Recent Posts

8176

DC Member Programs and Projects / Re: GameShui Launcher

« Last post by wraith808 on June 25, 2011, 08:38 AM »

Going back to the autodetect, there is a lot of information about games that is both useful and global. I for example spend time figuring out what needs to be backed up so that my configs and saved games can be migrated to another computer (or sync'd). Some games nicely put savegames in clear places, others hide them in systems folders. Sometimes there are additional ones or stupid things hard coded in like paths... I bet 20% of the people who play any game will do the same... Now we have several sites online which have huge DBs of games and reviews etc. do any of them have an API? DO any of them track this kind of more practical information (where are saved games? screenshots? what are the basic keys for basic things?). Being able to check and get information, or share information back up....
in short, is there a public, open GDDB?

-iphigenie (June 25, 2011, 03:35 AM)

There was... until MobyGames sold out.  I've been thinking along those lines also, and about this app and my intentions.  It's going to change quite a bit... as soon as I get a chance, I'll have more info.

8177

Living Room / Re: Anyone Using Bitcoins Yet?

« Last post by wraith808 on June 24, 2011, 04:09 PM »

We just need to get back to the gold standard.

-Deozaan (June 24, 2011, 03:34 PM)

Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen. The whole deficit spending program most governments function under would come to a screeching halt if they actually had to base the rubber checks they were writing to themselves on something that existed in the real world.

Which is unfortunate. Because they have a bear by the tail with that one. The current economic situation can't go on indefinitely without a crash. And if they try to reform it, it will provoke a an even more rapid crash.

Small wonder so many politicians  throw the problem as far into the future as they possibly can and then hope they'll be dead before the day of reckoning arrives.

-40hz (June 24, 2011, 03:43 PM)

I don't agree with every(most- even)thing that has been done financially, but this I will say... getting off the gold standard was the best thing that has been done in concept, and going back to it is pretty much a no-go, even talking fiscal responsibility.  Basing your economy on a limited resource limits your economic growth.

An article on why we shouldn't go to the Gold standard, and an alternative standard to replace the USD.

8178

Living Room / Re: Sean Connery ain't Apple's bitch!

« Last post by wraith808 on June 21, 2011, 09:50 AM »

And also- for anyone that couldn't tell- it's fake.  It would have been pretty cool, though.

8179

Living Room / Re: Should retailers be held accountable for recommendations?

« Last post by wraith808 on June 20, 2011, 11:47 AM »

As for the free returns: It turns out that was a benefit of signing up for ShopRunner (http://www.shoprunner.com/) when I made a recent online purchase of an extremely heavy and bulky dehumidifier.  ShopRunner is like Amazon Prime but it works at various online retailers.

-cthorpe (June 20, 2011, 12:20 AM)

Ah... that's a major difference then.  All of my returns using Prime have been cross ship, and have used UPS to be trackable.  But it still sounds cool- I've been thinking about it because I use Prime so much...

8180

Living Room / Re: XBOX 360 with Kinect or Wii?

« Last post by wraith808 on June 19, 2011, 08:23 AM »

Well, I'm thinking about getting an XBOX 360 with Kinect or a Nintendo Wii. I really don't care about games, but hopefully it will help me get some exercise. So, that's my #1 and only goal - EXERCISE.

Which would you recommend?

-Renegade (June 19, 2011, 12:33 AM)

360 with Kinect.  That's what I have, and I got it because it can actually sense your body.  The Wii can't.  It only senses the location of the wiimote (I feel like I lost a few brain cells just typing that).  So it can't see if you're using the correct movements.

Software-wise, I have the EA Sports Active, and it's very good!  I've heard (after the fact) that the Biggest Loser is better, but I've been satisfied with Sports Active.  And the other games give you a fair amount of exercise too- it's just that they have larger rest times between events (whether that's a dance or an activity) so you get into this startup/cooldown every few minutes that isn't as conducive to weight loss IME.  EA Sports Active also has a heart rate monitor that apparently doesn't come with the Wii version, and it has resistance bands included; it also has an accessory pack with weights and such, though I haven't splurged on that yet (for me- it's more than the game; it's $40, where I only paid $20 for the game itself).

Also, to use online features, you don't have to give CC info.   I buy my subscriptions on cards in the store or online, and buy points in the same way.  CC is easier, but you can be totally protected and still use online features.

8181

Developer's Corner / Re: PowerShell Analyzer - Free IDE and testing framework for Power Shell

« Last post by wraith808 on June 17, 2011, 07:40 AM »

This software is no longer available, does anyone have a mirror?

