A few days ago, Sylvie confronted me privately over a matter involving my having possibly offended my fellow bloggers. A matter oodles of other bloggers had come to me about over the last six months, but it wasn’t until Bastille Day approached that this coup d’états used the flesh and blood of Kevin’s own poor little babies that the full evil was seen.
Shame on you Sylvie…shame, shame, shame! I was asked…to remove my Christmas hat from my avatar…and I was so hoping not to have to wash it being five months ahead of everyone else!
The first matter at hand when handling and manipulating graphics for any blogger is cost. Myself, I use a freely available program called ‘Ultimate Paint‘. Rather than link to them here, you can Googoo it if you like. But this post isn’t about me, it’s about all the newer bloggers who aren’t as net savvy as the rest of us.
It’s a gimme. We were all new. This is the way we put back into the Wall of Blog.
Let’s face it, most of us have forgotten more useful information than we can remember…or remembered to put in a sticky…or remembered to back up on the stickies before our computers crashed…or something like that.
If you’re a blogger that uses open source graphic software to edit your photos, tell me and comment what you use that a novice user would find most helpful. The only requirement…it has be totally free and not trial based?
Please list the URL it can be found at, as well as the program’s native language!
The biggest error many of us make in the big picture is thinking with and in our own tongues.
I use ScissorShop – my own invention. Print pictures you wish to manipulate, use scissors to cut and then paste, scan and publish.
[I've actually avoided getting involved with 'proper' picture manipulation as I fear I might find it rather addictive and I spend way too much time on the computer as it is - I hope I don't get tempted now!]
howdee JC
I used Ifanview…..I had other progs I used on old boy PC but he took them to the PC grave with him (god only knows where the software CDs are)…
nice pic… so will you be putting lights on your Cuban when the festive season starts???
I use Picasa…but I am telling you the hunt for Christmas avatars has started!!! we need a bit of discipline in here folks!
I’m thinking balls – big shiny balls …..
….. and glitter …… and MISTLETOE!!!!!!!
*pucker*
DP: Never had the luxury, since my youngest daughter always seems to find scissors and hide them for her own projects.
70s: Downloaded IrFanview to see how it’s doing again. Hadn’t used it for a few years, have to read the manual again, hehehe.
Sylvie: I also downloaded Picasa 3 on your suggestion. I originally used it online for Blogger pics I’d upload, but I DO like the “I’m feeling lucky” option that automatically adjusts things. Colorblind people can REALLY use that!
DP: That’s not mistletoe…it’s poison sumac.
I really enjoy using picnik
Claire: (gigglin’ with mousewheelin’)
This is fun. Where’s the dresses to put on DP at?
Good heavens ….. am I playing ‘dress up’ again?
I think the DP doth protest too much!!
I copy images (such as Santa hats) from web & paste ‘em into my own photos using Microsoft Picture It…an easy to use program came with my computer/Windows XP.
I understand your reluctance in shedding that Santa Hat John…it looked SO great on you!….but just imagine how AWESOME you could look with a big black bra on yer head!….juz sayin’.
DP: Shush before you start cryin’ about gettin’ stuck with a straight-pin…and hold STILL!
70s: He really is a fine legged fellow, thank God he DOES wear something under his kilt!
Olga: Oh yeah…we can have a multi year thread in a cupboard…but try to bring happiness year round? It was that French Foreign Virtual Legionnaire’s way of showing who the real power ’round here is.
(Don’t give me any ideas…oh, you ‘were’ meaning ‘above the belt’, right? Maybe a fancy of…oops, can’t spoil the fetish follies too soon!)
oh look…there is a bear with a Christmas hat in the front of the house today…I wonder if he received the ScissorShop treatment?
The bear is now grumbling because I took his hat off ……
Ahhh Scissors… you can always trust them… ^^
You know… many famous people are well known for the hats they wear: Sherlock Holmes, Napoleon, Indiana Jones, Charlie Chaplin, Carmen Miranda, Michael Jackson, Jack Sparrow, Princess Leia (yeah, not a hat but, does anybody recognizes that hairstyle as real hair?)…
Hats, somehow, are really important. That bear knows it. Quoting Lennon: Let the bear be.
Ummm… talking about important things… I thought it was also key to wear nothing but yourself under a kilt!
I’ve always used Paint Shop Pro. Many moons ago it was available from jasc, but they were bought out by Corel. I currently have the paid X2 version, but also have the old version #4 on my computer. It was a trial… but I’m on day 733 of my 30 day trial version, so it’s safe to say it’s kind of free.
It’s good for when I need to do the basics and want to do it quickly, it’s uncomplicated.
There are old versions of many software apps available at:
http://www.oldversion.com/
Often, because they’re the old version, they don’t run out like a trial of a current version would, and… sometimes people don’t want all the new bells and whistles they have to take a course to figure out how to use, they just want to stick with something basic that does everything they need.
oldversion.com is a little goldmine.
Sylvie: That’s not funny…not funny ‘t’all.
(It’s probably Kevin goin’ naked and this was Sylvie’s plan all along.)
