Taking it up a notch with v4.1

I am so proud to have v4.1 even planned this well. It is going to be here before we know it. Not everyone will be happy, as not everything in the huge task list will be taken care of. HOWEVER, there are some important improvements I have worked hard on:

• Direct process I/O priority control in Vista and above (already in beta)
• Default power schemes of anything, not just High Performance
• New multi-core optimizations (e.g. HyperThreading logical core avoidance)
• Improved inter-process communication, resulting in more accuracy with ProBalance event timing and state
• New update mechanism that shows changes since YOUR last update, not just the latest version's changes. It will also allow for validation to make sure your license is valid for the update. This will avoid any surprises.
• Decreased CPU usage even further (of both CPU and GUI), just when you thought it was impossible to get it any tighter ;)
• More improvements to the startup sequence and timing in Vista and above.
• Many fixes and general improvements.

I hope customers appreciate these improvements, and I will continue to work hard towards these goals. It is important for beta users to let me know of any bug they see, as I will try to get it fixed by the final release of v4.1.

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v4.09.08 beta - More I/O priority levels (for experimentation) and other beta fixes

As usual, I have to be very careful to maintain backwards compatibility with XP pre-SP2 and below. Everyone else has forgotten them it seems ;o. Anyway, the last few betas (only) weren't compatible, so I fixed that in this release.

I've also added new I/O priorities. Although they are reported to not be implemented in Vista SP0, I'm investigating if they were later implemented in any service packs or in Win7. Research on that is ongoing.

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v4.09.07 beta - Default I/O priorities now implemented

I went ahead and finished up the implementation of default I/O priorities in v4.09.07 beta. I did not add the configuration dialog yet, but context menu use is fine. I still do need to add them to the multi-selection process context menu as well.

Naturally, further beta builds are coming. I am VERY excited as v4.1 introduces some truly innovative features, of which this is just one. It further polishes up v4 final, fixing some minor bugs here and there. I would back-port some minor fixes, but it is hardly worth it since v4.1 will be here before we know it. It will also give people a break from updates.

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I/O Priority Control

Users have been requesting I/O priority control ever since Vista was released. I always give the same answer - the I/O priority is derived from the calling thread's priority, which is in-turn derived from the process priority class (base priority) that Process Lasso's ProBalance adjusts. In other words, the CPU priority becomes the I/O priority.

This is what Microsoft recommends - simply changing the CPU priority of the calling thread or entire process. That is why they provided no direct way to change it, and why you see no way to change it in the popular Process Explorer utility from SysInternals (now arm of Microsoft).

However, since users wanted the control to set the I/O priority, I have implemented it. Since all of Process Lasso is low-level code, it was a quick and easy implementation. You will be disappointed to discover though that there are only TWO usable levels. That's right, two. Either it is Normal or Very Low. Those are your only options.

UPDATE: It appears that support exists for High and Low as well, though I'm still determining if this support is only superficial, or if it was added at some point. I will report more later.

You might as well set the priority class to Idle to achieve the same effect most of the time, but in rare situations where you desire the CPU priority to be different than the I/O priority, I have facilitated this starting in v4.09.06 beta. In v4.09.05 beta I show the I/O priorities, and the next beta I will allow manipulation of them. This next beta is likely coming within hours.

I wrote more on this here: http://www.bitsum.com/pl_io_priority.php

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New low-level optimization further lowers CPU utilization

I've further optimized some of the lowest-level process management code that is embedded in both the GUI and core engine. This new optimization will save quite a few CPU cycles, though I've not yet benchmarked it to see exactly how many it will (on average).

Of course, I don't mean to imply it really matters at this point. Once you get to as little CPU use as Process Lasso already uses, further optimizations are just bordering on obsessiveness. Still, who knows, those few CPU cycles might matter to someone, some time. Now that CPUs aren't getting much faster, instead only breeding, CPU execution speed is as important as ever.

This will be available in v4.09.05 beta. I am making v4.1 the ultimate build of Process Lasso, then letting it sit for a bit. I wasn't satisfied with v4, though users seem to have been. It was a great improvement, but I have further I wanted to go. I'm taking it 'there' with v4.1. There are several fixes and optimizations, and quite a few very important new features coming.

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Process Lasso Pro Commercial Licenses sales switch exclusively to RegNow - Become an affiliate and maybe make a few bucks

I've used both PayPal and RegNow for orders, as often times one will accept and order and other won't. Using RegNow has its advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is a much higher commission fee. The advantage is YOU can make money selling these licenses. Simply sign up as an Affiliate and you can get cash for every person who you refer that eventually buys a commercial Process Lasso Pro license. Since some of those licenses can be expensive, if you sell one you are out to make a good bit of money.

To do this, sign up as a RegNow affiliate then request to be one of our affiliates. We've got the settings to automatically accept everyone (at this time, that may change to manual review if necessary for any reason). Their documentation will help you along, but from there basically their system takes over. They store a cookie on the user's machine that IDs you as the affiliate. So, whenever the user comes to buy and their server sees that cookie (even if it is 30 days later), it then gives you credit for the order, and pays you commission.

Starting January 1st the plan is to switch completely to RegNow and get certified in their affiliate network. In order to be certified you must have no other ways of ordering. Since there is no other way to order the commercial licenses as of now, I've already requested certification for them.

Don't wait. Sign up today. The switch may even occur early. It mostly depends on how sales go and if I can afford to switch earlier. All systems are ready for the switch.

As a side note to purchasers through RegNow, be sure to TRASH their 'Extended Download Service'. This is useless for my software. In other cases it may not be, but it is in my case. I've made a request that it be removed by default and the switch to RegNow is somewhat contingent on that. They said they would, so I'm sure they'll oblige me.

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BETA language woes being fixed in new upload

This problem persisted about 24 hours.

The actual cause was the addition of a particular string that managed to confuse my location utility with its escape characters (used to signify a special character is or isn't special). Anyway, I had a closing "somestuff\\" which a C programmer can see the problem in. My tool didn't check for the secondary closing quote. So, it wasn't the maintenance, it was this string being added that caused the problem. Now our RC utilities are more robust than ever though.

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Language lost in last BETA? No worries, fix coming soon

As I did some maintenance on our in-house resource localization utilities (few companies have these), a bug manifested and caused translations be partially or totally incomplete (English instead). Please forgive us this mistake. We took it off the beta update check notifier and will issue a new build ASAP. It being Christmas Eve we can't guarantee when it will be issued, but I intend to do it tonight. Nothing slows me down ;). Well, ok, a few things do, lol.

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New Portable Edition beta released, but we're gonna have to reform

I created a Portable Edition that uses a silent SFX archive to 'just run'. It extracts itself to the system temporary directory, runs, and is there. However, I believe there are better approaches (e.g. a simple ZIP of all the files) that may be more appropriate for many users. I really need to hear how people use their portable software to know what you need and don't need. Now is your chance to put your two cents in. The forum topic is here: http://www.bitsum.net/forum/index.php?topic=625.0

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New Portable Edition in final stage internal testing

The *next* beta release I'll have along with it a Portable Edition. It will be lean and mean, and operate with a single click. You can store your INI and LOG file on the flash drive. You simply run it. It's all done, I'm just debugging some final issues and testing the code. If I get it done tonight, I suppose I can make it a Christmas Present from Bitsum Technologies ;).

I've noticed other site(s) offering a portable edition of Process Lasso. I have not analyzed these editions. Be wary of them as they are not officially sanctioned Bitsum products. If the authors would like to contact me I can give them my own 'thumbs up', after reviewing their files. Until then, the user must assume any copy of Process Lasso put together by a third-party to be dangerous. It may be benign, and simply a helpful user, but who knows until it is looked at. Whether or not it will have any necessity after we officially release the Portable Edition is unknown. It depends on if this user-created edition is different in some way that might be appealing to a certain subset of users.

Our new, authorized and safe edition of Process Lasso Portable does NOT utilize U3 and instead 'just runs'. After some user feedback, we determined this the best approach, as we had no necessity for U3 anyway. If there are any U3 fans out there, now is the time to speak up ;)

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New update mechanism being coded

I'm working on a brand new update mechanism that will show the latest changes, but also allow you to validate your license prior to the update. This will let you know whether you are eligible for the next update, or would be reverted back to the free build. This will let our users know when their license has expired, instead of finding out 'the hard way'. Note that our registered users can download ANY OLDER VERSION from our Support area, so can always go back if this happens in the meantime. For give-away users no such option is available, but the give-aways were meant to be temporary. The product is very liberally licensed as-is. Please accept our token of allowing free use this long and know that we would give all our software away completely freely if we could.

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v4.1 beta coming - New logical core avoidance (avoid fake cores)

For HyperThreaded CPUs, the emulated/fake second core offers a fraction of the performance of a real secondary core. Even though Microsoft Windows CPU Scheduler is aware of these fake CPUs as of XP, it can not predict how demanding the next time slice can be. It can therefore throw a thread onto one of these fake CPUs and performance can be degraded. In some cases, a default CPU affinity to avoid these fake cores is ideal. I'm here to deliver ;).

You can already do this manually with default affinities, but it is nice to have to easy option. I'm releasing a beta version soon. I've made rapid progress on this. Another big new feature is making its way to v4.1 as well. I'll explain more in a later post.