-justice (June 17, 2011, 04:02 AM)

It's not quite up to date (executables from 2008) but the original site is still available. The blog is dead though.

Guess PowerGUI is a better choice now

-Ath (June 17, 2011, 06:46 AM)

Last update to the blog was in april, so I wouldn't pronounce it dead yet...

8182

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Review of VistaDB

« Last post by wraith808 on June 15, 2011, 11:11 PM »

(Completed Review and Assessment)

8183

Living Room / Re: Why ebooks are bad for you

« Last post by wraith808 on June 14, 2011, 09:11 PM »

Many have offered solutions, just none that have been accepted by the proponents of DRM.

-steeladept (June 14, 2011, 07:34 PM)

What are these solutions? I've never defended DRM, but I still don't see an alternative for ebook authors. How do you generate a reliable income stream for ebook authors without some form of DRM (and copy protection falls under the banner of DRM)?

-johnk (June 14, 2011, 08:17 PM)

Manning.com and Oreilly.com have done away with DRM, and they don't seem to be hurting...  Also DriveThruRPG.com and IndiePressRevolution.com.  I think you can make money, you just have to be willing to take the chance.  And that's what it comes down to IMO.  Be willing to trust your potential customers, or hold on to the fear that you won't make money.

8184

Living Room / Re: Why ebooks are bad for you

« Last post by wraith808 on June 14, 2011, 06:04 PM »

The lion's share of the money still goes to the publishers

-40hz (June 13, 2011, 07:24 PM)

Not true -- the biggest share goes to the retailer.

-johnk (June 14, 2011, 05:38 PM)

Depends on the publisher and the market and whether you are considered a distributor or not.  I know that in most science fiction/fantasy and gaming books that's not true from experience.

8185

General Software Discussion / Re: iBooks vs Stanza displaying an epub on iPod Touch/iPhone

« Last post by wraith808 on June 14, 2011, 02:10 PM »

PDF

It's not long lines by themselves, AFAIK, but the formatting of long lines.

-wraith808 (June 09, 2011, 04:27 PM)

I've wondered what you meant by this. I think you are saying we are currently at the mercy of how the epub author and the epub software choose to format the lines. Hypothetically, the author can take steps to make sure the lines are interpreted correctly on all readers. I haven't had any luck to find anything like an epub validator to make sure this doesn't happen.

-daddydave (June 14, 2011, 12:18 PM)

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but yes, you interpreted my meaning correctly.  I'm not sure how many ways you can create an e-pub, but I've seen varying formatting based upon where I obtained the document from, and I have seen code format correctly on my iPhone, iPad, and on both.  And issues on one or the other.  So yes, I think it's a source translation issue.

8186

Living Room / Re: Why ebooks are bad for you

« Last post by wraith808 on June 13, 2011, 06:38 PM »

The only reason eBooks can't be used in the same way is that publishers don't allow it - there is nothing to stop Kindle or any other book reader from removing rights from a book while it is lent to a friend - who temporarily inherits the rights until the book is returned. It is just pure greed on the part of publishing houses - author's only get a tiny, and dwindling, proportion of the book cover price. The only motivation for publishers is greed - that is why eBooks often cost more than printed editions on Amazon even though the publisher overheads are minimal in the eBook world.

-Carol Haynes (June 13, 2011, 06:36 PM)

Especially looking at the capabilities of the Nook to lend...  and how the publishers have marginalized that.

8187

Living Room / Re: Why ebooks are bad for you

« Last post by wraith808 on June 13, 2011, 06:37 PM »

The big fat problem with Kindle is a word I dislike most when it comes to formats: proprietary.

-zridling (June 13, 2011, 03:45 PM)

I don't understand the debate about the "proprietary" nature of the Kindle. The Kindle is an e-reader, and a top-class one at that. You can load it with thousands of books and documents without ever buying an ebook in a proprietary format. That's how I use it anyway, and many others do likewise.

-johnk (June 13, 2011, 05:59 PM)

Agreed.  I don't think there is an e-book reader that reads *only* proprietary formats.  Heck, even iBooks allows you sideload other formats.

Most musicians make music because they enjoy it, and some of them hope to make some kind of living from it through live performance. Most writers write for money, plain and simple. Without DRM, the vast majority of people will not pay for books, just as very few people under 30 pay for recorded music.

