[more]
(Via reddit: what's new online.)
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Hell to get colder: Slashdot has headline that says “Why Vista won’t suck”
Hell to get colder: Slashdot has headline that says “Why Vista won’t suck”:
oes this mean the world as we know it is about to end?
(Via Scobleizer - Microsoft Geek Blogger.)
Apple Publishes Ruby On Rails Tutorial
Apple Publishes Ruby On Rails Tutorial:
Apple has noticed the high amount of Mac usage in the Ruby on Rails community and has posted an illustrated Ruby on Rails tutorial. The document goes into more concise detail in getting new users up to speed, from database schema to moving beyond scaffolding, all done with the favored Rails editor, Textmate.
(Via Slashdot.)
Monday, February 27, 2006
Free Up HD Space on OS X - Metrobilly Monoling...
Free Up HD Space on OS X - Metrobilly
Monolingual turned out to be quite a useful utility. I really don't need any of those languages. So I ran Monolingual and managed to free quite a bit of space. 1.7GB to be exact.
Most of the other utilities I already knew about, and use.
Jon Udell: Multi-language runtimes
Jon Udell: Multi-language runtimes:
If you believe that multi-language VMs are both inevitable and desirable, as I do, then there are two big questions to be answered. First, will Sun help the Java VM realize its multi-language potential? Second, will the dominant .NET VM for non-Windows platforms be a Microsoft product (WPF/E) or an open source project (Mono)?
Or could the dominant platform be parrot?
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Audiences are not created equal:
Memetrackers are a great example of this problem. Instead of building the same app over and over for no one in particular, what they should be doing is something like CarSpace. The lesson of MySpace is not to go off and create a direct competitor to MySpace, but to use that approach to define a value proposition for a distinct group of people %u2014 in this case, people who dig cars.
IBM's Octopiler, or, why the PS3 is running late
IBM's Octopiler, or, why the PS3 is running late:
"Octopiler is intended to become just such a compiler�one that can take in a sequential program that's written to a unified memory model, and output binaries that make efficient use of the massive, heterogeneous system-on-a-chip that is the Cell Broadband Engine. I say 'intended to become,' because judging from the paper the guys at IBM are still in the early stages of taming this many-headed beast. This is by no means meant to disparage all the IBM researchers who have done yeoman's work in their practically single-handed attempts to move the entire field of computer science forward by a quantum leap. No, the Octopiler paper is full of innovative ideas to be fleshed out at a further date, results that are 'promising,' avenues to be explored, and overarching approaches that seem likely to bear fruit eventually. But meanwhile, the PS3 is still due out in 2006. "
Dell is offering Linux preloaded workstations
Dell is offering Linux preloaded workstations:
Dell PrecisionTM open-source n Series1 workstations deliver maximum workstation performance. Smart for businesses with proprietary software images or special Linux needs, these systems are available with factory installed Linux.
(Via digg.)
www.oreilly.com -- Why I Promote Python
www.oreilly.com -- Why I Promote Python
Consider an episode from my own life. I was around nine or ten years old and my father taught me how to do things on our Apple II using Basic. My dad was always much more of a hardware rather than software guy. Whenever I would tell him I wanted to do something more complex than we could find in the Basic manual, he would say, "You have to do that in assembly language, and assembly is too hard for a kid." He didn't mean to shut me down but he also didn't know 6502 assembly language himself and was not in much of a position to teach it to me.
My first language was a macro programming language for the dbase database. Keeping that in mind, I think I would agree with the article that the first programming should perhaps be a language like Python. However, the second programming language might be something like C, where a student can learn things like Pointers. I think, just as joel, pointers are important, even though they are hard.
However, once you've learnt the concepts and are down to implementing solutions, a very good language to work in is Python.
PHP/MySQL News with Comments
PHP/MySQL News with Comments:
In this tutorial, you will learn the concepts behind building a news system with PHP and MySQL.
(Via GoodPHPTutorials.com RSS Feed.)
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Write your own operating system :)
Write your own operating system :):
Kernel development is not an easy task. This is a testament to your programming expertise: To develop a kernel is to say that you understand how to create software that interfaces with and manages the hardware. A kernel is designed to be a central core to the operating system - the logic that manages the resources that the hardware has to offer.
(Via digg.)
Briefly: Intel Mac mini in production; iBooks due at later date
Briefly: Intel Mac mini in production; iBooks due at later date:
At a special media event to be held on its campus next week, Apple Computer will unveil a new line o...
