Shortcomings of DC and How to Improve

[lotusrootstarch]

One last thought -- I think it might be productive to have a thread on things we are doing poorly here on DC -- and ways we could improve.  There is always room for that.

-mouser (February 25, 2011, 02:00 AM)

Why don't we start by compiling such a list, let's say,by Day 2? Or a tangible action plan to improve the site (excluding software/site maintenance)? Or a list of new major apps (> 2000 downloads) that have been released since the last fundraiser, etc.?

Or maybe revamp the Reviews section?
https://www.donation...m/Reviews/index.html

Most of the entries in the reviews section are way outdated, except for the first entry which was posted in 2006, the rest were all posted in or before 2007! What happened in the last 4 years in this section?

I know there are big plans to rebuild the section, on and off, off and on since 2006:
https://www.donation...17.msg15812#msg15812

And then?

And please, please, post a big list of detailed improvements to the site/offerings for the last 4 years (since the first fundraiser), or this fundraiser is really looking like a bit tongue-in-cheek to me. I don't represent the donors but I don't think it's good idea to drive up the enthusiasm and expectations of donors every time during the fundraisers with not much come to pass afterwards.

[mouser]

Lotus im going to move your post to a brand new thread about improving the site -- i don't think this thread is the right place for it.

[lotusrootstarch]

Lotus im going to move your post to a brand new thread about improving the site -- i don't think this thread is the right place for it.

-mouser (February 27, 2011, 09:49 PM)

Yeah right, then nobody cares. It's blast to oblivion by a single button. Go for it.

[lotusrootstarch]

Why don't you address any of the problems I listed instead of silence them?

[mouser]

im not trying to silence them i just made a brand new thread so we can discuss them properly and given them their own topic.

[lotusrootstarch]

Look mouser, I didn't intend the have this as a single separate thread as what I'm doing is bring to front all these problems not to protest negatively. Now you forcefully moved my post I have to ensure it's active.


All these problems that have been here since the 1st fundraiser in 2007, now it's the 3rd:

1. Has not been any major changes/additions to the functionality/features of the site
2. Has not been any major changes/additions to the looks of the site
3. Has not seen any noticeable additions to the number of active members of the site
4. Is no addition of any major software application
5. Most of the entries in the Reviews are over 4-5 years old by now, despite plans to update them, which never effectuated

As someone who donated in the last two fundraising events ($20 and $15 under a different username) my point is:

If there's no major progress in the last 4 years, then what's the point of raising funds! Where did all the money go to?


I can see that when there's a change associated with getting donations, it gets done very promptly, like raising the default amount of donation to $38, and adding the whole "deluxe lifetime membership" promo text on:
https://www.donation...om/Donate/index.html

Now the fundraiser's coming up, new logos get prepared, thermometer will be up soon, etc. -- all the actions kick in. May I ask what's happening to the features like "Reviews" like members and donors here value?


Please free to criticize me and correct me if I'm wrong...

[mouser]

Some quick comments:

Long-Review Section

The long-review section is the one the few areas of DC that i think has indisputably seen better days, and is something that really added to the site.  As you pointed out, we've discussed some of the reasons that the review section is not very active, and ways we might fix it.

It's a tricky dilemma because as useful as those long-reviews are, they are back-breakingly exhausting to write, and almost impossible to maintain -- they go out of date quickly and become historical artifacts.

Another thing that helps explain why it doesn't get as much love as one might think.  When the site started there were just a handful of us (actually just me at the start) writing reviews -- but as time went on this site became much more community driven, and so we've shifted much more to a shorter member-written mini-review format.  With the decline of long-reviews, we've seen the commensurate growth of the Mini-Review section, and that's a trade-off with pros and cons.

One of the major pet projects of mine that i've been planning off and on is a cutting edge review website engine, but i've just not had the opportunity to work on it yet.  Myself and another DC member (JavaJones) and I have been talking more over the last year about actually starting it.  During this last NANY we worked on a sort of trial web app together that we released (UserQuotes.com) to get our feet wet.

[mouser]

I think it's actually a good idea for us to try to put together a summary of what we've done new since the first (or second fundraiser) -- that's a good idea and i'll see if i can't start such a list and ask people to help flesh it out.

You posted most of these complaints on another thread and I and others started addressing some of them there.. let's see if we can't consolidate it all on this thread and have the discussion here.  I'm all for us having a robust discussion of the perceived and real shortcomings of the site -- and in fact now that we have a thread for it, i'm happy to have this discussion go on as long and vibrantly as you and others would like, and have it remain a topic that is active and visible to all so that everyone who has issues with the site can have a place to voice their feelings.

When i get angry about a company or website, I feel the need to post about my feelings -- I won't bedgrudge anyone the right to do so here about our site.  No one should feel like they can't speak their mind or feel that they will be attacked.  And we can learn and improve the site when you raise issues that we feel are things that should be addressed.

[mouser]

You posted your original concerns on this thread, where i first replied to them.
I'm going to move my replies to this thread and reference this thread from the original.

Part of my original reply:

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I'm not going to begrudge anyone who thinks that we haven't done enough to justify having another fundraiser since the one two years ago -- I guess another way to put this is that you don't feel like in the 2 years since you first donated that we have earned a second donation from you.

I do appreciate your donation -- and I'm not trying to demean your comments.  Everyone is entitled to their own views here without fear of attack.

A *TON* of stuff has been done on this site in the last two years.. A ton of new stuff, a ton of updates, and a ton of daily grinding maintenance and housekeeping that just keeps the site humming along smoothly, even if we aren't so good at making the site "look different".

Whether those things are valuable to you and warrant your continued support is something only you can judge.  And if you regret your original donation two years ago you have only to ask and it will be refunded.

That's not to say we can't do better.  But it is to say that I am not ashamed to ask those people who may have donated two years ago to consider donating again -- or asking people who have enjoyed our site to consider donating for the very first time.

Just as one way of answering you question about that is new..  Here are the updates from 2 of my many applications, since the last fundraiser.

Updates may not be as exciting as releasing brand new giant applications (though i did release at least or two of these since the last fundraiser) -- i think many of the users of my programs are probably more happy that i continue to maintain existing programs fix bugs than they would be if i was just focused on always trying to release new attention getters at the cost of my existing users.

