Laugh, Cry, OMG don't DIE!

[GuruSR]

First off, I'll try to explain a few things around each link, there's 2 at the moment, I may put more up.

First, my "most commonly used and abused program", shortly called:  PODS

It's something I decided to do waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when (after the dinosaurs, really, but not by much), though the exact date of start was around 2002, 2003.  And the design was to make a "Pod" on the screen, somewhere, anywhere, allow you to drop icons into it, get them off the desktop, so you could hide them away, name the "Pod" what you wanted and go to it to actually get to your applications, games, etc.

The first version was super clunky, had 1 "Pod" design, then in 2007/2008 when I put my Vista machine together, I migrated the software and such to that and proceeded to continue to improve on PODS, adding a (loosely termed) "Skinning Setup" and was able to quickly add more variety.  In 2004 I worked on trying to use a regionmask library in asm (I just looked for the year just now) and in 2003 was when the asm was written for the CRC32 checksum, which I use in PODS for tracking the usage of each link, which made it finally show the recently used item in the middle over the "Pod" on the desktop and spiral outward clockwise from there.

Recently with the addition of 64bit (the program is still 32 bit), I tried it on 7, 8 and 8.1, worked flawlessly with and without touch screens.  10 won't be an issue with it not working either, as it properly will run the program and ASK for any UAC requirements (nice part is, the prompt should show up close to the "Pod" asking for it).  I've also added in GDI testing to avoid any bizarre issues when Windows is on for too long, GDI has a tendency of running out of usable ram chunks and what will happen is the "Pod" seeing this reduction below a threshold will actually unload itself.  If you see them all vanish, time to reboot before Windows has a heart attack (not caused by PODS running, but by everything else).

Versions of Windows it runs on (as people will ask), Windows 98+ <- I mean +, didn't break any rules, so it should keep on truckin'!

The link for the download is:  http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=54877650282605641810
Do be careful, they like popping under tabs with advertising, merely kill them, they've so far been harmless.

Caveats:
1.  64bit windows, the installer has a meltdown, says it can't find Vista64.dll, err, it's there, it's included as required, but it's being stupid...  Run the program yourself from the start menu, it'll be fine.
2.  32bit windows will have the installer run the program automatically, but, be sure to give it a few seconds, apparently the installer can't monitor external threads to see if they've started.  I *may* find how to properly do this myself and build a proper launcher.
3.  Touchscreen users can tap on a "Pod" and it will open, drag your finger around onto the icons inside to see what they are, if you don't want to run anything in there, drag your finger OFF of the window and then let go.  Letting go on any icon will run it.
4.  To run an application inside, click on it, the "lifting" of the mouse button over an icon runs the link you're over, if it's not what you wanted, drag the mouse with (the button down) outside the window and then let go.
5.  It recognizes "Installer Advertised" applications.

Now, onto the second program:  RezSnap

After years of playing games on and off with resolutions not common to my normal desktop, and then the game would crash and leave me in a resolution that wasn't normal.  This was rather annoying, plus the odd time I'd boot the machine up (my 98 machine has an nVidia card in it, guess what that likes to do), the nVidia driver would occasionally break it's own settings and boot up in 800x600 or whatever that mess was.  So, I went ahead and read up on device contexts and how to read the resolutions the video card is capable of doing (not the monitor, the video card).

So, what it does is, opens a window, shows you the resolutions you have and lets you click on an setting and it will mark it as a "Snap", duplication of the desktop shortcut, simply edit off the settings switch and run that link, it'll switch your display to that resolution instantly.  I have it on my Windows 98 at startup, so if the nVidia driver damages it's settings on boot, it fixes it, usually before the icons even get there (which is a great thing).  It should work on Windows 95, but I know it works fine on 98+, I've used it on my Windows 7 machine, works fine.

Here's the link to this one:http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=23873859947072770572
Again, remember, it likes Popunder tabs (or windows if you don't use a browser that supports tabs).  I've seen no ill-effects from their ads, as they seem to not deal with things that could include malware.

Try them out, critique, comments, ideas, do say.  Oh and mind the info on the installers, after hours of programming, my brain gets tired and I tend to be insane sounding...  Documentation, who reads that?!

