PaintShop Pro won't save images as JPG (Fixed)

Today I was not able to save anymore images in PainShop Pro as jpg (png will work). PainShop Pro will simply freeze if I try to do this.

The issue: a clipboard monitor called PureText was conflicting with PainShop Pro. Closing the program solved the issue.  

I have no clue why the programmers of PainShop Pro chose to hook to the clipboard while saving the output as JPG but obviously is not only pointless but also poorly implemented.

Case solved.

Yet another EurekaLog bug. How many until now?

I stepped last week in a multiple-bug situation with EurekaLog for Delphi. I again wasted MORE than a day with this buggy "exception tracer tool".

My DRP file is like this:

PROGRAM MyProgram;
uses
  {$ifdef win32}fastmm4,{$endif}
  EurekaLog_units_come_here

This worked fine until I compiled the program to 64 bits.
On 64 bit, EurekaLog refused to work. After lots of emails exchanged with their (slow) customer support I got NOTHING.
In the end I have found the problem: a bug (oh yes, another one) in EurekaLog. Eureka v7.4 could not properly parse the DRP file when it contains conditional directives like {$ifdef}.
So, because EurekaLog parse my dpr file was like this

 
PROGRAM MyProgram;
uses
  {$ifdef win32}fastmm4,
  EurekaLog_units_come_here
  {$endif}

Solution? None. The support guy from EurekaLog (Alex) invided me to pay for a new license on order to get a small update (same version, so update, no upgrade) to v7.5 which allegedly works. I won't do that. I should receive the UPDATE to the non-bugged version for free AT LEAST for the reason that I have invested time to help them locate the bug.

________________

Maybe they should write a bug tracker tool for their one bug tracker tool :)

How to configure EurekaLog to send bugs via email

Email sender settings in EurekaLog v7
 

	SMTP Server [1]	Simple MAPI	MAPI	Shell (MailTo)	SMTP client [3]
Can attach the ELP file	Yes	Yes [2]	Yes [2]	No	Yes
See sender's email	No [4]	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Email client software*	Not required	Required	Required	Required	Not required
Chance of success	Highest chance among all methods	High if email client installed	WinMail & Outlook only!!	High if email client installed	I get a 'revocation function' error but for others is working
Can tell if email was successfully sent?	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

1 - Many antivirus products will flag your EXE as virus

2 - if "Append bug report text in the message text" is UNCHECKED

3 - Typically, you should use either SMTP server or SMTP client, but not both methods simultaneously.
Bugged in EurekaLog v7.4.8.0 RC 1 - Error code = -2146885613 - The revocation function was unable to check revocation because the revocation server was offline. Maybe because: “Currently EurekaLog supports AUTH LOGIN and AUTH PLAIN authentication methods”?

4 - could be enabled via SetUserEMail function)

* If required: Email client must be installed and properly reconfigured. User must to click on "Send" in their e-mail clients. Automatic send without user actions is not possible. 

_____________ 

Please note that EurekaLog v7 is also plagued with several serious bugs! I contacted the producer but he didn't bother to reply until now.

 

Embarcadero finally decided to fix SOME bugs in Delphi

In the new road map, Embarcadero finally decided to fix SOME bugs in Delphi.

It seems good news but hold your horses:
1. They not always keep their promise related to the road map.
2. There are not so many bugs
3. They won't do all the fixes at once, but until 2018
4. Until 2018 another 500 new bugs (AT LEAST) will be introduced
5. We have to pay (not 59 bucks but HARD money) to get that non-buggy version of Delphi.

And in the end, what the fuck are we so happy that Embarcadero is fixing some bugs? Is not a present, a gift from heavens! Those bugs SHOULD NOT BE THERE anyway!

So, thank you Embarcadero for finally thinking to fix some bugs and FUCK YOU.

PS: In the next road map maybe you will introduce an item likes "free updates".

http://community.embarcadero.com/article/news/16418-product-roadmap-august-2016

Three software programs that [used to] plague our computers: Acrobat, Java, Flash

There used to be three programs that really made our computer miserable. They were slow, bloated, intrusive and a  lot of security holes opened with them when you installed.



