SoftwareOK updates

[Checker]

Am I annoyed by frequent updates ... No
Am I annoyed by the description ... No , but I understand what I am Baas means (e.g. "Small changes and some improvements" does not give me a clue, what has been changed and improved).
BTW, did you notice: After changes and improvements, the size in bytes remains exactly the same

But I fully agree with guinness:

... he's providing useful software for FREE and at no additional cost to the end user, so we should at least be grateful for that. This is not a business for him and is done as a pure hobby, ...

[romulous]

BTW, did you notice: After changes and improvements, the size in bytes remains exactly the same

I hadn't noticed. That is very interesting, isn't it? *






*Interesting is the polite way to describe it, I could probably think of a better way

[Checker]

I noticed that, because I did most of the database updates
One example: AutoHideDesktopIcons

Update from V1.51 to V1.53:
Changelog:
- New language in AutoHideDesktopIcons: Vietnamese
- Small fixes and updating the language files
Size (in bytes) remains: 33280

Update from V1.53 to V1.54:
Changelog:
- Updating the language files in AutoHideDesktopIcons
- General optimization, small improvements and Tests on Windows-8
Size (in bytes) remains: 33280

See Update changelog

[guinness]

OK, it's possible to have the same size but I would say the possibility of this happening is highly unlikely, more chance winning the lottery. There's one thing to create vague changelogs (which I can live with as it's a language barrier thing) but dishonesty is something I can't tolerate here or in 'real' life.

[guinness]

If anyone has V1.51 and V1.53 then comparing the MD5 has will give more of a definite answer.

[romulous]

I didn't have AutoHideDesktopIcons to compare, but I've just compared the previous AlwaysMouseWheel (v1.92) with the just updated v2.0. As with AutoHideDesktopIcons, the executable sizes between the two versions are exactly the same (52,736 bytes) - but they do have different md5 hashes. Changelog was again suitably vague:

1. Small adjustments and Tests in DesktopOK for Windows-8 Consumer Preview.
2. Update of the DesktopOK language files

[I am Baas]

More adjustments and improvements. Must be a super stick by now

[romulous]

Indeed, I am Baas.

PointerStick v1.66=820,736 bytes. PointerStick 1.68=820,736 bytes. What a surprise!

(There goes my sarcasm quota for today!)

[Checker]

It's now: V1.61 (820736 bytes) -> V1.64 (820736 bytes) -> V1.66 (820736 bytes) -> V1.68 (820736 bytes).
Question: What's the real change except of the version number

More adjustments and improvements. Must be a super stick by now

Indeed

[guinness]

MD5 of V1.68 is e4282db2da66ae19802a4e4482c8a465 can anyone provide the MD5 for V1.66 or V1.61, because three times with the same filesize is looking very suspicious.

[I am Baas]

MD5 of V1.68 is e4282db2da66ae19802a4e4482c8a465 can anyone provide the MD5 for V1.66 or V1.61, because three times with the same filesize is looking very suspicious.

Downloaded V1.66 from http://www.softpedia.com/get/Others/Mis ... tick.shtml

OK, V.1.66 MD5 is 5f8fdf7e083507a9670261a851725d2f

[romulous]

md5 of the .exe (or did you mean the .zip the .exe is inside?) of 1.66 is 5f8fdf7e083507a9670261a851725d2f.

The author is changing the version numbers - if you do a binary compare of the two versions, you can see that in the executable:
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/730/snap058i.png (red text shows the changes)

Because the version number is changed in the executable itself, the md5's are going to be different each time - but the file sizes don't change. That means one of two things:
1. The author is making no changes, except to the version number (ala MuseTips Text Filter).
2. Changes are being made - but then for reasons unknown, the author is packing the code so the binary is always exactly the same size.

I know which one I favour.

[I am Baas]

Compared the PE structure of V1.68 with that of V1.66. See the difference in red:

Press [Esc] to close this window!
PE Structure | PointerStick.exe | PointerStick.exe |
COFF File Header | | |
Signature | 4550(PE) | 4550(PE) |
Machine | 014C | 014C |
NumberOfSections | 0004 | 0004 |
TimeDateStamp | 4F51DA8B | 4F8870DE |
PointerToSymbolTable | 00000000 | 00000000 |
NumberOfSymbols | 00000000 | 00000000 |
SizeOfOptionalHeader | 00E0 | 00E0 |
Characteristics | 010F | 010F |
Optional Header [PE32] | | |
Magic | 010B | 010B |
MajorLinkerVersion | 06 | 06 |
MinorLinkerVersion | 00 | 00 |
SizeOfCode | 00004A00 | 00004A00 |
SizeOfInitializedData | 000D1800 | 000D1800 |
SizeOfUninitializedData | 00000000 | 00000000 |
AddressOfEntryPoint | 000057BA | 000057BA |
BaseOfCode | 00001000 | 00001000 |
BaseOfData | 00006000 | 00006000 |
ImageBase | 00400000 | 00400000 |
SectionAlignment | 00001000 | 00001000 |
FileAlignment | 00000200 | 00000200 |
MajorOSVersion | 0004 | 0004 |
MinorOSVersion | 0000 | 0000 |
MajorImageVersion | 0000 | 0000 |
MinorImageVersion | 0000 | 0000 |
MajorSubsystemVersion | 0004 | 0004 |
MinorSubsystemVersion | 0000 | 0000 |
Reserved | 00000000 | 00000000 |
SizeOfImage | 000D9000 | 000D9000 |
SizeOfHeaders | 00000400 | 00000400 |
CheckSum | 000D45B1 | 000D2A00 |
Subsystem | 0002 | 0002 |
DLL Characteristics | 0000 | 0000 |
SizeOfStackReserve | 00100000 | 00100000 |
SizeOfStackCommit | 00001000 | 00001000 |
SizeOfHeapReserve | 00100000 | 00100000 |
SizeOfHeapCommit | 00001000 | 00001000 |
LoaderFlags | 00000000 | 00000000 |
NumberOfRvaAndSizes | 00000010 | 00000010 |
Data_Directories | | |
Export Table | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
Import Table | 000000B400006350 | 000000B400006350 |
Resource Table | 000C092800018000 | 000C092800018000 |
Exception Table | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
Certificate Table | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
Base Relocation Table | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
Debug | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
Architecture | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
Global Ptr | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
TLS Table | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
Load Config Table | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
Bound Import | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
IAT | 0000028000006000 | 0000028000006000 |
Delay Import Descriptor | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
COM+ Runtime Header | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |
Reserved | 0000000000000000 | 0000000000000000 |

[romulous]

Wow - so literally all that is changed is the timestamp and checksum?

[I am Baas]

Wow - so literally all that is changed is the timestamp and checksum?

No no no, we now have an improved, adjustable stick

I will run a binary compare test later.