Why is Everybody so clueless on the importance of Desktop Search to the Masses?



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    What good is one computer for each child when computer people strive to keep the uninitiated out.

    We are not! On the contrary! Your application forces them to learn stuff they should never have to learn, like

    • how do I merge files?
    • what crap command to I need to enter for searching this and and?
    • why would I need to play random video while I don't even have a camcorder?
    • and MUCH more crap nobody needs

    Programs made for the people make things easy, like:

    See that little box? Type a word here, press enter and - see? - all your documents containing the word there!

    If that isn't easy I don't know. So who's making things difficult, huh? Your program isn't made for people, it's made for you and you alone. 

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    With this search and a camcorder they will have the upper hand.

    What the F*CK does a BL**DY camcorder have to do with easy and secure computing? Do you have ANY IDEA what everybody here is talking about - or what you are talking about yourself? I can already see all those little kids in Africa, who finally got cheap computers at their schools to help them learn. I bet they will keep screaming "Noo, I want a camcorder, too! I can't live without my random video playing shit application thing this Canadian wrote about 20 years ago before he lost touch with reality..."

    Do me a favor. PUT YOUR HEAD BACK INTO YOUR ASS.



  • Sharing increases Security - The reverse isn't TRUE

    @elgate said:

    @SpectateSwamp said:

     

    I'm just saying. If you keep your sensitive data off the computer. Then the rest you can share. Computer security should way way way down on the list of priorities for most computer users. Security just isn't a concern for me.

     

    WRONG. Anyone who's connected to the Internet needs to know how to protect themselves from attacks, virii, spyware, etc. Anyone who works in a corporate network needs have some basic understanding of file permissions and such. Anyone who actually sets up and deals with computers, networks or internet connections for a living should be intimately familiar with digital security, because it should be a major focus for their job. 

    You know, it IS possible to share SOME data on a system that has sensitive data on it while still keeping the sensitive data hidden.  

    Based on the statement above... If SSDS was a web-based app, think of all the SQL injection you could do...
     

    True you and a small percentage of people should be concerned with System Security. But the rest of us NO.

    True data security comes from Sharing. All the 5000+ family album pictures got distributed on CD. Some to a local mini magazine. A few of the real oldies got used. Pleasing my aunt to no end. One was of her 70 years ago getting ready for a school play. Same with the source code. Sharing it means many houses need to burn down before the code is lost. Somebody will have a copy. Maybe even a cleaned up one. With a nice SKIN?

     



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

     

    What good is one computer for each child when computer people strive to keep the uninitiated out.

    OLPC



  • Tdittmar gets clued in.

    @tdittmar said:

    We are not! On the contrary! Your application forces them to learn stuff they should never have to learn, like

    • how do I merge files?
    • what crap command to I need to enter for searching this and and?
    • why would I need to play random video while I don't even have a camcorder?
    • and MUCH more crap nobody needs

     

    Merge files "gf" at prompt #2 (follow the code if you are soooo smart)

    searching. 's' for matching lines only or 'c' for full context display at prompt #2. Then Prompt #3 enter the search string seperated by a '/' up to 6 allowed

    no camcorder. EveryBody should have a CamCorder. Digital cameras are just too primitive.

    This ain't CRAP

     



  • How on earth does security come from sharing? If I gave everybody I know my bank details does that make my bank account secure? Having multiple copies increases recoverability it certainly doesn't increase security.

    I can't believe I finally got dragged into this thread but while I'm here I may as well offer my opinions; firstly your application isn't going to benefit from a skin, a skin can alter the appearance of a gui but not completely and utterly change an application from a "weird command line but in an inputbox kind of interface" into a real windows interface.

    Secondly - your application isn't a search application in the sense that every other living organism on the planet understands the term, most people would expect a search application to search their data (files, images, mp3s etc.) in it's original format and not expect the user to convert everything into a single sodding text file first. I use the Vista search and it just works! I save a file, edit a file, delete a file and searching is a matter of typing the relevant words into a box - I do not need to convert my work related docs, pdfs, presentations or source code into a different format and then merge them into a single file. This takes virtually no cpu power, runs in the background and requires absolutely no work on my part - how is your search better?

