Recent Posts

6626

General Software Discussion / Re: A month with my Surface RT

« Last post by wraith808 on December 01, 2012, 05:51 PM »

I played around with the surface for a while at Best Buy today while I was waiting around.  It's actually very compelling, until you have to go to the desktop.  Then it becomes frustrating.  Of course, I didn't have a keyboard nor mouse.  But the classic desktop very much takes you out of the tablet world.  I still think that hybridizing isn't the problem- it's presentation.  If you get a WinRT you should be in the tablet interface- and everything should be there.  If you're getting a desktop/laptop, it should be the same for the classic desktop.  Have the option- sure.  But there should be a definite divide.  Then the Surface Pro could bridge the gap for those that actually want to go that way.  This sitting on the fence thing isn't good for anyone, IMO.

And the price... that's another sticking point.  Especially if half of the available space on it is going to come pre-filled.

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General Software Discussion / Re: Are you going to wait for Windows 9?

« Last post by wraith808 on December 01, 2012, 05:47 PM »

Take for example the advertising that focuses on the fact that Surface comes with a kickstand.

-dr_andus (December 01, 2012, 02:35 PM)

Actually (and I'd have to find the article) some experts focus on that very fact as a positive.  Especially in the way that they emphasize how it snaps into place, and the keyboard snaps on the bottom.  A lot of the reticence on entry into tablets has to do with keyboards and the usefulness of them.  This concentrates on that very con.

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General Software Discussion / Re: How 4 Microsoft engineers proved that the “darknet” would defeat DRM

« Last post by wraith808 on December 01, 2012, 01:31 PM »

For an easy example, some videos on Youtube are blocked to mobile browsers. I'm sure my betters have ideas around that. (Browser header changing and all that jazz?)

-TaoPhoenix (December 01, 2012, 09:35 AM)

Not sure what you mean there in that context.

-Renegade (December 01, 2012, 09:52 AM)

Well, last I understood DRM it meant restrictions & rights on digital media, right? So would coding videos on YouTube count as DRM? Or is there some implicit extra factor that the DRM has to be attached and embedded as some kind of software encoding?

In other words, I see similarities between things like WMA music files and non-mobile or region-blocked YouTube files.

-TaoPhoenix (December 01, 2012, 12:34 PM)

The files aren't blocked.  The service is blocking it.

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General Software Discussion / How 4 Microsoft engineers proved that the “darknet” would defeat DRM

« Last post by wraith808 on November 30, 2012, 07:16 PM »

How 4 Microsoft engineers proved that the “darknet” would defeat DRM (via Ars Technica)
...and almost got fired doing it.

Can digital rights management technology stop the unauthorized spread of copyrighted content? Ten years ago this month, four engineers argued that it can't, forever changing how the world thinks about piracy. Their paper, "The Darknet and the Future of Content Distribution" (available as a .doc here) was presented at a security conference in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2002.

By itself, the paper's clever and provocative argument likely would have earned it a broad readership. But the really remarkable thing about the paper is who wrote it: four engineers at Microsoft whose work many expected to be at the foundation of Microsoft's future DRM schemes. The paper's lead author told Ars that the paper's pessimistic view of Hollywood's beloved copy protection schemes almost got him fired. But ten years later, its predictions have proved impressively accurate.

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N.A.N.Y. 2013 / Re: NANY 2013 Pledge: pdfautomv

« Last post by wraith808 on November 30, 2012, 07:56 AM »

When I buy a lot of pdfs, ...

-wraith808 (November 29, 2012, 04:25 PM)

Where are you buying lots of PDFs? 

-TaoPhoenix (November 29, 2012, 05:18 PM)

DriveThruRPG, Oreilly, Apress, Manning, etc, etc.  Books, you know.

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N.A.N.Y. 2013 / Re: NANY 2013 Pledge: pdfautomv

« Last post by wraith808 on November 29, 2012, 04:25 PM »

If it does work- that's cool!  When I buy a lot of pdfs, they're named some incomprehensible series of numbers and letters and I have to manually rename them...

6632

Community Giveaways / Re: DC Community Digital White Elephant

« Last post by wraith808 on November 28, 2012, 05:24 PM »

It seems that we have enough interest   I'll post the official announcement and signups around the first, and we can start the exchanges hopefully on the 15th.

6633

Living Room / Re: What about Skrommel?

