Recent Posts

5601

DcUpdater / Program freezing with non-typical program directories

« Last post by superboyac on August 16, 2007, 11:58 AM »

Hi mouser, I tried DcUpdater on my home computer and ran into some problems.  I use it here at work with no problems at all, but here is the difference:

At work, I don't care, so I install all my programs wherever they go by default (c:\program files mostly).  At home, I'm more anal, and I put my programs into another directory (c:\programs).  Anyway, I drag the directory path into DCupdater's preference section for additional paths, and it takes a while for it to scan the directory after I close the preferences.  But the programs don't appear in the dcupdater list, and also, when I go back to preferences, the program freezes and I have to kill it.  SO, it seems to be having a problem with the custom directories.

Let me ask this, is it enough for me to drop in just the c:\programs directory, or do I have to be more specific and drag in the actual subfolder like C:\programs\Screenshotcaptor ?  Thanks.

5602

General Software Discussion / Re: Novell Groupwise is such a lame program

« Last post by superboyac on August 14, 2007, 12:58 PM »

THanks Matt, I'll keep you in mind if anything comes up. 

5603

General Software Discussion / Re: Novell Groupwise is such a lame program

« Last post by superboyac on August 14, 2007, 10:50 AM »

• Create a category called 'ArchiveInTime' or similar.
• Create a rule.
• Set the rule to run on Startup rather than on the usual 'Mail Received'
• Set a condition so that IF delivered date is earlier than -35 days before today AND category is ArchiveInTimemove to archive.
• Add action Move To Archive

-katykaty (August 13, 2007, 04:17 PM)

great tip!  Works like a charm, I love it!

5604

General Software Discussion / Re: Novell Groupwise is such a lame program

« Last post by superboyac on August 14, 2007, 10:50 AM »

That's probably true for a lot of places.  But budget is not an issue here at all.  I get what you're saying though.  Fortunately for me, the head of our department absolutely hates Groupwise, and  I remember her specifically griping about it not long after she was here.  She wants to go to Outlook, so I'm happy with that.  It hasn't happened yet, but hopefully soon.

5605

General Software Discussion / Re: Novell Groupwise is such a lame program

« Last post by superboyac on August 14, 2007, 10:03 AM »

If you'd been using Outlook you would have been slammed by every major security issue that Microsoft has had for the last 5-7 years.   You wouldn't be whistlin Outlook's tune.     And besides, you're using 6.5.   The latest 7 client is way better and the next release, called Bonsai, has even more functionality and features.   Latest & greatest technology seems to be spelled U-N-S-T-A-B-L-E.    With lots of Fortune 5 companies and large organizations using GroupWise, they want something stable more than they want all the latest bells & whistles.   

-mraymus (August 13, 2007, 11:55 PM)

I'm not praising Outlook at all, I don't like Outlook.  but I like it more than Groupwise.  I understand that Novell is very safe and secure.  I have to also say that a lot of Groupwise functionality is specifically crippled by our IT here, so it's not completely the fault of Groupwise.

My point is that if our IT was a little more ambitious, we can get the best of both worlds, meaning a safe and secure system, but also the option to use a better email, calendar, etc. software.  The whole thing doesn't have to come from the same company.  But it would be more complex to manage, so they wouldn't do it.  That's what I would do.

By the way, I never understand when people say "Outlook is vulnerable" etc.  If you have the proper security on your system (virus protection, firewall, antispyware, etc.) then isn't that what constitutes whether or not your system is vulnerable?  Outlook isn't doing anything.  It's just as vulnerable as any other email program, unless we're talking about things which specifically attack Outlook or something.  Again, if all the right protection was in place, it wouldn't really matter.  I never understood that statement.

5606

General Software Discussion / Re: Novell Groupwise is such a lame program

« Last post by superboyac on August 13, 2007, 03:50 PM »

ha...yeah, that's true.  You know another really annoying thing they do here, they delete all email in your account after 45 days.  I think that is so retarded.  So, if you want anything saved, you have to send it to the "archive" of groupwise (another idiotic concept...with an even worse implementation).  Of course, you ahve to have the foresight to know what email to save, or just save them all.  Oh man, it really grits my greaser.

