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751
General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ... A/V converter
« Last post by barney on December 26, 2011, 07:11 PM »
Whew!

Finally back in front of the keyboard!

And way too many links to follow  ;D.

OK, somehow either I or the first converter or two (2) I tried corrupted the original file.  I restored it, and FreeMake worked just fine. 

So I now have something starting to be usable.  I need to kill the sound, though.  This is going to be embedded on a Web page, so it needs to autostart, autoloop, and be quiet.  The autostart and autoloop will, presumably, be handled by the player, but I don't know about the sound.  So I prolly need to strip that before loading on the page, right?

As time allows, I'll check that plethora of links and suggestions, see if one (1) of them will strip the sound.  The video is about four (4) seconds of a boat under sail, and the wind noise is atrocious.  There are two (2) short video segments that will be shown, one a view forward along the port side that shows swells, pitch, and bow wake.  The other is a shot inside the cabin which shows water running from a faucet at about a twenty degree angle - the captain used that to estimate boat heel.  The full video will be offered as a link, but the short segments will be, hopefully, looping on each side of the page in 160x120 pixel windows.  Looks, though, that I'll need to re-sync the audio on the linked video - it seems just a hair off, a quarter of a second or so  :huh:.

Now I just have to find a good page on <shudder /> embedding the videos, prolly HTML5 with a Flash fallback.  Ran some preliminary searches, and not wild about the results I've seen so far  :-\.

(And all this while attempting to cope with a very vocal feline tonight  :o.)
752
General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ... A/V converter
« Last post by barney on December 23, 2011, 11:36 PM »
OK, Prism Video Converter cannot load the file.  This file is from a video camera, a Canon I think.  That may account for all the failures so far.  But ya can't have much of a converter if it can't load a file to be converted.  I'm feeling very depressed  :'(.

Haven't tried any of the online services yet, but that'd be kinda useless:  the machine where this will [primarily] be used does not, will not have an internet connection.
753
General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ... A/V converter
« Last post by barney on December 23, 2011, 11:00 PM »
Don't like .NET, but that's not a problem - have too many other things that need it  :(.  Installed OK - at least it, unlike Hamster, was honest about the optional installs.

But ...

Freemake won't even load the file I have to convert.  Doesn't say why, just says it can't load.  This after a reboot, so not a residuals problem, although might be a problem with other stuff running.

This simply is not my night, ya know?  Kinda like the techies idea of Hell - everything looks perfect, but nothing works  :P.

OK, off to find another converter  :o.
754
General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ... A/V converter
« Last post by barney on December 23, 2011, 10:19 PM »
I'll try Freemake next.  I saw some bad press on it, so downloaded Hamster instead.  Had to be very cautious with the install, and it still installed some stuff I didn't want or need - 7Zip works just fine, I don't need Hamster Zip  :mad:! - but it's taking an abominably long time to convert a 47K .wmv file to .mp4.  System went to sleep on it the first run, so I restarted, but hope for this one is diminishing rapidly.

Off to find Freemake.
755
General Software Discussion / In search of ... A/V converter
« Last post by barney on December 23, 2011, 08:39 PM »
There are several threads extant on this subject, but none recent for what I thimk  :-\ I need  ;).

On this thread I talked about hardware for converting VHS to DVD.  That is finally in process, and I should be able to report in a week or so.

However, this is a bit different.  I need opinions on software - preferably free, 'cause I won't be the only one using it, there's a tightwad involved  :P - that will convert anything to anything, or at least close to that.  I just tried Any Video Converter, but it keeps choking:  any time I attempt to load a file for subsequent conversion, I get a runtime error, request to terminate in an unusual way.  There's a query with the source site as to what I might do, but I've no idea how quickly - or if  :huh: - they'll respond, and I'm in somewhat of a time crunch.

At the moment, I need to convert a .wmv file, prolly to .mp4, for embedding on a Web site.  There'll be two (2) conversions:
  • a full clip to be played at user discretion
  • two (2) short segments of that clip to be looped on the home page.
The full clip will have sound, controls, all the normal bells and whistles.  The looping segments will be silent, no controls.

