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Ishie
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Ishie


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PostSubject: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Nov 12, 2008 3:31 am

Hello Everyone,

So what software have you come across that has been user-friendly that you may recommend!!?

Ish
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Ishie
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Nov 12, 2008 3:33 am

Hey Guys,

I have use this for years ... user-friendly and it never have given me any issues!!!

"CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! Smile "

http://www.ccleaner.com/

Ish santa
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lornyk5
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Nov 12, 2008 7:32 am

Been using CCleaner for years too, formally known as Crap Cleaner, let me also recommend a neat site called http://www.filehippo.com/ and try out there update checker program (top right), I highly recommend this handy feature to easily check for updates to installed software!

Cheers,

Lorin jocolor
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Ishie
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Nov 12, 2008 8:24 am

Hey Lorin,

Yep, know about that site ... lol!

Thanks, will certainly do check it out!!

Ish
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kc2rxo
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Nov 12, 2008 2:26 pm

I'll throw one in here.
This is one I use a lot for odd jobs.

Paint.NET (PDN) is a freeware utility program which is basicly a buffed up version of Microsoft Windows Paint program.
http://www.paint.net/

Some of my current work:

The Software Thread WiethuechterRevoltuionProjectFrontC

The Software Thread WiethuechterRevolutionProjectBackCo

Cheers,
Adam What a Face
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Ishie
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyFri Nov 14, 2008 10:55 am

TEAMSPEAK??! Anyone?

I have used it to talk with other trainz folks in the pass, so if anyone likes to talk and if we can fine a server to run it from, let me know and I see what I could do!

Ishie lol!
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Smileyman
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptySat Nov 29, 2008 8:49 am

I don't know why I haven't mentioned this one before.

If you're fed up with how bloated Adobe Acrobat Reader is, and how sluggish and resource hogging it can be, then try this one.

http://www.docu-track.com/home/prod_user/PDF-XChange_Tools/pdfx_viewer

The Software Thread PdfVwrSample

I've been using the free version of this for about 10 months now, and I'll never go back to Acrobat.
Rendering of pages is much quicker once you initially let it load the document, and there's so many extra features for marking the pages with highlighters, bookmarking, etc.

There's even a portable version for free too.

I can't remember whether it asks for connection to the Internet or not (most software seems to want to these days), but if it does just block it with your firewall.
Not because it's up to something, but because it should be common practice to only allow software that needs the Internet to connect to it, and block all others.
Too many people are quick to allow all sorts of software to connect to the Internet without question.
If my computer as much as sneezes, I want to know why. Laughing

Seriously though, this is a good piece of software, and you'll soon be able to uninstall Acrobat, and all it's bloatware.

santa
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https://firstclasstrainz.forumotion.com
lornyk5
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptySat Nov 29, 2008 9:09 am

Thanks Brian for the heads up, I'll try it, I hate bloatware too!

Lorin
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Ishie
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptySat Nov 29, 2008 9:10 am

Hi Brian,

I use adobe a lot, so I guess I'll try this one -- thanks!

Does the free version allow people to use it to type in and post documents?

Thanks
Ishie
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Ishie
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Dec 03, 2008 7:44 am

Vista: Two Years Later

News Commentary. Windows Vista's second birthday passed, and nobody noticed.

Some kids sleep anxiously for fear parents will forget the big birthday. Two years ago yesterday, Nov. 30, Microsoft launched Windows Vista for businesses. But yesterday there was no fanfare, no obligatory look-back posts in commemoration—not even from Microsoft employee bloggers. Oh, my, what has Vista become?

Windows Me II.

Microsoft has moved on already to Vista's successor, and it's not even released. Sadly, people want not to celebrate Vista but to forget it. Many enterprises are committed to Windows XP and sticking with it.

The Software Thread ArrowGOT A TIP OR RUMOR?

According to recent Gartner numbers, little more than 10 percent of businesses have deployed Vista. That's not exactly a whopping endorsement two years and one service pack after the release of a new Windows version that businesses waited more than five years for.

At Vista's launch, Gartner forecast that early Vista deployments would begin in earnest by the fourth quarter of 2007 and reach threshold by the second quarter of 2008. There was plenty of pent-up demand for it. But early reviews and troublesome enterprise test deployments quelled interest in Vista. A year ago, Gartner revised its projections, with mainstream enterprise adoption tracking for early 2009. Many businesses will now never move to the Vista called Vista but to the version called Windows 7.

