Existing users, 
Advanced Search
User Name zunipus
Member Since 2000-06-26
Total number of Feedback Posts: 111
Total number of comments: 48
Last 10 Feedback Posts by zunipus [ Search for All ]
YemuZip 2.2.3 (Mac OS X)
This is a great little freeware app. Except: YemuZip phones home. It's not phoning home to check for new versions. There is no preference option for version checking. So what is it doing? I have to guess that it is gathering ads to toss into the application, which is only fair. But nowhere are you warned about this behavior. That clearly indicates danger. Phoning home without warning you is 100% unacceptable. I caught it thanks to Little Snitch, which I have running 24/7 as my 'reverse' firewall. I turned off all net connection privileges for YemuZip and will keep it that way until such time as I trust the application. Rant: The problem with a program phoning home is that it potentially may be sending anything it can access on your computer and could be receiving anything back again. In the worst case, this is how zombie bot infection programs work, as made infamous on Windows PCs. The most famous example is the bot net DDOS attack on servers all over the country of Georgia both before and during Russia's invasion in August 2008, coordinated by bot herders within Russia. :-P [alert admin]
Thursday, August 14 2008 @ 04:52 AM PDT
Get Tube 3.0.2 (Mac OS X)
Another useful alternative: Seatubes
I like Seatubes so much, I paid the shareware fee! Actually, Seatubes is kind of clunky. But despite knowing I could have done a better job with the GUI myself, I keep coming back to it as a useful tool, better than any of the alternatives. Its main benefit is that you can use it to collect URLs to YouTube videos and save the collection into a file. There is no need to worry about downloading anything until you feel like it, like when its time for a break from the computer. Just bring up the collection and hit the download button and walk away. Everything loads into your designated folder. As ever, if you are playing/collecting YouTube videos uploaded after June 2007 and you want the best quality available, add this to the tail end of the URL for the video page: &fmt=18 What you get is the 'HD' version of both the audio and the video. Often the improvement in quality is dramatic. [alert admin]
Wednesday, August 13 2008 @ 01:40 PM PDT
FireStarter FX 1.0RC1 (Mac OS X)
Bombing bug with 3rd party CD burners, plus mini-review
Bombs Away! - FS FX was consistently bombing when I had my Pioneer DVR-110D attached to my MacBook. I had the Pioneer connected to provide a CD I wanted to copy. The workaround is to eject any disc you have mounted via the 3rd party drive, then disconnect the drive. At that point you can successfully boot FS FX. Then reconnect the 3rd party drive. Mount your disc again. All works fine. Note that setting the Preferences/General preference "Force FireStarter FX to use my unrecognized burner" does NOT help with this bug. Not having a disc mounted via the 3rd party drive does NOT help with this bug. Trashing the preferences file for FS FX does NOT help with this bug. Mini-Review: I don't consider it fair to give star rated reviews for beta software, which this still is. So here are some aspects of the program I found annoying. In general I find it to be a bit touchy, requiring some more work until it is stable or actually usable by newbies. The fact that absolutely no Help is provided makes this app Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time. There isn't even any Hot Help. For example, good luck figuring out what 'Paranoia-mode' is about. Have fun playing with 'Read-raw', whatever that's supposed to be. I also have to wonder why there is a RAM setting in the Preferences, and yet another RAM setting for Image burning. Huh?! This is clearly a fun project with promise. But for now, if I want to use a freebie CD burning app I'll stick with Apple's provided options or use the freeware app Burn, which is stable and has more abilities than FS FX. For example, Burn lets you burn data discs directly from one drive to another. That's no go in FS FX. I'm going to continue watching the project, but I'm not keeping 1.0RC on my hard drive. [alert admin]
Thursday, August 07 2008 @ 10:22 PM PDT
FileWard 1.1 (Mac OS X)
Formerly LockDown, v1.1 works fine 
