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9676

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by 40hz on November 09, 2009, 12:55 PM »

Is there anything you don't do?

-superboyac (November 09, 2009, 11:08 AM)

Yes. I don't write computer programs. 

(Which is funny considering the number of posts I have up on DonationCoder.)

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Living Room / Re: How would you improve a standard PC keyboard?

« Last post by 40hz on November 09, 2009, 12:44 PM »

Well with so many people on this planet, we cannot all be working with excel, can we?

-housetier (November 09, 2009, 09:40 AM)

True. But that doesn't mean they're any less effected by it just because they themselves don't use it.

Consider:

Some play Warcraft. Some play Doom. Some play Biohazard.

And then there's those who play the deadliest virtual reality game of all - Microsoft Excel!

You've got layoffs happening; troop deployments being put in motion; and serious thought being given to exactly how much in taxes you'll be asked to pay next year. Things like that don't get worked out on blackboards any more.

Just think how much of what we get to live with on a daily basis goes back to a decision someone made after running an Excel spreadsheet or two...

Microsoft Excel - FEAR IT!  

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Living Room / Re: I'm Going to HELL! Please feel sorry for me... :(

« Last post by 40hz on November 09, 2009, 12:29 PM »

Take a stroll down some of their beaches on a warm day and do some "sightseeing."
I'm sure you'll soon feel a lot better.

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Living Room / Re: How would you improve a standard PC keyboard?

« Last post by 40hz on November 09, 2009, 09:24 AM »

do away with the number block like many laptops do

-housetier (November 09, 2009, 03:35 AM)

Do that and you've just alienated all the people in the financial and management sectors who spend more time on their numeric keypads than they do on their QWERTY keys.

Ever try to work in Excel for more than 5 minutes without a numeric keypad?

Just my 2¢ (or ALT 0162 on the keypad if you prefer )

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General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by 40hz on November 09, 2009, 07:42 AM »

What I meant about the musician stuff being a headache is the whole experience of getting what you want as a hobby/budget musician.  Very few serious musicians are going around playing pianos through their computer or anything like that.  Most likely, they are using some $xxxx piece of hardware.

-superboyac (November 08, 2009, 04:14 PM)

Boy do I hear you.

But, I think most aren't doing that because a laptop is generally too unreliable a solution when you're on the road. (Not that I haven't done it.) But it is fraught with a significantly greater degree of risk than traveling with something like a top-of-the-line Kurzeweil/Nord/Korg setup.

In a bar, you can joke your way through ten minutes of computer downtime. On a stage in front of 5,000 fans who each paid $150+ to get in, it gets ugly really fast.

<***OT ramble follows - feel free to skip***>

Spoiler

Maybe that's why I've been gradually going over to as low-tech an approach as possible for playing out.

We just heard a terrific little group* last week that was completely acoustic - 2-guitars/string bass/violin/vocals - and a pile of things (cans, hubcaps, wash tub, etc) to bang on. And it worked. They were great. Entertaining even. Amazing what musical talent alone can do.

I used to be a heavy-duty customization and tweak freak. These days, all I use is my instrument, a cord, and an amp.

Oddly enough, I've discovered I can accomplish everything I'm trying to accomplish musically without needing any of the technology I used to lug around.

Friends used to joke that I'd be happiest if my bass had nothing but a volume control. But that was before some companies started coming out with artist signature basses that just had a volume knob so I guess I wasn't the only person thinking along those lines.

I have no intention of scrapping all my electronic toys. They're too damn useful to completely walk away from. But until the software gets to the point where it can be run reliably on a general purpose OS, I'd rather leave my laptop at home.




---
*BTW: The band is called  Caravan of Thieves ( www.caravanofthieves.com ) in case anyone's interested. They do an odd-ball gypsy swing/cabaret type thing. Funny, slightly sinister lyrics with a lot of visual humor thrown in. Really nice people offstage too! Definitely worth seeing live.

