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6526

General Software Discussion / Re: Freeware Genius Posts Top 10 Free Programs of 2011

« Last post by 40hz on December 28, 2011, 10:01 AM »

Was worth reading just to find out about Otixo!

What a remarkably useful utility for managing files you've stored in the cloud! Been using it less than an hour and I'm already a fan.

Props to Cyberduck too. That may just become my day-to-day FTP client if it proves out to be half as good as it seems after the quick try I gave it.   

6527

Living Room / Re: In search of ... router recommendations

« Last post by 40hz on December 27, 2011, 02:15 PM »

No router recommendations from me but I like Tomato quite a bit. More current than DDWRT, easier to use, less crash-prone (I haven't had to restart my router in... a while, can't remember the last time).

- Oshyan

-JavaJones (December 21, 2011, 06:50 PM)

I'll +1 w/JJ on Tomato. Got it running in several places (friends, small clients, relatives) on Linksys WRT-54GLs and it's been a dream. Hardly ever have to do a power-bounce reset on them unless the cable/DSL modem plugged into them had a problem first. Pretty much a joy to own and use.

Not quite so enthusiastic about DD-WRT. With power comes a price - and the potential for glitches.

Unless you need some of the really advanced features DD-WRT provides, I think you're better off with Tomato. Unless you like to get down and play, in which case DD-WRT is a nice big busybox to screw around with.

For Netflix, check out the Roku streaming players. A few of our friends use them (wired through Tomato based routers) and they're pretty awesome. Can't say how well they work in a wireless configuration because I don't have any direct experience with that setup. We plan on getting a Roku2-XS in the not too distant future since we're finally dropping DirectTV. (That little red Angry Birds Limited Edition is soooo tempting. )

I'm currently using something called the Untangle Gateway on my home network. My 'router' consists of a small, fairly green (due for an upgrade) headless PC with an 8-port gigabyte switch plugged into it. It's overkill for most people. And I may switch to something else when I upgrade the box it's running on because my requirements have changed a great deal since I first started using it. If I go over to a fixed IP sometime next year I'll probably switch to using pfSense.

Luck!
 

6528

Developer's Corner / Re: Ribbon UI - is it really THAT good?

« Last post by 40hz on December 26, 2011, 04:00 PM »

@wraith- no offense taken. I've 'just'  learned to be careful with thinking "just" in the same thought with anything involving Microsoft. They are sharp, fast, tough, and merciless when it comes to negotiations.

BTW 90% of my corporate experience is with very large corporations - as employee and vendor. So big is no stranger to me. I've worked for both Fortune 5 and 500. At the Fortune 5, I was directly responsible for software licensing and distribution for this multinational behemoth. I also sat in on some of the negotiations that provided the prototype for much of what later became MS's corporate volume and site license programs.

And having seen the heavyweights in action, I have a *very* different perspective on how these deals get made. And don't.  

6529

Developer's Corner / Re: Ribbon UI - is it really THAT good?

« Last post by 40hz on December 26, 2011, 11:37 AM »

All of this is just FUD, and maybe from a consumer prospective or even a small ISV prospective it might seem that this is just around the corner.  But coming from somewhere that has a huge IT department and that has just spent a sickening amount of money on VS2010 and MSDN, I can tell you that it just isn't so.

-wraith808 (December 26, 2011, 09:08 AM)

I'll have to respectfully disagree with you that all of this is "just" FUD. (Gotta be careful with that "just" argument. I'm often guilty of that myself.) But I suppose our corporate work experiences are rather different.  

Either way, time will tell.  

6530

Developer's Corner / Re: Ribbon UI - is it really THAT good?

« Last post by 40hz on December 26, 2011, 06:30 AM »

I don't think that enterprise level applications are going to be app store type apps, in any case.  I just can't see that happening no matter what.

-wraith808 (December 25, 2011, 09:02 PM)

And if Microsoft and Adobe and all the big players decide that going through an app store is what they want to do (less chance of piracy or license violations, easier to get your money, and it helps keep the independent developers out), what real workable alternatives will "enterprise" customers have? Switch over to Linux? Yeah right. They can do that now. Oh wait! No Windows or Apple app store? Ouch! No legal way to get things like InDesign, Photoshop, or MS Excel. Even if you are running some flavor of Debian.

Point is, if Microsoft goes that route, it's far easier for enterprise customers to go along than it is for them to retool over to a new OS and a new set of core applications. Especially since Microsoft has already announced plans to allow big corporate users to run what amounts to their own app store in-house.

