Mashup Challenge $100,000 prize - WTF if Spectate Swamp wins?



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    Check those sites out, make sure they are ok.
     

    LOL, it is Spectate's long-lost kid:

    http://2012comet.com/?p=1&cp=16#comment-189 

     In 1979, 9th grade I drew a pic of a futuristic horse in foreground between huge gateposts of crumbling masonary and wrought iron gates. In the bottom stone of the left post is the date 2011. There is a steer skull nearby and this scene takes place on a cliff overlooking N.Y.C. Only NY is trashed the bridges look like in Legend movie and the twin towers are toppled. There is agroup of planets large in the day sky. these planets I inserted after I erased a plane which stuck out as odd and familiar but mostly distubing.The morning of 911 I found the pic on the floor in my kitchen 30 minutes before the first plane hit. the picture felll out of my portfolio the night before, i dropped it 35′ from the stairs and found it two hole rooms away on the floor below. I don’t know if it means anything significant. maybe it is a warning.I do know that there is more going on than meets the media. maybe we all need to take more notice between the pxels from timr to time. lets hear somreally trippy stuff but only keep it real. don’t lie or embellish

     



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    I still need to ask the wolf if I can link to Desktop Rain actually.

    Need a new page of user submitted spoofs or something...

    Feel free to use anything I've posted here. Besides, linking is the lifeblood of the Web and embedding YouTube videos is... well, not quite any more so lifebloodsy, just the extension of the same idea with more Flash-related browser crashes. =)

    The archive.org version even has the MIDI files if anyone wants to make a more fun remix. =)



  • @WWWWolf said:

    Feel free to use anything I've posted here. Besides, linking is the lifeblood of the Web and embedding YouTube videos is... well, not quite any more so lifebloodsy, just the extension of the same idea with more Flash-related browser crashes. =)

    The archive.org version even has the MIDI files if anyone wants to make a more fun remix. =)

     

    Cool. Thanks.

    I will probably embed the youtube video, and then I will link to your archive.org stuff as the source. And credit to the wolf of course.



  • Thanks for putting it up, I like the edit to the Aliens page.  Also, so credit goes where due, I didn't write the contents of the teachings page, although I don't remember who did.

     

    If I get bored again I'll probably write up something for the Conspiracies or maybe the Video section. The SSDS one is definitely too much for me to take on by myself.



  • @SpectateSwamp said:

    Do download the original and look at the above frames. The hidden one is quite visible.. For those who want to see.

    I videoed a military training ground.  NearBy.  Is this a cloaked alien?  It is hidDen but you may see it.  If you want. 

    [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/EternalDensity/cloakedalien.jpg[/IMG] 



  • what the.. I've been out for one day and this thing grew on 2 pages, we seriously have some spare time in our hands don't we? 



  • @ZippoLag said:

    what the.. I've been out for one day and this thing grew on 2 pages, we seriously have some spare time in our hands don't we? 

    Maybe instead of wasting my time on Spectate Swamp it would be less painful to put my hand in a drawer and Jam IT.


  • @Eternal Density said:

    put my hand in a drawer and Jam IT
     

    You also need to put in your noodle (or two??).



  • @burntfuse said:

    Also, so credit goes where due, I didn't write the contents of the teachings page, although I don't remember who did.
     

    Alright, someone speak up who does remember please. Too many posts to sift through here.

    @burntfuse said:

    If I get bored again I'll probably write up something for the Conspiracies or maybe the Video section.

    Either one would be great.

    @burntfuse said:

    The SSDS one is definitely too much for me to take on by myself.

    Yeah really, you could go completely swamp-crazy writing that one....

     



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    @burntfuse said:

    The SSDS one is definitely too much for me to take on by myself.

    Yeah really, you could go completely swamp-crazy writing that one....

    I know that I, for one, have been rather quiet on the whole TSMoE front lately, but I am working on the SSDS section.  Let me see if I can clean some of this up and give you at least some filler info to put up today.



  • @bstorer said:

    but I am working on the SSDS section.  Let me see if I can clean some of this up and give you at least some filler info to put up today.
     