Java - Probably Java is the nastiest of all

Until few years ago you could not browse some web sites because some derailed 'web developers' decided to put some 'cool' animations and menus on their web site that required Java, forcing YOU to install Java, this way.
Now, Java is a really intrusive mammoth that starts at computer start up, installs background services, make your browser literary crawl eating A LOT of memory and keep wasting your Internet bandwidth by checking and downloading updates. And boy, Java needs updates because every 3-4 days a MAJOR security hole was discovered! And every security hole in Java is a security hole in YOUR computer.

ACTUALLY, Java is so dangerous for your computer that "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is advising people to temporarily disable the Java software on their computers to avoid potential attacks" floridatoday.com
It is so bad that Firefox won't even let you activate it.

I uninstalled Java maaaaany years ago from my computer and I vehemently refuse to install it. Not a single time! And many others like me have forced the web designer community not to use Java on their web site. Now probably less than 1 in 5000 web sites still have Java. So, you miss it a bit.



Acrobat Reader - Big deal for nothing

Adobe Acrobat Reader is basically a notepad. Its task should be to open a PDF file and show it on screen. It does this in such a bombastic way that 3 minutes later after Acrobat, but it is still crunching data, you forgot why you wanted to open that PDF anyway.

Same bubonic 'features' as Java: eats up lots or memory and disk space, invades you with background services, system tray icons and installs itself to run at computer start up.
Security wholes? Plenty.

Alternatives: Foxit PDF (once a decent and fast PDF viewer, now starting to step on exactly the same sick path as Acrobat Reader), Sumatra PDF. More about these Acrobat Reader alternatives.

And something else: Next time somebody sends you a PDF send him an email back and say "I politely request to send me the document as DOC or RTF. They are as good as PDF" then optionally sign: "Fuck you and best regards retard".



Adobe Flash Player

The Flash Player literary built and shaped the web as we know it. And this is not the web should be.
Firefox will also deactivate the Flash plugin when a MAJOR security whole is discovered. And boy, coming from Adobe, there are lots of those!

Flash is so wrong in every possible way: difficult to program, terribly slow (and I mean it), bulky and unsafe. But Adobe really pushed money into it so they managed to shovel it down to our throats. 

Alternatives: HTML5 - After all those years, the web community is finally coming to its senses trying to replace Flash with HTML 5, a major update of (too) old HTML. This change should have been done 25 years ago (which on Internet time-scale means 2 eons ago).

Most web sites already abandoned Flash and switched to HTML 5. So, it is not the time to turn off the Flash plugin in your browser and finally take a fresh breath of Flash-free Internet.

Also see "Flash is dying a death by 1,000 cuts, and that's a good thing" by TheGuardia.

Delphi XE7 IDE crash due to CnPAck MSDN Help Integrated

After spending 2 full hours I managed to find the culprit for an IDE crash (access violation in VCL210). The cause was ...drum roll please... CnPack!

There was a palette in IDE's main tool bar called MSDN Help. However, when I right click to configure the toolbar, the palette was not listed there to show it/hide it. This probably cause the crash when I tried to remove it by dragging it out of the toolbar.

More delphi weirdness - No mapping for the Unicode character exists in the target multi-byte code page

Today I tried to open an old project. While loading the main DFM form I got a "No mapping for the Unicode character exists in the target multi-byte code page" error.

After wasting some time I figured out what caused it: the form had a custom control that had a property like this: HeaderCellSpacing = 1.300000000000000000.
Meanwhile the control was updated and this property was renamed. This was the reason of the error. It was enough to open the DFM and manually delete that property. After that the form loaded nicely.

Delphi should have been able to see which properties does not exist anymore and automatically remove them. Another proof that Delphi XE7 is totally unworthy for day by day development.



Keywords: No mapping for the Unicode character exists in the target multi-byte code page

Delphi bug: Exception EAccessViolation in module rtl210.bpl at 00016A9C [SOLVED]

I keep getting this error at Delphi shut down:

Application Error - Exception EAccessViolation in module rtl210.bpl at 00016A9C.
Access violation at address 50066A9C in module 'rtl210.bpl'. Read of address 06152AF8.