(Via AppleInsider.)
EXT3 Explained
EXT3 Explained:
Excellent article about the architecture and working of the ext3 filesystem.
(Via digg.)
Creating a Mail Form with PHP and Flash
Creating a Mail Form with PHP and Flash:
In this tutorial we are going to show you how to create a contact form within flash and send it using PHP
(Via GoodPHPTutorials.com RSS Feed.)
Create a nice Web Forms online - Ajax style
Create a nice Web Forms online - Ajax style:
Wufoo.com is a new Web 2.0 app, created by Particle Tree. It is an online Form Builder, enabling you to create nice-looking forms.
(Via digg.)
Friday, February 24, 2006
Star Trek Online - few screenshots from the game engine
Star Trek Online - few screenshots from the game engine:
At last: some mouth-watering, edge-of-your-seat, breath-holding revelations from the STO devs!
Actually it's just a few nice shots of the inside of the virtual Enterprise - look nice and clean and realistic. But what about the gameplay?
(Via digg.)
Allowing Registration-Required Binary Downloads
Allowing Registration-Required Binary Downloads:
You have a great PDF, MP3, or binary file to distribute, but you want to know who's downloading it. How hard could it be to write a little PHP program to require registration before letting your goodies loose? Robert Bernier demonstrates that it's actually pretty easy.
(Via GoodPHPTutorials.com RSS Feed.)
FREE Books: Mastering AJAX
FREE Books: Mastering AJAX:
Mastering AJAX explains how to combine these technologies effectively to implement Ajax into your new or existing Web applications. Like you, we are developers who are "in the trenches," tasked with building Web-enabled applications that provide real value to our customers.
(Via digg.)
meebo.com
meebo.com:
Its only great if you use a service. Mr. Fascinating Tidbits hasn't logged in to an IM service for years. Whats the point?
And Mr. Tidbits only allows comments by team members of his blog. So I can't leave a comment...
greatest chat tool invented!!!
(Via Fascinating Tidbits.)
Its only great if you use a service. Mr. Fascinating Tidbits hasn't logged in to an IM service for years. Whats the point?
And Mr. Tidbits only allows comments by team members of his blog. So I can't leave a comment...
Using REST with Ajax
Using REST with Ajax:
The RESTful view of the Web says to use HTTP's verbs--GET, PUT, POST, and DELETE--where appropriate. Yet most browsers support only GET and POST. How can you achieve RESTfulness without writing your own client? Nic Ferrier shows how to design a RESTful web application using Ajax and Python.
(Via O'Reilly Network Articles.)
Do Something Different - Mix it up
Do Something Different - Mix it up:
When blogging becomes routine it is very easy to get stuck in a rut. You read the same old blogs, talk to the same people, write the same posts and stories about the same or similar topics. If you do what you have always done you will always get the same results. It's time to mix it up a bit.
(Via Performancing.com - Helping Bloggers Succeed.)
A Canary Trap for URI Escaping
A Canary Trap for URI Escaping:
As web applications talk to each other more and more, the issue of URI escaping becomes more important--and more difficult. Escaping reserved characters correctly is vital to preserving user security and proper behavior, but it's neither idempotent nor free. Robert Spier shows how to build a canary trap into your URIs to help you escape and unescape data appropriately, effectively, and sufficiently.
(Via O'Reilly Network Articles.)
Alan Kay: Is Computer Science as Oxymoron?
Alan Kay: Is Computer Science as Oxymoron?:
Alan Kay's title slide, up during the intro says Is the Best Way to Predict the Future to {Invent,Prevent} It? with the {Invent,Prevent} alternating between each other. He jokes that this afternoon's talk can be summed up by the fact that he has to wear two microphones to speak instead of one. The talk was billed as "Software Engineering vs. Computer Science, so I'm anxious to see how his title relates to that. I have some more photos too.
(Via Phil Windley's Technometria.)
Advanced Subroutine Techniques
Advanced Subroutine Techniques:
Subroutines seem like a basic building block of code. They're simple and easy to understand and use, right? That's true--but there are a few advanced techniques to make your code more maintainable and robust. Rob Kinyon goes beyond making sense of subroutines to making subroutines work for you.
(Via O'Reilly Network Articles.)
How Do You Decide Which Framework to Use?
