Recent Posts

701

N.A.N.Y. 2018 / Re: NANY 2018 Pledge: Ready Bible Study

« Last post by IainB on December 21, 2017, 04:04 AM »

@mat2016: I would be very interested if you had the Watchman Nee New Testament Recovery Version with all of its cross-references. I have a hardcopy of that and have often thought that a a computerised version would be an ideal reference source.
The best such i have come across so far is: The Interfaith Explorer (FREE) - Mini-Review

702

General Software Discussion / Re: save to text or print to file in chrome

« Last post by IainB on December 20, 2017, 10:25 PM »

I dunno. Presumably these files are on a server somewhere?
I would suggest you experiment with something like GetRight, which has a rather unique sort of download server browser component, where it can look into the server folders at the target server's ftp or http URL. If it can get access (it tries to get access using/making up relevant passwords), then you can browse the folders on the sever and pick and choose which files you want to download and flag them for download. GetRight will then download them individually or simultaneously in batches, in several streams at once, and can be set to provide a detailed download performance log - i.e., what was downloaded from where, and when, and how long the downloads took and how many tries/retries it had with each file, etc.. Once you figure out how to use it, it can be a real timesaver. It can also do bitorrent files, but I have never used it for that, so cannot comment on that aspect. Sucks files down like a vacuum cleaner.

That could provide you with some more control. Once you have the files locally you can maintain them in a library and play with the files to your heart's content, trying to find the best way(s) to access/read them for the next (analysis) phase. The GetRight logs can be really informative/handy too - e.g., to give you some idea if different servers' relative performance. It will also scan mirror sites, but that's probably not of much use to you as you may be using a corporate LAN or or Intranet.

There's  a standard GetRight and a newer Pro version, which latter also handles Uploads, I gather.

703

General Software Discussion / Re: save to text or print to file in chrome

« Last post by IainB on December 19, 2017, 11:37 PM »

@Target: Now that you have explained some of the "finer details" of the context of the problem, it all adds up. I didn't like to say so earlier, but I thought the process you were trying to operate seemed like it was seriously ad hoc and grossly inefficient - and that's putting it politely.
It didn't make any sense to me, so I asked myself "Under what conditions might it make sense?", and I came up with an answer similar to what you describe.
But seriously, inefficient/convoluted/problematic systems and business processes have a potentially high but often hidden cost, so they shouldn't be left unresolved, and people working in such environments are not necessarily going to be happy campers either, which could affect staff turnover (part of the hidden cost). Profitability is thus likely to be adversely affected. It's a wasteful use of resources.

I know that all doesn't help you with your immediate problem though.

Just a thought, where you say:

(I'm only one of several thousand users, and I do this in order to make these reports usable to others)

-Target (December 19, 2017, 11:14 PM)

Have you already considered helping to get the problem resolved properly (i.e., via system and process improvement) by not oiling the squeaky wheel any more? It could really start squeaking then, particularly if management can't get the timely reporting information that they must have to manage their business. If management don't seem to care about the problem at the moment, it'll probably be because they don't perceive it to be a critical problem. You may well be inadvertently perpetuating the problem by offering ad hoc workarounds to it.

704

General Software Discussion / Re: save to text or print to file in chrome

« Last post by IainB on December 19, 2017, 10:51 PM »

@Target: Thanks for the clarification.
I might completely misunderstand this, but is there something preventing the mainframe from outputting the data that you require, in files of the required format so as to be input directly to the processing/analysis phase?
That would probably be more timely and efficient and would bypass the need for what seems to be - from your description - an unnecessary overhead cost for an inefficient, constipated/convoluted conversion process.
The "use case" - again, from your description - could thus seem to be highly relevant.
My apologies if I have a hold of the wrong end of the stick here.

705

N.A.N.Y. 2018 / Re: NANY 2018 Pledge: Ready Bible Study

« Last post by IainB on December 19, 2017, 09:54 PM »

@mat2016: That looks interesting.
Could you please inform us a bit more about this?
e.g., Which Bible and which version/translation this is based on?
I looked over the relevant post on your blog/website, but could not immediately see an answer. Informative website, by the way.

706

General Software Discussion / Re: save to text or print to file in chrome

« Last post by IainB on December 19, 2017, 08:12 PM »

@Target: Ah, you seem to have added some new factors there that were apparently not mentioned in your OP.