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When almost free isn't enough

You know, if you've used my software you know I have liberal licensing. You know I'm nice, friendly, and try to provide good support. I make mistakes from time to time, but correct them to the best of my ability. Still, some people demand more. I would *love* to give Process Lasso Pro away totally freely, but then I'd have no place to live as I couldn't pay my rent. If you are one who just can't stand not having the Pro version, but can't pay $24.95 for it, then I'm sorry. I just don't know what else to say.

The Free Edition has all the most popular features and never expires. I don't know what the gripe is really. It just gets me down, ya know. I mean, it seems the more you give, the more people want. I give as much as I possibly can, and then some. If that isn't enough, then ... well, that's all I have to give ;o.

Thankfully, there is another user segment - the segment that buys licenses to help support further development of Process Lasso. To these customers I am truly thankful. Ask any of them and I think they'll tell you they were satisfied. Heck, if they aren't, I even offer a 30 day money back guarantee for home users. I've never had anyone take me up on that. I probably will as soon as I post this, lol.

Well, here's to v4.1 - which I am VERY eager to release as it has some COOL new features and improves the new inter-process communication framework so there are fewer 'lost packets' (if you will).

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Process Lasso enters China, Singapore, Hong-Kong, and Taiwan

Chinese, Taiwanese, Singapore, and Hong-Kong users check out our new presence at http://store.pchome.com.tw/pcsoft/S366117.htm .

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v4.00.28

This version is more minor GUI cleanup. It is not a mandatory upgrade, though as to not confuse people I will push it through the update checker after CNET picks up the build.

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v4.00.26 - Fixing a GUI bug seen in XP throughout v4

I had a user report a bug to me this morning that setting the default priority class via the process context menu caused the entire Process Lasso GUI to hang (deadlocked). I had another report of this the other day, so looked closer. Vista, OK. Win7, OK. XP, Not OK.

I did some testing and found it *only* happens in XP under *some* conditions. I won't get into all the details, but it existed since v4 went final. I am therefore issuing this immediate fix/update for this bug and pushing it out to users.

Now, hopefully, I can get back to v4.1 ;o. Stability of the code base is the utmost importance, so this had to be addressed first. This build is now available.

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v4.00.25 released

This build fixes some important quirks discovered by end users. It continues to refine the new v4 code base, readying it for v4.1. It also adds a new feature to allow per-machine instance count limits. Now, this must be properly configured. Specifically, an instance of the governor must be running with rights and config to manage all user processes, even if it needs its own dedicated config file. You could run it as a service, for instance.

Importantly, if you got any earlier build that had v4.00.25 as the text version number from the beta links, use the 'check for updates' function to get the proper build (or ensure you have the proper build). Here is the change log from v4.00.24 to v4.00.25:

• Fix.Installer: When starting with elevated rights in Vista+, the task configuration specified only to start Process Lasso and its core engine for users of the Administrators group. This is now fixed, changed to Users group so that Standard/Limited rights users also have it launched for them at login.
• Fix.GUI: Fixed 'Disable ProBalance when user is away for *other* amount of time' menu option (invokes config dialog now as it was supposed to)
• Fix.Installer: Installer wasn't remembering last install directory during quick upgrades
• Change.Installer: Switched installation directory storage (for upgrades) back to HKLM
• Change.GUI: Some minor improvements to activation procedure
• Change.GUI: 'Reset listview columns and sizes' now resets actions/log (lower) listview too
• Change.GUI: If configured to check, the updater now checks once every 2 days (was 4 days)
• Change.GUI: Changed the update checker so that it will be more likely to check while you're around and can take action
• Change.GUI: Grammar and language changes (translators: languages files already updated in most or all cases, but you may want to verify)
• Change.GUI: Slight View menu reorganization and other minor changes
• Addition.GUI: Log column changes now persist when you exit/start GUI
• Addition.GUI: Added ability to use per-machine instance count limits instead of per-session instance count limits on applications (see instance limits config dialog)
• Addition.Core: Added ability to use per-machine instance count limits instead of per-session instance count limits on applications
• Addition.All: Created first v4 build for Japanese partner (still in QA)
• Change.Docs: Updated text and a few screenshots

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New minor update coming soon

I've made some changes and fixes, along with a few small, but highly useful, additions. I've not got them all rolled out yet, but they are coming quickly. I'm releasing a new minor update today, v4.00.25. It has a few of the more simple changes, to be announced at that time. Then I'll proceed on to v4.1. More later...

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Why the update checker says there is no update when there is a newer version ...

I often get users and partners who think I've forgotten about something because they don't get notified of a minor update. They know there is a newer version. They click on 'Check for updates', but it tells them there is none. It is easy to assume something is wrong. This strange seeming behavior is by design though. The point of it is to avoid pushing out updates to those who don't need it. We all know how many minor updates I like to issue, and does anyone really want to be notified of every single one all the time? Even if you do, the masses who don't follow this blog may not have the same preference. At the same time, new users who are downloading the product for the first time, well I like to get the latest and greatest code in their hands.

The system works like this. Each build has an internal version number. For every new release, I essentially tell the database and script 'only tell users who have an internal version less than X of this update'. That means, in the case of v4.00.24 that only users of v4.00.22 and below were notified of it. Users of v4.00.23 weren't. Why? I didn't think it was important enough to bother them with... especially when v4.00.25 is coming around the corner (today). It has many more little changes and fixes.

Also, I have the ability to later go back and change that 'update version'. So, say I decided not to release this new .25, then I could push .24 out to users.

So, I could either keep doing it this way and continue letting people sometimes think I made some sort of mistake in the update system, or unnecessarily bother people, release fewer minor updates, or perhaps just quit changing the displayed version number with every minor update. It is a tough call, but I'll stay with the current system and just keep explaining my rationale for now.

Truly, if the update is if importance, it will be pushed out to you. Like I said, v4.00.25 is being pushed out to everyone when released. So, everything can be back 'in-sync' and this confusion can hopefully end.

I do apologize for the confusion that my methodology sometimes causes. No methodology is perfect, but I try to do what works best for the product and its users.

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Updated Terminal Server guidance

I've been working on the documentation. New guidance on Terminal Server deployment of Process Lasso will help administrators to make the right decision on setup. I'll add screenshots, but that isn't necessary. Please see this page for more information.

Process Lasso is very robust, and if configured properly (usually the default configuration) it can truly work wonders for a Terminal Server. I'm hoping improved guidance will help administrators learn to use Process Lasso to its fullest.

On this end, Bitsum Technologies has set up increasingly complex test beds to try to simulate large corporate servers and networks. We continue to refine our software. We are fast and nimble ;)

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Blog Update

For those wondering about the post that appeared then disappeared regarding Lenovo's faulty OEM software, I moved that to my other blog 'The Pile'. I figured it was not appropriate here and someone might think it was Process Lasso's bug if they read wrong.

This new policy of releasing a minor update every Friday has worked out well. It lets me review, then test and retest changes. I suppose I am slightly less reactive, but not by much. A week is not long to wait, and in the interim the builds are posted at the beta URL (until v4.1 beta series officially starts).

Soon, I'm adding new cool new features that I wish would have made it in v4.0. These could sell themselves as a major upgrade. For that reason, I may jump to v4.1. You can probably guess what those features are, but if not - you will think "yea, that's a good idea" ;). Or at least I hope so...

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Why you should *never* use a cracked copy of Process Lasso Pro

I am very grateful that people like and want to use my software. That is why I have created the free edition and such very liberal licensing. Along with cheap prices, nobody should have a reason to pirate my software. Still, I see the cracks of it popping up all over. Every build I release is cracked, even the minor updates.

Reasons not to download pirated copies of Process Lasso Pro:

1. It is illegal.
2. The is a *real* likelihood of malware being included in the pirated/cracked software. It may install itself along with the cracked software and be totally transparent. Years ago I did contract work for an anti-malware company and analyzed samples like this. You would install the pirated software and never know you installed malware along with it.
3. The version you get may or may not have been modified, and may or may not be stable. If it has been patched, the patch may cause problems. There is no telling what effects a patch may have on the licensing and activation system, and indeed the entire product. It depends on the patch location.
4. If you have the money to buy a license, but opt to pirate anyway - then you're discouraging further development rather than encouraging it. Why not give money directly to a developer of software you like? 

Buy a license and get peace of mind, or switch to the free edition. Regardless, I'm happy to have everyone as a user.

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Tying up loose ends on the activation system

Paid users will notice in the Support area a new 'License type' column. This will help associate a particular activation code with a specific license, for those who own multiple licenses. This column will improve in the coming days/weeks, showing more detail.

In some cases, redundant activation codes were issued for expired licenses. These will be cleaned up/out, leaving the valid activation codes to remain. Those who utilized invalid codes should go ahead and upgrade and get a new key (if all your licenses say 'expired' then this means you). You'll actually save a few bucks to renew your license now.

Back to work, I am releasing v4.1 soon - some rapid progress, building on the new v4 base (which is stable and robust).