    Thirdly (and hopefully finally) -  why do you keep calling your application a "Desktop Search"? In all reality it is a more of a "confusing single text file search thingy with less features than notepad but can find stuff at random to stop me being bored after I get the sack due to not being able to find any relevant work related documents or e-mails when I need them" kind of application.



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    Digital cameras are just too primitive.
     

    My Canon EOS 350D (Rebel XT) is primitive?  (research it before you comment). Funny how I kick your ass in video, photography AND coding, yet I don't do any of those things in a professional capacity... 

     @SpectateSwamp said:

    This ain't CRAP


    @SpectateSwamp on Channel9 forums said:
    Random text is great if it's from your jokes file. Or don't you joke?
    a random start point then large font scrolling text as a screen saver.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    This ain't CRAP
    Oh yes it is! </panto>



  • Re: Purpose of computers

    I can't go on.  I can't face the fact that my last 22 years have been largely meaningless.  I have been hitting my head against a brick wall.  NO!  Against a ticking time bomb on the verge of explosion.  I have spent the last 22 years playing games, learning to program, creating presentations, spreadsheets and documents.  I have written paper after paper.  Performed countless queries on the internet.  I've performed countless queries against local databases. I've written software for a large company, I've written software for myself, I've witten software for friends and family.  I have played music and downloaded photos.  However, out of that 22 years, I have spent probably only 3 days (approximately 0.037%) doing any camcording or editing on my pc.  Yet, this, THIS, is the sole purpose of computers.  I have failed.  I don't know how I'll be able to look myself in the mirror and realize I've wasted 8027 days of my life with computers. 

     I'll go put in my 2 weeks notice, since my computer related job has nothing to do with videoing.

     It's all getting so dark.....



  • Re: Tdittmar gets clued in

    First of all, for the sake of my (so far) good reputation and my sanity I'd like to state that in no way I will ever get clued in your "Desktop Search" thing.

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    @tdittmar said:

    We are not! On the contrary! Your application forces them to learn stuff they should never have to learn, like

    • how do I merge files?
    • what crap command to I need to enter for searching this and and?
    • why would I need to play random video while I don't even have a camcorder?
    • and MUCH more crap nobody needs

     

    Merge files "gf" at prompt #2 (follow the code if you are soooo smart)

    searching. 's' for matching lines only or 'c' for full context display at prompt #2. Then Prompt #3 enter the search string seperated by a '/' up to 6 allowed

    Oh right. And John Doe is  supposed to remember this easily, right? Do you really, and I mean honestly, trying to be neutral, consider this easier than typing your search term into a text field and hitting Enter?

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    no camcorder. EveryBody should have a CamCorder. Digital cameras are just too primitive.

    Ok, you must definitely be kidding, right? Do you now try to tell people what their hobby should be? Do you think 11year olds should have 300$+ CamCorders? They should have Computers (for educational and research purposes), but CamCorders? No.

    How far behind are you arguing that DigiCams are too primitive? It's like comparing apples and oranges. CamCorders and DigiCams are not related. They have completely different purposes.

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    This ain't CRAP

    While "this" may not be crap (whatever "this" is), you and your ideas certainly are. You have not answered my yesterday's and today's questions yet. Or don't you want to answer them because you know you can't or because you realise that answering them would render your whole discussion worthless?


     

     


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @spenk said:

    If I gave everybody I know my bank details does that make my bank account secure?

    Depending on which deatils you're talking about, if it's just the account numbers then in theory, it shouldn't make a difference. It appears in practise however, it does : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7174760.stm

    (Just an excuse to advertise Clarkson's stupidity. I can't stand him.) 



  • @taylonr said:

    I can't go on.  I can't face the fact that my last 22 years have been largely meaningless.  I have been hitting my head against a brick wall.  NO!  Against a ticking time bomb on the verge of explosion.  I have spent the last 22 years playing games, learning to program, creating presentations, spreadsheets and documents.  I have written paper after paper.  Performed countless queries on the internet.  I've performed countless queries against local databases. I've written software for a large company, I've written software for myself, I've witten software for friends and family.  I have played music and downloaded photos.  However, out of that 22 years, I have spent probably only 3 days (approximately 0.037%) doing any camcording or editing on my pc.  Yet, this, THIS, is the sole purpose of computers.  I have failed.  I don't know how I'll be able to look myself in the mirror and realize I've wasted 8027 days of my life with computers. 