« Last post by wraith808 on November 28, 2012, 03:39 PM »

 

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General Software Discussion / Re: A month with my Surface RT

« Last post by wraith808 on November 27, 2012, 11:25 AM »

in fact I am a keyboard junky and reach for the mouse only in rare case.

-anandcoral (November 27, 2012, 10:33 AM)

It is this very reason that I think that I wouldn't mind a touch screen.  Especially on laptops where the touch pad gets in the way so much!  No mouse to pack, no pointer to move out of the way.  The only thing I use my mouse for is to traverse screens from one computer to another (and I really need to set up the kb shortcuts for that), gaming, and websites that aren't kb friendly.

6635

DC Gamer Club / Re: Looking for takers in a 4-pack of Chivalry

« Last post by wraith808 on November 25, 2012, 11:54 PM »

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be enough interest in getting it, here or elsewhere.

6636

DC Gamer Club / Looking for takers in a 4-pack of Chivalry

« Last post by wraith808 on November 24, 2012, 02:04 PM »

Anyone interested in getting in on a 4-pack of Chivalry on Steam?  Pulling the trigger tomorrow, so let me know.

6637

Living Room / Re: Disney acquires Lucasfilm for 4.05 billion dollars. Star Wars Ep VII due in 2015

« Last post by wraith808 on November 23, 2012, 11:13 AM »

Well, it looks as if they are aggressively pushing a plan- and it resolves around story!

http://gointothestor...ch-to-star-wars.html

6638

Living Room / Re: ~$300 Laptop/Netbook recommendations

« Last post by wraith808 on November 23, 2012, 11:12 AM »

Great!  I hope it works out well for you... I haven't had anything but positive experiences with Dell.

6639

General Software Discussion / Re: Are you going to wait for Windows 9?

« Last post by wraith808 on November 23, 2012, 09:34 AM »

I'll keep it to "First they came for the [...], and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a [...]. - and I'm sorry, but no, I don't think that's fatalist thinking. Looking at what Apple is doing and speculating(!) that Microsoft wants to do the same, I do think that's the way we're heading... unless enough people protest.

-f0dder (November 22, 2012, 07:00 PM)

And that's fine. But much like the end of the Myan calendar, we won't know what will actually happen until after it actually happens ... Regardless of how convincingly prophetic ones diatribes may be.

The thing that I'm feed up with, is the simple fact that it seems near impossible to have a discussion about the OS, as specifically and only an O. S. Without it almost instantly denigrating into a discussion about its role as a sociopolitical pawn in a bid for global domination.

There's a time and place for everything...Ya know.

-Stoic Joker (November 23, 2012, 09:15 AM)

+100 

6640

Living Room / Re: Hello Strangers.

« Last post by wraith808 on November 22, 2012, 07:33 PM »

When I first left DonationCoder, it was because of personal problems between me and my better half...I was spending WAY to much time online, and letting my actual relationship deteriorate.  Obviously, once I had realized this, I had to take drastic action in order to resolve things between me and ....

-Stephen66515 (November 22, 2012, 03:19 PM)

Been there, done that - literally. Once you reach that point, it's too late - end of story.

-f0dder (November 22, 2012, 07:22 PM)

Well, not always.  Especially if you have a very understanding other half and are willing to put in the diligence to make it work, which apparently Stephen is/has.  And keep diligent to make sure it doesn't get to that extent again.  I wish you all the best in that, and in everything else.

6641

Developer's Corner / Re: Going Over Old Code...

« Last post by wraith808 on November 22, 2012, 01:20 PM »

Ask yourself how pissed you're going to be at your former self sometime in the future.

-f0dder (November 22, 2012, 01:04 PM)

LOL!  I like this! +1!

6642

General Software Discussion / Re: Small free form db/notes software

« Last post by wraith808 on November 22, 2012, 08:58 AM »

And one of the requirements was small.  

6643

General Software Discussion / Re: Are you going to wait for Windows 9?

« Last post by wraith808 on November 22, 2012, 08:55 AM »

Whilst Windows 7 and 8 include something that look and behaves like DOS it isn't really and I am not convinced you can really expect to effectively run DOS apps on newer machines. Backwards compatibility is being lost - trying running 16 bit windows apps.

-Carol Haynes (November 22, 2012, 03:43 AM)

Just did on Windows 7, with no problems, to show my wife one of my older projects that I worked on.