This initially seemed to be about just scraping text off a screen in a browser, but that's apparently not quite the case.
I don't get the GZip part at all.
Could you tell us what you are wanting to do with the text a- e.g., how it is to be stored and later used?
That might help.

(User requirements.)

707

General Software Discussion / Re: save to text or print to file in chrome

« Last post by IainB on December 19, 2017, 06:18 PM »

If you use @mouser's proggy CHS (Clipboard Help & Spell), then just select everything on the web page, press Ctrl+C, and  CHS saves the clip and automatically strips out anything that is not text. It's quite handy for that. I use it all the time as it is an extremely versatile clipboard management tool  with lots of other uses. It saves me heaps of time.
Best way to find out if it meets your needs is probably to suck-it-and-see (find out for yourself by trialing it).

708

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Gmail Notes (Sidebar add-on for Firefox only) - Mini Review

« Last post by IainB on December 19, 2017, 05:46 PM »

Added this EDIT to my previous comment above:

EDIT 2017-12-20:

• I subsequently did a Mini-Review of Stick A Note on 2012-06-18, refer: Stick-A-Note + Universal Viewer - Mini-Review
• See also: Re: NANY 2012 - Stick A Note - potential for use as a file note system.

709

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: NANY 2012 - Pledge & Final Release: Stick A Note

« Last post by IainB on December 19, 2017, 04:23 PM »

I hope you do. I had not been aware of Stick A Note and I look forward to trying it

-cranioscopical (December 18, 2017, 07:30 PM)

Well, if you try it out now, then you will probably find that it works just fine, as-is.
I have been using it (current version v2.1.0) since, erm (... goes away to look at file dates ...) about Jan. 2012.
Take a look here: Stick-A-Note + Universal Viewer - Mini-Review
It's a potentially very useful (depends on one's needs) and rock-solid little app. 
I am somewhat embarrassed that it took 5 years for the penny to drop as to its potential usfullness as a file note app. (which is what I am additionally using it as, now).   

By the way, in that mini-review, I noticed that the images seem to have been put out of sequence - probably during the website update/migration, or something. I shall have to tidy them up at some stage.   

710

General Software Discussion / Re: Idea: File note

« Last post by IainB on December 19, 2017, 03:44 PM »

@apankrat: Well, I had considered ADS. It was one of the first obvious avenues I explored. So, some time ago, I ran a trial, using the "Comment" field for file notes, and it was workable, but kinda limited, given my developing requirements, which are currently:

Mandatory:

• the provision of a simple, functional and scrollable editing pane (with create, edit, delete notes).
• ability to create/insert long notes (no limit).
• ability to rapidly search for and easily view/edit file notes in a viewing pane, without having to go to the file object in question.

Highly desirable:

• ability to insert images.
• use generic tools - i.e., avoid the need to use a proprietary tool to find/read/edit the file note(s).
• to have a persistent file note which was linked permanently to the file object, and which persisted regardless of whether the file was moved, had its name changed - or was deleted (leaving an orphaned file note).
  This could presumably be done in Win10, as file shortcuts seem to now use the absolute address of the file object.

The Comments field was obviously limited, but it demonstrated that, to meet my requirements, a proprietary system of some sort would probably be necessary. Also, I found that, in moving files to backups or re-imaging disks, one could inadvertently or of necessity destroy the ADS, thus making the approach unreliable in a recovery situation.

The closest I have come to meeting those requirements of mine was the Stick-A-Note tool, mentioned above - which i had been using for ages before I belatedly saw its additional potential use as an LCD (Lowest Common Denominator) file note tool.

There are other discussions in the DC forum, where file note tools are discussed, and one such tool was developed (I think it was by @MilesAhead). I recall that I also mentioned somewhere an old favourite Explorer Notes v2 - en2 (Ziff Davis), which recorded the file notes as records in the Registry (nifty idea and ahead of its time, but, again, limited).

711

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows Explorer crashing

« Last post by IainB on December 19, 2017, 02:49 PM »

Ahhh. That's interesting. I recall having seen that advice to switch that (Show recently opened items in Jump lists) OFF before, in some other context - I forget what - and had checked to ensure that it was OFF (it was).
I think that has to be some kind of a Win10 OS bug.