Oh, yeah, it would be nice to be able to control the sound format as well.  This'll be done in HTML5 with a degrade, as yet undecided but prolly .swf, for browsers that don't understand HTML5.

I've never done anything of this nature before, so I'm running blind.  Any opinions/suggestions on conversion software? 
756
General Software Discussion / Re: Software install monitor.
« Last post by barney on December 22, 2011, 08:32 PM »
All very cogent points.  But there is still the time element, which can be critical.  And as far as a reboot is concerned, a number of snapshot applications do not cope well.  And several snapshot utils I've used in the past - True was one of 'em, may have changed since then - did not deal well with running the app as part of the snapshot. So far, that has not been an issue with Revo.

I realize this is holy war material, but to date I've seen the best performance out of Revo.  That doesn't mean I've ceased the search for something better  :P.

757
General Software Discussion / Re: Software install monitor.
« Last post by barney on December 22, 2011, 11:12 AM »
Haven't yet encountered that situation with Revo, so I cannot really say.  I think it moves replaced files to a protected storage area, but I don't have any hard evidence to that effect.  However, I have looked at the install logs, and they cover a lot of territory you'd not normally expect.  One thing Revo suggests is to run the newly installed program for the first time while the tracking system is still active - not something normally done with snapshots - so it can track changes initially made by the software after installation.  I like that  :Thmbsup:.
758
Living Room / Re: In search of ... router recommendations
« Last post by barney on December 21, 2011, 08:36 PM »
I've seen several recommendations of Tomato over DD-WRT.  Suspect it'll be on the agenda once I make a decide on what router to get.  I haven't found anything on - durability? - router stability, endurance ... I don't know how to phrase it.  I'd like to find a Jeep router, not a Mercedes  :P.
759
General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ... universal download tracker
« Last post by barney on December 21, 2011, 04:16 PM »
Understood.  But some downloads/uploads happen w/o our knowledge.  A keylogger is an extreme example, but such malware can trigger an upload w/o the knowledge of the operator.  Perhaps a more pertinent example might be software that needs ancillary files not on your system, depending upon what you're doing.  Or Web pages that pull support files from various locations.  Those files are downloaded and stored in memory/cache.  For instance, I frequently see status bar notifications that a Web site is being contacted for some .js library, or for pulling down advertising material.  That's junk stuff that ends up on my machine w/o my direct knowledge.  I want to know about it.  And if there is something on my system that is phoning home when I use it, I want to know about that.  So this isn't just about stuff I install/installed.  It's about stuff I haven't installed, or don't know was installed.

Here's an example.  I was working on a Web page for a friend.  That page required a .js library, which was being called from some storage site.  The page worked on the Web, it worked on my local system in Dragon, Safari, Opera, IE8 (!), but would not work in FireFox.  After a lot of research, I pinned that down to the fact that FireFox had an earlier version of the library in cache and was using that instead of downloading a new copy.  OK, proper browser behavior.  But it broke the [local] page.  And it took me about ten (10) days to discover that.  If I'd had a [configured] download log, I could have discovered that in a day or two.  And I've had similar problems with local software that needed to use a plugin on the fly using a cached copy rather than grabbing the latest version - or grabbing the latest version instead of using the cached copy.

Problem resolution in such instances would be much faster if I could configure some application to monitor all traffic involving certain file names/extensions, e.g., .js, .exe, .dll, .zip, and so on.

760
General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ... universal download tracker
« Last post by barney on December 21, 2011, 03:22 PM »
Have something similar now in CintaNotes tracking every change I have made to this Vostro laptop.

However, what I seek in this thread is something to log background activity, activity that I did not specifically initiate.

One (1) example would be Windows automatic updates (which is turned off). Another would be Java updates, or Adobe updates.  Over those I have some degree of control.  But I want to track those elements over which I have no direct control.

