the finger-keyboard synapse - December 2004 Archives

December 2004

If I made resolutions... (23:13) - ... I'd resolve next year to not go three days without posting in my blog. As it is, I'm not usually one to make resolutions because I don't see any special reason to wait until afetr January 1st to improve myself or my life. So I'll just try and do better. :) Hmm, "Do, or do not, there is no try..." Things are good; I've been working on the book and it's going well. I actually added about 7-8% in...

Update on the wxWidgets book (22:43) - On October 8th, I announced my participation in the first-ever wxWidgets book, being chiefly authored by Julian Smart, creator of wxWidgets. I haven't really said much about it since then, so I thought I'd briefly write about it again. It could have something to do with my using this week between the holidays to wrap up my chapters with finish touches and a last round of significant revisions. :) I have all of my four chapters written (sockets, data structures,...

Merry Christmas! (08:24) - I was reading an article the other day that there is growing backlash against "Happy Holidays;" that political correctness has gone too far and there is nothing harmful, insensitive or worthy of censorship in "Merry Christmas." I definitely agree. Christmas may be at its root a Christian holiday, but the spirit of Christmas is something everyone can celebrate: times with friends and family looking forward to the New Year, taking time off from work, gift-giving, enjoying the 20 inches of... | 4 Comments

What should we want to know about how you use BitWise? (14:57) - The past few days, we have been asking about possible responses to some BitWise-related questions so that we can create meaningful surveys to learn how to better serve current and future BitWise users. Now it's your chance to say what's on your mind: what haven't we asked that you think we should know about you and other BitWise users that should go on a survey? We're listening, speak to us. :)... | 3 Comments

Part 5 of Questions for BitWise users (09:20) - This entry is the 5th in a series exploring possible answers for questions on some surveys in development. Because we want the surveys to be as complete as possible, we are soliciting information from you, the BitWise users. This set is more open-ended than the previous questions. 1) How can we ask about user's experiences with the web site in terms of visual appeal, layout, navigation, etc? 2) How can we ask about the online documentation and its usefulness? Thanks... | 5 Comments

Part 4 of Questions for BitWise users (09:12) - This entry is the 4th in a series exploring possible answers for questions on some surveys in development. Because we want the surveys to be as complete as possible, we are soliciting information from you, the BitWise users. What could be some possible choices for the following questions: 1) Where did you first hear about BitWise? 2) Did you experience any problems with direct connections, and did you view our online help? Just to be sure everyone is on the... | 7 Comments

Part 3 of Questions for BitWise users (09:43) - This entry is the 3rd in a series exploring possible answers for questions on some surveys in development. Because we want the surveys to be as complete as possible, we are soliciting information from you, the BitWise users. What could be some possible choices for the following questions: 1) Why did you originally sign up for BitWise? (Check all that apply) 2) What have been your experiences meeting other people online using BitWise? (Check all that apply, one choice being... | 6 Comments

Part 2 of Questions for BitWise users (09:28) - This entry is the 2nd in a series exploring possible answers for questions on some surveys in development. Because we want the surveys to be as complete as possible, we are soliciting information from you, the BitWise users. What could be some possible choices for the following questions: 1) Which BitWise features do you use regularly? (Check all that apply) 2) Which features would you most want to see added to BitWise? (Check all that apply) Just to be sure... | 5 Comments

Part 1 of Questions for BitWise users (09:58) - We have decided that in order to better serve past, current and future BitWise users, we need to know more about them. To that end, we are in the process of creating a series of surveys. Because we want the surveys to be as complete as possible, we are soliciting information from you, the BitWise users. (And if you're not a BitWise user, you should be!) ;) At this point, we are only proposing questions and gathering possible responses. In... | 8 Comments

Hey person at my keyboard, part 2 (14:18) - I was reading the latest issue of PC Magazine today and saw a headline that shocked me: E-Mail Scam Dupes Linux Users So while at first I thought PC Magazine had made a liar out of me (since in my previous post I said that most Linux users are more technically inclined that the average Windows users and therefore less likely to be duped), after reading the accompanying article I decided that sensationalist journalism is definitely out of hand. A...

Hey person at my keyboard, step away from me! (19:31) - There have been quite a few articles recently in/on a variety of magazines/web sites about the vulnerability of Linux and Mac OS X to viruses and attacks. The general feeling seems to be that Linux and Mac OS X are safer partly because there is less reward (fame) in bringing down only a few machines. If someone were to write a virus or worm for one of these operating system, it probably wouldn't get very far because most of the... | 4 Comments

Do some [immature] people get off on publicly trashing software? (16:38) - I learned a long time ago that part of being actively involved with the software that you help to create is being able to objectively handle and process criticism. The world is full of critics, some gentle, some harsh, some with valid points, some with nitpicky irrelevant points. Part of continuously improving software is learning to ignore the rants and honing in on the major valid issues. BitWise is not perfect and will never be perfect--no software is ever perfect... | 2 Comments

BitWise 1.0.4 Beta 1 (or: why is it all about Linux and OS X?) (22:04) - We are very pleased to have released BitWise 1.0.4 Beta 1 today. While there is nothing revolutionary in this new version, it's another small step of evolution into perfecting BitWise and adding more of the touches that make BitWise so much fun to use. If you want revolution, you'll just have to wait for 1.1.0 next year. :) (Yes, that's a big bomb of a hint with no details. I hope it drives everyone crazy!) Anyway, one question that we... | 3 Comments