The only thing that will deep six the whole app store/Metro plan is if it does a complete crash and burn financially for Microsoft. And right now, the jury's out on if it will. Most consumers don't seem to care (or understand) what's happening. And as long as Microsoft makes some technical and policy accommodations for the big players, they won't be objecting much either.

Simple fact is that war has been declared on the personal computer. The big software companies want devices that can only run their software. And the governments of the world seem to be interested in removing as much power from this technology as possible now that it's demonstrated how empowering it is for the general population. Since many of these governments lack the legal and moral authority to restrict this technology, they'll do it by fiat by allowing software publishers, telcos, and hardware manufacturers to lock things down as much as possible.

People used to worry that the age of an open internet was coming to a close? Well, it's a lot worse than that. The age of being able to own a general purpose and totally unrestricted personal computer is also coming to a close if this trend continues.

Note: Still sounds crazy? Then consider this - most of the major record labels have recently announced they plan to discontinue producing CDs after 2012 and switch completely over to digital distribution. No more hard media! I'm sure the movie industry will follow along shortly. Big boon for the tecos and ISPs too. Especially now that it's becoming obvious you'll virtually be required to have a fast and expensive internet connection to do anything.

So here's a bit of a carrot/stick. It won't just be traditional software. It will also be entertainment that gets dragged along for the ride. So choose your new 'computer' wisely. And plan on applying for your federally issued online 'access and use' license early. There's bound to be a rush once they're required...

6531

Living Room / Re: More Hilarity - "Can I have my spy plane back?"

« Last post by 40hz on December 26, 2011, 05:51 AM »

Everybody seems to forget that there are three branches of the government in the US for a reason- checks and balances.

-wraith808 (December 25, 2011, 09:00 PM)

Including the government.  

Starting with the Cold War, all real authority has increasingly been centralized in the Executive Branch -either through legislation or presidential fiat. Problem is, since the Supreme Court has been extremely reluctant to consider anything which seriously challenges Executive Privilege, there's little moral or legal objection being made from within the three branches.

And now that the Executive Branch has come out on several occasions with statements that the Supreme Court does not have legal jurisdiction over actions taken by the Executive Branch, (a very odd thing to say in a country which bases it's right to exist on law) I think it's pretty obvious where this country is heading.

Especially now that it's become obvious, to even the most clueless, that the Legislative Branch (i.e. the representative body) no longer represents the voters in any meaningful sense.

Though the president does have a lot of power, he is not all powerful and can't act alone.  And in this case, there's been very little that he could do to make things better, with the state of politics in Washington.  Unless that changes, no matter who gets into office, there won't be much difference, other than the spin.

The real problem is that the federal government has a large number of career bureaucrats who view themselves as the "real government" and see the president as little more than a figurehead/spokesperson for various power cabals within the bureaucracy. "Patriotism doesn't get reelected every four years," as a few neo-cons have put it.

This isn't crazy conspiracy theory either. It's generally acknowledged by many in government (starting with president Eisenhower) that the intelligence and security agencies are fairly out of control in this country. That's why you have so many overlapping agencies freely pursuing their own agendas. Often at cross purposes with each other. Often times acting without proper legal authority. And, increasingly, in complete defiance of any congressional attempts at oversight. Good thing there's executive privilege!

Because if there's anybody who should be charged with Contempt of Congress - it's the Executive Branch.

No surprise there.

Sad truth is, the current U.S. Legislature has earned, and well deserves, whatever contempt it's getting.

6532

General Software Discussion / Re: You Tube Download App Needed

« Last post by 40hz on December 24, 2011, 10:24 AM »

^I'm aware of that.  

But the moderators have allowed the post to remain up for several hours now, so I thought it wouldn't be a problem responding. Especially since the question is from a supporting member.

Sorry. "My bad" as the saying (used to?) go.

-40hz (December 23, 2011, 05:53 PM)

Oh, I did not mean to say that you shouldn't respond. I was just warning people to pay attention to who posts the replies, since some may not be trustworthy (clearly of any of the posts above this, AFAIK).

-jgpaiva (December 24, 2011, 05:13 AM)

Oh, I realized that too when I read it. (That's why I put that smilely in there.) Didn't take it as a knock. You're far too polite to all of us for me to ever think that.

Unfortunately, I left out the last line of my post - which I've since added back. Maybe now it's clearer to whoever first reads it what I was trying to say?

