Recent Posts

5701

Living Room / Re: Death in Family

« Last post by Stoic Joker on December 06, 2009, 12:44 PM »

Thanks guys, My wife had to fly to Michigan alone while I stayed here to babysit the dogs & my father in-law (who is visiting for the holidays...), so I've been a bit too stressed for "safe" posting. She is back safely now and has found some peace...but watching her standing there clutching the flag the military presented her with - and knowing what it represented is not an image (I fear) that I will ever shake.

5702

Living Room / Death in Family

« Last post by Stoic Joker on December 02, 2009, 05:48 PM »

On Wednesday of last week my son died at the age of 29 of an apparent heart-attack. Due to his service in the Navy he will be buried with full military honors.

5703

Living Room / Re: What is a "Gentleman's drink"

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 25, 2009, 12:45 AM »

So... does the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster count?

5704

General Software Discussion / Re: google results

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 23, 2009, 06:55 PM »

I thought most search engines had started blocking/blacklisting/ranking last sites that did that sort of thing?

5705

fSekrit / Re: Beta: fSekrit 1.40 needs some abuse!

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 23, 2009, 06:38 PM »

but you can either use a hex editor or grab an EDITBIN from an older VS.

-f0dder (November 23, 2009, 05:45 PM)

I can send you my 05 if you like.

5706

Living Room / Re: Apple Declares Smoking Near Apple Computers Voids Warranty

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 23, 2009, 06:02 PM »

Ya know, The last thing I need is yet another reason to hate Apple and their insanely (unwarranted) pious nonsense. But this is completely Over-the-Top. I will never buy anything from a company that is that pathetically stick up there ass retarded.

Second hand cigarette smoke is no more (or less) dangerous that any other smoke like that coming off a camp fire, or book burning.

@MilesAhead - Thanks, love the smiley, it got me to start laughing before I went ballistic...

5707

fSekrit / Re: Beta: fSekrit 1.40 needs some abuse!

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 23, 2009, 05:33 PM »

VS2008 EDITBIN.EXE won't let me set a subsystem version lower than 5.0, so I have to use a hexeditor to do that, joy joy.

-f0dder (November 23, 2009, 04:49 PM)

Damn, I knew there was a reason I never got arround to upgrading. I've got a little networking widget that I use for getting a remote system to keep me up to date in its IP (Client/Server type thing) it (is GUI) was compiled with MSVS2005 (with latest service packs) and ran just fine on NT4 (it doesn't have file dialogs). My (connection stressing) ping utility (is CLI) also ran just fine on NT4.

I don't recall ever using anything but the default subsystem ver (not sure where to look for it)  so I can't comment on that. But, I did some polking arround in some old code samples and found what (i think) I remember being the issue with the 9x stuff.

This is from antique (16bit) project: of.Flags  = OFN_HIDEREADONLY|OFN_FILEMUSTEXIST;
This is the retro standard open file flags selection (from the MS MultiPad.c code demo).

This is from current project: ofn.Flags = OFN_EXPLORER|OFN_ENABLEHOOK|OFN_DONTADDTORECENT;
The 3 common options used above, will confuse the crap out of the legacy OSs

5708

Developer's Corner / Re: Apple's App Store Mistake

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 23, 2009, 02:00 PM »

So... You are saying that their primary and most successful product, is their marketing?

I got no problem with that.

5709

fSekrit / Re: Beta: fSekrit 1.40 needs some abuse!

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 23, 2009, 09:27 AM »

Second is fixing Win9x/NT4 problems, which might require building release versions with an older compiler...

-f0dder (November 23, 2009, 06:56 AM)

Granted I could be nutz (and I haven't had time to check), but I really do thing that can be handled with a version check that sends 9x/NT to the older (deprecated) function/version of the structure. I know I ran into it before (on a project I've since lost) and decided to drop support for the legacy stuff so I wouldn't have to retrace a ver var through the whole app.

I really don't see how the compiler is going to help with a (missing style) request being made to comdlgs.dll

5710

Developer's Corner / Re: Apple's App Store Mistake

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 23, 2009, 05:54 AM »

Exactly.  They were stubborn about that for almost a full decade.  I've pointed out several times how it's unheard of for a company to have a multi-year head start on a technological innovation and not do anything successful with it.  Then apple came along and stole the market in a matter of months.  Like a german blitzkrieg.

