Posts in category Software

A Day of Frustrating Software Usage

Mar26th
2008 6 Comments Written by jtinsky

Last night I purchased a product to convert a ton of .xls files to .txt files. It mostly worked but even though I could change the delimiter from a comma to a tab, I still couldn’t save the files as .txt files. Kinda retarded but the developer who sells the product was quick to add the option. I was super impressed until I wasn’t able to convert about half my files due to a pointer operation error. The developer said he was able to convert them and left it at that. WTF?

Second on the list of complaints is the need for a decent omni-editor on WinDoze. I’ve used TextPad forever. It’s rock solid but pretty basic. How about some code folding or keyboard commands or something better than the less than useful workspaces?

I’ve tried and am currently in hate with e-text editor. It really really wants to be good but the lack of bookmarks, consistent bug regression (CTRL + SHIFT + T is supposed to open a “go to file” dialogue but closes the editor every other release), bundle wackiness and lack of bracket matching is dragging me down. On the plus side Textmate bundles do rock and some of the keyboard commands are very useful. I hope this thing gets more stable as time goes on.

I’ve even payed (well my firm did) for Komodo IDE but it spikes my CPU to nearly 100% every time I add a tab in my 18,850 line XML document or 2,400 line Perl script rendering it nearly useless for day to day use.

I’m seriously considering switching to VIM on the desktop. I’ve played with it a bit on my laptop and it seems good to excellent with a steep learning curve.

The best application I’ve used all day was donation ware called RenameMaster.

I can’t wait until my MacBook Pro gets here so I can have some salvation at the end of the day and use Textmate.

Firefox: The Browser is the Platform

Jul3rd
2007 Leave a Comment Written by jtinsky

Tonight I decided to convert my personal laptop from Windows to Ubuntu Linux. Yeah, I know, it’s not perfect (like Windows) and I’ll probably end up spending at least as much time hacking it to make it work as I do with Windows but I can’t afford a Mac right now so it’ll have to do.

My inclination toward change is more than mere need to procrastinate. I really need to learn *nix networking and administration and as long as I work on a Windows box these things will remain on the back burner. Additionally, I don’t intend to work on a Dell Inspiron 6000 for the rest of my days. I intend to Switch (with a capital “S”) to a Mac after Susan is out of law school. For now, the need vs. cost ratio will keep me on the Dell.

A big concern is the need for simplicity and things that just work. If I can’t find open source software that meets my needs I’ll either have to code it or change my requirements.

A perfect example is the FranklinCovey PlanPlus for Outlook software I use daily. It’s a great way to organize my tasks, projects and calendar under the Values, Roles and Goals methodology layed out by Stephen Covey in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. As much as I like it, I spend lots of time waiting for it to sync with my Treo. I’d like something simpler.

So, to facilitate my switch (lower case “s”) I’ve created a list on my Jotspot wiki. (I’d show you this list if only I could figure out how to make jotspot content publicly viewable. Instead I’ll show it in WordPress.) The list is just items I want to consider before I move over including software and hardware considerations.

Part of my 2 year portability strategy is to find and use applications that will translate between Windows, Ubuntu Linux and ultimately, Mac OS X.

Many of the applications I’m deciding on happen to be Mozilla XUL based applications including Komodo IDE for development, Zotero for note taking and Thunderbird email client. It seems that, silently, while everyone was focused on what is now called Vista, open source programmers have been building compelling alternatives to Microsoft applications. I doubt that I’ll be able to convert at work for now, since I have to integrate with an Exchange server but that’s what’s keeping the Macbook Pro purchase on the horizon.

One of the most important things I’m trying to replace is Microsoft OneNote note taking application. I think I’ve found a suitable alternative in Zotero. I can take notes on either computer and keep them on my USB key so they’re up to date but also work when I’m not connected to the internet. I’m not sure how I’d post something to it remotely but I’m sure it’s in the works.

The other main thing I’m trying to nail down is an integrated development environment (IDE) that is cross platform. Komodo IDE fits the bill here and is extremely extensible.

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Since I started writing this Google has launched Google Gears which is a prime example of the browser being the platform. I never finished the above conversion and will probably just pop for a new Macbook Pro very soon. In the meantime, I’m really looking forward to seeing what clever people do with Gears.

Microsoft Now Charging for Beta Downloads?

Aug3rd
2006 Written by jtinsky

Yesterday I went to download the MS Office Beta I’d been wanting to try out for so very long. After two attempts in Firefox I realized it won’t work so I opened it in IE tab and downloaded a copy onto my laptop. I then installed OneNote and started playing with it. I really like and and think the mobile part of it promises to be a decent replacement for the truly inadequate Pocket Outlook Notes.

Today I tried to download the same stuff onto my desktop at work and Microsoft charged me for the privilege of downloading their beta code. I’m not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand I’m happy to get 6 months of usage of their software for only $3.00. On the other hand I don’t really feel like I should be charged for downloading and trying beta code.

Well Hung or My Love/Hate Relationship with MusicMatch

Feb9th
2005 Written by jtinsky

About three years ago I broke down and purchased a license for MusicMatch. I liked the interface and then decided to pay for their radio service so I could listen to music I didn’t own.

Over the years I’ve ignored it’s various issues as I’ve tried and abandoned other stoftware for playing my music collection.

Since I purchased my iPod last year I’ve been using iTunes but I really never liked it for various reasons. Last week I downloaded the latest free version of MusicMatch and I must say it really sucks.

It hangs up on my fairly new Windows XP box nearly every time I’ve tried to use it and I’m unable to uninstall it. Worst of all is that it asks me to “upgrade” and pay them my hard earned money for their shiteware nearly everytime I try to do something.

You would think that upon purchase by Yahoo! they would get their shit together and make this thing work like a real grown up application. I fully understand the difficulties of making a desktop application run perfectly but I’m pretty sure I could fix the bugs myself in the time lapse between my purchasing a copy and now.

A quick google of MusicMatch 10 shows that I’m not the only person having issues.

Memo to Yahoo!: Fix your newly acquired shiteware or lose any return on your investment.

MS OneNote

Nov6th
2003 Written by jtinsky

I’ve been test driving Microsoft OneNote trial version (after lusting for a beta for months) for a few weeks now. After a bit of learning and wrapping my head around the structured versus unstructured nature of it I find it extremely useful.
. In OneNote you hierarchically organize your sections, folders pages and subpages then on the pages and subpages you free form add your notes.

Where has this product been all these years? When will MS port it to the Pocket PC environment? I find Outlook notes a very poor substitute. There are several fine replacements but the fact that Activesynch doesn’t synch notes more than one subdirectory deep is proof that MS needs to rethink the usability of Outlook Notes and/or rework Activesynch.

Judging from the vast array of note taking applications and extensions to Outlook Notes, I’m sure I’m not the only person who wants to use notes in a richer fashion. Elisabeth Liddell does a pretty comprehensive analysis of what a notes app should do in her review of HPC Notes Lite v4 and CalliGrapher 6.4 bundle.

What I’d really like to see is OneNote integrated with Outlook kind of like Franklin Coveys PlanPlus PowerNotes. PowerNotes are pretty cool and a lot like OneNote but the organization of them is lacking. I cannot vouch for the searchability of either product since I’m still test driving both and I don’t have the volume of notes to warrant a search.

Apparently I’m not the only person who finds OneNote usefull as a supplement to my daily programming tasks. Steele Price uses is in a more advanced way than I do but the idea is the same. Keep track of random ideas that come into your head as you’re coding then address them later or communicate them with clarity to someone else.

Productivity