How Do You Decide Which Framework to Use?:
GPolancic asks: "Software frameworks are increasingly popular software reuse technique, because they provide infrastructure functionalities to an application, or a layer of an application and therefore reduce the work of a software developer. Numerous complementary (for example: Struts and Hibernate) and competitive (for example: JSF vs. Struts or JSF vs. ASP.Net) software frameworks are available as both proprietary and open source software. A major precondition for the success of a software framework is their acceptance, which is related to market share or community size. On the other side, application developers need to review and select the best available software framework for their needs. Which factors do you evaluate before you decide to use a specific software framework?"
(Via Slashdot.)
30 Boxes review
30 Boxes review:
This a beautifully designed web calendar. It has a lot of AJAX smoothness, which make for a very nice UI experience. It's easy to enter events and you can change calendar views with little trouble.
(Via Read/WriteWeb.)
MacBook Pro vs PowerBook benchmarks
MacBook Pro vs PowerBook benchmarks:
If you are like me and enjoy a good clean fight, check out these benchmarks at Geek Patrol using their own pre-production software: Geekbench, a multi-platform benchmarking utility. These numbers reflect benchmarking on a 1.5GHz PowerBook G4 with 1.25GB RAM vs a 2.0GHz MacBook Pro with 1GB RAM (the latter benchmark running as a Universal Binary not in Rosetta).
(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)
Even though the new MacBook Pros are fast, I really don't have a reason to upgrade from my Powerbook just yet. It works just fine, and the added speed offered by the Macbook Pro would simply go to waste at the moment.
The only cool thing about the Macbook Pro would have been the ability to tri-boot into OSX, Linux and Windows, but thanks to EFI thats not even possible. I guess I'll wait to see what comes up to replace the iBooks.
Google serves up Dashboard widgets
Google serves up Dashboard widgets:
Marshall Kirkpatrick over at The Social Software Weblog (a sister Weblogs, Inc. blog) noticed that Google has produced some Dashboard widgets just for us Mac folks
(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)
The recent releases of software starting from the Google RSS Aggregator are releases that are completely useless for me. I check Gmail using Thunderbird and POP, so I have absolutely no need for the Gmail widget. For blogging I use Mars edit, and again have no use for the blogger blogging widget.
There is only so much you can do with web applications.
I'll try out the Google Search history widget. Don't know how useful its going to be.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
U.S. Grants Patent For Using AJAX
U.S. Grants Patent For Using AJAX:
Uh-oh!
Now any site that uses rich-media technology implementations, including Flash, Flex, Java, Ajax, and XAML, when the rich-media application is accessed on any device over the Internet, including desktops, mobile devices, set-top boxes, and video game consoles will need a licence.
(Via digg.)
Uh-oh!
An interesting look course and reading list.
(Via Lambda the Ultimate - Programming Languages Weblog.)
Interesting articles! To be read later.
Google Page Creator
Google Page Creator:
Oh, and by the way, it looks like Google has released a tool to make mini-websites. The Google Page Creator at http://pages.google.com/ lets you throw up a quick set of pages without a ton of hassle. Looks like a bunch of different look ‘n’ feel choices:
(Via Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO.)
Does this seem like a weird tool to come out of Google? There are dozens of Page creators on the web. It just seems too common a tool to come out of google.
Here is what Om Malik had to say:
It doesn’t work with Safari as of yet. You need a Firefox on Mac to make it work. Also, does anyone else get the feeling - Geocities, minus the clutter? No wonder Larry Page is going ape shit about that whole 20% time on pet projects thing.
And Dave Winer:
This evening Google launched a totally unremarkable page creator web app. It’s a nice Ajax text editor, with templates, but why isn’t it part of Blogger, or at least connected to Blogger, and where is the feed? The sites have no structure.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
What's New in iWork '06?
What's New in iWork '06?:
iWork's tandem offering of Pages and Keynote provides a useful collection of tools for presentations, word processing, and layout. But how much has changed since last year's debut? Giles Turnbull walks you through Pages 2 and Keynote 3 to help decide if this upgrade is for you.
(Via O'Reilly Network Articles.)
Geeks and Greed: A Cautionary Tale (Why we're not dual booting yet)
Geeks and Greed: A Cautionary Tale (Why we're not dual booting yet):
Why aren't we dual booting Windows on the Intel Macs? Money. ($12,088 to be exact) Check out this great commentary from the OSx86 Project on why greed is actually slowing progress... not encouraging it.
(Via digg.)