5607

General Software Discussion / Re: Novell Groupwise is such a lame program

« Last post by superboyac on August 13, 2007, 02:01 PM »

Neither do I, we're on 6.5.  That's interesting that you haven't updated either.  I think because it's probably a little bit of a pain to upgrade, so the typically lazy IT people would rather just let it sit.  I think they go by the if it ain't broke, don't bother fixing it.

5608

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Tray Management Utilities Mini-Review

« Last post by superboyac on August 13, 2007, 10:39 AM »

After using SystrayX for almost 2 years, I have now switched back to PS Tray.  PS Tray is way better than Systrayx, for a variety of reasons, most of which have been mentioned here.  The final straw for me was all the flickering and beeping when you pulled up the hidden icon menu.  PS Tray is rock solid, and has a much better licensing policy.

5609

General Software Discussion / Novell Groupwise is such a lame program

« Last post by superboyac on August 13, 2007, 10:24 AM »

I've been using Groupwise here at work for almost 2 years now, and I'm surprised that I'm still sane.  It's such a remarkably average program.  And I think I'm doing it a favor by calling it average.  How does a big name program like this get away with being so average for so long, and furthermore, why do companies even go for it?  Their email is a joke, the calendar/appointment thing is at best functional, contacts feature is pretty awful, and there are a bunch of little things that will annoy you to pieces.

I'll tell you what it is...laziness.  Companies want to just buy one program that will take care of all their needs.  Sorry, but you're not going to get much quality that way.  Novell will provide security, email, calendar, contact management, user administration, all in one convenient package.  Unfortunately, most of it is crappy.  The IT management should be a little more ambitious and get the best software for each particular task, even though it would be more work.  Hell, I would even welcome Outlook over this with wide open arms...and I've never been a fan of Outlook.

The funny thing is, part of the reason why we use Groupwise is because the rest of the city agencies use it.  SO, you'd thing that it would be easy to coordinate things through the program with people from other departments.  Not the case!  They are completely separate systems!  There is no consolidated address book or appointment function or anything.  So, the excuse they use for getting the program in the first place is null and void.  Just lame.

5610

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

« Last post by superboyac on July 31, 2007, 01:39 AM »

@Superboyac

How does the Zoot 32-bits deal with graphics ? Evernote is/was much stronger in this area. Graphics are not that much of a big deal for me, but we live in 2007.

"Organizationwise" we'd need something like "Zoot meets X1", but for the whole file system.

-Armando (July 30, 2007, 04:58 PM)

Zoot32 doesn't deal any differently with graphics than Zoot16 (yet).  In other words, there is no graphics functionality other than linking to a graphic file.  I want to emphasize that at this point, there are no tangible differences between Zoot32 and Zoot16 other than the underlying base being 32-bit instead of 16-bit, which is ultimately transparent to the user.  The author has only mentioned RTF support as an added functionality in the works for later beta versions.

Yes, Evernote does images and other pretty things better than Zoot.  Zoot is a hardcore text-based application.  EverNote is much more geared toward a general class of users that need a wide variety of text, formatted text, webclips, images, etc. support.  Zoot is for people who have an enormous amount of text they need to organized in a pretty uniquely powerful manner.

Zoot meets X1 is nice to think about, but don't bet on it.  I don't think Zoot will be an indexer of any type in the near future.  I like Archivarius for indexing.

5611

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

« Last post by superboyac on July 30, 2007, 01:47 PM »

Yes, it sure is.  I think people who use it heavily will say it's well worth it, but Zoot will have a hard time prying people away from other programs with that kind of price tag.  Evernote 2.0 is very (almost eerily) similar to Zoot in it's look and function, and it's free.  However, Evernote is not nearly as powerful as Zoot.  So, as a user, you will have to decide if the additional poweruser features are worth the extra $100 (EN is basically free unless you want the text recognition features).  I posted in Zoot's forum about this and told them that the price is going to have to be considered because of Evernote.  I'm guessing the author will ignore the price issue (maybe even increase the price).  On one hand, I'm sure the Zoot cult will have no problem with the price or the upgrade fee.  however, I feel if he were to make the price more competitive with Evernote ($30-50 range) he would attract enough additional customers to make it worth it.

Hopefully, we can get a good discount here at DC! 

