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Newletter for September 25 - Codename "Chatty Kathy"
Darwin:
Newsletter for September 25th, 2007Codename "Chatty Kathy"
"If you read nothing else on our site, read our BLOG"
1. Newsletter Editorial
Hi all. Darwin here with another overview of the past couple of weeks of activity on Donationcoder - and what a couple of weeks they've been! Wordzilla has worked his magic yet again by integrating the open source cgi:irc browser based IRC applet into the DonationCoder website. Yes! You too can participate in the IRC antics referred to in many a posting by simply clicking on the chat! link on the forum navigation bar. Drop by and join in the fun!
Donationcoder member app103 has been in the spotlight once again because of her excellent application Instant Boss , which was recently featured Lifehacker. App admits to being a bit overwhelmed by the attention and the kudos, but they are well deserved! For another perspective on software development, and a peek into the mind of a developer, that dovetails nicely with app's comments, check out this thread on a blog essay about how "Programming can ruin your life".
2. We want your help and participation!
The DC ranks are swelling - a look at the stats for the total number of (both donating and non-donating) members reveals that 2758 members have joined since the last newsletter went out on Sept.8. - we're 88,912 strong as of 1 PM PST! The forum is a unique, vibrant, and friendly community in which DC members ask for and receive help, chat, and post about things of interest in the world of software, software development, the internet, and computing. Don't be shy! If you haven't posted before on the forum, here are some recent posts we'd love to have your participation in:
* Mouser asks for distributed pc cycles help from dc community for a machine learning contest algorithm.
* Update on member KenR health status: Surgery went well
* Brand new web-based live text chat channel interface -- try it now !
* What's your preferred File Manager?
* How do you launch stuff?
3. Official DonationCoder.com Application News
It's been a quiet month for DonationCoder software, but if you use our Screenshot Captor or FARR program, you might want to visit these threads on the forum:
* Screenshot Captor: Vista not accepting license key problem in v 2.34.01 through 2.35.01
* Screenshot Captor: Problem with non-rect window + shadow
* Find and Run Robot (FARR): Plugin Creator Info Thread -- plus a new Delphi framework
* Find and Run Robot (FARR): New plugin available to provide indexed searching with Locate32
* DcUpdater: New dcuhelper.exe released for programmers who want to add update checking support to their apps
4. Mini-Reviews by Members
Some nice mini-reviews by our members in the last two weeks, as well as another thread on possible ways to improve the way we handle reviews on the site, and a link to an offsite review of OCR tools.
* Kaspersky Internet Security 7
* Direct Access - text expander and application launcher (and much more)
* Customised Reviews? A discussion of the future of review sites
* Nice page comparing OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Software
5. September Discounts and Giveaway Winners
The winners of September's shareware giveaway have been announced on the forum, but supporting members still have until the end of the month to take advantage of September's discounts on BufferZone, Prevx, RecentX, and the wonderful TechSupportAlert (Gizmo) Newsletter subscription.
* Read about the winners of the September giveaway drawing -- and take advantage of one of the discounts until the end of the month
6. General Software Discussion
Software, software, software. If you're looking for a software solution, look no further than Donationcoder. Use Wordzilla's excellent new search feature to check if the software or category of software has been discussed on Donationcoder. If not, post a request on the boards and someone will be able to give you some suggestions. Most of the items below are freeware:
* ReNamer: The best freeware file renamer? (yes says cybernetnews.com)
* SharpKeys: Nice Donationware Key Mapper
* Good parental control software
* IrfanPaint - a painting plug-in for IrfanView
* Screen Stream - Broadcast your live desktop stream to others (free)
* CDBurnerXP 4 released
* Userbar Generator: Very Cool Freeware
* Real Player 11 is actually quite good!?
* Keeping attributes and creation/modification dates when copying files/folders?
* Print Conductor (batch PDF printing) and other free PDF tools
* Libra - organizer software
* Defraggler,add another defragger to the list
* MS Forced Update
* Help! My computer has lost the hibernation feature!
* IBM Lotus Symphony
* Liquid Resize (free utility) for content-aware photo resizing
* GreatFamily - Visualize your family tree
* VirtualBox - An Open Source Virtual Machine
* RESOLVED Help please - 16 bit program woes under XP Pro Sp-2
* How to determine ipaddress of mini-webserver on a wireless network
* Looking for an E-Mail Client which can be run on an USB Stick
* Shareware that don't have freeware replacements?
7. Living Room
Lots of content on the Donationcoder forum boards is not directly software related, but represent interesting finds made by DC members as the surf the web or requests for help in solving computer related problems.
* 13 Reasons Why Linux Won't Make it to a Desktop Near You
* What linux needs.
* Forum Signature Spam: Let's discuss how to handle..
* Microsoft patches applied - EVEN WHEN AUTOUPDATE IS OFF
* How much RAM do you have on your PC?
* Fake Name Generator
* All your info in one place
* Internet Cartoon of the Day: Wondermark
* Interesting blog, productivityHacks: Productivity is overrated
* How to stop worrying
* Conserving energy
* Internet Forum Lightbulb Maintenance Joke.
* Put That Old Computer To Good Use
8. Gaming
There is more to life, and Donationcoder.com, than the serious discussion of software. Here are some links to games. Take a look - you might find yourself enjoying one or two. Consider the guilty pleasure a much deserved break from reality - a chance to recharge your batteries, leaving your refreshed and better prepared to face reality upon your return.
* Grow Island: Flash Game of the Week
* Flash Game of the Day: Gravity Pods
* The Mario Level That Plays Itself
* EA gives away Command and Conquer Gold
* Nexuiz by Alientrap
* Flash Game of the Day: Temple Guardian
* Tower Defense Game of the Week: Turret Wars
* Penumbra: 2006 Tech Demo
* Flash Tower Game of the Day: Toytown Tower Defense
9. Coding Snacks
One of the many advantages of frequenting a community populated by software enthusiasts, is that you are bound to get lots of suggestions for software solutions to workflow problems. However, another perk is that there are a high percentage of software coders among us and if all else fails you can post a request on the Coding Snack board and find out if anyone is willing to code a solution for you! Here are some recent requests. Have one of your own? Post it here .
* Screensaver activation
* IDEA: Find the owner program of a hotkey
* Save before close?
* IDEA: "Days since" program
* IDEA: Run on unhibernation
10. Developer's Corner
As note above, many Donation Coder members and guests are software developers and they post about development issues. Software development needn't be mysterious - drop by the Developer's board and you might just find yourself working your way through assignments in one of the more than a dozen languages in the Self-Teaching Programming School. Have fun! And don't forget that we also use this section to discuss general issues in self-employment and time management, so you may find useful information even if you're not interested in programming.
* Which License to Pick?
* Locking the screen with limited rights and universal password
* What Are My Options To Test On Mac OS X?
* Software Copy Protection Questions
* Association of Shareware Professionals -- worth it to join?
* [Joke] How to kill a dragon with various programming languages
* 7 reasons I switched back to PHP after 2 years on Rails - Blog Article
* Programmer Personality Test
* Need a small, closed forum
11. Member Site Spotlight
In this issue of the newsletter, I thought it would be nice to highlight DC member relequestual's excellent freeware review site called Appaholic . relequestual only posts about software that he has personally used and can recommend - so add Appaholic to the list of sites that you visit for software recommendations and inspiration. You can read mouser's thread about Appaholic below. Are you a member of DonationCoder.com with a website that doesn't get the attention you think it deserves? Let us know!
* Appaholic - Another nice freeware review page
12. Site of the month
Just a reminder that lifehack.org is our site of the month for September 2007. They offer up advice and tips on how to make the best use of your time and how to accomplish things without spending a fortune. They are also are platform agnostic and always recommend interesting and helpful apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux users to try out. Content is upbeat, lively, and constantly changing. Check out their site and sign up for the RSS feed and start hacking yourself!
* September site-of-the-month: lifehack.org
TucknDar:
Another excellent newSletter ;)
cranioscopical:
It can take a lot of time putting together things of this kind. I'm sure we all appreciate your spending it on our behalf.
Grorgy:
Yep, another good one Darwin, but is this further procrastination?? ;D
momonan:
So good, Darwin. Thanks. :-*
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