Apple begins widespread testing of Mac OS X 10.4.6
Apple begins widespread testing of Mac OS X 10.4.6:
These updates are coming in fast. We just got 10.4.5. Maybe this is to fix that Safari Vulnerability.
Apple Computer this week began providing to its developers the first external pre-release builds of ...
(Via AppleInsider.)
These updates are coming in fast. We just got 10.4.5. Maybe this is to fix that Safari Vulnerability.
MacBook Pro: Inconsistent backlight, hissing LCD [Updated x2]
MacBook Pro: Inconsistent backlight, hissing LCD [Updated x2]:
The bottom of the LCD is noticeably brighter than the rest of the display, with a translucent white stripe (no affiliation to the band) stretching from one end to the other. Also, at the back of the bottom of the display (near the vent area) there seems to be a high-pitched hissing noise, presumably (?) emanating from the LCD (as the sound is consistent from one end of the lid to the other).
(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)
From what I had read in the various Apple blogs/magazines, it was thought there might be some slight problems with first rev of apple hardware. I guess the above are those problems. I'm quite happy with my Powerbook G4 for now anyways.
Impressive Phishing Attack
Impressive Phishing Attack:
I find this phishing attack impressive for several reasons. One, it's a very sophisticated attack and demonstrates how clever identity thieves are becoming. Two, it narrowly targets a particular credit union, and sneakily uses the fact that credit cards issued by an institution share the same initial digits. Three, it exploits an authentication problem with SSL certificates. And four, it is yet another proof point that "user education" isn't how we're going to solve this kind of risk.
(Via Schneier on Security.)
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Firefox Goes VoIP, With Extensions
Firefox Goes VoIP, With Extensions:
Voice-computing mash up continues. Today, France-based OpenWengo released a Firefox extension that allows users to make free phone calls to each other. Open Wengo’s parent company, Neuf Telecom offers the optional Wengo call-out service so that you can dial out to PSTN/Mobile numbers.
(Via Om Malik's Broadband Blog.)
Inside Look: Internet Explorer 7, Beta 2
Inside Look: Internet Explorer 7, Beta 2:
The long-awaited Beta 2 of IE 7 is finally here. What's new, good, and better? Wei-Meng Lee gives you a guided tour and an inside look.
(Via O'Reilly Network Articles.)
Besides the Starship Enterprise, dilithium crystals power cold fusion
Besides the Starship Enterprise, dilithium crystals power cold fusion:
"It won't power the Starship Enterprise, but an experimental "dilithium crystal" pyroelectric technology is said to enable compact nuclear fusion."
(Via digg.)
Squeaky Clean CSS
Squeaky Clean CSS:
The creator of the mystical Lightbox javascript library gives 7 useful comments on css writing !
"I thought I’d share a little bit of what I’ve learned from noodling around with stylesheets these past few years. Here are a hodgepodge of simple, practical tips."
(Via digg.)
The End of Passwords is Neigh
The End of Passwords is Neigh:
Basically Gates is saying "out with passwords, in with InfoCards".
(Via Threadwatch.org - Marketing and Technology Discussed.)
Is PHP4 the new perl? - John Lim (PHP Everywhere - By John Lim)
Is PHP4 the new perl? - John Lim (PHP Everywhere - By John Lim):
The fact is that most Javascript, html and PHP (or ASP or Perl for that matter) out there is messy, unmaintainable crap.
(Via Planet PHP.)
Monday, February 20, 2006
Severe security hole in Apple's Safari browser discovered
Severe security hole in Apple's Safari browser discovered:
A severe security issue has been discovered in the Apple Safari browser that can result in the execution of evil shell scripts without notice of the computer user. This article describes the issue and the countermeasures to prevent harm from your system.
(Via digg.)
One of the first things I did with Safari was to turn of open "safe" files. I am just not comfortable with code downloaded over the internet running by itself. Whether there is a vulnerability or not.
Firefox Extension Development Tutorial
Firefox Extension Development Tutorial:
A nice tutorial teaching how Firefox's Extensions work and how to create them.
(Via digg.)
"Terrorist" Guild holds World of Warcraft server hostage
"Terrorist" Guild holds World of Warcraft server hostage:
A guild in World of Warcraft has decided to hold an entire server hostage. The guild has created the item that allows them to open up a great deal of content in the game, but they are refusing to use it until somebody pays them 5000 gold to do the deed
(Via digg.)
