Pleasanton Web Design Blog

Clean Up Your Computer and Keep it Clean

2008-05-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of people - friends, family and clients, who wage an ongoing battle with spyware, malware, and viruses. As they surf the internet, their computer gets more and more loaded up with these programs, until they either have to pay the "Geek Squad" or other service to clean it up, or they just buy another computer.

Here are some best practices to keep your computer from developing such problems in the first place, or to help you clean it up once you are infected:

1) Avoid surfing the net on an account with administrator priviledges. If you have the priviledge to install a program onto your computer, so does the malevolant website that you are visiting. If you don't have those priviledges, the bad program CAN'T be installed. This alone has kept my computers clean for years.

2) Install AVG Free Anti Virus Software. I hate Norton, because it always messes up my computer when I try to upgrade it or uninstall it. Plus AVG is FREE!

3) Run the most updated version of Adaware, with updated definitions on a regular basis. It is a free program and is made to search and destroy stuff on your computer that has been installed without your express permission. Looks like the Plus version is FREE for a limited time.

4) If you suspect you are infected, run HijackThis. Running it won't hurt your computer, but you can really mess things up if you start deleting the files listed in the log without knowing what you are doing. You can, however, use a log autoanalyzer that will interpret the results for you. Here is a screenshot of some typical results.

If you aren't familiar with an item listed in your HijackThis log, Google it, and if it is spyware or malware, you will often find detailed instructions and software that will aid you in removing it.

Surf Safe!

More Sprint Billing Errors

2008-04-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

Back in February I posted about a Sprint bill I received in error for service on a phone number that has been disconnected for over 5 years. If I could get back all the time I spend dealing with incompetent billing departments, I'd have a vacation coming.

After multiple phone calls, I finally got the charge removed and everything was straightened out. Or was it? I just received ANOTHER bill for the same thing. This time I think I'll write a letter and see if that works any better.

I always like to look at the positive side of situations like this. If I were ever to consider signing up for ANY service Sprint has to offer, this experience has taught me that would be a mistake.

Pleasanton Valley Series, Morrison Home Brochure - The Arbor House

2008-04-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

Download print resolution scans (zip file - 5.4MB)

CSS Horizontal Navigation Menu

2008-04-21T20:58:00.001-07:00

I've had a request to expand my css navigation tutorial to include a horizontal navigation. This is an extention of my previous css navigation menu tutorial.

To create a horizontal navigation menu in the header, you'll need to create two horizontally stacked divs within the header. The way I normally code it is to create a div in the header named header top, and under that I'll put the nav div. Make sure to size them both to the header width so they can't appear side by side. You'll also need to add a clearing div after the header so that following divs will begin in the correct place:


<div id="header">
 <div id="header-top"></div>
 <div id="nav">
    <ul>
          <li><a href="#">Home</a></li>
          <li><a href="#">Nothing</a></li>
    </ul>
 </div>
</div>
<div id="clr"></div>

As a convention I started the naming of the navigation styles starting with the nav div. This change will need to "cascade" to all of the other styles within the unordered list. As you can see below, the key to making the nav list horizontal is adding float:left to the li tag. The header-top now displays the header image as a background, and the header div is now just a container to hold the header-top and nav divs. I added a background color to it for aesthetics.

#header{
width: 780px;
height: 84px;
background: #333333;
}

#header-top{
width: 780px;
background-image: url('images/header.jpg');
background-repeat: no-repeat;
height: 50px;
}

#nav{
width:780px;
height: 32px;
}

div#clr{
clear: both;
}

div#nav ul li{
float:left;
}

div#nav ul{
list-style: none;
padding: 0px;
margin: 0px;
}

div#nav ul li a{
display: block;
padding:5px;
margin: 1px;
border: 1px solid white;
width: 100px;
height: 20px;
background: #333333;
color: white;
text-decoration: none;
}

div#nav ul li a:hover{
background: #666666;
}

Here is how it looks.

CSS Navigation Menu - Cascading Stylesheets Tutorial

2008-04-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

In the first tutorial of the series, CSS Positioning, we build a basic, table-less structure for a two-column webpage. In this post, we'll add what every webpage needs: navigation.