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Resource usage of v4.00.23 in XP after 2 days

Since the inception of v4.00.23 I've had it under constant testing. This is the CPU and virtual memory usage of ProcessLasso.exe and ProcessGovernor.exe on an XP test bed after 2 days. Virtual memory and CPU usage of the GUI would temporarily increase a little if the main window were opened. Still, these are numbers hard to beat and represent how little overhead Process Lasso really has.

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Core optimization

v4.1 beta is trucking ahead already with new CORE OPTIMIZATION technologies. Yes, we are moving from priority optimization to Core optimization. Please see these two new articles I am working on for more information:

• When CPU Affinity Matters
• When HyperThreading Hurts

This [default CPU affinities] is another optimization that can help in some situations. It doesn't magically make everything better in all cases, but if you need a bit more performance out of an application, keeping a single threaded application bound to a specific core often improves its performance even without the considerations in the two above articles (per-core frequency scaling and virtual CPUs).

I intend to keep Process Lasso at the forefront of this emerging technology.

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v4.00.23 - Fixing bad v4.00.21 build

Version 4.00.21 was a bad build. I screwed up and caused a memory leak. It is as simple as that. I did not push that update out, but still - it was not a good thing and persisted a couple days. Last night, once I was notified of the leak by a concerned user, I made a small patch in v4.00.22 that slowed the memory leak considerably. I intended another update, this is it.

This morning, I took a closer look at the exact code changes in v4.00.21. It was then obvious what I had done. In some unnecessary 'cleanup' I simply made a mistake. I was recreating a global critical section with every new process enumerated, leaking gobs of memory. I have fixed it in v4.00.23. So, if you never went above v4.00.20 you are good. Otherwise, get v4.00.23.

Again, if you are running v4.00.21 or v4.00.22, you should upgrade now. Earlier builds (e.g. 4.00.20) are NOT affected.

I am very sorry for this, and you can bet I am not touching anything now. No future build will be issued without full regression testing. I continue retesting everything in the current build (with no problems seen). I am deeply humbled and embarrassed by this 2.5 day mistake.

What have we done to ensure this never happens again?

I have written new automated QA runtime testing to prevent this from ever happening again. I figure I can't rely on myself, and can't rely on anyone else, but can rely on a simulated environment and automated tester.

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Work begins on v4.1, even as v4.0 maintenance continues

I've now made 'the transition'. Version 4.00 is now in a virtual machine development environment, so future maintenance to it will be done there.

I've decided to go straight for version v4.1. I intend several decent size changes, and about a month of beta testing. I want a fresh release. There are several biggish things that need done, hence the relatively large version number jump.

In the meantime, any fixes or other easily backported features will be brought back to v4.0 and a new minor update issued.

Yes, it is Thanksgiving - but we here at Bitsum work even on Thanksgiving ;o. I do give Thanks though, to the creator and the people (customers) who allow my small business to continue. I feel us Americans have so much anymore that we don't truly appreciate the security and basic needs we have. Let us take time to remember those who don't have their basic needs met. There are millions, or billions.

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v4.00.21 - Very minor update, non-pushed

I made a few small adjustments here and there, and released v4.00.21. I am not pushing this update out via the update checker for those who already have v4.00.20, as there isn't cause to bother anyone with this minor update.

One of the new things is that it prefixes the active power scheme name written on the graph with 'Power Scheme:'. Since many systems come with OEM created custom power schemes with crazy names, users may not realize what it is written on the graph otherwise.

I also moved the CPU utilization bar graph to the middle of the Active Processes tab (for new users, existing users will have their last positioning remembered).

Enjoy, I'm going to create a quick piece of Freeware A LOT of people are going to enjoy.

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v4.00.20 Final

This change is a minor update, but also corrects some anomalies I saw in extended in-debugger testing. Now, who knows if these actually manifested into bugs, but I wanted a new build out there. I am quick and nimble ;).

• Change.GUI: Reset column layouts and sizes now resets both All Processes and Active Processes listviews
• Change.GUI: Add menu item to restore only ProBalance defaults
• Change.GUI: Change 'Disable all logging' to 'Enable logging'
• Change.GUI: Some improvements to Options menu layout
• Change.GUI: Further optimized due to continued profiling
• Change.GUI: Possible fix to a theoretical crash under certain very rare circumstances
• Change.Core: Further optimized due to continued profiling
• Change.Core: Tweaked ProBalance default parameters a tiny bit further, based on continued real-world findings
• Fix.CPUEater: CPU Eater Demo was not always using localized language, or asking for one if not selected

Have it your way!

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Name change: Free Edition now Semi-Free Edition

As ridiculous as this may sound, I have made a name change for two reasons:

1. Due to my miscommunication, some people thought Free meant Freeware in every sense of the word -- meaning every possible feature enabled in the Free version and NO nags. Please note, I removed the timer from the nags, but there still is a nag at startup. I've never been one to place really annoying nags around, but that is one mechanism I use to convert actual buyers. Also, many advanced features are not available there. Therefore, it is Semi-Free. NOTE: Process Lasso has been publicly classified as Shareware for years now, despite our continuing liberal use policy. So, it is not 100% free, though ProBalance and other popular functions do keep working forever.
2. Paying customers were confused in some cases and thought v4 had become free (a rumor that got started probably because the change log lists removal of the timed nags). It is NOT free. It is Shareware. You get many more features and no nags,. amongst other things. I definitely appreciate your support above all ;). You make Process Lasso possible for all of us.
3. I personally find the name has a bit of humor in it ;)

For a list of changes between Process Lasso Semi-Free and Process Lasso Pro/Server, see here: http://www.bitsum.com/howfree.php . I call our licensing model FreeShareware (yes, absurd or not).

The Server Edition is actually a time limited trial (30 days), after which it won't function. So, it is more 'classic' shareware.

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Next update, Options menu gets some changes

I decided to make the Options menu a little more consistent and move the ProBalnce configuration down with the rest of the rules configuration, and format its title in a similar way. I believe this is much better. Translators may hate me, but I will try to correct all 11 languages myself, as I think I can handle it (except the East Asian ones, which I can't read at all).

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Spending a day on marketing and new perspectives

I've been working on marketing. I don't really do much marketing. I figure if I focus on good code that solves a common problem, users will come.  However, to look professional, I should -- and do.

One thing I've done is looked at the product from a new set of eyes (more objectively). For the next build I've made a couple minor menu changes, which make sense and improve efficiency of use. I don't know when I'll upload the next build, it will likely be a couple days at least. We are still getting updates to v4 translations to this day ;). Out of respect to people who speak those languages, I post them as soon as I can -- whether or not people in that region buy from us or not.

I'm going to spend a little time tracking down some errata in PECompact, release the new final of PECompact (a minor update), then be back on Process Lasso. I do have a couple one-day side projects that I might unveil soon too. These side projects are simply useful, free utilities. The kind of stuff you'd expect from me ;). I like making things easier.. without adding bloat and making the overall picture worse (as so many programs do).

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v4.00.18 - Cosmetic work for better multi-lingual support

This version is a non-pushed version that replaces v4.00.17. It is mostly cosmetic work. For example, expanding dialog control widths to support other languages.

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v4.00.17 - Fix for global configuration file path

It was reported that the global configuration file setting (not a default setting) had some issues. I investigated and determined much of it had to be reworked. We're talking about the InstallHelper here, where it asks you where you want the configuration file. Not only did the path setting not always work (depending on the environment and other factors), but the Browse buttons were broken (something nobody even noticed).

So, this minor errata was fixed up, and v4.00.17 released.

Also included are updated languages. There are several, so I won't try to list them all. However, Finnish, German, Russian, Polish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, are some of the languages recently updated..

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Version 4 enjoys a successful launch with good user approval (afaik)

It seems version 4 is off to a great start. I couldn't ask for better. I hope everyone feels this way. Perhaps resellers intent on selling licenses may prefer I not have removed the timed nag, but I didn't like that thing. If sales will stay reasonable, I'll never bring it back.

The new capabilities are great, such as the process watchdog. Best is surely the improved Vista and Windows 7 integration. No more UAC prompts when starting Process Lasso elevated, yay! Also, management of your own elevated processes doesn't require management of all processes.

The process watchdog will be popular for many users. It lets you terminate, restart, or change the affinity of a process if it exceeds X CPU or VM use for Y time. I'll expand it as time goes by.

There are no big bugs I know of, and I tried to make sure of that. The transition to an online activation code licensing system has went seemingly smooth.

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v4.00.16 Final Released

This build improves the inter-process communication and updates several languages.

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Language updates - Consolidated into v4.00.15 (coming next 12-24 hours)

I'll be consolidating all language updates into v4.00.15, coming in the next 24 hours. So, any translators that want any more updates, submit them ;). Of course, they'll be later minor upgrades, but still this is an important build.

Some language updates have already been applied. However, I saw that I couldn't keep updating all day every time a new language update came in, so decided to do the remainder all at once.

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Post-release silence

I'm actually applying updated languages sent from translators and fixing other odds and ends. There is a lot of work into a new major version.

I will start pushing it out through the update checker soon though. The update checker is set to check every 7 days in v3, so hopefully the upgrade is nice and evenly spread out so as to not overwhelm me in case there are any upgrade glitches (e.g. old lifetime user not getting an activation code).