Seven builds off Windows Vista. Microsoft isn't looking to reinvent the operating system, but to get beyond Vista's bad rap. Strange then that Windows 7 will be Vista made over.

About two months ago I blogged: "Windows Vista No Longer Matters." To that post, Microsoft Watch reader Mike Renna commented:
<BLOCKQUOTE itxtvisited="1">I've barely touched Vista—I just can't deal with learning and teaching clients (I do IT consulting) where things they've used for years with XP are now. Where's the start button? Why did it change? Etc. My docs folder? Now pics are in their own folder. There's a users and docs and settings folder tree now, right? Too confusing for my feable brain. I'd like to look forward to 7, but if it's based on Vista, what's keeping it from inheriting Vista's bad rep? Get rid of the bloat, make it lean and mean and stop moving things around.</BLOCKQUOTE>

As I've repeatedly asserted, perception is everything in business. Mike asks the right question: What will keep Windows 7 "from inheriting Vista's bad rep?" For starters, Microsoft is better managing the message for Windows 7 and pulled off some early good reviews.

But Vista problems are persistent because people continue to have bad experiences with the operating system. To the same post, exasperated commenter Thomas replied:
<BLOCKQUOTE itxtvisited="1">Vista has been the most frustrating and annoying computing experience ever. Never has a product filled me so much rage. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to pick my machine up and throw it at the wall. The solution? Keep a book near my Vista machine so I can quickly grab something to read while I wait out the 1-3 minute Vista freeze that happens 10-15 times a day.</BLOCKQUOTE>

This kind of user testimonial is akin to Windows anti-marketing, which is something Microsoft wouldn't want preparing the market for Seven.

Other Vista users have had more positive experiences, after the bad Vista rap lowered their expectations. Jess Meats commented to "Is Seven for Real or Just More Empty Vista Promises?":
<BLOCKQUOTE itxtvisited="1">I like Vista. Admittedly, I came late to the party. When I upgraded my home laptop, I went for one that still had XP because I'd heard all the negative press - without ever trying Vista myself. So, when work gave me a laptop with Vista on, SP1 had already been released and the major issues fixed. Having come to Vista post SP1, I can't see why everyone is complaining. This laptop loads up much faster than my XP one, shuts down incredibly fast, works fast, has a nicer UI and a really easy and useful search tool in the start menu.</BLOCKQUOTE>

Other users have swayed back and forth. To the same post, Jeffer03 commented:
<BLOCKQUOTE itxtvisited="1">I've gone from liking Vista to hating it, to liking it, to hating it again. Now I'm just annoyed by the constant string of surprises when I can't do something that I used to be able to. Just to preface, I've worked with MS OSes since the beginning, including all MSDOS and all NT versions. I'm an IT Pro and run Enterprise Application servers.</BLOCKQUOTE>

Jeffer03 captures my own emotional reaction to Vista: Love-hate. The hate comes from combined little annoyances. There's no one big thing, but bunches of little things that make Vista naggy. That said, Vista's bad reputation is more than the sum of little annoyances. Vista isn't a bad operating system, and there are many features that make it much better than XP.

But two years after Vista's release to businesses, the good isn't enough to blow past the bad rap. So Vista's destiny is the same as Microsoft Bob or Windows Me: to be forgotten quickly. Yet its legacy will live on. Microsoft later used many of the user concepts introduced with Bob in other products. Digital media features introduced with Windows Me were reborn in XP and Vista and also in some Live products and services.

Nearly everyone may have neglected Vista's birthday and many people, including Microsoft employees, may want to forget the operating system completely. But Vista will live on in Windows 7 and beyond. Deal with it.



From Micosoft watch
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Ishie
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Dec 03, 2008 7:49 am

10 things I warned micosoft about window vista


News Commentary. I worked as an analyst when Microsoft developed Windows Vista. Execs asked for my advice, and they got it. Did they listen?

The imminent real release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is reason enough to broach the question. SP1 is an important milestone for an operating system that bloggers and other critics consistently ridicule. Oh, yeah, the channel and enterprises aren't exactly loving Vista either.

