Author Topic: A random thread for small computing things that don't really warrant a thread of their own  (Read 296406 times)

Clare

  • Is in NZ
Reboot number thr...fuck it I'm going for a coffee and then I'm going to poke Maximizer with a cattle prod - worthless heap of shit.


Biggsy

  • A bodge too far
  • Twit @iceblinker
    • My stuff on eBay
There is also a Mac version of MP3Tag, but I guess you want Linux, Afasoas.  I hope you've got at least one Windows PC in your abode, though.

An alternative I've thought of would be to use a good audio converter and do a dummy or double conversion* just for the sake of generating new file names from tags (and even re-arrange the folders as well, if desired).

* eg. Convert existing MP3s to FLAC and then back to MP3, if that doesn't lose quality and MP3 to MP3 isn't possible.
●●●  My eBay items  ●●●  Twitter  ●●●

barakta

  • Bastard lovechild of Yomiko Readman and Johnny 5
Reboot number thr...fuck it I'm going for a coffee and then I'm going to poke Maximizer with a cattle prod - worthless heap of shit.

I believe we dodged a bullet if that's the same Maximiser that's sort of Canadian we nearly got.  Manchester say its great but they do have a minion employed 2.5 days a week to coax it and minion is a receptionist the other 2.5 days so is 'always' available... 

We have a piece of shit called KANA and another piece of shit called Netpractise instead of Maximiser - neither of which work. Netpractice can't let students "check in for appointments" today and KANA is double booking rooms or just not securing a room booking with hilarious (not) consequences.

Clare

  • Is in NZ
Our Maximizer (and yes, that 'z' bloody annoys me) is CRM software it is a pain in the arse to use but also has a number of 'features' that mean it fucks with my computer without even being opened, one being that if it suffers a 'network error' just at the point I do anything with my computer (turn it on, log in, open a programme, open an e-mail, type anything, log off etc) it freezes the computer.

I've had two events in the past fortnight when I couldn't log off at the end of the day and had to perform a denial of electrons to make the damn thing behave, both caused by a Maximizer network error - I hadn't opened Maximizer at all on either day. This morning three attempts to open Google Chrome, three reboots all caused by Maximizer network errors, again the damn thing hadn't been opened.

Afasoas

Is it hour own computer or a company supplied one?

I really can't see why an application would be fiddling with the network stack unless it was trying to run a VPN or virtualizing itself.

Afasoas

There is also a Mac version of MP3Tag, but I guess you want Linux, Afasoas.  I hope you've got at least one Windows PC in your abode, though.

An alternative I've thought of would be to use a good audio converter and do a dummy or double conversion* just for the sake of generating new file names from tags (and even re-arrange the folders as well, if desired).

* eg. Convert existing MP3s to FLAC and then back to MP3, if that doesn't lose quality and MP3 to MP3 isn't possible.

I'll give EasyTag a go.
Most Linux boxen dual boot Windoze 10, which is occasionally used for LightRoom and Photoshop. I've even got a Macbook Pro on loan, but I've got to replace the HDD before I can use it.

Clare

  • Is in NZ
Is it hour own computer or a company supplied one?

I really can't see why an application would be fiddling with the network stack unless it was trying to run a VPN or virtualizing itself.

It's part of the university system and we have the finest brain in our IS dept ignoring it even as I type.

Is it hour own computer or a company supplied one?

I really can't see why an application would be fiddling with the network stack unless it was trying to run a VPN or virtualizing itself.
I'd guess that it is running some really shitty security process, or a license verification process, that involves constantly bouncing "Are you there, am I allowed to run" messages. When no reply is received it goes into an insane frenzy; "OMG, I'm alone in the universe, is ANYONE out there." and uses 100% of network resources.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
I am rapidly losing patience with Plex.  Any so-called media server that cannot tell the difference between albums called "Groovy Decay" (1982), "Groovy Decoy" (1986 demos from Groovy Decay sessions) and "Gravy Deco" (the complete Groovy Decay/Groovy Decoy sessions) deserves to be stuffed into a sack with a half-dozen flettons and passed to Mr Plumtree otp for disposal at the top end of the Lanky.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

barakta

  • Bastard lovechild of Yomiko Readman and Johnny 5
KANA our software isn't that bad yet but it is slow and laggy - 2-10 seconds to display from one row of contact data to the next...  I may insist they develop a DESKTOP application - web inherently slows it down and makes it harder to do accessibly.

Afasoas

KANA our software isn't that bad yet but it is slow and laggy - 2-10 seconds to display from one row of contact data to the next...  I may insist they develop a DESKTOP application - web inherently slows it down and makes it harder to do accessibly.

