through the book, I think I'm 90% convinced that Photoshop is the way to do my project, rather than Illustrator.  I mean, I understood the differences between the two programs, but I initially felt like Illustrator would be the best program because of its vector-based nature.  And I do have a lot of experience with vector programs, so I though maybe that would be a good idea.  However, the reason why everyone uses Photoshop for stuff like this is because of the selection features.  In Photoshop, you select areas.  In Illustrator, you select objects.  That kind of did it for me.

This is probably obvious to everyone, isn't it?

Man, that book is so good.

4323

Living Room / Re: Microsoft openly challenges Vmware in new ad campaign

« Last post by superboyac on November 13, 2009, 11:01 AM »

Ugh...what's with this trend of using douchebags to promote stuff?

4324

General Software Discussion / Re: Why is it so hard to find a decent image organizer?

« Last post by superboyac on November 13, 2009, 10:36 AM »

Nice work, Skipper!

4325

LaunchBar Commander / Re: LATEST LaunchBar Commander VERSION INFO THREAD - v1.108.01 - June 28, 2009

« Last post by superboyac on November 13, 2009, 10:30 AM »

Works with no hassle. It is just ugly, dock skins too simple, all almost the same shape, there are no transparent skin. You can find dozens of docks and sidebars made professionally and looking nice.

-Gintaras (November 13, 2009, 09:52 AM)

Relax, my friend.  You're new...it wouldn't hurt to say it a little more nicely.