GuruSR.

[GuruSR]

Hmm, seems I fixed the PODS setup for 64 bit, installed it yesterday on another machine and it didn't complain.  o.o  I so don't remember fixing that...

So anyone trying this stuff yet?

GuruSR.

[rrr314159]

@GuruSR, thanks for the free hard work! ... but haven't you learned, yet, the #1 difficulty facing an independent researcher? It's not coming up with brilliant ideas, not doing the work, not solving all the problems of the universe via decades of selfless self-sacrifice, not having a genius IQ. Those are all trivial and easy, compared to the real difficulty: which is getting someone to listen to you!

In the present case you have two difficulties here most of us don't have when we try to attract the attention of our easily-bored short-attention-span peers. First you're using a distribution site which we're not familiar with, and as you say tries to download advertising and such cr*p. We tend to avoid that. Better to zip it as an attachment to your post.

Second, I don't see what PODS offers beyond just a "New Folder".

GuruSR said: And the design was to make a "Pod" on the screen, somewhere, anywhere, allow you to drop icons into it, get them off the desktop, so you could hide them away, name the "Pod" what you wanted and go to it to actually get to your applications, games, etc.

Sound like "New Folder". No doubt PODS has some extra features, can you say what they are?

[anunitu]

Kind of sounds like "Dropit"

http://www.dropitproject.com/

You tell me.

[rrr314159]

Little utility programs were very popular and useful last century (remember "SideKick"?) but to a considerable extent modern multi-tasking OS's have obsoleted them.

I can think of one good reason for PODS, (if I understand the situation correctly). By implementing typical "New Folder" capability with MASM source code it gives example of how to do the various functions. For instance drag-and-drop, dealing with desktop as a particular window object, shortcuts, sorting, SQL, etc. Instead of tutorials most programmers (well, me, anyway) would rather have a working example incorporating such techniques. Much easier to learn that way.

Furthermore if you want to enhance "New Folder" here's a base from which to start.

But you know, all that stuff is pretty easy. The hard part, as I say, is grabbing the attention of a fickle public. It's all about marketing!

Here's a suggestion for GuruSR. To interest masm programmers, code just isn't enough. So, tell them that hidden in the code is a BMP file which, when decoded and displayed, shows Nancy Pelosi and Pierre Trudeau having group sex with a mob of kangaroos. (It doesn't have to be true, of course.) I bet that will get a few "click-through"s!

[GuruSR]

First, that was weird, no notifications of posts.   :icon_eek:

It's not as intrusive as a New Folder, the icons are just Icons (no titles), neatly packed into a framed window, the POD is static until the main window is open, then you can make it movable (they're movable across screens), they can be resized so that the POD takes up very little visual space on the desktop (unlike New Folders), it uses a MRU list (CRC32) and sorts that list from the center outward.  The tooltip has the name/name + Description of the Icon you're over.  You can't double run something by accident, cannot delete the folder by accident, has an option to Auto Hide the desktop Icons so you can see your desktop, makes that nice "Bing Photo" shine without much in the way.  The animations that are available are better than the New Folder icon that is static.  And for 8.1, I was tempted to yank them over top of the start page so you could hit them anywhere, but since 8.1 was a flop, I didn't bother.  You could use New Folder, but you have to open it, click on what you want, then close it, more clicks than Trump can handle.  Somewhat resembles today's hand held (Android & Apple) device folders, somewhat (that wasn't by design, well, was somewhat impossible for it to be, they weren't around in 2003).

@anunitu, it's not the same, Dropit is a file copying/moving program, this isn't.

As for what it really offers above a New Folder, organizational skill improvement, it'll ask you to move that new icon somewhere when it shows up on your desktop.  I've seen people use it to clean up some naaaaasty icon filled desktops [1080P desktop where you couldn't see the background at all for all the icons, person actually had icons on top of icons in parts].  Desktop usage is also improved in performance as PODS have their own refresh design and aren't reforced to show the icons during software installs (you know, when all the icons go blah and reset).