To be honest i'd often much rather work on new programs, it's usually more fun.  But i have a commitment to the users here on the site, based in no small part on the fact that they have been willing to financially support the site.

I hope that the overwhelming majority of people who have donated to the site feel like they have gotten more than their money's worth (or that they will ask for a refund if they don't!)

And for those who are still on the fence, I hope we can prove we are worth your support.  If you have ideas for how we can improve the site let us know -- if you are willing to contribute your time to improving it, even better.

Screenshot Captor and FARR updates since last fundraiser

v2.91.01 - Feb 24th, 2011
[MajorFeature] New options (interface and objects tabs) that let disable anti-aliasing and smoothing when editing objects, which can dramatically speed up the speed at which multiple objects can be manipulated.
[BugFix] SC was overly conservative about allowed filename characters.
[Changes] Changed some shortcuts to be more standardized (Ctrl+P for print, Ctrl+D for deselect); added hotkey shortcut for splicing (ctrl+alt+P)
[BugFix/Change] Ctrl+C and Edit->Copy was no longer copying individual selected objects in object mode.

v2.90.01 - Feb 15, 2011
[BugFix] Attempt to fix bug where thumbnail panel was sometimes not updating on new images.
[BugFix] Manifest was not being embedded leading to beep sound when selecting items in thumbnail or capturing screenshots (mostly under Windows Vista).

v2.89.01 - November 21, 2010
[MinorFeature] Mini-update checking now included even without use of DcUpdater tool.
[MinorFeature] Move-to folders are not checked for existence if they are UNC network paths.
[BugFix] Attempt to fix bug where deleting multiple images could result in error reloading refreshing thumbnails.
[BugFix] Attempt to fix bug where post capture popup form was shown in front of options and sendto form.

v2.88.01 - October 8, 2010
[MinorFeature] Exe version info will now be synchronized with official program version info; should make it easier to use 3rd party update checkers.

v2.87.01 - September 29th, 2010
[MinorFeature] The active window filename fields that can be used in file naming or info templates now do not include the file extension (.exe)
[BugFix] Adding an image caption was not setting file dirty, and so not prompting you to save changes if you select a new image.
[MinorFeature] Trying to get SC to handle network paths (start with \\) better for screenshot and moveto directories.
[BugFix] Copying image with transparency to clipboard left big black areas where semi-transparency should be.

v2.85.01 - August 29th, 2010
[MinorFeature] Tools directory is rescanned and tools refreshed after closing the Edit Tools dialog (saves you from having to exit program and restart).

v2.84.01 - August 18th, 2010
[HelpFile] Updated the information on using Ctrl+Shift trick with the MoveTo menu, and changed behavior slightly -- thanks lanux!
[MinorFeature] Browse for new screenshot folder now lets you put in path manually if you want.
[BugFix] If you switch or rename image files while editing a text box object on a newly created text box, you lose the text.
[MinorFeature} You can now hold the Ctrl key while using the "move to.." menu item

v2.83.02 - August 7th, 2010
[BugFix] Fixed exception error that could occur when capturing screens with near-fullscreen active windows (e.g. Windows Media Player), caused by strange active window region coordinates.
[Feature] SC Now warns you the first time it sees you are trying the auto-move-old-screenshots feature and tells you where to find the options for it.
[BugFix] Some of the copy path to clipboard options and actions were occasionally copying the PREVIOUS filename to the clipboard.
[BugFix] Active window capture on Windows 7 could crash occasionally(!)

v2.82.01 - June 1st, 2010
[Feature] New "Splice" commands in SpecialFx menu -- allow you to splice out horizontal or vertical regions, like banners.  Good for removing ad regions in screenshots, etc.

v2.81.01 - May 4th, 2010
[MajorFeature] Completely re-rewritten new method for capturing Aero Glass themed Semi-transparent windows on Vista and Windows 7.  Based on an approach described by Ian Griffiths (http://www.interact-...7/01/30/recoveralpha), with several tweaks for automatic border detection and improved color handling.  A new options tab ("Windows Capturing") was added to control the various options for it.  Note that by default SC will preserve the entire transparency recovered from the window; this will allow you to composite the screenshot in graphics editing software with it's original semi-transparent regions and effects.  By default SC will attempt to remove the shadow effect imparted by Aero, but you can change this on the Windows Capture option tab.
[MinorChange] Changed default hotkey for capturing active window to Ctrl+PrtScr (the previous default of Alt+PrtScr was very stupid decision since the Alt key can activate menus)
[BugFix] SC was refusing to capture certain windows like Google Chrome; errors in capturing are now reported better.
[BugFix] With the option to remove border shadow, full screen active window captures were being eaten into; SC now ignores this option on maximized apps.
[MinorFeature] Removed aero capture delay setting - SC should now capture as fast as it can and lengthen delay when needed.
[BugFix] Hopefully eliminated bug where aero capture could be blank if screen refresh did not happen fast enough.

v2.79.01 - Apr 24th, 2010
[MinorFeature] SaveAs now does higher quality (less compression) saves; useful for occasional jpg saving.
[MinorFeature] SaveAs now remembers your last default file extension used.
[BugFix] When creating thumbnails, or using saveas or save+ , sometimes pushing the copy filename to clipboard button would copy the PREVIOUS filename to clipboard; this could result in file path to full image copying to clipboard instead of new cropped thumbnail.
[MinorFeature] Added option to use transparent background when resizing canvas or adding captions.
[MinorFeature] Started showing different icon when in timed capture mode.
[Feature] You can now customize the directory pattern for the auto-moving-old-screenshots archive feature.
[MinorFeature] Added MoveTo menu item to move all screenshots into archives.
[Feature] SC now checks result of PrintWindow() capture attempt on objects and falls back to default BitBlt if the capture fails.
[Feature] Added new options tab with options for controlling how SC tries to handle transparent window captures; Including ability to disable use of the PrintWindow function on vista/win7 which is good for capturing transparent windows and removing background; disabling this may help debug programs capturing specific windows.
[Feature] Added more sophisticated methods for removing background transparency of some windows Aero captures, and options to control these on new Transparent Window Capture tab.