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Stroustrup: A Brief Look at C++0x
Stroustrup: A Brief Look at C++0x:
A quick overview of the next version of C++ (scheduled for 2009?).
(Via Lambda the Ultimate - Programming Languages Weblog.)
Specifying C++ Concepts
Specifying C++ Concepts:
We discussed work on improving the C++ template facility before. The basic notion in this paper is concepts, a type system for templates, which will increase the expressiveness of template parameters, and improve compile time error messages. Separate compilation is also an important concern.
(Via Lambda the Ultimate - Programming Languages Weblog.)
 | You scored as Deep Space Nine (Star Trek). You have entered the dark side of the Star Trek universe. The paradise of Earth is far from you and you must survive despite having enemies on all fronts. But you wouldn�t have it any other way because you thrive in conflict and will know what needs to be done to take care of those around you. Now if only the Founders would quit trying to take over the galaxy.
Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com |
Saturday, February 18, 2006
VAX and the economics of microprocessors
VAX and the economics of microprocessors:
An article by RISC pioneer John Mashey gives a look back at processor history and economics. Those were the days, before the lawsuits really got into full swing.
(Via Ars Technica.)
First MacBook Pro unpacking pics
First MacBook Pro unpacking pics:
Sweet...
Here is a Flickr set of some pictures of a Macbook Pro being unpacked making the rounds today.
(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)
Sweet...
Friday, February 17, 2006
OS X Bluetooth worm
Blue Tooth worm:
First a trojan, and now a worm. Uh-oh!
The F-Secure weblog is reporting a poof of concept worm for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger). that tries to spread from one infected system to others by using Bluetooth OBEX Push vulnerability CAN-2005-1333.
First a trojan, and now a worm. Uh-oh!
In response to Rails Ridiculous Restrictions
In response to Rails Ridiculous Restrictions:
I wrote a detailed response to the long rant about the restrictions of Ruby on Rails at the Joel On Software forums. The original rant is here: http://discuss.joelonsoftware.com/default.asp?joel.3.309321.8
(Via digg.)
AJAX Chat Tutorial
AJAX Chat Tutorial:
This tutorial will show you how to create a simple AJAX Driven web chat application that is easily extensible.
(Via GoodPHPTutorials.com RSS Feed.)
Colorization Required
Colorization Required:
Black and white works fine when I'm reading newspapers. But when I'm reading computer languages of any kind-- from Perl to SQL, from C# to Regular Expressions, from HTML to XML -- I can't bear to read them in black and white any more.
(Via Coding Horror.)
An Analysis of Democratically Ordered Link Sites
An Analysis of Democratically Ordered Link Sites:
With so much content floating around the web these days, the powers that be have come up with a way to separate the “spam” from the “ham” by using readers as human classifiers. Web sites like Digg and Reddit allow a user to cast votes for links that other users publish.
(Via Epsilon-Delta: Mathematics and Computer Programming.)
Thursday, February 16, 2006
dp.SyntaxHighlighter - free JavaScript syntax highlighting
dp.SyntaxHighlighter - free JavaScript syntax highlighting:
The script is meant to help a developer to post code snippets online with ease and without having to worry about applying format. People who use blogs like MovableType, .Text (dotText), dasBlog and any other system can easily add code to their posts.
Turbogears
I finally got turbogears installed last night: http://turbogears.adnanwasim.com. The server is running SuSE 10.0 with Apache 2.x and mod_python.
There were two problems I ran into which weren't included in the tutorial I was reading here.
The first was the addition of:
to the application start script. Since I had not had this specified the framework kept trying to write to "/root/.python-eggs", and obviously it didn't have permissions to write to this directory.
The second problem was my mistake. In the .htaccess file we need to put the following lines:
I had put in the full name of the script which was gs_start.py in place of Project_Start_Script_Name, which was giving the cryptic error "could not import py". To solve this, simply put gs_start::mp_setup without the .py.
There were two problems I ran into which weren't included in the tutorial I was reading here.
The first was the addition of:
os.environ['PYTHON_EGG_CACHE'] = '/path/to/.python-eggs/'
to the application start script. Since I had not had this specified the framework kept trying to write to "/root/.python-eggs", and obviously it didn't have permissions to write to this directory.