     I'll go put in my 2 weeks notice, since my computer related job has nothing to do with videoing.

     It's all getting so dark.....

     

    Stay with us here! Don't go into the light!  Back again? Good. Then let me tell you that even the 3 days you spent editing your video were wasted! You know, you should a) never have any personal data on your PC and b) Video can be illegal! You shouldn't have edited it in the first place. Video editing is bad for you. Why didn't you just video it in from your TV while playing it on some other CamCorder? You know: every body should have one. What am I saying - One. They should have two, Three, FOUR of them. One CamCorder per child, I demand! Must ... can't ... brain hurt ... Swamp - in - my - head ... can't ... beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee


  • ♿ (Parody)

    @spenk said:

    How on earth does security come from sharing? If I gave everybody I know my bank details does that make my bank account secure? Having multiple copies increases recoverability it certainly doesn't increase security.

     

    When he says security, he's really talking about his backup philosophy.  At least here he agrees with someone with some actual open source credentials:

    "Real men don't use backups, they post their stuff on a public ftp server and let the rest of the world make copies." - Linus Torvalds 

     



  • I guess I was confusing backups with cript, foolish me...



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    What good is one computer for each child when computer people strive to keep the uninitiated out.

     

    And what are you doing, then? Do you still think that your cryptic command line helps the unitiated?

     

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    With this search and a camcorder they will have the upper hand

     

    Only if their job consists of playing random video files. 

     

     



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    @tdittmar said:

    We are not! On the contrary! Your application forces them to learn stuff they should never have to learn, like

    • how do I merge files?
    • what crap command to I need to enter for searching this and and?
    • why would I need to play random video while I don't even have a camcorder?
    • and MUCH more crap nobody needs

     

    Merge files "gf" at prompt #2 (follow the code if you are soooo smart)

    searching. 's' for matching lines only or 'c' for full context display at prompt #2. Then Prompt #3 enter the search string seperated by a '/' up to 6 allowed

     

    You realize that the alternative, like Google Desktop Search, doesn't require the user to learn arbitrary and meaningless commands?

    What does "gf" [i]mean[/i] to the "masses" using SSDS?

    Why is there more than one prompt they have to go through?

    How would they know to use "s" for "matching lines" and "c" for "full context display?"

    How should they know to use "/" to separate search parameters?

    To use GDS the user just clicks on the icon in their taskbar (taking up next to no screen space), and type their search in the resulting box. No commands, no separators, one prompt. They get results with context and links to the REAL ACTUAL document. How can you possibly have used Google's search and say it is inferior?



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    @tdittmar said:

    We are not! On the contrary! Your application forces them to learn stuff they should never have to learn, like

    • how do I merge files?
    • what crap command to I need to enter for searching this and and?
    • why would I need to play random video while I don't even have a camcorder?
    • and MUCH more crap nobody needs

     

    Merge files "gf" at prompt #2 (follow the code if you are soooo smart)

    searching. 's' for matching lines only or 'c' for full context display at prompt #2. Then Prompt #3 enter the search string seperated by a '/' up to 6 allowed

    no camcorder. EveryBody should have a CamCorder. Digital cameras are just too primitive.

    This ain't CRAP

     

    How would an end user know to use these commands (and for an end user searching the convoluted source isn't a valid answer) or what other commands are available? Why limit the search criteria to six?

    Can users perform boolean searches (i.e. with WDS I can enter Project1 OR Project2 NOT author:spenk to select all docs from project1 and project2 but filter out any that I wrote) to control the results?

    I would love to hear one single valid reason why switching to SSDS would benefit me in my use of computers. I would love even more to to see an explanation of how I could use SSDS without altering my working patterns to suit the software rather than it fitting seamlessly into my daily use.

    Why on earth would I replace my camera with a camcorder when I am primarily interested in taking photographs rather than video?

    Why am I even asking as I really doubt I will get any useful answers.

