Author Topic: Newsletter for April 3, 2006 - Codename 'Happy Birthday to Us' (Read 29133 times)

mouser · « **on:** April 03, 2006, 08:44 PM »

Newsletter for April 3, 2006

Codename 'Happy Birthday to Us'

"If you read nothing else on our site, read the newsletter!"

1. Happy 1^st Anniversary to DonationCoder.com
It's hard to believe it's only been a year since DonationCoder.com opened it's doors. We set out to see if we could revitalize the idea of donationware.. I don't think any of us anticipated that the site would develop into such a wonderful and lively community. On behalf of ~~all the administrators~~ everyone on the site I want to say thank you to everyone whose financial and non-financial support made it possible.

2. Okay, 48 More Hours to Become a Charter Member

In honor of our anniversary we we going to extend the Charter Membership Deadline for another 48 hours (ends weds. April 4, 2006 at midnight eastern time) for all you last minute procrastinators who have been meaning to make a donation but still haven't. Any donations before that deadline will convey lifetime charter membership. All donors after that will be known simply as Supporting Members. So if you want to be part of the founding members of DonationCoder.com, with all the benefits that may entail, you don't have much time left to make a donation before the new changes take effect.. And if you're already a member, don't miss this opportunity to tell your friends about our site!

3. April's Software Giveaway - Short but Sweet!
Because we have some really big announcements coming up this month, April's software Drawing will only be open until April 14!

This month you can get 30% to 50% discounts on, and can enter to win free copies:

Beyond Compare - one of our favorite apps - do not miss this brief discount offer! (read full review)
Atomic Alarm Clock - cool looking clock and alarms
HDDLife - read minireview (and get a discount on pre-order of notebook version)
FlexHEX - hex editor
Collectorz.com software - read posts
My Life Organized - read minireview

Note: We have big discounts (30% to 50%) on these programs, but be warned that some of them expire on April 15!
Did you miss March's free software drawing and discounts? We gave out close to 100 free programs.

4. Website Updates

Contest: Design the new banner for our Website and comment on the current set of submissions - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2802?ref=nl
New forum section reorganization - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2943?ref=nl
The #donationcoder irc chat channel is getting fun - see what you've been missing with these fun graphs and charts - https://www.donation...php?topic=772?ref=nl

5. New Stuff on the Way

A MAJOR new feature has been in the works for months and will go live in the upcoming days: Our own micro-donation system, "DonationCredits" - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2942?ref=nl
Zaine's back with a vengence, and he's already talking about doing another major review on File Renamers. He's asked for help in building an initial list of candidates to look - https://www.donation...hp?topic=3026?ref=nl (zaine's blog)

6. Member Mini-reviews
The mini-review section has been on fire lately, and while you're waiting for our upcoming major reviews on Partition Management Tools and Html Editors, you'll enjoy reading these:

Alertbear free RSS reader - https://www.donation...hp?topic=3015?ref=nl
CLCL clipboard manager - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2866?ref=nl
HDDLife - https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=2884.0
CSS Tab Designer v2 - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2960?ref=nl
Ad Muncher - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2902?ref=nl
Buzzsaw background disk defragmenter - https://www.donation...?topic=2860.0?ref=nl
Broadpage web browser and friends - https://www.donation...?topic=3011.0?ref=nl

7. Security News

Nice article on how to test and secure your web apps - https://www.donation...hp?topic=3034?ref=nl
Kensington computer locks aren't that safe - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2819?ref=nl
Microsoft confirms highly critical IE hole - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2913?ref=nl
Hard drive resurrection - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2870?ref=nl

8. Express your View

What kind of keyboard you use? - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2967?ref=nl
Do you use RSS feeds? - https://www.donation...?topic=3016.0?ref=nl
Unprotected wireless lans? - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2859?ref=nl
How long will it take you to adopt Windows Vista as your OS? - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2793?ref=nl

9. Games and Amazing Animals

Orboxb - Here's one free flash game that took the forum by storm these last two weeks, and threw the chat channel into convulsions with people trying to beat it. Beware, this is a deceptively simple, satisfying, and addicting puzzle game - https://www.donation...?topic=2936.0?ref=nl
Amazing squirrel video - https://www.donation...?topic=2973.0?ref=nl
Amazing fish video - https://www.donation...?topic=3033.0?ref=nl