These 10 things are in no particular order of importance.

1. Windows Vista has to be a whole lot better than Windows XP. Microsoft had left XP in the market for a long time. That version of Windows had reached a certain "good enough" threshold, in part because of the stable, supporting ecosystem. Vista would have to be a whole lot better to drive upgrades in established markets. I received assurances that Vista would deliver on the promise, which was later accentuated in the "Wow" marketing. What happened: Vista wasn't better enough.

2. Vista will miss the big PC upgrade cycle. A major enterprise PC refresh cycle started in 2004 and continued through mid-2006. In early 2006, I warned Microsoft executives that Vista would ship too late. What happened: The major upgrade cycle wound down, but computer sales remained strong because of consumer upgrades and a massive shift to portables. So, Vista missed the big hardware refresh cycle but caught another one. However, in part because of #1, many businesses opted for Windows XP instead of Vista on those shiny, new notebooks.

3. Windows Vista Home Basic is too basic. I strongly recommended against Microsoft's releasing this version at any price. Microsoft executives insisted that OEMs wanted a low-cost Vista version for cheap PCs. But Basic offered less than Windows XP Home for about the same price. I called it a hidden price increase. What happened: There is limited demand for Home Basic.

4. Call it Windows Basic. Vista Home Basic was so defeatured, I strongly encouraged Microsoft to remove the Vista name from the product. I warned that Basic would tarnish the broader Vista brand and that its streamlined features put it in a lower category. I bet a Microsoft product manager $100 that Windows Basic would become the default nomenclature. What happened: Other problems affecting every Vista version, such as applications and drivers incompatibilities, overshadowed Basic's weak feature set. Oh yeah, I owe somebody at Microsoft 100 bucks. I don't recall who you are, but don't feel impish about collecting.

5. Vista reminds too much of Windows Me. In late 2006, I had dinner with some Vista user interface designers. By then, I had used Vista betas for nearly 10 months. They heard: There are two Microsoft operating systems that the more I used them the less I liked them—Windows Me and Windows Vista. While not my intention, the comment hugely insulted the UI designers, because of how much Windows Me is regarded, even within Microsoft, as a marketing failure. What happened: Some critics have described Vista as Windows Me II.

6. One Vista version is enough. I opposed Microsoft's Vista SKU strategy from the first presentation and, later, after some tweaking. I explained that Windows isn't toothpaste. Too many versions would confuse customers, creating an unnecessary impediment to Vista upgrades. How could Vista be perceived as better enough if the buying experience was more difficult than XP? I strongly advocated a one-version strategy, but with differentiated OEM pricing depending on features used by the hardware. I reasoned the approach would simplify Windows purchasing while encouraging greater PC differentiation. What happened: The OEM market has largely consolidated around a single version: Vista Home Premium for consumers. It's all Gateway sells, for example. Many enterprises are adopting Vista Enterprise, which is a volume licensing-only option.

7. It has to be multiple SKUs or Windows Experience Index, but not both. WEI would confuse Vista buyers because the ratings would contradict with some versions. For example, Vista Ultimate could conceivably ship on a notebook with WEI of 3.0 (out of a possible 5.9). Customers would ask: If it's so ultimate, why is the rating so slow? I liked the WEI concept more than the SKU strategy and recommended choosing only the ratings scheme. What happened: WEI ratings were low the first year on notebooks, even those with Vista Ultimate.

8. Vista demands too much. From my earliest product briefings, Microsoft executives carted around big honking laptops—luggables—to get enough processing and graphics power to run early Vista builds. I was told Vista would need less power closer to release. Nope. I got my first Vista test system in February 2006. WEI: 2.0, on above-average hardware. What happened: OEMs shipped computers underpowered for Vista, even through holiday 2007. The operating system demands too much from even modestly older hardware.

9. Windows Vista Capable is a bad idea. Why could Microsoft possibly need two Vista logo programs? The connotations around Capable and Ready were either too alike or too confusing. I said that there should be one program for which everything truly was ready. Unfortunately, Microsoft didn't consult me on the logo programs, so I gave my advice after the Capable logo announcement. What happened: A Vista Capable class-action lawsuit revealed embarrassing Microsoft e-mails about Windows Vista decision-making processes—or lack of them.