[Edit]
Several of Nir Sofer's tools come close to what I'd like to find, but they tend to provide more data than I am able to assimilate  :o :P.
761
Developer's Corner / Re: In search of ... overlibmws GUI/interface/tutorial
« Last post by barney on December 19, 2011, 08:09 PM »
His simile is that he doesn't have to know how to build a car in order to drive one  ;D.  Kinda sad, really  :(.  But, as mentioned, he's making a living designing Web pages, even if he cannot truly build what he designs.  He's so busy that he's refusing clients ... that's gotta say something about his work, even if most of it is pretty much local/regional.  To my mind, it's kinda, sorta cheatin' to build a page in Photoshop, then expect a developer to recreate it in script, but that's apparently how this world works  :-\.

Oh, well ... if he's SOL, he's SOL.
762
Developer's Corner / Re: In search of ... overlibmws GUI/interface/tutorial
« Last post by barney on December 19, 2011, 07:48 PM »
Yeah, that was my experience as well.  I was just hopeful that, with the breadth of experience here, someone had information that I've yet to find.  Actually, I'm kinda surprised there isn't something a la SourceForge along these lines  :-\ :P.

Guess he'll just have to make do with the Bosrup site - but he will whine  :tellme: :o :P.
763
Living Room / Re: In search of ... router recommendations
« Last post by barney on December 19, 2011, 02:55 PM »
He-he-he.  Mine's working just fine - the TV wireless, I mean.  For some reason, my router issues have yet to affect the TV reception, at least according to Baby Daughter.  She's been enjoying it quite a bit - seems fond of Netflix  ;D.  And I have yet to complete the setup/configuration.  By now, you could probably give me pointers.  I hit the road shortly after acquiring the LG, extremely frustrating  >:(.

The Gigabit model would be the one (1) I'd want.  Don't have much experience with NetGear, mostly LinkSys, D-Link, and one (1) other whose designation I do not at the moment recall.  Do you know off the top of your head whether the NetGear is amenable to the DD-WRT or Tomato firmware?  As long as I'm gonna play, might as well go all the way  :P.  One of the things that has frustrated with the LinkSys is anything resembling bandwidth measurement or control.
764
General Software Discussion / Re: Software install monitor.
« Last post by barney on December 19, 2011, 11:14 AM »
I've been using Revo Uninstaller Pro for that purpose.  Rather than before and after snapshots, which take an inordinate amount of time, Revo tracks and records changes as they are made.  Same result as the snapshots, but much less time involved - on average, Revo increases install time by less than ten (10) percent.  (Yeah, I actually tested clock times  :-[.)  Everything else I've tried scans the [entire] system before the install, does it again after the install.  Those system scans eat up the clock, and that's time that can be put to better use.
765
Developer's Corner / Re: In search of ... overlibmws GUI/interface/tutorial
« Last post by barney on December 19, 2011, 10:57 AM »
Yeah, I don't have any problem with the documentation.  I used the Bosrup page when applying overlib on in-house pages at my last corporate gig, over a decade ago, but that was me and that was then.

However Jim is a different matter.  He needs a simple, "Connect tab A to slot B," kind of thing.  He's a casual Web page creator with delusions of being a primo developer.  He's pretty good at page design, just not so good at actually writing it.  (To make matters worse - ? - he actually makes a living as a design consultant  ;D.)