     



  • @Swampy said:

    I'd bet my bottom dollar that the time to Merge the target files would be faster than creating an index. The merge is a directory then a file read and append file read and append. The indexing would have to do a file read and create the index wouldn't it. And a ton of bit fiddling in between.

    Know a few commands and be in control of your computer future. That's the choice. Learn all you need to know in a half day at Spectate Swamp Shack.

    How not to do an app. I just knew I should have spent some time cleaning up the code. NOT

     

    First of all thanks for the reply ...

    Lets see how it would be :

    SwampSearch:

    - enter command for adding files :

    - find a file

    - add it to the monster file

    - save monster file

    Other Search tools:

    - ... oh yeah, you don't have to do anythin

     

    And speaking of speed : 

    With the proper datastructure (some tree for example or left and right hash), the index would have O(logn) search time and your application has (hopefully) O(nlogn) search time.

     

    Cleaning up the code would not help it, redesign would ...

     



  • @Nelle said:

    And speaking of speed :

    With the proper datastructure (some tree for example or left and right hash), the index would have O(logn) search time and your application has (hopefully) O(nlogn) search time.

    1) I don't think SS will know what you're talking about.

    2) For some reason I got that feeling that SwampSearch has a search time of ω(nlogn)....



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    The program source is there and the executable works. What are you afraid of?

     

     

    I have reports to design, a data entry screen to design, modules to integrate, database data to analyze.  I get paid good money to do all this stuff.  I do a bit of coding for free, too, when it's valuable to me (e.g. a text-based online game).  Your program is not valuable to me.

     

    And before you start on your banjo-twanging "common man" spiel again, it's not valuable to them, either; the common man is equally uninterested in merging all their files into one huge file, and equally uninterested in learning that "gf" does this and "c" does this and "s" does that.

     

    The common man needs you to draw him a goddamn picture, and that's exactly what a real GUI does.  "Oh, okay, if I double-click on the thing up here that looks like a folder, then a folder shows up and it's got my files in it.  And if I double-click on the other thing down there that looks like a speaker, then a panel shows up and it's got a volume slider like on my radio."


    You can draw a picture with crayons, but if you claimed that video cameras require film and/or batteries all the time and should be replaced with flipbooks of crayon drawings, then people would call you a retard.  And rightly so.

     

    (Incidentally, I'm rather proud of having come up with that last analogy, and am eager to see just what sort of hash he makes of it.)



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    Desktop Search & Video - Look OUT!!!

    Interestingly enough, this is about the only sane sentence we heard from Mr. ClueLessNess.



  • @kirchhoff said:

    That's a SpectateSwamp-worthy excuse and I don't want to see it repeated on these forums anymore.
     

    Bzzt, you fail. I understand where you're coming from, but believe me, parametric queries aren't possible with this one. And I'm not doing to be sprinkling random tokens around a string to be S&R'd later on. That becomes a maintainability nightmare, especially for someone coming in cold. "Wtf is this @replaceme1@ in the query?".

    My code's never been injected. Not saying it's not possible, but I take every possible precaution to keep it from happening, and at best someone might be able to delete a record, or insert a new one. Drop database? sorry, the code that's exposed web-side doesn't get those kinds of privileges. I don't run standard Microsoft-only "best practices" and run all accounts as 'sa'. (Or even if M$ doesn't recommend that, you see it FAR FAR too often anyways, because moron devels don't want the hassles of reduced privileges).

    @kirchhoff said:

    4) You can tell the potentially user-taintable from untaintable substitutions in your source code apart right away

    The only taintable data in this query are where the user's keywords are inserted. This query can union up to 8 different queries, due to the schema constraints and exactly what's being searched for. I see no point in building a query string, stuffing it into a parametric call, building an array with the same data repeated up to 8 times, and then adding in the overhead of passing all that info a function, when the same thing is accomplished with a bit of string concatenation and variable interpolation.

    Correctness has its place, but not when it gets in the way of getting work done, and especially not when the work is done "correctly" in the first place.




  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    What good is one computer for each child when computer people strive to keep the uninitiated out. 

    Noone's trying to do that.  In fact, people are selling products every day designed to make it EASIER for newbies to learn how to use their computers.