5612

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

« Last post by superboyac on July 30, 2007, 11:50 AM »

Well, I finally got a chance to beta test the new 32-bit version of Zoot.  Not much has changed besides the behind-the-scenes conversion from 16-bit to 32-bit.  This is going to be the standard bearer for notetaking in my opinion, I'm glad it's finally being resurrected.

I know my notes have become too unwieldy to maintain in a tree hierarchy, so some other form of organization will have to replace it.  Zoot's organization features are so powerful, no other program offers it.  It's automatic rules, filtering, categorizing, etc is really great (I would liken it to a really powerful email filtering system).  Evernote is doing a decent job in this area, but once Zoot is finished in the 32-bit version, Evernote will just be eye-candy.

5613

DcUpdater / Re: LATEST VERSION INFO THREAD - DcUpdater - 1.15.01 - July 11, 2007

« Last post by superboyac on July 23, 2007, 03:55 PM »

superboy, when you install the newer versions of FARR, the dcupdater will have entries for it.  Also when you launch the updater from FARR itself.

other DC apps are not built with support for the updater yet, that will come starting in august.

-mouser (July 23, 2007, 03:35 PM)

Ah!  Very cool!  Works like a charm.  You know, there was a pretty cool plugin for Total COmmander that I almost used diligently that would check for updates for software.  but it was more like website-watcher than a true update checker, because you would point it to the text on the website that indicated the version number, and when it changed, it would notify you.  Not quite as slick as this.

5614

DcUpdater / Re: LATEST VERSION INFO THREAD - DcUpdater - 1.15.01 - July 11, 2007

« Last post by superboyac on July 23, 2007, 03:30 PM »

I just tried this program, great idea!  But I don't have any .dcupdate files except for the program itself.  Not even for FARR.  Where can I get these files, or how else can I include them in the list?

5615

General Software Discussion / Re: Which MP3 player/management software do you use?

« Last post by superboyac on July 23, 2007, 12:45 PM »

Another vote for foobar.  I use foobar as my player.  I use mp3rat and mp3 collector for cataloging the files.  You will not find a software that will make it faster and easier to locate mp3 files than Mp3Rat.  unfortunately, it hasn't been updated for years, and there are a few little bugs in it.  For example, when it reads the tag information for creating the database, I always see a bunch of weird symbols in the fields.  Like "Garth Brooks" sometimes looks like "Garth Brooks&^%(^$$$@".  But it's no big deal because it doesn't affect the search at all.  Another thing I don't like about it is that it doesn't have a smooth updating feature to keep the database current with the most recently added files.  Also, it crashes a lot when it's building the database.  I know all this makes it sound bad, but if all these things were fixed, it would be the best program for finding local mp3 files out there by far.

MP3 collector (collectorz.com) is the other program I use.  I use this for keeping track of archives of my collections (on cd or DVD, ie not on the computer).  It's a great program, lots of features, very flexible and powerful.  Unfortunately, it doesn't have Unicode support and it doesn't receive a lot of attention from the developers because it is the least popular program of their suite.

That's a common thing I've discovered about these mp3 organizing.  There are very few to no good dedicated mp3 organizers out there.  Most probably, the demand for these programs are very very small, that's why nobody is making a good, updated one.  Any program that organizes mp3 files is most probably integrated inside a software package that is also a player, tagger, who knows what else.  I don't have a problem with that as some of these suites are very good.  But I find that none of them do all of the things the best, so you will compromise features if you stick to one or another.

mp3rat is awesome, bottom line.

5616

General Software Discussion / Re: Am I the only one who hates smooth scrolling?

« Last post by superboyac on July 17, 2007, 10:16 AM »

I haven't tried the newest logitech mouse with the fancy button wheel

I had that mouse (the MX-Revolution) for about a month. Then I got a little pissed that the frigging Logitech drivers kept losing my custom button assignments and dropped it from a little too high, it broke.

The hardware is awesome! A HUGE improvement. But the software sucks. I've found with Logitech, you better be happy with what you get in the box because there'll only be like, 3 updates, ever.

-Hirudin (July 16, 2007, 09:23 PM)

I have that mouse too, and I learned a long time ago to NEVER load their software.  The mouse works great - It is awesome, in fact.  Just don't use the software!  Some people complain that without it you can't program the extra buttons, but honestly, Do you really need to?  The defaults seem pretty intuitive and if it allows you to forgo the crappy software, isn't it worth it? 