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General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by 40hz on November 08, 2009, 04:00 PM »

Ugh, it's such a crazy world once you get caught up in all the music studio stuff.

-superboyac (November 08, 2009, 02:41 PM)

Not always.

I had a copy of Gigasampler running very nicely on a dedicated PC. The PC was bought used. I spent a huge amount of time getting Windows tweaked and stripped down as much as possible. Once I did, I loaded and tweaked Giga - and that was i!

I worked beautifully after that because I never changed anything once it was working to my satisfaction. And I've followed that same approach for every other piece of music software I've ever used:

• Set up the OS as cleanly as possible
• Install the app and get it working correctly
• Leave everything strictly alone after that - and just use it.

Think appliance.  

That means absolutely NO upgrades or changes to the OS. And as few as possible to the app itself.

Once you stop chasing all those upgrades for features that sound cool on paper but are seldom needed, your music apps tend to work great.

( BTW: I did the same thing with Cubase too! )

Just my 2¢

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Developer's Corner / Re: What's your Programming Language?

« Last post by 40hz on November 08, 2009, 03:45 PM »

I still program in COBOL.

-SlayerA (November 08, 2009, 03:39 PM)

Nothing wrong with that. For what it's designed for, it's still a great solution. 

9683

General Software Discussion / Re: Trying to find way of managing documents

« Last post by 40hz on November 08, 2009, 01:46 PM »

Take a look at Columbus by a company called Oasys. It doesn't have everything on your wish list, but you can use it to get a better idea of how some of these document management products work. They have a free "personal edition" available for download.

http://www.oasys-sof...management/columbus/

What is Columbus?

Columbus is a combined navigator and viewer that allows you to organise and view data in a more structured way.

Columbus utilises a powerful viewing engine and supports many commercial file formats, including Microsoft Office, AutoCAD*, MicroStation* and Hewlett Packard HPGL/2.

Logically related files and folders can be gathered under one heading even though they are spread across multiple folders and servers around the office or globe*. This makes it easy to view, edit, redline, issue and print data regardless of the document type or where it resides.

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Developer's Corner / Re: Learning Windows Script Host

« Last post by 40hz on November 07, 2009, 09:08 PM »

WSH will be around for a while yet. But Microsoft has definite plans to replace it with PowerShell. So for long-term I'd be more inclined to focus on PowerShell rather than WSH.

That being said, most scripting languages work in similar fashions, so much of what you learn in any one of them can be applied to learning your next.

I think it's more important to start with something (as in anything) rather than wait until you find the perfect scripting language to learn. If WSH looks interesting to you - go with that for the time being. It won't be effort wasted.

Just my 2¢

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General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by 40hz on November 06, 2009, 07:40 PM »

Keep us informed, 40!

-superboyac (November 06, 2009, 03:51 PM)

Actually, I'm doing something very different (for me) this time out.

For several years now, Microsoft has maintained that their products work best when used as a complete system. So this time I'm giving that suggestion a go. My current Windows 7 software setup is:

• Windows 7 Ultimate Edition
  note: The only reason I own a copy of Ultimate was because I didn't have to pay for it.
  
  
• Microsoft Office 2007 (Word, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Access, Publisher)*
• Microsoft Project 2007
• Microsoft Visio 2007
• Internet Explorer 8
• Microsoft security Essentials
• Visual C++ Express 2008 and 2010 Beta

* No, I did not install PowerPoint. I have a real deep dislike for PowerPoint and everything related to it.

Add to that some of Microsoft's Web 2.0 offerings:

• Live Writer
• Live Mail
• Live MovieMaker
• Office Live
• SkyDrive

And that's pretty much it.

The only non-Microsoft products I've got installed (so far) are the following:

• Amaya
• CodeBlocks
• eNoteFile
• Filezilla
• Firefox
• Kompozer
• MyDefrag
• Notepad++
• PaintNET
• PaintShop Pro
• Storybook
• WriteMonkey
• yWriter

About the only thing I'm really missing (and debating about) is Revo Uninstaller. I'm going to make an effort to keep the number of installed 3rd-party products down and try to stick with Microsoft as much as possible.* That being said, I'm sure FARR is going to show up on that machine sooner or later.