And he has a penchant for getting hung up on one element to the exclusion of everything else.  So I'm trying to find a simple[r] instruction set for him.  Or, best, a GUI that'll create the code he wants so he can just paste it into the page source.  I'm not Hellbent on using overlib, per se, just looking for something that'll let him include his pop-ups with minimum effort.  I've pointed him to the Macrides site, but that documentation, "... just confuses me."  I'll give him the Bosrup site, but suspect the response will be the same.  He's accustomed to black box scripting and has no desire even to read a book about it, assuming there's one (1) extant, because, "Programming books are too confusing."  As I said, he wants, "Connect tab A to slot B."  :P
766
Living Room / Re: In search of ... router recommendations
« Last post by barney on December 19, 2011, 10:29 AM »
Yeah, guess that should have been mentioned.  Despite my aversion to firmware updates in general, routers be one (1) bit of hardware that I keep up to date.  It has payed off in the past, i.e., resolved issues that were, at the least, somewhat distracting  ;).
767
Developer's Corner / Re: In search of ... overlibmws GUI/interface/tutorial
« Last post by barney on December 18, 2011, 09:28 PM »
Jim is impressed with the definition pop-ups he's seen with overlib - actually overlibmws, but I don't know that it's much younger, or maintained.  Not familiar enough with jQuery to make a recommendation to him - that's why I posted  ;D.  I pretty much avoid JS whenever possible, although AJAX has been tempting me of late.

However, Jim needs assistance in accomplishing  whatever his ends might be.  That's why I'm seeking a GUI or a fairly simple tutorial for him.  Personally, I don't care what the source is as long as he can get his popups  :P.
768
Living Room / In search of ... router recommendations
« Last post by barney on December 18, 2011, 09:02 PM »
Folk,

Just got back home after way too much time on the road.  One of the problems I encountered in transit was inability to access my home system via VPN - or any other method, for that matter.

When I got back, I reset the router - unplug, wait fifteen seconds, replug - and all seems well.  But this is getting to be a regular event - the router, I mean, not the road trip  :).  It's happening four (4)-five (5) times a month, seemingly on an upward curve  :'(.

'Twould seem advantageous to replace the router, a LinkSys (Cisco) WRT-400n dual-band unit with both bands always active.  Since the router is less than a year old, I'm not too confident of my router-picking abilities.

So I'm soliciting opinions on the various pieces of hardware on the market.  I'd like to maintain the 2.4/5 G capability, if possible.  Don't wanna spend too big a bundle, but price won't be the primary deciding factor.  I'm on a cable modem, and I suspect there is dirty cable input from things that have shown on the TVs.  I also may have dirty AC, but that'll soon be alleviated with another UPS.  Oh, yeah, at least four (4) RJ45 connections, and wireless a must.

Any thoughts ... or experiences?
769
Developer's Corner / In search of ... overlibmws GUI/interface/tutorial
« Last post by barney on December 18, 2011, 08:42 PM »
Folk,

Just got back after too much time on the road and before I could even unpack I got hit with this  :huh:.
An acquaintance - former client - that I help from time to time has recently discovered overlib.js/overlibmws.js.  He is totally enamored.  He wants to use it.  He is a dor - well-l-l, he's not whatcha call geeky, ya know? - and I don't have time right now to devote to him - too many tapes to convert  ;)  :-*.

So I told him I'd try to find something he could use to help him.  Coupla quick searches have not revealed anything like a GUI, nor could I spot a real tutorial - what's on the source pages is well beyond his level of coding agility (not misspelled ;D), i.e., understanding   :P.

So ...

Anyone here know of any such?  Or, perhaps, a different library that can accomplish the same basics with a bit simpler syntax?
770
Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: Randomly select 'n' Lines from text list
« Last post by barney on December 18, 2011, 12:10 PM »
With a bit of work i could make it so input could be done interactively.. but it's hard to justify if there are only 3 people on the planet who have any use for it.. seems like something that might be better done in modern times using an online web service..
-mouser (December 18, 2011, 05:43 AM)

Actually, I could see a use for this as an option in CHS, but that might be pretty specific to my usages.  Problem with Web services - apart from my paranoia - is that too many times I'm not, or unable to get, online.
771
General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ... a favicon generator/transformer (that works!)
« Last post by barney on December 03, 2011, 02:30 PM »
 :-[ I have IcoFX - forgot about it, haven't used it since XP - never installed under Win 7, but it's on my must-carry USB stick  :-[.