712

General Software Discussion / Re: Idea: File note

« Last post by IainB on December 18, 2017, 12:41 AM »

Thought I should just cross-link a related post about a slightly different approach to the problem of file notes:
Re: NANY 2012 - Stick A Note - potential for use as a file note system.

713

General Software Discussion / User Requirements - the risks.

« Last post by IainB on December 17, 2017, 10:24 PM »

I have often struggled to understand the problems described by users when they state their requirements - i.e., what users actually say they "want to do", or "need to do" - because that is usually what they think they want/need to do, whereas the best solution might be to fulfill a need that they are unable to articulate, but that can usually be discovered by some business/systems analysis.

Until one has performed that analysis, one, at best, can only assume that one thinks one understands the user's requirements. It's a potential minefield of errors - and risks. I have seen the mismanagement of these risks effectively bring about the failure of very large projects, and sometimes whole companies, or cause layers of top management to be fired/made redundant, together with the staff who had been correspondingly mismanaged.
I once was fortunate enough to discover one such risk, embedded in a large (7-year) World Bank funded government project in Thailand. This was in Year 2, before the risk had fully manifested itself, and corrective action was taken to mitigate it, with the project concluding successfully. However, at the time, it wasn't easy to get the Thai management's attention on the potential risk, because they were in  a state of cognitive blindness and simply couldn't see it. I literally had to force their attention on it, and then they started to see it - you could almost see the lights coming on in their heads. Then shocked silence, followed by prompt corrective action to mitigate the risk(s) identified and already being manifested. It was a really interesting demonstration of human group behaviour and adaptability to risks inherent in dynamically changing circumstances.

I was reminded of this when re-reading the attached document today:
Requirements Risks Can Drown Software Projects (2002) - leishman.pdf
(File was originally downloaded from a now defunct link to <http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/2002/apr/leishman.pdf>
 - but that is not available via Wayback.)

714

Screenshot Captor / Re: Grab selected region

« Last post by IainB on December 17, 2017, 08:25 PM »

Well, at least you are one step forwards, insofar as you would seem to have established (conclusively?) that "After driving re-install, works perfectly again."
Some thoughts:

• What you have subsequently discovered, however, is that, somehow, "the driver re-installation" fix is not "sticky". That is, a reboot of the PC unsets it and it reverts to the previous ("zooming problem") state.
• What that might indicate is that the settings created at the driver re-install point are kept in a (possibly temporary) file, which is being overwritten or ignored when the PC is rebooted. This might be by design - for example, where reinstalling a driver normally has to be followed by a reboot.
• It may be that you actually need to get a newer/different driver - i.e., one more suited to your display hardware device or to overcome this problem. A search of forums dealing with problems for this PC's display driver might be in order. Have you already fully explored that avenue? It is unlikely to be a problem that is unique to you and you might be able to find a lot of useful/relevant info.
• My only experience of something similar to your so far inexplicable problem was with a Touchpad device in an HP laptop, where the Touchpad settings kept episodically reverting to some default, for no apparent reason. It drove me half-bonkers, as that was my main mouse-like device. I eventually discovered - by trail-and-error - that restarting the Touchpad driver executables/services would restore my preferred settings, This was a workaround only, not a fix, as the settings continued to episodically revert to default. I later discovered that I could ensure that my settings were saved in a named configuration file, and that, when the problem recurred, I could restore my defaults by reloading that default config file, via the Touchpad GUI. So something was apparently periodically taking precedence over my settings, restoring a default settings, but I still haven't figured out how/why that continues to happen, and I cannot locate the necessary Touchpad settings default file to edit it, so it continues to be a workaround which I am obliged to live with, meanwhile.
• It may be that you need to consider how to refresh your particular display driver with your preferred settings. Most display/GPU hardware has that facility nowadays, usually via manufacturer-specific software installed in the system files somewhere on the PC. It may even be that you only need to define that (say) the SC executable is assigned to use such-and-such a display hardware - e.g., On my HP Pavilion laptop, for each application, I can choose whether it defaults to using either the Intel GPU or the NVIDIA GEFORCE GPU. In its "virgin" state, the system defaults to using the Intel GPU, but some games, for example, might perform differently/better via the NVIDIA GEFORCE GPU.