-superboyac (November 22, 2009, 10:19 PM)

Hm... (I was not aware of that part of the story) ...But on that note, it doesn't really sound like Apple innovated anything...They were (by the sound of it) more of an armchair general that got lucky with a captain obvious moment.

5711

Developer's Corner / Re: Apple's App Store Mistake

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 22, 2009, 07:31 AM »

Very interesting.  Apple does demand control, that's mostly why I avoid their products no matter how cool I think they are.  I have not once bought an apple product in my life, yet I think they are super cool.  I don't think I can say that for any other company.

-superboyac (November 22, 2009, 05:02 AM)

While I realize that terms have a tendency to change meaning over time, Apple does not qualify for any meaning of cool that I'm familiar with. Ultra Trendy... Yes.

Being cool requires a more of a laid back attitude which avoids the micro-management of every little nitypicky detail.

5712

General Software Discussion / Re: Chrome OS preview looks pretty cool

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 21, 2009, 07:07 PM »

Chrome OS = Sandbox.

Right... (literal) Translation: There is nothing on LM that is worth stealing. It's not really an OS per se, it's a browser with a boot strap that gives you direct access to the Google Cloud. Where all of your data is kept for you... e.g. There is no point in hacking into a TV, which is what this thing pro-ports to want to be.

Once again (and don't even try to tell me AOL hasn't proven this point 1,000 times over), The very instant you tell Joe User that they are perfectly safe and secure in a warm blanket of bull shit... ...They will start doing stuff like use their dogs name for a password, "hide" their password in the text of their (public access) personal page (in case they lose it...), and even dumber stuff that I can't even fathom.

Google's use of terms like sandbox is more sales hyperbole than a true use of the technology because there is (once again) nothing stored on the device that actually needs to be defended (it's just a Web-Radio).  It's nothing more then a thinly veiled attempt to stampede people like lemmings off a cliff into the the warm safe embrace of Google's Venus Cloud trap.

5713

Living Room / Re: Best Free and Pay FTP Client

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 21, 2009, 01:01 PM »

This Just in:
 LeapFTP now has a new version available v3.0.1 - www.LeapWare.com

5714

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 21, 2009, 08:21 AM »

Hold on, I'm not familiar about this, can you clarify?  What is the myth?  That 32-bit applications suffer in performance in 64-bit OS?  Or that the difference in performance in general for 64-bit OS's is negligible relative to 32-bit?  Because I was considering moving to Windows 7 64-bit and taking advantage of the additional RAM.

-superboyac (November 19, 2009, 03:58 PM)

The myth is that 32 bit programs run slower under 64 bit OS's. As you can see, three of us have not really seen that in real world usage (bar f0dder's Foxit Reader example).

-Darwin (November 19, 2009, 04:31 PM)

Make that four of us ... I've been x64 for a few years and haven't seen foot dragging at all.


@MilesAhead - The thing is if you don't really need a program to be 64-bit, then compiling it that way is just an academic exercise/waste.

Let's use T-Clock as an example; there is both a 32bit & a 64bit version of the program compiled with MSVS2005 . Both use the exact same source code but are referenced under different project names in the same solution (both are running on Win7):

x86: Memory (Private Working Set) 1,508
x64: Memory (Private Working Set) 2,188

...Which makes the question, why gobble up a bunch of memory that you don't need & can't use for program X. T-Clock has to be 64 bit because you can't inject a 32 bit (clock) hook into a 64 bit (system tray) process. None of my other software is 64 bit as there is just no (way to justify the memory usage waste) need for it.

5715

General Software Discussion / Re: Waking up stand-by windows computer on Lan?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 20, 2009, 10:08 PM »

In a nutshell WOL is a UDP packet containing the target machine's MAC address 16 times sent to port 9

5716

General Software Discussion / Re: Chrome OS preview looks pretty cool

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 20, 2009, 06:36 PM »

Under Google, the OS is a medium, like television, radio or the Internet. That's the revolutionary idea, and one that we should take time to ponder.

-zridling (November 20, 2009, 03:08 PM)

(Treat it like a Radio or TV) That's the part I find horrifying, because any chance of securing the thing goes right down the drain the instant Joe User gets the impression that a lackadaisical attitude is okay.

5717

Living Room / Re: Dual NIC use

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 20, 2009, 01:38 PM »

Feasible, yes using ICS which is included with XP pro.