v2.78.01 - Dec 24th, 2009
[Feature] New option to auto-file older screenshots into a subdirectory based on date -- useful in keeping your workspace cleaner.
[Minor Feature] You can now use Ctrl+A in the thumbnail panel to select all files.
[BugFix] Fix for thumbnail creation flickering.
[Minor Feature] When capturing desktop and no active window is selected; instead of the file comments saying "explorer.exe" they say "Desktop"
[Minor Feature] Transparency tool setting was not being saved between runs.
[Minor Feature] Added list of capture types you can trigger from commandline.
[Minor Feature] Fixed the "-printnext" commandline option.

v2.77.01 - Nov 29th, 2009
[MinorFeature] In addition to existing commandline options, you can now just pass filename or directory name on commandline to open that file or directory, which makes SC suitable for using as an "Open With" program (also unminimizes from tray when launched in this way, even if already running).
[MinorFeature] You can pass "-scan" commandline option to initiate a scan -- note that you can do this even if Screenshot Captor is already running -- it will trigger a scan in the existing running instance.
[Feature] When you rename a file using the "Name:" box, SC no longer forces a resave of the file, which could result in image degradation and an updated file date; it now does a pure file rename (object file as well) if nothing but filename has changed (and extension is unchanged of course).  If you change the file extension from the "Name:" box, a new file will be created.
[MinorFeature] Added bottom+right border effect
[Feature] You can now cancel an autoscroll capture by hitting the escape key.

v2.76.01 - Nov 15th, 2009
[BugFix] In latest version a bug was introduced where if you changed screenshot directories you couldnt load images from the new directory (it always reverted to the old directory).

v2.75.01 - Oct 26th, 2009
[MinorFeature] PDF files are now saved with better compression.
[Feature] You can now ask SC to autosave scans as PDF files in a specific directory, and to auto-open if desired.
[Feature] New PDF save button on scanner toolbar saved current image to specific directory; can be used to save multiple images to one multi-page pdf.

v2.73.01 - Sep 20th, 2009
[BugFix] Toolbar positions were sometimes not being remembered.

v2.72.01 - August 27th, 2009
[MinorFeature] You can now set the color of the thumbnail panel.
[MinorFeature] Interface Options now split into two tabs.
[BugFix] Triggering zoom-to-selection was reducing the selection size by one pixel on right and bottom edge.
[BugFix] Option to grab scanner background was not happening early enough so sometimes autoselection of foreground was not working in scanner captures.
[MinorFeature] SC now asks for confirmation when using the Delete All action.
[BugFix] When thumbnail panel was disabled completely, changes to the current file by an external tool were not detected.
[BugFix] Thumbnail/file panel was not being updated after unhiding it.
[BugFix] SC was not remembering what monitor it was last on in multi-monitor configurations.  sorry!
[BugFix] SC was moving to primary monitor after a region capture.
[BugFix] Post-capture dialog was showing on primary monitor regardless of main form position.

v2.70.01 - July 26th, 2009
[MajorFeature] Full support of scanning functionality -- you can now use SC as your scanning tool of choice.
[MinorFeature] Discarding an image from quick popup now clears the image display, and doesn't perform any postcapture stuff.
[MinorFeature] Image Effects/Color Dialog is now forced to a large size over the original image.
[Feature] New second-instance commandline option passing; you can now pass commandline arguments when you call Screenshot Captor, and if an instance is already running -- these arguments will be passed to the FIRST instance while the second silently exits.
[Feature] New commandline arguments to begin a scan or initiate a capture.
[Feature] Screenshot Captor now registers itself as a potential target of Windows WIA/ImageCapture services -- so scanner buttons can be programmed to launch it and initiate a capture (or call with -scan on commandline manually).

v2.58.01 - July 20th, 2009
[BugFix] The %file% parameter in external commandline tools was being cleared on startup.
[BugFix] Print configurations (margins, stretch) were not being properly saved and restored.
[BugFix] The post-capture popup dialog was sometimes not selectable without using alt-tab or keyboard to bring it to focus.
[BugFix] The post-capture popup dialog was hiding the save as and print dialogs.
[MinorFeature] Added support for custom commandline args in external file explorer/image editor, by using $$1 where file/folder should be specified.

v2.57.01 - June 27th, 2009
Carriage return characters in filename (from variable field replacements) were causing file save errors; now converted to underscores.
Used HamRadio's new icons for system tray.
You can now specify separators in your custom tool configuration by using - as the title.
You can now create external .sctool tool configuration files.
Added new filename actions for external tool launching that forces files saved with no objects (and re-adds object after).
If you use the %fileplain% field when launching tools now, it will pass the image file without objects, and continually reload it and add back objects when it changes.

v2.56.01 - May 21st, 2009
Cursor was not being captured in object/region modes
New program icon (thanks Hamradio!)
Adding hotkey shortcuts to mouseover hints on SC toolbar buttons.
Redbox object capture could sometimes capture the red borders.
Sort by date of thumbnail panel was failing on users who have file extensions hidden.
Sorting in details mode now works and user can sort on any column.
Maybe fixed a problem with SC hanging after capture on rare occasions.

v2.55.02 - May 17th, 2009
Fixed annoying beep on restoring window from minimization.
Fixed bug where SC could crash when capturing windows who have client maximized outside normal window area (Photoshop full screen mode).
Tried to fix errors when SC is trying to save a blank filename or an illegal filename; now SC will try to shorten a filename which is too long, or add a default filename if the constructed one is blank.
Improved error and instructions if file failed to save.
Starting adding icons in program menus.
Fixed bug in the "Explore at Screenshot Directory" if launched before showing main form.

v2.54.01 - April 17th, 2009
Option to open SaveAs folder after doing a save as.

v2.53.01 - March 17th, 2009
Fixed rare bug that could cause an exception when waking from hibernation (especially on multimonitor systems); or when turning off secondary monitors [Thanks Roman!]

v2.52.01 - March 12th, 2009
Added some new variable/macros based on image filename that can be used when calling commandline tools.

