So I finally tested the full spectrum of blogging software to see wich worked best with the dasBlog Blogger XML-RPC API.

*UPDATE* I have another list of new software here, read this one *after* you read the one you are already viewing.

*Another Update* Here is a list of even more blogging tools

These fully support the the API

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[I like it!] Zoundry Blog Writer lite - FREE
http://zoundry.com/

- supports Tag Words for tag sites (Technorati, Flicr, etc.)
- very robust insert link feature
- has a full verison (still FREE) that supports money making insertable links (didn't try it)
- good category and update / delete integration

- it didn't want to import posts not written in Zoundry (web services not the same?)
- I couldn't figure out how to edit the HTML

[I like it!]w.Bloggar - Free
http://www.wbloggar.com/

- good category and update / delete integration

- the updload file feature doesn't seem to save settings
- no WYSIWYG integration

 

[I like it!] Elicit - $59
http://bingobangosoftware.com/download.htm

- neat scheduling system!
- good category and update / delete integration
- very robust insert link feature
- nice feature set

- no FTP upload (?)

[I like it!]RocketPost - 37$ / 99$
http://www.anconia.com/rocketpost/

- good category and update / delete integration
- supports several Web service links

 

BlogJet - $39.95
http://blogjet.com/

- good category and update / delete integration
- HTML from browsers can be dragged into Interface

 

Zempt - FREE
http://zempt.com/

- good category and update / delete integration

- had trouble understaing EDIT vs NEW post but got through it
- has some trouble viewing old posts
- no WYSIWYG integration

 

These don't fully support the dasblog blogger XML-RPC Api (as of this post)

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post2Blog - FREE
http://www.bytescout.com/post2blog.html

- good update / delete integration
- Lots of integration points from other software and browser add-ins
- nice XHTML option
- neat code highlighter

- no category support
- trouble managing previous posts from a technical standpoint

 

PowerBlog 2 - FREE
http://sourceforge.net/projects/pwrblog/

- tabbed interface is nice. RSS + newsgroup tabs
- good update / delete integration

- no category support
- spellcheck built in through ieSpell install

 

Semagic - FREE
http://semagic.sourceforge.net/

- preview integration is okay

- no category support
- no update / delete integration

Qumana - FREE
http://www.qumana.com

- good delete integration
- a few specific web servce insertion capabilities

- no category support
- no update support

 

BlogBuddy - FREE
http://blogbuddy.sourceforge.net/?page=screenies

- Didn't install because it looked less feature rich than other products

 

sharpMT - FREE
http://www.randyrants.com/sharpmt/

- didn't evaluate it, based on the screenshots / it looked alot like Zempt
- needed to install .net CLR 2.0 Beta

 

Created 191 weeks, 5 days ago

I am in search of a multi-desktop software that can support unique desktop icons per desktop. I suppose I must explain to you that most of my organization of files on a computer has to do with visual grouping. I love to take shortcuts or files and group them in clusters on the desktop. I have a desktop corner full of news Web Site links, I have powerpoint presentations living in a row along the bottom, etc. As you can imagine, I soon loose space when I get ~ 100 shortcuts. Therefore, I have a need to extend my desktop groups to virtual desktops. I looked around the Internet and found only 3 programs that accomplished this well enough for me to try them out. Sadly, none of them get 5 of 5 towards meeting my requirements. However, I am still working on 1 last option and I will post about it If I can get that 5 of 5 solution.

My requirements: unique desktop icons + unique Quicklaunch icons + unique Task tray icons per virtual desktop. That is the point of having multi-desktops. Sure it is nice to be able to move running programs from one desktop to a virtual one, but there are plenty of softwares out there for that. I needed / wanted the desktops to have discreet icon support. It was a tall order I know, but I was sure someone had developed it.

Chimera Virtual Desktop v1.3 - $24.95 - 3 out of 5
Chimera had the nicest integration of all 3 softwares. It supports 9 virtual windows. It also had the most liquid looking icons and had the cool popup desktop switcher with a preview of each window. However, it always got confused when I created new folders or saved files to the virtual desktops. Many times the icons in one desktop would 'bleed over' to others, or else get permanently stuck on all the desktops. For example, while on desktop 7, If I was attempting to save a file from a web browser onto that desktop, it would prompt me to save the file to "My Desktop". If I saved the file there, many times the file would end up on Desktop 1, or worse, be replicated to all of the desktops I had setup and I would never be able to delete it.

Chimera seemed to keep track of the icon locations with a position file [x/y location] per desktop and whenever desktops were switched, the icons would have to redraw and reposition themselves on the screen. They would constantly forget where they were I last put them. So, despite the problems, I bought and used this program for about 3 months until I had completely filled my desktops with undeletable files and finally got frustrated with the redrawing problems. I kept looking; now I knew that anything that kept track of the icons with X,Y locations and moved the desktop items whenever you switched desktops wouldn't work for me.


Cool Desk - Virtual Desktop Manager - $24.95 - 3 out of 5
Cool Desk is very lightweight and fast. It has a nice transparent window switcher gadget. It also supports only 9 virtual windows. It had a pretty decent window bar addon that let you send open windows and icons to other desktops. However, this application suffered from the same problems that Chimera did, it kept track of the virtual desktops with a location file and a pseudo "My Desktop" folder that would shuffle icons around from desktop to desktop without any apparent control. I ditched it soon.


Multi User Desktop 2004 - Standard - $20.95 - 4 out of 5
MUD2004 goes about managing the desktop icons differently. It actually spawns discreet copies of explorer.exe shell for each desktop you setup. It also will let you setup unlimited desktops. It doesn't have the same level of integration for moving active applications as the other two programs do, but since I start most of my applications in the desktop I want them to stay in, It doesn't bother me as much. It does a really good job of keeping the icons and "My Desktop" separated. However, after about a month of using it, I noticed the first hiccup with the discreet shortcuts. Somehow some of my icons from desktop 1 ended up on desktop 4. It happened when some application was crashing (I think it was IE) and I switched desktops during the lockup so I don't know if it was all my fault or I exposed some bug in MUD2004. If this hadn't happened I would have given it 5 out of 5. Oh, and another nice feature is that you can choose a shell other than explorer.exe, so I am guessing any of the programs like DesktopX or Talisman would be able to exist as one of your shells. I will give it a try one of these days.


So I recommend Multi User Desktop 2004. It gets the closest to exactly what I need. However, for each virtual desktop you start with it, it starts a copy of explorer.exe which on my computer is ~ 24MB each. So, I have 5 virtual desktops which takes up about 125MB of RAM. Its a small price to pay.

Created 192 weeks, 2 days ago

Today my friend Lee Fastenau sent his Atari 2600 Reflex game image to the folks at AtariAge to burn into a ROM to be made into actual Atari 2600 cartridges. I'm excited for him. Plus, excited that I get to purchase his game finally and play it on my 2600. Lee has some mad assembly skills now. I totally plan on exploiting those at some point in the future in order to get some kind of solid state processor for controlling lights or some other audio gadget. Something embedded into a chip with low power and heat requirements. I wonder how much a ROM writer and generic board with low voltage I/O + a 110v power supply would run.

Oh, a great product that I have heard no less than 3 people talk about in the last few years looks like someone finally might make it to market with it. Pets Mobility - Pet GPS locator.

 

On another note, I have been using PowerBlog 2 to post for a while now. It has a nice interface and is free, but I cannot get the Categories to import :(

So, I am experimenting with some others. Here are the ones I have used or am currently testing (I will post reviews later as I determine which I like best).

these are for my Windows XP machine:

PowerBlog 2
w.blogger
Semagic
Zempt
RocketPost
SharpMT
BlogJet
Qumana
blogBuddy

For my Macintosh, there are these:

MarsEdit

And for my Mandrake box:

BloGTK

 

Created 192 weeks, 3 days ago

About the same time that I got sick, I had to go on a diet in order to vacation in top health. Bleh! So, no new ROME on sunday. I didn't even get a notice. At least it gave me time to get out of the house and enjoy the really great weather we have been given. 50ish mornings and 70s days. Truly nice weather.

Lee got back from Macromedia MAX this weekend. He even got certified. I would have loved to have gone. I am really interested in the mobile deployment of flash. Anything on phones or pocket pcs, etc. Imagine having flash capabilities on the Sony PSP.  I wonder how many people use the browser on it. How many really cool flash games would exist if you could stream them to PSP devices.

Created 192 weeks, 4 days ago

The fine folks at Warsteiner have created a fantastic upgrade to the puny pint glass. The liter-chugger. AKA: toilet-hugger. At least I have this fine glass to show for all of my effort.



view more of my photos!

Created 193 weeks, 2 days ago

I had some images on a CD from Skinmarket and Since the company went out of biz, I figured it shouldn't hurt anyone if I upload some of the really nice ones that our group made.

Removed this idea.

Created 193 weeks, 3 days ago

A few more recordings that I have made over the past few days.


usability.mp3 (1.04 MB)

coolmarbles.mp3 (674.69 KB)

porcelain_ocean.mp3 (674.69 KB)

myshaggybeard.mp3 (550.2 KB)

Created 193 weeks, 3 days ago

enjoy a new recording thats kinda soft and ambient. short.


whalesandsnails.mp3 (1.22 MB)

Created 193 weeks, 4 days ago

Again to the parish nightclub. Lyrics Born was the headliner, and Pigeon John opened up for them. The music was kicking and the lyrics were lickin. I actually had only heard just small selections of Lyrics Born before the concert, and now that I have enjoyed them in concert, I will add a few songs to my playlists.

Rome on HBO is kicking-ass. I am really caught up in it lately. Also, this Sunday's Curb Your Enthusiasm was finally funny; The season didn't start strong with me.

At some point I need to get out there and mow my grass, its getting shaggy. I'm sure the homeowners association is ready to send me a letter demanding that I cut it. :(






Created 193 weeks, 5 days ago

I got to fly in one already too.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/071760/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/806982/M/

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=304546

Created 195 weeks, 2 days ago