(*Note: This may be a research project of sorts, but I don't intend to be a total masochist about it. Maybe I'll "wear the t-shit" - but I have no intentions of "drinking the KoolAid" if push comes to shove. )

This above setup is wedded to a domain running on Windows Server 2003 Standard. I'd eventually like to go over to the new 2008-R2 server - but that will have to wait since I seriously doubt I'll  have the money to build a 64-bit server any time soon.

A Windows Home Server is also something I'd like to add to the mix in the not too distant future.

So there you have it - 40Hz's "House that Mr. Bill Built."

Let's see if doing it (almost exclusively) Microsoft's way yields as much synergy as they'd lead us to believe.

And if it blows up - or gets nuked by some piece of malware...well...I'll still have my NIX/FLOSS setup (), so it's not like it will be that big a deal for me if (when?) it does happen.

Gonna be an interesting year coming up.

9686

Living Room / Re: Large hadron collider shut down by bird dropping bread

« Last post by 40hz on November 06, 2009, 04:52 PM »

There's a lesson in there somewhere...

9687

General Software Discussion / Re: Any XP users switching to Windows 7 yet?

« Last post by 40hz on November 06, 2009, 03:47 PM »

I've pretty much switched over.

There's nothing I really need in the Windows environment that doesn't run on Win7 so I've decided to not put it off any longer. Your mileage may vary.

(Fingers crossed. )

9688

Living Room / Re: Recommend some music videos to me!

« Last post by 40hz on November 06, 2009, 01:31 PM »

Ahh...the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band!

They wrote such great songs: The Rhinocratic Oaths, My Pink Half of the Drainpipe, Mr. Slater's Parrot, Intro-Outro...

And then there was that nigh legendary recording of the "most utterly execrable guitar solo in rock history."
(FYI: listen to In the Wardrobes of Your Mind if you're curious).

They sure don't write songs like those any more!

Now s'cuze me. I'm gonna go grab me a doughnut and nip off to Granny's wardrobe for a quick break!

9689

Developer's Corner / Re: What's your Programming Language?

« Last post by 40hz on November 06, 2009, 12:46 PM »

I always wanted to try those Top Speed compilers

-MilesAhead (November 05, 2009, 05:26 PM)

I owned a few of them way back when. That's what I used for all my Modula work. Topspeed's tools were quite amazing and very much ahead of their time. Best part was you could mix and match languages since they all shared the same underlying compiler and libraries. Very very cool stuff.

If you want to play (or even do something serious) with Modula, you can find some free compilers here:

Modula-2:  www.thefreecountry.com/compilers/modula2.shtml

Modula-3:  www.thefreecountry.com/compilers/modula3.shtml

 

9690

Developer's Corner / Re: Free Unreal Development Kit released by Epic

« Last post by 40hz on November 06, 2009, 10:06 AM »

Thanks Lash!

I always wanted to get a look at what one of those big expensive dev kits looked like. I doubt I'll ever do much more than play with it, but I'm going to grab a copy just the same.

9691

Living Room / Re: What's your favorite LOL joke?

« Last post by 40hz on November 06, 2009, 09:53 AM »

How many DC Members does it take to change a light bulb?

None - there's a FARR Plugin for that!

-CleverCat (November 03, 2009, 01:23 AM)

Love it!

9692

General Software Discussion / Re: If shareware prices double in 2010, can you still afford to upgrade?

« Last post by 40hz on November 06, 2009, 06:53 AM »

The 'magic number' seems to be around $29 for shareware. From my experience, once you start going much over that, there's increasing customer resistance.

Option #1: FLOSS
Option #2: Piracy
Option #3: The Fine Devs realize that we're not buying anymore and drop the prices.