Version 1.0 used to be called LockDown, new name is FileWard. I bought it in a bundle with Leopard Cache Cleaner from the same developer. This excellent and inexpensive deal is still on their website as of the time of this writing. FileWard is a very simple application for encrypting and verifying files, folders and data. For Mac OS X Tiger users it is an easy way to gain the ability to do AES 256 encyrption, which theoretically takes the time of the length of the universe to crack. Mac OS X Leopard users will find this encryption ability is now built into Disk Utility. As with any encryption, or indeed any security system, the weak point is your password. If you use a common name or a word that can be found in a dictionary, you are literally done for. Successful 'Dictionary Attacks', as they are called, can be performed within less than a minute. Thankfully FileWard includes access to Mac OS X Tiger & Leopard's Password Assistant. Personally I would stick with using the "Letters and Numbers" password. It uses only number, small letter and capital letter characters. You could use 'Memorable' if you like, but it also adds in other ASCII characters including punctuation, which can be confusing and deter you from remembering the password. There is an option called 'FIPS-181 Compliant' that I consider moronic. It only uses small letter characters. And surprise, it is a US government standard. You can laugh about it over at: http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/fip181.htm The other weak aspect of passwords with encryption is that if you lose the password, you are totally hosed. Just wave goodbye to your encrypted files. Seriously. IMHO I'd expect to forget your password. So toss it somewhere you will always know about but no one else will. Personally I like the Keychain approach where all such passwords are encrypted behind a single main password I use every day. I do this using either Apple's provided Keychain Access program, found in the Mac OS X Utilities folder, or I use the much superior shareware program 1Password. Another alternative is to create an encrypted disk image in Disk Utility and save your passwords on the image in a text file. The resulting encrypted password collection created via any of these options can be copied and used over on another Mac if need be. The encryption methods available in FileWard are Blowfish, CAST5, Triple DES, DES-X, AES 128 and AES 256. FileWard provides a handy menu link to Wikipedia's pages on cryptography to help you learn about each method. It also provides a couple menu options for learning about OpenSSL. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as a truly 'random' computer generated password. (Look it up, don't argue with me). But a cracker would have to know a bunch of variables about your computer at the moment you created the password to have a clue how to crack it. So how does FileWard work? Perfectly! I can verify that a coherent document it turned into utter useless gibberish. Happily, anyone with a Mac can download FileWard, not have to pay for it, and can open your encrypted file as long as they have the required password. In a sense this is how StuffIt Expander worked, back when there was a reason to use it. Theoretically, anyone with the same encryption method as you used for encrypting your file can open it as well. Basically, anyone with OpenSSL installed is ready to go. But I'd do some testing at both ends before using it. The next service FileWard provides is the creation of file SHA1 checksums and the use of checksums to verify files. This ability is actually built into any version of Mac OS X, if you are willing to use the CLI via the Terminal. But if you prefer a GUI, FileWard is simple. The final service in FileWard is secure file deletion. However, this service has been part of the Mac OS X Finder since 10.3 Panther. So yawn. The application provides a manual. Bravo! I am so sick of apps that don't. The manual is easy to read and comprehend by beginners. As a geek I wish it went into depth about encryption and check sums. Nonetheless, encryption technology is often changing and FileWard wisely advises that you do your own research to determine what encryption method is best for your purposes. I give FileWard 4 out of 5 stars. I left a star out only because I found a way to crash the program: Open up Password Assistant from within FileWard then change to another application. Your system will beep at you to tell you this is naughty. Then go back to Password Assistant and try to use it. You'll get a Cocoa 'NSInvalidArgumentException' error and a warning that the application will now quit. Bleh. So why is encryption necessary and wonderful? Despite lots of hype, good intentions and