    The OLPCs were Linux machines running Fedora Core.  Your application won't run on it.  Try again. 

     



  • @derula said:

    @Nelle said:

    And speaking of speed :

    With the proper datastructure (some tree for example or left and right hash), the index would have O(logn) search time and your application has (hopefully) O(nlogn) search time.

    1) I don't think SS will know what you're talking about.

    Seems I don't have either ... I should have written O(n) ... 



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    Sharing it means many houses need to burn down before the code is lost.

    anybody got a torch? 



  • Swamp's search may require O(n) time, but that ignores the overhead of the user-built index. And that requires something like O(2^n^n) time, done by hand.

     And how many houses do we have to burn down to eliminate SSDS? Because sometimes there's a price you just gotta pay... to do the right thing.



  •  I think I finally found a suitable comparison:

                                |              SSDS                     |               Uri Geller

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    can only                | randomly display videos        | bend spoons

    is therefore a bad   |  search engine                     |  magician

    yet claims to         | be all you need on your pc    |  have mental powers 



  • @DigitalXeron said:

    On this one point, I think you've been watching TV too long and think searching consists of flickering through media when that actually SLOWS DOWN searches. when I've developed benchmarking proglets, I've noticed that displaying what the search is doing precicely actually slows it down at least 10 times when if it were to be completely done behind the scenes, it would be that much faster  

    So are you suggesting that, when they show those really cool screens on CSI where they're scanning fingerprint matches, the real police department doesn't use anything nearly that cool?  :(



  • I think it's funny how we're chasing SS around in circles, as he leads us by the hand through a quagmire of nonsense (realised or not). 

    @Renan_S2 said:

    So what is the point of computing, then? I don't think it is just about showing random files.
     

     The point of comupting is to bring about the intelligence singularity in non organic form. All hail the singularity that is, was and will be.



  • I'm starting to think that perhaps SSDS is more suited to a quantum computer. Why search for specific things when it's easier to just get all possible results and have the app pick out a few (bajillion) random results.

    That must be it... it's why the source is so fugly.. Dealing with qubits is a whole new paradigm and requires new programming languages. Obviously Microsoft was ahead of the curve in making VB5/6, giving it qubit capability long before it became useful...

    SS is a total visionary... The truth is to have everything, and not need anything.

     

     

    </sarcasm> 



  • s/\b(Spectate\s*)?Swamp(ling)?\b/What's a regex?/ig

    Careful, MarcB!

    You may feel safe, but that </sarcasm> tag is not enough to prevent Swamp from taking you seriously!



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    Merge files "gf" at prompt #2 (follow the code if you are soooo smart)

    searching. 's' for matching lines only or 'c' for full context display at prompt #2.

    Real users don't like typing weird abbreviations. Why didn't you just make a button that says something like "Merge Files"?

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    Then Prompt #3 enter the search string seperated by a '/' up to 6 allowed


    What if I my search term has a slash in it? Why didn't you just have six text boxes, one for each search term?



  • Cap'n Steve gets clued in.

    @Cap'n Steve said:

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    Merge files "gf" at prompt #2 (follow the code if you are soooo smart)

    searching. 's' for matching lines only or 'c' for full context display at prompt #2.

    Real users don't like typing weird abbreviations. Why didn't you just make a button that says something like "Merge Files"? @SpectateSwamp said:
    Then Prompt #3 enter the search string seperated by a '/' up to 6 allowed

    What if I my search term has a slash in it? Why didn't you just have six text boxes, one for each search term?

    Sorry merge is "merge" at prompt #2

    The gf is the auto catalog for music, pics, video.

    The slash is in cmd(6) change it to '.' or something else if you use the "/" a lot. This search allows me to enter leading and trailing spaces. In case I only know how to spell part of the word.

    Learn a few simple commands and that is all you need to know. If you don't like the name of the command. You got the source code. Change your version.

     

     



  •  

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    The slash is in cmd(6) change it to '.' or something else if you use the "/" a lot.
     

     

    So what if I don't have a copy of VB, as I don't code for it, and I don't want/can't/am not bothered to buy a copy of VB?