715

Screenshot Captor / Re: SOLVED: Windows 10 OneDrive hijacks PrintScreen hotkey.

« Last post by IainB on December 17, 2017, 06:42 PM »

@clg: Well, that was easy!   

716

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: NANY 2012 - Pledge & Final Release: Stick A Note

« Last post by IainB on December 16, 2017, 08:36 PM »

How could SAN match a wrong note to the window title is what i'm curious about. Restarting the program does not fix that, and SAN is fairly consistent in that it usually picks the same wrong note to display on a particular window

-DyNama (December 30, 2012, 02:51 AM)

Looking at the screenshots provided by @DyNama, I would hazard a guess that the answer may lie in a limitation/constraint in SAN such that it ignores - or does not process - text inside square-brackets or round-brackets.
A bit of pragmatic experimentation might be able to confirm whether this is the case.

717

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: NANY 2012 - Stick A Note - potential for use as a file note system.

« Last post by IainB on December 16, 2017, 05:10 PM »

Text in the image below is in a spoiler below the image:

Spoiler

I have used Stick-A-Note for a long time, and it comes in handy when one wishes to create a note attached to a particular,consistently-named window, usually in an application, and that note then can be popped-up by Stick-A-Note each time one opensthat particular window.

I was puzzling over how one might easily use the Windows system to create file notes, - to include (say) notes about that file, extracted
from a website where one downloaded it from, and the hyperlink (URL) to that website. What seemed to be needed was
something along the lines of the old 4DOS (and others) Descript.ion text files, but I could not see but that a proprietary system, or database, would be necessitated, in order to do this.
Then I realised that, Stick-A-Note already does what I want, but I had not previously perceived this. After some experimentation, I established that this was a potentially enormously useful LCD (Lowest Common Denominator) tool, especially when used in conjunction with CHS, or a similar clipboard manager that collected clip metadata.
 Below is an example of a process which uses Stick-A-Note to create a relatively unique file note in .txt format andwhich note's contents can be indexed and later located/searched for easily. using WDS (Windows Desktop Search) and
filename search - e.g., using (say) Everything, The relatively unique file note filename is consistently (and automatically) based on:
   (a) The prefix string "SaN_" applied by Stick-A-Note.
   (b) The  name of the file, but using underscores to replace embedded spaces in the filename - and
   (c) the suffix string " Properties" - i.e., with a preceding space.
   (d) The file note being stored in a file with a name comprised of the above prefix-name-suffix, and the extension .txt.

That is, the user does not need to be concerned with manually doing anything to make this a relatively unique.txt filename - Stick-A-Note does it automatically.

Process steps:
   1. Launch Stick-A-Note (this needs to be running/resident for the process to work).
   2. Select any file in the file explorer - e.g., Windows Explorer (though the example below is done using xplorer²).
   3. Cause the file Properties box to appear (can be done by Right-Click --> Properties, or Alt-Enter).
   4. Then invoke Stick-A-Note, to create a sticky note:
      • Select Edit in the bottom LHS of the Stick-A-Note sticky note.
      • Type in - or, for example (say), paste in some notes already in the clipboard)***.
      • Then click on Enter, and the note is created.
   5. The note is created in a .txt file in the relevant Stick-A-Note folder:
      • In the example, the filename is: SaN_F02_fose_v1_3_beta2_7z Properties.txt
Note:***
   • In the example below, I pasted in a clip from the file's source website, capturedusing CHS (Clipboard Help & Spell) - which also captured the hyperlink (URL) - andthe hyperlink is pasted in as: Copied from: Fallout Script Extender (FOSE) - <http://fose.silverlock.org/>[/NOTES]This source metadata would generally be very important/relevant in a note about a file.

In the example below:
   • I open up the file Properties "window" for a file.
   • I have already created the Stick-A-Note note for that "window", using the above process steps.
   • The note pops up if/when Stick-A-Note is invoked.
   • Clicking on Edit in the note brings up the Stick-A-Note note details pane.
   • The note itself was copied/passed from the website using CHS, with no changes made.
   • Notice the all-important source metadata (URL) added by CHS.

Hats off to @anandcoral for creating Stick-A-Note. I don't know whether he originally envisaged that it might be used in this way.

