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4651
This is some pretty scary stuff when you really stop and think about it.


The AMD rep spelled it out in words that would have been undiplomatic coming from me: He said that the new chips will “block unauthorized access to the frame buffer.” In short, that means an unauthorized party can’t save the contents of the display to a file on disk unless the content owner approves it.

There is a short list of parties who will be unauthorized to access your frame buffer: You. There is a long list of parties who are authorized to access your frame buffer, and that list includes Microsoft, Apple, AMD, Intel, ATI, NVidia, Sony Pictures, Paramount, HBO, CBS, Macrovision, and all other content owners and enablers that want your machine to themselves whenever you’re watching, listening to, reading, or shooting monsters with their products.




What scares me about this is how the big companies will embrace this kind of thinking.

I know what you are thinking...I won't use AMD...I'll use Intel. But there is a problem with that. If Intel doesn't follow and do the same they could stand to lose a lot of the market share.

There has already been a Windows version that will only run on AMD64 processors. How hard would it be for Microsoft to make it so their OS will only run on approved DRM enabled CPU's?

That would mean that if OEM's want to include Windows, they would have to include an AMD processor.

This means that Intel would either have to put the same kind of DRM crap in their CPU's or the only thing that will run on them will be *nix. I think we know what Intel would do in a situation like this.

The average consumer isn't tech savvy...they don't know the difference between AMD and Intel...DRM and a bottle of Coca Cola...but they do know they want Windows. The average consumer being oblivious to this, will buy whatever is on the shelf...as long as it has Windows.

The uneducated consumers outnumber the rest of us. They will spoil the computing world as we know it...for all of us. They will go right along with the AMD/DRM crap like sheep.

Then we approach the day, for example, where you can't do a proper software review because the software vendor hasn't authorized YOU to take a screenshot of HIS application and your CPU says you aren't allowed to do that.

It won't matter how much you paid for the software...you will only be able to use it in a manner approved by the vendor.

So you say...ok...I won't run Windows...I'll install Linux. This won't bypass CPU level DRM. Your hands will still be tied.
4652
Back when I used to actually use Word, I also had a rather heavy antivirus that slowed EVERYTHING down (speaking of bloat...cough McAfee cough). It made even Word 97 take awhile to load. By the time I scrapped it in favor of AVG, I had lost the habit of using Word and was pretty much a plain text/notepad person.

And yeah...I was stuck on a pc just like your slow one. But I was running WinME, which is also kind of bloated and slower than it should be.

Did you know that when you close an application in WinME, it takes 3-5 mins for you to regain all your system resources back? This is an intended 'feature'...just in case you decide you didn't mean to close it and want to open it again, it will load faster the 2nd time.

Baaaaaaad idea! Whoever thought that one up should be forced to use my old pc for the rest of his/her life! :down:

I do agree that integrating a lot of functionality isn't always the best way to go... but some tools can also almost be too single-purpose-minded. Ah, achieving the golden balance...

The golden balance...to have the small tools for the small jobs...and the big ones for the big jobs...and the sense to use the right ones at the right time and not be tempted to squash an ant with a steamroller or scrub the kitchen floor with a toothbrush.
4653
The resource bloat problem is why I fell in love with good simple single purpose tools.

Why the heck should I have wait forever for Word to load, just to sort a list in a simple .txt file alphabetically?

Or open an image in Photoshop or Paintshop Pro just to use the dropper tool to find out the RGB of some color in it?

Why does my good firewall need to have a crappy antivirus? Or my good antivirus have to have a crappy firewall?

The list goes on forever.

Yeah, ok, my taskbar looks bloated with shortcuts to all my tiny tools, but I can gladly live with that.  :D
4654
General Software Discussion / Re: Ubuntu Linux vs. Windows Vista
« Last post by app103 on April 27, 2007, 04:44 PM »
Most importantly though, having software handled by a package manager in that way also means that keeping your OS and 3rd party apps up to date is a breeze as both are handled by the same thing ensuring that you never have to hunt around various websites to get the latest versions (imagine Windows Update, only here it handles everything you've ever installed on your system).

Does anybody remember Big Fix back in the days when you could subscribe to the Tucows Fixlets?

I loved it!  :-*

Kept it in your tray and it beeped whenever Tucows posted a newer version of anything you had installed...or MS released an update...or your antivirus dats were outdated...or you needed to defrag...or a bunch of other stuff.

I really miss the Tucows fixlets...was the main reason for installing Big Fix. When they got rid of that, they destroyed their program, in my opinion. And nothing has come along to take its place that is just as good or better, since.  :(
4655
Living Room / Re: What's your pet's favorite toy?
« Last post by app103 on April 27, 2007, 02:35 PM »
Jah made one that you can use your mouse with...but what if you are not around?

Your cat should still be allowed to have some fun, right?

Here is one that is automatic, and moves kind of unpredictably random in both speed and direction.

A screensaver.  :)
4656
Living Room / Re: Google Releases Paper on Disk Reliability
« Last post by app103 on April 27, 2007, 09:59 AM »
Here is an article comparing the Google results to the recent Carnegie Mellon study:

http://www.pcworld.c...-page,1/article.html
4657
My daughter found this one today.  ;D

Is it just me or does this ad campaign smell just like the 'Where's the Beef?' ads?
4658
Living Room / Re: What's your pet's favorite toy?
« Last post by app103 on April 27, 2007, 08:02 AM »
how about someone here makes a little util which is just pure black screen with red or green laser spot, controllable by mouse or switchable into auto random movement mode.

Because we all know our pets don't want that...they want to buy weapons of mass destruction online while we sleep or work. (at least mine does, which is why I keep him away from the pc)  ;D

Besides, unless you have a crt monitor, cat claws can cause damage.
4659
It's reasons like this that I went for EIDE drives and not SATA. I want to be able to pop them in my other pc if I have to.

speaking of which, is there a IDE to SATA converter? so that i can the use the older IDE drives on newer motherboards..

I use a card like this one to use them in the newer pc. You can connect 4 drives to this. (2 cards and you can have 8!) There is also an Ultra 133 available, and I used to have that, but I had to swap cards with my dad when I couldn't get it to work on this pc. His card Ultra 100 card worked fine though.

ultra100.jpg
4660
It's reasons like this that I went for EIDE drives and not SATA. I want to be able to pop them in my other pc if I have to.

Also another reason for not using the new Borland Turbos: can't install them on the other pc like I can with Delphi 6.

I had a serious mishap and shortage of funds...was stuck using a pc that should be in a museum, for about 3 yrs.

I am paranoid about hardware failures and data loss. I try my best to avoid being left high & dry with no computer, internet, or data. I learned the hard way.

Yes, I have a spare PSU, pci graphics card, agp gfx card, usb card, card reader, sound card, lots of parts, spare dialup ISP & modem...just in case. Enough parts to build a new pc, minus the RAM, mobo, and cpu.
4661
Post New Requests Here / Re: Idea: A directory box
« Last post by app103 on April 26, 2007, 05:47 PM »
:) How about Microsoft Windows XP?

If you drag a folder from your desktop to one of the edges of the screen, it creates a dockable Explorer window. You can also detach it and have it floating freely.

Skrommel

oh yeah, duh...how could I forget that?  :-[

btw: this isn't just XP...it works in older versions of Windows too....even 9x.

You can create toolbars on it and do everything you can, just like with the taskbar...only it won't have the buttons of open windows or the system tray.

You can make up to 3 additional bars on the screen edges that your taskbar isn't on. The folder doesn't have to be on your desktop...it can be anywhere. Just drag it from Explorer and smack it on the edge you want.
4662
Jah...
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/9548/tyflowers001jg2.jpg

  :)
4663
Best Weather Monitor Tool / Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Last post by app103 on April 26, 2007, 01:37 PM »
Previously, I only knew about Weatherbug, and that isn't something I want to install.

I recently installed the Weather.com desktop and it was ok...but it started causing problems when shutting down Windows. So I am on the hunt for a replacement.

I think I am going to give Weather Watcher a try after reading what everyone had to say about it.



btw...if you are a Weatherbug user, you might want to know about Leopard...a simple programming language for beginners & children that uses the Weatherbug API.

The original Leopard version didn't rely on Weatherbug and was pretty cool. It let you create things like your own mp3 player or a browser. And yes...you could compile stand alone Windows applications with it.

The developer, Brandon Watts, began the Leopard project when he was just 14 years old. He is very dedicated to it and plans to continue it for many years to come.

It is currently used in many schools to introduce children to the wonderful world of programming, in a fun way.

Take a look at the catalog of user submitted programs.

He does have plans to bring back the ability to compile, in the new version, but he wants beginners to concentrate more on program creation than executable creation, for now.

If you are a Weatherbug user and ever wanted to learn programming but thought it was too hard, and you are afraid you aren't ready for something like AHK, give Leopard a try. It will be a good beginning. Then when you are ready, move on to something a lot more powerful, but still simple, like AHK.  :)
4664
General Software Discussion / Re: RANT: High Software Prices!
« Last post by app103 on April 26, 2007, 11:37 AM »
Wordpress, best bet. <-- super simple PHP

How many <?php include('whatever.php'); ?> do they need? That's the only php I know.  :-[

XUL next best. <-- only markup in XML

Still trying to get a grasp on the finer points of XML for scripting a bot for my chatroom. (not doing too well on that) Here is a sample that someone gave me to learn from:
  :huh:

Non-FOSS:
XAML <-- M$'s version of (Java+XML) for GUI
I don't know a lick of java and see above XML comment.
1. People with those skills are gonna be in demand when Redhat and sourceforge.net start their FOSS exchanges. Keep a watch.
Will do.  ;)
2. You should try your hand at Google and Yahoo! Answers
I currently have a 54% best answer rate on Yahoo Answers. And that site is too addictive...I am going to get in a lot of trouble with spending too much of my time there if I am not careful.  :D
(psst.... if you make good money, pass a few Donation Credits here as well ;) ;) )
Unfortunately I am broker than broke and might just have the worst income/expenses ratio on this forum.  :(

Total household income, supporting a family of 3, is about $300/wk...rent $955/month for a 4 room apartment (and that is cheap where I live). I think after doing the math you will see the financial predicament I am in. (yet I do still manage to pass a few credits around when I can)

...and now you know why this rant about software prices really hits me close to home.
4665
General Software Discussion / Re: RANT: High Software Prices!
« Last post by app103 on April 26, 2007, 09:53 AM »
Mouser wrote:
I do think however that there are some ramifications for this kind of pirating that are non-obvious but quite important to think about.  And one of them is the open source market.  For example, does piracy hurt the open source community?  If people couldn't pirate photoshop, would that make programs like the Gimp and Paint.net more and more important, more and more used, and perhaps more and more supported, funded, and developed?  If MS Windows and OSX were never pirated, would it funnel more energy into developing and developing for linux?  These are the issues that really make me think twice about pirating..

Now THAT is an interesting and astute insight! I had never thought of this issue from that perspective before.

I did and was going to say something similar to that in a previous post I made a few days ago,  but I edited it out on account of the way I worded it didn't sound quite right.

I was having a bad day and everything I seemed to say came out all wrong and I got on the bad side of many people.

If you like to code for the sake of coding, and you are already doing it for free by releasing freeware and never expecting to make a dime, and you have the skills necessary and can handle working on larger projects (with others), do the world a favor and help out on an existing open source project. You just might make a difference and it would be just as or maybe even more rewarding.

I wish I had the skills necessary to do it, and maybe some day I will. But for now it isn't a good idea for me to get involved in the actual coding. I am still on the hunt for a project that does have something I can do to help, though.

As it turns out, the only skill I seem to have, that I am really good at, is connecting people with the resources they need (be it info, tools, or experts), to help them find the answers they need to tackle whatever problem they have. Despite what some people that know me may think, I don't know everything...I just know where to find the answers.

When I find a project that needs a 'human switchboard operator of info' I will have found the perfect one.

Oh wait...nevermind...I almost forgot that I am doing that now...here...in my chatroom...everywhere.  :D
4666
Post New Requests Here / Re: Idea: A directory box
« Last post by app103 on April 26, 2007, 04:25 AM »
I have used TaskbarEx to reduce clutter. You can drag the buttons right off your bar and put them where you want on your desktop.

This is especially useful when doing web design. I keep the whole project grouped in one corner of my desktop.

QT Tab Bar: I haven't tried this, but it looks nice.

qttab.png


You could probably combine both of them to end up with a really powerful option....maybe throw in FileBox Extender too. The menu for favorite folders that it puts on the titlebar in explorer is very handy. I use it all the time.