Solution 1:

The problem is fixed by restoring this registry key to its original state: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Embarcadero\BDS\15.0\Known IDE Packages]

Here is the pristine value for this key:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Embarcadero\BDS\15.0\Known IDE Packages]
"$(BDS)\\bin\\htmide210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\bin\\comptoolbar210.bpl"="Component Toolbar Package"
"$(BDS)\\bin\\mlcc210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\tgide210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\delphiosx32210.bpl"="Delphi OSX32 Platform"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\macosxdebugide210.bpl"="MacOS"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\delphiwin64210.bpl"="Delphi Win64 Platform"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\win64debugide210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\GuidedTour210.bpl"="Embarcadero Guided Tour Package"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\ModernTheme210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\asmview210.bpl"="Assembly Browser Package"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\dbkdebugide210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\delphiwin32210.bpl"="Delphi Win32 Platform"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\dotnetcoreide210.bpl"=".NET Core IDE Package"
"$(BDS)\\bin\\exceptiondiag210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\bin\\fileexplorer210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\bin\\historyide210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\htmlhelp2210.bpl"="HtmlHelp Viewer"
"$(BDS)\\bin\\idefilefilters210.bpl"="IDE File filters"
"$(BDS)\\bin\\plugview210.bpl"="Pluggable Tree View Package"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\projpageide210.bpl"="Value Data: Project and template library package"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\startpageide210.bpl"="Start Page IDE Package"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\tlbview210.bpl"="TypeLibrary Browser Package"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\codetemplates210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\bin\\coreproide210.bpl"="Core IDE Pro Package"
"$(BDS)\\bin\\dbkdebugproide210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\profiledeployide210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\profilemgride210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\sdkmgride210.bpl"="Embarcadero SDK Manager"
"$(BDS)\\bin\\refactoride210.bpl"="Core Refactoring Package"
"$(BDS)\\bin\\todoide210.bpl"="ToDo"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\comcore210.bpl"="HtmlHelp Viewer"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\projecttargets210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\vclmenudesigner210.bpl"=".NET Core IDE Package"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\DataExplorerIDE210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\unittestide210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\iteidew32210.bpl"="(Untitled)"
"$(BDS)\\Bin\\VisualizationServiceIDE210.bpl"="Visualization IDE Service Package"
"C:\\Users\\Public\\Documents\\Embarcadero\\Studio\\15.0\\Experts\\IDEFixPackStartup.bpl"="IDE Fix Pack Startup"


[UPDATE]
SOLUTION 2 (and cause):

After some work I discovered what caused this: The 'FMX controls' package was disabled (probably I disabled it since FMX is still infantile and I don't intend to use it right now). Re-enabling this package solved the problem.

Also removing "$(BDS)\\Bin\\delphiwin32210.bpl"="Delphi Win32 Platform" helped.

Delphi: Access violation in module 'bindcomp210.bpl'

I keep getting an "Access violation at address 1204F872 in module 'bindcomp210.bpl'. Read of address 1423C764" message during Delphi startup.

After poking around I have found the solution: delete the
"Project" and/or "SaveFileDirectory" keys in [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Embarcadero\BDS\15.0\Session]

Delphi developers are now charged for bug fixes [via Update Subscription]

Starting this year Embarcadero has a new plan to milk money from its customers. With the new 'Update Subscription' plan, Embarcadero wants to charge 30% from original purchase price, each year, each customer that wants access to product bug fixes (that were not supposed to be there anyway).
Eve more, there is no warranty that the customer will actually get the bug fixes. Embarcadero clearly states that: "All fixes, updates and hotfixes are purely at Embarcadero's discretion."
Actually it states that twice. So, don't miss to read it :)

Ongoing Maintenance and Hot-Fixes for Previous Versions*

In the middle of a development cycle on an older IDE version? The RAD Studio team will now continue to release critical updates and hotfixes for up to two (2) years and three (3) major versions, improving your investment and enabling you to upgrade to the latest version on your schedule. All maintenance updates and hotfixes will only be available to users on an active Subscription and cannot be downloaded or purchased separately. Versions currently under Ongoing maintenance include XE7, XE6, and XE5 versions. Active subscribers will also have immediate access to beta hotfixes, providing the most timely access to critical fixes. All fixes, updates and hotfixes are purely at Embarcadero's discretion.
Link


Some stores are already selling upgrade subscriptions for 2000 pounds + VAT.