718

Living Room / Re: Best Programming Jokes

« Last post by IainB on December 15, 2017, 05:34 PM »

@holt: Please, don't apologise! None required - for me, at any rate. I don't insist that every joke must amuse me to be a valid joke. I'm no official guardian of "correct" humour in this thread, or the forum.
Everybody is entitled to have a different sense of humour, whether one likes/understands it, or not. Vive la différence!

719

Screenshot Captor / Re: SOLVED: Windows 10 OneDrive hijacks PrintScreen hotkey.

« Last post by IainB on December 14, 2017, 07:50 AM »

@clg:

...Reason being is that sometimes I need the quick convenience of OneDrive auto-uploading a screenshot to a static (meaning easy to find) folder, other times I need the power and rich configuration options of Screenshot Captor. ...

-clg (December 14, 2017, 03:01 AM)

Interesting. This requirement is much like mine. I arrived at an approach where I got to some kind of image management nirvana, where:

• I know where any screenshot captures and duplicates of same will have gone to.
• The "static folder" is in the CHS database images folder, which holds the image .png files saved.

The approach I have taken took me a while to figure out, but it had been staring me in the face for some time before the penny finally dropped. It has probably already saved me a lot of time and is described here for anyone who might want to try out the same approach:
Re: Modify your screen capture/management tools for optimum efficiency of use.

The description might seem to be a bit complex to follow initially - e.g., (say) if one is not used to systems/process analysis - but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. It is actually quite simple in concept and simple to set up, and, once set up, requires no further work, other than periodically updating the 3 softwares used and housekeeping the image storage folders.

Hope it helps or is of use.

720

General Software Discussion / Re: Need some (security/virus-related) advice.

« Last post by IainB on December 12, 2017, 03:58 AM »

2.  fSekrit: (@f0dder's own proprietary software using AES encryption)
LATEST VERSION: fSekrit 1.40 shrinkwrapped!
-IainB (2017-12-11, 11:46:13)

It is open source and available for review on GitHub for the last 22 months, (forum post).

-4wd (December 11, 2017, 05:58 PM)

Ahh. Thanks @4wd. Hadn't read that - or had forgotten if I had. When I went to the fSekrit website to check on the latest version status, I thought 2009 as the latest date in the changelog looked a bit dated/neglected, but I didn't like to say anything that might seem critical. I didn't  notice any pointers to GitHub.   
I guess it is an open Sekrit now, anyway.

721

Living Room / Re: How can I blank out my laptop camera?

« Last post by IainB on December 12, 2017, 03:42 AM »

Just put a piece of that lightly frosted scotch tape over the lens. It will still show as video, but appear badly out of focus ... Emulating an "equipment issue". 

-Stoic Joker (December 11, 2017, 03:06 PM)

then how will they appreciate those HUGE BREAST IMPLANTS?

-Target (December 11, 2017, 11:00 PM)

I'm glad someone is keeping abreast of the main thrust of this discussion.

722

Living Room / Re: How can I blank out my laptop camera?

« Last post by IainB on December 12, 2017, 03:41 AM »

You're so transparent.

-IainB (December 11, 2017, 03:28 PM)

Though not entirely lucid.

-cranioscopical (December 11, 2017, 07:48 PM)

That's clearly obvious.

723

General Software Discussion / Re: Windows Explorer crashing

« Last post by IainB on December 12, 2017, 03:38 AM »

EDIT: I am going to run a hard disk tool tonight

-rgdot (December 11, 2017, 07:20 PM)

Braggart. We don't need to be told what you intend getting up to at nighttime.

724

General Software Discussion / Re: Need some (security/virus-related) advice.

« Last post by IainB on December 11, 2017, 03:39 PM »

Do you think a windows 10 "refresh" would accomplish this?

-ayryq (December 11, 2017, 03:22 PM)

Interesting. That could be a novel way of dealing with the situation if the PC has been compromised/hacked in some way, but I'm not sure whether it would be a recommended best practice approach.

725

Living Room / Re: How can I blank out my laptop camera?

« Last post by IainB on December 11, 2017, 03:28 PM »

Just put a piece of that lightly frosted scotch tape over the lens. It will still show as video, but appear badly out of focus ... Emulating an "equipment issue". 

-Stoic Joker (December 11, 2017, 03:06 PM)

You're so transparent.