New Process Lasso being finished up (probably today)

There were some minor fixes and adjustments that were supposed to be in the last minor update, but got reverted. I had some 'issues' and had done a 'full revert' to a previous day and lost many of them. These little (cosmetic) changes will be in this next minor update, along with some other improvements to handle a few rare error conditions better.

I'm also trying to finish up this new little freeware project for the world. It will be very useful to everyone. Zero revenue, but... helpful ;). Process Lasso remains my top priority, so I can only do the freeware stuff in my spare time, which is why it has taken so long. One more stride and I think I'll have it done too.

UPDATE: Delayed a couple more days as there are still items on the todo list and no compelling reason to issue this update yet. This should be a relief to those who struggle to keep up with the updates anyway. I told you things would slow down once v5 was polished a bit.

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Need a 'Pause' button? Here's a trick until we add it

A 'pause' button is coming in the next beta series, but until then a trick to use is to sort by creation time. This is also useful to see what new processes have been created, and when. A lot of advanced users do this.

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RSS links switch back to BITSUM.COM

Using a reverse proxy type with a single line of PHP, I have switched our RSS feeds all to BITSUM.COM. The BITSUM.NET reference feeds still work fine as well. This was important for search and indexing, where I want news feeds about Bitsum.com to be related to Bitsum.com. As always, they are listed here:

http://bitsum.com/rsslinks.php

Try not refresh them too often, I like to edit my posts several hundred times after first making them ;p.

I could move the entire Forum to bitsum.com this way, while keeping it isolated, and allow use of our SSL certificate. I am considering doing just that, but I have wasted a lot of time on this issue and so am going to wait. I want to make sure I've got everything considered. The Forum must be isolated, that's all there is too it. I have to assume that it will be hacked, even if it never is. That's one more barrier to protect customer data (note we keep very little info, no credit cards or other billing stuff.. in fact, we don't even ever get access to your billing info).

Why very few Forums on the internet use SSL I don't know. Honestly, I am of the belief every site should use it all the time -- except for the cost (which may answer my question). It is not only costly, but quite the documentation hassle. The cost is why I have a 'non-wildcard' certificate that only works for 'bitsum.com' (e.g. not 'www.bitsum.com').

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Process Lasso v5.0.0.37

Changes:

• [.37]Fix.Core: Fixed auto-reload of config changes might fail to occur for shared, remote configuration files
• [.37]Fix.GUI: Fix flicker in 'RAM Load', 'Show Graph', and 'Buy Now' buttons when changing window size, it is now very smooth. This was seen most prominently in the 'RAM Load' graph.
• [.37]Fix.GUI: Fixed issue where lower view tab did not extend to right most edge after activation (to cover space of old buy now button)
• [.37]Change.Core: A few code optimizations
• [.37]Change.GUI: Substantially sped up icon retrieval
• [.37]Change.GUI: Instead of blank icons for processes w/o icons, the 'default no-icon' icon is used
• [.37]Change.GUI: Changed GUI memory management a little
• [.37]Fix.Updater: Fixed automatic update download dialog still not localized (will again take 2 updates to first see fix)
• [.37]Change.Updater: Quick upgrade is no longer system modal, to prevent inteference with fullscreen games when it goes to do an automatic update

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New build coming today

This next build has some fixes I have been eager to get out, but its been held up in this more extensive debugging. I simply had to take some time, get things settled, and make sure they are right before I could release again.

After this, although continued maintenance on the current final will continue, I'm going in an exciting new direction. Stay tuned. I don't know how long it will take, and if I gave an estimate I'd just be wrong. I do know this will be what many have been 'waiting for'.

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Next build coming, held up in QA as I fix some standing issues

There have been a few little quirks I have wanted to debug and take care of for a while. Some more problematic to debug than others. I am addressing as many as possible in this next build. I hope not to hold it much longer, but I have a list of things I want to make sure are addressed. QA must be the top concern at all times. I've done a lot towards that in the last month, but more must be done. Not having a dedicated QA team means I rely heavily on user reports of problems, and I thank you for that. I'm improving the way and helpfulness in which users can report problems all the times. First it was minidumps, next it will be automated submission of them along with configuration.

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A jolt of enthusiasm

Things are going to change in a big way here. I realize I've reached a plateau. Process Lasso must now evolve to the next level. That is what we are all waiting on, right? Well, I do have a plan for this, and am working towards it. I don't want to give it all away, and my plans change so often that half of it would be useless anyway.