Really gotta start making sure I post my final copy up to the forum before closing the text editor.  

6533

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: P-FANCI: Petition For A New Cody Image! POST HERE!!

« Last post by 40hz on December 24, 2011, 09:30 AM »

Ok...time to haul out the heavy artillery...

If you make us a new Cody, Alexis and I will bake you cookies!

 

6534

Living Room / Re: Reddit Leaving GoDaddy because of SOPA Support

« Last post by 40hz on December 24, 2011, 08:59 AM »

This ain't a mistake what got learned from. Unless of course the "lesson" was don't get caught. It's a pure and simple evil corporate money grab attempt at backing-the-winning-pony. They recoiled because they got $panked ... Not because they learned anything/had a change of "heart"/realized it was wrong...

-Stoic Joker (December 24, 2011, 08:44 AM)

I'm afraid Stoic is 100% correct in his analysis.  

GoDaddy talks a good game. But they're a big sprawling corporation. And many who have used GD soon discover there's often serious disconnects between what's being said and what's being done.

6535

Living Room / Re: Adware is not freeware, right?

« Last post by 40hz on December 24, 2011, 08:31 AM »

BTW are you sure you did not give your permission when agreeing to the forum TOS?

-vlastimil (December 24, 2011, 07:17 AM)

Very good point. But the TOS is often little more than 'words written on the sand' as far as that goes.

Virtually every forum or website includes a clause which says the TOS are "subject to change without notice." And it doesn't matter if you decide you no longer want to participate and decide to leave. Because you soon discover such TOS changes were also applied retroactively to anything that's already been submitted.

So it doesn't much matter what you think you've agreed to. It's whatever the site host has decided in the last ten minutes that's the rule of the land.

When the Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link (WELL) started up one of the first (and in many respects, the finest) discussion forums, the rule was; "You own your own words."

Those were simpler times. And the WELL truly was unique.  

Today, post something and it's automatically and irrevocably the property of the hosting site. Unless the host gets sued for something you said. Then they quickly become 'your words' once again. There's usually something (indemnification clause) in the TOS about how you automatically agreed they can do that too. And furthermore, it also says you've agreed to defend the host site, at you own expense, if it ever happens!

How things changed since the lawyers appeared, huh?

6536

Living Room / Re: Reddit Leaving GoDaddy because of SOPA Support

« Last post by 40hz on December 24, 2011, 08:15 AM »

The more serious (as in: with financial ramifications) push-back may finally be starting to kick in. This bit from OSNews.

Paul Graham, YCombinator founder and investor, banned employees who work for a company on the official list of SOPA supporters from attending the YC Demo Day. "Several of those companies [on the list] send people to Demo Day, and when I saw the list I thought: we should stop inviting them. So yes, we'll remove anyone from those companies from the Demo Day invite list," he stated.

"If these companies are so clueless about technology that they think SOPA is a good idea, how could they be good investors?" he quipped.

Can't wait to see the insane pro-SOPA comments bound to follow in the wake of that announcement.

6537

General Software Discussion / Re: You Tube Download App Needed

« Last post by 40hz on December 23, 2011, 05:53 PM »

^I'm aware of that.  

But the moderators have allowed the post to remain up for several hours now, so I thought it wouldn't be a problem responding. Especially since the question is from a supporting member.

Sorry. "My bad" as the saying (used to?) go.

(And as jgpavia's cautionary note suggests - probably best to take any one-line recommendations, posted half a minute after somebody just registered, with a grain of salt.  )

6538

General Software Discussion / Re: You Tube Download App Needed

« Last post by 40hz on December 23, 2011, 05:26 PM »

Hard to suggest without knowing which you've used and didn't like. But I use the Video Download Helper add-on for Firefox and I've been quite happy with it. Read more/download it from here.
 

6539

Living Room / Re: Show us a photo of your mutt or other creatures..

« Last post by 40hz on December 23, 2011, 08:53 AM »

@ Stoic & Darwin - thanks guys. I've lost a good number of dogs to age. Or untreatable illnesses over the years. (That's a collateral you have to accept when you adopt shelter dogs which are often seriously ill or malnourished as puppies, and don't develop correctly as a result.) And I've accompanied both of my sisters every time they had to bring a dog or cat in when they thought it might be for the last time. This is the only thing I've ever done that doesn't get easier with repetition. And I'm kinda grateful it doesn't.

Oh well... right?  

Thanks again.