6644

Living Room / Re: GHacks looking to fill list for Christmas giveaway

« Last post by wraith808 on November 22, 2012, 08:54 AM »

It's commercial products... and FARR isn't commercial.

Let us know about programs that you think are the best commercial programs on today’s Internet, and services that you are interested in.

6645

Developer's Corner / Re: Going Over Old Code...

« Last post by wraith808 on November 22, 2012, 08:52 AM »

I think it really depends.  If it's just for you, and you understand it, and it doesn't stand in your way- let it live.  But in many cases, refactoring is for maintenance, and assumes you're working on a team.

Just my tuppence, but from what I've seen on contract jobs I've been responsible for overseeing, the best success was obtained with 85% code written specifically for the project. Only the balance came from purchased or reused code.

Maybe code reuse works well with something like database type apps where there's significant commonality of rules, objects, and tables used between one business and another. Especially when you consider most of what makes up your basic AP/AR/GL/INV accounting suite is already standardized to comply with legal reporting and auditing requirements. So reuse does make sense there. Just take a pre-written accounting package and add whatever customizations and special business rules you need.

But for what I call 'real' programs, I haven't noticed much actual code getting reused except for snippets or a few special routines.
 

-40hz (November 22, 2012, 08:09 AM)

I think it really depends on how it was architected, and what's considered reuse.  Certain things can make the use of code across multiple solutions very much likely.  Single Responsibility and Compartmentalization make it more likely.  The use of certain patterns makes it very much more likely.  Nothing is 100% written for you... but I've noticed as my approach gets more and more refined from job to job, there's less spin up time to get the base application going.  In fact, on my current solution, I just gave some developers from a new acquisition a presentation on how to get a solution going in our current framework.  It pretty much involves installing some templates into VS 2010, making a new solution from the template and running it.  And that was something that took a couple of hundred hours to get polished originally, so that's a significant savings on each solution.

And even with the framework I'm using at home, if I refine it to that point, when I create a new application, it should take me significantly less time to create each one.  So there's something to be said for refactoring.  But if it's just because it looks ugly but works, you don't plan to use it on any other project, and it's just you maintaining it... yeah.  What's the point other than an exercise.

6646

General Software Discussion / Re: Small free form db/notes software

« Last post by wraith808 on November 21, 2012, 08:16 PM »

SnapDB by Skwire is a really good app for those little ad hoc databases.  There's no web option nor ipad option unfortunately.

6647

General Software Discussion / Re: Are you going to wait for Windows 9?

« Last post by wraith808 on November 21, 2012, 07:15 PM »

Actually one indication of MS's original intentions was that the new version of the free Visual Studio Express was originally intended for developing not-Metro apps only (with no desktop app support) - they have back tracked on that sharply, when the public outcry built up, but I think it says a lot about what they were thinking!

-Carol Haynes (November 21, 2012, 05:10 PM)

Not really.  There were a lot of things that VSE was prohibited from doing that they backtracked on.  I think they were trying to pare it down, not really thinking about the backlash.  They do that a lot, unfortunately. 

6648

General Software Discussion / Re: Are you going to wait for Windows 9?

« Last post by wraith808 on November 21, 2012, 04:37 PM »

It isn't me that described Windows 8 desktop as 'legacy' it was MS! The fact that there is only minimal development on the desktop from Windows 7 says a lot about their intentions for the trad desktop.

-Carol Haynes (November 21, 2012, 04:17 PM)

I know that some people are calling the classic desktop 'legacy' and I've seen it bandied about... but can you show me somewhere that MS has said it's legacy?  I think that non-Metro says a lot about their intentions towards tablets, but not necessarily towards desktops.  I think if they're guilty of anything, it's feeling things out and not setting their path out there because they don't know what it is.  And I think that's worst case.

6649

General Software Discussion / Re: Thoughts on this sort of UI styling?

« Last post by wraith808 on November 21, 2012, 04:33 PM »

Including the texture, I think it's pretty fine 

I do agree about getting information about the tests that are going to be run, unless the users of this would already know (and even then, it's not a bad idea).

6650

General Software Discussion / Re: Are you going to wait for Windows 9?

« Last post by wraith808 on November 21, 2012, 02:02 PM »

^ Ummm.... yeah.  What he said. 


... with less vitriol, though.