the finger-keyboard synapse - June 2005 Archives

June 2005

Be ripped off wisely on ink (10:33) - I have recently been looking to replace my aging HP 822Cse printer. It still works, aside from the problems it has feeding that require cleaning the rollers far more than should really be necessary. The fax machine also died a couple weeks ago, so it seemed like an all-in-one unit would be a really good idea. I liked the looks of the HP 6210, but before buying a printer I've learned also to look at ink costs. So I checked... | 5 Comments

One release, three friends, and an invitation to all (16:08) - Today we released BitWise 1.0.5.1, the first 4-digit version in the 1.0 series. This version is indeed a minor (but important) update. The client will not notify you of the new version. There are three groups of users who will benefit the most from this update:Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) users - the corner popups did not work in 1.0.5 and have been fixed. Users using non-English alphabets / characters - the logs were not being properly saved in Unicode...

wxWidgets on Intel Macs (09:48) - While the news about Apple switching to Intel chips next year is pretty stale now, we have received some inquiries about BitWise support on Intel-based Macs. We don't anticipate any problems, using either the G3 emulation or the new fat binaries. Without any changes, BitWise should run as-is on Intel Macs using the G3 emulation mode. I don't have access to one of the test machines, and we probably won't be purchasing preliminary hardware, but given the reports of success...

A non-release release -- and what to call it? (15:08) - Back in the good old days in 2002 when only a few dozen people were regularly using BitWise, we used to do what I dubbed "slipstream" releases; releases that weren't announced but just silently uploaded to replace an existing release. Such releases usually solved one really obscure problem that most people wouldn't find, but that needed to be fixed before the next version was released. We now find ourselves at a similar crossroads; there are a few problems with the... | 3 Comments

Bad buttons! No cookie for you! (10:12) - When we designed the new BitWise IM site, we re-confirmed our choice to use buttons for the program downloads instead of links, because buttons both look better and say "press here" better than any text link. Yet, as always, when problems arise, we listen. We received an inquiry over the weekend from a user who was unable to download a new version of the software because the button system wasn't working, supposedly due to high security settings. It also wasn't... | 1 Comments

BitWise Routing Server as a Windows Service (12:55) - Thanks to a special wedge, it is now possible to run the BitWise Routing Server as a Windows Service on Windows NT, 2000, XP, or 2003. This means that you can install and use the Routing Server on a server machine that does not normally have a user logged in; the Routing Server will start when the OS starts. This can be very useful in business environments where Windows-based servers are used. Check it out! This wedge isn't specific to...

Presenting at LinuxWorld in San Francisco (10:18) - Over a week ago I posted that I will be presenting at LinuxWorld in the Prentice Hall booth to talk about wxWidgets and the wxWidgets book. I will be giving my presentation twice during the Expo:Wednesday, August 10th at 4:30 p.m.Thursday, August 11th at 11:30 a.m. Registration for the Expo is free if done in advance. You can register online. I invite anyone to come and see the presentation and to visit before or after the presentations. Or, let me... | 1 Comments

1.0.5 more than an icon makeover (15:51) - The release of BitWise 1.0.5 today is probably one of the most exciting releases of BitWise in a while. While the new icons are significant and truly an evolutionary step forward, it's important not to overlook the other changes to the client, or the additional Professional Web Services features added since 1.0.4. The Web Services are continually upgraded, and here are three recent major changes:The Who's Online page now shows both the Internet and LAN IP addresses for each user....

PC = Personal Computer (13:48) - Here's one conversation element that really drives me nuts: Me: Are you running insert common software category here on your PC? Mac User [but I didn't know it]: I don't have a PC, I have a Mac. Oh really? A Mac isn't a Personal Computer? I've never heard anyone say, "I don't have a PC, I have a Dell." Wouldn't that be the same thing? I have no idea why "PC" has any connotation towards the Windows platform, and I... | 7 Comments

IT personnel say the darndest things (13:55) - I've been meaning to write about this for a while. A recent ComputerWorld article about an AIM virus had an absolutely jaw-dropping statement in it:"Fundamentally, many businesses will have to ask their staff if they really need IM for their day-to-day work, and if not, it may be more sensible to take it away," [an anti-virus company employee] said. "We're certainly seeing more instant messaging malware being written, although they haven't yet had the same kind of impact as email-aware... | 3 Comments

Choosing the right icons the first time (20:21) - This is an official companion piece to my April 20th post, "Choosing the right name the first time." The Icon Makeover continues to draw rave reviews (not one negative comment yet!). The client truly looks great, but unfortunately, all of the old screenshots on the web site don't look so great. Today was spent updating screenshots, whether just replacing icons or redoing the screenshots entirely. If you're bored, you can check out the updated screenshots:Frontpage Montage Features - Text Messaging...

Arthritis of the battery (20:18) - So far another successful BitWise Beta, maybe the other shoe won't drop this time. ;) Yet the beta wasn't the most memorable event of the day. I had uploaded all of the new files, then got up for a few minutes to do something away from the computer. When I came back, it was completely turned off, and even the monitors were off (not just asleep). This seemed very odd and I think my blood pressure went up dramatically. Some... | 2 Comments

The book and LinuxWorld (14:42) - As originally slated months ago, the book is on schedule to go to the printer this week. A recent message from Julian implied a release date of July 8th, but I don't think it's final or confirmed. You will see that I have added a link to the book at Amazon.com in left sidebar; if you are purchasing the book, I would kindly ask that you purchase it through this link as it will keep a small portion of the... | 2 Comments
A web site is never done (14:26) - A web site is never done. Ever. (I'm sure George Lucas would agree.) The first significant noticable changes have been made to the site since it went up about a month ago.A random quote from a pool of available quotes is displayed on the home page.Many of the feature pages have a quote displayed, but these do not change.The first Features page, the one that shows when you click Features on the navigation menu, is meatier and explains more about...

Motivation from a crisis (19:45) - It seems that every BitWise release has one "crisis" that rears its ugly head at some point. This beta's crisis deals with whiteboard redrawing on Windows and was brought to my attention thanks to [a new!] forum member. To reproduce the bug, make an object on the whiteboard that causes scrollbars to appear; the whiteboard will immediatelly begin to refresh like crazy. Not pretty at all, but fortunately relatively easy to fix. In the process, the logic for handling the... | 1 Comments