    Wow that is awesome man. Just be careful, we don't need to lose you to the marsh side.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    @bstorer said:
    but I am working on the SSDS section.  Let me see if I can clean some of this up and give you at least some filler info to put up today.
     

    Wow that is awesome man. Just be careful, we don't need to lose you to the marsh side.

    You know people have living wills in case they go into a coma?  Consider this my Swamp will: if I start seriously extolling the virtues of this monstrosity, I want somebody to shoot me.  I'm not kidding here, it's a real possiblity that I'll be driven mad by this thing.  For example, I actually understand his flow charts now.



  • @bstorer said:

    I'm not kidding here, it's a real possiblity that I'll be driven mad by this thing.  For example, I actually understand his flow charts now.
     

    You are walking the fine edge of the swamp coast...





  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Man 'targeted by aliens'
     

    If only we could send a signal to get them to hit the swamp shack...



  •  MasterPlanSoftware, I think my paragraph onSS's videos goes right after the tree paragraphs in the previous section but before the list of videos. After the4 paragraphs you can have a little scentence:

     

    Here is a short collection of Doug's undeniable proof of aliens existing. Be weary as these videos are not for the feint of heart as they are long, dull, and may cause you do wonder why you are actually watching them. But in the great words of Doug Patterson: "Its plain for all to see.. If you want to see it." After at least 15 hours of continuous staring at each video you will either go crazy or believe there are aliens. Enjoy.



  • @bstorer said:

    I'm not kidding here, it's a real possiblity that I'll be driven mad by this thing.  For example, I actually understand his flow charts now.
     

    Holy crap. You don't understand MY flow chart yet, do you? 



  • @rc_pinchey said:

    Holy crap. You don't understand MY flow chart yet, do you? 
     

    Almost forgot that one. Can we use that on the site?



  • Sure, feel free to use anything of mine.

    Also, that's in the same bit of the thread as the quite beautiful goto diagram, which was one of the highlights and I think is an essential element of the SSDS page.



  • @rc_pinchey said:

    Sure, feel free to use anything of mine.

     

    Thanks!

    @rc_pinchey said:

    Also, that's in the same bit of the thread as the quite beautiful goto diagram, which was one of the highlights and I think is an essential element of the SSDS page.

    Agreed. I can't wait to see what bstorer comes up with to help tie this all together.



  • Since there is nothing on the Desktop Search page, here's something for it to get the ball rolling (and million thanks to Session Saver Firefox extension for making me NOT lose this thing =)

    NOTE: I just realised the Left() usage pattern day before yesterday, and I only looked at one source that says something about this. I haven't yet researched it further, just that this one particular page said that StrCmp() is not a Good Thing and people should always use Left()/Mid()/Right() instead. What is the actual best practice in VB5? If I'm just bullshitting here, please remove that paragraph, but I'm posting this text, as I've so far written, for comments. Feel free to omit that paragraph for now if you put it to the web site; I'm not a VB programmer and this is probably just a tiny problem in an already giant big ball of WTFery...

    ---

    Spectate Swamp Desktop Search is a multi-purpose application, incidentally not limited to (Spectate Swamp's definition of) desktop search. Spectate Swamp claims that the application is the best application ever made, but this is obviously more than a bit of a stretch. The application is highly problematic on almost all imaginable layers of software engineering, starting from very low-level problems like coding style, stretching all the way to the project management.

    The program can be understood best if one looks at the functionality. The program can search text inside one specific file, and also highlight the context. The program can also display images and video clips. Spectate Swamp apparently uses the program to assist with his own tasks; he apparently maintains note files with it - the application can merge material from clipboard to note file, for example - and searches these notes, along with email and web clippings.

    Coding style: Where do we even begin? SSDS code is a mish-mash of eye-straining ignorance of all good programming conventions. SS uses variable names that are not at all obvious, even based on context. (Examples: SSS, tt1 or tot_s1.) The comments are frequently not particularly helpful either; most of the commenting just comments out blocks of code or marks when the particular feature was changed (of which more later). Some of the comments are completely undecipherable and they don't explain what the code actually does in any meaningful way. (Example: code line: ttt = "RRR", comment: "testing only re the close of the file etc...").