Thanks for the reminder  :Thmbsup:.  Seems as though I'll be needing it in the immediate future - now the guy wants different favicons for different pages  :o  :D.
772
General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ... a favicon generator/transformer (that works!)
« Last post by barney on December 03, 2011, 03:08 AM »
Thank you, sir  :Thmbsup:.

That one worked.  Axialis liked it.  More to the point, the Web site liked it  :P.

I'm curious why the others didn't, but not enough to do serious research.  Maybe download corruption?  I dunno, but as long as the site owner is happy ...
I think the trick with the favicon is to have a single 16x16 icon. Not multiple sizes in one .ico file.
-MilesAhead (December 03, 2011, 01:35 AM)

Agreed.  I've seen a few that are like 32x16 (I thimk), and a few that act like GIFs, but I'll stick with the basics on this until such time as I can be certain of what I'm doing  :huh:.

Sidebar:
Huh!  The spell checker doesn't like thimk.  Apparently it's never been exposed to '70s & '80s inspirational posters  ;D.
773
General Software Discussion / In search of ... a favicon generator/transformer (that works!)
« Last post by barney on December 02, 2011, 11:46 PM »
Folk,

I need/would like to take an existing .jpg and convert it to a favicon.ico.  I've tried this all afternoon, with no success whatsoever.

The last two (2) things I tried were a Firefox add-on, image2icon and a Web site, http://www.generatefavicon.com/, both to no return.  I've tried every Website/service I could find for this conversion.  I have Axialis' Icon Workshop.  All of these things purport to perform the conversion I desire.  They don't - or, at least, they haven't.

So, anyone with a pregnant idea?  One that might give birth to a working product?

No, I cannot create the damned thing myself ... when it comes to visual design, anyone else with just one (1) eye is likely to outperform me.  I stink at endeavors artistic.
774
Developer's Corner / Re: Ribbon UI - is it really THAT good?
« Last post by barney on December 02, 2011, 01:32 PM »
I had been refraining from comment, but might as well add my own two (2) pennies  ;).

My biggest complaint with the ribbon is screen real estate - it takes a significant amount compared to a menu or even a toolbar.  (That's generic, not application specific, btw.)  And while you folk without vision impairment might well be able to discern each discrete icon and recognize its function  :up:, older or visually impaired folk may not have that luxury  :down:.  Oh, yeah, those same icons are not intuitive, they have to be learned  :(.

But my biggest gripe is screen real estate  :mad:.  Recently discontinued a program I'd been using for years for that very reason.  They added a ribbon which stole a minimum of four (4) lines of vertical dimension.  That's four (4) lines of information that can no longer be viewed w/o scrolling.  OK, the ribbon can be minimized to some extent, but that's just more work - clicks, shortcuts, or the like - that has to be done, consuming more time that could be devoted to the project at hand.

MS was notorious when I was in IT for changing the menu structure in every new release of Office, and the ribbon strikes me as one more unwarranted change, just so you'll know it's a new version.  I can see some usefulness in, say, a graphics program, but for me and some of my contemporaries, it is a production hindrance in most of the software that we've seen utilize it.

That said, there are also a number of folk known to me that absolutely adore it.  To me, it seems a lot like the Web 2.0 groundswell, where everyone had to convert their sites to a new format and appearance lest they seem behind the times, change for the sake of change.  That has never been a good reason to alter a working UI.

In the long run, I'll prolly have to live with it, just as with Web 2.0.  And, as Renegade has pointed out, it's like the old Miller Lite beer commercials of, "Great taste!!  Less filling!!"  But as long as there's a choice, a menu system (with a single-line toolbar, if available) will be my choice.  I want an interface that does not get in the way.
775
General Software Discussion / Re: In search of ... universal download tracker
« Last post by barney on November 30, 2011, 11:07 AM »
Index.dat Viewer does show a great deal of info, but no way to determine date/time - save perhaps, for the time stamp on the file itself?  Don't think that will work.  Several of the index.dat files show a modified date earlier than the created date, at least in FileLocator Pro.

However, it's a start, might prove to be useful in a slightly different context.
 
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