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VerCheck

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©1996-2017 Roedy Green of Canadian Mind Products
Unfortunately, Oracle has effectively decommitted Applets. This means you can no longer run the various CMP programs in a browser. You must download them and install them. You must have the most recent Java JRE (Java Runtime Environment) 1.8.0_131 32-bit or 64-bit. It no longer matters which browser you use.
Oracle has effectively decommited Applets, so this Applet will no longer run online in your browser, but it is a hybrid you can also download, install and run it on your own machine as standalone application. It will start and run faster if you do that. It will also work safely even if you have disabled Java in your browser.

This program has gradually lost the ability to connect to websites. I have no idea why. The program is no longer useful.

This program will let you quickly check if there are new versions of any of your apps. Read the precis to understand how it works. Or just click Check For New Versions to see if there are any new versions for any of the default set of applications. The results are summarised at the utilities entry in plain HTML (Hypertext Markup Language).

I update the code for Vercheck frequently, sometimes several times a day. The means the downloaded version will soon be out of date. Download it primarily if you want to study or modify it yourself. The easiest way to use it to monitor the standard list of application or your own applications is to run it as an Applet getting its jar each time from the http://mindprod.com/applet directory.

This program is an implementation of the VerCheck student project outline. Reading it will help you understand how this program works. If you are a Java programmer curious how the program works, you can either download the source or view source code in JDisplay format.

If you install VerCheck as an application rather then running it without installing as as Applet, when you add apps by configuring defaults.csv, make sure you prepend the match string with regex: when your match string is a regex.
Applet failed to run. No Java 1.8 or later plug-in found.
Icons Used in VerCheck to Describe Applications
Icon Meaning
empty empty row
invalid invalid, e.g. bad date, bad/missing URL
unknown status not yet determined
checking In the process of contacting and checking this website
brokenlink Could not contact website, or possibly the page is missing. Could indicate a version change.
unchanged Unchanged, released over a year ago
unchanged Unchanged, released in last year
unchanged Unchanged, released in last month
unchanged Unchanged, released in last week
changed Version has recently changed. A new version is available. The marker is out of date.
Icons Used on VerCheck Command Buttons
Icon Meaning
plus add application at the spot selected
minus remove selected application
check Check all websites for new versions
The sound like a golf ball falling into a hole is what VerCheck makes when it has finished checking all the applications and it is saving the results in the registry.

Java Requirements and Troubleshooting

VerCheck is a signed Java Applet (that can also be run as an application) to Version Checker. You are welcome to install it on your own website. If it does not work…
  1. For this Applet hybrid to work, you must click grant/accept/always run on this site/I accept the risk to give it permission to probe various websites to see if new versions of software are available. If you refuse to grant permission, the program may crash with an inscrutable stack dump on the console complaining about AccessController.checkPermission.
  2. In the Java Control Panel security tab, click Start ⇒ Control Panel ⇒ Programs ⇒ Java ⇒ Security, configure medium security to allow self-signed and vanilla unsigned applets to run. If medium is not available, or if Java security is blocking you from running the program, configure high security and add http://mindprod.com to the Exception Site List at the bottom of the security tab.
  3. Often problems can be fixed simply by clicking the reload button on your browser.
  4. Make sure you have both JavaScript and Java enabled in your browser.
  5. Make sure the Java in your browser is enabled in the security tab of the Java Control panel. Click Start ⇒ Control Panel ⇒ Programs ⇒ Java ⇒ Security ⇒ Enable Java Content in the browser.
  6. This signed Java Applet (that can also be run as an application) needs 32-bit or 64-bit Java 1.8 or later. For best results use the latest 1.8.0_131 Java.
  7. You also need a recent browser.
  8. It works under any operating system that supports Java e.g. W2K, XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32, W10-64, Linux, LinuxARM, LinuxX86, LinuxX64, Ubuntu, Solaris, SolarisSPARC, SolarisSPARC64, SolarisX86, SolarisX64 and OSX
  9. You should see the Applet hybrid above looking much like this screenshot. If you don’t, the following hints should help you get it working:
  10. Optionally, you may permanently install the Canadian Mind Products code-signing certificate so you don’t have to grant each time.
  11. If the above Applet hybrid appears to freeze-up, click Alt-Esc repeatedly to check for any buried permission dialog box.
  12. If you have certificate troubles, check the installed certificates and remove or update any obsolete or suspected defective certificates. The only certificate used by this program is mindprodcert2017rsa.cer.
  13. Especially if this Applet hybrid has worked before, try clearing the browser cache and rebooting.
  14. To ensure your Java is up to date, check with Wassup. First, download it and run it as an application independent of your browser, then run it online as an Applet to add the complication of your browser.
  15. If the above Applet hybrid does not work, check the Java console for error messages.
  16. If the above Applet hybrid does not work, you might have better luck with the downloadable version available below.
  17. If you are using Mac OS X and would like an improved Look and Feel, download the QuaQua look & feel from randelshofer.ch/quaqua. UnZip the contained quaqua.jar and install it in ~/Library/Java/Extensions or one of the other ext dirs.
  18. Upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer or another browser.
  19. Click the Information bar, and then click Allow blocked content. Unfortunately, this also allows dangerous ActiveX code to run. However, you must do this in order to get access to perfectly-safe Java Applets running in a sandbox. This is part of Microsoft’s war on Java.
  20. Try upgrading to a more recent version of your browser, or try a different browser e.g. Firefox, SeaMonkey, IE or Avant.
  21. If you still can’t get the program working click the red HELP button below for more detail.
  22. If you can’t get the above Applet hybrid working after trying the advice above and from the red HELP button below, have bugs to report or ideas to improve the program or its documentation, please send me an email atemail Roedy Green.
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PackageVersionReleasedLicenceLanguageNotes 
vercheck
VerCheck Version Change Detector		 4.8 2015-11-30 free Java
more info ❘ precis ❘ screenshot ❘ browse source repository
for the current version of VerCheck Version Change Detector.
Checks applications to see if new versions are available.
download 3.9MB zip for VerCheck Version Change Detector Java source, compiled class files, jar and documentation to run on your own machine either as an application or an Applet.

Runs on any OS that supports Java e.g. W2K, XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32, W10-64, Linux, LinuxARM, LinuxX86, LinuxX64, Ubuntu, Solaris, SolarisSPARC, SolarisSPARC64, SolarisX86, SolarisX64 and OSX.

First install the most recent Java.

To install, extract the zip download with WinZip, (or similar unzip utility) into any directory you please, often J:\ — ticking off the use folder names option.

To check out the corresponding source from the Subversion repository, use the TortoiseSVN repo-browser to
access vercheck source in repository with [Tortoise] Subversion client on wush.net/svn/mindprod/com/mindprod/vercheck/.

After you have installed the jar, you can run it as an application. Type:

java -jar J:\com\mindprod\vercheck\vercheck.jar

adjusting as necessary to account for where the jar file is.

download ASP PAD XML program description for the current version of VerCheck Version Change Detector.

$1989.00 US donated so far. If the CMP utilities solved your problem, please donate a buck or two, or donate to one of the charities featured in the footer public service ads throughout the website and get a tax receipt.

VerCheck Version Change Detector is free. Full source included. You may even include the source code, modified or unmodified in free/commercial open source/proprietary programs that you write and distribute. Non-military use only.
  
 
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This page is posted
on the web at:

 http://mindprod.com/applet/vercheck.html

Optional Replicator mirror
of mindprod.com
on local hard disk J:

 J:\mindprod\applet\vercheck.html
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