The Technology Vent and Rant Thread

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I recently switch my phone plan. It's now cheaper and I have unlimited data. Plus, I have an included Apple One Individual subscription. I did have an annual Apple TV subscription. When I switched my plan and got Apple One, I was refunded the remaining balance. So I'm saving quite a bit.

That is quite a rant.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It sounds like your PDF are image based.

I rarely use images in my PDF ebooks as entire pages, although I have inserted images within an ebook. What I do is format an ebook as an OpenOffice Text document with the page size that is the same as the screen of my ebook reader. I insert the same type of items that you'd insert into a word processing document (such as headers, footers, page numbers) and various book-related items (such as a Table of Contents). I use various styles to ensure that the entire ebook is consistently formatted, and to avoid issues (such as widows and orphans, and starting each chapter on a new page).

When I select the Page View each page will look exactly on my screen exactly as it will look on my ereader. This allows me to identify any formatting issues so I can correct them before generating the PDF ebook. Then I use that as a source file to generate the PDF. If I need to make changes I update the source file and then regenerate the PDF.

Added: I noticed that I had already responded to this post after posting this, but I decided to leave it because it added more information to what I originally posted.

[BetterRed]

Sigh - Hey Redmond.why have some Windows taskbar icons gone itsy-bitsy tiny when Taskbar->Use small icons is set, but there's no similar effect when it's not set.

I know Win 11's taskbar mandates the taskbar SHALL be on the bottom edge, and that it SHALL be centered. I've had my taskbar on the left edge for longer than most of M$'s script kiddies have been alive. Wouldn't surprise me if Win 11's taskbar doesn't have that small icon setting… and its lack has leaked into Win10.

The News and interests icon has also gone AWOL… or I should say its gone coy.

[cc_in_oh]

You can left-align the taskbar FWIW which ain't much. Bottom-only is very annoying esp. with ultrwide or dual monitors - side edge makes far more efficient use of space.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

You can left-align the taskbar FWIW which ain't much. Bottom-only is very annoying esp. with ultrwide or dual monitors - side edge makes far more efficient use of space.

When I started my copy of Windows 11 the icons on the Taskbar were on the left. I went into the settings and made it centered.

[BetterRed]

@Solitaire - by taskbar on the left, I mean this:



It's been suggested that booting into Safe mode might solve my shrunken icons issue. Someone here claimed to have solved an issue by doing that… which we couldn't fathom… so I'm going to try that in a jiff.

As well as commonsense and taskbars another thing we lost on the left is function keys - as in the F-type kb that came with the IBM AT. If I could find such a kb today I'd order one yesterday.

BR

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

It's been suggested that booting into Safe mode might solve my shrunken icons issue. Someone here claimed to have solved an issue by doing that (IIRC calibre wouldn't start)… which we couldn't fathom… so I'm going to try that in a jiff.

Good grief… it worked, booted into Safe mode via msconfig, booted back into Regular mode - icons right sized and News & interests showing its face again.

Don't like inexplicable phenomena, I'd tried switching user and stop/start explorer etc.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@Solitaire - by taskbar on the left, I mean this:

Attachment 213390

It's been suggested that booting into Safe mode might solve my shrunken icons issue. Someone here claimed to have solved an issue by doing that… which we couldn't fathom… so I'm going to try that in a jiff.

As well as commonsense and taskbars another thing we lost on the left is function keys - as in the F-type kb that came with the IBM AT. If I could find such a kb today I'd order one yesterday.

BR

Understood. I thought the Taskbar was the one at the bottom. I thought the icon bar on the left side was the context sensitive.

[Comfy.n]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

As well as commonsense and taskbars another thing we lost on the left is function keys - as in the F-type kb that came with the IBM AT. If I could find such a kb today I'd order one yesterday.

BR

Had to look up that one as I had never seen it!
https://hackaday.com/2020/11/12/brin...l-f-into-2020/

One rant I have is how people have been so easily subdued into using glass keyboards.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Comfy.n

Had to look up that one as I had never seen it!
https://hackaday.com/2020/11/12/brin...l-f-into-2020/

One rant I have is how people have been so easily subdued into using glass keyboards.