Practical, no. ICS is a fragile, touchy, aggravating, PITA. I'd even go as far as saying that any cheap router would be a much better (more secure, stable, reliable, cheaper in the long run) option.

5718

Find And Run Robot / Re: Shortcut to launch with admin privileges?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 20, 2009, 01:32 PM »

tip: ShellExecute using the "RunAs" verb. Not properly documented and feels hacky, but that's the UAC API for you, I guess

-f0dder (November 16, 2009, 01:08 AM)

As I recall, RunAs (in Shell & ShellExecute) was an option back in Win2k, it just never caught on because everybody just ran as Admin back then.

5719

Living Room / Re: Tip if router won't connect properly to cable modem: Clone the MAC address

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 20, 2009, 12:39 PM »

While that is true for most cable setups, sometimes (cable based) ISP's play additional games that involve preventing the assignment of addresses MAC address (or address blocks) that are  assigned to router manufacturers/equipment.

There is also the only 2 MAC addresses allowed (there end and your end) game that they play.

Either dilemma will require mousers above approach.

5720

General Software Discussion / Re: Office 2010 Technical Preview

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 20, 2009, 07:12 AM »

But what about getting it for $35? (https://www.donation....msg185098#msg185098)

-mwb1100 (November 20, 2009, 02:54 AM)

That appears to be SoftMaker's Office not Microsofts.

5721

Living Room / Re: Tip if router won't connect properly to cable modem: Clone the MAC address

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 20, 2009, 06:12 AM »

What I was told is that the ISP is more than happy to diagnose connection problems for a computer, but because of the wide variety and configuration options for home routers, they just aren't interested in giving that level of support.

-Daleus (February 01, 2008, 08:47 AM)

And while that is partially true, the reason behind it is a bit different.

For the ISP's "Computer Diagnostics" all their need is any carcass off the street that is literate, level headed, and has a pleasant phone voice (actually only the first requirement is mandatory...). You see, these days the assumption that calling "Tech Support" will put you in touch with someone smarter than you about product X is complete crap. Maintaining a truly trained staff is expensive, maintained a hoard of trained monkeys on the other hand, is quite affordable, especially if they're contracted with zero benefits.

ISP's won't trouble shoot your router because router trouble shooting requires that you actually do know something.

5722

Living Room / Re: Geek gadgets - Calculators...

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 20, 2009, 05:52 AM »

I find it scary that kids today are ENCOURAGED to use a graphing calculator in calculus and physics classes in high school. Granted, they're not allowed to use them on exams, but why encourage them in the first place? If you don't understand what you are doing and why, what value is there in arriving at the correct answer quickly? I'm getting old...

-Darwin (May 19, 2009, 01:08 PM)

That's just the down-side of our "Results Driven" society (All Hail the Laued "Rain Maker") as long as you can produce huge stacks of cash...it doesn't matter to the head office how many people were screwed or killed.

(I'm getting old too...)

5723

General Software Discussion / Re: [rant] Seriously? Software pricing is officially nuts

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 19, 2009, 04:59 PM »

I remember back in the Win98/2000 days I thought ACDSee was one of the coolest image programs out there. However after XP and the built in (and lightning fast) image viewer I no longer had a use for it.

$280?!? ROFL ...I've actually passed up several opportunities to get (quality) pirated copies of the program because it wasn't worth the space to store on the drive.

5724

General Software Discussion / Re: Disks: Why size=performance - Interesting article on speeding up your computer

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 19, 2009, 12:36 PM »

I'm still not convinced there is an advantage that is effected by this tweak. Drives fill from the faster outside tracks in (or at least that's my understanding...) so what advantage is there to artificially shrinking the drive if you only have 200-300GB of stuff ... it going to be on the faster outer edge anyway (regardless of how much extra free space there is to rattle around in).

5725

General Software Discussion / Re: Worst Win7 reviews (ongoing)

« Last post by Stoic Joker on November 16, 2009, 06:31 PM »

I think I get where he's coming from tho. The average Joe User really just wants to fire the thing up and either connect to stuff like cameras, printers, & the internet or open application X and look at item Y. ...Kinda just like they do with a radio or TV. For those folk it just comes down to a connector thingy and a channel guide (Application? Website? Hell I don't know it just said SportsCenter on it...).