As it stands now, I've adjusted the default window height a little more to help that memory load graph look better (it is terrible at low vertical resolutions). I've also applied updates to Finnish, German, and Traditional Chinese. A new build will be uploading minutes after this post, build number 86100.

UPDATE: Build uploaded now, mirrors corrected. Process Lasso home page cosmetic fix from late last night where I screwed it up. Users are being notified the update exists.

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Version 4.00.14 FINAL released -- and on time

I've managed to release v4.00.14 final on time. Well, on my revised time anyway ;).

Since the transition to activation codes may be confusing, I am not pushing out new updates just yet via the update checker mechanism. I want to be around to monitor it.

Any user who needs an activation code should have been granted one (if your license is non-expired). If not, email me. They are in the SUPPORT AREA, so LOG IN to there to see any activation codes allocated to you.

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4.00.14 - Final version - preparing to push out to all users

I have what is presumptively the final build, v4.00.14. There will be some language updates and perhaps minor tweaks, but this is it. The fixes have been made. Everything works. The last few fixes were completed. Thanks again to users for helping to point out things overlooked despite my best efforts.

For now I'll label this as a beta in the database, until I get the back-end systems ready to handle updating of all users of the last final build. I also would like to give translators the opportunity to update translations at the last minute.


Hey, it is 7:28pm on the 14th. I met my deadline ;).

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New Process Watchdog support in v4 (a screenshot)

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Fixing a few last minute minor bugs in beta

There are a few last minute minor bugs I'm addressing, and I thank users for reporting them. While my own tests go just fine, the test of users may not due to different configuration or environment. These fixes are all minor things and won't take long. They don't require much regression testing, just of affected areas to be safe.

Things to fix or do prior to release of v4 final:

• FIX: New Process Watchdog entries don't work when Forced Mode enabled
• FIX: New Process Watchdog timers get reset if new process created
• FIX: Process Suspend/Resume service not working in some cases
• FIX: Hard throttle has problem (related to above)
• FIX: Some lost inter-process (Process Lasso GUI <-> core engine) communication events still occur under some circumstances
• Finish documentation updates
• Verify existing users all have active v4 keys (and some other back-end maintenance)
• A few other little tweaks

So.. about a days work, with retesting included. I now anticipate final release, with all systems go, to be in the next 12 hours. I'm going to do my best to make sure it is is a smooth release from a licensing stand-point. For many users this will be their first experience with the new activation codes.

I am very much looking forward to releasing v4. I know you are too. This has been 'on my back' for a long time you know. I didn't have a Summer because I was struggling so hard to keep Bitsum Technologies going strong. I hope to not work quite so much someday (if I can get it to 40 hours a week I'd be in heaven).

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Existing users of Process Lasso - Reset your ProBalance parameters

I recommend users going to v4 to reset their ProBalance parameters via the 'Options / ProBalance Options / Configure ProBalance Parameters' menu item. Then press the 'Reset defaults' button in the ProBalance configuration dialog. I may do this automatically, or at least prompt for it the change, allowing you to have it not ask again of course.

Testing has generally gone well. I'm cleaning up some minor things and looking into one user report. Version 4 is well on its way to being released very soon. When everything is in order, I will launch it.

I have some backend web work to finish as well, but I do believe it is coming in the next 12 hours. Today is the 14th in my time zone, FYI (8:31am at present).

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Fix to global paths in v4 beta

I am issuing a quick v4.00.13 RC3 to address an issue when using global paths. An update in a previous beta caused 'prolasso.ini' to be created as a folder, there-by causing problems when it is tried to be created as a file. Yes, I do make mistakes ;o.

Anyway, I've fixed the errata and am making sure it 'cleans up' any old messes from the old build.

This new build will be uploaded in about 30 minutes.

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Performance tests pass

I'm happy to say that the GUI and governor uses virtually EXACTLY the same amount of CPU as the last version, despite all the new features. The extra memory from some new features in the GUI were offset by the improved icon management that allows cached icons. Overall, GREAT results.

I did discover a bug with the use of global paths, which I am fixing ASAP.

We're headed final soon. If any translators want to make an update, now is the time.

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More minor bug fixes to the beta, now RC3 comes ...

I've fixed more bugs, many of them user reported. The list of known errata is quite small now. The list of serious known errata is zero ;).

Therefore, I'm releasing v4.00.12 RC3 in a few minutes. I'm going to continue testing, performance testing and tuning, and documentation updates. Once all this is finished, I'll release the final. I'm going to make sure it is done right, but at the same time am committed to finally get v4 out the door so we can move on to even bigger and better work.

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RC3, then final

Depending on your time zone (or not), I may not meet the deadline I set. However, if not, I'll be darn close. I set it so aggressively because I knew I could finish v4. I knew what I had complete. I knew what needed just a few minutes of attention. I hadn't been idle these last few months you know ;). We've come a long, long way.

There is still much work to do, so I'll shut up. However, the final *IS* coming soon. After that.. Well, I've already developed plans up until v5, though I'm sure they'll constantly evolve.

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If you are seeing random crashes of the GUI or core engine ...

Many users of Process Lasso have experimented with various system 'optimization' utilities. Many of these make permanent changes to the Windows registry that are supposed to speed up your PC. Note that Process Lasso makes NO changes to your system registry or other system settings.

Anyway, one value that is sometimes changed by inferior utilities is CriticalSectionTimeout. This value should NOT be decreased on a whim. This can cause exceptions to be raised in multi-threaded applications like Process Lasso that rely on critical sections to protect data from simultaneous access by multiple threads.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\CriticalSectionTimeout

That is one value that should NOT be decreased, and adjusting it isn't going to help your PC performance in any way -- it will just cause crashes if things take too long. If you see seemingly random crashes of the governor or GUI, please check this registry value if you get a chance. Some of these optimization utilities do things they think will help, but their changes actually have dire consequences.

The default value for most Windows NT+ (home and server) variants seems to be 0x278d00 (2592000). In other words, a long time. Sometimes things take a long time. That's why lowering it is dangerous. It isn't that it that the thread gives up on waiting and just tries anyway, the thread actually issues an exception, resulting in what you see as an application crash.

With the next build, a quick test will be performed to make sure this value is correct. This is the danger of running utilities that tweak system registry values.

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v4.00.11 RC2 beta refresh

I've refreshed v4.00.11 RC2 beta (85300) with a couple minor changes and the latest translations.

1. One click to the RAM graph, and the RAM Load graph disappears forever (unless you restore it)
2. Changes to ProBalance default parameters

Now, back to work... There are still several minor bugs I'm tracking down even as I do performance tuning.

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v4.00.11 RC2 beta released

This build continues polishing, as before. It represents RC2 though, meaning we are much closer.

While this build may not be perfect, we are entering performance and extended durability tests (where we prolong it to a sustained series of events to look for errata). We wanted to save plenty of time for these tests as it is important that we maintain the same, or better, performance than the previous final.

Note that minor bugs are still being addressed all over. If you reported one, and it hasn't been fixed, please simply remind me to be sure it hasn't gotten lost (or was invalidly assumed fixed). I appreciate any and all testing help very much.

We're on schedule to release the 14th as far as I'm concerned.

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RC2 coming tonight

I am completing all remaining TODO chores and releasing RC2 tonight. The following days will be continued testing, review, and profiling (performance testing and tuning). I intend to hit my target of the 14th as the final release date.

The fact is that I could work forever on this new version. I had to set a release date to get it on out. I am not dropping my dedication to doing the best I can though. No prior build has went through as much QA as this one will have by final release.

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Web server troubles

Yesterday we experienced some massive web server troubles. The worst ever known, 4-6 hours of downtime with a message that looked like we didn't pay our bill for an error. Yes, I wasn't very happy either.

In fact, this persisted so long I proceeded with getting the backup server going. Since an upcoming major release is pending, we're now back on the original server. Both servers should work ok, as there is no telling which you may be directed to until the DNS changes finish propagating back to our original server. However, *if* you experience troubles, then give your DNS server some time to flush its cache and try again later.

I apologize for any troubles this may have caused. At least now we have a viable and ready backup server to go on a moment's notice. It is just too bad DNS changes don't propagate that quickly, lol.

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New v4.00.10 RC1 beta build to fix blank processes list in XP

This beta release specifically addresses an issue with some XP home installations where the new beta would show a blank processes list because Terminal Services was disabled or set to manual start. We do NOT require you start Terminal Services, as previously described. When Terminal Services isn't running, since Process Lasso can't identify the username of processes, it simply manages all processes it has access to.

Version 3.84 final does NOT have this issue as it behaves like v4.00.10 now again does. This issue is not relevant in Vista+.

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Terminal Services in XP/2K .. or 'Help, my process list is blank in the new beta!'

During 'real world' testing it was discovered that many users disable the service: Terminal Services. This service facilitates Fast User Switching, Remote Desktop, Media Center, and generally most all multi-user functions on the system. It takes very little resources and its default state is to start on-demand. I therefore strongly recommend you enable it, as it isn't going to make your PC run faster to disable it. The overhead is simply too low. I mean, heck, one browsing tab open for 1 second exceeds the total virtual memory and CPU use of that service for probably the life of the session (until reboot).

Anyway, in v4 RC1 BETA since I now better hide/show the processes of other users based on the configuration, the disabling of Terminal Services could result in a blank Process Lasso process list. You can simply toggle 'Main / Manage process of other users too...' to fix this. Alternatively, you can enable Terminal Services.

So, in the NEXT beta... What I'm going to do is continue to ALLOW people to DISABLE Terminal Services, as I know no matter what I say some will insist on being able to disable it. The one side effect is that it will be impossible for Process Lasso to resolve the user name of a process, because it has no session to match the process name to. Therefore, the option 'Manage processes of other users' will automatically be turned on when Terminal Services is found to be disabled.

This does not apply to Vista or Windows 7 where this service has become an integral part of the OS and is always going to be available.

So, now Process Lasso (as before) will continue be the ONLY utility of its kind that does NOT mandate the following services:

1. Performance Counter (yes, I carefully crafted code to not utilize this 'easy' way)
2. Terminal Services (in XP/2K if not present, we'll just 'deal' with not being able to get process usernames)

I am currently testing a new beta that will better handle this condition in XP and W2K. So, if you are one of those users who insists on having services disabled, that's no problem for us ;). I honestly think it is largely ineffectual to disable services, and likely to cause troubles with applications that may depend on them, but I will let you be the judge of that yourself.

This issue does NOT apply to last final (v3.84) where we simply managed all processes we had access to. With the improvements in Vista+ support, v4 was more picky about what processes it managed -- hence the little bug in the beta.

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v4.00.09 RC1 beta

This build has a few minor fixes and adjustments. It has many translation updates, and finally fixes the issue where 'Yes' and 'No' weren't being translated because they fell below the minimum string length of my localization tools (note this was done in a subsequent update after I initially uploaded v4.00.09).

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Final release date set: November 14th, 2010

As I make my way through extended testing, I've decided to do an unusual (and perhaps challenging) thing --- set a firm release date. Honestly, I believe I could release v4 as-is right now and not have any major troubles. However, I want a little more time to continue testing and performance tuning for different environments, so have given myself 10 days.

This was necessary, in part, to get over my 'fear' of releasing a new version. As I've said before, the last final is so good and stable that it is a risky thing to move away from it unless I'm entirely confident in the new version. Additionally, the new activation system has to be perfect, else I'll get more support emails than I can handle the first day I issue the update, lol. So, I've got my work cut out for me ;o.

I would love to hear what you think about this.

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When CPU Affinity Helps and When HyperThreading Hurts

I'm not a great writer, and have to dedicate most of my time to coding. However, sometimes I do feel compelled to record certain knowledge -- just in case someone else needs it. I've done this many times in lengthy R&D projects (e.g. my WRT54G work), but now I'm taking a different approach - short articles simply stating some fact. I'm calling it the Bitsum Knowledge Base, after Microsoft's Knowledge Base, lol.

Here's a couple short articles I'm working on. Proof-reading and extensions will come in time:

When CPU Affinity Helps
When HyperThreading Hurts

I've got about 100 more I could write, but will start small ;). Maybe these articles will help someone in need, and perhaps gain me a customer if I'm lucky. Many engineers don't take the time to publicly disclose knowledge, which is understandable, but I feel like a more educated population is a better population. Naturally, any writings I do are probably oriented towards the techie type. However, if there is jargon you don't know -- just look it up and you'll understand.

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Review and testing continues

I'm going to be continuing my rather tedious review of every code change and continue testing on all my test beds here. I'm hoping to knock out any user reported errata during this phase of development. RC2 will come soon, then following quickly (hopefully) by RC3 after performance testing is complete. At that point, if no major errata exists, version 4 will be released.

As of right now, I know there are a couple user reported problems that have yet to be addressed. I've fumbled around and stalled on them, waiting for the completion of my own review. I find that carefully reviewed code is often the best method of avoiding errata to start with. It is very similar to proof-reading. Sadly, as with proof-reading, it is difficult to do on your own code -- at least not right away (when you look again later after a break, problems then tend to be more visible).

Besides all this product work, our server-side activation system is getting a bit of a boost too. It is being relocated to a more geographically centered server. This offers better access time and performance during high loads, and it will isolate that server. This will be our third web and third database server needed to keep Bitsum Technologies safely afloat. I say safely afloat because the isolation of each server to its specific task is largely to improve overall security.

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Process Lasso fully tested with Windows 7 SP1 rc1

I've fully tested Process Lasso with the pre-release of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (RC1), for anyone concerned about this. As anticipated, no problems at all.

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v4.00.8 RC1 beta - More fixes

This fixes the inability to unelevate Process Lasso's GUI from the main menu, amongst other things. It also updates several translations, makes a few misc changes, and has rolled up fixes from about 4 silent updates to the last beta build.

Performance of the X64 build has also been improved, per previous blog post.

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Going back to VC10 for x64 build of Process Lasso (no W2K or XP pre-SP2 compatibility for X64)

I have decided to go back to the newer VC10 platform toolset (compiler, linker, CRT) for the x64 build of Process Lasso. I figure most people using Windows 2000 or XP pre-SP2 don't need an x64 build (or could theoretically use the 32-bit build on a 64-bit system if they needed).

What this means is that the improved x64 optimizations in Visual C++ 2010 will be included again. I think this will keep everyone happy.

I am fortunate that one of the improvements in Visual Studio 2010 was to allow for such easy backwards compatibility, when needed -- as Microsoft has completely dropped anything below XP SP2 from support.

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Pushed out v4.00.07 RC1 update

Some users who initially downloaded v4.00.07 beta in the first few minutes might get notified of an update that is v4.00.07. Just update to it, this is a different build.

Note the below ONLY applies to the new v4 BETA, it does NOT apply to the last final. Also, it only applies to Vista+ users who have chosen to start Process Lasso with elevated rights.

I fixed some relatively large problems with Vista+ Task Scheduler settings after the first build and didn't want to change the version number. It turns out the defaults for new Windows Task Scheduler 2 tasks are totally whack. For instance, little known to me, the default (if not otherwise set) is to terminate a task once the PC switches to battery power. That means for Process Lasso on laptops this beta was 'just stopping' the moment it went off AC power. The same applies to bigger PCs with UPSes. Now, what Microsoft developer thought that 'stop task if switched to battery power' is a good default? Really? The majority of tasks would find this setting ideal? Maybe it was some new 'green' initiative, who knows.

Another, perhaps more serious, strange default is that 3 days is the default task run time. Yes, 3 days. Why 3 days? Who knows. Why would you arbitrarily set the default task runtime to 3 days? How about infinite unless otherwise specified? How about keeping it running on battery power, unless otherwise specified? It is a good thing I checked these, as I'm rarely out of the office and on battery power.

I am continuing to fix up these defaults and will be publishing another beta. I am surprised I didn't hear of this bug, though perhaps users saw it and misinterpreted it.

I'll likely issue another update (silent or not) later, but that goes without saying as this process of debugging continues.

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v4.00.07 RC1 beta silent update

I've fixed more bugs that users have reported in the new beta version. Some have been long standing because I couldn't reproduce or they were rare, but I am dedicated to tracking down every bug report of this new beta before final release.

At this time this is a silent update because I have a couple more bugs to address, then plan to issue another non-silent update. I simply do not want to bother people too often with updates, beta or not.. so long as the fixes are non-critical at least.

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v4.00.06 RC1 beta - Minor adjustments

I've made a few minor adjustments and released v4.00.06 RC1. Testing is going well, and we're on our way to release. I'm glad to have what I believe is a good, stable, complete beta version out there that offers compelling features over the last final.

Brave users may want to give it a try, but it is still beta - so be sure you understand what that means and the potential for errata to exist.

UPDATE: I just issued a minor update to fix the About box being broken in W2K and XP pre-SP2. This was only a problem in v4.00.06 (not v4.00.05), and was due to my experimenting with the new SysLink control in that requires v6 of the common controls DLL to be installed.

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v4.00.05 RC1 beta - Bug fixes to beta

Since I waited until RC1 to begin exhaustive testing, it is no surprise that there were some bugs to fix. Fortunately, I've knocked them out very quickly. While some may remain, we're looking at a decent beta build fully compatible with Windows 2000 through Windows 7.

The aforementioned user (all or current) problem has been addressed and *improved*. It has been *tested* on both Windows 7 x64 and Windows XP x32, and seems to manage the current user or all users just fine. Furthermore, the previously disabled menu toggle 'Manage all users' is no longer disabled in XP.

There have also been cosmetic tweaks and other adjustments. Other bugs have been fixed earlier, such as some regarding watchdog events.

More work remains, I'm sure some minor bugs still exist, and a few things still need to be polished. The bottom line is that I think we've got a good beta build now. We'll see how continued QA and performance testing goes, but we're well on our way.

After months of careful planning and engineering, it is exciting -- and at times frustrating -- ironing out the last few glitches and ensuring performance is as good or better than the previous version.

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Beta version rewrite of 'manage all users' vs. 'manage current user'

As we know, Process Lasso (in its robustness) allows you to configure it so that an individual instance of the core engine manages ALL user processes, *or* configure it so that each user has his or her own instance of the core engine managing only his or her processes.