I don't think DRM will survive, but I don't see how authors will be paid, and I don't see how books will be written, aside from the small number of fiction writers who do it for love.

-johnk (June 13, 2011, 05:59 PM)

I think that until you've written, you tend to undervalue the cost of words.  It's the same with music, to a large extent.  And software, to a lesser extent.  It's the nature of the beast.

But I agree that DRM will not survive.  I just wish that the publishers could see that *now* and not make the *same* sort of bad decisions the music industry has made.

8188

General Software Discussion / Re: Automatic document creation. How?

« Last post by wraith808 on June 13, 2011, 06:32 PM »

I guess I've just never actually seen a good Access based application. *Shrug*

-Stoic Joker (June 13, 2011, 06:12 PM)

I've seen a couple of good ones.  The problem is, with any enterprise, once something is *good* they want *better*.  Which in most cases means *bigger*.  The road to hell, and all that...

8189

General Software Discussion / Re: Automatic document creation. How?

« Last post by wraith808 on June 13, 2011, 04:54 PM »

Access with an Access backend (mdb) is wonderful for single person apps and good for small workgroups with a handful (say, less than 20) of simultaneous users.  Access as a front-end to SQL server or Oracle is a wonderful tool, plain and simple.

<snip />

For the sorts of things that superboyac is inquiring about, Access is like a dream come true.

Whew, sorry for such lengthy opinionating! 

-JohnFredC (June 13, 2011, 04:29 PM)

We'll have to agree to disagree on that point.  I've been around the block a few times myself, and have dealt with a variety of situations from access being used as a back-end, to access being used as a front end for SQL Server, Oracle, and Sybase (you want to talk about a nightmare?  Access+Sybase.  Actually, anything and Sybase... but that's a different discussion).  And in my experience, Access and enterprise has been a headache.  Admittedly, that was a while ago.  But from a speed and configuration perspective, and getting around problems that enterprise solutions enabled me to solve more easily, Access never did me any favors.

8190

General Software Discussion / Re: Automatic document creation. How?

« Last post by wraith808 on June 13, 2011, 03:37 PM »

I spent 15 years of my professional life making my entire living as an independent Access developer so please bear with me.

No offense intended to anyone here, but those who poo-poo Access probably haven't used it professionally.

-JohnFredC (June 13, 2011, 07:02 AM)

Heh.  I've used it more than I'd wish professionally, and I can say that a good 40%+ of my time (and I'm being generous) was spent getting around limitations of it, whether with pure access development, or using access as a back end.  While it's true that some of my distaste is rooted in ODBC, Access can IMO be very easily misused.  That's not to say that with help it couldn't be a platform for the project presented here, but IME, outside of small-scale data entry projects, you quickly run up against it's limitations.  I've always thought this was the reason that MS has been marginalizing it as of late- because with misuse, it becomes a PR nightmare.

8191

Developer's Corner / Re: NetRexx is now free and open source courtesy of IBM

« Last post by wraith808 on June 13, 2011, 02:22 PM »

Blast from the past.  I haven't kept up with Rexx since my OS/2 days...

8192

General Software Discussion / Re: Need Help figuring out what personal wiki software fits my needs

« Last post by wraith808 on June 13, 2011, 10:43 AM »

^ Thanks!  I'd actually never heard of that...

8193

DonationCoder.com Newsletters / Re: Newsletter for May 5th, 2011 - "Calming Breeze"

« Last post by wraith808 on June 12, 2011, 11:07 PM »

I did too? 

8194

Living Room / Re: Why ebooks are bad for you

« Last post by wraith808 on June 12, 2011, 10:27 AM »

The device is still capable of tying personally identifiable information about you to the book, and remotely deleting or modifying it. There are no laws that I'm aware of that would keep Amazon, or any other company, from doing either of these things, or simply recording your behavior quietly, as the collected data awaits a sales opportunity or subpoena. Can't do this on a massive scale with physical books.

-doctorfrog (June 11, 2011, 11:29 PM)

There are outlets other than b&n and amazon for purchasing non-drm books.  And if one of them actually modified something on the device that you didn't purchase from them, that would be a very bad thing for them (and pretty stupid also, as most would have backups - or in the case of a couple of outlets you can re-download).

-wraith808 (June 12, 2011, 08:50 AM)

Which sites do you know of? I am always looking for some good non-drm sites to buy ebooks for my kindle.