    The code also includes several passages that are, apparently, copied from examples as is; these are usually easily identified as they usually have meaningful variable names.

    One point is that the code is riddled with one VB5 idiom: using Left() for string comparison. While this is apparently a practices of VB5 (StrCmp() function is discouraged because it needs to do some very slow memory allocation), Left(buf,bufLen) comparisons are done throughout the code with no encapsulation whatsoever, possibly allowing bugs to creep through by using wrong buffer lengths.

    Architectural choices: The program goes against all conventions of modern software design, which encourages breaking the program in modules - generally, the smaller the better. The bulk of the SSDS program is in a massive text2_Chg() subroutine, and all program flow within is managed through goto commands. While goto commands were the norm in old Basic dialects, they are severely discouraged in new, structured Basic dialects such as Visual Basic. SS makes this even worse by using deliberately obscure labels: Modern Basic dialects do not use line numbers, and instead allow the programmer to use arbitrary goto labels, so SS brings back the line numbers by using labels like "line_20". In his statements, SS has vehemently defended this spaghetti coding.

    User requirements, expanding possibilities, and definition of the problem the application is trying to solve: SS claims SSDS is a "desktop search" application. However, SSDS qualifies as "desktop search" only in SS's own definition and when using SS's own computer usage patterns; it does not qualify as a "desktop search" application in any other definition of the term. In most definitions, a "desktop search" system indexes the user's personal files, extracts metadata from the files, and allows the user to perform searches on this metadata; for example, "songs by a composer called John" or "instant messaging conversations that mention pizza" or "email about Project X". SSDS, on the other hand, requires the user to convert all data to plain text format, thus losing all formatting and metadata, and merge everything in one file. For certain operations, the user is required to maintain such index themselves. Further, ordinary desktop search systems allow the user to see all metadata, such as "this matching song is 4:33 long" or "the last pizza conversation took place yesterday" or "the boss mailed to you about Project X using Microsoft LookOut, the bastard"; SSDS only allows you to see matching likes in SSDS index file. For example, if you search for "Project X", it is difficult to see when, by who, and (for example) with what program the e-mail was sent with.

    At best, SSDS is a simplistic linear search application that attempts to match search terms against a text file - and with extra features that allows the user to show images and videos, also in random order.

    SS also seems to completely ignore the definitions in question.

    User interface design: SSDS has been designed to mimic - badly - the command line environments. The user enters abbreviated commands, and results are displayed in text format in the main window. This completely ignores all features VB has for building simple, intuitive and modern graphical user interfaces.

    It is not even a good command line environment. All commands are entered through Visual Basic pop-ups, with little intelligent parsing done. The commands are cryptic, and often chosen based on SS's ideas of "speed", and thus grouped together. For example, the "SS" command starts a screen saver mode, while "TT" and "WW" are also screen saver modes with different modes of operation. Understanding the commands first requires the user to understand SS's logic in choosing these particular command names. The user interface is also not in any way discoverable - the user can't be expected to find out what the commands do by themselves or by lucky guess, and the only way to find out what the commands do is to look at the more than occasionally cryptic help text that does not explain the commands in sufficient detail.

    Platform choice: SSDS is implemented with Visual Basic 5.0, which is a very old version. Apparently, Visual Basic 6.0 (the last non-.NET version of VB) cannot compile SSDS due to VB6.0's "limitations" in size of functions; however, these "limitations" simply mean that VB6.0 is pickier about coding style, and properly engineered applications would not run into these limits in first place. The choice of Visual Basic also limits the possibilities of the "open source" development that SS wanted, because Visual Basic is a proprietary language and not widely used in open source community.

    SS also claims SSDS is a multimedia player, and it can indeed play video files. However, it uses Windows Multimedia API and the Windows Media Player to do the actual heavy lifting. Implementing a media player shell is a relatively simple and straightforward matter using the Windows APIs in question, and it is unlikely this feature alone is a selling point. It also makes porting difficult to other operating systems.

