MA1.1 Aquarium Bugs - Page 3

feldon34 · 06-24-2002, 03:07 PM

The background is designed for 1024x768 and does not scale very well on LCD displays. Please run the Aquarium at 1024x768 resolution with the thin black borders on all sides.

Axle · 06-26-2002, 06:24 AM

feldon, i got a problem with the widescreen aquarium thats exactly the same as the problem i get when i try to window the normal aquarium (posted not too long ago in this thread), should i still send it in or assume that if its fixed in the reg SS it'll be fixed for the widescreen?

ps: your approaching 2222 posts!

feldon34 · 06-26-2002, 11:19 AM

Apparently, there is a 1.1.3 version of the widescreen coming out, not sure when.

mps · 07-03-2002, 08:46 PM

Originally posted by feldon23
The background is designed for 1024x768 and does not scale very well on LCD displays. Please run the Aquarium at 1024x768 resolution with the thin black borders on all sides.

This is not a usable solution for me. My X Server (Hummingbird eXceed) goes bananas if the screen saver changes the resolution. I think it is important that a screensaver be able to avoid screwing with running apps, which may be very sensitive to getting messages indicating changes of resolution. Any possibility of getting backgrounds for a variety of resolutions?

feldon34 · 07-03-2002, 08:55 PM

Everything in the aquarium is hard coded. It would take tremendous effort to do what you're talking about.

And I have to ask, a laptop as a server? and more importantly, you care what resolution you're running the screen on a server?

Servers are generally a tower that gos in the closet without a monitor or keyboard. Just PC Anywhere or Terminal Server to control it from remote.

I'm not saying your situation can't be accomodated but it would be difficult.

mps · 07-04-2002, 10:48 PM

Originally posted by feldon23
Everything in the aquarium is hard coded. It would take tremendous effort to do what you're talking about.

And I have to ask, a laptop as a server? and more importantly, you care what resolution you're running the screen on a server?

Servers are generally a tower that gos in the closet without a monitor or keyboard. Just PC Anywhere or Terminal Server to control it from remote.

I'm not saying your situation can't be accomodated but it would be difficult.

Let me clarify. X servers run on desktop machines not server machines. Basically, they "serve" windows to applications. Millions of desktop machines run X servers.

BTW, my machine is not a laptop. I simply use an LCD monitor. Many companies like Gateway (and Apple of course) now default their machines to LCD monitors. I believe that most desktop machines will ship with LCD monitors within a year, so this scenario will only become more common.

Finally, X servers are not the only desktop applications that have difficulty responding to changes in video settings. Screensavers that can use existing video settings will break far less often than those that must change the video settings.

Reichart · 07-07-2002, 01:03 PM

We are getting ready to release an update that fixes several issues. We skipped releasing 1.1.3, and are going to release 1.1.4. And we are releasing Normal and Wide at the same time from now on. We should have this before Aug 1.

But one thing I want to do is get on my soap box and tell you that pretty much EVERY bug we fix in the SereneScreen line at this point is really 100% due to a category we call here “S” (Someone else’s software).

Dual Monitor, audio on while window does not have focus, SereneScreen minimizing when a message comes in from an application. All of this is something the OS should fix, not Developers. But…because many or most of these things become apparent on our product, we have to write special code to deal with it.

Of interest, we just finished the Beta Mac version of the product. The Mac has such a clean OS that it does not even come with an installer! You can run the App, or drop the program in the Screen Saver directory, and it takes care of itself. Very nice.

I have in fact talked directly to one of the heads at Microsoft about fixing this. It is my opinion that Microsoft (and all OS manufacturers) have a fiduciary responsibility to allow developers to get their product on the OS by the simplest means possible. Product should not be installed. We should start by thinking of this from the other way, which is I click on a button and say, “YES,” I want that product to run on my computer, tell me when this is done. Like putting a DVD in a player, stick it in, and when it is all ready, hit play.

We have a ways to go.

Shinsa · 07-07-2002, 06:09 PM

Software can be written for Windows without the need to be installed. I have used several programs that can be copied via drag and drop, from CD to a folder on the HD. I can then run the app from that folder, and it will work just fine.

The Apple idea is that the computer should be as simple to use as possible, while the Microsoft view is to make is as complcated as possible first, then try to make it easier for those who can't grasp it.

Look at Apples iPod MP3 player. Simplistic. No proprietiery format (just standard MAC HFS). Its so simply made, that it can be changed to work as a PDA of sorts.

Apple has a fantastic vision for personal computing. Its downfall was a greedy hippy named Jobs. And people think Bill Gates is a greedy SOB. What about Apple? Where else can you get a MAC?? Where else can you run OS X? Now, isn't THAT a monopoly??? ^_^ (former Apple II user)

Tiny Turtle · 07-22-2002, 04:34 PM

This is really a minor bug, but since this *is* the bug thread, I'd like to (discretely) point a small artefact on the tailfin of the Yellow Tang.

/Tiny Artefact

feldon34 · 07-22-2002, 05:11 PM

That glitch has been on the Yellow Tang for a while. It's not massive but hopefully it can be cleaned up in a future version. It's a texture coordinate issue. The Powder Blue Tang has something similar on the rear top fin.

Tiny Turtle · 07-22-2002, 11:57 PM

Like I said: "minor..."

albrt · 07-24-2002, 01:45 PM

Riechart, will the registered users be imformed when the version 1.1.4 releases??? I have quite using the ss for awhile because it will run fine then all of a sudden clicks off and I find it in my task bar and all I get it the bubble sound. Most of the time I have to restart to get it running again. Most of the time this is when another program such as mail alert starts.
OS is Windows XP PRo
ATI Raedon 32 MB DDR
512 mb sdram
1 GHZ Dell Dimension 4300
will this bug be fixed in the new update? thank you

Reichart · 07-24-2002, 03:00 PM

Your problem is our number one fix we are working on. It turns out this is a REAL pain. REAL REAL pain.

There are about 5 reasons this happens in the first place, even though it looks like one problem (requester pops up, we fall down).

Part of the problem is that we are not a REAL screen saver. We allow people to press keys to get into the dialogues.

This creates conflicting messages to the program.

We have been working on this since Feldon first told us about it, and have done all sorts of things to reproduce.

To answer your question, YES, we will notify here on the Fan site, and on our site (in the FAQ).

Also, I personally want to thank you for being so patient.

feldon34 · 07-24-2002, 04:59 PM

I will send out an e-mail to all 3,600 people who have signed up for SereneScreen News at my website when 1.1.4 comes out.

Pushwall · 08-02-2002, 06:49 AM

Originally posted by albrt
Riechart, will the registered users be imformed when the version 1.1.4 releases??? I have quite using the ss for awhile because it will run fine then all of a sudden clicks off and I find it in my task bar and all I get it the bubble sound. Most of the time I have to restart to get it running again. Most of the time this is when another program such as mail alert starts.

Until a new release of SereneScreen resolves this problem, I have found another program that fixes this. It is called Hack-It v4.01. This program enables you to manipulate the functions of ANY program window. I set aquarium.scr up as an automatic function in Hack-It with the following settings: maximize, topmost, visible, and real-time......these settings worked for me, your settings may be a bit different to fix the problem. (You also might have to set up your mail alert program in Hack-It and set its window to NOT be a topmost window.)

Hack-It comes in a freeware version that you load and set manually everytime you reboot Windows (homesite is www.headius.com, or it can also be downloaded from www.zdnet.com). Or you can purchase the Pro version for a small fee where the settings are always saved.

feldon34 · 08-02-2002, 08:24 AM

Wonder if there is a program out there that can limit CPU usage of a program.

