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Super-sized Newsletter for May 20, 2014 - Codename: Slow and Steady
mouser:
Super-sized Newsletter for May 20, 2014"Codename: Slow and Steady"
1. Newsletter Editorial
Greetings!
It's been 125 days since the last newsletter. In that time, approximately 837 new threads were started on the forum, and 8500 new posts were made (133 of those have been selected for inclusion in this newsletter); 300 spammers were banned by our moderators, 3187 new members joined the forum, and 600 new people donated to the site (thank you!).
In those 125 days, the site has registered over 20 million pageviews and served over 4 terabytes of data (most of that coming from our free software downloads).
I highlight those stats because freeware has been getting a bad name lately, with adware, junkware, and toolbars being bundled into downloads by more and more formerly-respected software hosting sites (sometimes even against the will of the original coders) -- and our site has remained free of such things since we started 9 years ago.
That's been possible only because of the support of normal everyday folks who have donated to the site. Your donations have meant that we have been able to pay for a fast dedicated server and have never had to depend on software hosting sites or the whims of advertisers. And that's made all the difference.
Thank you for supporting our site and making it possible for us to keep doing things our way, as a small independent site.
And now on to the newsletter -- a collection of some of the best posts on our forum in the last few months, and a summary of recent updates to our software.
Hopefully you'll find something worth your time.
-jesse (mouser)
2. User-to-User: Your Input Requested
We love nothing more than having interesting discussions on our forum -- and we love when new people participate in the discussions. In each newsletter we try to highlight a few topics that we think might interest casual readers and that are good candidates for making your first post.
* Our experiences with LED light bulb replacements?
* Programmers: What size monitors do you guys prefer?
* Skype and Webcam: HD or not?
* Are there any simple graphic editors?
* Does this exist - future low airfare alert?
* DC/Indie/coder/startup house/condo/etc
* Why are windows moving around after monitors wake up?
* Overclock help required
* NANY 2014: Post your mug-shots here
3. Mouser's Software Updates
I've uploaded some updates to many of my large applications since the last newsletter. As always, you can find the list of what's new both in the online help pages (linked from each program homepage) or in the forum thread about the application (also linked from each program homepage).
* URL Snooper v2.34.01
* Screenshot Captor v4.8.5
* LaunchBar Commander v1.142
* Progress Bars of Life 2.03
4. Skwire Empire Software Updates
DC member skwire is one of the more prolific coders of utilities on our site -- he roams the coding snack request section and pounces like a jaguar when he finds something that catches his eye. He's released a ton of updates to his software since the last newsletter, including some updates to his most popular tools:
* ClipTray v1.1.9
* epCheck v1.1.3
* File Punter v1.0.7
* IE Proxy Toggle v1.0.4
* Media Player Hotkeys (MPH) v1.0.8
* PlayTime v1.4.4
* sCheckbook v1.1.1
* SFV Ninja v1.2.1
* Spews v1.0.3
* sPlaylistMaker v1.0.4
* sStockQuote v1.0.8
* Text 2 Folders v1.1.2
5. Coding Snacks, and other Member Projects
We love to keep up with projects that our members are working on, and hearing what our forum members think of software they use. If you're working on something interesting -- let us know!
* NANY 2014 mentioned at freewaregenius.com
* FarSubScript : Pixsy
* Multi-monitor Logon Wallpaper
* AntiSnooper - Privacy Protection (free)
* wLinker - Ego's Windows Launcher (free)
* HoPiPo#Elance - Get Latest Freelance Jobs from Elance.com (free)
* DONE: Blank full-screen background, solid movable circle replacing cursor
* DONE: AutoHotKey solution for Desktop ListView
* Send an email when remote computer is not in use
* Efficiently view set of .htm files, one after another
* RRunner?
* A Couple Blowssi Suggestions
* Idea: Windows desktop productivity tool
* Request: HTPC Util - Hide Desktop for x seconds while program is being executed.
* Contractor's Work Log Goes OPEN SOURCE under GPL v3
6. Mini-reviews and requests
Members share their reviews of software with one another on the forum.