v2.51.01 - March 10th, 2009
Added new advanced post-capture commandline tool box where you can configure multiple commandline applications to run after a screenshot is taken.  See here for more options you can pass to the post-capture commandline tools.

v2.50.01 - March 8th, 2009
Added new "Move To" menu item which will create a folder based on current date and move all screenshots into it; useful for quick organizing of screenshot folder.
Added new "Move To" menu for moving only old files and sorting into subfolders based on date of screenshot; userful for cleaning up a big directory of screenshots.
Added sort by -> name option in View menu.
Post-capture popup dialog SaveAs now defaults to template filename and configured file type/extension.
Added new interlace special effects, including one meant for security purposes that will blur and then interlace.
[BugFix] Discard changes wasn't reloading the original file.
[BugFix] Thumbnail option to not change to new thumbnail was not being obeyed.
[BugFix] SC would sometimes select the entire screenshot contents when capturing a region inside the active window.
[BugFix] The option chosen on SaveOverwrite popup was not being saved if triggered while exiting.
Added new Region Border Glow effect

VERSION HISTORY

Version 2.97.01 - Feb X, 2011
[MinorFeature] Added ability to set caret position when triggering search via hotkey (put $cliptext; where you want caret).
[MinorFeature] Eliminated inefficiency when triggering search via hotkey.

Version 2.96.01 - Feb 5, 2011
[BugFix] No more "No Disk in Drive" errors on shortcuts that link to unmounted drives (yay! thanks to all testers)
[MinorFeature] New options on Search Behavior tab to disable shortcut resolving (can speed up search of start menu but prevents search matching real linked filenames)

Version 2.95.01 - Jan 16, 2011
[BugFix] New updater code was popping up options dialog on checking, could result in random display of options dialog every 12 hours for no reason.
[BugFix] The ++arguments method of passing commandline arguements now does not lowercase options
[MinorFeature] Added some commandline options.
[MinorFeature] Added some plugins to list of installable plugins (farrwindowssearch,farrwebmetasearch,farrmilk)

Version 2.93.01 - Nov 21, 2010
[MinorFeature] New minimal built-in update checking (optional) even for users with the DcUpdater tool installed.
[BugFix] Properties dialog now shows on Windows 7.

Version 2.92.01 - Oct 2, 2010
[MinorFeature] Added "balloon" launch command for showing a balloon mesage

Version 2.91.01 - Aug 28, 2010
[BugFix] Better default icons for web urls (could be blank in previous version)
[MinorFeature] You can now (manually) add urls and "restartsearch ..." entries to the history list

Version 2.90.01 - Aug 18, 2010
[MajorFeature] Faster wakeup display from minimized state (see also the StayInMemoryLonger option on General Options tab)
[Feature] Alias matches now show instantly even when keypress delay option is enabled.
[BugFix] When you do not have "stop on exact alias match" checked and an alias was matched, it could show large numbers of results.
[Feature] New install of farr now adds the search directory %PROGRAMFILES64% which will search in the win64 specific program files directory (not just the Program Files (x86) directory); older users should add this directory manually.
[BugFix] When launch results had an argument that ended in \ it could mess up launching of them
[BugFix] When the option to show FARR in taskbar when active was set, there was an additional delay before FARR could start accepting characters after unminimizing.
[MinorFeature] Added text in options tabs reminding people to right-click to add/edit/delete items.
[MinorFeature] Added version of appcapappendmemo that doesn't scroll to bottom of memo.

Version 2.87.03 - May 4, 2010
[MinorFeature] appcapappendmemo now auto scrolls to bottom of memo.
[MinorFeature] new alias launch string to explicitly go to end of memo  (gomemobottom)
[MinorFeature] modified text in alias dialog to make clear alias name was also trigger text
[MinorFeature] attempt to remove some blinking from memo mode when text doesn't change.
[BugFix] attempt to extend max length of environmental variable replacement in things like search directories
[Feature] you can now refer to the currently selected result (or first result) using a variable replacement (%CURRENTRESULTNB%); especially useful for triggering actions via hotkey.
[Feature] you can now recursively include file contents with the #filecontents alias string.
[Feature] improved and documented the use of * for alias pattern to always match search against contents.
[Feature] added -exitifnotrunning commandline option and clarified help on others.
[Feature] added error on commandline args that aren't understood.
[Feature] now checks the return value from plugin Initialize function; if false is returned, the plugin is not loaded.  This could break plugins that have been returning false from the Initialization function in the past with no effect.
[Feature] you can now ask FARR to recache the search folder directories and re-resolve any user variable or environment variables, using the recachedirpaths launch string.
[Feature] added ewemoa's "fhelp" alias file that provides direct links into farr chm help file based on matching
[Feature] errors parsing xml files are now reported (and saved to troubleshooting log)

Version 2.86.01 - February 28, 2010
[BugFix] - Non-contiguous matching was not happening within alias results.
[BugFix] - PgDn during searching was retriggering search even if it was already in showall mode.

Version 2.84.01 - February 15, 2010
[BugFix] - Search directories were not expanding environmental variables.
[Feature] - Added /hideifnoexist (hide the result if the file specified does not exist)
[BugFix] - Result labels for items with /options could be messed up (hopefully i haven't broken anything while fixing this)
[Feature] - Added new ability to specify search text to simulate on blank search box.  By setting text here you are asking FARR to simulate a specific search when there is nothing in the search edit box.  Useful if for example you want to specify the contents of an alias result on blank search.
[BugFix] - An alias result that starts with %uservar.% will be replaced prior to being listed -- useful for using user variables for paths, etc.; in the past the resolution happened only at launch time.
[Feature] - Typing just +modifierkeyword to restrict search to certain directories will now list those directories.
[MinorFeature] - Search text is added to search history when FARR is minimized or enter is pressed in search window.
[Feature] - You can now hit PgDn from search box to tell FARR to find *ALL* results, not just the few that normally fit in the window; You can continue to hit PgDn and PgUp to page through results after that.  When more results available the statusbar now hints about PgDn.
[MinorFeature] - New option to disable non-contiguous matching when doing a show all search.
[MinorFeature] - A few tweaks that may speed up search a tiny bit.
[BugFix] - Option to show on taskbar was not working.
[BugFix] - Attempting to improve a black flicker on win7 (or slow pcs) when auto-resizing window.
[MinorImprovement] - Improved search directory keyword modifier instructions.
[Feature] - New option to disable non-contiguous searching when in Show All (+sall or PgDn) mode, to help weed out extraneous matches and speed up search (set by default).
[BugFix] - Hopefully fixed bug that could cause crash if exiting while searching.
[Feature] - Added ability for plugins to add items to launch and search history (addlaunchhistory,addsearchhistory).