Reichart · 08-02-2002, 01:07 PM

We will write a CPU usage reducer right after we write a RAM doubler.
We expect both of these to be our best sellers

We are almost ready to release a version that fixes the reducing bug. Which is the bug where some other program causes us to go away, but sound continues.

feldon34 · 08-02-2002, 03:19 PM

Reichart, someone beat you to the punch on the RAM Doubler idea.

It's hard to recommend the Aquarium as a full-time screen saver when I've seen it lock up several systems due to the 100% cpu usage bug. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but the responses from you and Jim on this have not been very positive. I do not feel comfortable running something 24/7 that keeps my CPU 10-15 degrees north of idle.

By running multiple copies of Winamp (9 to be exact, each running DSP FX), I was able to determine that the Aquarium only needs 40-50% of my 1400 MHz CPU to generate 60 frames per second of animation.

Pushwall · 08-03-2002, 11:59 AM

Originally posted by feldon23
Wonder if there is a program out there that can limit CPU usage of a program.

The Hack-It program has this function too. It lets you set a priority that the application associated with a matched window should run at. Applications are given access to the processor and key system resources based on their priority level. Idle is the lowest, followed by Normal, High, and Real-Time. Applications at the Idle priority receive the least amount of processor time, usually when other applications are using the processor. Normal is the standard priority for most applications. High priority applications receive more processor time and faster access to system resources (memory, persistant storage, sound and video), at the expense of lower-priority applications. Real-Time is the highest priority, and is usually given only to system applications and processes.

feldon34 · 08-03-2002, 12:43 PM

The Aquarium is set to Idle but still uses 100% when it can, generating hundreds of frames of animation which are not displayed.

06-24-2002, 03:07 PM	#41
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	The background is designed for 1024x768 and does not scale very well on LCD displays. Please run the Aquarium at 1024x768 resolution with the thin black borders on all sides. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

06-26-2002, 06:24 AM	#42
Axle Registered Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Canberra, Australia Posts: 59	feldon, i got a problem with the widescreen aquarium thats exactly the same as the problem i get when i try to window the normal aquarium (posted not too long ago in this thread), should i still send it in or assume that if its fixed in the reg SS it'll be fixed for the widescreen? ps: your approaching 2222 posts! Axle Foley Avid User of SereneScreen Aquarium

06-26-2002, 11:19 AM	#43
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	Apparently, there is a 1.1.3 version of the widescreen coming out, not sure when. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

07-03-2002, 08:55 PM	#45
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	Everything in the aquarium is hard coded. It would take tremendous effort to do what you're talking about. And I have to ask, a laptop as a server? and more importantly, you care what resolution you're running the screen on a server? Servers are generally a tower that gos in the closet without a monitor or keyboard. Just PC Anywhere or Terminal Server to control it from remote. I'm not saying your situation can't be accomodated but it would be difficult. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman Last edited by feldon34; 07-03-2002 at 09:00 PM.

07-07-2002, 01:03 PM	#47
Reichart CTO Prolific Publishing Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Maui Posts: 423	update coming 1.1.4 (Aug or before). We are getting ready to release an update that fixes several issues. We skipped releasing 1.1.3, and are going to release 1.1.4. And we are releasing Normal and Wide at the same time from now on. We should have this before Aug 1. But one thing I want to do is get on my soap box and tell you that pretty much EVERY bug we fix in the SereneScreen line at this point is really 100% due to a category we call here “S” (Someone else’s software). Dual Monitor, audio on while window does not have focus, SereneScreen minimizing when a message comes in from an application. All of this is something the OS should fix, not Developers. But…because many or most of these things become apparent on our product, we have to write special code to deal with it. Of interest, we just finished the Beta Mac version of the product. The Mac has such a clean OS that it does not even come with an installer! You can run the App, or drop the program in the Screen Saver directory, and it takes care of itself. Very nice. I have in fact talked directly to one of the heads at Microsoft about fixing this. It is my opinion that Microsoft (and all OS manufacturers) have a fiduciary responsibility to allow developers to get their product on the OS by the simplest means possible. Product should not be installed. We should start by thinking of this from the other way, which is I click on a button and say, “YES,” I want that product to run on my computer, tell me when this is done. Like putting a DVD in a player, stick it in, and when it is all ready, hit play. We have a ways to go. *Reichart...* , CTO, Prolific Publishing, Inc. Come visit us Prolific Publishing, Inc.

07-03-2002, 08:46 PM	#44
mps Registered Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 3	Originally posted by feldon23 The background is designed for 1024x768 and does not scale very well on LCD displays. Please run the Aquarium at 1024x768 resolution with the thin black borders on all sides. This is not a usable solution for me. My X Server (Hummingbird eXceed) goes bananas if the screen saver changes the resolution. I think it is important that a screensaver be able to avoid screwing with running apps, which may be very sensitive to getting messages indicating changes of resolution. Any possibility of getting backgrounds for a variety of resolutions?

07-04-2002, 10:48 PM	#46
mps Registered Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 3	Originally posted by feldon23 Everything in the aquarium is hard coded. It would take tremendous effort to do what you're talking about. And I have to ask, a laptop as a server? and more importantly, you care what resolution you're running the screen on a server? Servers are generally a tower that gos in the closet without a monitor or keyboard. Just PC Anywhere or Terminal Server to control it from remote. I'm not saying your situation can't be accomodated but it would be difficult. Let me clarify. X servers run on desktop machines not server machines. Basically, they "serve" windows to applications. Millions of desktop machines run X servers. BTW, my machine is not a laptop. I simply use an LCD monitor. Many companies like Gateway (and Apple of course) now default their machines to LCD monitors. I believe that most desktop machines will ship with LCD monitors within a year, so this scenario will only become more common. Finally, X servers are not the only desktop applications that have difficulty responding to changes in video settings. Screensavers that can use existing video settings will break far less often than those that must change the video settings.

07-07-2002, 06:09 PM	#48
Shinsa Registered Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Fayetteville, NC Posts: 407	Software can be written for Windows without the need to be installed. I have used several programs that can be copied via drag and drop, from CD to a folder on the HD. I can then run the app from that folder, and it will work just fine. The Apple idea is that the computer should be as simple to use as possible, while the Microsoft view is to make is as complcated as possible first, then try to make it easier for those who can't grasp it. Look at Apples iPod MP3 player. Simplistic. No proprietiery format (just standard MAC HFS). Its so simply made, that it can be changed to work as a PDA of sorts. Apple has a fantastic vision for personal computing. Its downfall was a greedy hippy named Jobs. And people think Bill Gates is a greedy SOB. What about Apple? Where else can you get a MAC?? Where else can you run OS X? Now, isn't THAT a monopoly??? ^_^ (former Apple II user) Bob "When you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." _______________________________________________

07-22-2002, 05:11 PM	#50
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	That glitch has been on the Yellow Tang for a while. It's not massive but hopefully it can be cleaned up in a future version. It's a texture coordinate issue. The Powder Blue Tang has something similar on the rear top fin. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman Last edited by feldon34; 07-22-2002 at 05:15 PM.

07-22-2002, 11:57 PM	#51
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	Like I said: "minor..." Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think. "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history.

07-24-2002, 01:45 PM	#52
albrt Registered Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 28	Riechart, will the registered users be imformed when the version 1.1.4 releases??? I have quite using the ss for awhile because it will run fine then all of a sudden clicks off and I find it in my task bar and all I get it the bubble sound. Most of the time I have to restart to get it running again. Most of the time this is when another program such as mail alert starts. OS is Windows XP PRo ATI Raedon 32 MB DDR 512 mb sdram 1 GHZ Dell Dimension 4300 will this bug be fixed in the new update? thank you