Some designers prefer to add an additional <div> and identify it as "nav" or "navigation" using a class or id. Since almost all navigation bars I've seen styled with CSS use an unordered list, <ul>, I like to style that directly, rather than adding the additional <div>.

From the first tutorial, we have the following page structure:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 strict//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title>CSS Test</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<link href="test.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
</head>
<body>

<div id="wrapper">
<div id="header"></div>
<div id="column1">
</div>
<div id="column2">
</div>
<div id="footer"></div>
</div>

</body>
</html>

Now we will add our unordered list to column one, between the <div></div>
tags:

<ul id="nav">
<li><a href="#">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Nothing</a></li>
</ul>

Now to style our list into a standard navigation menu. First we'll take the unslightly list attributes from the <ul> tag itself:

ul#nav{
list-style: none;
padding: 0px;
margin: 0px;
}

Setting the list-style to none removes the bullet, and setting padding and margins to 0px removes the indent.

I'm going to ignore the <li> tag and style the link <a> tag directly. I do this to take advantage of a:hover to change the links background on rollover:

ul#nav li a{
display: block;
padding:5px;
margin: 1px;
border: 1px solid white;
width: 100px;
height: 20px;
background: #333333;
color: white;
text-decoration: none;
}

First we style the link as a block, so the browser will treat the element like we want it to, as a rectangular button. We style the appearance of the element as we would any box. Finally we remove the link's underline by setting text-decoration:none.

All that's left is to set the rollover using a:hover. The only thing we want to change is the background color, so all we have to do is this:

ul#nav li a:hover{
background: #666666;
}

Now fill your content column with text, and you have a table-less, two column webpage, displayed using css.

Here is the design in action.

CSS Positioning: Cascading Style Sheets Tutorial

2008-04-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

I was asked by an aspiring web designer to tutor him in basic Web design techniques. He is working on a Webpage in tables, but is aware that he should probably start working with CSS instead. He had tried Dreamweaver's "layers," but was having a hard time.

In preparation for the 1 hour session I put together a page with a really basic two column layout using CSS positioning. Since I went to all this trouble, I thought I would go ahead and share it with the World Wide Web as well.

Doctype

The first code on the page, and the first thing to be aware of is the Doctype declaration. I use this:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 strict//EN">

Using the "transitional" declarations, rather than "strict" puts the page into "Quirks Mode." This was necessary to get older browsers to display CSS correctly back in the day, but using today will cause you headaches from all the quirks that will be coming your way.

Basic Structure

The code for implementing a CSS page layout should be divided into two parts: HTML for structure, and CSS for formatting. I break the CSS out into a seperate page and link it to my HTML page thusly:

<link href="test.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">

This goes somewhere between the <head></head> tags.

In the body of the HTML document, you can declare the structure very simply using nested <div></div> tags. I use the "ID" attribute to identify them, but "Class" works too. Here's the code for my basic two-column page:

<div id="wrapper">

<div id="header"></div>

<div id="column1"></div>

<div id="column2"></div>

<div id="footer"></div>

</div>

That's it! That's the basic HTML structure of the page; a wrapper enclosing the other page elements. The size, color, borders, and structural images are all declared in the CSS. The page content, such as navigation and text, will go inside the appropriate <div> tags.

CSS

Next, we're going to format each <div> on our page. I also like to remove the margins from the body like so:

body{
margin:0px;
padding: 0px;
}

Next we'll set the width, postion and background of the "wrapper." This will set the basic page size and color, as well as center the page in the browser. Centering is achieved by setting the left and right margins to "auto."

#wrapper{
width: 780px;
margin-right: auto;
margin-left: auto;
background: #cccccc;
}

The header is nested inside the wrapper div. The header image is set as the background.

#header{
width: 780px;
height: 50px;
background-image: url('images/header.jpg') ;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

The left column is going to contain the navigation, which I'll add in the next CSS tutorial. Notice that I have set the background color to the same color as that of the wrapper div. This is because we want this column to appear to extend to the bottom of the page. In reality, it will shrink to contain the content. Floating the div left will allow the column to sit side by side the column 2, which will float right.