10. New Coding Snacks by Skrommel, JGPaiva, and Others

Multimedia Mouse - great for music lovers with mouse wheels - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2869?ref=nl
AddUrlTimeStamp - wonderful tool for internet explorer bookmarks - https://www.donation...?topic=2930.0?ref=nl
MouseMark - great for visually impaired mouse finding - https://www.donation...?topic=2851.0?ref=nl

11. Other Software Discoveries and Discussions

BitmapRip, Image Extractor by Mark0- https://www.donation...hp?topic=2919?ref=nl
Pixeur, Color Tool by Veign- https://www.donation...?topic=2790.0?ref=nl
Discussion about the best registry cleaner - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2964?ref=nl
Office 2007 user interface video - https://www.donation...?topic=2977.0?ref=nl
An important heads-up for gmail users - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2872?ref=nl

12. Developer's Corner

Do you use a good office chair when programming? - https://www.donation...?topic=2892.0?ref=nl
Always wanted to learn how to program? The self-teaching programming school is coming to DC - https://www.donation...?topic=2972.0?ref=nl
Funny emacs learning curve - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2971?ref=nl
Gabbly! A cool javascript chat for your web pages - https://www.donation...?topic=2803.0?ref=nl
Simple PHP Gallery - https://www.donation...?topic=3021.0?ref=nl
Phplist for website mailing lists, minireview - https://www.donation...?topic=2835.0?ref=nl
Distributed compiling and clustering, a mini-review - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2988?ref=nl
OOP Haters - https://www.donation...hp?topic=2874?ref=nl

More links:

Donate: https://www.donation...te/index.html?ref=nl
Forums: https://www.donation...r.com/Forums/?ref=nl
Wiki: https://www.donation...php/Main_Page?ref=nl
BugTracker: https://www.donation...main_page.php?ref=nl
RSS Feeds: https://www.donation...p?topic=496.0?ref=nl
Forum Daily Digest Emails: http://www.feedblitz.../f/?Sub=22516?ref=nl

Special thanks to JGPaiva for his help preparing this newsletter.

vegas · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2006, 10:58 PM »

Happy Birthday DC, glad to be here.

esnwang · « **Reply #2 on:** April 04, 2006, 02:19 AM »

Happy Birthday

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2006, 03:49 AM »

Happy Birthday (belated ... oops) ...

Here is a card http://www.icq.com/f...rowse_page_18972.php

mouser · « **Reply #4 on:** April 04, 2006, 04:00 AM »

cute

btw i thought you guys might like to see some stats for march 2006:

Average Data Transferred per Day   5.00 gigabytes
Average Hits per Day   263564.38
Average Users per Day   10237.09

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #5 on:** April 04, 2006, 04:04 AM »

Average Hits per Day 263564.38

Wow --- ah but is it misleading .... I just thought is there anyway of excluding brotherS's Miranda recommendations ??

nudone · « **Reply #6 on:** April 04, 2006, 04:12 AM »

ah, i remember back when there were just a handful of posts made each week. things were so much simpler then, non of this rss thingamabob to contend with, non of the swarms of current forum activity. hell, there wasn't even a DC irc channel. seems like a lifetime away now. we were so young and full of dreams... [stares into distance and eyes glaze over].

happy birthday to DC and all those who sail within it. may captain mouser lead us on another stimulating journey over the next 12 months too.

zridling · « **Reply #7 on:** April 04, 2006, 05:20 AM »

Few sites ever hit the ground running full speed as DonationCoder.com did last year. mouser thought this enterprise out quite well. And to all the people who volunteer their brains and time — Carol, brotherS, nudone, Veign, mouser, and so many others — especially you new members who are so quick to dive right in, thank you.

f0dder · « **Reply #8 on:** April 04, 2006, 06:02 AM »

Glad that I'm aboard and that DC is rolling - I love this place

jgpaiva · « **Reply #9 on:** April 04, 2006, 06:54 AM »

Average Hits per Day 263564.38

Wow --- ah but is it misleading .... I just thought is there anyway of excluding brotherS's Miranda recommendations ??
-Carol Haynes (April 04, 2006, 04:04 AM)

Congratulations, Mouser for creating this great concept that DonationCoder.com is!
I'm glad I found this community!

BTW, great newsletter

AbteriX · « **Reply #10 on:** April 04, 2006, 08:04 AM »

Happy Birthday DC
All the best for the next 12 months.