No a web based implementation doesn't make it harder to do either of those thinks. A bad implementation does.If the developers, architects and financiers are not arsed doing it in a web app then they won't be arsed doing it in a desktop app.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Giving one of my external USB hard disks the name "Duff Leg Bryn" was asking for trouble, I suppose...
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Afasoas

KANA our software isn't that bad yet but it is slow and laggy - 2-10 seconds to display from one row of contact data to the next...  I may insist they develop a DESKTOP application - web inherently slows it down and makes it harder to do accessibly.

No a web based implementation doesn't make it harder to do either of those thinks. A bad implementation does.If the developers, architects and financiers are not arsed doing it in a web app then they won't be arsed doing it in a desktop app.

Software houses that produce inaccessible software have been, for some time, a pet hate of mine. Particularly when the software is used within businesses and the end users literally have no choice but use it.

As for slow and laggy, the browser page itself shouldn't be reloading between switching records, thus when you switch records, it's only the raw data that needs returning to the browser and no HTML/CSS/JS. If users switching between the next and previous record is a common usage scenario, that data could be pre fetched by the web browser.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Note to self: you will find the printer works a lot better if the Babbage-Engine you're trying to print from has been told that said printer is not attached to a USB port any more :facepalm:
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Ruthie

  • Her Majester
Just got this, with attached attachment.  On checking my Google account, I see there haven't been any security events.  Hmmm.   
Quote
Sign-in attempt prevented   
Hi Ruth,
Someone just tried to sign in to your Google Account ruthirvingturner@gmail.com from an app that doesn't meet modern security standards.
Details:
Monday, 19 October 2015 10:57 (British Summer Time)
Darlington, UK*
We strongly recommend that you use a secure app, like Gmail, to access your account. All apps made by Google meet these security standards. Using a less secure app, on the other hand, could leave your account vulnerable. Learn more.

Google stopped this sign-in attempt, but you should review your recently used devices:

REVIEW YOUR DEVICES NOW
Best,
The Google Accounts team
Milk please, no sugar.

Chris S

I have a project coming up that requires a single page web app, with dashboard and server-side REST api, that will require some third party plugins.

Despite being a C#,.NET,SQL Server kinda guy, once upon a time I'd have just defaulted to LAMP for webby stuff. But apparently that is old skool these days. Now, the kids are all doing MEAN.

Lets hope I haven't forgotten everything I ever knew about Javascript and CSS  :-\.

Sigh... I'm too old for this shit.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
At the current rate I shall soon have enough blinkenlights in the Great Hall to allow me to dispense with actual lights altogether.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Garmin, recently, updated Connect Mobile.

What a difference! It is now useful and usable!

I don't mind syncing my vivofit now (I used to leave it about a week between syncs) as all the information I want to see can be found easily, not buried 3 levels down!
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
My connection to that Internet, that they have now, has just reset itself.  At least I hope it's that rather than the router displaying early symptoms of DETH.  But it seems to have hosed an accumulation of cruft out of the pipe and it's working at a sensible speed all of a sudden.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Just got this, with attached attachment.  On checking my Google account, I see there haven't been any security events.  Hmmm.   
Quote
Sign-in attempt prevented   
Hi Ruth,
Someone just tried to sign in to your Google Account ############### from an app that doesn't meet modern security standards.
Details:
Monday, 19 October 2015 10:57 (British Summer Time)
Darlington, UK*
We strongly recommend that you use a secure app, like Gmail, to access your account. All apps made by Google meet these security standards. Using a less secure app, on the other hand, could leave your account vulnerable. Learn more.

Google stopped this sign-in attempt, but you should review your recently used devices:

REVIEW YOUR DEVICES NOW
Best,
The Google Accounts team
You should remove your email address from that post, Ruthie
<i>Marmite slave</i>

ian

I've discovered that if you copy over the recent, smallish last few Time Machine backups from the cranky drive, that smallish = half a terabyte. Hardlinks don't take up much space. The files they link to obviously do.

ian

I've cunningly hidden the mothership Dell laptop under my desk, where it can sit on a docking station and feed a big monitor, and thusly use my old Apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, while keeping a wonderfully clear desk. Very clever, think I.

Except ctrl-alt-del.

Which my damn computer asks for every fifteen minutes unless I manage to jib the mouse in time.

Now I'm going to have to build a time machine so I can back and beat the person responsible from that damnable key press with the small canoe of sense. There's no frikkin delete key.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Get a 32u4-based Arduino in keyboard emulation mode, and hook it up to a tub of vegetarian shoe polish to act as a ctrl-alt-delete button.  Obviously.

Doesn't Function-Backspace send a DEL from a fruitarian keyboard? Failing that it's possible to create a custom keyboard map in Windows (mine swaps the @ with the " while leaving £ and € alone)
Quote from: tiermat
that's not science, it's semantics.

ian

Apparently not. I need to investigate, but as it's a mothership machine, messing with Ctrl-Alt-Del is probably restricted. That's the reason it locks up every fifteen minutes. And no, they won't let me switch that off. Security! Despite the fact the main security threat in my office is a pair of cats of limited typing ability.