Version 2.81.01 - November 22nd, 2009
[BugFix] - The myaliases.alias file (where custom user aliases are stored) was not being created on the first run for a new user (only on second run).

Version 2.80.01 - November 20th, 2009
[Feature] - Ability to customize titlebar, including ability to put date and time in it.
[BugFix] - Users can no longer delete built-in hotkeys (but they can be disabled).
[MinorFeature] - Added option to disable troubleshooting log.
[Feature] - You can launch an item as an administrator by holding Ctrl+Shift as you launch it (or adding /runasadmin to the result in alias list)
[Feature] - The launch history and search history are now saved to independent files (in config dir) instead of the ini file; allows faster save of bigger lists, and means less paranoia when moving and sharing normal ini settings file.
[MinorFeature] - Improved text of options dialog for history options.
[MinorFeature] - When reducing the number of items to keep in history, it now truncates the current list.
[BugFix] - When launch history reached max, new items were not being added.

Version 2.77.02 - August 27th, 2009
[BugFix] - When option to use numpad keys to launch was set, numpad keys could not be used for memo/html mode typing of numbers (which hindered their use in calculator plugins for example).
[BugFix] - Changing skins preview while options dialog was open sometimes showed larger window than it should.
[BugFix] - Triggering toolbar button with .lnk file argument was not resolving the lnk.
[BugFix] - Farr was showing more results than it should if an alias used the dosearch action.
[BugFix] - Alias action modifier launching was not working.
[BugFix] - When launching alias results that were .lnk files, the /showmax type alias arguements were not obeyed.
[MinorFeature] - some options moved to new tabs in options.
[BugFix] - Moving and deleting items in one of the option lists could on rare occasions lead to an error when loading the ini file on next run (would report bad ini file and reset to defaults).
[MinorFeature] - Using the paste special alias command now pastes \r\n when the \n constant is found in the paste text.
[Feature] - You can now customize the result background color for the main results window and search edit box.

Version 2.75.01 - July 21st, 2009
[Minor Feature] Attempt to speed up first display by pre-checking file existence in history.

Version 2.72.01 - July 17th, 2009
[Minor Feature] You can now use the dolaunch alias command (which launches a result without user having to hit enter), to restart the search, and simulate them pressing enter using \n.
[BugFix] The dolaunch alias that was used to show an html page was clearing the page before it could be seen.

Version 2.71.01 - July 12th, 2009
[BugFix] Icons for shortcut links with custom icon settings were not being shown properly due to change in v2.70.01; hopefully now this is fixed and the previous x64 shortcut/icon fixup stuff is still working.

Version 2.70.01 - July 7th, 2009
[BugFix] Using the igo alias multiple times could result in an error about "Resource In Use" for users with old versions of Internet Explorer 6 installed.
[BugFix] Attempt to fix icon display and launching for some .LNK shortcuts (especially x64 programs on x64 OS); let's see if this breaks anything for other users.
[BugFix] Clarified the statusbar display during initial searching.
[MinorFeature] Program now checks file existence of previous launch history on startup which should avoid the delay on first search.

Version 2.68.02 - June 29th, 2009
[BugFix] The myalias.alias user alias file was not always being created.

Version 2.68.01 - June 29th, 2009
[BugFix] Using the new "dolaunch" feature when your hotkey is set to not-clear text resulted in FARR launching the item every time it was displayed.
[BugFix] The visit alias and explore here right-context menus were not being shown appropriately for all result items.
[MinorFeature] Added values that plugin can get to help center pop-up forms on the current monitor displaying the FARR main form.

Version 2.67.01 - June 26th, 2009
[BugFix] Pressing * on numpad was ignored if you had the "launch with numpad option set"
[MinorFeature] Plugins can now call resolve:filename to have FARR fixup the location of a file if the drive letter has changed.
[MinorFeature] Toolbar buttons that try to perform a restartsearch by invoking the FindAndRunRobot.exe are now simply passed along directly to the running process.'
[MinorFeature] Toolbar button links are now resolved if they refer to files whose drive letters have changed (portable use).
[BugFix] Calling setsearch and window.show from a plugin was causing hidden window to appear but search text to be ignored.  Hopefully the fix won't break anything -- let me know if it does.

Version 2.66.01 - June 21st, 2009
[BugFix] Fixed bug where plugin functions OnProcessTriggerV2 were not being called if OnProcessTrigger didnt exist in the plugin dll (even though it was never used).
[MinorFeature] Added pscommand which works just like pcommand except you can specific dll to send a pscommand to by specifying the dllname first.
[BugFix] Fixed bug with alert messages moving the main form on multimon systems.
[MinorFeature] Added print command that aliases or plugins can call to send some simple text to the printer.
[BugFix] Visit this alias context menu item was not showing right caption sometimes.
[Feature] Added help page on troubleshooting.
[Feature] Added clearmenus command that plugins can call to clear statusbar icon menus.
[Feature] Upgraded to latest version of EmbeddedWb web browser component (http://www.bsalsa.com/)
[Feature] Added function "score:" that plugins can call to have farr score a string based on current search terms.
[BugFix] On IE6 and earlier, repeated plugin calls that use html view (jscalc,czbpack plugins) could hang.  Thanks JoTo!

Version 2.63.01 - June 5th, 2009
[Feature] Added option to always reset search string when hotkey triggered (default is old behavior which is to just refocus farr window if already on screen).
[Feature] Added new alias action called "dolaunch" which is like dosearch except it triggers an immediate launch of the specified line as soon as a match is made with search string (i.e. user does not have to hit enter or otherwise trigger result).