#column1{
width: 130px;
padding: 10px;
background: #ccc;
float: left;
}

#column2{
width: 610px;
padding: 10px;
float: right;
background: white;
}

Lastly, I position the footer. Note the "clear" declaration, which tells the browser not to position the previous divs beside this one. Also note that the left and right padding are added to the overall width of the div, so you need to subtract those amounts from the total width to match the width of the wrapper and header, which have no padding.

#footer{
width: 770px;
background: #333333;
color: white;
clear:both;
padding: 5px;
}

Next time, we'll fill our page with some navigation and content.

1&1 Internet Complaints

2008-04-11T08:00:00.001-07:00

After almost a month and over a dozen emails to support and billing, my recent hosting problem was finally resolved. No fanfare, or even an email letting me know that it had been taken care of. I just went to one of my problem sites, and no more errors.

Two days before that, I received this email from complaints@1and1.com:

Thank you for contacting us.

As a gesture of goodwill, I have refunded the account regarding this
matter.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

That's great, however the statement "I have refunded the account" is not true, because I haven't received a refund. We'll see if they follow through, or even return my email inquiry.

The point of this post, though, is to share the email address complaints@1and1.com. I wasn't aware of it until now. If I had been, I'm sure I'd already be blacklisted.

Pleasanton Valley Series, Morrison Home Brochure - The Monterey

2008-04-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

THE MONTEREY

Throughout the years, the two-story has been, and still is, the favorite of many because of its inherent comfort through separation of the living and sleeping areas.

From the entry hall any area of the home can be reached. To the right is the spacious living room, and the large dining room adapts easily to formal entertaining and family celebrations.

For informal activities, there is the large family room with a beautiful corner fireplace. And there's informal eating space in the kitchen nook. Of special interest in the Activity Area is the large walk-in pantry and the ample cabinet space to take care of all kitchen storage problems. Notice how your washer, dryer, and freezer will fit into the handy utility room, and the accessibility of the powder room, useful for guests as well as family.

On the upper level, your family will enjoy the privacy and quiet assured by a two-story structure. The owners have their own bath, dressing room, and twin clothes closets.

The Monterey House offers the growing family a home of comfort, convenience, and privacy__ a home that will provide satisfaction and pride for years to come.

For those who prefer spacious lots, it is also available in the Walnut Grove area of Pleasanton Valley with lots up to 11,000 Sq. Ft.

ADDED VALUES:

Shake Roofs Rear and Side Yard Fencing ~ 2^½ Baths – Corner Fireplace in Family Room – Walk-in Pantry – Vanities with Full Width Mirrors and Illuminated Ceilings in Family and Owners' Bath - Built-in Range, Range-hood, and Pull Double Oven - Garbage Disposal Dishwasher - Triple Sink Birch Cabinets ~ Utility Room – Excellent Closet and Storage Space

Ceiling and Sidewall Insulation - Sound Conditioning Insulation in Bath Walls – Controlled Dining Room Lighting – Desk in Kitchen - Cabinet Hardware Selections in the Kitchen and the Baths - Underground Utilities Installed TV Cable

Download scans (print resolution) 5.6M zip

Pleasanton E-Waste Collection Event

2008-04-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

I've been carrying a dead scanner, router, and a box of dead batteries in the trunk of my car waiting for this event! I've been checking the City of Pleasanton Website calendar for the past month, but there's been no indication if or when they would be holding their annual E-waste collection. That is, until today when I received the flyer.

When: April 18-20 2008
Where: Alameda County Fairgrounds - Enter on Valley Avenue (Gate 12)
Cost: Free

Acceptable E-Waste:
computers
televisions
VCRs
DVD players
PDAs
stereos
radios
game equipment
camcorders
batteries
auto batteries
copiers
cell phones
telephones
printers
fax machines (good riddance)
fluorescent bulbs
microwave ovens

Not Acceptable:
large appliances
STYROFOAM
packaging

So do the right thing and get rid of your E-Waste properly, and for free at this great event!