Of course I guess that is pretty much the same thing you are saying. 

-steeladept (July 17, 2007, 07:36 AM)

Man, I gotta get that mouse sometime.  Aren't there any third party applications that allow you to assign mouse buttons?  Or does it have to be done by the manufacturer's drivers?
I'm using a combo Logitech mouse+keyboard, and I remember getting annoyed by the software in the beginning.  I think what pissed me off was that everything reacted so slowly.  So I removed the drivers, and now I just use it plain.  I can't assign all the little buttons on the keyboard, but I'm not annoyed anymore.  That really is bad of logitech to do that since they are the #1 mouse+keyboard people.

5617

General Software Discussion / Re: Am I the only one who hates smooth scrolling?

« Last post by superboyac on July 16, 2007, 12:48 PM »

Same here, it's one of the first things I disable. Smooth scrolling makes me feel I have less control over navigation; it never scrolls the distance I want or at the speed I want. All animation effects go out right along with it.

It is not the first thing I disable in a new install though - that would probably be hiding file extensions in Explorer - but also, that's a whole new thread!

-tranglos (July 16, 2007, 11:45 AM)

I'm with you there on the file extensions.  But, yeah, smooth scrolling is so frustrating.  Sure, it makes it look nice, but good luck ever hitting the spot you are aiming at.

I haven't tried the newest logitech mouse with the fancy button wheel, but I have a feeling that it's a better alternative to smooth scrolling because it's mechanical, not virtual.  I heard if you flick the button wheel really fast, it will disengage the stepping mechanism and spin like a bicycle wheel, so you can accelerate the scrolling.  But if you do it slowly, it will be the normal step scroll.  That sounds cool.

5618

General Software Discussion / Am I the only one who hates smooth scrolling?

« Last post by superboyac on July 16, 2007, 10:30 AM »

I hate it in all applications.  Nuff said.

5619

Living Room / Re: (Video) Stalked by an a-capella group

« Last post by superboyac on July 15, 2007, 03:50 PM »

OH man, I went to UC Berkeley...I remember that group.  They were always very entertaining.  They were funny as hell.  This is too funny, just walking up to a couple of random guys and doing that.

On the days before the Big Game (Cal vs. Stanford in football), they would interrupt some of the bigger lecture halls spontaneously and show a video of The Play (the laterals with the band on the field), and they would sing the Berkeley fight song to everyone.  They're a good group, one of the things that makes the university fun.

5620

General Software Discussion / Re: 12 Windows Explorer Alternatives Compared

« Last post by superboyac on July 11, 2007, 03:42 PM »

 
for the above post by, JohnFredC.  That's what I call a thorough analysis.

5621

General Software Discussion / Recommendations for project/schedule management software (besides MS Project)?

« Last post by superboyac on June 29, 2007, 01:08 PM »

Are there any other good programs for making schedules for projects besides MS Project?  We use MS Project at work, but I don't really like it that much due to a variety of reasons, and was wondering if there was anything better (free or commercial).  Scheduling is the important feature here, I'm not as concerned with making to-do lists or other project management issues besides scheduling.

5622

Living Room / Re: What's the most complicated wristwatch?

« Last post by superboyac on June 19, 2007, 11:06 PM »

Crap, Aram, you're making me feel OLD. I was *supposed* to graduate from university the year your grade 8 graduation watch was made and did so the year you were in grade 10 (took three years off after my first year to figure out what I wanted to do - ie party a lot and figure out that I didn't want to work in a grocery store stocking shelves for the rest of my life, but I digress)...

-Darwin (June 19, 2007, 06:33 PM)

Haha, Darwin, sorry!  That's the circle of life, man.  Trust me, I have my own regrets about things I should have done in my college days.  If only we could go back and do it again, right?  Maybe we'd get it right the second time!

app103, that's one funky watch...I don't understand how you can actually play the wheel of fortune on it.  You know what would be cool, if Vanna White came with the watch...

5623

Living Room / Re: What's the most complicated wristwatch?

« Last post by superboyac on June 19, 2007, 04:10 PM »

Just FYI, here is the 1991 model of the watch I got for my 8th grade graduation:

It was a very cool watch, I used it on my wrist and as a pocket watch until about 2000.  I still have it, but all the rubber around it has come off.  But the one I really wanted was the sister watch:

Why I'm so obsessed by the 1/1000 second thing, I don't know.  At this point, it's a nostalgia thing.  I'll tell you one thing, if my girlfriend or someone were to ever surprise me with this someday, it would be pretty emotional for me.