6540

Living Room / Re: Adware is not freeware, right?

« Last post by 40hz on December 23, 2011, 08:13 AM »

We may look back with fond memories on the days when we could simply buy and own the things we want.

-mouser (December 23, 2011, 07:16 AM)

That's one of the reasons why the D.I.Y. movement has been gaining so much momentum in recent years.



 

all the smartphone platforms are a new breeding ground for the worst rubbish, and we eat it all up.

-tranglos (December 23, 2011, 07:57 AM)

Too true!

In the last month I've deleted over 20 apps from my iPhone that are playing marketing games or have gone over to excessive ad streaming. Sad thing is, it's annoying enough when a 'free' (i.e. sponsored) app gets like that. But there's no excuse when something you've paid for suddenly starts putting banner ads at the bottom of the screen without any warning - or suddenly starts throwing crazy notifications up - and then makes you jump through hoops if you want to turn them off. (Assuming it allows you to do so.)

I could understand if it was simply an attempt to "monetize" something. But half the time it also introduces major stability and performance issues. Once sleek apps suddenly become slow as molasses and have an increased tendency to lock up or crash. And if you're on a busy end of the spectrum, screen loads become glacial since the bloody banner ads load before anything else does.

The longer I work with computers and networks, the more I appreciate everything Richard Stallman and the EFF tried to warn people about.

6541

Living Room / Re: SOPA Is Irrelevant - They'll do it anyways...

« Last post by 40hz on December 23, 2011, 07:09 AM »

You can always leave the backbone. Reintroduce something like FidoNet (i.e. low bandwidth text-based) and SOPA becomes irrelevant.

That would at least allow for greater freedom of speech, even if you couldn't watch all the junk on YouTube on it.

Not to say the Powers That Be wouldn't try to over regulate that as well.

But at least they could no longer claim the prevention of digital piracy and copyright violations as their primary justification for doing so.

Once it becomes obvious the real intent is regulation for the sake of regulation I think you'll see a big shift in the general public's attitude about what's been going on lately. Which is a good thing. Because the only way to stop it is for the public to become aware of the problem enough to become actively engaged with the issue.

Just thinking out loud here... 

6542

Living Room / Re: Reddit Leaving GoDaddy because of SOPA Support

« Last post by 40hz on December 23, 2011, 06:24 AM »

Please note that I am not interested in any services hosted by any UK company though. I don't see the UK as significantly different from the US. They're turning into a police state the same way the US is.

-Renegade (December 23, 2011, 03:03 AM)

@Ren - Don't mean to rain on your parade, but most of the world is turning into a police state if it hasn't already. We've entered the Age of Expedience. And our data links go everywhere. So geographic boundaries and national borders are no longer meaningful when it comes to political policies and agendas.

But maybe that's because all the corporations with real clout are multinationals?

"Global Village." (Fear it!)

6543

General Software Discussion / Re: best font for html email?

« Last post by 40hz on December 22, 2011, 05:28 PM »

^ Hey, at least I never sent any text mail in ALL CAPS LIKE ONE OF MY CLIENTS STILL DOES!


(He's old, owns the company, and is a valuable customer. So do I ever complain about it? Heck no!)

6544

General Software Discussion / Re: best font for html email?

« Last post by 40hz on December 22, 2011, 05:08 PM »

I usually go with a screen optimized font like Ariel in 12 or 14pt.

I'll do Times or Georgia if I want/need to use a serif face. I also really like Consolas and Calibri, but not everybody has them installed.  

Note: I deal with a lot of 50+ people who appreciate a larger font size when reading off today's larger screens. Or at least so they tell me.  

I actually prefer pure text for my own inbound email. But all my friends tell me I'm slowly turning into a dinosaur so consensus is probably with Stoic on it being annoying. FWIW I always send HTML (or both) these days. Most people don't seem to like receiving email that looks like an 1890-vintage telegram.
 

6545

Living Room / Re: Steam: Savior or Slayer of PC Gaming?

« Last post by 40hz on December 22, 2011, 03:56 PM »

Another annoyance with Steam - as you point out, wraith - and most other digital distribution platforms: They sell new titles at publisher's RRP. As a matter of fact, on average, digital distribution is turning out more expensive for new books, music or games (and, at first glance, movies if you buy them but I havent really looked). Somehow competition is not happening.

-iphigenie (December 22, 2011, 03:03 AM)

Part of that might be because some game publishers don't want Steam directly competing with the retail channels.

