Super-sized Newsletter for September 15, 2015
"Codename: Upgrading Everything"
1. Newsletter EditorialGreetings! It's been 6 months since the last newsletter, and this edition of the newsletter isn't just super-sized -- it's the biggest newsletter we've ever put out.
I'm going to talk a little in this editorial about happenings on the website and forum. So if that doesn't interest you, feel free to skip the remainder of the editorial and the first few sections of the newsletter and jump right to the roundup of the most interesting new posts on our forum.
In March we held a fundraiser to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the site, and raised $15,649 from 927 donors (an average donation of about $17). For 10 years our software has remained free of adware, spyware, bundled toolbars, or other unwanted stuff -- all made possible by donations from ordinary users. It was a rejuvenating experience to hear from so many people who have supported our site over the last decade.
The fundraiser made it possible for us to finally spend a couple of months putting in place a major forum upgrade, which was unveiled on August 30th. The forum upgrade brings lots of small improvements on the user interface side of things, and some major improvements in the back end that will make it easier for us to improve, maintain and secure the forum for the next ten years.
And with the successful forum upgrade behind us, we're not slowing down -- next up is a major site overhaul. We're moving the entire website to a CMS which will allow us to more easily add more content from more users, and make it easier to keep the website content updated. We should be ready to unveil that in November (section 2 has links with more details), so stay tuned -- your donations are hard at work.
Ok, onward to the newsletter!
-jesse (mouser)
2. DonationCoder Site NewsHere's a collection of threads discussing all the recent news on the site and forum, that I spoke about in the editorial above, as well as a few more meta-threads that may be of interest to those who have followed the history of the site. If you're a long time member be sure to check out the "long time member check-in thread".
3. Mouser's Software UpdatesI've uploaded some updates to many of my large applications since the last newsletter, including some new Beta releases to improve Windows 10 and high-dpi compatibility. As always, you can find the list of what's new both in the online help pages (linked from each program homepage) or in the forum thread about the application (also linked from each program homepage).
4. Mouser's Software DiscussionsI don't normally add a section in the newsletter collecting forum discussion threads about my apps, but thought I would give it a try in this edition, with a small collection of miscellaneous feature requests, bugs, and questions. If you don't use one these apps, you can safely skip this section!
5. Skwire Empire Software Updates and New ReleasesDC member skwire is one of the more prolific coders of utilities on our site -- he roams the coding snack request section and pounces like a jaguar when he finds something that catches his eye. He's released a ton of updates to his software since the last newsletter, including some updates and a few brand new releases:
6. User-to-User: Your Input RequestedWe love nothing more than having interesting discussions on our forum -- and we love when new people participate in the discussions. In each newsletter we try to highlight a few topics that we think might interest casual readers and that are good candidates for making your first post.
7. Coding Snacks, Mini-reviews, and other Member ProjectsWe love to keep up with projects that our members are working on, and hearing what our forum members think of software they use. If you're working on something interesting -- let us know!
8. Website Discoveries, Debates, Essays, and DiscussionsWhat's new in cyberspace? What exciting new sites have been discovered by forum members? What's the current hot topic and debate? Read on to find out..
9. Software Discussions - General DiscussionSome noteworthy general software discussions on the forum since the last newsletter:
10. Software Discussions - Specific AppsSome noteworthy software discussions on the forum about specific software applications since the last newsletter:
11. Software Discussions - Windows 10We've had enough Windows 10 posts since the last newsletter to devote a full section to it here. The general consensus on the web seems to be that it's a solid improvement, but you can see from the forum that upgrading has not been entirely painless for everyone:
12. Entertainment, Games, and HumourHere's a collection of some fun or funny web browsing links posted on the forum recently.
13. Developer's CornerThis section highlights some discussions that might be relevant for not just coders and developers, but also people interested in entrepreneurial issues.
14. Announce Your Software/Service/ProductOn most forums people are banned as spammers if they post about a product they are personally involved in. While we show spammers no mercy, we think it's silly to ban people from posting about something interesting just because they are involved in it. Instead, we simply require people to make such posts in a specific area of the forum, and make clear any relationship they have with a product when posting, and refrain from simply copying and pasting standard press release text. Here are some recent posts from that section:
15. Security CornerThere were many security-related posts on the forum since the last newsletter; here are some of the most noteworthy:
16. Hardware HangoutWhile the lion's share of technical discussions on our forum involve Microsoft Windows software, hardware and linux threads are becoming increasingly common.
17. The "My Computer Just Died" SectionFor some reason there were quite a few threads since the last newsletter dealing with computers that died suddenly and stopped booting. Read on for some spooky tales of panic and dread:
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