Then, in 10th grade (~1994) or so, my G-Shock mysteriously stopped working.  I changed the battery and it still didn't work.  Surprisingly, my mom wasn't mad and the next day or so, she got me a new G-Shock, also quite cool because it had the blue nightglow in the back which was new at the time:


One day, in the summer of 1999, I was home from college, and I took that first G-Shock that supposedly didn't work anymore, and I opened it up.  I took all the parts out, looked at them, did nothing else, put them back in, and it worked!  I was pretty happy!  A little later, on one of my flights from school, the newer watch fell out of my pocket at the airport somewhere and I lost it.  So I started using the resurrected one again...that's where I got the idea to put a chain on the digital watch.  I've been waiting for it to become a fad but it hasn't.  I'm just a nerd for now...William Hung style, although I don't know what's hanging at the end of his chain (it's probably a wallet).

I should have made this story one of my blogs here.  Oh well, it's not like there are that many people who care about my G-Shock saga!

You can read all about G-Shocks at this guys website devoted to it:
http://www.g-peopleland.com/
Great site!

5624

Living Room / Re: What's the most complicated wristwatch?

« Last post by superboyac on June 19, 2007, 03:58 PM »

OOo, Darwin, very nice pocket watch.  I love pocket watches.  I was totally obsessed with them in college, and my friend and I bought a few of the cheap windup Russian pocket watches on eBay.  I thought I was so classy:

I still like them, but I need the compass so I use the Pathfinder now.  Unfortunately, it's not quite so classy when you pull out a Pathfinder at the end of a nice silver chain...a lot of people laugh at me for it.

My brother in law also gave me a swiss army pocket watch recently with a flip top.  It's my backup watch and I use it for fancy situations.  But the lid doesn't spring open like my old Russian pocket watches, you have to pull it open.  Still, it's nice:


I'd like to see your collection, Darwin, I bet it's really cool.


CWuestefeld, where did you find this Pro Trek?  I've never seen it anywhere.  I've been wondering about the solar Pathfinders...I keep the watch in my pocket, so I figure that solar power will actually be a bad thing for me.  Is that true?  Are there really no batteries in the watch at all?  I'd also like to have that atomic timekeeping.


One of the watches I thought were really cool was one the early G-Shock models that came out around 1991.  It looked really tough, and it's chronometer was accurate to 1/1000 of a second.  For some reason, I was obsessed by that 1/1000 of a second thing.  Anyway, I never got that watch, but I got the sister watch at the time, but it was too enormous for my wrist (I was 5'3" and 95 lbs at the time).  Anyway, years later in 2000, I saw the watch on ebay, but someone outbid me in the last second.  I told him my sob story and begged him to sell the watch to me.  He agreed, took my money, and never sent me the watch (~$100).  Lesson learned.  I'll probably cry if I ever see that watch somewhere.

5625

Living Room / What's the most complicated wristwatch?

« Last post by superboyac on June 19, 2007, 12:42 PM »

I have an odd fascination with really complicated wristwatches.  You know the kind with lots of buttons and a bunch of little dials and rotating bezels.  I don't ever dive, but those diver watches are sure cool!  The Vacheron Constantin Tour de l'Ile is supposedly the world's most complicated watch.  It's two-sided, see the picture below:
 

The watch I use is Casio Pathfinder.  I removed the band and attached a silver chain to it and use it as a pocket watch, because I don't like wearing watches on my wrist.  I got it because it has a digital compass on it, and I never get lost in Los Angeles with it.  LA is so big that if you're not familiar with an area, sometimes you don't even know what direction your headed.  It recently ran out of batteries after 6 years!  I opened it to replace the battery and guess what?  THere are 4 batteries inside!  No wonder it lasted so long.  And not only that, I couldn't find a way to get to the batteries because there's all sorts of stuff in the way.  A couple of tiny springs fell out from somewhere, so I got scared and put the cover back on.  Apparently, to replace the batteries, you have to mail it to Casio, and they'll mail it back.  It costs like $30 total or something ridiculous like that.