I don't remember Caps Lock being on the bottom row instead of between Tab and Shift. I've used CAPS as the Compose Key for nearly 10 years on Linux now.

Personally I never liked any of the IBM keyboards, but I've used plenty worse. I use a 10KL Cherry Stream UK keyboard now. I bought a 2nd; they are so nice. Only be better if the |\ key was beside the ?/ instead of Z so that the shift keys were more similar size. If I really want Caps Lock I tap BOTH shift keys, either shift cancels.

Also those older keyboard have no AltGr to type €½đáéíóúß«»ç“”nµþŧł etc, so you have to use Ctrl and Alt.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

another thing we lost on the left is function keys - as in the F-type kb that came with the IBM AT. If I could find such a kb today I'd order one yesterday.

Note only AT and later keyboards with full size 5 pin DIN work with the minidin adaptor (PS/2 form factor). The original PC and PC-XT keyboards from IBM or clones are incompatible. Then a cheap active USB adaptor for PS/2 mouse and Keyboard works, but not always on the BIOS screen.
There are passive PS/2 to USB adaptors that only work with some older mice (various inc some MS and Logitech) that actually change to USB mode. Those don't work with all PS/2 mice or the mice that have serial/PS2 adaptor option because they are passive. They don't work with any keyboard.

If you are really serious I and can pay post & packing from Ireland I can check my attic. I did used to have some actual IBM ones, but might only have clones now. I think I kept one PC-XT mode keyboard for a long while. I only got rid of the actual real IBM AT a few years ago. I still had the EGA card and screen, but it had been updated with VGA, 3rd party screen and soundblaster for DOS games. Still had MFM drive and controller. Horrible things.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Sigh - Hey Redmond.why have some Windows taskbar icons gone itsy-bitsy tiny when Taskbar->Use small icons is set, but there's no similar effect when it's not set.

I know Win 11's taskbar mandates the taskbar SHALL be on the bottom edge, and that it SHALL be centered. I've had my taskbar on the left edge for longer than most of M$'s script kiddies have been alive. Wouldn't surprise me if Win 11's taskbar doesn't have that small icon setting… and its lack has leaked into Win10.

The News and interests icon has also gone AWOL… or I should say its gone coy.

There is a setting in Win 11 to move the start menu and icons to the left.

[Renate]

If there were only a button: "Make the styling like Windows XP"...
You still can't get sharp corners on Windows unless you break the system transparency.

And a new gripe. If you have an older app and try to display it on a laptop or something with greater than 96 DPI Windows will say, "Oh, that poor app won't understand 144 DPI (or whatever), I will scale the video so that it's all blurry!".

So when you run your old app and you say, "I thought that it looked sharper than that", that is what is happening. You can apparently set per-app compatibility, or regenerate the app with a manifest that says that it understands DPI or in code:

SetProcessDpiAwareness(2);

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I don't remember Caps Lock being on the bottom row instead of between Tab and Shift. I've used CAPS as the Compose Key for nearly 10 years on Linux now.

Sun Microsystems keyboards had Control key where it belongs, between Tab and Shift, until around the turn or the millennium. I just went looking for images and am shocked at how hard one was to find for that layout.
https://old.reddit.com/r/vintagecomp...ard/?rdt=51099

[Quoth]

But Sun designed real workstations, unlike the original PC which was assembled in a hurry from catalogue parts and with some choices already totally stupid, such as default text only, 8088 cpu, poor card sockets like Apple II and S100 instead of indirect connectors, no battery backed HW clock, and impossible to ever have more than 640K without holes in the memory map. Compare the Victor 9000 /ACT Sirius 1 designed by Chuck Peddle which was on sale in UK & Ireland before the IBM PC.

I never saw a Sun in real life I did use the Sirius 1 in two jobs. Big difference too between Apple II 100k floppy, much better IBM and other 160k floppy. The Sirius varied floppy speed to fit 2.4 M when 8" drives 1M and PC 160K or 320 k.