    Source control and distribution: SSDS does not use any form of source revision control. In most software development projects, source control is used to maintain revision histories of files; it is useful to document all changes to the system, access past versions and to roll back mistakes. It also makes distributed development by several developers easier, as it makes sure all conflict situations are detected properly - if two people change the file at the same time, the system detects it.

    Instead of source control, SS relies on commenting out unnecessary code, and using comments that have dates on them to explain when the specific code line was added. While this is a natural thing to do in absence of source control in situations the programmer also wants to retain old code and remember when the feature was added, it is a bad idea from maintainability point of view: it adds unnecessary clutter to the code and makes it hard to follow.

    Further, the development project itself isn't packaged in any way. It is a norm in Visual Basic development to use project files which store all of the relevant non-code information about the application (form designs, build options, executable information, etc), but apparently SS is only distributing the actual source code, as "source.txt", and distributed a video (LINK HERE) that shows how to set up the VB project and form controls. The process is cumbersome in itself, and there is no indication of whether or not SS also follows this method himself.

    Development management: SS seemed to be very enthusiastic about getting people to develop the application in "open source" style. However, he later dismissed it all after doing development following the usual open source conventions became too difficult for him to handle. Following the suggestions of other people, he set up a project on SourceForge.net (LINK), but failed to do anything else on it. Development at SourceForge.net requires, at minimum, that the project manager - by default, the person who registered the project - adds other would-be developers to the project and allows them to check in source revisions. He could have even added another user as a project manager to handle that aspect for him, requiring absolutely no other work from him. Instead, he ignored all requests to help, even from one TDWTF user who volunteered for management.

    Communication and documentation: Modern software engineering relies heavily on proper documentation, all the way from design documents to end-user documentation. Source code should be appropriately commented, which allows comprehensive documentation to be built automatically, and other design choices should be documented extensively. There are several diagramming methods and practices (such as UML) to further allow easy explanation of the higher-level structure of the program. While it is understandable that individual developers - such as SS - do not use such extensive documentation for projects of their own design, SS seems to particularly eschew such documentation, even if it would help others to understand the system. Even his attempts seem to have failed. He seems to believe the source and flowcharts of highlight logic he has made is all that is needed to describe the program. However, the flowcharts, like the program itself, are very cryptic and do not help to explain the logic and design choices used in the program.



  • @WWWWolf said:

    Since there is nothing on the Desktop Search page, here's something for it to get the ball rolling
     

    Holy fucking Jesus this is incredible...

    I think bstorer was writing something too, hopefully they will both merge nicely.

    You guys are awesome. This site really does get better everyday.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    Holy fucking Jesus this is incredible...

    I was thinking the same thing. Even if we didn't know it already, that whole thing just screams I'm a WikiGod!



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    Holy fucking Jesus this is incredible...

    ::deep bow::

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    I think bstorer was writing something too, hopefully they will both merge nicely.

    I sure hope so! Unlike Spectate Swamp's rambling, my rambling is modular rambling! =)



  • @WWWWolf said:

    Architectural choices: The program goes against all conventions of modern software design, which encourages breaking the program in modules - generally, the smaller the better. The bulk of the SSDS program is in a massive text2_Chg() subroutine, and all program flow within is managed through goto commands. While goto commands were the norm in old Basic dialects, they are severely discouraged in new, structured Basic dialects such as Visual Basic. SS makes this even worse by using deliberately obscure labels: Modern Basic dialects do not use line numbers, and instead allow the programmer to use arbitrary goto labels, so SS brings back the line numbers by using labels like "line_20". In his statements, SS has vehemently defended this spaghetti coding.
     


    Don't forget: most of the numbers on the labels have no relationship to the actual line numbers they're on. I think I remember someone making an amusing scatter plot of line number versus label number at some point.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    I think bstorer was writing something too, hopefully they will both merge nicely.
    Shouldn't be a problem.  I'm actually focusing on something else at the moment.  I hate to promise too much too soon, but how about SSDS ported to VB.net, with the full project files?  And how about an (incredibly massive) deconstruction of the code itself: the way it works, what it does wrong, algorithmic analysis, etc.?