-Josh (June 12, 2011, 09:38 AM)

http://www.fictionwise.com (a shadow of their former self since b&n bought them... but still have multiformat non-drm books)
http://www.ereader.com (basically a different view of fictionwise.com in my experience)
http://www.fsand.com (science fiction and fantasy)
http://www.angryrobotstore.com/ (science fiction and fantasy - no kindle support, but they recommend using calibre to convert)
http://www.baen.com/ (one(?) of the only publishers that I know of to get on the non-drm ebook bandwagon - sci-fi and fantasy)
http://www.webscription.net (baen uses them for distribution, though they have publishers other than baen)
http://www.smashwords.com/ (indie authors and publishers)

MobileRead Wiki also has a list, though I haven't tried any of them not listed above.

8195

Living Room / Re: Why ebooks are bad for you

« Last post by wraith808 on June 12, 2011, 08:50 AM »

The device is still capable of tying personally identifiable information about you to the book, and remotely deleting or modifying it. There are no laws that I'm aware of that would keep Amazon, or any other company, from doing either of these things, or simply recording your behavior quietly, as the collected data awaits a sales opportunity or subpoena. Can't do this on a massive scale with physical books.

-doctorfrog (June 11, 2011, 11:29 PM)

There are outlets other than b&n and amazon for purchasing non-drm books.  And if one of them actually modified something on the device that you didn't purchase from them, that would be a very bad thing for them (and pretty stupid also, as most would have backups - or in the case of a couple of outlets you can re-download).

8196

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for advice, tips, wisdom: Adding my 1st Mac into the [tech] family...

« Last post by wraith808 on June 11, 2011, 04:37 PM »

it should make for an excellent cautionary tail.

-Stoic Joker (June 11, 2011, 04:25 PM)

Already looking at it as demonic, eh?

8197

General Software Discussion / Re: Looking for advice, tips, wisdom: Adding my 1st Mac into the [tech] family...

« Last post by wraith808 on June 10, 2011, 02:45 PM »

I was thinking that the first piece of advice would be... don't?

8198

General Software Discussion / Re: iBooks vs Stanza displaying an epub on iPod Touch/iPhone

« Last post by wraith808 on June 09, 2011, 04:27 PM »

The ebook is Modern Perl, which is provided by the author in epub format as well as PDF. Notice how Stanza cuts off the long lines, which is a known issue with Stanza. However iBooks is painfully slow on my iPod Touch and is generally considered inferior for good reason. Yet it wraps the whole line and displays it.

-daddydave (June 09, 2011, 03:08 PM)

It's not long lines by themselves, AFAIK, but the formatting of long lines.  I haven't really had that problem with my technical books for that reason.

8199

Living Room / Re: Tablet Discussion - in the market to buy

« Last post by wraith808 on June 09, 2011, 10:46 AM »

And that's what I get:
 (see attachment in previous post)

-phitsc (June 09, 2011, 05:04 AM)

Wow. Crazy!

-Deozaan (June 09, 2011, 06:53 AM)

Definitely crazy.  Here's what I see:


I wonder if Amazon Prime makes a difference in Kindle prices...

My dream is that one day Safari Books will add a 3 or 5-slot bookshelf subscription level at no more than $10 per month (a little less than half the 10-slot level).  Combine that with some improvements to their mobile and offline support and I wouldn't hesitate to subscribe.

It's not that the 10-slot level isn't a good deal, but it's wasteful for my needs - like always ordering a foot-long sub but never eating more than 6".

-TheQwerty (June 09, 2011, 06:48 AM)

I have a free offer for Safari for a 45 day trial with Effective C#... how is it?  I've always brushed it off because I can't see renting books.  But looking at it closer, I guess it would make sense.  I have so many outdated books because of the rate of technology changing, so maybe I need to change my view of things.  Can you only see them on the website?  So can you use them if you're offline?

And yes, I use a variety of outlets for getting books these days. O'Reilly and Manning are my two go-to's for this kind of stuff.

8200

General Software Discussion / Re: DVCS ?

« Last post by wraith808 on June 08, 2011, 06:17 PM »

I've used Tortoise SVN with the Express editions of Visual C#.  Can Mercurial or GIT either one be used with these Express versions, or do they only function with the Professional/Enterprise versions of the Visual Studio IDE?

-kyrathaba (June 08, 2011, 05:31 PM)

Both of them operate on the files, so the version of VS shouldn't influence whether they work.  If you're talking about integration with the IDE, that's a different story- you can browse the add-ons in VS to find the git-extensions and see if you can install the SC provider.