Version 2.62.01 - May 30th, 2009
[Feature] Added runcap built in alias to shell a commandline tool and show its output in FARR window (see this forum post).
[Feature] Improved seed of changing/interrupting search of plugin -- should speed up some plugin searches that return lots of results.
[BugFix] Variables weren't being replaced in the #filecontents command.

Version 2.61.01 - May 25th, 2009
[BugFix] Autofixing of missing paths was changing root drive letters to a valid drive; now only more specific search paths which are found on moved drives are fixed.
[BugFix] A blank showmemo which would be useful to clear memo before running appcapappendmemo was not working, now it does.

Version 2.60.02 - May 20, 2009
[Feature] - Added "appcapnowait" launch command to launch an app to capture its output, but continue running launch strings without waiting for it to finish.
[Feature] - Added "appwait" launch command to launch an app, NOT capture its output, and wait for completion before continuing.
[Feature] - Apps run through "appcapappendmemo" and associated functions that write into memo live are now terminated if user starts a new search.
[Feature] - Added display of extra info in statusbar as appcap and related functions are running.
[BugFix] - Hiding slide numbers was messing up display [fixed in v2.60.02]
[Feature] - Added keyword -history to temporarly disable, on the current search, the use of and scoring modifications from the launch history list.

Version 2.59.01 - May 15, 2009
[Feature] - Added launch command "appcapappendmemo" to show console tool output as it runs instead of at end.
[Feature] - Added launch command "tempmemofont" to temporarily switch memo font to fixed font (useful for some console tools which use spacing/tabs).

Version 2.58.01 - May 13, 2009
[MinorFeature] - Added $$h1 available in aliases like $$u1, for useful encoding for curl commandline.
[BugFix] - Folder icons were not being displayed properly since v. 2.57.01.
[Feature] - Added troubleshooting log in options dialog -- can be used to log debug/troubleshooting info.
[Feature] - Plugins that crash the program on load are now auto-detected and temporarily disabled.
[BugFix] - Large icon results sometimes resulted in too small window during autosizing.

Version 2.57.01 - May 2, 2009
[MinorFeature] - You can now choose how to handle large 48x48 icons when the windows system is configured to use Large Icons, and these will display properly.

Version 2.56.02 - April 24, 2009
[BugFix] - Replacement of variables was happening prematurely in alias launch strings; hopefully this bugfix doesn't cause unintended changes in behavior.
[Feature] - You can now pass commandline arguments to any launched program by typing "++ any args here" at the end of your search string.
[Feature] - New Search Behavior Option that lets you enable or disable(default) scoring of files in explicit directory browsing mode.
[BugFix] - #filecontents and other references to %aliasdir% results stopped working in v2.56.01

Version 2.55.01 - April 19, 2009
[MinorFeature] - Added variables accessible by aliases: %SEARCHBOX% (contents of current search box as shown) and %SEARCHSTRING% (current search string; may differ from search box based on alias dosearch manipulations).
[MinorFeature] - Updated to be compatible with new VclSkin Builder version 5.
[MinorFeature] - Added modal messagebox function DisplayMsgBox that plugins can call.
[BugFix] - DeleteAll from launch history wasn't working.
[MinorFeature] - Added commandline option -launch.
[Feature] - Added delayed search initiation option.

Version 2.54.01 - March 28, 2009
[BugFix] - the new setuservar alias launch string wasn't working right.

Version 2.53.01 - March 24, 2009
[BugFix] - Web browser errors were being shown as popups when they shouldn't be.
[Feature] - Added variables available to aliases and plugins for querying %LASTURL%, %LASTURLSET%, %CUSTOMFILEBROWSER%, %CUSTOMWEBBROWSER%, %MAXRESULTS% and more.
[Feature] - Added ability to set uservars from an alias launch string.
[Modification] - Changed the way non-regex plugins are passed the nonlcsearchstring: the alias keyword trigger is now removed from the string passed to the plugin.

Version 2.52.01 - March 16, 2009
[BugFix] - Fixed a very rare bug that was causing crashed on some pcs (thank you David A. for the help tracking this down)

Version 2.51.01 - March 15, 2009
[BugFix] - Some plugin alias results were being shown even in directory browse mode.

Version 2.50.01 - March 12, 2009
[BugFix] - the #grabfile alias results trick wasn't working if you didn't precede it with a "label |" prefix

Version 2.49.01 - March 10, 2009
[Feature] - Web browser mode now handles javascript commands to close the window without crashing with OLE error.
[Feature] - Some dynamically created javascript ajax scripts in test plugins were failing to run.

[mouser]

My Second reply from original thread:

No one is or can afford to make a living from DC -- it's a spare time hobby..

Actually hosting+administration costs for the main and member server are almost $500 a month.  Thankfully since after the first 2 years, DC has consistently been able to raise enough money from donations to pay for the hosting costs and have some money left over.  I am eternally grateful for that.

(When DC was started i had huge student loans and was just hoping that I could raise enough to keep from being buried.  If it's any consolation i haven't actually been able to make a dent into those loans but i have at least kept up with payments and I'm just happy that DC thrives).

You asked why we need such a beefy server.. well we started out on a $20/month shared hosting server in 2005, and things started to get pretty slow -- for those who remember those days.  We gradually moved to a $50/month vps, and so on and on.. We grew and expanded as our needs increased and the forum and downloads got busier.

The forum puts a heavy load on the server and we are doing probably 10-20 gigabytes of software downloads a day now, every day.  We used to host this on a $50/month vps -- it became very unfun and slow.. one can surely find the forum posts about it -- for example here: somewhere.

But the easy answer is -- we moved to a beefier server because the people who hang out here and fund the site liked the idea of putting their money towards that.  It's let us keep the server fast -- keep a fully indexed speedy text search on the forum, etc.  It's also let us create a member server where we can give accounts to members on the site for hosting their own work, and for additional experimental projects.  We are lucky enough to have enough donations to be able to afford such a speedy server and to be able to create member accounts.  And it's thanks to donors that we do.

If donations ever drop off -- because of the economy or whatever -- we could always cut back on the server costs.  We could get by with less server -- but it's paid for by donations and benefits the donors -- isn't that the point and the beauty of the site?