@rrr314159, as for zipping and posting, can't, outsizes the limits here and I wasn't about to put the site into a coma state to upload them.  I do have a thread asking for viable places, but since nothing really good came up (Google Drive isn't a good alternative, there are restrictions [not legal, just their "restrictions", exe files sometimes require a user account to download, seen it, hate it]).  The one I did come up with pops under harmless advertisements not downloads, tried it 10 times, none of them redirected to anything nor did the anti-virus flag them, all were X'ed without even looking at them and no new ones tried to replace them.  I was thinking of Mediafire, but with the stupidity of Bitrender saying one of my 2002 ones was infected, I figured I'd be crazy to try that again, plus the popups IT did, drove me away from it completely.  As for "easily-bored short-attention-span peers", I can see laziness creeping in and the desktop littered with icons that probably are just scattered all over the place.

[Added as a post came in while I was replying]   :icon_eek:  hidden BMP file...  Well, there are some, but err, seriously doubt I'd want to see THAT.

GuruSR.

EDIT:  For some reason, this one doesn't show up in my "watching" list, it's just not there and I can't seem to add it, is there a limit?

[rrr314159]

@GuruSR, Ok it does have some extra features, perhaps your description will interest people. Personally I hate Windows and mostly concentrate on math programming. If results are simply displayed in a command window that's usually good enough.

>> seriously doubt I'd want to see THAT.

Of course you don't want to see Nancy Pelosi "doin' the 'roo" - neither do I. But apart from us, every other masm programmer in the world would love it. To paraphrase H.L. Mencken, "you can't underestimate the taste and decency of the masm public".

[anunitu]

I resemble that remark RRR

[rrr314159]

Q: Of all the unlucky guys in show biz, who had the toughest act to follow?

A: Shemp.

[anunitu]

All I have to say is "Nuck nuck"!!

[HSE]

Hi GSR!!

I don't understand how the application work.

There is no code to see, and perhaps you think the help is fantastic, but... no. 

[hutch--]

I must admit, being the fourth member of the 3 stooges was a futile task when he had to follow Moe Larry and Curly.

Eeny meanie, minie Moe,                   ; without Larry Curly and Shemp
Catch a black person by the toe.
Unless she squeals don't let her go,
Yo ho ho ho.

[GuruSR]

I don't understand how the application work.

There is no code to see, and perhaps you think the help is fantastic, but... no. 

It works similar to the way an iPhone/Android tablet would have a quick folder on the desktop.  Opening the program from the Start Menu should bring open the main window (apologies for the old fashioned WinHlp file, but I never converted to chm, I may, not sure yet).

From there, the program should give you instructions on what to do next (the bottom of the window will give tips on what you can do next), plus any of the options will only be visible when usable, meaning if you're unable to do something, those buttons will not be there (reducing confusion).

First, Make a New POD, drag it somewhere on your screen, you can then X (close) the main window.  Drag any shortcuts (from the Start Menu or Desktop) to it, you'll see a + show up, drop it there.  You can then put your mouse over it and your shortcuts will be there, quick click access with minimal desktop impact.  It's multi-screen aware, so you can drag them out onto another desktop and if you're using a laptop, they'll pop back onto the main screen when your extra(s) aren't present and will go back to their normal spots when they are.

As for help file being well, lousy...  I don't claim to be an expert on help files, because I'm a coder, not a layman. 

GuruSR.

[HSE]

Sorry, I was thinking you was making a general user program.

Theorically we don't need the help  , but perhaps I do :icon_redface:.

Anyway, apparently I can't find the way because the tool it's not working well here. I also have some problems with other Visual Basic programs.

Regards. HSE

[GuruSR]

Sorry, I was thinking you was making a general user program.

Theorically we don't need the help  , but perhaps I do :icon_redface:.

Anyway, apparently I can't find the way because the tool it's not working well here. I also have some problems with other Visual Basic programs.

That is odd, as the install includes everything needed to run it, from the ground up.  Sounds to me like something in your system has something unsavory interfering with it, as I've seen this software work on a lot of different systems, usually when the above complaint comes up, something is messed up in the system.

GuruSR.