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Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#841

Post by ziotom78 »

lj3 wrote: post #562
yoodenvranx wrote: post #452

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Delphi was awesome for rapid GUI development! It was so easy to get reasonable nice programs in a short amount of time. I really really miss it.

Have you ever used Lazarus? I'm curious how it compares to Delphi specifically for GUI development. From a rapid GUI development standpoint, they seem to be the only game in town aside from VisualBasic.

I used it for a small project where I needed a quick way to plot some lab data. I chose Lazarus because these data needed to be displayed on all the computers in our lab, including a few Windows machines.

I was amazed when the program I developed on Linux compiled and ran flawlessly on Windows at the first attempt!

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#842

Post by dorfuss »

frik wrote: post #46

Please read it from a consumer perspective about consumer topics: (of course B2B is very different, where other things matter) * products/software without DRM, always-online, analytics, tracking and spy "features" - bad for consumer personal privacy, and prevents second hand market, products cannot be owned anymore, try buying Windows 10, John Deer tractor, Tesla S without that crap * Cash money: those Davos attendee…

I'm not sure Germany is a good example. I am now living in west Germany, people simply prefer using cash. Unlike in Sweden, where I also lived, where they want to get rid of it soon. Many services are simply not available without a credit card (eg.: at T-Mobile store).

But I second you on the cloud computing and SaaS - I want the programs to run on my machine. And off-line.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#843

Post by tripzilch »

tajen wrote: post #688
frik wrote: post #46

Please read it from a consumer perspective about consumer topics: (of course B2B is very different, where other things matter) * products/software without DRM, always-online, analytics, tracking and spy "features" - bad for consumer personal privacy, and prevents second hand market, products cannot be owned anymore, try buying Windows 10, John Deer tractor, Tesla S without that crap * Cash money: those Davos attendee…

Like, you miss when you could configure a Cisco router without using the cloud sysadmin console? I miss when I owned my Mac OS X. I'd use Linux just for the sake of having a non-cloud system. Concerning money, I don't understand why we wouldn't track criminals when using banknotes. There are only 15bn Euro banknotes, all numbered. You could track them easily in Postgres. 90% banknotes change hands only once before go…

interesting! how did you arrive at the ~15bn number?

I like it as an argument against cashless payment.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#844

Post by davemac8 »

nanoverge wrote: post #266
frik wrote: post #142

* IBM ThinkPad T41p/60. Lenovo T410/X210 where still somewhat fine. But these newer ultrabooks nowadays have less powerful specs than 5 year old notebooks. The Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon isn't bad, but a far cry given it's ultrabook less powerful specs than an 5 year old high end notebook. And these shitty keyboard nowadays, give me back the old keyboard layout like grouped F1-F12 key, better placed Home/PgUp/PgDn/End…

The Microsoft IntelliMouse was so good. This was something I realized at the time and hoarded them. I now have a wonderful stash of that mouse.

I'm down to my last one, and can't source them anywhere now. Want to sell any?

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#845

Post by davemac8 »

michael_h wrote: post #542
nanoverge wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Microsoft IntelliMouse was so good. This was something I realized at the time and hoarded them. I now have a wonderful stash of that mouse.

My bank got new computers and were selling their old intellimice for $3 each. I have a huge stash.

Any for sale?

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#846

Post by random778 »

starquake wrote: post #289
anexprogrammer wrote: post #173

Logitech Mouseman+ ( http://2a.zol-img.com.cn/product/117_500x2000/44/cepKXmRt1Cs... ) Best ergonomic mouse ever made. Fitted my hand perfectly. The extreme slant looks terrible but works far better than every handed mouse I've used in the 20 years since. There was a matching trackball if you preferred that. Unlike every modern Logitech mouse made it did not break after a short life. It was thrown away because it was…

Have you tried the Logitech M500? https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6qYHapP52IA/maxresdefault.jpg

I use the MX500. Had it for 12 years. Took it apart two years ago and washed the plastic parts in dishwashing liquid, still good as new - only the black background of the logo is worn.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#847

Post by neotokyo »

coreymaass wrote: post #640

There was a music "tracker" called Jeskola Buzz tracker. I used it to write music for 8 years. It was the perfect mix between DAW and experimental tool. It technically still exists, but the source had been lost for ages before I even started using it. It was buggy, and PC-only.

It has been picked up again, from the latest salvaged source code. Has been for a number of years - http://jeskola.net/buzz/

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#849

Post by jzcoder »

jeffeld wrote: post #348

Microsoft Quick-Help Circa 1990, a DOS TSR (remember those?) that when you pressed Alt+H (I think) popped up help for the API call at the cursor (usually OS/2 or Win16).

Norton Guides. A similar TSR that also included a compiler for building your own guides. I remember one popular one was the Ralph Brown Interrupt List. I think about this tool a lot, but I think IDE's with auto completion and showing parameters has largely replaced the need. But using NG, still seems faster than having to launch an IDE help system or doing a google search.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Guides

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#850

Post by wlesieutre »

gearoidoc wrote: post #622
wlesieutre wrote: post #606

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not an exact replacement, but have you looked at Unclutter? http://unclutterapp.com

Thank you - purchased!

Quicksilver also has a "shelf" area that acts as a temporary holding place for files. It's not as simple and friendly as Unclutter, but there's a pretty open-ended shortcut system with a mouse-gestures plugin available.
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