User Profile for cfranz

User Name cfranz

Member Since 2003-01-09

Total number of Feedback Posts: 35

Total number of comments: 3

Last 10 Feedback Posts by cfranz [ Search for All ]

Lotto Sorcerer X 6.15 (Mac OS X)

Please hold your vitriol - and think before posting

I really do not understand all the uncalled-for hatred and name-calling that goes on in response to this program. The scam is Lotto. the author of this program simply has realized that people who spend money for playing Lotto might also want to accessorize, and purchase his software. Why do people call him a 'swine' or worse when I see no such vitriol (even praise) for equally questionable software like astrology or stock trading? For example stock trading - most people do not realize this, but there is no stock prediction program or model in existence that has reliably been better than 0.5; i.e. tossing a coin (read Michael Shermer's 'why people believe weird things' for a more detailed analysis). Yet, that software is somehow regarded as professional, and this software's author is called a 'swine'.

Please realize that many people have weird beliefs (i.e. they can win at the lottery, stars predict the future, or analysis models can predict the way the stock exchange behaves) and that other people will cater to that belief. This program is no more a scam than the other software I mentioned. Everyone knows that 'a fool and his money are soon parted'. Few realize that we all are fools in our own ways - we play lottery, look for astrology signs, or play the stock market. And if we want to spend additional money for this 'hobby', other people will work to provide this.

While I don't endorse this or any other software mentioned here, I do feel that people are unfair to this particular author. Please be a bit more considerate. If you want to call something a scam, push for the abolishment of lotto (which *is* a scam), not the accessories for it.

-ch [alert admin]

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Sunday, April 27 2008 @ 04:21 AM PDT

Lotto Sorcerer X 6.15 (Mac OS X)

Please hold your vitriol - and think before posting

-ch [alert admin]

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Sunday, April 27 2008 @ 04:21 AM PDT

iGet Mobile 1.0.1 (Mac OS X)

Interesting, but has major problems

iGet Mobile is a very interesting app, and shows great potential. I particularely like the idea that it uses a secure connection. I've tried using it with my iPod Touch. The problem currently is that iGet Mobile sets up it's own server, and to access it, you must know the IP address of your Mac. Unfortunately, my High-speed Internet connection uses a dynamic IP address (that rotate every 4 hours for security), and all my computers reside behind a dedicated firewall. Because of this, I have been unable to establish a single connection from my Touch to my Mac from outside my LAN. The 'IP has changed' service is cute, but unusable with my Touch as it can't receive emails. I belive that this program has great potential if it used the 'Back To My Mac' service to re-direct all traffic through .Mac (if that is possible). I'll be monitoring the app to see how it develops in the future. [alert admin]

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Friday, November 16 2007 @ 04:38 AM PST

Luxor 2 1.0 (Mac OS X)

Almost as good as it's predecessor

I really love Luxor (Amun Rising) and did not hesitate long to purchase it's sequel (this game). After spending a few hours playing through perhaps 20 levels I have come to the following (preliminary) conclusions - it's definitely fun and addictive - eye candy has been seriously dialled up - nice sounds - the 3D effects make aiming a bit harder Luxor 2 is a very good game. That being said, though, I feel that Luxor 2, even though visually much more complex, is not necessarily a better game than it's predecessor. First, the 'true' 3D graphics do not really add anything to the game, but it makes aiming more difficult. Also, some levels don't mesh background graphics and foreground play. The result looks strangely disjoint like early adventure games that mixed rendered computer art with real imagery. The original game looked much better in that regard because it was more consistent. The levels are nice, challenging, and (with a few exceptions) fun. Some levels (e.g. 'lace') are stunningly beautiful and fun. Yet, some levels make it unnecessarily difficult to predict the path the balls are taking. Sound effects in the original Luxor were spot on. The scraping sound of balls, the clicks, the scarab - all just right. The new version has great sound, but - to me - it doesn't 'feel' as perfect. I'm aware that this is purely a preference, but anyway... The controls are of course the same (and I still have problems using the Mighty Mouse because of incorrect button 2 dedection). Luxor 2 adds a targeting recticle (sp?) that doesn't really help because it does not take into account ball velocity, and is more a distraction than anything else. Just like it's predecessor, Luxor does not restrict your mouse movement to the screen you are playing on. This can create problems in a multi-monitor setup. If your mouse leaves the main monitor, and the monitors are of different sizes, you might get stuck, and lose crucial seconds trying to unstuck the mouse (i.e. bring it back onto the main monitor). Also, the game has a 'Menu' button in the lower right corner. I've accidentally clicked on that button multiple times already, interrupting game flow (a better solution would be using the 'ESC' key to go back to the menu. Still performance was great (even in 1920x1200), and I had a blast. The newly added Bonus Level and game modes are a welcome addition to the game that promises to increase longevity and re-play value. I can recommend this game to anyone who is not yet tired of 'match three' type games (I can't seem to get enough of them). -ch [alert admin]