The second problem was my mistake. In the .htaccess file we need to put the following lines:
SetHandler mod_python
PythonHandler mpcp
PythonDebug On
PythonOption cherrysetup Project_Start_Script_Name::mp_setup
I had put in the full name of the script which was gs_start.py in place of Project_Start_Script_Name, which was giving the cryptic error "could not import py". To solve this, simply put gs_start::mp_setup without the .py.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Yet Another AJAX Toolkit
Yet Another AJAX Toolkit:
comes news that Yahoo! has released their own AJAX toolkit
(Via DevHawk.)
Google Windows apps coming to Linux
Google Windows apps coming to Linux:
Great news... but what about the Mac?
Google is working with CodeWeavers to bring the first of what may be many of its Windows desktop applications to the Linux desktop.
(Via digg.)
Great news... but what about the Mac?
Yahoo! Developers: Setting a Standard for the New Professionalism
Yahoo! Developers: Setting a Standard for the New Professionalism:
The approach is a work of art so beautiful and sensible it literally made me weep for joy.
(Via molly.com.)
BlogCode helps you find blogs similar to…
BlogCode helps you find blogs similar to…:
This blogs list is up. Haven't looked at the blogs yet.
Ever find a blogger you really like and wonder “are there other blogs similar to this one?” Well, that’s what BlogCode is trying to do.
(Via Scobleizer - Microsoft Geek Blogger.)
This blogs list is up. Haven't looked at the blogs yet.
Monday, February 13, 2006
The Secret Tunnels Under UT
The Secret Tunnels Under UT:
Four students break into the secret tunnels under UT Austin. Pictures included
(Via digg.)
I'd always heard of these tunnels. Kinda disappointing though, those pictures with the pipes just reminded me of one the CS labs we had to spend our nights in!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Reiser Driver for Windows
Reiser Driver for Windows:
Hey cool!
This is the driver to mount your ReiserFS file system under Windows. Very useful when exchanging files between partitions.
(Via digg.)
Hey cool!
Gmail attacks Outlook (Nick/Rough Type)
Gmail attacks Outlook (Nick/Rough Type):
Google opened a new front in its widening battle with Microsoft today when it quietly announced that it has begun operating, through its Gmail service, San Jose City College's email system - using SJCC's own domains.
(Via tech.memeorandum.)
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Google Desktop 3.0: Privacy is Dead(er) (Michael Arrington/TechCrunch)
Google Desktop 3.0: Privacy is Dead(er) (Michael Arrington/TechCrunch):
Google is launching a new version (3.0) of their Desktop Search product, possibly tonight. — The biggest change is the option to store your hard drive index on Google's servers instead of locally on your own computer.
(Via tech.memeorandum.)
Why do search engines lie?
Why do search engines lie?:
Update 2: Yahoo is actually accurate once you tell it to display all duplicates. It says 429 results and displays 429 results. So, Yahoo wins! (although I wish they’d all be a little clearer up front).
(Via Scobleizer - Microsoft Geek Blogger.)
Story of Google Reader
Story of Google Reader:
I had lunch today with the Google Reader team and learned a bit more about the group, their success and challenges, and how new projects at Google are sometimes formed.
(Via Niall Kennedy's Weblog.)
Dissecting MySQL Fulltext Indexing
Dissecting MySQL Fulltext Indexing:
What is Fulltext Indexing?
(Via Epsilon-Delta: Mathematics and Computer Programming.)
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
The FreeBSD Funnies
The FreeBSD Funnies:
17.4. Where does data written to /dev/null go?
It goes into a special data sink in the CPU where it is converted to heat which is vented through the heatsink / fan assembly. This is why CPU cooling is increasingly important; as people get used to faster processors, they become careless with their data and more and more of it ends up in /dev/null, overheating their CPUs. If you delete /dev/null (which effectively disables the CPU data sink) your CPU may run cooler but your system will quickly become constipated with all that excess data and start to behave erratically.)
About a year ago, before I bought the Powerbook, I seemed to be on a move towards web based applications. I had started using Gmail for email, Bloglines as an RSS reader, webmessenger.msn.com for IM and so on. However, after I bought the Powerbook, I seem to have turned completely away from these web based applications. I'm back to using Thunderbird for email, using POP to download mail from Gmail, Netnewswire for RSS, and AdiumX for instant messaging. Further I use VoodooPad Lite for a wiki. A desktop wiki application. And Marsedit for writing my blog posts. No web applications what so ever. While everybody else seems to only be using web apps!
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Linux.com | My sysadmin toolbox
Linux.com | My sysadmin toolbox
Here is my list of ten most used commands:
[detox 03:21 PM Tue Feb 07] [Session: ttyp3 adnan]
==> ./hist .bash_history
124 ls
105 cd
49 ssh
38 clear
34 exit
27 rm
12 vi
12 python
11 telnet
7 par2repair
Using Google's Universal Authentication Engine
Using Google's Universal Authentication Engine:
With no fanfare at all, Google has created a universal login for anyone who wants to use it.
(Via Phil Windley's Technometria.)
How to set up a mail server on a GNU / Linux system
How to set up a mail server on a GNU / Linux system:
Easy to follow howto on setting up a mail server. Based on an Ubuntu distribution platform, but instructions are distro generic.
(Via digg.)
Monday, February 06, 2006
Gorgeous, Mac-centric Firefox themes
Gorgeous, Mac-centric Firefox themes:
Dang, these Mac-o-phillic Firefox themes are yummy. I’ve actually been using “GrApple Eos Pro” for some time now, but I’d never realized just how many subtle variations were available.
(Via 43 Folders.)
Fading Roses & Raging Viruses
Fading Roses & Raging Viruses:
in being a tutorial on how to design and build a complete site and not just some fancy little details like how to turn caching in AJAX off or how to create a fancy widget.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
OpenAlpha
OpenAlpha
I'm downloading this show right now. I thought a couple of my friends might find this interesting.
Jenn walks through the basics of World of Warcraft, from getting started, to common tasks, adding UI Mods, and de-mystifying ‘Aggro’ with finger puppets. She also reviews the WoW Atlas, declares the winner of Hello Kitty’s Cube Frenzy, AND announces a new live WoW show with Darren from Hak. 5 (23:55)
I'm downloading this show right now. I thought a couple of my friends might find this interesting.
Video: Inside of a Hard Drive (direct link)
Video: Inside of a Hard Drive (direct link):
Nice video. No wonder computer hard drive's fail... with all that moving.
Shows how fast the servo arm on the hard drive can move. Impressive.
(Via digg.)
Nice video. No wonder computer hard drive's fail... with all that moving.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Very cool 3D demo of the CSS box model
Very cool 3D demo of the CSS box model:
Ever wondered what the difference between the margin and padding property is? This site explains it in a very unique way.
(Via digg.)
Friday, February 03, 2006
Is their a feed reader that supports threading? So...
Is their a feed reader that supports threading? Something similar to what tech.memeorandum does? I'm getting slightly irritated by the number of repeat articles that keep coming up in the feeds I'm subscribed to.
And wouldn't it be great if we could have scannable conversation summaries?
Hmmm... maybe those are reasons to start writing my own RSS Aggregator! :)
And wouldn't it be great if we could have scannable conversation summaries?
Hmmm... maybe those are reasons to start writing my own RSS Aggregator! :)
Newer Is Not Always Better
Newer Is Not Always Better:
Today I ran across OldVersion.com who's tag line is "newer is not always better." OldVersion.com is a collection of old versions of programs. When I saw it, I thought of a couple of benefits: first old version often run better on old computers because newer versions require more resources. Second, some new versions disable features that you want or add features that interfere with how you use the program. One benefit I hadn't thought of that's listed prominently on the site is the ability to avoid spyware. Older versions of programs that are now bundled with spyware are often less tainted than new programs.
(Via Phil Windley's Technometria.)
Perl.com: Test-Driving X11 GUIs
Perl.com: Test-Driving X11 GUIs:
Sometimes GUIs don't allow for such interaction and you need to "click" them. If you're writing such an application, you need some sort of regression tests for it to make sure your widget/windows are as accessible as they should be. If this is the case, there is a Perl module to help you: X11::GUITest.
2GB of RAM: Do We Really Need that Much?
2GB of RAM: Do We Really Need that Much?:
Does your gaming pc really need any more than 1GB of ram?
(Via digg.)
The End of the Internet?
The End of the Internet?
Don't we have other options we could consider if this does happen. Broadband over electricity lines, City wide wifi...? Its not as if these companies are not irreplaceable. Though it will make things harder. What about all that fiber Google bought? Is this a result of that?
"Why should they be allowed to use my pipes? The Internet can't be free in that sense, because we and the cable companies have made an investment, and for a Google or Yahoo! or Vonage or anybody to expect to use these pipes [for] free is nuts!"
The problem with some companies is their size. Their customers are not Google or Yahoo... but us the general population. But they forget that... and you know what happens when a business forgets who your customers are.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
I switched from the normal hotmail to live mail beta, and the interface is interesting. It doesn't work well with browsers on the Mac. On Internet Explorer on Windows it takes a while to load, but otherwise the interface is interesting. Its more like a normal application. For instance, you have to double click on an email to view it. There is no preview, at least not in the default view. I don't know if there are other views.
The one big feature that I was hoping for was better/easier search, ala gmail. If its their, I haven't seen it. I'll have more once I've used it more.
The one big feature that I was hoping for was better/easier search, ala gmail. If its their, I haven't seen it. I'll have more once I've used it more.
WEP Hacking with KisMac in 10mins
WEP Hacking with KisMac in 10mins:
This video is amazing! It shows how you can easily reveal a hidden SSID and hack WEP encryption in about 10mins on a Mac with just KisMac.
(Via digg.)
AMD’s Quad-Core Processors to Show Up Soon
AMD’s Quad-Core Processors to Show Up Soon:
To go from single-core to dual-core to quad-core on the same platform, that has never been done in the industry,” said Marty Seyer, a senior vice president of AMD, reports InformationWeek web-site
(Via digg.)
What’s New for CSS in Beta 2 Preview?
What’s New for CSS in Beta 2 Preview?:
We have heard all your feedback asking us for full CSS compliance. With the now public available Beta 2 Preview build on XP, we get a big step closer to this goal. Chris talked about our priorities for IE7 before, but I want to give more detail on our work with CSS.
(Via IEBlog.)
The Aquarium: NetBeans 5.0 is out
The Aquarium: NetBeans 5.0 is out:
There is a lot of buzz out there about the release of NetBeans 5 and the NB Mobility Pack...
(Via PlanetJava.org.)
alphaWorks-Java: XML Forms Generator
alphaWorks-Java: XML Forms Generator:
There have been some very interesting articles coming up from developerworks and alphaworks sites. You should subscribe.
A standards-based, data-driven Eclipse plug-in that generates functional forms with XForms mark-up embedded within an XHTML document from a XML data instance or a WSDL document.
(Via PlanetJava.org.)
There have been some very interesting articles coming up from developerworks and alphaworks sites. You should subscribe.
AppleInsider | SigmaTel left out of Apple's shuffle replacement plans?
AppleInsider | SigmaTel left out of Apple's shuffle replacement plans?:
A friend works at SigmaTel... this should make some interesting friday night conversation.
In a few weeks Apple Computer is expected to unveil an update or replacement for its iPod shuffle digital music player, but current shuffle component suppliers may not be invited to the party.
A friend works at SigmaTel... this should make some interesting friday night conversation.
Firefox 1.5 patches 'undisclosed' security holes (George Ou/ZDNet.com)
Firefox 1.5 patches 'undisclosed' security holes (George Ou/ZDNet.com):
Open Source has always prided itself in openness, but why is the Mozilla foundation patching security flaws without disclosing what they are? A new Update for Firefox 1.5 was released by Mozilla which actually has a long list …
(Via tech.memeorandum.)
Security-related bugs are good. No, really! - Marco Tabini
Security-related bugs are good. No, really! - Marco Tabini:
They are, but there are two things we must not forget. First they are picking up the word PHP, which is a lot more than can be said of what was happening even a year ago. Second, my point is simply that it is not the role of the language to prevent a developer from shooting himself (or herself) in the foot—but this doesn’t mean that it isn’t anybody’s responsibility to do so.
(Via Planet PHP.)
Malicious Malware: attacking the attackers, part 2
Malicious Malware: attacking the attackers, part 2:
I think this might be a bad idea. Taking a passive role, such as blocking a would be attacker might be a better idea. This all depends on the resources you have. If you have the resources then go for it.
This article explores measures to attack those malicious attackers who seek to harm our legitimate systems. The proactive use of exploits and bot networks that fight other bot networks, along with social engineering and attacker techniques are all discussed in an ethical manner. Part two of two.
I think this might be a bad idea. Taking a passive role, such as blocking a would be attacker might be a better idea. This all depends on the resources you have. If you have the resources then go for it.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
What I'd like to know is if IE 7 ß 2 support nat...
What I'd like to know is if IE 7 Beta2 support native XMLHttprequest, or is it still ActiveX?
Native XMLHTTPRequest object
Native XMLHTTPRequest object
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