  • @bstorer said:

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    I think bstorer was writing something too, hopefully they will both merge nicely.
    Shouldn't be a problem.  I'm actually focusing on something else at the moment.  I hate to promise too much too soon, but how about SSDS ported to VB.net, with the full project files?  And how about an (incredibly massive) deconstruction of the code itself: the way it works, what it does wrong, algorithmic analysis, etc.?

     

    Sounds awesome. Sounds like it needs a sub page(s) to hold that content.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    @bstorer said:

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    I think bstorer was writing something too, hopefully they will both merge nicely.
    Shouldn't be a problem.  I'm actually focusing on something else at the moment.  I hate to promise too much too soon, but how about SSDS ported to VB.net, with the full project files?  And how about an (incredibly massive) deconstruction of the code itself: the way it works, what it does wrong, algorithmic analysis, etc.?

     

    Sounds awesome. Sounds like it needs a sub page(s) to hold that content.

    The .NET port is about half-way done.  It'd be finished faster except that Swampy uses fixed-length strings like they come with free candy.


  • @bstorer said:

    It'd be finished faster except that Swampy uses fixed-length strings like they come with free candy.
     

    ROFLMAO



  • @bstorer said:

    The .NET port is about half-way done. 
     

    Wow, I underestimated Spectate.  He really is an evil genius: he's somehow convinced people to create a site to promote him (complete with life story) and port his app to .NET.  He is pretty much getting everything he ever wanted out of the dailywtf community.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    This site really does get better everyday.
     

    Maybe you should have a separate page for parodies like rc_pinchey's fake flowchart.  That way visitors can distinguish Swampy's genuine craziness from the crazy-funny parodies created by various forum members.



  • @bstorer said:

    Shouldn't be a problem.  I'm actually focusing on something else at the moment.  I hate to promise too much too soon, but how about SSDS ported to VB.net, with the full project files?  And how about an (incredibly massive) deconstruction of the code itself: the way it works, what it does wrong, algorithmic analysis, etc.?
     

    While I enjoy following SpectateSwamp's threads, aren't you taking it a bit too seriously. I mean it is easy to feel superior if you are comparing yourself to an idiot, but... 

    I also think you misunderstand SpectateSwamp's claims that birds can see video artefacts. Surely the artefacts as such only exist in the video, but where did they came from? Perhaps from some unnatural alien interference? If so, why shouldn't birds be able to detect the anomaly as well? 



  • @CodeSimian said:

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    This site really does get better everyday.
     

    Maybe you should have a separate page for parodies like rc_pinchey's fake flowchart.  That way visitors can distinguish Swampy's genuine craziness from the crazy-funny parodies created by various forum members.

     

    I agree. I was thinking 'Swamptributions'.



  • @fist-poster said:

    While I enjoy following SpectateSwamp's threads, aren't you taking it a bit too seriously.
     

    Look who's talking:

    @fist-poster said:

    I also think you misunderstand SpectateSwamp's claims that birds can see video artefacts. Surely the artefacts as such only exist in the video, but where did they came from? Perhaps from some unnatural alien interference? If so, why shouldn't birds be able to detect the anomaly as well? 

    Either you are taking Spectate too seriously on the subject of artifacts, or that is a bad attempt at a joke.  To clarify: imagining that video artificats are caused by aliens makes just as sense as supposing that the "banding effect" you might see in a dithered photograph of the blue sky is a miracle.  (Actually, that example is based a real experience with a relative of mine, but she is not technically-saavy.)

    @fist-poster said:

    I mean it is easy to feel superior if you are comparing yourself to an idiot, but... 

    It is not just that he's an idiot.  He's also obnoxious, offensive and relentless.  He has stated several times that he enjoys "riling people up".   He like to provoke people and when genuine offers of help come his way, he completely ignores them.  If only he were just stupid, we would all simply feel sorry him.

     

     



  • @fist-poster said:

    @bstorer said:

    Shouldn't be a problem.  I'm actually focusing on something else at the moment.  I hate to promise too much too soon, but how about SSDS ported to VB.net, with the full project files?  And how about an (incredibly massive) deconstruction of the code itself: the way it works, what it does wrong, algorithmic analysis, etc.?
     