10. Vista security features increase complexity, decrease usability. Oh, I was a loud critic of UAC (User Account Control) and Internet Explorer warnings. I argued that Microsoft had made Vista much harder to use than Windows XP. The experience would be worse for many users. Going back to #1, Vista had to be a lot better, not perceptually worse. What happened: UAC warnings hurt usability but caused more troubles; new user rights mechanism broke many applications.



From microsoft watch ...



I've posted these articles because they're interesting ... read them ...



Ishie
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lornyk5
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Dec 03, 2008 9:35 am

Good read Ish, I caught some of that on another blog I visit, something else isn't it, I did upgrade to vista 32bit after my game rig died and I had to re-build, but I did move forwards to DX10 and a superclocked 8800 GTS at the same time..

I upgraded because I was almost forced to as a hardcore gamer, but the operating system did become more friendly after SP1.

Cheers,

Lorin
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Ishie
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Dec 03, 2008 9:44 am

Hi Lorin,

Both my computers are still operating with XP. My wife's laptop has vista. Perhaps its me, but I have found that working with vista a bit complicated, -- talking about here in the background of the operating system like file management, etc and stuff like that.

Ishie
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scorpio48
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Dec 03, 2008 2:53 pm

Hi Guys,
Never have, never will, like Vista.
I'm not putting that on Auran Forum though, got into enough trouble with my thread 'My CMP works OK' Laughing Laughing

Cheers
Pete
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Ishie
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Dec 03, 2008 3:16 pm

scorpio48 wrote:
Hi Guys,
Never have, never will, like Vista.
I'm not putting that on Auran Forum though, got into enough trouble with my thread 'My CMP works OK' Laughing Laughing

Cheers
Pete

Hi Pete,

If you express your opinion some at Auran's will attack you for it.

Ishie
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Ishie
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyWed Dec 03, 2008 7:22 pm

Hey Guys,

I just had the scare of my life... Literally, i saw my heart up my throat, out my month and it slam itself against a wall...

I turn on my computer. and a message came up --- window is has encounter an error ... so, it started up but it had the new window (you know when you first buy a new PC) .... all of my desktop links etc gone ... Thank God I partition my hard drives .. everything on those where just fine ...

so, I click the restore point, and the computer did what it support but the fist restore point failed ... again, I was nervous and pissed .. so again I went and click o in the second restore point and that loaded everything just fine ... Happy now...

I just don't understand ... the only thing I do on this computer is work in gmax ...

Honestly ... when these things happed it just get me mad ....

Ishie
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kc2rxo
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PostSubject: Windows Vista   The Software Thread EmptyWed Dec 03, 2008 8:04 pm

I have Windows Vista.
After working with XP since around 2001-2007 and only Vista since December 2007 I must admit it is a damn good OS.

I learned it a lot faster than XP actually. I knew where the start button was automaticly when I firsted powered up the computer and knew where the majority of the things I need to do was.

I like the setup of the system, seams less time consuming to me. I dont even have SP1 installed and it runs smooth as silk.
Trainz runs great, the UAC can get a little annoying when in a hurry, most of the time I am not though, so it doesnt affect me. The IE is great, love it to death.

I would always go with Vista, I am so familiar with it now, it has a slick new look to it, that fits my personality, and runs the same!

My dad works with DOS (The original!) a lot. Cayuga County Emergency Management even use Windows Workgroup 3.11 still!!! We had ME at our house and it worked like crap. Couldnt run anything on it at all. We also had Windows 2000, NT, even 95 and 98!

Great job Microsoft!

Cheers,
Adam
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Ishie
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyThu Dec 04, 2008 10:48 am

Windows Live OneCare safety scanner is a free service designed to help ensure the health of your PC.

  • Check for and remove viruses
  • Get rid of junk on your hard disk
  • Improve your PC's performance

http://onecare.live.com/site/en-au/default.htm?mkt=en-au

Ishie santa
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Ishie
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PostSubject: Re: The Software Thread   The Software Thread EmptyMon Dec 15, 2008 5:12 am

Hi guys,

Here's something I have been using for eyars ... its' free
send files, etc ... if your mail box can't handle it!
http://www.yousendit.com/

Ishie
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