Thanks to Mr. Mouser and all who have made this possible

....

.... $:-\$ .....

Webijou · « **Reply #11 on:** April 04, 2006, 12:14 PM »

There was a mess - so again my wishes, what I wanted to say once:

Congratulation DC - I am still on my way to check it out, but what I've seen so far seems to rock!

brotherS · « **Reply #12 on:** April 04, 2006, 01:18 PM »

Happy birthday to us,
Happy birthday to us,
Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to us!

mouser · « **Reply #13 on:** April 04, 2006, 07:31 PM »

By the way, did anyone notice (or not notice as the case may be), that we finished sending out the 20,000 recipient newsletter today with absolutely no slowdown at all of the server at all. victory!

Dealing with server slowdowns during newsletter mailings has in the past been a true nightmare of stress. But we seem to have solved it now. I will be posting a new thread about how it was solved and the person who helped us solve it in the next day or so.

lanux128 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 04, 2006, 07:49 PM »

to Mouser for DonationCoder.com. The place you'll want to be...
and Happy Birthday too...

dpierron · « **Reply #15 on:** April 05, 2006, 03:51 AM »

Happy birthday !
I'm happy to be part of this great community !!!!

JoTo · « **Reply #16 on:** April 06, 2006, 10:56 AM »

DC's Anniversary

A year ago, yes that is true,
a site in the web was really new.

DonationCoder is it's name.
You haven't heard that? What a shame!

A great idea and a handful of women and men
start to do, what ever they can.

To get the site, to what it's today,
20000 Users, Reviews, a place to talk and play.

Discounts, Software and GiveAways,
making this site a really great place.

Information and kind people you can't find anywhere,
makes your visit here most valuable, i swear!

But always remember, *WE ALL* are the site,
without working together, our star won't sparkle bright.

So contribute as much as you can,
and tell everybody that you are a DC-Fan.

And keep in mind: We never have won!
We must steadily care, to make DC "THE NUMBER ONE"!

***

Thanks and congratulations to mouser and the members of the first hour of DC and all the others that do the hard work here.

JoTo

momonan · « **Reply #17 on:** April 06, 2006, 11:49 AM »

JoTo, Thanks for the poem and the effort it took to produce it. May I suggest a small amendment? Replace the word "men" with "men and women." It would make many of us feel much more included.

nudone · « **Reply #18 on:** April 06, 2006, 11:53 AM »

is this DC's first poem, i think it is. well done, JoTo.

brotherS · « **Reply #19 on:** April 06, 2006, 01:45 PM »

And keep in mind: We never have won!
-JoTo (April 06, 2006, 10:56 AM)

I think DC is winning again and again and again!

Thanks for the poem!

JoTo, Thanks for the poem and the effort it took to produce it. May I suggest a small amendment? Replace the word "men" with "men and women." It would make many of us feel much more included.
-momonan (April 06, 2006, 11:49 AM)

While that certainly would be 'more right' it would also kill the flow of the poem...

Veign · « **Reply #20 on:** April 06, 2006, 03:14 PM »

Now DC just needs to go after and acquire the Donationware.com domain name. That would be a great addition for this site and its movement.

mouser · « **Reply #21 on:** April 06, 2006, 03:16 PM »

i tried veign, but someone is camping on it so it doesn't look possible.

Veign · « **Reply #22 on:** April 06, 2006, 04:22 PM »

I saw they have a form you could fill out to get information on making an offer but the form fails. Its a shame to have a domain that stands for something and just park it doing nothing with it...

JoTo · « **Reply #23 on:** April 07, 2006, 01:26 AM »

@momonam and All:

Sorry to all. Your wish is my command -> DONE!

I haven't thought of that, and another reason is for sure that english is not my native language. I could have used "man" in the context of "mankind" i think. But this is to much pathetic, isn't it?

My intension was surely NOT to discriminate someone for his gender, religion, race, politic interests, skin color, food preferences, IQ, profession, home country, home planet, home galaxy, ..., ..., ...

I also promise that NO animal was tortured or killed while producing this poem and i will have an eye at the political correctness of my future posts as good as i can.

Now let's go on with the birthday party and greetings.
Yours
JoTo

bliss · « **Reply #24 on:** April 07, 2006, 01:55 AM »

Happy Birthday to all the team and contributors. I love this down to earth approach to the web and programming. It on my favorite places list. Hope the next year is as fab as the last.