promises, the Internet is an extremely insecure place. Everyone uses email, and yet it is an antiquated, wide open, "in the clear", technology that can be intercepted and read by adept hackers. The solution to this problem is both encryption and digital signing of your email. You could go whole hog and crawl up the learning curves of PGP or GPG (the free and compatible equivalent of PGP), which work in most email clients. But the person at the other end has to have it installed and working as well. The quickie easy alternative is simply to send encrypted files to your destination. Just be sure you send the password to the file in some OTHER email. Also, never ever send a password of any kind over an open, non-encrypted WiFi connection. They are dirt easy to intercept and exploit by even beginner hackers. [alert admin]
Post a comment | More Info | 1 of 1 users found this helpful
Sunday, July 27 2008 @ 06:40 PM PDT
AirPort Flow 1.5 (Mac OS X)
Version 1.5 still works perfectly on Mac OS X 10.4.11. Unregistered copies of v1.5 won't show the colored graph lines feature. The result is essentially v1.3 with the added access to non-Apple routers. Most excellent. [alert admin]
Thursday, July 24 2008 @ 05:48 AM PDT
Tooble 1.0b0108 (Mac OS X)
I let the VT folks know. [alert admin]
Tuesday, July 15 2008 @ 11:00 AM PDT
icWord 4.1 (Mac OS X)
PowerPoint Clarification & Current App Description
The current description of icWord at the developer's site is: "icWord® 4.1 enables you to work with Microsoft® Word, Microsoft® PowerPoint, NisusWriter and AppleWorks files created on both PCs and Macs - without the original application! icWord® lets you open, view, print, convert and use Word, PowerPoint or AppleWorks files. icWord® works with systems Mac OS 7.1 through Mac OS X version 10.5." This is a bit different from what is currently on the VT page. About PowerPoint: "**(no transition effects or audio support)" IOW, despite the vague use of 'view' in the description of this app, it is NOT actually intended as a PowerPoint presentation viewing application. Instead it is just a bare bones PowerPoint file editor. [alert admin]
Tuesday, July 15 2008 @ 10:45 AM PDT
President Obama Countdown 1.0.2 (Mac OS X)
Reviews = SOFTWARE reviews please
Could the politically inclined PLEASE RESTRAIN YOURSELVES and stick to reviewing the software and NOT its political implications? Personally I am sick of the propaganda wars, law breaking, hypocrisy and lies from both lousy parties in the USA and have zero interest in reading more of the same in what are supposed to be software reviews. Please take your political diatribes to topical locations. [alert admin]
Post a comment | More Info | 1 of 1 users found this helpful
Wednesday, July 02 2008 @ 10:31 PM PDT
Leopard Cache Cleaner 4.0.12 (Mac OS X)
Repairing the LCC menu bar item in 10.5.4
The LCC v4.0.11 menu bar item did not show up on my desktop after upgrading to 10.5.4. So I installed LCC v4.0.12 and ran it. The LCC menu did not return. Humph. So I did the usual solution for such stuff and trashed the LCC preferences. Restarting LCC I had to register it again of course. Enabling the LCC menu item did not make it appear until after I had quit the application. It now works fine. [alert admin]
Post a comment | More Info | 1 of 2 users found this helpful
Wednesday, July 02 2008 @ 10:13 PM PDT
Adobe Acrobat 9.0 (Mac OS X)
Adobe are having a tough time lately. But I'll hold back my tears and simply provide some information to help us decide if this version 9 thing is worth our attention.
1) Is Acrobat 9 actually available for Mac OS X today? - YES, but:
- Examining the information Adobe provide about v9 on their website:
- - a) The 'Standard' version is ONLY for Windows (at this point in time).
- - b) The "Pro" version is for Windows or for Mac.
- - c) The "Pro Extended" version is ONLY for Windows (at this point in time).
2) Is Acrobat 9 Pro (the only Mac version so far) specifically compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard? - YES.
3) Has Acrobat 9 actually caught up to Mac OS X Cocoa 64 bit computing? - NO.
- I can't find any indication that Adobe have caught up with Mac OS X yet.
- Adobe point out that the Windows version can run in either the 64 bit or 32 bit versions of Windows, but I don't care. Where is the 64 bit Mac version?
Happy Smiley Stuff about the "Pro" version:
- The MOSX version requires 1.42 GB of HD space.
- The Windows version requires 2.13 GB of HD space. - HA HA!
My POV = I'm gonna wait for the Cocoa 64 bit version.
[alert admin]
Read Comments (1) | More Info | 3 of 5 users found this helpful
Thursday, June 26 2008 @ 03:56 PM PDT
Last 10 Comments by zunipus [ Search for All ]
YemuZip does not have password protection. Use other options, many of which are free. You can either encrypt and password protect your .ZIP file or use another utility to do the whole show. Apple's Disk Utility comes with Mac OS X will let you create a .DMG file that is: 1) Compressed 2) Encrypted 3) Password Protected 4) Data integrity self-verifying Freeware options: - 7zX - compression, encryption and password protection - RarMe - compression and password protection - GPG (Gnu Privacy Gaurd)…
Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)
Thursday, August 14 2008 @ 04:22 AM PDT
Most excellent app for out smarting YouTube and snatching the FLVs
Mixed message? Huh? "... those of us not willing to keep giving Greedy Apple more money..." OK, so you are tired of our feudal corporate overlords. That knocks you out of the Neo-Con-Job political loony fringe. No Bush League for you! "... and for putting more polluting carbon in Stevie Gods $80M Private Jet." OK, so you believe in science and protecting our home planet Earth from human generated pollution. That knocks you out of the real (versus con-job)…
Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)
Wednesday, August 13 2008 @ 01:57 PM PDT
Open the Preferences inside Leopard Cache Cleaner. At the bottom of the "Automatic Operation" window hit the 'Disable' button. All done. As in forever. Your problem is gone. If you really want to make sure even gremlins can't start it up, just delete the "LCCengine.app" from your login account's Preferences folder.
Original feedback item : Read More
Friday, June 27 2008 @ 02:47 PM PDT
Um, huh? Both Julian and Peter (the developer) have been in touch with me rather regularly while I have been beta testing pre-1.0 of CPP. There is a menu item in CPP for 'Suggestions and Bug-Reports...". It works fine. I know for a fact that Julien and Peter have been diligent in their work to create CopyPaste Pro as a greatly evolved descendent of Copy-Paste. During my beta testing, did Julian or Peter write to me…
Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)
Monday, May 26 2008 @ 05:18 AM PDT
"This is $116.70". As of 2008-05-26 the cost is $126.10 and rising. This rise is of course no fault of the developer. It is the fault of marketing morons and esurient economists in the USA who have been succeeding in turning US citizens back into indentured servants of the lords of wealth. This past week Israel asked the US to provided them with foreign aid funds in Euros instead of US dollars due to the loss of…
Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)
Monday, May 26 2008 @ 04:34 AM PDT
Apple have a slew of GPL Open Source software in Mac OS X, so that is not the hinderance. Theoretically iTunes could install the basic FLAC CLI software then have iTunes call it when required. Then again, I am no lawyer or expert on the GPL license.
Original feedback item : Read More
Tuesday, May 20 2008 @ 02:40 PM PDT
The only Trojan (as of 2008-05)
There is one Trojan for Mac OS X. It is in fact the ONLY Mac malware in the wild. (I am ignoring 'scamware', like MacSweep, which actually do nothing bad to your machine, only to you, and therefore does not qualify as actual malware). It's name: OSX.RSPlug There is already a freeware solution to find and kill it called DNSChangerRemovalTool: http://macscan.securemac.com/files/DNSChangerRemovalTool.dmg (BTW: MacScan, the application, is rubbish).
Original feedback item : Read More
Thursday, May 15 2008 @ 12:35 PM PDT
The only problem with Spell Catcher is that it is so well written that it hasn't needed an update. They actually wrote it to standards that Apple themselves had published but had not yet successfully implemented into Mac OS X Tiger. Theoretically Spell Catcher works BETTER in Leopard than in Tiger thanks to Apple catching up with their own technology. Spell Catcher is my #2 most critical add-on to MOSX. #1 is CopyPaste Pro and #3…
Original feedback item : Read More(1 words)
Tuesday, May 13 2008 @ 03:30 PM PDT
Don't you hate it when you point out someone's stoopid question then they flame you back with utter nonsense? Read my review. I stand correct, not corrected. :-P
Original feedback item : Read More
Tuesday, April 29 2008 @ 07:05 PM PDT
Where to get v2.0.0: http://www.kendallp.net/public/files/atPAK/man_viewer_200.tbz You can dig around at their website for other versions of their software as well: http://www.kendallp.net/public/files/atPAK/
Original feedback item : Read More
Thursday, April 24 2008 @ 03:19 PM PDT