Album Cover Finder 4.2.2 (Mac OS X)

Woks, but has a lot of rough edges

(This review is based on the full version) First of all, I'm impressed with what this program can do, and even though it's not perfect, I feel it is well worth the shareware fee. Registration is via instant eSellerate, so it is painless and quick. The app can search many different sources for artwork, and much like 'Pear Lyrics' (a great app that searches for song lyrics) you can leave it running in the background while you are playing your songs. It will then search for, and insert, album cover art. You can switch between sources it searches manually (it can only access one at a time), but not have it search multiple sources in case it doesn't find something at the first. For example, I searched for Marius Müller Westernhagen's Live album. The app did not find it at amazon.com, but after I manually switched to amazon.de it found the album and it's artwork. When linked to iTunes, inserting the artwork is automatic, but indeed takes a lot time. The whole application behaves sluggish(ly) on my Mac mini (dual core), but I can live with that (it's not as if I'm in a rush when listening to music in the background). The app also provides a 'Fill Library' function that can scan both your library and playlists, and then insert artwork when not already present. Even though it is slow, it is much better than iTune's own function simply because it scans a much larger database. As additional feature (one I'm not really using), the app can link to the artist's bio, catalog etc. The interface is indeed ugly, cryptic, and *very* reminiscent of windows ports. There are lots of odd functionality differences, and things that work slightly different than you might expect. This is only of consequence if you need to manually import some artwork because the app didn't find it by itself. In that case, you'll find that the interface needs a lot of work. Drag and drop doesn't work because ACF's interface locks up while iTune's ID Tag editor is open. You need to copy/paste - doable, but annoying. When working with the artist's catalog (a nice feature when the auto-search misses an album because of a mis-spelling), you can't - for reasons only known to the author) select and copy an album's artwork from the catalog. Again, drag and drop won't work when iTune's tag editor is open. Another annoying problem is that once you begin to search manually, the app loses it's automatic link ti iTunes, and may, or may not re-establish it. Documentation is present, but leaves out important information. I still do not know when and how the app saves to it's own data file, and when it saves to ID tags. Somehow I'm glad to report I managed to turn auto-save to the song file's ID tags on, but don't ask me how. I recommend you at least download the app, and give it a try. [alert admin]

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Sunday, September 17 2006 @ 06:29 AM PDT

Delicious Library 1.6.3 (Mac OS X)

Very nice, some rough edges

First of all, this program is tremendous fun, and nicely executed. I've used it to scan my collection of well over 700 DVD titles, and had a blast doing so. The application works well on my G5 with external iSight. It sometimes has problems gathering the correct info from the web, but all in all, it works very well. There are some things I'd like to see in the future, and the program has some rough edges (for example, pressing the 'delete' key permanently deletes an item without any warning - minor nitpick, but still...), but never crashed on me. The built-in Librarian that keeps track of items you lent to other people is a great feature, and integrates nicely with other apps such as Calendar, Mail, and Address Book. Things I'd love to see - Ability to break up packages (i.e. collections of four seasons) into single items (without re-scanning the discs as individual items) - ability to discern between unrated and zero stars - see 'My Info' and 'Details' on the same pane - be able to choose between background. I really do not like the fake wood, and would prefer a grey or unstructured background. All in all, I can recommend this program to anyone with a collection of DVD, and an iSight. [alert admin]

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Saturday, September 16 2006 @ 03:47 AM PDT

ZoneBall 1.0 (Mac OS X)

Not bad

ZoneBall is an interesting take on the 'Quix' and Dodgeball/Jezzball game. The demo is nicely executed, and will probably work on many low-end Macs. The problem with ZoneBall is that this kind of game has been executed many times before, and unfortunately much better. It doesn't, for example, hold a candle against Cosmo Bots or Water Bugs (Cosmo Bot's sequel). Control could be improved, with at least options to change mouse tracking speed, and use the second mouse button to flip the player direction. The graphics appear a bit dated, but I like the animated background that is revealed when you carve pieces out of the playing field. The color scheme, on the other hand i find ghastly, but this is a matter of pure personal preference. The sound is so-so, and doesn't get on your nerves (which I like). It would be nice if the game provided an audio feed-back when you switch player direction. I recommend you try this along with similar games and choose the one that is more to your liking. [alert admin]