[lotusrootstarch]

Hi mouser,

I can understand where you come from... and I know there're *plans*, but may I challenge you to defer the fundraiser until something big is released officially.

Sorry, I just don't understand why all these plans are deferred/delayed but not the fundraiser, which has a set time, set goal, and gets done without delay.

[lotusrootstarch]

I hope that the overwhelming majority of people who have donated to the site feel like they have gotten more than their money's worth (or that they will ask for a refund if they don't!)

I respectfully disagree. As I said I donated two times previously, and just donated yet again for the third time under this username. Even though I'm a lot dissatisfied with a innovation and the progress of the site I've never thought about getting my donations back.

A donation is a donation and is not meant be asked back, it's risky to assume that donors are happy just because they are not brazen enough to ask money back.

[wraith808]

Hi mouser,

I can understand where you come from... and I know there're *plans*, but may I challenge you to defer the fundraiser until something big is released officially.

Sorry, I just don't understand why all these plans are deferred/delayed but not the fundraiser, which has a set time, set goal, and gets done without delay.

-lotusrootstarch (February 27, 2011, 10:24 PM)

I just don't understand that your ire over the changes which *you* point out, that are *not necessarily the focus of most of the visitors to the site* are the most important just because you're being a squeaky wheel?  If you don't agree with the fundraiser, don't donate?  That seems like the easiest approach instead of a campaign of negative posting?  Or maybe volunteer, as all of the things that happen on the site are on a volunteer basis?  Be part of the solution- not part of the problem.  If the reviews are bothering you- make some!

The major portion of the site that is of great use is the forums.  Reviews are updated there.  Software is updated there.  A lot (most) of the fundraiser is held there.  People get help there, and software is downloaded from there.  There is value in the community itself, and the things needed to support it- more than a portal page.  And the users of the site congregate at the forum- not at the portal page that you pointed out.  That's why the forums get the most focus.  And I know that I've received a lot of value from that section- the main portion of the site was just what drew me here, more than what keeps me a part of the community.

Another couple of questions- you are concerned about the community; are you a part of it under whatever pseudonym that you donated under?  Are you afraid of repercussions if you were critical under that user name?

[lotusrootstarch]

wraith808:

I was here much longer than you know. I volunteered/helped on this site way more than you know. You just don't know it, period.

[wraith808]

wraith808:

I was here much longer than you know. I volunteered/helped on this site way more than you know. You just don't know it, period.

-lotusrootstarch (February 27, 2011, 10:41 PM)

That's why I'm asking, not accusing.  Why not answer rather than just give a brush off?  If what you say is true (and I'm not challenging or saying it's not... just... wondering), then why not use that username?  Why not come forward and give your opinions?  Critical thought is very important to the survival of any venture, and one would think that the people with the most experience would have the most critical thought as resources to the site- so appropriately framed criticism would be welcome, and very much discussed, I'd think.  But even in the way that you responded to me- does having this other id make you feel free to be disparaging in a non-friendly nor respectful manner?

[mouser]

You know it's interesting.. This is a very weird thing for me to write because most of the time I walk around feeling like.. God I just *dread* asking for money -- I dread working up the courage to do these fundraisers -- because in many ways it kind of feels humiliating to have to ask/beg for donations.  And I find my inner voices saying some of the things you are saying:  "how can we have a fundraiser -- we haven't done enough, we haven't done as much as we could have, etc."

But you know.. on the other hand i feel like wow.. we have been running this site in our spare time for 6 years now.. It's been two years since the last fundraiser and i still wake up every single day, 365 days a year, checking the forum email alerts, deleting 10-20 spammers a day, every day, making sure the site runs fine.. In the last month gothic and i have probably exchanged 100 emails about tweaking the server to make it run smoothly, posted 20 tickets to softlayer to get them to fix a slowdown on the server.. I get calls waking me up in the middle of the night if the server goes offline.  I spent a good part of this month writing new code to weed out and block and track down and eliminate spammers.  Last week i released a couple of updates to my larger apps the same way i do every month to make sure the users are supported. I just posted the list of updates for two of my programs above..

Frankly i work my ass off for the site and i love doing it    Sometimes it's a daily grind of behind the scene work that no one notices, but someone has to do it.  Someone has to update the forum software when there are updates, someone has to do email support for when people have trouble signing up or using a program, etc.

And so many other people on the site have stepped up in the last years to make the site a wonderful place to hang out.. Skwire has been writing an insane amount of new coding snack utilities based on user requests.  Frankly I think the coding snacks section of the site has been one of the most amazing unexpected features of the site, and that wasn't even planned.

So i guess what i'm saying is.. Not only do I refuse to have DC feel timid and bad about having a fundraiser -- I feel proud of this site and the people on it.  And proud to be able to continue to ask directly and explicitly for the support of those who like the site and like what it has done and will do in the future.

And for those who are not satisfied or are unhappy -- please don't donate!! Take what we have to offer, and come back in a year or two and see if you've changed your mind.  If for some reason you donated in 2005 and feel we haven't lived up to your expectations -- email and ask me to refund your donation, i'm more than happy to send it.

This site exists because people have been willing to contribute financially to support it.  It's been an amazing experience to actually get that support -- and I think we are doing something interesting and unusual here, and have no intention of stopping or going away.  And i am not going to for a minute feel bad about asking people to support it if they like it, and proudly.

Not everyone is going to get everything they want from this site -- if you came for some of the apps you might be happy that they've gotten such regular updates and maintenance.  If you came for the coding snacks you might be ecstatic.  If you came for the long-reviews you might be dissapointed.  if you came just expected change for change's sake, you might be upset.  If you have some magical application you wish we read your mind and implemented by now, you might be unhappy.

But you better get used to feeling let down if you think we haven't done enough to justify a fundraiser in the last two years, because there's a good chance in this economy we'll be having one every year..

-mouser, proudly asking for volunteer donations from users since 2005

[lotusrootstarch]

There's no point convincing me to leave or shut up, that's not your objective! Let's face it, after almost 6 years of operation:



This is the vote of confidence.. or not?

[mouser]

I honestly don't get it.. what about that chart are we supposed to feel unhappy about?

For what it's worth, when this site was started in 2005, if you had told me that in two years we would still be online i would not have believed you (and i have the 2005 chat logs to prove it); i never for a moment expected more than a handful of people to ever be on the forum -- and i expected the forum would serve only as a place to get official support for the applications i had written.  The forum activity has been a pure delight -- only thing to do there is try to get even more and more people to stop being so shy and join in on our fun.

[lotusrootstarch]

I'm not accusing anyone not not working hard or any time... don't get me wrong on that.

There's something wrong about how this site operates!

[wraith808]

There's no point convincing me to leave or shut up, that's not your objective! Let's face it, after almost 6 years of operation:
 (see attachment in previous post)
This is the vote of confidence.. or not?

-lotusrootstarch (February 27, 2011, 10:46 PM)

And those numbers are pretty good for a small site, especially one that is operated on no external exposure other than voluntary, and has no ads anywhere.  What do you expect?  And if that's not what's wanted, then why is it bad?

Why do you consider this a lack of confidence to have (by your numbers) 2683 new members in a month?  There are sites that would kill for that kind of penetration, but you consider it bad?  And the most online is the most online at any given time- not the total during the course of the day.  I just don't get where you're going with the numbers.

[wraith808]

I'm not accusing anyone not not working hard or any time... don't get me wrong on that.

There's something wrong about how this site operates!

-lotusrootstarch (February 27, 2011, 10:49 PM)

Why?  Because you think so?  What do you think is so wrong about how the site operates?  You haven't even stated your case... just a few data points and a few disagreements- no real concrete vision of what you think it should be.  And if mouser doesn't agree, and doesn't want it to become that, then why are you right and why is he wrong?

[lotusrootstarch]

I honestly don't get it.. what about that chart are we supposed to feel unhappy about?

For what it's worth, when this site was started in 2005, if you had told me that in two years we would still be online i would not have believed you (and i have the 2005 chat logs to prove it); i never for a moment expected more than a handful of people to ever be on the forum -- and i expected the forum would serve only as a place to get official support for the applications i had written.

-mouser (February 27, 2011, 10:49 PM)

That's right!! But (at least) on the appearance, haven't you been promoting an idea, concept, and ideal of donationware that coders should buy into, since the creation of the site? Isn't it something that fundraising money is supposed to support?

You had a bunch of coders since 2006 who created donationware for this site, some even implemented your donationware licensing modules into theirs app under the umbrella of donationware... to all those who already left the site, are you saying "i expected the forum would serve only as a place to get official support for the applications i had written"?

So in the end, it's a mouser site, nothing to do with donationcoders or donationware.

[mouser]

It seems to me the main complaint has to do with us not growing enough -- not getting better at the things *you* care about.. And i think you've made a case that for the things *you* care about, it has not gotten better enough (or gotten worse from your perspective).

But I don't think you speak for most of the people who have donated -- which suggests perhaps that we have let you down.. and you should ask for your donation money back.. That's not to say you aren't welcome here, and welcome to keep posting about what you think we should improve.

But you also have to bare in mind that everyone has different desires and expectations from the site.  Don't begrudge those who are benefiting from the site from contributing to it -- financially and with their time.  And don't begrudge us from asking for them to continue to support us.

Please allow us to refund your contribution to the site so that at least we don't have to feel bad about taking your money and dissapointing you.  This site is about asking for money from people who feel like we have done well by them.

[Target]

Why don't you address any of the problems I listed instead of silence them?

-lotusrootstarch (February 27, 2011, 09:52 PM)

this is getting old - as far as I can see your biggest complaint seems to be that the site design hasn't really changed in some time, however on the off chance that there's more to it than that

1.  what new or additional functions and/or features would you like to see.  Specifically.  And why (please try and quantify the benefits to the community here)
2.  what value would be added by changing the appearance?  A static design doesn't necessarily indicate stagnation or inactivity, it could equally be a measure of maturity.  Change for changes sake is pointless, and there's always a cost (and not just financial)
3.  membership is dynamic.  Participation is voluntary and not all members actively participate, therefore a 'survey' of 'active members' probably isn't representative of the larger community  
4.  DC is not a 'major software' vendor, in fact as far as I can tell DC is not a software vendor.  The majority of the software available on this site is made available by the members (active or not), and almost without exception at no cost.  If you have a requirement for a particular piece of software post about it and someone may well take it on (that's one of the benefits of this community), or at least suggest a range of existing solutions.
5.  Reviews are problematic.  They are are time consuming, potentially expensive, and almost impossible to maintain.  They are also done voluntarily.  This means that there is nothing stopping you as an active community member from actively participating by choosing to update a particular review

Clarify you're expectations.  If you are looking for something from the site, please just tell us what it is

And finally, if you have, as you claim, been a longtime 'active supporter' of DC then please give everyone the courtesy of posting under you usual nick.  The people here are very easy to get along with (as you would no doubt already know) and are genuinely interested in helping out if and where they can (but you already knew that also)

[mouser]

That's right!! But (at least) on the appearance, haven't you been promoting an idea, concept, and ideal of donationware that coders should buy into, since the creation of the site? Isn't it something that fundraising money is supposed to support?

I try very hard, constantly, to encouarge the idea of donationware, and to encourage people on the site to donate to the coders on this site who create stuff.

When i said that "i expected the forum would serve only as a place to get official support for the applications i had written"? -- i was explaining how in 2005 i really had no real hopes of other coders joining in and participating.. that has been an amazing wonderful development.  Then I spent a lot of time writing the DonationCredits system so people could support different coders and contributors.

The license keys have always been a controversial and complicated thing in terms of other users using them.. It's also an issue we've recently discussed here where you note that one idea i particularly like is doing away with the need for free license keys and moving to a model that asks for donations during updates, which would hopefully be easier for all coders to incorporate.

Look, i think the idea of promoting the idea of donationware is something we should and could do better with.. But this isn't a company.. If you think "we" should do a beter job of this kind of stuff, then pick up a writing instrument, and *YOU* do something about it.  The "we" in this site includes you and everyone else.  If you think more should be done -- then do it!  Or send a donation to people who are doing what you want.