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526

General Software Discussion / Re: Is software 'regional'?

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 22, 2008, 11:47 AM »

Red Hat and Fedora are more popular in the US, whereas openSUSE is popular on the Continent

-zridling (December 22, 2008, 07:21 AM)

Isn't the US on a Continent? 

This is true for stuff other than OSs, too. It seems that SoftMaker's office suite has greater market share in Europe and especially Germany than over here.

I remember way back when, as a user of Atari computers. They had only a small share here (behind Apple, Commodore, Radio Shack, and eventually IBM), but in Europe and especially Germany they were very big.

One might expect that software would enjoy more popularity locally, as with Maxthon. Of course these days, with downloadable shareware, it's frequently unclear where its geographic origin is.

527

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009: LifeSaver diary application beta release

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 21, 2008, 05:55 PM »

I have also learned that Alphas (and occasionally Betas) find issues late in development that force changes to make it not compatible

-steeladept (December 21, 2008, 03:49 PM)

Right you are. As I mentioned, I found an issue in the datastore such that deleting entries corrupt the data. In this case, I've disabled the feature pending resolution from the Neodatis ODB people (which is otherwise fantastic), but who knows what else might lurk.

528

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009: LifeSaver diary application beta release

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 21, 2008, 11:38 AM »

New version posted: 1.0.3277.22049

I'm calling this one a beta. All the planned features for launch are included except for MRU file menu. I think I've got the calendar sync issues ironed out, but there may be some ghosts still hiding in the machine. The Delete functionality was implemented, but I found an issue in the backend datastore that forces me to disable the feature for now.

From the change log:

• Add XML export
• Add ability to open a file from Explorer
• Fixed calendar colors (I hope)
• Added a bunch of graphics to make it pretty
• Added Delete, then disabled it because of a problem in the backend datastore
• Fixed the need to click away from the text editor to get changes to save
• Improved synchronization between entry date editor and calendar selector (there may still be issues here, I'm still chasing it)
• Fixed a bug in the browse to Previous feature (sometimes entries would be skipped when occurring on consecutive days)

From known issues list:

• Installing an upgrade requires that you first uninstall the previous one.
• Delete entry not allowed yet.
• Reported refreshing problem when opening a diary having an entry for the current day

529

DC Gamer Club / Re: The 2008 gaming year is not over yet!

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 19, 2008, 03:34 PM »

This is a good one, WC!

530

General Software Discussion / Re: DVD to iPod Touch in 48 hours

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 19, 2008, 01:52 PM »

I think SUPER(C) is top of the heap for flexibility and price. But it's slow, and it sounds like time is of the essence for you.

You might consider DVD Fab. It does a reasonable job, and is amazingly fast. But it's also fairly expensive, at $50.

531

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009: LifeSaver diary application alpha release

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 18, 2008, 09:22 PM »

I think I've got the calendar color thing licked, and at the same time, I did a lot to improve the overall look.

I've implemented Delete, and in doing so discovered that there's a problem with the backend datastore I'm using  . So I'm going to have to disable the Delete feature until that gets fixed. I've submitted a bug, hopefully they'll address it quickly.

Working on the XML export now, and the MRU file menu. That, and fixing the refresh issues that were reported, and I should be there.

532

Living Room / Re: Are there any copyright/trademark lawyers on the forum? Issue with our mascot

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 18, 2008, 07:26 PM »

IANAL, but I read legal blogs a lot  

People confuse copyright law and trademark law, but they're actually quite different areas of law.

Copyright law is intended to protect creative works. Clearly there is no issue with copyrights; it's obvious that neither image is a copy or even adaptation of the other.

Trademark law is not intended to protect the owner of the trademark at all. Its purpose is to protect the consumer.

The rules about uniqueness of trademarks are set up with the intent to keep consumers from mistaking one product or brand for another. Thus, it's OK for the name "Apple" to be in use by both Apple Computers and Apple Music (the publisher of the Beatles' stuff): nobody is going to pick up a Mac and wonder if it's a new Beatles recording. Similarly, there might be a "Moe's Bar" in Springfield and another in New York; the geographical difference makes mistaking one with the other impossible. Unfortunately in our situation, there does seem to be some proximity in terms of the product, so there could be confusion.

I don't know what the trademark analog of copyright's "prior art" is, or if such a concept even exists. Clearly DC's "Cody" was well-established before this other bird came on the scene. But with trademarks, maybe that's not enough. Maybe you actually need to register the image, I don't know.

Here is some information about trademarks. But you're probably better off talking to a professional.

I did a search for the trademark "Twitpay" and found nothing. Also, their logo has an "SM" next to it, indicating that it's a "service mark", i.e., a trademark for services. Note that it doesn't have an "(R)" next to it. That indicates to me that it's not a registered service mark. Perhaps the thing to do is to send a registration request for Cody to the USPTO straightaway, and preempt any argument.

533

General Software Discussion / Re: Collectorz.com... again!

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 17, 2008, 12:41 PM »

How about that. I'll be the first to say that he has the right to do so. But it's sure distasteful and poor form to actually do it.

Looking at it from a few steps back, it might be a good thing. This could show that he's pretty desperate because the reaction to his "upgrade" has been so bad. Perhaps he'll be forced to bring back the old searches.

FWIW, part of the issue he's trying to address is correct, he's just stumbled on a bad solution for it. He is correct that the current Add process is clunky. Currently I enter my search, find the first entry that matches the edition I've got, then go back and transcribe that UPC into the search field and re-execute the search. He could have streamlined the process and eliminated the controversy just by automating that "transcribe the UPC" step.

534

General Software Discussion / Re: Is it finally time to abandon IE?

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 17, 2008, 12:37 PM »

As Josh said, people are quick to jump all over MS, but other parties have just as many problems. Perceptions aside, FF has had as many days vulnerable to critical exploits as IE (sorry, I don't have citation handy, but I have seen the actual numbers). Flash has had problems, and I believe that Adobe Acrobat Reader has had a critical exploit sitting unpatched for months.

A coworker sent me this quote this morning (emphasis mine):

“Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) said Tuesday that the company intends to release an out-of-band patch for a monster error affecting all versions of the Internet Explorer Web browser, which has caused hackers to launch malicious attacks to steal information and take over computers without any user intervention.”

http://www.crn.com/security/212500766

How can they say that the error actually causes the hackers to exploit it?

Anyway, app103 is going off the deep end. Even if you want to ditch IE because of this, there's no reason to eradicate it from your machine: the exploit can only be ... exploited when using IE to surf.

My own NANY 2009 entry, LifeSaver Diary, uses IE for the display and editing of diary entries. As long as you trust the developer not to inject exploitative code into the browser, there's absolutely nothing else to worry about. Surely you're not going to hack into your own system by entering malicious diary entries.

535

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009: LifeSaver diary application alpha release

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 17, 2008, 05:45 AM »

On my computer the dates are black text on dark blue (see screenshot) - not easy to read.

-deviantopian (December 17, 2008, 03:59 AM)

Thanks. Tomos reported something similar, but I didn't quite get it. Now I can see for myself.

I'll see what I can do.

536

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009: LifeSaver diary application alpha release

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 16, 2008, 07:36 PM »

New version just posted:

2008-12-16 - 1.0.0.1 (alpha 2)

• Added password (remember, this isn't crypto)
• Added auto backup datafile
• Fix crash when you start app but don't open file for several minutes
• Fix crash when you try to re-open the same file that's already open
• Fix problem where "create new" diary over an existing one would open instead of creating new

537

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009: LifeSaver diary application alpha release

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 16, 2008, 07:58 AM »

always get this if I open the app & dont immediately open a file
if I click "continue" it works fine

-tomos (December 16, 2008, 07:24 AM)

Thanks for the exception dump. That's extremely helpful. I can reproduce your problem, and I think I see how to fix it. But I don't understand why it occurs in the first place. It's the darnedest thing. Until you actually open a file, the calendar control is disabled. But after a minute or two it seems to get restless and raise a SelectionChanged event anyway. This makes no sense, since you couldn't have clicked on it to change the selection. But there it is. I should just be able to detect that I don't have any data yet, and suppress the propagation of the event in that case.

the same problem is there when I open the file (when the html pane doesnt have focus) the list for today doesnt show until I click a different date & then click today again

-tomos (December 16, 2008, 07:10 AM)

I haven't seen that problem. I'll have to play with it more.

Adding new entries:
(if possible) if it refreshed when "New Entry" was clicked it would be ideal

-tomos (December 16, 2008, 07:10 AM)

That's probably part of the solution, but I don't know if it's sufficient...

538

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009: LifeSaver diary application alpha release

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 16, 2008, 06:55 AM »

was confused initially because as you add entries it doesnt refresh the list of entries automatically

-tomos (December 16, 2008, 05:56 AM)

Actually, it's not that it doesn't refresh, it's that it doesn't actually commit the new entry until the HTML editor field loses focus. It's the fact that you're clicking off it that does it. I need to work out a better solution for this.

another problem is when you click the lsd file, it doesn't open the diary... just opens the application..

-puzzlebox (December 16, 2008, 06:06 AM)

OK. I plan to add this.

also maybe you could configure it such that when opening the application it will try to open a default diary. if no default diary is found, then give option of creating new/searching lsd file (which could be in a "safer" removable disk).

-puzzlebox (December 16, 2008, 06:06 AM)

I'm going to add an MRU list to the File menu. Does that come close enough?

Also, I'm planning to add a "tip of the day" kind of thing, to tell a newbie that the first thing to do is create or open a diary, etc.

539

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009: LifeSaver diary application alpha release

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 16, 2008, 05:39 AM »

• 1. There was an error about LS not being able to open the diary because another process (presumably LS too) is using the diary file
• 2. I can read my entry when opening the lsd file in a text editor

-puzzlebox (December 16, 2008, 04:30 AM)

Thanks for the feedback, puzzlebox. I appreciate your taking the time to look at it.

I'll look at #1 right away. You're probably right about the cause. I'm just starting to work on exception handling, and this is definitely one area I can make it better.

I'm aware of #2. The version you're seeing has no protection at all. I've got a working implementation of password protection here, but even so, the underlying datastore will look exactly the same. The password protection I'm using is really only as strong as the stupid little lock on a diary: your little brother can still open it with a paperclip.

If anyone has real secrets that need protection, I recommend using a serious crypto product like TrueCrypt. They've solved that problem better than I ever could. How much do you disagree with that decision?

540

What's the Best? / Re: What's the best Journal (Diary) software?

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 15, 2008, 11:15 AM »

I decided to take action instead of just moving my mouth. I've started building a Diary app that will allow proper export of the diary so that it can be moved to future platforms.

If anyone is interested, I'd appreciate any comments about where I'm headed, or suggestions. Take a look at this thread.

[ Invalid Attachment ]

541

General Software Discussion / Re: Bear Bottoms Freeware: A very nice high-quality software site

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 15, 2008, 06:54 AM »

It's nothing new for even the computer software greats to engage in socially-unacceptable behavior. The great Alan Turing was arrested for his then-illegal sexual proclivities, and later killed himself because he couldn't stand to bear his deviance. That in no way detracts from the awesome contributions that he made to the field of computing, and indeed to mankind as a whole.

I point this out not to absolve anyone of anything. It's to show that one's personal life is entirely distinct from the contributions one makes. Go ahead and crucify Turing and anyone else whose behavior you disdain, but do it elsewhere. The topic of discussion here is computer software.

542

General Software Discussion / Re: Bear Bottoms Freeware: A very nice high-quality software site

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 15, 2008, 06:16 AM »

Considering your interest in government coverups, and the quality of individuals who have worked for them

http://www.thewuestefelds.com/blog/

I find your post to lock hard to imagine.

-Silverstein (December 14, 2008, 07:16 PM)

Which underscores the fact that your argument has nothing to do with the topic of this board, computer software, but is a personal vendetta. My personal blog is my personal stage, where I can say what I want, having no bearing on my discussion here and elsewhere.

I suggest that (a) you do the same without invading others' communities, and (b) leave peoples' personal lives out of this while you're here, and focus on the topic at hand. You're likely to encounter much less animosity.

It is the flaky and misleading software recommendations Bear Bottoms makes in alt.comp.freeware which have led a number of individuals there to consider the recommendations on his freeware site to be unreliable.

-Franklin2 (December 15, 2008, 05:43 AM)

With all due respect, that is not the argument that was brought here. That was

you will know about William "Bear Bottoms" and his cocaine smuggling background, the murder of his BIL Barry Seals.

Which has no bearing on software, and as 40hz has suggested, is a topic better handled by the authorities.

If Silverstein's post said "this is a crappy site, the recommendations are bad", then you would have been greeted with intelligent discussion and perhaps agreement.

543

General Software Discussion / Re: Bear Bottoms Freeware: A very nice high-quality software site

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 14, 2008, 07:04 PM »

Mouser, I request that you lock this thread. There is absolutely nothing positive that can come from it.

DC is about computer software and related topics. The background of people whose websites are mentioned here is not in our purview. We're usually pretty lenient about being off-topic, but in this case, where can the discussion possibly lead that helps us at all?

(I am not in any way associated with bear bottoms nor Mr. Silverstein)

544

General Software Discussion / Re: Bear Bottoms Freeware: A very nice high-quality software site

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 14, 2008, 05:03 PM »

Next time you wish to promote a fellow Baton Rouger, find someone who is worth the trouble.

-Silverstein (December 14, 2008, 04:02 PM)

This site isn't about people's backgrounds, it's about exchanging information about computer software. To the extent that the referenced site is a worthwhile reference for software information (and it is), it is worth mentioning here.

No one here has said anything about the background of the site's creator. We're not advocating his views or condoning his actions; heck, no one had any way of knowing before you mentioned it. Assuming that your accusations are true, perhaps this web site is a hobby keeping its creator busy; to that extent, advocacy of it is a good thing for him and society as a whole.

545

Living Room / Re: In-car GPS

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 14, 2008, 01:38 PM »

I've had a TomTom ONE for a couple of years, and it's easily worth its price.

This past fall my wife and I went on vacation in Niagara Falls and Toronto. We hadn't a clue how to get around, but with the TomTom we had no problem, but finding our way there as well as getting to our B&B in Niagara-on-the-Lake and to various tourist spots around the Falls and in the city of Toronto. Just an address, and you're as good as there. If you don't know where to go at all, searching through the POI database may help you find attractions.

In a week and a half we're flying to Orlando, FL to see my grandparents, and then driving to Key West. We're planning to rely on the TomTom for that trip, too.

One thing: please don't mount the GPS in the center of the windshield. Visibility of the road is the most important thing, and it's too dangerous to let the GPS obstruct it. Mount it down low so that it blocks the least amount of view possible. Put it right between the driver and passenger, so the driver can concentrate on the road, only looking at it for clarification, while the passenger watches the GPS to navigate.

546

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009: LifeSaver diary application alpha release

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 14, 2008, 12:48 PM »

I've just posted an alpha version of the app. The download link is http://www.thewueste...s/LifeSaverSetup.zip

As I said in my update to the original post at the top:
Known Issues

• Minimal error handling in place.
• Create new diary over the top of an existing one doesn't actually create a new one, it just re-opens the existing one.
• Delete entry not implemented yet.
• Password protection not implemented yet (Actually, it's built into the datastore, it's just that the save/open code doesn't yet ask for a password)

Keep in mind that this is just the first public demo. I'm looking for feedback on the direction I'm going, as well as information on where it does or doesn't work. I'm particularly interested in the installer: what happens if you don't have .Net installed? What if you've got a newer .Net (3.0 or 3.5) but not 2.0?

547

N.A.N.Y. 2009 / Re: NANY 2009 Teaser: LifeSaver diary application

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 12, 2008, 09:13 PM »

I'm hoping to have an alpha ready this weekend. Basic operation and date browsing works now. I'm currently trying to figure out how to build an installer package, which is something I've never done before.

Anybody have pointers on building Visual Studio's setup projects, or links to more information on them?

548

General Software Discussion / Re: Another 'Lifetime' license bites the dust

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 12, 2008, 03:14 PM »

Then I'm confused about what you're paying extra for if you buy a "lifetime" license. To me, everyone should be entitled to bug fixes -- those are places where you're currently being denied the functionality that you thought were paying for in the beginning. That should be free, included in the base price.

Since these lifetime licenses cost more, you must be getting something beyond the basic "fix what I already paid for", don't you think?

I suppose at the bottom line, the developer can do as he sees fit. But they certainly ought to be explaining the terms clearly. If I'm only paying for bug fixes, that should be made crystal clear.

549

General Software Discussion / Re: Another 'Lifetime' license bites the dust

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 12, 2008, 02:48 PM »

AnyDVD and AnyDVD HD support two totally different technologies. Just because they both come on an optical disc does not mean they are the same. Slysoft promised free lifetime UPDATES, not UPGRADES. AnyDVD HD is an UPGRADE.

-Josh (December 12, 2008, 02:17 PM)

Can you give us a rule to help determine what, in an arbitrary piece of software, constitutes an upgrade versus an update?

Is an update nothing more than a bug fix?

You say that DVD vs HD is a diffferent technology. What if the developer change back-end databases, or rewrites the code to move from C++ to .Net? Those are different technologies; is it an upgrade or an update?

What if the developer releases a translation in a new language?

What about adding new fields in a contact management app? Some people won't need the new fields, and don't want to pay for that new stuff, right? So that makes in an upGRADE?

What if the developer uses a new search algorithm, speeding up the app. A new algorithm is new technology, so it's an upGRADE?

I think you can see my point that the only reasonable way to draw this line is that anything that's more than a strict bug fix would, under your rules, require an upgrade charge.

Also, you haven't addressed my earlier concern about apps that store my data (and I granted that AnyDVD is not one of these, but I'm looking at the larger picture beyond this one company). Is it morally right for a developer to lure the user in, and later hit them with large price increases if they want to get back into their data? It seems to me rather like a drug dealer getting you hooked with some free hits first, then starting to charge you later.

550

General Software Discussion / Re: Another 'Lifetime' license bites the dust

« Last post by CWuestefeld on December 12, 2008, 07:36 AM »

What data does AnyDVD hold hostage?

-Josh (December 12, 2008, 07:28 AM)

None. Which is why I wrote (emphasis added)

the choice that SlySoft is making is absolutely unacceptable for any program that acts as a repository for data (which isn't SlySoft, btw)

-CWuestefeld (December 12, 2008, 07:17 AM)

it works after your year support. You just dont receive updated versions. No data is held from you. Or am I missing something?

-Josh (December 12, 2008, 07:28 AM)

Hmmm. So it's not really an annual subscription to the software license, just to obtain updates? What happens if I let my subscription lapse for six months because there aren't any updates happening, and then just at the next update I buy a year subscription? Depending on update cycles, I might be able to stretch it out so that I pay rather less than annually. I know that many major corporate licenses forbid this: you must pay up for any intervening lapse before going forward with the updates.