     

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    Learn a few simple commands and that is all you need to know.

    Your commands are not "simple" for an application which is just a badly-done grep clone.



  • SpectateSwamp has revealed a flaw in SSDS!

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    Merge files "gf" at prompt #2 (follow the code if you are soooo smart)

    @Cap'n Steve said:

    Real users don't like typing weird abbreviations. Why didn't you just make a button that says something like "Merge Files"?

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    Sorry merge is "merge" at prompt #2

    The gf is the auto catalog for music, pics, video. 

     

     

    So EVEN YOU can't accurately remember how to operate SSDS? You wrote it! What's the point of an application that's so complicated even the programmer can't use it? 


  • ♿ (Parody)

    @Cap'n Steve said:

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    Merge files "gf" at prompt #2 (follow the code if you are soooo smart)

    searching. 's' for matching lines only or 'c' for full context display at prompt #2.

    Real users don't like typing weird abbreviations. Why didn't you just make a button that says something like "Merge Files"?

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    Then Prompt #3 enter the search string seperated by a '/' up to 6 allowed


    What if I my search term has a slash in it? Why didn't you just have six text boxes, one for each search term?
     

    C'mon, he's using Visual Basic.  It's a powerful text and file manipulation specialized language that isn't about throwing GUIs together quickly...oh wait... 



  • Thanks for pulling me back from the ledge, however, I'm right back on there.

     Because even though I've spent 3 days (out of 20 years) actually using a computer for its intended purpose, I edited, like you said.  But I also don't have the ability to play random video from the downloaded file...

     Good news, when I explained to my boss why I was quitting, he handed me a CD and told me to run the file on there. Low and behold, SSDS was installed on my computer :D



  • @superjer said:

    Swamp's search may require O(n) time, but that ignores the overhead of the user-built index. And that requires something like O(2^n^n) time, done by hand.

     And how many houses do we have to burn down to eliminate SSDS? Because sometimes there's a price you just gotta pay... to do the right thing.

     

    Nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

     



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    Learn a few simple commands and that is all you need to know.
     

    You got some documentation which my dad (a perfect common man) can read?  He doesn't understand your program, or what it's intended to do.



  • Security restricts access

    @spenk said:

    Thirdly (and hopefully finally) -  why do you keep calling your application a "Desktop Search"? In all reality it is a more of a "confusing single text file search thingy with less features than notepad but can find stuff at random to stop me being bored after I get the sack due to not being able to find any relevant work related documents or e-mails when I need them" kind of application.

    Notepad. Every OS has a notepad / primitive editor. I didn't add a sort into this program either. A complete waste of time to try and outdo those apps.

    I can find all my emails (from 96>) and even make a mailing list that can be used by this search.



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    Notepad. Every OS has a notepad / primitive editor. I didn't add a sort into this program either. A complete waste of time to try and outdo those apps.
     

    Right, instead you filled a nitche that no one needed filled.

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    I can find all my emails (from 96>) and even make a mailing list that can be used by this search.

    So can anyone using Outlook, Thunderbird, or any other mail client. Quicker and simpler than your 'search' might I add. We have had this discussion before. You simply say "Bah, email clients, you don't need those!". But you do. You cannot escape the fact your program cannot send or receive email, and is utterly useless.



  • Sharing simplifies Computing.

     

    @spenk said:

    How on earth does security come from sharing? If I gave everybody I know my bank details does that make my bank account secure? Having multiple copies increases recoverability it certainly doesn't increase security.



    My videos on the net are secure. My family album pics are secure (many copies with family) The Desktop Search is secure. (you got one don't you?)
    I've seen the other side to data security. LOTS of times. The receiving department had goods delivered and there was no PO# to match it to. Their screens only showed opened po's this one had yet to be issued. I created a routine to allow them to see just these type po's. I never told purchasing and neither did receiving.


    @spenk said:

    I can't believe I finally got dragged into this thread but while I'm here I may as well offer my opinions; firstly your application isn't going to benefit from a skin, a skin can alter the appearance of a gui but not completely and utterly change an application from a "weird command line but in an inputbox kind of interface" into a real windows interface.



    A skin shouldn't be too hard. The app runs as a background job right now. Just feed it the 3 main prompt data bits. I could do it. But I like the program already. Can't you tell.

     

    @spenk said:


    Secondly - your application isn't a search application in the sense that every other living organism on the planet understands the term, most people would expect a search application to search their data (files, images, mp3s etc.) in it's original format and not expect the user to convert everything into a single sodding text file first. I use the Vista search and it just works! I save a file, edit a file, delete a file and searching is a matter of typing the relevant words into a box - I do not need to convert my work related docs, pdfs, presentations or source code into a different format and then merge them into a single file. This takes virtually no cpu power, runs in the background and requires absolutely no work on my part - how is your search better?

    Keeping every format under the sun is a Fools game and bad for sharing. I get powerpoint and word documents emailed to me and don't have or want the software to view them. (Delete)
    My home computer has no time for indexing. When it's on, I'm using it. Few documents and reports ever see the light of day once archived. Dump them to text and put the originals away. Cleaning up the directories

    I seldom use the search MERGE myself. When doing telco conversions I merged and searched the .frm and .cls VB source code modules. As well we merged 16 or 18 maxed out excel files that had customer toll records. In "s" single line match mode. the search would put a full screen of customer records at a time. Very fast.

    There are 8 or 10 main text files that I use most of the time. I do use the merge when I have my notes files for these forums ie temp01.txt temp02.txt. When there are 70 or 80. I move them to a folder and merge them into my forums.txt file where previous ones have been stored. I am not interested in the file name in many cases like this.



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    I can find all my emails (from 96>) and even make a mailing list that can be used by this search.

     Yeah so can I.  And I've changed email hosts several times in between.  Then again, I don't have any emails that are of importance that are more than maybe 1 year old, so it makes it easier.

    I don't really need to search and find that email my roomate sent me about the electric bill back in 1998.  It's paid and deleted.  As time goes by the number of emails that are significant becomes less and less.  I delete more and more.  Therefore making it easier to search manually (much less using a program's "Find" funciton.)

     I now understand your 50,000 document theory.  You don't throw anything away.  I do.  I wrote a paper for a pol-sci class back in 1997.  That thing got tossed no later than when I graduated, and probably much earlier.  There are a couple papers that I'm proud of, or remind me of something which I might keep, but by and large I don't need documents from 3-5 years ago.  And the number that I do need is so small that I don't need a desktop search to monitor.  This is from someone who spend no less than 10 hours a day on the computer either professionally or privately.  So imagine the "average" user who spends a couple hours per night has even less need.

     



  • Security means you got something to Hide - In this day and age ForGetIt

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    Right, instead you filled a nitche that no one needed filled.

    This one search program eliminates the need for learning many computer apps. Learn this forget about the rest. Is a nitche that needed filling.

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:


    So can anyone using Outlook, Thunderbird, or any other mail client. Quicker and simpler than your 'search' might I add. We have had this discussion before. You simply say "Bah, email clients, you don't need those!". But you do. You cannot escape the fact your program cannot send or receive email, and is utterly useless.


    All my emails are my data in plain text files. Your emails are OutLooks, ThunderBirds and Mail Client's property more than they are yours. My text file should move easily to any OS
    I like portability and shareability



  • The less you have to know about computing the better

    @wooter said:

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    Learn a few simple commands and that is all you need to know.

    You got some documentation which my dad (a perfect common man) can read?  He doesn't understand your program, or what it's intended to do.


    Send your Dad up here. The 1/2 day course and he'll leave you in his dust. Computer video, music, pics and lots more.

    Very few newbies can just sit down and figure out software these days. Just too many options hiding the real important parts.


     



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    I created a routine to allow them to see just these type po's. I never told purchasing and neither did receiving.

    Rogue programmer beware!  He knows better than all of you, and will try to bend you to his will like a busybody.

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    Keeping every format under the sun is a Fools game and bad for sharing. I get powerpoint and word documents emailed to me and don't have or want the software to view them. (Delete)
    My home computer has no time for indexing. When it's on, I'm using it. Few documents and reports ever see the light of day once archived. Dump them to text and put the originals away. Cleaning up the directories

    I seldom use the search MERGE myself. When doing telco conversions I merged and searched the .frm and .cls VB source code modules. As well we merged 16 or 18 maxed out excel files that had customer toll records. In "s" single line match mode. the search would put a full screen of customer records at a time. Very fast.

    There are 8 or 10 main text files that I use most of the time. I do use the merge when I have my notes files for these forums ie temp01.txt temp02.txt. When there are 70 or 80. I move them to a folder and merge them into my forums.txt file where previous ones have been stored. I am not interested in the file name in many cases like this.

    Complete Gibberish.  No two sentences make sense next to each other.



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    Your emails are OutLooks, ThunderBirds and Mail Client's property more than they are yours

    Bullshit.  Cite the line in the EULA that states that they own my emails just because I'm using their client.   



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    Very few newbies can just sit down and figure out software these days. Just too many options hiding the real important parts.

    Bullshit.  I sent my mom a hyperlink (www.hotmail.com).  She's not computer savvy, but knows how to CLICK things on a website.  No more than ten minutes later, I received an email from her from her brand new hotmail account.  You know why?  because hotmail did not hide important functionality (like creating and sending a new mail message).



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    I've seen the other side to data security. LOTS of times. The receiving department had goods delivered and there was no PO# to match it to. Their screens only showed opened po's this one had yet to be issued. I created a routine to allow them to see just these type po's. I never told purchasing and neither did receiving.
     

    That doesn't make any sense. If a PO has not been issued, than there is no way it could be received. Try at least sticking to some level of truth in these ridiculous stories, ok?

     @SpectateSwamp said:

    A skin shouldn't be too hard. The app runs as a background job right now. Just feed it the 3 main prompt data bits. I could do it. But I like the program already. Can't you tell.

     As you have been told a few times now, you have no idea what a 'skin' is. Your app cannot be 'skinned. You are a moron.

    Your app also DEFINITELY does not run as a 'background job'. You should look that up and learn the meaning as well.

     



  • Who's doing video, anybody?

    @taylonr said:

    Thanks for pulling me back from the ledge, however, I'm right back on there.

     Because even though I've spent 3 days (out of 20 years) actually using a computer for its intended purpose, I edited, like you said.  But I also don't have the ability to play random video from the downloaded file...

     Good news, when I explained to my boss why I was quitting, he handed me a CD and told me to run the file on there. Low and behold, SSDS was installed on my computer :D

    I've answered QUITE a few questions. My turn. Has anybody got mpeg video and tried the software?

    Prompt #2 "gf" (for get files. It started out as part of a directory function and changed later, thus the poor name)
    that should lead you through the auto catalog of the mpg files.

    once you have the output file created from the step above. Start the program again. and at Prompt #1 give it the file from above mpg.txt etc
    at prompt #2 enter 'rand' to pick a random file
    at prompt #2 enter 'randa' to pick a random start point
    at prompt #2 enter 'tt8' to play 8 seconds of random video
    at prompt #2 enter 'ww' to start the screen saver random play and sit back.

    to restart at any time most of the above are the defaults. So just enter enter enter
    when you are finished with "rand" and "randa" disable them at prompt #2 using "norand" and "noranda"
    for text it becomes a little confusing.

    Who's doing video, anybody?



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    This one search program eliminates the need for learning many computer apps. Learn this forget about the rest. Is a nitche that needed filling.
     

    You have not demonstrated how your 'search' replaces any piece of software. So far we have learned that Notepad has MORE functionality than your 'search'. And that any REAL desktop search application won't even compare to your 'search' because your 'search' doesn't actually search anything. It only has the functionality of Notepad's find function, and is poorly implemented anyway.

    @SpectateSwamp said:

    All my emails are my data in plain text files. Your emails are OutLooks, ThunderBirds and Mail Client's property more than they are yours. My text file should move easily to any OS
    I like portability and shareability

    The .pst file that has all of my email in it also contains all attachments, calendar appointments and contacts. I don't know of any major email client that cannot read the .pst file.

    Your plain text method loses all attachments, appointments, contacts and tasks. Sorry, but you lose. Using plain text to store email archives is ridiculous and retarded. No surprise you use that method I suppose.

     


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