The minor maintenance will continue in the interim, but what I'm speaking of is a shift in paradigm so large that it brings back the excitement we all had when we first discovered Process Lasso (and the excitement many new users of Process Lasso get to this day). For the rest of us, minor maintenance has gotten dreary and routine. If you ever think you don't need Process Lasso's ProBalance, you will be like many who have tried without it for a bit, then remember why they loved it ;). Boy does it make a difference in responsiveness during Visual Studio builds of projects on even a high-end system. With applications making increased use of multiple cores, the need for ProBalance is as great as ever - as the chances of all your system CPUs being maxed out are getting higher. Then there is the inverse trend towards lower power CPUs like those found in netbooks, Windows tablets, and UMPCs.

"With applications making increased use of multiple cores, the need for ProBalance is as great as ever - as the chances of all your system CPUs being maxed out are getting higher. Then there is the inverse trend towards lower power CPUs like those found in netbooks, Windows tablets, and UMPCs."

We need a new jolt of kick-butt new features and massive user interface improvements. As a low level coder, I'm not all about user interfaces, but it should be a pleasant experience to use an application - not a painful one.

I thank everyone for their continued support and patience. The next minor update has some good maintenance and you will be pleased by it. Everyone is loving those automated updates by now I'm sure? Remember, if not using the automatic/automatic updates, the license validation is optional. The idea is to let you know if your license is going to be expired. If it is close, you might want to check.

We MAY start sending out emails before licenses expire, something we've not done before, but seems like a darn good idea. We don't want anyone taken by surprise. The good news is that if anyone ever is taken by surprise, you can always download an older version in the Support area and use it (even if your license is expired).

Let's hope for the best.

Also, I'm about to announce a little piece of freeware I've been working on... I didn't like taking time from Process Lasso, so rushed through it, but it is surprisingly functional and good. The power users that like Process Lasso will like this too.

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v5.0.0.36 released

Downloads:

32-bit: http://www.bitsum.com/files/prolasso.zip
64-bit: http://www.bitsum.com/files/prolasso64.zip

Changes:

• [.36]Fix.GUI: Fixed and improved cleanup of auto update files (nothing that would accumulate)
• [.36]Fix.GUI: Fixed bad alignment of CPU % in listview tooltips
• [.36]Fix.GUI: Improved code and workings of several configuration dialogs
• [.36]Fix.GUI: Fixed prompt to save unadded new Watchdog entry in Watchdog Configuration dialog (behaves as others do now)
• [.36]Fix.GUI: Fixed prompt to save unadded new I/O priority entry in Default I/O Priority Configuration dialog (behaves as others do now)
• [.36]Fix.GUI: Fixed prompt to save unadded new Throttle entry in Default Throttle Configuration dialog (behaves as others do now)
• [.36]Fix.GUI: Fixed prompt to save unadded new Keep Running in Keep Running Configuration dialog (behaves as others do now)
• [.36]Fix.GUI: Improved compatibility with Comodo Defense+ (log events do not keep repeating, filling up the log). This can also be fixed by adding ProcessLasso.exe to the correct trusted processes list in Comodo Defense+.
• [.36]Change.GUI: Increased aggressiveness of process icon loads
• [.36]Change.GUI: Re-enabled asynchronous process icon retrieval
• [.36]Change.GUI: Double click a rule in the Watchdog configuration dialog to bring into edit mode
• [.36]Change.GUI: Double click a rule in the Default CPU Priorities configuration dialog to bring into edit mode
• [.36]Change.GUI: Double click a rule in the Default I/O Priorities configuration dialog to bring into edit mode
• [.36]Change.GUI: Double click a rule in the Default Throttle configuration dialog to bring into edit mode
• [.36]Change.GUI: Double click a rule in the Default Instance Limits configuration dialog to bring into edit mode
• [.36]Change.GUI: Double click a rule in the Keep Running configuration dialog to bring into edit mode
• [.36]Change.Core: Prevent excessive error messages, limit 1 error message per process - particularly important in Forced Mode
• [.36]Removal.Core: Removed message box if minidump was generated, goes to auto-restart and log
• [.36]Removal.Core: Removed log entry about where the log was being written to (seems quite redundant at present)
• [.36]Addition.Core: Core engine writes LOG message if it performed a self-restart
• [.36]Addition.Core: Added new self-restart feature if a crash or other anomaly occurs
• [.36]Change.Installer: Some in-house istall facilitation tools not previously signed now are
• [.36]Change.QuickUpdater: Allowed for proper localization of it (brief download dialog was English only before)
• [.36]Change.GUI: More efficient switch on process listview notification messages
• [.36]Change.All: Adjusted size of minidumps again (still much smaller than they once were)
• [.36]Change.All: Updated Russian
• [.36]Change.All: Updated French