For additional information, please contact Electronic Waste Management at 1-866-335-3373 OR the City of Pleasanton at 925-931-5006.

Pleasanton Valley - Morrison Homes Brochure

2008-03-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

I recently aquired an original brochure for Pleasanton Valley homes, published in 1966. It includes a page for each model here in Pleasanton Valley and Walnut Grove. If you live around here you will undoubtedly recognize each model, and you may even live in one. I do!

Over the next few months I'll be posting the pages, which include floor plans, and even original pricing!

Here is the cover:

Pleasanton Valley Home - The Monterey
Pleasanton Valley Home - The Arbor House

Sprint Billing Errors

2008-02-26T21:20:00.001-08:00

This doesn't have anything to do with Pleasanton or Web Design, but I'm posting it because if it has happened to me, chances are it has happened to someone else. Maybe I can save someone a call or two.

I received a bill from Sprint last week for $17.54. The problem is that I haven't had a Sprint account for over 5 years, maybe longer. There was an account number, but no phone number listed on the bill, so I had no idea what it was for.

I called the customer service number on the bill. They couldn't find any record of my account number. They transferred me to the cellular division, they also could find no record of that account number. Finally they spilled the beans, and told me they had outsourced the upgrade of their billing system to another company. They transferred me, and an annoyed-sounding man with a heavy hispanic accent again told me there was no record of my account number. Off the hook? I could only be so lucky.

Knowing that a company like Sprint isn't going to let an outstanding charge just fade away, I called back a week later. This time, my account number was on file. It was for a phone number that was disconnected in 2002. When questioned about what the charges were for, the customer service person told my that they were for service on that phone number for January and February of this year. "So you don't want to pay this?" he asked. "No" I replied. 15 minutes later the charge was removed and the account was closed.

Midphase Hosting - FTP Support Documentation Wrong

2008-02-23T20:07:00.000-08:00

Just started some work for a new client who purchased a hosting account from AN Hosting, which was recently purchased by Midphase hosting. In attempting to establish an FTP connection, I first tried using the instructions in Cpanel, but to no avail. They instructed me to be sure to connect using "ftp.mydomain.com" and then with the exact username for the ftp account listed, and enter the /htpdocs/ directory. It didn't work.

Next stop, the support documentation. This told me to use "mydomain.com" as the host, and the ftp login information in the "welcome" email. The "welcome" email didn't have any ftp account information, so I again tried the info listed in cPanel. Still no luck.

Finally I searched community help on the Midphase website, which instructed me to use "mydomain.com" and my cPanel login and to leave the directory blank. Success!! I've used enough webhosting companies to know that this isn't a sign of good things to come. Completely wrong and inconsitent support documentation means that they aren't even close to having their poop together.

php.ini and more 1&1 Internet Support Fun

2008-02-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

In trying to resolve my problem with getting a Disk quota exceeded (122) error on MYSQL Database apps, I received the following email from 1&1 Internet support (in my spam folder, as usual):

Thank you for contacting us.

This case needs to be escalated since we dont root access on our server.

As a temporary workaround, you can create a php.ini file on folder where
your script is running. The file should have like this.

session.save_path = physical path of the temporary folder where you want to save the seesion on your webspace

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

I have nearly 20 database aps and don't really want to do this for each one as a temporary workaround, so I waited for the permanent fix. Unfortunately, this is the next email I received:

We are always glad to assist you in a timely manner as possible.
We see since you've opted to change a file to a .Ini, this has resolved
the issue.
Your disk quota is fine from our end and all looks good from here.

Please clarify if you need any additional assistance regarding this
issue.

Thanks for your patience and for choosing 1&1.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

I didn't opt to do anything. I am waiting for them to fix it, so looks like time for some more emails! This is the typical 1&1 support approach. Classic. That's why I don't have any client sites on 1&1 Internet. Right now I am recommending WestHost.

1&1 Internet: Disk quota exceeded (122) error on MYSQL Database apps

2008-02-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

I just started receiving the the following errors on all my websites hosted on 1&1 internet that have MYSQL databases.

Warning: session_start() [function.session-start]: open(/tmp/sess_x, O_RDWR) failed: Disk quota exceeded (122) in /path/page.php on line 20

The result is that no session is created, so things that require a session don't work too well.

Since I am nowhere near my allocated storage capacity, I'm not sure why this is occuring, and feel pretty confident that 1&1 support won't tell me, even if they know. The support people that I've talked to so far don't even have root access to the server, so I hope they fix it sometime soon. The temporary workaround is just to point the session.save_path somewhere else.

Luckily I use 1&1 for development only, as they are not reliable enough to host client websites, so no customers are effected.

Bass Fishing Super Site Launched

2008-02-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

I just launched this bass fishing Website aimed at a Japanese audience. Text is entirely in Japanese and features videos, pictures, articles and blogs covering big bass fishing around the world. Also featured are lessons, articles, videos and an interview with legendary bass videographer, Glen Lau.

Deka Bass Dake

With sections like Big Bass University, Tournament Corner, Big Bass Hotspots, and the World Record section, there is plenty of information and media to keep the bass fishing enthusiast entertained for hours.

Law Practice Website Launched

2007-11-26T19:11:00.000-08:00

I designed this Website around a content management system with search engine performance in mind. URLS are search engine friendly, all page titles are in h1 tags. Body and anchor text is optimized for keywords that will produce the maximum lead generation for the client.

DUI, Criminal Defense Attorney Website - San Francisco Bay Area

Bebo - Yet Another Social Networking Site

2007-11-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

While Myspace and Facebook dominate the social networking world here in the United States, and Hi5 is it for Latin America, England, Ireland and New Zealand have Bebo.

My first attempts at viewing Bebo resulted in a "Page Not Found" error in IE6. I hate IE6 and blame it for everything, so I tried Firefox and was able to begin entering my profile. When I tried to submit it though, I received a "Server Connection Was Reset Error." Having an unlimited amount of free time, as we all do, I re-entered my information, and got farther in the process this time, but got the server reset error again. Eventually I was able to post my profile and a picture though.

In navigating through the site it is apparent that Bebo is very video oriented. In clicking the explore tab, my choices were "sponsored videos" or "all videos." The thumbnails have pictures of people's faces on them. I don't really want to listen to someone blab on and on in hopes some of it might be interesting, so I didn't click on any of those videos.

The "friends" tab was even less interesting, because I have no friends. At lease no "Bebo" friends. During sign-up Bebo searched my hotmail account trying to find people in my address book who were already members. It found none, so I have no friends, and this tab is of no interest.

There were number of subtabs too, listing groups, authors, darwin (I have no idea) etc. Through the groups link I was able to find other member's profiles. The profile were "myspacey" but a little less annoying, and a little more cookie cutter.

The only reason I can see for a myspace or facebook member to join Bebo is that there appears to be cleaner support for video. The real reason I joined, and the promise I see in Bebo is from a developers standpoint. Bebo uses Open Social, Google's standardized social networking framework. What that means to the social networking enthusiast is eventually you can take advantage of multiple social networking sites using a single profile and integrate them together in a way that you choose. For now though, Bebo is just another password and username you need to keep track of.

Downtown Pleasanton - Free Concerts In The Park

2007-09-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

The tagline on this blog promises to cover Pleasanton culture, and I admit the cultural content here has been sorely lacking. And that's a shame. Pleasanton has one of the best downtowns in the state, if not the country. Plenty of fine dining, art, entertainment, and in the summer and early fall, free summer concerts every Friday in Lions Wayside Park (corner of First and Neal Streets).

I've been to a few myself. If you are in the area and haven't, here are some tips:

Come at around noon and set out a blanket and some chairs. They'll be safe, and if you wait too long, all the prime spots will be taken.
The sun will be setting behind the bandstand, so find a place under a tree to avoid a lot of squinting.
Consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited (wink, wink)
Bring your dinner, or buy it there.
Have fun! The concerts run from 7 until 8:30 or 9. It's a family time, and the dogs are invited.

Here are some pictures I took at the concert on Friday, August 17th of Pleasanton locals MAGIC MOMENTS - 50's Rock n' Roll.

!JoomlaComment 2.40 - Commenting Component for Joomla CMS

2007-09-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

!JoomlaComment 2.40 is probably the best free commenting component available for Joomla content management system (CMS). Unfortunately, that may not be good enough for those Joomla developers or web site owners without a lot of coding, troubleshooting and hacking experience, because it is pretty buggy.

First of all, if you aren't using Community Builder, you are going to get the following error when you try to use this component:

joscomment Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach()

It's an easy enough fix, if you are comfortable commenting out some code. The instructions can be found here: http://www.haanchiang.com/joomla-comment . Also available on that page is a downloadable version of the component with that and a couple of other patches already installed. I installed the haanchiang version right after I got the first error, so didn't have to deal with the other errors described on the page.

After that was solved, I set the admin to allow anyone to post, but required that the posts be approved before publishing. When filling out the comment form and hitting send, I got the following error:

Database error: insertNewPost!

The post, however was inserted into the database and I could publish it just fine. More than just an annoyance, however, because the user would tend to think the post wasn't accepted, and may try again. Because I haven't been able to fix it, I have no choice but to remove !JoomlaComment from my Joomla installation. In searching for a solution, however, I did find a lot of posts about various other bugs that people are experiencing with this component. If this is version 2.4, I'd recommend waiting for 9.2 before giving this component a try.

Tracking Adwords Sales Conversions for Paypal Transactions

2007-08-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

Tracking Adwords conversions for Paypal transactions is fairly simple if you already have your Paypal merchant account, your Google Adwords account, and associated Google Analytics account. If not, sign up!

Google is going to track your Adwords sales conversions by checking to see if the user visits your "conversion page" after they click on your Adwords ad. The conversion page is just a "thank you" page. You can set up your Paypal "Buy Now" buttons or Paypal shopping cart to redirect the user to the page you have created for this purpose, as follows:

Create a "thank you" page on your Website.
Log into your account at http://www.Paypal.com
Click on the "Merchant Services" tab
Click on the "Web Payments Standard" link
Click on either the "Buy Now" button link (sell single items) or the "Add to Cart" button link (sell multiple items).
Click on Get Started
Create your button
At the bottom of the page click "Add More Options"
Go down to "Customize Your Buyer's Experience (optional)"
Enter the url of the "thank you" page on your website. Make sure to set "Auto Return" to "On".

Now log into your Google Adwords account:

Navigate to your Adwords campaign.
Click "Converstion Tracking" in the top navigation.
Click on the "Start Conversion Tracking" button at the bottom of the page. If you are already using conversion tracking, click on "Get conversion page code" in the left column.
For "Conversion Type" check "Purchase/Sale" then click "Continue" at bottom of page.
Select the color for the Google conversion blurb that will appear at the bottom of your page and click "Continue".
Find your tracking code at the bottom of the page, and cut and paste into your "thank you" page.
If haven't already, set up your site in Google Analytics and allow Adwords to share the conversion data.

Now, to test if the conversion works, just click on your ad in Google, then visit your "thank you" page (no actual transaction needed). You should see the conversion recorded in Analytics the next time it updates.

Joomla Content Managment System Installation

2007-08-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of evaluting various open source content management systems (CMS). A CMS based website is one that allows editing of structure as well as content through an administrative interface, and doesn't require knowledge of coding. The open source CMS solution that seems closest to a standard corporate website out of the box is Joomla. I have a basic installation here:

http://www.tpdesigns.net/

Other open source CMS choices, like XOOPS and Drupal, appear to be geared more towards community websites, where many individuals post content in the form of blog entries. This is probably a better all-around format, as the web is evolving away from packaged corporate information, which is generally assumed to be mostly PR and therefore BS.

Elgg: Open Source Social Networking

2007-08-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

The best open source social networking script I've found by far is Elgg. Developed as sort of a "myspace for achedemics," Elgg is a powerful social networking solution for any organization. Reasonably easy to install and customize, I'd recommend Elgg for any company or organization that wants to get up and running quickly and inexpensively.

I have a demo up here at http://www.fanclubhelper.com. