ICQ 5 History Search is out!

UPDATE: There is a new version out which fixes the unicode problem. info and download link here

Yet it doesn’t work for 2001-2003 for me yet 🙁
but he is working on that now
==========

As many of you sure know, ICQ 5 does unfortunately not have a Message History search function 🙁

Now a clever user created his own history search prg!

However yet it doesn’t seem to work right in all cases. It skips to convert histories with UNICode and then the whole prg terminates so you cannot convert the others after:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

F:Dokumente und EinstellungenNafcom>cd F:Dokumente und EinstellungenNafcomD
esktoplinkfoldericq5webhist 1.0

F:Dokumente und EinstellungenNafcomDesktoplinkfoldericq5webhist 1.0>icq5web
hist.exe
##################################
# ICQ5 Web History Generator
# Developer: David Lee
# ICQ #4005491
# Ver: 1.0
##################################

Reading data from 332545368-0105.xml

not well-formed (invalid token) at line 7, column 7, byte 119 at lib/XML/Parser.
pm line 187

F:Dokumente und EinstellungenNafcomDesktoplinkfoldericq5webhist 1.0>

332545368 is from a spammer, not a contact from me.
His prg seems to have problem with UNICode:


0x0014001f

0
Yes

UNICode message

Anyway, it’s cool! It’s the first right step into a history search which was long missed in ICQ5!

Manual and download link can be found, here

Technorati Tags: ,

Neat Hardware & Mandriva Limited Edition 2005!

This blog entry is written as a continue of my blog entry “Weird Computer Errors“.

I had some spare money since months and I had no idea what to buy for it!
So I decided to buy toy hardware for my PC. What is Toy Hardware? (from now on called “TH”). TH is TH that you do not need really but you have it because it’s either:

1) Funny TH
2) Weird TH
3) Ridiclious TH (which I find a waste of money, so I do not have “RTH”)
4) TH which makes live easier.

So I have decided to go for:

a) A bluetooth USB stick (means it gives your PC bluetooth ability by plugging it into an USB port).
b) An external USB 2.0 case for 3.5″ IDE HDDs
c) A gameport/midiport (i.e. joystick port) to USB adapter

Why did I buy those?

a) I do not have an idea yet what to do with that one, but Christmas is soon 😉
And my “new motherboard” I have decided to go for, doesn’t have on-board bluetooth!

c) Because the new motherboard’s on-board sound chip won’t have a midiport and I love my QJ PC-Optix SV-205 with analog-digital combi technology!

b) Because a friend and IT expert has external HDDs and he was praising them very often 🙂

There have been so many crazy and interesting experiences with those 3 hardware bits, that I feel the need to write it here on my blog!

The joystick: It really works better now! Why you ask? Because it has switch-off-able throttle, and if I configured it as a flight stick (what it indeed it is!) and the throttle is switched off, the joystick won’t work (error message: “Device Not Connected!”), which makes you mad if you play a game and by accident move the throttle too much!

Thanks to the Rockfire USB-Nest Joystick Converter, the joystick now works as a flight stick (USB-Nest has 4 joystick modes you can select from, I have selected 1-2 axes, 4 buttons (Mode 3)) and I can switch off the throttle if I want, and the joystick will still operate as it should! 😎

The HDD: It can be set as boot device in BIOS settings of MSI 🙂 I have a HDD case with SILicon controller:

in my eyes: good bios support, when I once had a support question, I have got a nice answer, they are not as expensive as Promise controllers but not neccessarily worse than SIL. And Linux has a very good support of SIL controllers!

I have also mentioned earlier that I am using Mandriva Linux (Limited Edition 2005).
And so I was thrilled wether my new hardware would be supported eventhough it’s not listed in the Mandriva Hardware Database!

The USB-Nest Joystick Converter was detected but not supported by HardDrake

The USB 2.0 hdd case was deteced properly and works 🙂

And to my suprise, when I have plugged in the FreeControl Bluetooth mini-USB Adapter HardDrake told me: “Have to install gnome-bluetooth. YES/NO?”. Of course I said YES and there I went! 🙂 It installed it as “pegasus bluetooth”, well whatever works, right? 😀

There is a funny thing, though! You _must not_ boot up Mandriva Linux with the bluetooth adapter plugged in. If you do it though, one of the following things will happen:

1) Either it mis-detects it as USB printer and then Linux freezes (no error message)
2) Or it says on startup of a GUI “Server Not Found” and “No supported bluetooth device found”

So it only works correctly if you plug it in just when your GUI fully booted up! Then Linux will say “Bluetooth device found”

That’s it with my experiences so far 🙂

Technorati Tags: , , ,

ICQ 5 German Spam

There is a message going around in German ICQ 5 clients about “icq is no longer for free”. Of course this is not true and spam! I found a rather good translation of this post and a statement about this from an ICQ user,
here which I would like to quote:

“i get this nice message:

It’s a pity that the ICQ-administration had to start a second chain letter, because the first one wasn’t taken seriously. Send this message to every person in your Contactlist back to me . We feel impelled to this, because there are very much inactive accounts, causing long loadingtimes. As a reward you will get a golden icq-flower. Proofs can be found under icq.com

In my opnion thats just another stupid chain letter with orgin: some stupid teens that wanna laugh up there sleeves, seeing there “friends” spread this crap.

I’m of that opion because:
1. I havn’t found any proof on icq.com
2. This letter (and the letter from da_platinum_deluxe too) has an surpassing error ratio (meaning the german “Grammatik” & “Zeichensetzung” )
3. Even if this would be true, i would just create a new account, so theres no problem for me
4. And even if these inactive accounts were the origin of the long loading time, why it would help to send some messages around???

Hope I could help, hf^^”

There is an interesting site about which always gets my laughing tears! 🙂

Technorati Tags: ,

Nafcom vs. Udo

I have reported earlier about the rather new ICQ Help Center.

Well, I have noticed that the article in the knowledge base called “How do I upgrade to a new version of ICQ?” saying this:

“How do I upgrade to a new version of ICQ?
Once you download and install ICQ, notices will appear that new versions are out. Choosing to update eliminates the need for you to search for the latest ICQ version, as you automatically have the most recent version at all times!”

That’s the knowledge base article and it’s wrong

ah, read this for all info about this (i.e. my thread about it in the ICQ Focus Group):
tickle me!

Here is a quote of the thread! Enjoy reading! 🙂

Me: “But why have some people still ICQ 5.03 then?”

Udo: “You will automatically have the most recent version at all times.”

ICQ Support: “Please note that ICQ notifies its users about some of the version updates, patches and builds.”

Me: “Why does ICQ only notice about some version updates, patches and builds and not all? I think the Knowledge Base article sounds confusing here, I furthermore think that the update function should notice about all updates and new builds and not only of some!”

So knowledge base aticle says you automatically have the latest version
I say but many still have ICQ 5.02/ICQ 5.03 when latest version is ICQ 5.04
Udo says I am wrong, the article is correct
and ICQ Support says it notices only about _some_ updates

what a discussion 😀

Ah they replied again

“Hello Joerg Droege,

Your suggestion is taken into consideration.
Unfortunately right now our development program is full for the foreseeable future with high priority items.

Thank You,
Nick Slater,
The ICQ Support Team.”

Technorati Tags: ,

Harry Potter and his faces

I have read it a while ago in the newspaper, that Harry Potter archived to be in over 100 translations, fine.
But they also showed a picture of the book covers, I tell you. The British guy suddenly got an Asian face, coloured face, etc.
Like very much faces.
And it boggles my mind, I mean… it’s officially a child’s book, shouldn’t it, especially since it’s a book for childs, keep a British guy just British to show that sense of euality? Nobody is more worth than another, you know.

Today, I have managed to retrieve the homepage, who lets you select all book covers by countries.

Have a look!

Technorati Tags:

ICQ 5 Sounds & NON-MSIE Browsers

ICQ Team wrote:

ICQ Support: now, to clear things up about the Opera browser:

You must have IE 5.5 or higher installed in order for ICQ to work properly.

it does not have to be your default browser at all, you can use whatever browser that you want.

Udo: This includes ICQ’s website.

We all remember this, as I have written about this issue very well, in this blog entry.
Yesterday, Udo announced the new ICQ Sounds page.

After users began to complain in the Expert Board that the page does not work properly in Firefox, suddenly ICQ fixed it.

Now only missing is a 100% solution for my beloved Opera browser. Because right now, it only works if I set the identity of Opera to Mozilla.

More about the compatibility issues with other browsers regarding the ICQ homepage and client can be found here.

Poor poor non MSIE 5 or up users :'(

Technorati Tags: ,

Open Xtraz API for ICQ

First of all, What is an API?
Let’s quote the above linked article:

“API

Abbreviation of application program interface, a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. A good API makes it easier to develop a program by providing all the building blocks. A programmer puts the blocks together.

Most operating environments, such as MS-Windows, provide an API so that programmers can write applications consistent with the operating environment. Although APIs are designed for programmers, they are ultimately good for users because they guarantee that all programs using a common API will have similar interfaces. This makes it easier for users to learn new programs.”

Oh ok, “What is ICQ” is not needed, every reader knows what it is 🙂
And what are Xtraz? (mostly) Web-based features for ICQ, like webcam support, games, ICQ Mail client, a Status Manager, voice chat, etc.

So the thing is that the ICQ Team announced in September 2004 the release of a Public Xtraz API so that every normal ICQ User can create his own features (just like MSN has plugins).
Unfortunately on March, 16th, 2005 they said they have no plans to release it anymore!

This is bad! Since right now, only business partners of ICQ have an API can can code features for ICQ. But I think the ICQ Team should do what they promised and release the public API for everyone!

Incase you would like to fight for this (well, I am lucky for supporters!), there is a thread about it in the ICQ Focus Group.
So please if you want, join it and voice up in the thread, too!

Technorati Tags: ,

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close