Cosmo Bots 1.01a (Mac OS 9, Mac OS X)

addictive, fun, dazzling

this is an outstanding, fun game to waste a couple of free minutes. the graphics are very nice, the action is furious, and the musinc is spot on (although not for everyone, I suspect. those that do not like a pulsing retro techno track will want to turn off the sound). gameplay is reminiscent of the arcade classic 'Quix', ort more recently Ambrosia's adaptation called 'Barrack'. what I particularely like about the game is that you can jump right in, have a blast for a few minutes (depending on your skill, of course), and then continue with whatever you where doing - just the mindless fun that I sometimes need. the price/performance ratio is really good for me. I recommend you donwload it and try it, as you can play many levels without having to pay. but beware - by then you may be hooked already. you have been warned :-) -ch [alert admin]

Parallels Workstation 2.1b5 (Mac OS X)

Very Nice!

I'm using Parallels on a dual core Mac mini. It works nicely, running XP Pro. Considering the fact that Parallels costs less than a quarter of my XP license, I immediately purchased it (compared to MS Virtual PC it is a steal at $39). The new (1.b5) full-screen switching a la user switch (turning cude) is a nice touch. I've found that Parallels b5 appears to be slightly slower than b4 - but that may be totally subjective. b4 booted XP in about 8 seconds, b5 now takes about the same time a normal XP boot takes on a PC (16 seconds). The addition of shared folders is welcome, even though they show up under the network, not as a drive (as I somehow expected). Also, copy/paste of text between Guest and OSX works - nice! b5 now complains that VT-X is in use by another application - but I do not know which. It appears to work, though (read: it does not crash). I've found out that Parallels has problems installing some games - prsumably due to copy protection. I've tried installing the venerable 'Red Alert 2', but failed. Installing the game under Boot Camp (Apple's beta for dual-boot into XP) worked. Office XP installed without a problem, and works faster than my previous Windows 2000 Pro-based laptop (which was, admittedly, old). I can recommend Parallels to anyone who needs basic Windows compatibility. Congratulations to the Parallels team - they have done a terrific job! [alert admin]

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Saturday, April 29 2006 @ 06:38 AM PDT

Little Snitch 1.2 (Mac OS X)

One of the (few) essential third pary security apps

Little snitch is one of the very few third party security apps that everyone should use. If nothing else, it gives you the ease of mind knowing that no app can contact anything outside with your permission. In today's world of Strange Re-Directions, this can be *very* good indeed. Plus, it is very unobtrusive, and simple to use. What more do you want? I like this product very much, and of course recommend it to everyone. Oh, and I think the price is right. I value my peace of mind. Highly. One note: Because of it's unobtrusiveness, I tend to forget it's there. This caused some consternation on my part because my RSS newsfeed screensaver didn't update the headlines for almost a month. After some time I found out that, of course, it was Little Snitch that dutifully disallowed net access to the (new) screensaver. I never noticed, because I wasn't looking at the screen when the saver kicked in. [alert admin]

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Wednesday, September 07 2005 @ 07:44 AM PDT

Last 10 Comments by cfranz [ Search for All ]

Please hold your vitriol - and think before posting

Thank you for your considerate, thoughtful, and mature comment. A pity you seem not to have understood a word of what I wrote -- my comment (I hope) does not attack any one, it just asks people to think before posting. I could now snarkily say something like "I encourage you to try it", but don't belive that being rude solves anything. Just to make it plain: IMHO, anyone who plays lotto needs their heads examined.…

Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)

Tuesday, May 13 2008 @ 06:39 AM PDT

Lrean to spell.

Thank you for that feedback, and the two little in-jokes (intentionally mis-spelling 'learn' in the subject line, and using 'spell-check' instead of the correct 'spelling-check'). I should mention that no-one at cf/x was involved in updating the version info; the kind people at versiontracker put in their time and effort to bring you news of the update. And this was where the word 'fpr' was produced. We will see to it that this typo is removed.…

Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)

Friday, May 11 2007 @ 06:54 AM PDT

Too expensive.

Gene, it appears that you criticize the app for doing what it is supposed to do: report *all* net activity to you. It then allows *you* (the Mac's owner) to decide if that's ok or not -- not someone else. I feel that you have rated the product unjustly, and simply because you do not sufficiently undertand what it is for. Wrt the price tag - I simply can't understand the way people think that they…

Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)

Wednesday, September 07 2005 @ 07:35 AM PDT