4667
I ran into the same popup getting a file from FileFront a day or two after uploading the PC2 and realized that unless your going to be a FileFront member it will annoy you to death, so I will have to find a new location that DOESN'T bug people ;D
Sorry for the inconvenience everyone,
-Brandon
-wreckedcarzz (April 26, 2007, 01:17 AM)

Talk to mouser. I am sure he would be willing to give you some space for a page for the game.

If not, I would be willing to, but I am sure he would, so ask him.
4668
Developer's Corner / Re: source editor that prints indentation guides
« Last post by app103 on April 26, 2007, 01:07 AM »
Notepad2 does...at least it does print the guide line on the right. I didn't test it with the indentation guides (ran out of ink).
4669
Living Room / Re: What's your pet's favorite toy?
« Last post by app103 on April 25, 2007, 11:07 PM »
This is my cat's other favorite toy:

qtip.jpg


Yeah, he's a strange one. He will do anything he can to get a Q-tip.  ;D
4670
skrommel:

is there any reason why you used this:
Run,Explorer.exe /e`,%drive%:\

instead of this? (this is how it says to do it in the ahk help file)
Run,explore %drive%:\

Also, I had to get rid of those TrayTips...they make my very large hidden taskbar fly out halfway across the screen.

I would rather there be no message to the user at all when it is successful...just do what it is supposed to do and open it...and give a message box if it fails instead of a traytip.

new version with changes:

#NoEnv
#SingleInstance,Force
SetBatchLines,-1

Loop,% Asc("Z")-Asc("A")+1
{
  drive:=Chr(Asc("A")+A_Index-1)
  Hotkey,RCtrl & %drive%,OPEN
}
Return

OPEN:
StringTrimLeft,drive,A_ThisHotkey,8
IfNotExist, %drive%:\
  MsgBox You do not have an %drive% drive.
Else
{
  Run,explore %drive%:\
}
Return

Of course this compact version introduces one of the errors of English grammar that annoys me the most into the message box (a/an mis-usage).  :-[
4671
I have had some time to enjoy this now, and I am loving it...but...

I am afraid I won't be able to run this any longer. It's causing my general cpu usage to run much higher than normal (50-75%) for some reason...and of course raising the cpu temp (to near 67C).

Closing it seems to drop things back down to normal. (under 10% and about 52C or less)

For some reason, Explorer is going nuts while this is running.

Just for statistical reference:

P4 Prescott 3.2 ghz
Windows XP Home
1G ram
IE 7

What a shame too, because I really liked it.  :(

If you need more info, let me know.
4672
fixitcat.jpg

I am hoping for the best for you. Hopefully you can just replace the psu and everything will be fine.

I'll make an offering to the computer gods on your behalf. Maybe they will spare you from any further NEC*.




* NEC: Acronym for Negative Electrostatic Charisma. The curse of the computer gods which causes strange, unexpected, unexplainable, bad things to happen to electronic equipment, usually at the worst possible times.
4673
It is rather odd though, I will agree with you there. It's not the usual practice for accessing info about a product on a website.

I found this in the latest issue of MSDN Flash. Would Microsoft really put a link to this in their newsletter if the company wasn't all that reputable?

If you have reservations about it, use a disposable email addy and a made up phone number.
4674
April 2nd, 2007 – VersionOne today announced the release of V1: Agile Community, a free 5-user download of its flagship Agile Lifecycle Management Application, V1: Agile Enterprise. This full-featured Community Edition offers the same features and functionality of VersionOne’s multi-award winning enterprise version. Available as a free downloadable application, V1: Agile Community helps small teams around the world gain the advantage of a lightweight web-based planning and management tool.

This edition does not include support or automatic upgrades.

4675
Living Room / What's your pet's favorite toy?
« Last post by app103 on April 24, 2007, 02:38 AM »
My cat has a basket full of toys he won't play with. I have spent a fortune on them over the years, till I figured out what he loves most. My cat has all 3 of these (click to read the description...it's great):

dressndragright.gif
http://www.fatcats.c...l_site/cat_dnd.shtml

(Sorry, but these are not sold any more...they discontinued the series)

Unfortunately they discontinued this one too, or it would be my cat's next toy:

http://www.bytebill.com

 
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