DP: …and Kevin was probably wearin’ the hat below the belt on his head, and you fell to ‘the old ways’.
Noir: I’d like a hat like Carrie’s, at least I’d have that part of her. I think Paul O’s the professional on kilts here though.
Fracas: Going to check out oldversion.com. I used to use such sites; up to and including x486 software; until I started coming into issues of reverse compatability.
That happens with older things, but I’ve also found that with things such as you; and DP; sometimes if you have tenacity older things have their payoffs.
Me old? Goodness gracious John…
Rotflmaopmpaktd!
(Tee hee…)
You know it’s called something else…
… It’s called … ancient.
I want to be a monument now – like Fraccy …..
Fracas: You’re wise, I’ll leave it at that.
DP: You’re just jealous of David’s bits getting more attention than you. Don’t feel bad. Me too.
Gosh John… you have been talking to Mr. Frac; he always says that!
DP – So, if I’m a monument, that means I’m monumental… I shall add that to the usual b-word people tend to use when referring to me, and become a monumental b—-!
I think I’ll go use Paint Shop Pro to make myself a badge for the blog depicting my new honour!
So…you’ll always be M’ Onu Mental! The one and only…Fracas.
Mr. Fracas was also happy to point me to the appropriate authority: http://tinyurl.com/define-Fracas. Wonderful man, very helpful.
After reading the comments last night, I downloaded Paint Shop Pro 7.0 from oldversion.com .
This morning my computer froze (twice) and was running very slowly, my Firefox had morphed into an Arcticfox. After a scan at Spyware Dr.’s clinic, I found I had 45 application tracking cookies and adware infecting the system. All cleaned up now, but don’t ya just wish they wouldn’t do that?
John – Mr. Fracas is very helpful, and you can see how proud he is of the fact that he’s married a woman with not only a brain… but even her naughty bits are smart! (Rather lucky chap, don’t you think?)
gitwizard – Are you saying the crap was from downloading PSP 7.0 from oldversion.com? I’ve never had that happen to me. I’ve used AVG for some time though, and have never had any real trouble since I switched over to it. Used their trial version and then purchased the full version… have since renewed my update license also. An old friend suggested AVG to me and I’ve never been sorry… and I don’t get a penny from telling others to use it either! It’s easy to use and dependable. Everything else I’d tried prior, was too much trouble for everyone else (including the kids) to understand, or would have issues (like Zone Alarm not being compatable with other apps we wanted to use and requiring the user to know what to tell it to do – a nightmare with kids on the computer).
Plus… before I download anything I want, I usually google for problems before I download. I’m just anal like that…
Hi Frac, think that must be where it came from, didn’t download anything else, next thing I looked at was 70’s Flickr.
Didn’t google for probs ‘cos knowing how an…err, I mean careful you are I thought it would be OK.
Hi GW – Prior to downloading from oldversion… when was the last time you’ve ran a complete virus/malware scan? I ask because in googling to find if oldversion has lost their reputation for being ok to download from, I found many examples that it is still considered ok.
For example:
http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/oldversion.com
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090216140913AAJGxBn
Now, some programs offered for download there are actually considered malware, but unless you specifically downloaded those… you shouldn’t have gotten anything from there.
They are:
morpheus20
gozilla40
old versions of limewire
You’ll notice at the McAffee link (siteadvisor) they cleared oldversion as safe but with a warning about those specific programs. Below is Norton’s take… they give a warning about oldversion, but again, they specify that the offending files were found related to those same programs.
http://safeweb.norton.com/report/show?name=oldversion.com
Same thing with the Browser Defender report. They did warn about those few files, but have a list there of all the files on the site and all the rest have a green a-ok checkmark.
http://www.browserdefender.com/site/oldversion.com/
PCWorld recommmended it:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/137703/before_they_spoiled_the_software.html
More:
http://webupon.com/web-talk/oldversion/
I’m wondering if there’s a chance you could’ve had some of that stuff on your computer prior to using oldversion.com and it’s a coincidence? I have my full virus/malware scan automatically set to happen daily, during a time there’s usually no one on the computer. If someone does happen to be on then, they usually turn the scan off. I have at times, looked through the logs just to see what’s gone on… and occasionally find that my AVG has found and removed malware and the occasional virus and often when I look at what file the offender was found in, I find it’s in an mp3 one of the kids has downloaded.
I guess what I’m saying is that no matter how careful we are, it still happens and having good software to find it and deal with it before it affects us, is the best solution. What anti-virus/malware software do you use? What about firewall? What do you use?
(See… I really am anal…)
Hi Frac, thanks for the research and help. I have PC Tools’ SpywareDr. with anti-virus which runs every day, but not a FULL scan ‘cos this takes over 30 mins, I guess I ought to time it to run over-night, but I even get up in the early hours to use the laptop if I wake up….’This entry was posted on July 22, 2009 at 02:10…’ obviously today’s post there.
I don’t think it can be something that’s already there ‘cos as soon as I have downloaded something dodgy in the past, the PC always behaves the same way, very slow, then freezes altogether, the only way I can get it back is shut everything down and start again, firstly by running a scan, it ALWAYS finds tracking cookies and adware.