    While I enjoy following SpectateSwamp's threads, aren't you taking it a bit too seriously. I mean it is easy to feel superior if you are comparing yourself to an idiot, but... 

    I also think you misunderstand SpectateSwamp's claims that birds can see video artefacts. Surely the artefacts as such only exist in the video, but where did they came from? Perhaps from some unnatural alien interference? If so, why shouldn't birds be able to detect the anomaly as well? 

     

    Wait... you are accusing others of taking this too seriously??

    Wow.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    Wait... you are accusing others of taking this too seriously??
     

    Beat you to it. 



  • @fist-poster said:

    While I enjoy following SpectateSwamp's threads, aren't you taking it a bit too seriously.
    That's not really for you to decide, is it?



  • @bstorer said:

    @fist-poster said:

    While I enjoy following SpectateSwamp's threads, aren't you taking it a bit too seriously.
    That's not really for you to decide, is it?

     

    I, for one, think we are not taking Spectate seriously enough!  When the world ends in 2012 because we didn't fund Swampy's dance through T-shirt sales, we'll all be sorry,



  • @fist-poster said:

    While I enjoy following SpectateSwamp's threads, aren't you taking it a bit too seriously.

    I don't know how everyone else feels (probably not the way I do), but this isn't just about mocking SpectateSwamp. This is about art and learning. Art can be serious business =) You can look at Swampy like he'd be just a random delusional loser who can't code his way out of a paper bag and mock him, but where's the fun in that? SS is a performer, the world is his audience whether they want it or not. I wrote the above text not to mock Swampy, but as a critique of Swampy's code - a chance for people to learn how not to code. Swampy's stuff is also fun to critique because he touches so many levels of badness: from "don't do this if you name variables" to "don't do this if you lead an open source project".

    I'm not completely serious with this stuff. I don't expect dissection of Swampy's stuff to end up in programming textbooks under the heading "please don't do this", but I hope it's fascinating to people who stumble here. It should be apparent to complete newbies to programming that Swampy's code is awful, but this was a feeble attempt of mine to tell exactly how awful it is and how to avoid the same fate. You can learn a lot from good code, but you learn even better from enlightening critique of bad code. Or that's the theory, anyway...



  • @CodeSimian said:

    Either you are taking Spectate too seriously on the subject of artifacts, or that is a bad attempt at a joke.  To clarify: imagining that video artificats are caused by aliens makes just as sense as supposing that the "banding effect" you might see in a dithered photograph of the blue sky is a miracle.
     

    Ah. Good I didn't mention that the birds in SpectateSwamps seemed to be able to see the specks on my monitor. Probably just dust. Not aliens. 

    @CodeSimian said:

    He like to provoke people and when genuine offers of help come his way, he completely ignores them.

    This has been complained about more than a few dozen times, it seems. Were there really any genuine offers?

    @CodeSimian said:

    It is not just that he's an idiot.  He's also obnoxious, offensive and relentless.

    Ok, carry on then. 

     



  • @fist-poster said:

    This has been complained about more than a few dozen times, it seems. Were there really any genuine offers?
     

    I think some of the offers to help Spectate administer his SourceForge project were genuine, but who knows?



  • @fist-poster said:

    This has been complained about more than a few dozen times, it seems. Were there really any genuine offers?
     

    Yes. Several.



  • @bstorer said:

    I hate to promise too much too soon, but how about SSDS ported to VB.net, with the full project files?  And how about an (incredibly massive) deconstruction of the code itself: the way it works, what it does wrong, algorithmic analysis, etc.?

    I hope you come through all that with your sanity intact...



  • @aleph said:

    @bstorer said:

    I hate to promise too much too soon, but how about SSDS ported to VB.net, with the full project files?  And how about an (incredibly massive) deconstruction of the code itself: the way it works, what it does wrong, algorithmic analysis, etc.?

    I hope you come through all that with your sanity intact...

     

    Doubtful.  Right now I have to write a wrapper function for drawing text on the form because VB.Net doesn't support the Form.Print method.  I'll also have to wrap the font and background changing.  And then I have to go back to converting all the GoSubs to function calls.  And after that I'm sure something else will be the problem.