Since Steam handles the activation anyway, it's not really a big revenue loss for them. And it protects places like Amazon and BestBuy, who might otherwise refuse to carry the titles if Steam could regularly undercut them.

The last thing I also think any of the game publishers want is to get locked into one electronic distribution channel. Because once that happens, the distributor can dictate terms to the publishers. You've already seen that happen with music sales through Apple and book sales through Amazon.

So by requiring somebody like Steam to sell at MSRP, it avoids direct competition with the retailers. And by keeping the retailers in the loop, it keeps Steam from getting too powerful.

It's the corporate version of 'win-win' strategy: Everybody in the food chain wins - with the possible exception of the victim end-customer.

But when it comes to DRM, the customer wasn't really a part of any consideration anyway, so no blame!  

6546

Living Room / Re: A Merry Christmas card

« Last post by 40hz on December 22, 2011, 09:31 AM »

Merry Christmas IanB!

Try not to let "idiots with an agenda" spoil the season too much for you. Spoilsports thrive on the reactions they get.

My best suggestion? Do whatever you feel like doing and call their bluff.

The best response to holiday spoilers? (Learned this one from a 14-year old niece BTW.) First, smile your most infuriatingly sweet smile; next, roll your eyes ever so slightly - just to let them know "how cute" you think they are; and then, cheerfully say: Whatever!  

6547

Developer's Corner / Re: Ribbon UI - is it really THAT good?

« Last post by 40hz on December 22, 2011, 09:11 AM »

As far as an official " end of discussion" statement , no there isn't one.

But a direct answer to the same question remains unheard despite numerous attempts to get an answer out of Redmond. Mixed messages from various Microsoft folks indicates it's not a done deal. Which seems to indicate there's some internal debate going on. Even Sinofsky himself didn't rule out 'Metro only' despite having kind things to say about the traditional desktop in his blog.

I think right now the 'official' position seems to be:

This is just the beginning of the discussion. There’s so much more to talk about as we dive into details about the Windows 8 UI. We’re delivering a whole new experience, reimagined from the chips all the way to the user experience, to enable new scenarios, new apps, and new ways of using a PC.

Which is fine. But what I (and my clients) don't appreciate is Microsoft's refusal to categorically state what the long term plans for the desktop are once Win8/Metro goes gold. (And by Metro i mean the whole walled garden environment every tech company seems hell bent on copying from Apple if they can possibly get away with it.) So if there's unwarranted confusion and concern, it's largely how Microsoft's been playing it so coy that's caused it.

6548

Developer's Corner / Re: Ribbon UI - is it really THAT good?

« Last post by 40hz on December 22, 2011, 08:02 AM »

If Microsoft goes down the 'Windows is dead' route I think we can also safely say at the point 'Microsoft is dead'

-Carol Haynes (December 22, 2011, 07:44 AM)

+1!

In fact even as an Apple hater i could see my self moving to Mac before I would accept Metro as a desktop OS.

-Carol Haynes (December 22, 2011, 07:44 AM)

Hmm...I'd rather go command line or 100% EMACS first, but I agree.

Hey! Maybe Mouser will finally take FARR the rest of the way and make it a full 'desktop.' He's already half way there!  

6549

Developer's Corner / Re: Ribbon UI - is it really THAT good?

« Last post by 40hz on December 22, 2011, 07:17 AM »

Interesting how little Microsoft seems to have considered the ribbon (and Office) when creating their new champion Metro, which they plan on forcing everyone over to eventually. See OSNews article on Office problems with Metro here.

So what's next for the ribbon now that Metro is all the rage in Redmond?

It would be one thing if Metro were just the planned tablet interface. But it's not. It's going to be THE interface.

The Office dev group had a problem with Microsoft getting too far into a tablet mindset. Now I think we can see it's pretty obvious why. Something as complex as Office doesn't shoehorn into the tablet paradigm without a major loss of power and features.

Eventually we'll get to see just how important that is to the consumers and business users.

Although I guess they could always move Office (and any other interface that won't fit) completely up to the cloud and provide it through a browser window. That would at least provide a temporary accommodation. And allow them to pretend there's no problem with the Metro 'vision.'  

6550

Living Room / Re: Show us a photo of your mutt or other creatures..

« Last post by 40hz on December 21, 2011, 11:53 AM »

@ Ath, Deozaan, Mouser, and rgdot - Thanks guys. I really appreciate your words. You all made that dreaded "day after" a lot easier for me. Thanks again.