Well, after optimizing this code in the current BETA, I ran into problems during testing in XP. Depending on how fast certain services start during bootup, the username may not initially be available. In fact, if you have your XP or 2K system in a tweaked state, perhaps it won't be able to resolve the username at all. This caused some problems -- namely that at first reboot the process list might be empty or incomplete (until you restarted Process Lasso).

I am working on this problem now, getting the code straight for Windows 2000 through Windows 7. I'll be done soon, but until then any user affected (their process list is empty, or near empty) should probably just restart Process Lasso after you start up your PC. I have issued a new beta that forces a showing of all processes, no matter which ones are actually managed by the core engine. However, a better update is pending that properly shows the processes that are managed by the core engine (only).

Of course, in Windows Vista and Windows 7, there is a second variable to the equation; whether or not Process Lasso runs elevated to also manage elevated processes of the current user, or elevated processes of any user.

I must admit, I have an unrealistic expectation for my code to be perfect the first go-round. Must be over confidence, lol. I want even my beta versions to always be reliable, and I really won't ever settle for less. That's why this is an immediate priority.

The last final version, v3.84.8, is NOT affected by this problem. It manages processes slightly differently in multi-user environments. Again, please use it until I declare v4 released and ready.

At this time, I can honestly not recommend anyone update to the newer beta unless you are wanting to help me beta test it. It simply isn't 'there' yet, and won't be until I get finished -- whenever that is. Trust me when I say I am more eager than you. I am so close.. but the last few footsteps can't be skipped and we call the race won. No, we race to the very end. Who am I racing with? I dunno ;p. My point is that almost isn't done.

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Fixing bugs, and a synopsis of our versioning policy

Continuing work on v4, I'm fixing up bugs reported by the QA team, and found in my own testing. I have fixed several so far, and more to come. A new build will be released later today. I must say that I am not happy with the state of RC1. I mean, its alright -- but just not all 'clicking' yet (to sum it up). The new release will be v4.00.02 RC1 (yes, still RC1.. I have my own versioning system ;p).

Here is how my versioning works, so you know where we're at:

• BETA = not all features implemented or likelihood of bugs exist
• RC1 = All features implemented and no more to be added (feature freeze). Generally works, but not bug free.
• RC2 = Better tested, bugs squashed
• RC3 = Performance tested, ensured to be as good or better than last final
• FINAL = Fully tested and ready for general use

Yes, it could be said I'm not using RC1 as literally as they should be. After all, it should be a true Release Candidate. Maybe, but again I'll let Microsoft set the example. Their RCs are about like the above system.

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Early testing shows more work to do, but we're getting there

Early RC1 test results have shown more work remains, but we're getting there. What this really marks is me 'having it all done'. Now, we'll iron out the bugs and any parts that don't work. Then there will be version 4 ;). A personal relief for me, and a new contribution to the world.

My PECompact users are rather jealous that Process Lasso has gotten so much attention lately, lol ;)

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v4.00.01 RC1 beta - Newer RC1 beta now available

After a near heart attack after discovering in early testing that the governor in the initial build of RC1 (and recent betas) has a memory leak. I quickly got to work with a fix. This fix has been issued in the form of v4.00.01 RC1 beta (build 83100).

Beta or not, I'm against memory leaks ;o. The thing is that processes these days use so much damn memory that to stand out requires it leak for days, lol. Oh well. This memory leak probably persisted on the last few days of un-pushed beta versions.

The cause was an optimization.. well, an error in an optimization. I'm not going to quit optimizing though, it is important. Most developers wouldn't confess this, and perhaps I'm an idiot for doing so. It happens to every native code developer though on large projects.

That's why we test for it. Thank goodness I did immediately start running tests ;o. Once I found it, fix was within minutes.

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Restraint history fixed up

I've fixed up the new restraint history in the beta. This fix, with others is active in v3.99.41. Now, back to it.. no more updates until RC1.

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v3.99.41 beta released for testing

I've been working the last 7 hours to bring this thing to final, there's just so much to do. Maybe I set the bar too high, too much at once. No matter, I will get it done. I already clipped off the one feature not fully working right (afaik). I am aware of a few more little quirks, which I continue to work on. It just takes time, all simple stuff. I'm also cleaning up the code, ensuring its efficiency, and making final commits and code freezes to specific objects.

Well, this silent update is for testing the latest changes for immediate feedback ... Another build is coming, as always - and I hope it to be RC1 with polished graph tooltips (mythical now, lol).

Ok, this was my break.. quit typing, more coding (yes, I am talking to myself... somebody has to manage me, lol)

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ESR feature deferred

Since ProBalance mostly handles ALL preventable stalls (unless set up wrong), I've decided to postpone the Emergency Stall Recovery feature until v4.1. The issue has been that once a stall has been induced, action can not be taken (because even the high priority thread of the governor is starved). If I make it too aggressive, then it is simply ProBalance ignoring all exclusions -- which won't work.

So, for now, ProBalance will do its job just fine of preventing stalls. In a worst case scenario where an excluded process is the one causing problems, .. Well, you'll have to un-exclude that process or wait for v4.1 ;(.

This decision is the correct one, I believe. It lets me get v4 on out the door. I'm already quite late, at least if going by my self-imposed guesstimates on delivery date. We're there now, and I'm clipping out anything that isn't done (with the exception of the graph tooltips, which I'm polishing before release and finally enabling).

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Process creation log event minor change (note for admins)

Since some network administrators may rely on our log format, another minor change has occured. The format remains the same, no worries. On process creation events, the command line is used if arg0 (pathname) is present. If not, the pathname is prepended to the command line and used. So, count on a 'proper' full command line being in the description column. This was necessary as the presence of arg0 isn't mandatory, and so will vary depending on the parameters used when CreateProcess is invoked (iow, depending on how the process was launched).

This starts as of v3.99.40, coming soon.

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v3.99.39 beta silent update

I uploaded a quick update to address some anomalies found during code review. We're almost there.

I am eating well, and focusing tonight. I will achieve peak efficiency and finish this. It isn't easy, being a one man show, but my many supportive users, translators, and friends make it possible.

I apologize v4 has taken so long. I kept raising the bar on myself. The bar is set now though, and has been for some time. Also please remember ALL the order processing and server side code had to be updated to facilitate our new license activation system.

The good news is that it is a great new version, and a base from which the future can built from. We can do things with version 4 that will amaze you. Just wait ;)

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Performance boost of governor in v3.99.39 great, but cleaning up the code continuing to take time

I am happy to report that my high hopes for the performance optimizations I mentioned before were not misplaced. Upon performing a few benchmarks, I found they have done wonderfully - especially on multi-user environments. If Process Lasso's core engine was lean before, then it is near transparent now in server environments with large numbers of users. Of course, even the home user will see a benefit.

I'm still working to clean the remaining chores up, as I have been saying for a while now. What can I say? There have been a lot of little things to clean up.

One of the many things I've cleaned up is the setting to Manage all users (or not), and to run with elevated rights (or not) in Vista+. These things have been completely polished up and work as you tell them to at install now.

Well, this was my break time. Enough rambling. Back to work.

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Refresh (F5) now also refreshes governor's enforcement of process rules

Refresh (F5) now also refreshes governor's enforcement of process rules. Normally this only happened if you had Forced Mode on, or made some change to the configuration file. Now, if a process has changed from its default setting -- you can easily hit refresh and have the default re-applied.

For v3.99.39 beta *unreleased*

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Command lines now shown in log

Full paths and command lines of newly created processes are now shown in log. As I said, all these things are getting enabled and tested tonight -- we're getting it done and knocking this TODO list down.

For v3.99.39 beta *unreleased*

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v3.99.38 beta - the quick update before the storm

This update restores Windows 2000 compatibility, though I had one report the Active Processes is blank in W2K. I wonder though if perhaps Windows 2000 simply has a lot fewer active applications, lol. It truly does. In CPU use, nothing beats W2K. It is amazing in that way. Of course, it also lacks lots of cool features -- but those cool features could have mostly been implemented in better ways (IMHO).

You've got to give Microsoft a lot of credit for the driver situation though. Remember, they having to develop an OS and coordinate with a large number of hardware vendors to create reliable drivers for PC hardware -- which varies considerably. Sometimes Microsoft has to even create their own drivers when vendors are out of business or uncooperative (or incompetent). They've come a long way in this area. They did what they had to do.

Now it is just a shame Windows 7 doesn't run quite as fast as Windows 2000, despite all its optimizations, lol.

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Kickin' it, old school

Ok, I'm switching back to the old method process icon extraction. The newer method, while more robust, had no real advantage and caused problems in some cases (and wasn't W2K compatible on top of that). Don't worry, my memory saving optimizations are still in place, allowing reduced memory usage by the GUI.

Thanks to MANY people testing our beta versions, I'm confident and am moving forward quickly now. I believe Release Candidate 1 (yes, with graph tooltips) will come within 48 hours. That's my prediction. No, I wouldn't bet anyone's life on it... but I think I can do it.

I may throw out an interim beta real fast to update with the latest improvements before finalizing the new features still disabled and releasing v4 RC1 ;).

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Windows 2000 compatibility restored to v3.99 - (as of v3.99.38, unreleased)

I have restored Windows 2000 compatibility to v3.99. Our new icon extraction code wasn't backwards compatible with Windows 2000. I spent a lot of time on that code, and now I wonder if it is even worth using to be honest. While I debate that, I have uploaded daily beta builds of v3.99.38 here that *should be* fully Windows 2000 compatible:

http://www.bitsum.com/files/daily/prolasso.zip
http://www.bitsum.com/files/daily/prolasso64.zip

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Increase in applications that responsibly manage their own priority class

I'm seeing an increase in applications that responsibly manage their own priority class. This is great news. Google Chrome is the king of them, lowering the priority of background tabs when they aren't visible to Below Normal -- just like ProBalance would have done (if they were active at all). Now I've noticed other random software also being a little more friendly.

Perhaps the importance of lowering your application's priority when you know it is doing nothing that important is a trend that is catching on. Perhaps Process Lasso even helped developers become aware of this need. There is nothing better than an application that manages its own priority well.

Fortunately Process Lasso is designed to work wonderfully with applications that manage their own priority -- by simply ignoring them (unless Forced mode is on). A lesser product might not have a Forced mode (or always have it on/off), but Process Lasso was designed to do things right. I'm certainly not perfect, but do try hard to do things right. I encourage users to keep this is mind when choosing ANY software -- Does it look like the developer cared if things really got done right, or were they more interested in a flashy UI to make a quick $?

Well, from a note about a trend with applications doing better at managing their own priorities to a sales pitch, lol.. quite a blog post here at 6:04am. What am I up doing? Restoring W2K compatibility. I really hope there are more than 5 of you guys left ;).

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Great new progress and new daily builds

I've continued to make great strides forward. v3.99.37 beta has been a stable build, as I predicted. It isn't perfect, as I've already done a lot more cleaning, adding, and polishing since it.

As for latest internal developments: The graph tooltips *will* finally be enabled soon on public builds. I had to both finish them, then ensure they worked efficiently and without problems. Since they are tied closely to the inter-process communication, much of the work has been on it, preparing for the final unveiling of those new graph tooltips. I know, this is the 20th time I've said this -- I'm for real though.

I actually have the power to show tooltips anywhere on the graph, but for now will just show information about ProBalance events. When you're hovering over a highlighted area of the graph, you'll see all events that happened at that time (yes, I support multiple events during the same time interval -- of course).

I've added a new throttle level, for the few that use hard throttling for whatever purpose. I've also changed the existing throttle levels. Note to readers, the throttling I am speaking of is NOT ProBalance priority adjustments. It is a specialized type of CPU throttling.

The process context menu has been improved, so that things you want are more easily found - I think. The dialogs are getting improved.

Every line of code I've changed since v3.84 is getting reviewed. We're almost there.

Thank you so much to those who have stuck with me through this evolution in Process Lasso. The creative process isn't one you always have control over. You can't just 'do it' sometimes. It takes a little inspiration -- and without YOU I'd not have that inspiration.

Daily builds

Daily builds are now available here:

http://www.bitsum.com/files/daily/prolasso.zip
http://www.bitsum.com/files/daily/prolasso64.zip

These builds will have experimental features disabled as with normal betas, but may not be versioned correctly. They are mostly intended for translators who may need to see updated strings in use, etc.. They are also for someone who needs some particular fix *today*, and that fix has been implemented.

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v3.99.37 beta released - This should be a stable beta

To clear up confusion from a botched v3.99.36 beta version, I've released v3.99.37 beta. This *should* be a good, clean beta. I've really got to finish work on the remaining debugging and features, but it was also important a reasonably stable and efficient beta version be available. Here it is.

I apologize for the botched beta release, it happens though (experimental code was in it causing crashes of the GUI). I am simply more determined than ever to get this new version finished with. I am tired of releasing new builds, tired of adding features.. and ready to get this thing (v4) done!

Part of the hold up is that v3.84 is such a good build. I mean, it really is nice, stable, and efficient. To top that requires more than adding new features. It requires really increasing efficiency to offset the additional mass, and it requires lots and lots of QA.

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v3.99.36 beta - Quick official update

This official update, v3.99.36 beta, is another quick update. Since the last official launch of v3.99.35 beta, lots of things have changed though (see list below). ANOTHER build is going to come quickly, maybe by the end of this work 'day' for me. I say day because I've adopted 3rd shift to get maximal focus and minimize distractions.

You will NOT be notified of this update via the update checker if you're using v3.99.35, at least not yet. Like I said, I hope for a better build by the night's end anyway.

(Since v3.99.35 beta)

• v3.99.36 beta build #81800
• Addition.GUI: Added easy menu option to reset entire configuration (all of it)
• Addition.GUI: Added Indonesian language by Ivan Chin
• Addition.GUI: Added Serbian (latin char set) by Dražen Milovanović - Note Serbian Cyrillic is already avaialable and kept up to date by the diligent Ozzii
• Change.GUI: Language selection is now saved in HKLM, but can be overridden by HKCU
• Change.GUI: Switching languages is now done by picking your new language, then restarting Process Lasso (instead of wiping out old pick and restarting Process Lasso)
• Fix.Installer: Fixed language being reset to English on silent upgrade
• Fix.GUI: (beta2beta) Potential/likely fix missing system tray icon in Vista or Windows 7 afer user login (PL GUI was being launched before explorer by the Task Scheduler)
• Fix.GUI: (beta2beta) Fixed positioning of RAM graph outline (group control surronding RAM graph)
• Change.GUI: (beta2beta) Experimental switch back to non-persistent pipes
• Change.GUI: Better handling of user configured selection to manage only their processes, or not (for XP and Vista/7)
• Change.GUI: Faster handling in cases where lots of processes are ignored for one reason or another
• --much more--

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VS2010 - you dog

Looking more into my sudden development environment problem, Visual Studio 2010 appears to get stuck in a recursive memory eating loop as it tries to simply enumerate the resources of my solution for the resource view (showing an entirely blank resource view while doing so). Giving it time, it simply eats up all available memory. So, now I've got to revert to last night's solution and re-do any changes to the solution made since then -- hopefully without causing this strange recursive loop to occur again. My goodness Microsoft ;o. Under NO circumstances should that be allowed to occur.

UPDATE: This was verified to be the cause. Reverting ONLY my .SLN file solve the issue. Visual Studio 2010 actually saved my solution in a way that caused its resource editor to get stuck in a memory eating infinite loop. If this isn't a good example of why ProBalance is handy, I don't know what is, lol ;). Even the best (or not so best) software sometimes malfunctions.

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Build system maintenance, issuing another silent replacement of v3.99.35

I'm going to have to spend a little time repairing my primary development environment, so figured I'd issue another silent update to v3.99.35. This one self-describes itself as v3.99.36, at least partially. An official v3.99.36 (or v3.99.37) release is coming shortly as well, after the build system maintenance and after a bit more work. I've got a lot accomplished tonight already. I'm going to try to keep my stride. This build system problem, which I won't go into detail (VS2010 is a buggy POS), is just a distraction when I was on a roll.

I swear, I wish I would have never switched to VS2010 in v4. In fact, I ended up having to revert to the older CRT anyway to preserve XP pre-SP2 compatibility ;o. The IDE is nice, but dead slow even on modern hardware. This sudden bug is just... inexplicable. To have to waste time either tracking down the cause, or (first) attempting a reinstall is just annoying. How it could just start I have no idea. No, it wasn't because of anything I did. It has simply mis-configured my solution in a way that results in a blank resource view, despite some 70 projects in the solution. That should never be allowed to occur.

Microsoft: Come on guys, you know what I say about VS2010 is true -- you use it. I'll make a deal with you: You get a service release for VS2010 out, and I'll get PL v4 out. Let's fix the world up together ;). I *do* appreciate your ambitions with VS2010, but something is off on the implementation. You need more optimizations and more safety catches, or something.

This is, at least, a reminder of what can happen when even a good upgrade is released before it has been fully tested. Version 4 brings a lot of cool things, but it isn't worth the upgrade until it has been through proper QA.

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Boosting performance, you naughty boy!

I just can't help myself.. I need to be finishing and testing this code, but I keep boosting performance when I see a chance. The next build will perform more optimally on systems where there are a large number of processes skipped for whatever reason (by config or access rights). Basically it 'remembers' these ignored processes better and doesn't have to re-evaluate them. Yea, a marginal bit of CPU cycles unless there are 10,000 ignored processes -- which might be the case on some servers.

Since little optimizations like this are one of many things that differentiate Process Lasso from imitators, I do feel compelled to mention them.

I have been working non-stop on v4. I've gotten many bugs worked out, reviewed a good portion of the code, but it is still beta.. as much as I want it to be release candidate. I'll get it there, don't worry. I'm tired. I'm weary, but I'm feeling good and optimistic. I see the light at the end of the tunnel very brightly. It's all planned, mostly done, just a matter of time and debugging patience to ensure the QA you've come to expect from our final builds.

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Silent update to v3.99.35 beta

I posted a silent update to v3.99.35 beta that includes new languages and certain portions of new or rewritten code. Unfinished things are disabled, as usual. Still waiting on next new beta, as I have a lot more to do before I want to issue it. Update is 'engine' build number 81600 (in about box).

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Dedication to localization - new Serbian variant

For better or worse, it seems I spend about half my time working on, updating, or integrating new languages -- thanks to the hard and consistent work of an army of volunteers. If using anything but English, you have the translator named in the About box to thank for your translation. You should be grateful ;).

We're adding a variant of Serbian. We already have a great Serbian Cyrillic translation from Ozzii, but now have a Serbian Latin translation for anyone who wants it instead for whatever reason.

So, this makes 11.5 languages. Enjoy, and I do hope all this localization work is worth it. I think it is ;).

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Work continues on new beta ...

Ok, I know I delete half the posts I write here, but I wanted to provide a new status update. As I've went through the code review, cleaning things up, rewriting portions, I've decided I'm holding this beta until I get a build I am satisfied with it. I hope to have a build tonight, but I'm keeping it held until it is 'right'. Namely I'm talking about the GUI, as the core engine has been fine in this beta series.

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Indonesian language added - That makes 11

Thanks to the work of Ivan Chin, an Indonesian (Bahasa Melayu) translation will be included in v3.99.36. This will be the first time even he has seen it, so it may still need work -- but it is mostly done ;).

Process Lasso is now available in these languages:

1. English
2. Japanese
3. Portuguese/Brazilian 
4. Russian
5. Serbian
6. Dutch (out-dated)
7. Simplified Chinese
8. Traditional Chinese
9. Italian
10. Finnish
11. Indonesian

That's 11 languages thanks to the dedicated work of volunteers! It has been a lot for me to keep up with, which is why I wrote automated tools to do our own style of localization (info in Forum).

I did also have a Polish translation, but sadly it is too far out of date to include. The Dutch translation is also a bit dated.

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v3.99.35 beta released

I've continued my work in v3.99.35 beta. It is another minor incremental update in the series. I have a larger update pending (as always it seems). I am hoping this build fixes some complaints I've heard, though I'm *sure* it won't address them all.

• Addition.GUI: Added user column to Active Processes tab
• Change.Core: Use binary search instead of sorted linear search on larger process lists
• Change.GUI: Fix Finnish graph legend and possibly other text (I hope)
• Change.Core: INI change certification disabled, as it was deemed useless
• Fix.InstallHelper: (beta2beta) If user selects 'Manage processes of all users' then unselects the auto-selected 'Elevate at login', then it is now implied they wanted elevation anyway
• All.Fixes: Misc improvements and fixes throughout

I'd recommend waiting another build or two if you are hoping for a near done release.

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Bitsum Technologies - Become an affiliate. An opportunity for you?

Ok, now at this stage what normally happens is the developer 'sells out' to some company promising to handle all the marketing and sales. They give over control to these people. I mean, you can understand how it is appealing. I barely have time to code given all the support, business development, and marketing I must do.

But we've all seen the consequences on numerous great software products. You know, you grow to love something, then it is ruined by these professional marketers and managers. These people can't make good software, that's been proven. Only FREE developers make good software. That's because they care more about the code than the bottom line.

Well, I'm not selling out. Now, that may make me a fool and jeopardize my personal wealth, but it 'feels' right. I develop my software because it is my contribution to society, and an extension of me. I am not going to hand over control to anyone else, as they simply won't care as much (by default, no matter who the person/organization).

So, here's to hoping and praying Bitsum Technologies continues to remain profitable. I'll, at least, have low overhead staying a one man show. At some point I do need to develop more business alliances, which I've been working on, to help market the software in other countries. After all, I can't speak anything but English, so can't provide adequate support to non-English speaking customers.

At present our proud partners are:

1. NetTool, Japanese translator and reseller
2. dadagoo, inc., German, Swiss, and Austrian translator and reseller
3. Volker Imre, Commercial German Sales 
4. All the individual level translators that have stepped up to the plate
5. Join the list by emailing us - We need more partners to offload my work without signing my soul away! It may not make you rich, but it might be a fun endeavor.. and who knows what the future holds.

To those waiting for me to finish our relationship; I'm sorry and please be patient. Business development is yet another full time job that I must take on myself ;o. Please do not hesitate to remind me if you've not heard from me on any outstanding issue.

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New releases - but don't get excited

I've released v3.84.8 final. This is a minor update to the last final build. So minor that it simply updates the code signing. Anything else would require extensive regression testing and that's what v4 is for.

As for v4, v3.99.34 beta is being issued. This is a quick update too. The watchdog menus are flaky still because I haven't got to them yet. It does re-add the Russian translation thanks to Dmitry Yerokhin, our very hard working Russian Translator. Russian is the last language not using our new format, which is why it gets disabled when it goes out of date.

The Finnish translation has also been updated and improved, as has other languages. I don't want to start listing credits, as I'll be listing them all night ;o. It suffices to say, whoever's name is in the About box as the translator for your language you should be appreciative of. I am working out ways to better reward these individuals (of course they already get free licenses and more).

A few changes were made though; lots of little fixes and adjustments not worth mentioning. Now that we have a code signing certificate again, and I'm personally 'feeling the code', we'll be issuing new builds rapidly the next few days.

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Finishing the GUI

The last few days have been horrible. I've restored XP pre-SP2 compatibility to the beta series and fixed numerous bugs. Unfortunately not all bugs left in the beta have been squashed yet. I built up expectations too quickly I think, as a couple users will disappointed bug X or Y wasn't fixed. I am getting to them ASAP. Most of the watchdog stuff is still a little flaky, and certain system configurations seem problematic in the beta.

I've done what I can. It hasn't been easy. Version 4 has been a large leap forward. It may not look like much, but it is a platform to build upon. I now can implement new optimizations I couldn't before, and can do other things I don't want to yet reveal.

We'll be final before we know it, but it has to be done right. I can't rush it. I know everyone is eager, and I am too. The more I try to rush it the more mistakes I'll make, which will only slow me down during QA. I'm about 95% complete, so I'm just going to take it slow and steady to cross the finish line.

After version 4 I have several other plans, but one thing at a time ;).

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Windows 2000 and Windows XP pre-SP2: v4 support is returning

It turns out that VC 10's (Visual Studio 2010) common runtime libs use functions only available in XP with SP2. So, this was the core of the remaining incompatibility. I've fixed this now. I simply reverted the SDK used to VC9, while using Visual Studio 2010. The issue was the new DecodePointer and EncodePoitner APIs (if not others). These nearly useless security APIs were added to XP SP2 in attempt to protect pointer addresses from being 'known' at runtime. I guess it was a good idea, but they are not very useful with other things like ASLR now available.

So, I guess Microsoft quit caring about pre-SP2 XP and Windows 2000 ... but not us. I told you v4 would remain compatible, and compatibility should be restored in the next build. I'm sorry you Windows 2000 and XP pre-SP2 users have missed out so far. You will like what you see when you do catch up ;).

Of course, v3.84.7 (the last final) works FINE on both Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP0.

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v3.99.32 beta - Fix that View menu, but don't update if you're Russian

Since the alternate ways to hide/show columns are somewhat "an insider's secret" (see below), I decided to issue an interim beta build to fix the View menu and also disable the Russian translation pending an update. It is the last translation still using a resource script and therefore more sensitive to changes than my languages.

So, there is v3.99.32 beta ;). All the cool new stuff I was working on got disabled for now, sorry. It was better to disable them than have them as-is, trust me. This build should be pretty good... it has tested well so far, but I do not do extensive tests of betas.

Tonight I'm focusing more on fixes, so if I haven't gotten to your bug report yet, I likely will. I hope everyone enjoys tomorrow, if I don't have a chance to say 'Good Morning' ;)

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Selecting which columns are shown - 3 different ways

It was brought to my attention that, in the last beta build, I accidentally broke the 'View / Select columns to show' sub-menu. There are TWO other ways to get to the column selection menu that do work. One is to right-click on the tab, the other is to right-click on the listview header. Either will show a popup menu with all the possible columns -- then you can check/uncheck to hide/show those columns. This works for BOTH the 'All Processes' *and* 'Active Processes' listviews.

Some users have complained that their process column settings were lost in recent beta upgrades. This happens whenever I add or remove a column. Since such changes are rare, it is simply best to 'put up' with them being reset during some upgrades ;o. The complexity and development time of a system to try to preserve your listview settings even when those listviews have had substantial changes made just isn't worth it, I'm sorry.

Well, here I go, trying my best to get this done ... I do have more good news - The graph tooltips are on display in my internal build here. I'm not quite happy with them yet, but they are here. I'm also fixing little GUI quirks left and right.

Version 4 will be here before you know it.

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Actual time spent in restraint also added to processes

At the suggestion of Scott Danesi, perhaps through an initial misinterpretation, I also added the time spent in restraint to the 'Time Restrained' column. There was extra space there anyway since the header text was so comparatively large.

NOTE: Screenshot actually of v3.99.32 internal, so may have cosmetic differences from v3.99.31.

As you can see, one of many benefits of Process Lasso is that it greatly improves system responsiveness during builds with Visual Studio (especially the heavy-weight Visual Studio 2010). The restrained processes are all helper processes VS2010 launches during the build process.

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I also fixed an issue with system tray tooltip truncation in Vista/Win7 that popped up in the last beta (but no other build).

I am now completing my 'task list' and going for gold here...

v3.99.31 beta will be uploaded within minutes.

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