-scancode (November 06, 2009, 01:22 AM)

That sounds about right.

-Stoic Joker (November 06, 2009, 05:56 AM)

Bingo! (Except I think the 'piracy' option probably comes first for most people. )

9693

Living Room / Re: Comcast internet throttling is up and running

« Last post by 40hz on November 06, 2009, 06:38 AM »

AT&T is also sending out feelers to see how much 'customer interest'  (i.e. willingness to pay) there is for "in-home cell base stations" to cover people who live in dead spots, so I wouldn't hold my breath.

-40hz (November 05, 2009, 06:33 PM)

That's one of those devices that's always bugged me, if the cell phone can't get signal...because it's too far from the tower. What good is a second device that's also equally too far from the same tower going to do?

-Stoic Joker (November 06, 2009, 05:46 AM)

It works just like any other wireless access point.

The base station plugs into a phone line and provides wireless connections to any cellphones within range of its antenna. So if you frequent a fixed location (home/work/hangout) that gets poor cellphone reception, this little gadget should solve the problem.

Not a bad idea as far as it goes except for two issues:

• They want their customers to pay for the device
  
• It's one more source of RF

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Living Room / Re: Comcast internet throttling is up and running

« Last post by 40hz on November 05, 2009, 06:33 PM »

I do truly hope AT&T DSL is better in your neck of the woods than it is around here.

-Innuendo (November 05, 2009, 02:25 PM)

Don't know where you are, but where I am (SW CT) their DSL service is quite good. I've had no outages - or at least not any I was aware of for longer than I can remember.

And I can't say as I've had any problems with the routers they've supplied either. However, I might not be the best person to judge since I only use their box for the actual connection. All the other functions (DNS, NAT, firewall, PPoE client, etc.) get handled by my own homebrew network devices

That would require them to open up their Scrooge McDuck-esque vault & actually build some cell towers on a large scale.

-Innuendo (November 05, 2009, 02:25 PM)

Well yeah. But around where I live, people are getting pretty fed up with the towers - so you have the classic clash between the property owners and the digital nomads. AT&T is also sending out feelers to see how much 'customer interest'  (i.e. willingness to pay) there is for "in-home cell base stations" to cover people who live in dead spots, so I wouldn't hold my breath. Once they pay off enough legislators and get a bill passed to let them charge all their tower construction costs directly back to the consumer we'll have more cell towers than we know what to do with.

 

9695

Living Room / Re: What's your favorite LOL joke?

« Last post by 40hz on November 05, 2009, 03:55 PM »

A long-haul driver stopped off at a truck stop, parked his 18-wheeler along the side of the building, and went inside to get something to eat.
 
After sitting down at the mostly empty counter, he chatted with the waitress a bit and settled on a cheeseburger, a cup of coffee, and a slice of homemade apple pie which the waitress had recommended highly.
 
But no sooner did his meal get put in front of him, when in walked three members of an outlaw motorcycle gang.

The gang members surveyed the room, spotted the solo trucker, exchanged evil smiles with each other, and walked over to where he was sitting. One sat down on the trucker's left, the other sat down on the trucker's right, while the biggest biker stood directly behind the hapless man.

Without saying a word, the biker on the left started eating the driver's cheeseburger. The biker, who was standing, reached around and picked up the driver's coffee and proceeded to drink it. And the biker on the right picked up a fork and helped himself to a huge mouthful of the driver's apple pie, afterwhich he took the check the waitress had left on the counter, rolled it up like a cigarette, and stuck it in the driver's mouth.

The driver carefully stood up, took the check out of his mouth, slowly unrolled it, and then handed it to the waitress with a twenty dollar bill before walking out the door without so much as a single word or backwards glance.

The bikers were by now beside themselves with laughter. When they finally caught their breath, one of them looked up at the waitress who was calmly wiping the counter.

"Hey Honey!" the biggest biker said. "That trucker...he wasn't much of a man was he."