07-24-2002, 03:00 PM	#53
Reichart CTO Prolific Publishing Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Maui Posts: 423	Your problem is our number one fix we are working on. It turns out this is a REAL pain. REAL REAL pain. There are about 5 reasons this happens in the first place, even though it looks like one problem (requester pops up, we fall down). Part of the problem is that we are not a REAL screen saver. We allow people to press keys to get into the dialogues. This creates conflicting messages to the program. We have been working on this since Feldon first told us about it, and have done all sorts of things to reproduce. To answer your question, YES, we will notify here on the Fan site, and on our site (in the FAQ). Also, I personally want to thank you for being so patient. *Reichart...* , CTO, Prolific Publishing, Inc. Come visit us Prolific Publishing, Inc.

07-24-2002, 04:59 PM	#54
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	I will send out an e-mail to all 3,600 people who have signed up for SereneScreen News at my website when 1.1.4 comes out. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

08-02-2002, 06:49 AM	#55
Pushwall Fellow Twang Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 133	Originally posted by albrt Riechart, will the registered users be imformed when the version 1.1.4 releases??? I have quite using the ss for awhile because it will run fine then all of a sudden clicks off and I find it in my task bar and all I get it the bubble sound. Most of the time I have to restart to get it running again. Most of the time this is when another program such as mail alert starts. Until a new release of SereneScreen resolves this problem, I have found another program that fixes this. It is called Hack-It v4.01. This program enables you to manipulate the functions of ANY program window. I set aquarium.scr up as an automatic function in Hack-It with the following settings: maximize, topmost, visible, and real-time......these settings worked for me, your settings may be a bit different to fix the problem. (You also might have to set up your mail alert program in Hack-It and set its window to NOT be a topmost window.) Hack-It comes in a freeware version that you load and set manually everytime you reboot Windows (homesite is www.headius.com, or it can also be downloaded from www.zdnet.com). Or you can purchase the Pro version for a small fee where the settings are always saved.

08-02-2002, 08:24 AM	#56
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	Wonder if there is a program out there that can limit CPU usage of a program. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

08-02-2002, 01:07 PM	#57
Reichart CTO Prolific Publishing Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Maui Posts: 423	CPU Usage We will write a CPU usage reducer right after we write a RAM doubler. We expect both of these to be our best sellers We are almost ready to release a version that fixes the reducing bug. Which is the bug where some other program causes us to go away, but sound continues. *Reichart...* , CTO, Prolific Publishing, Inc. Come visit us Prolific Publishing, Inc.

08-02-2002, 03:19 PM	#58
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	Reichart, someone beat you to the punch on the RAM Doubler idea. It's hard to recommend the Aquarium as a full-time screen saver when I've seen it lock up several systems due to the 100% cpu usage bug. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but the responses from you and Jim on this have not been very positive. I do not feel comfortable running something 24/7 that keeps my CPU 10-15 degrees north of idle. By running multiple copies of Winamp (9 to be exact, each running DSP FX), I was able to determine that the Aquarium only needs 40-50% of my 1400 MHz CPU to generate 60 frames per second of animation. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman Last edited by feldon34; 08-02-2002 at 03:43 PM.

08-03-2002, 11:59 AM	#59
Pushwall Fellow Twang Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 133	Originally posted by feldon23 Wonder if there is a program out there that can limit CPU usage of a program. The Hack-It program has this function too. It lets you set a priority that the application associated with a matched window should run at. Applications are given access to the processor and key system resources based on their priority level. Idle is the lowest, followed by Normal, High, and Real-Time. Applications at the Idle priority receive the least amount of processor time, usually when other applications are using the processor. Normal is the standard priority for most applications. High priority applications receive more processor time and faster access to system resources (memory, persistant storage, sound and video), at the expense of lower-priority applications. Real-Time is the highest priority, and is usually given only to system applications and processes.

08-03-2002, 12:43 PM	#60
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	The Aquarium is set to Idle but still uses 100% when it can, generating hundreds of frames of animation which are not displayed. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman