Recommended Posts

Yeah unfortunately, like I said, automatic updates was hosed (and now irrelevant with ClickOnce) so I can't release any further updates to 2.3 without precluding automatic updates in the future, which I can't do.

3 is progressing albeit slowly. It is a very ambitious release; I plan on releasing it with weather providers being a plug-in architecture. It will obviously include the weather.com provider, but then others could develop and release other providers e.g. NOAA if they want. All this is making things tricky, of course. Plus, as I said, I am trying to overcome the UI hurdle vis-a-vis resizability and localizability.

  • 2 weeks later...

Nice Idea. I am currently taking computer science classes and maybe I will be able to work on a plugin (as long as C# is similar enough to C++ for me to understand it).

This is definately my favorite program from the Software Contribution forum.

C# is similar to C++ but there are pitfalls. Main thing to realize is that in spite of garbage collection, you do need to worry about freeing some things and closing() what you open().

Does this program contain spyware like WeatherBug or use almost all of your computers resources like WeatherBug?

Of course not, why would the world need another one of those? I wrote the program first and foremost for myself, and then decided to release it (and people's suggestions make it better for everyone). It demeans all software developers when people sell themselves out in such a way by including spyware with their programs.

The only 'phone-home' type activity is when you first install it, it accesses the website, which counts the number of installs, and if there is a crash, it uploads the error report which only contains the program uptime, version, and where in the program the crash occurred. Here is an error report:

042905_212244

Title: Unhandled WinForms Exception
Versioning Info: WeathAlert 2.3.0.2
OS: Microsoft Windows NT 5.1.2600.0
Computer\User: (redacted -- this is just to help me filter duplicates)

Program Uptime: 00:06:52.4530784
Extended Info: System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Index was out of range.  Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection.

Parameter name: index

   at System.Collections.ArrayList.get_Item(Int32 index)

   at WeatherSpy.LocationChooser.FinishedButton_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)

   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)

   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnClick(EventArgs e)

   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.WndProc(Message& m)

   at System.Windows.Forms.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)

   at System.Windows.Forms.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)

   at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

And the error reports have been invaluable to me for fixing crashes (like this one).

As an aside: please, when programs crash, do send the error reports to MS, otherwise you're only hurting yourself because then the programmers don't know about the problem so they can't fix it! (My error reporting capabilities are separate from this, I don't care if you want to send them or not, fixing bugs is more important to me). See here: https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?act=...t&pid=587230059

This is a fascinating one: http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/.../12/407562.aspx

Another aside: I highly recommend reading through Raymond Chen's blog entries; there are some fascinating insights into Windows and why things are the way they are, and also why MS gets the blame for a lot of things that aren't their fault. Check out the history section specifically: http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/category/2282.aspx

Some more examples:

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/...9/03/54760.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/...2/23/45481.aspx

Also:

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/...8/05/54603.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/...7/28/54583.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/...7/22/54559.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/...9/20/55055.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/...9/12/54896.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/...8/25/54700.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/...8/12/54634.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/...0/15/55296.aspx

Read, it's quite interesting.

Anyway, I'm just disappointed that I have so little time and can't really work on the program. But between work and school there's little leftover time that I can spend doing more programming.

Also if you're sharp and caught the "WeatherSpy" in there, that's what the program was initially called before it was pointed out to me how bad of an idea it is to have any such connotation in it : )

Edited by darkmark327
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Got this in my mailbox the other day:

Hello,

Your product "WeathAlert 2.3.0.4" has been tested by the Softpedia labs and found to be completely clean of adware/spyware components.

We are impressed with the quality of your product and encourage you to keep this high standards in the future.

To assure our visitors that "WeathAlert 2.3.0.4" is clean, we have granted it with the "100% CLEAN" Softpedia award. Moreover, to let your users know about this certification, you may display this award on your website, on software boxes or inside your product.

More information about your product's certification and the award is available on this page: http://www.softpedia.com/progClean/WeathAl...lean-36331.html

Your product review page is located at:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Enhan...eathAlert.shtml

Please feel free to link to us using the URL above.

If you choose to link to the award page for your product, you may use the award graphic or a text link such as: "100% CLEAN award granted by Softpedia"

Don't hesitate to contact us for more information.

Sincerely,

The Softpedia Team

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Softpedia is a library of over 70,000 free and free-to-try software programs for Windows and Unix/Linux, games, Mac software, Windows drivers, mobile devices and IT-related articles.

We review and categorize these products in order to allow the visitor/user to find the exact product they and their system needs.

We strive to deliver only the best products to the visitor/user together with self-made evaluation and review notes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Softpedia - the encyclopedia of free software downloads http://www.softpedia.com/

  • 2 weeks later...

Another bit of news: I have to do a senior research project. I decided to turn WeathAlert into it. I have some interesting things planned using ClickOnce which I have to look into, and I plan to develop it with the WinFX api (which is supposed to be backported to XP). Should be interesting!

  • 1 month later...

darkmark327, I love your program, however I've been having some odd memory issues. At startup, it starts creeping up in memory usage, usually up to around 20mb. After I open the program and minimize it, memory usage is down to around 2mb, which is what I expect. However, I've been noticing that the program creeps up again to around 20-30mb of RAM usage. I'm using Windows XP Professional.

Is this a known issue, and if so, is there a fix in progress for the next version? Keep up the great work. :)

darkmark327, I love your program, however I've been having some odd memory issues. At startup, it starts creeping up in memory usage, usually up to around 20mb. After I open the program and minimize it, memory usage is down to around 2mb, which is what I expect. However, I've been noticing that the program creeps up again to around 20-30mb of RAM usage. I'm using Windows XP Professional.

Is this a known issue, and if so, is there a fix in progress for the next version? Keep up the great work. :)

This is just how the framework works. http://www.itwriting.com/dotnetmem.php

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Quantum Error Correction Validated in Nature: Microsoft and Quantinuum Log 800-Fold Improvement Two years after the original press-release announcement, independently peer-reviewed results published in Nature on June 10, 2026, have confirmed that Microsoft and Quantinuum achieved an 800-fold reduction in quantum error rates on real trapped-ion hardware — the largest gap between physical and logical error rates ever independently validated.    What Quantum Error Correction Actually Does — and Why Breaking Even Is Hard https://www.techtimes.com/articles/318329/20260613/quantum-error-correction-validated-nature-microsoft-quantinuum-log-800-fold-improvement.htm   Quantum Computing Wiring Bottleneck Cracked by HKU Silicon Carbide Chip at Qubit Temperature Engineers at the University of Hong Kong have built the first cryogenic control chip that operates at the same temperature as superconducting qubits — 10 millikelvin, or just one-hundredth of a degree above absolute zero — without generating the heat that has forced every competing approach to park its electronics hundreds of meters of cable away. https://www.techtimes.com/articles/318325/20260613/quantum-computing-wiring-bottleneck-cracked-hku-silicon-carbide-chip-qubit-temperature.htm  
    • RevPDF 4.5.0 by Razvan Serea RevPDF is a free, fully offline PDF editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux that lets you edit text and images directly inside PDF files — no internet connection, no account, and no cloud uploads required. Unlike bloated alternatives that demand subscriptions and constant connectivity, RevPDF fits in under 60MB on desktop while delivering a complete editing toolkit: annotate, redact, sign, compress, split, merge, convert, and reorganize pages, all processed locally on your device. Smart font matching ensures edited text blends seamlessly with the original, and multi-language support includes RTL scripts such as Arabic and Hebrew. Where most PDF editors force you to choose between features and simplicity, RevPDF manages both. You can build interactive forms from scratch with text fields, checkboxes, and dropdowns, permanently redact sensitive data before sharing, draw freehand on contracts and diagrams, and add custom watermarks — all without a single file leaving your machine. Edit Text and Images Directly Inside PDFs RevPDF supports true inline PDF editing — not just annotation layers on top of a document, but actual modification of existing text and images within the file. A smart font-matching engine identifies the font used in the original document and applies it automatically when you make edits, so changes blend naturally with the surrounding content. You can reposition elements, resize images, and update text across single pages or entire documents. RevPDF 4.5.0 release notes: This is one of the biggest updates to RevPDF yet. A lot of things people have been asking for are finally here. New Features Auto Redaction Permanently redact sensitive text and areas from your PDFs before sharing. Clean, irreversible, and fully offline. Comments, Links & Bookmarks Add comments for review, insert clickable links, and create bookmarks to jump around long documents without scrolling forever. Find & Replace Search across the whole document and replace text in one go. Long overdue. Split Pages Vertically or Horizontally Split any page down the middle, vertically or horizontally. Perfect for scanned books or double-page spreads. New Drawing Tools More tools for freehand drawing and markup, better for annotations, sketches, and detailed notes. Continuous Scrolling in Editor The editor now scrolls continuously through pages instead of jumping between them. Working through long documents is a lot smoother now. PDF Metadata Editor View and edit the metadata stored inside your PDFs, including title, author, subject, and keywords. Better Font Matching Text edits now blend in more naturally by doing a better job of matching the original font. Tabbed PDF Viewer Open multiple PDFs at once in tabs and switch between them without going back to the home screen. Add Links Insert hyperlinks anywhere in your PDF, to external URLs or to other pages within the document. Share & Print Shortcuts Share or print directly from the editing screen, home screen, and viewer. No extra steps. Minor Updates Paste images directly from clipboard into your PDF New image editing tools for more control over images inside documents Bug Fixes Fixed file saving issues on Windows and Linux Everything still works fully offline. No login, no cloud, no account. Your files stay on your device. Download: RevPDF 4.5.0 | 58.0 MB (Open Source) Links: RevPDF Home Page | Github | Screenshots 1 | 2 Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Interesting. I'm not using a VPN with my phone. I tried though my home internet (Rogers) and my cellular internet (Telus) using their respective DNS servers and both trigger the dialog above.
    • Three days after Anthropic launched Claude Fable 5 as the most capable AI model it had ever released to the public, the United States government ordered it switched off — and now the company is refunding customers who paid to use a product that vanished almost overnight https://www.techtimes.com/articles/318342/20260613/us-government-pulls-anthropics-fable-5-offline-now-come-refunds-vanished-ai.htm  
    • Microsoft fired the team and replaced them with AI and this is what you get.
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      507
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      175
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      139
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      90
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!