* My Initial Impressions of The Elder Scrolls Online
* Atom - A new editor is born
* GS-Base Mini-Review
* Stormboard
* RIPT (Ript) shareable scrapbook-clipping programme - Mini-Review
* For Serious Research: Cadillac of "ClipBoard Managers" vs. "Info/Data Manager"
* Micro-review: Scapple
* My pop/imap Android experience
* Roundup of PC Audio Enhancers
7. Website Discoveries, Debates, Essays, Discussions
What's new in cyberspace? What exciting new sites have been discovered by forum members? What's the current hot topic and debate? Read on to find out... And be sure to check out our new list of our "Favorite" websites.
* How In-app Purchases Has Destroyed The Industry
* Nice blog post on the parasitic software hosting sites bundling junkware
* Rusty's Real Deal Baseball: Most Effed Up Game Ever
* Robot Odyssey - An incredible programming game from 1984
* Once again, magically expensive items are only different in your mind
* The Story of Merlin: The 1978 Electronic Game
* Survivorship Bias...an Insidious Enemy
* Pretty good App Store piece on Lifehacker
* SQRL (Secure Quick Reliable Login)
* Net neutrality is dead. Bow to Comcast and Verizon, your overlords
* Glenn Greenwald's "The Intercept" is now online
* What Google Plus is all about
* Chicken / Observations of an Internet ISP Middleman
* Kickstarter project hit by consumer protection complaint for failure to deliver
* Free college SAT testing/drilling and solutions (via Khan Academy).
8. Software Discussions
Some noteworthy software discussion on the forum since the last newsletter.
* Raymond.cc compares 20 Drive Imaging Tools
* Why didn't anyone tell me I could make the Windows 7 taskbar height non-obscene?
* The Best Security Suites (2013/2014)
* What the Heck is Happening to Windows? Article on Windows 8 Disaster
* WinXP is officially dead!
* Continuing with XP
* XP to Windows 7 advice
* Send email from cmdline !
* DeskRule: A new kind of desktop search engine is born (ß testers wanted)
* ImgBurn - great tool now full of adware and other crap?
* Unchecky: automatically unchecking unwanted offers, while installing software!
* HotSwap! A very cool free utility that most if you don't need
* Beyond Compare v4 Open Beta
* OneNote is now free
* In search of ... functional software kvm
* Audio recording for recording what you hear through speakers
* Anyone can recommend a good macro recorder for windows please?
* unattended large file copies that will not prompt for msg
9. Entertainment, Games, and Humour
Here's a collection of some diversionary web browsing links posted on the forum recently.
* A Table Tennis match turns into an amazing display of playfulness
* A good gift for a 10yr old: Wreck This Journal
* The Voynich Manuscript -- Serious Progress Decoding it
* Breaking madden - fun video game experiment
* State of US Nuclear Silos (60 Minutes)
* Correlation is not causation
* Cheap fountain pen shootout
* Valley of Dolls - remote village of Nagoro, Japan populated by dolls
* The Expert (Short Comedy Sketch)
* Groundhog Day Loops (movies)
* The Tale of Ye Olde Inter-Nets
* A real touching movie
* Ludum Dare topic for other games
10. Developer's Corner
This section highlights some discussions that might be relevant for not just coders and developers, but also people interested in entrepreneurial issues.
* The Descent to C - introduction to C from a HLL perspective
* Stephen Wolfram's Long Demo of the Wolfram Language
* Amit Patel's Red Blob Games and Game Programming Pages
* PMOG: The story behind the rise and fall of GameLayers, Inc.
* How The Most Expensive Game Jam In History Crashed And Burned In A Single Day
* Ludum Dare 29: April 25-28 Weekend
* Nice Long Read: The Great Works of Software
* Koding.com and the great 100TB giveaway
* Unreal Engine now $20/mo + 5% royalties
* Very Cool A* (Astar) Project
* About the Python 2 to 3 Transition...
* How NOT to Sort by Average Rating
* You have ruined Javascript... Rob Ashton on AngularJS
* Developers and the truth (or close to it)
* No .NET Framework, no problem!
* Want to make some extra coin? Like a LOT of extra coin?
* Happy 50th Birthday, BASIC!!
* The nerd in me loves this - The sounds of Sorting
11. Security News
There were so many security-related posts on the forum in the last month that we have a section of the newsletter devoted to the issue.
* Are your websites secure? The heartbleed bug
* Warning: Linksys routers infected with self-replicating worm/malware.
* ASUS routers hacked
* Intentional Backdoor In Consumer Routers Found
* Hacker raided by the FBI does a Reddit AMAA - a handbook of 'Don'ts'?
* Interview - John McAfee's New Cognizant App Puts an End to Spying
* BitCloud: BitCoin concepts applied to... everything else.
* Think that secure e-mail account is secure? Think again.
12. Hardware Hangout
We've started to see more hardware discussions on the forum in the last year or two. Hopefully the trend will continue -- we'd love to hear about more DIY projects from readers.
* A three drive system - the sweet spot
* Hard Drive Brand Reliability Data
* LillyPad Arduino Projects
* Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Beagle Bone: Choosing between tiny DIY computer kits
* Project Christine - Modular PC from Razer
* Arduino/Raspberry Pi - The perfect bonding experience for geek/techie couples?
* For monitor resolution above 1920x1080, you need a DUAL LINK DVI cable
* Wooden toy teaches preschoolers to code before they can read and write
* Advice needed about splitting or re-sizing a partition ...
* Beware the Samsung rootkit
13. Linux and Non-Windows Stuff
A relatively new section in this newsletter devoted to linux and other non-windows platforms.
* LINUX: Linux Lite - viable 1st Linux alternative for XP and Vista users
* ArsTechnica article on next-gen filesystems: Bitrot and Atomic COWs
* SteamOS : a quick review - plus setting up a virtual environment for testing
* Steam: now has working beta of in-home streaming capability for games and apps
* Mint: Temper, temper Mr. Clement Lefebvre
* Aptik - a system backup and migration tool for Ubuntu-based distro users
* The TTY demystified
* *NIX: Relatively Minimal Host OS for VirtualBox Use
* LINUX: Free book for the Tiny Core Linux distro
* *NIX: Favorite GUI File Managers?
* *NIX - List of 100 Open Source Replacements for Popular Security Tools
* MINT: Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE 201403) review
* Pale Moon 4 Linux
* NIX: KDE anyone? First thoughts.
* *NIX: Luakit, dwb, and other alternative browsers
* Yad - Yet Another Dialog
* Android: Note-taking App with Encryption, Source Code, ... ?
* The AVE: The Annual VIM Experiment
lanux128:
liking the new Linux and Non-Windows Stuff section but good newsletter overall! :Thmbsup:
mouser:
Two reminders:
* 1. Whether you've signed up at the forum or not, we now use a separate mailing list for the newsletter that you will ONLY receive if you have manually signed up to receive it. You can sign up for the mailing list here: https://www.donationcoder.com/plist?p=subscribe
* 2. If you've donated recently to the site, thank you so much! If you haven't, please consider doing so -- it means a lot to the site, and it's easy and safe -- just click on the Donate link at the very top of this page.
ewemoa:
Phew! Hope you get some rest :)
tomos:
1. Newsletter Editorial[/b]
Greetings!
It's been 125 days since the last newsletter. In that time, approximately 837 new threads were started on the forum, and 8500 new posts were made (133 of those have been selected for inclusion in this newsletter); 300 spammers were banned by our moderators, 3187 new members joined the forum, and 600 new people donated to the site (thank you!).
In those 125 days, the site has registered over 20 million pageviews and served over 4 terabytes of data (most of that coming from our free software downloads).
I highlight those stats because freeware has been getting a bad name lately, with adware, junkware, and toolbars being bundled into downloads by more and more formerly-respected software hosting sites (sometimes even against the will of the original coders) -- and our site has remained free of such things since we started 9 years ago.
That's been possible only because of the support of normal everyday folks who have donated to the site. Your donations have meant that we have been able to pay for a fast dedicated server and have never had to depend on software hosting sites or the whims of advertisers. And that's made all the difference.
Thank you for supporting our site and making it possible for us to keep doing things our way, as a small independent site.
-mouser (May 20, 2014, 12:21 AM)
--- End quote ---
well said :-*
and thanks for the newsletter :up:
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