Inverse Karma » .NET

One-click switching to any DNS provider of your choice

GP — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:15:55 +0000

Overwhelmed with the fantastic response to my Google DNS Helper, I decided to write a much better version of it, not restricted only to using Google Public DNS but other popular public DNS services.

Presenting the DNS Helper

The name says it all. The utility runs in your Windows notification area and provides a popup menu to quickly switch to any DNS provider. It also features backup and restore functionality in case you want to revert to your ISP’s default DNS servers. Click on the thumbnails below to check out the screenshots. Find the download link at the end of the post.

So what’s new?

Google DNS Helper served one simple purpose – to help Windows users instantly switch over to Google’s Public DNS servers with a single click. Soon after word got around (thanks to Lifehacker and GHacks), people started asking me to add support for other DNS providers. So I compiled a small list of most used public DNS servers and used them in my code. Also, you can enter your own DNS addresses and quickly switch to them. For those who would like to test out different DNS services before actually switching to one, I have included a link to GRC’s fantastic free DNS benchmarking tool.

A note to friends and developers

A number of developers had asked for the source code for Google DNS Helper. I had promised them that I’ll be publishing the source code soon. But a few interested parties have come forward to buy the source code and I’m in the process of signing a non-disclosure agreement. And like I had already posted, I will be moving to another part of the country for my first job and will find little time for my hobby-programming pursuits. Nevertheless, I’m publishing the utility for free download and encourage it to pass it on! This is my parting gift.

Download DNS Helper

Download DNS Helper 1.0 (63.5 KB)
Requires .NET Framework 2.0 or above.

Safely switch to Google Public DNS for a faster internet experience

GP — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:17:02 +0000

Earlier this week, Google announced a new service – Google Public DNS. For the uniniated, DNS is a system that converts simple website addresses like www.google.com to IP addresses like 209.85.231.99. So for every website you visit, your browser requests the DNS to resolve the IP address before it can show you the actual page content.

Google’s free service replaces your ISP’s default DNS to provide a speedier and more reliable internet experience. User tests have shown that changing over to Google DNS speeds up browsing significantly. In fact, most users outside the US will notice a drastic change in navigation speeds. Changing your DNS address is extremely simple (you can read the instructions on the Google Public DNS homepage), but then I’ve made the whole process even more simple with Google DNS Helper.

Gooogle DNS Helper is a small utility coded in .NET using C#. It backs up your current DNS server address and then changes it to Google’s DNS. You can restore your old DNS anytime you want. As simple as that! You can find the download link below.

Download Google DNS Helper v1.2 (89 KB)
Requires .NET Framework 2.0 or above.

Play classic snake with your joystick – .NET (C#) Source Code

GP — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:59:49 +0000

Last month, I decided to learn .NET. A few classes later, I had started coding simple Windows applications. In my VB6 days, I was obsessed with coding a Snake game and had actually succeeded in it (but it looked so ugly that my friends still laugh about it after 5 years!). I’ve been learning C# on .NET all this month and picked up the basics pretty quickly. I came across free source code for a Snake game – complete with a high scores function. A few days after taking up the course, we guys brought a kudhoogala kuchi to play NFS Carbon. Then hit the idea truck.

Once again I looked around the interwebs for a C# joystick class and I found one on CodeProject. So I sat down with putting these two solutions into one. All the code used was released under GPL or BSD (or some kind of DWTFYW license) and the original authors have been credited. You could download and test run the game on your Windows machine. It only requires the .NET framework to be installed on your machine. Chances are, you already have it. I’ve also included my source code. It is compatible only with Visual Studio 2008.

Here’s the usual screenshot tour of the game’s features. Please help me test the game. Mail me any bug/crash reports. And you could always use the comments section to add your ideas, suggestions and criticisms. I’ll be more than happy to add suggested features and distribute the game for free.

Download jSnake (requires .NET Framework)
jSnake Source Code (.NET C#)
You might also want to try the original keyboard version – Download Snake Source Code.