    So far after decompiling the app to rebuild the project and form files, throwing that all into VB 2008 and upgrading, I've fixed the following:

    1. Upgraded all the fixed-length strings.  Most of them would be fine as just strings, some had to be come char arrays, and a couple have to be those crazy VB6FixedStrings with marshalling.  Also, did you know Swampy has two different variables that serve no other purpose than to be filled with the return string from mciSendString?  He uses them in different places, but they're both declared at the Form level.  It looks like he uses one when he expects text back, and the other when he expects a string containing a number.  They're names are mssg and vs, respectively.  They make no sense and I hate them.
    2. Changed the program to be a single-instance app, and removed the code that previously detected this.
    3. Began switching all the GoSubs into functions.  There are tons of labels that have only a single goto, and they frequently look like this:
      If Something Then GoTo line_XXXXX
      Three or four lines of code
      line_XXXXX:
      
    4. Crashed into the wall that is Form.Print.


  • @dlikhten said:

     MasterPlanSoftware, I think my paragraph on SS's videos goes right after the three paragraphs in the previous section but before the list of videos. After the 4 paragraphs you can have a little sentence:

    Here is a short collection of Doug's "undeniable" proof of aliens existing. Be wary as these videos are not for the faint of heart - they are long and dull, and may cause you do wonder why you are actually watching them. But in the words of Doug Pederson: "Its plain for all to see.. If you want to see it." After at least 15 hours of continuously staring at each video you will either go crazy or believe there are aliens. Enjoy.

     

     

    That sounds like a good idea, the videos could use some introduction. (Fixed quotes and spelling)



  • @bstorer said:

    @aleph said:

    @bstorer said:

    I hate to promise too much too soon, but how about SSDS ported to VB.net, with the full project files?  And how about an (incredibly massive) deconstruction of the code itself: the way it works, what it does wrong, algorithmic analysis, etc.?

    I hope you come through all that with your sanity intact...

     

    Doubtful.

     

    You are inching closer and closer to the nightmare scenario you described, where you start babbling about aliens to your wife, while clutching holey stones, wearing a pro-marijuana t-shirt, and sporting a newly dyed YellowHead.

    I wish I were still in university.  This SpectateSaga would make an amazing sociological or psychological case study.

    Good Luck, StorerSwamp!



  • @burntfuse said:

    @dlikhten said:

     MasterPlanSoftware, I think my paragraph on SS's videos goes right after the three paragraphs in the previous section but before the list of videos. After the 4 paragraphs you can have a little sentence:

    Here is a short collection of Doug's "undeniable" proof of aliens existing. Be wary as these videos are not for the faint of heart - they are long and dull, and may cause you do wonder why you are actually watching them. But in the words of Doug Pederson: "Its plain for all to see.. If you want to see it." After at least 15 hours of continuously staring at each video you will either go crazy or believe there are aliens. Enjoy.

     

     

    That sounds like a good idea, the videos could use some introduction. (Fixed quotes and spelling)

     

    Cool I will rollout some changes later tonight. Hopefully I can get everything at once.

    Bstorer, do you think you will have some stuff ready tonight? Should I wait for you? Or just go on without you for tonight?



  • @CodeSimian said:

    I wish I were still in university.  This SpectateSaga would make an amazing sociological or psychological case study.
     

    I would actually love to have a psychological study of Spectate on the site. That would be fantastic.

    DrPhil, are you up for doing something like this for us? Someone else?



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    DrPhil, are you up for doing something like this for us?
    Didn't he already do something like that for his first post?



  • @Lingerance said:

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:
    DrPhil, are you up for doing something like this for us?
    Didn't he already do something like that for his first post?
     

    Perhaps. I am too lazy to dig through the swamp thread trash...

    I think you could really get into it though and make it thesis paper long... And if we have enough people contributing, it probably wouldn't even be that hard.

    And yes, you were right: http://forums.thedailywtf.com/forums/p/7593/141792.aspx#141792

    DrPhil, can I use this on the site? Anyone care to expand/elaborate on what is there? DrPhil,maybe you have some new insights on our swamp friend?


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