Recent Posts

5301

Older Newsletters / Re: --> Newsletter for June 15th, 2007 - Codename "Heat Wave"

« Last post by Darwin on June 17, 2007, 10:29 AM »

Welcome to donationcoder johnnyfive!

5302

Site/Forum Features / Re: ReadMe: Find out and rant about bad companies

« Last post by Darwin on June 16, 2007, 10:37 PM »

Thanks for the link to shitware - I'd forgotten about it and now, after reading it for 20 minutes am breathless from laughing. Thanks for setting it up, Renegade. Your video on the Samsung "Hand-pone" software had me in stitches.

5303

General Software Discussion / Re: Collectorz.com

« Last post by Darwin on June 16, 2007, 10:21 PM »

Finally, the fact that he edited a testimonial to remove information about lifetime upgrades rather than removing it all together seems highly suspect.

Yes, this is unfortunate. Perhaps a simpler solution, and one that doesn't expose collectorz.com to criticsm, would be to mark the relevant bit of the testimonial relating to lifetime licences*

*and note that lifetime licences are no longer available, as of November 14, 2006...

5304

Word Processor Roundup / Re: Biased

« Last post by Darwin on June 16, 2007, 08:38 PM »

Remember, throughout the review Zaine stated that he wasn't going to post a "winner" in each category. He's simply given us an idea of what he prefers and is using, so you shouldn't take them as "results". Don't confuse Zaine's choices for some sort of award or objective ranking of the different apps reviewed.

5305

General Software Discussion / Re: More about e-mail web based and other

« Last post by Darwin on June 16, 2007, 08:32 PM »

rjbull - I like the Yahoo beta because it's very quick and functions pretty much exactly like Outlook and other pop3 clients, so it's very intuitive. The new hotmail and gmail are both tied as a close second. I started using Yahoo as my main addy for everything software related (as in buying and contacting support) in about 1998 so have the most experience with it. GMail I *had* to have when it was invite only and I got an address a couple of years ago, but I've never really used it so it could be argued that my preference for Yahoo stems from familiarity more than anything... Anyway, try the beta (it's easy to switch back); I think you'll be impressed.

5306

Best Text Editor / Re: Boxer Text Editor

« Last post by Darwin on June 16, 2007, 08:26 PM »

Yes - agreed! I really enjoyed reading that, very interesting. And welcome to donationcoder, David!

1990 286/25mhz, 4MB RAM no HDD. $800 - my first computer. Abterix, I would have killed for your computer in 1994, let alone 1991...

5307

General Software Discussion / Re: More about e-mail web based and other

« Last post by Darwin on June 16, 2007, 02:50 PM »

Yup! I suspect this is going to change, though, because GMail allows you do this for free already!

5308

General Software Discussion / Re: RegexBuddy 3 released

« Last post by Darwin on June 16, 2007, 01:30 PM »

I upgraded and it's a real sea-change compared to version 2 in terms of the interface. The GUI has been extensively tweaked and I'm finding it a bit confusing. Of course, I haven't really played with it much.

There are some indications on the jgsoft site that both EditPad Pro and PowerGrep are due for new versions soon as well, which is a bit ominious! AFAICT, if you buy v.X of a jgsoft app today and v.Y is released next week, you have to pay the upgrade (and I just bought EditPad Pro...). Of course, there is a line in the policy about reserving the right to waive the upgrade fee, so this might be done when the upgrade form is generated. However, the webpage for Regexgbuddy says that if you bought v.2 on June 12, 2007 you get the upgrade free, otherwise you have to pay (I bought v.2 over a year ago).

5309

Skrommel's Software / Re: Just tested Ghoster. Looks nice. 2 feature requests!

« Last post by Darwin on June 16, 2007, 01:23 PM »

This post should be moved to the forum for Skrommels apps, no?

Anyway, nice suggestions and welcome to donationcoder bongobongo 

5310

General Software Discussion / Re: The GIMP/PhotoFiltre/Paint.net/etc., thoughts...

« Last post by Darwin on June 16, 2007, 12:46 PM »

I have PSP 9, X, and XI and *just* uninstalled X, so still have 9 and XI loaded. I also use Photofiltre for quick jobs as it opens so quickly but I do find PSP much more intuitive so use it if I am doing more complex manipulation of graphics. If I didn't have licences for all of these I'd probably be looking very closely at Paint.net, which looks really good.

5311

General Software Discussion / Re: teracopy: copy your files faster

« Last post by Darwin on June 16, 2007, 12:34 AM »

vivy - I appreciate what you're trying to say, but I think you need to consider that software is not just about the code and how it functions on your machine. Support and the licence are vital to the overall utility of the software. One of my favourite DC quotes comes from Scott, who is not as active here as he once was, when he said that shitty software with a great licence is still shitty software. We can extrapolate from this and state also that a good piece of software with a shitty licence is diminished because of its licence. I'd add that support is the third component in this...

I shouldnt use this software because you didnt get any support? Do you think i wouldnt get any response in Future.

Er, um, yes! Check out this link, which I've already pointed you to, and you'll see that at least one other person gave up on getting support.

I am a new user but nobody told me that this software is not good because it is unstable etc..

Go back and re-read the thread and you'll see that a number of problems have been reported with it here. I reported one relating to explorer.exe ramping up resource use. I note in the original post and a followup that I cannot be absolutely sure that this was caused by TeraCopy but do note that the behaviour disappeared immediately following its removal.

If a coder doesnt want to give support why he should list all instant messenger addresses?

I think that that is precisely what Nighted is wondering as well... He, and others, have tried to contact the developer using these addresses and have not received any form of reply whatsoever.

I don't have an axe to grind with Codesector and have not had the negative experiences with them that others have had. However, when I consider purchasing a piece of shareware, these are exactly the kinds of user experiences that I take into account when making a decision. If I can't rely on the developer to stand by and support the app after I've paid for it, I'm not going to making a purchase. There's no reason not to apply the same due diligence to freeware and open source applications (and in fact there is EVERY reason to apply the same due diliegence to ANYTHING that you are considering running on your computer).

5312

DC Website Help and Extras / Re: Add an ability to sign in on the Home page

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 09:13 PM »

i usually type only 'donationcoder' and use Ctrl+Enter to fill out the rest but this will do for the time being..

I just reread this thread and noticed this tip - I didn't know that one, very nice! Thanks, lanux 

5313

Older Newsletters / Re: --> Newsletter for June 15th, 2007 - Codename "Heat Wave"

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 08:09 PM »

3. Your Input Requested!
We want your participation on the DC forum! It's ok if you're normally shy and reserved and scared to post questions and comments -- we give you permission to make an exception for these posts.

As a college instructor I've come to appreciate that the old maxim "there is no such thing as a stupid question" is a truism. Thus, everyone PLEASE feel free to post your questions and comments in these forums - do not feel shy or inhibited. I did when I first joined two years ago but found that I had joined one of the friendliest, most helpful and most supportive communities to which I've ever had the privilege to belong. Kudos to mouser for creating such a warm, welcoming, and inclusive site.

5314

General Software Discussion / Re: teracopy: copy your files faster

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 04:59 PM »

OK nighted, you've talked me into it. Actually, I had to copy over 30GB of files last month when I upgraded my harddrive, but all went smoothly and I don't even remember it taking too long, but then I probably left it running while I took the kids to the park or something...

5315

Living Room / Re: Why is Hotmail so bad at spam?

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 04:57 PM »

Yes, I struggle with this as well - what is the point of reporting junk mail (ie SPAM) when it NEVER works (the junk mail filter that is)? I now access hotmail via Outlook and let SpamBayes filter it. I wind up with one copy in my Junk Mail folder which I manually delete and a copy in my Hotmail Deleted Items folder, but at least I am slowly regaining (some) control over my Hotmail inbox and can open up the inbox without having to winnow out my one or two bona fide e-mails from the 20 or 30 spam messages I receive every day (they're all in the Deleted folder)!

5316

Best Dialog Extender / Re: Direct Folders - nice features / repeated crashes

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 04:44 PM »

heheh, yeah, and the debugger the author uses isn't even a registered copy. 

I know how you feel. Let's find out where this guy lives and toilet paper his house.

-Nighted (June 15, 2007, 04:14 PM)

Code Sector / Infinisource Inc.
PMB 447, 3 Monroe Parkway, Suite P
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
USA

Interesting, on a whim I typed in www.infinisource.com and got a frontend that included a link to RoseCitySoftware where I read:

Rose City Software, the software division of InfiniSource.com...

They market RegistryFirstAid and other apps. I got pissed off about being asked to pay to upgrade RFA every six months - never really liked it that much anyway (though people swear by it), and shy away from all registry cleaners now... Anyway, I wonder if there is some way to get some satisfaction WRT DirectFolders through RoseCity? They're a big concern and list Audiosliders on their software page, though I coudn't find DirectFolders...

5317

Best Dialog Extender / Re: Direct Folders - nice features / repeated crashes

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 04:42 PM »

You guys have inspired me to remove the licensed copy from my wife's notebook as well. She never uses its features anyway and why keep it lurking on her system if there's a chance that it will gum things up for her?

5318

General Software Discussion / Re: The GIMP/PhotoFiltre/Paint.net/etc., thoughts...

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 04:17 PM »

RealDraw Pro has a fairly fanatical following as well, which bodes well for the quality of their product as well... I think he's also the author of Oscars File Renamer as well, which is a perennial favourite in the bulk renaming category.

5319

General Software Discussion / Re: DAZ Bryce 5.5 now free (Windows and Mac versions).

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 04:10 PM »

Just a general sort of service announcment: Poser, which complements Bryce (and if memory serves, the platform that the graphics for Second Life were created on) by animating characters has been offered free in the past as well. The last time within a week of Bryce 5 being given away, so keep your eyes out for an offering from them soon as well (I could be talking complete rubbish but I'm shameless!).

5320

General Software Discussion / Re: teracopy: copy your files faster

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 04:07 PM »

Despite my earlier post about "having" to try one or more of these suggestions out, I'm going to pass. I don't actually need this functionality often enough to warrant making an effort to find an app to help me do this. Famous last words, though, right?!

5321

General Software Discussion / Re: teracopy: copy your files faster

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 04:04 PM »

Nighted is not alone in not being able to get support for problems that he has with DirectFolders. It's certainly enough to make one think hard before considering installing even a freebie from its developer - what if you have an issue directly related to TeraCopy? You've not even paid for the app and there's a demonstrated lack of support for paying customers! Thus, it's not likely that you'd get any help solving whatever problem you had and it might cost you a lot of time and possibly even cold cash to fix it.

5322

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Free computer help online (tune-ups, customization, etc)

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 03:46 PM »

Yeah, by my reckoning your break is at least two weeks longer than I used to get  I grew up in the wrong area, obviously!

EDIT: BTW, I think it's fanastic that you're using your time and energy productively and in an attempt to help others! 

5323

Official Announcements / Re: Site of the month for June: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 03:20 PM »

I sprung for a subscription to his newsletter and am glad that I did - I really like the fact that he researches and writes the entire thing himself and I usually agree with what he has to say - if I don't, he explains his position well enough that I can follow his reasoning. He's also VERY approachable, which I discovered while still subsribed to the free edition of his newsletter and is one of the reasons I decided to show my support by paying for a full subscription.

5324

Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Free computer help online (tune-ups, customization, etc)

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 03:03 PM »

Out of school for almost a month?! Luxury! You must start in August then? Around here they start on the Tuesday after Labour Day (first Monday in September) and go to around the end of the third week in June.

5325

General Software Discussion / Re: teracopy: copy your files faster

« Last post by Darwin on June 15, 2007, 03:01 PM »

TeraCopy =   I'd rather eat broken glass.

ROFLMAO

Incidentally, when I was a teen there was a teen club in town that I went to once or twice. While there I witnessed a hockey player eat a glass ashtray. I've never known what compelled him to do it, but he didn't seem to come to any harm (sadly - he was a jerk. Did I just write that?) and it shows that this can be done!