The waitress looked up and smiled briefly. "Apparently he wasn't much of a trucker either. He just drove over three motorcycles on his way out of the parking lot..."

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Developer's Corner / Re: Learning Windows Script Host

« Last post by 40hz on November 05, 2009, 03:14 PM »

It's not essential. But if you're looking to pursue a career in Windows-based network administration, having a solid understanding of Microsoft's scripting tools is a skill well worth having.

However, Microsoft plans on replacing WSH with Windows PowerShell, so you're better off learning that instead.

Resource link: http://technet.micro...center/dd742419.aspx

Microsoft also has some webcasts on PowerShell. They can be found here:

http://technet.micro...center/dd901154.aspx

Check out the title And Now for Something Completely Different: Introducing Windows PowerShell to get an overview of what it's all about.

Note: This is Microsoft, so you'll need to use Internet Explorer in order to view these webcasts. (Boo!)

9697

Developer's Corner / Re: What's your Programming Language?

« Last post by 40hz on November 05, 2009, 02:39 PM »

My two all-time favorites were Forth and Modula-2 (later Modula-3) but I haven't written anything (nontrivial) in either for a very very long time. LISP was also an amazing language. I used to be pretty good at it back when I was heavily involved with an electronic publishing package called Interleaf.

Today I'm mostly shell with some Python (and occasionally a little bit of Perl) thrown in where it makes sense. I just started getting into PHP for a hobby project so that should be interesting.

9698

Living Room / Re: Comcast internet throttling is up and running

« Last post by 40hz on November 05, 2009, 02:02 PM »

Amazing. Especially now that I just got off the phone with one of my clients.

AT&T is offering him a fixed-IP (/29 subnet) 768K DSL package for just $70/month - and that includes a 'business class' router (w/no installation charge) in exchange for a 1-year contract. And it comes with no bandwidth caps or restrictions on what it gets used for as long as it's legal.

Hey Comcast! Can you say "Oversubscribed?"

(Now if AT&T could just get their bloody 3G-Net/iPhone issues straightened out, all would be well with the world. )

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Living Room / Re: Open source remake of the classic game Elite

« Last post by 40hz on November 04, 2009, 01:54 PM »

On closer inspection I edited the Start menu shortcut and added the -nosplash option. Works fine now.

I can't really see why disabling the splash screen made a difference but it did

-Carol Haynes (November 03, 2009, 12:11 PM)

The only time I've seen something like that make a difference was if an app switched screen resolution and color depth after displaying the splash screen. Some cards are fussier than others about doing that.

A lot of older games threw a gorgeous splash up at whatever resolution you were currently set to, and then dropped down to a lower "game" resolution and color palette for performance reasons during actual play.

I'd have to look at the source to see if that's what's happening, but I'm guessing that's what caused it. Probably some minor glitch in the splash exit routine is borking something in the game initialization.

9700

General Software Discussion / Re: Graphic Design question: Services and prices?

« Last post by 40hz on November 03, 2009, 01:36 PM »

I remember in my early teens when I came across the movie "Heavy Metal".  I don't remember how I saw it, maybe it was on cable or something.  I thought it was so naughty.

-superboyac (November 03, 2009, 10:30 AM)

Just don't let me catch you reading any of those Gor novels by John Norman!

====

Old sci-fi convention joke:

Mom-1: I can't believe some of what they're calling sci-fi these days.

Mom-2: Yeah. Did you see what they had over in that Heavy Metal booth?

Mom-1: Yes I did. It's pornographic - and I don't care who says otherwise.

Mom-2: Well, just so long as the younger kids aren't reading stuff like that.

Mom-1: But they are! Just last week I caught my 13 year old daughter reading Captive of Gor!

Mom-2: OMG! She's reading books like that? What did you do?

Mom-1: I gave her a spanking - and then I sent her to bed without supper!

Mom-2: Yikes! That was some punishment!  Did she learn her lesson?

Mom-1: Well...no. In fact, I think I might have made it worse.