There is another way to get updates?
No. The FAQ clearly states it:

Can I obtain updates and hotfixes without a subscription?
An active update subscription is the only way to obtain updates and hotfixes for current and prior (up to 2 years) releases.

I see a big incoming wave of programming towards Lazarus.

How to solve the "Cannot load a form that has itself as ancestor" error in Delphi

How to solve the "Cannot load a form that has itself as ancestor" error in Delphi

This is how a new/empty project should look like:

uses
  Forms,
  Unit1 in 'Unit1.pas' {Form1};

And this how your project probably looks like:

uses
  Forms,
  Unit1 in 'Unit1.pas' {Form};    <--------- here="" missing="" span="">

I spent on hour to find the well hidden culprit.
I had a previous problems where Delphi messed up the DPR file (the {$R *.res} declaration).
When do we ever learn?

Delphi 2007 - (bad) Review

Delphi 2007 - Same old stuff under a new hat?

We all love Delphi. It is smart, easy to understand, really fast and user friendly.

But is the IDE the one that makes is so nice or the language?

Every time Borland released a new version forced as to go through a painful learning and re-adaptation process. But not because of the language but because of the buggy IDE.

You can't argue with me: there are HUGE lists of unresolved bugs for every possible version released.

It is the same for Delphi 2007? Let’s find out. I just installed Delphi 2007 on my computer. First time I was really glad to have it because people ware speaking nice about this new version.

After the first attempt to install it failed, I tried again and I somehow succeed.

Until now I can report more bad stuff that good ones. Anyway I am still happy that I can report also good stuff.

Compared with Delphi 2005, Delphi 2007 is a charm. Compared with Delphi 2006 it is a little bit better. Compared with Delphi 7 it is worst.

* I thought that Delphi 2007 is free of .Net. Well that was a lie. Delphi 2007 refuses to install without .Net 2.0 (and other craps like this).

* The first bug I saw few minutes after I open the IDE for the first time was the fast blinking icons in the tool bar. I had the same problem with Delphi 2005 and 2006.

* The next bug, this time a really big one was the help system which in 30% is working. Imagine yourself what is with the rest of 70%.

The help system is a disaster. It takes much more time to load than Delphi itself. If you ask help for an instruction/window on IDE it always answers: 'Error. No help found for 2029. OK | Details'.

When it does not display that stupid answer then it returns allot of garbage from MS .Net and MS API help. In most cases the right answer is not there.

For example after pressing F1 for while the cursor was on the reserved word 'Function', the help system returned (after 37 seconds!).

Conclusions?

* Sometimes the cursor has the same color as the IDE background. You can have big fun trying to figure out where is your cursor on the screen. The solution is to restart the IDE and pray to work. If not, restart again (and pray harder).

* Delphi 2007 takes a lot of time to load to memory (my system is AMD 64 x2 4.6GHz and 1GB DDR2 at 800MHz). The average amount of memory for small projects is 50-120MB. But sometimes if goes to 600-1000MB.

So you need at least 2GB or RAM to work with this version of Delphi.

* Other small problems can be observed in IDE. Many windows behave strange or you have no buttons to configure them. For example if you have error when you compile a program, the 'Messages' will pop-up at the bottom of the IDE. This is ok. Right? But after you fix the problem the window does not close itself as in Delphi 7. So every time you compile a program you need to go and manually close that window.

* The undo system is also a disaster. Sometimes is working, sometimes (most of the cases) is not. So if you made a mistake you can't undo it so you need to rewrite all that code.

I don't think that Delphi 2007 is better than Delphi 7. Actually it is a disaster. Not as big as Delphi 2005 but still a disaster. I hope that Borland (hic, CodeGear) will release a patch (or more) really soon, but until then Delphi 2007 can't be used.

I didn't post here every small bug I have found, but only the big ones. I will update this entry as I will find out more.

Now I am supposed to speak also about the good parts of Delphi 2007. Well until I will have the patch to be able to run Delphi 2007 form more than 1 hour, I will post also the nice parts of Delphi 2007, until then I will stick with Delphi 7 and with its already known bugs (and work around).

Please drop me a line if you know how to make the help system to work and how to remove the useless (MS API) results from a search.