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Nearly done with new configuration dialog cleanup and more

It has been a bit tedious, but most all of the rule configuration dialogs have now been cleaned up and fixed up. Sure, they could always be better, but now they behave consistently and you can double click a rule to edit it (instead of having to remove, re-type, then add it). Some more work will continue incrementally, as I like to do. Also, there was a fix to the at-exit save prompts of many configuration dialogs, as they were not functioning as the user would expect as well, a fact I discovered during testing.

Several other improvements are in this next build as well. I'm trying to finish it on up in the new few hours. I have a good bit of testing and code review to do after finishing the remaining code chores, but it is doable.

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Smaller minidumps means more submissions

One of the changes in the last build was that I reduced the size of the minidumps that are generated in the rare event of a crash. They have been reduced in size several hundred percent (from megabytes to kilobytes).

Please simply email me any generated minidumps. These are found in the user %APPDATA%\ProcessLasso folder. These help me to quickly diagnose some problems (not all).

Of course, most users won't ever see any minidump. They are generated on the rare occasion of a crash.

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Fixing those annoying configuration dialogs

I don't know about you, but when I use the configuration dialogs I think of how lazy the developer must be ;p. I am therefore cleaning them up. It may be a gradual process, not to happen overnight, but they will get progressively easier to use. For instance, the first change is that double clicking an 'entry' (in a list or listview) brings it back up into the editing area for modification. Having to remove then completely recreate entries is absurd. That I let this go for so long disappoints me, but ...

On other news, the automated update downloader you briefly see is now localizable - one of the very few areas that wasn't. This will occur in the next build, and as translators update their languages.

The activation system has been made more robust, and I'm starting to make it easier for people to renew or upgrade licenses.

Work, work, work ;)

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Licensing tightened down

The licensing had been a bit excessively lax, which was not fair to paying customers. It is still far from totalitarian, but it makes sure nobody is getting more than their fair share. I had to go through several sample scenarios to make sure the system works as it should, supporting numerous resellers, license types, differing versions (for some resellers where this matters), and varying update subscription terms.

If your activation code no longer works and you feel it should, please contact me.

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v5.0.0.32 released

• [.32]Fix.Core: Fixed issue where watchdog entries quit working when forced mode was on if their time threshold was non-zero.
• [.32]Change.Core: Improved efficiency of core engine when Forced Mode is on and watchdog entries are active.
• [.32]Addition.Licensing: New offline activation mechanism added

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v5.0.0.31 released

Amongst more minor issues, this version updates the core engine Watchdog capabilities. They now perform nominally with regard to time over threshold.

• [.31]Addition.GUI: Added ProBalance menu option 'Lower I/O priority during restraint' to options menu (was only in dialog before)
• [.31]Fix.Core: Fixed watchdog 'time over threshold' not beind adhered to in all cases. This is NOT related to ProBalance.
• [.3]1Fix.Core: Fixed watchdog entries not always being enforced when they should be (sometimes deferred). This is NOT related to ProBalance.
• [.31]Change.Core: I/O Priority Lower during restraint now reset if ProBalance defaults restored
• [.31]Change.GUI: Allow manual entry of CPU % in Watchdog dialog instead of forcing use of combobox
• [.31]Change.GUI: Rearranged configuration dialog menu items a little
• [.31]Change.GUI: A few small cosmetic fixes for some languages
• [.31]Change.GUI: Improved handling of system tray icon recovery if explorer crashes (near instant instead of delayed a few seconds, and more redundancy on failure)
• [.31]Change.GUI: Other misc cosmetic tweaks
• [.31]Change.GUI: Several other misc code tweaks
• [.31]Change.GUI: Updated Russian
• [.31]Change.GUI: Updated French
• [.31]Change.GUI: Updated Finnish
• [.31]Change.GUI: Restored older Traditional Chinese translation
• [.31]Change.Installer: No longer force language reselection (Japanese build only), as automatic update is now most common method to upgrade and it doesn't reset language anyway

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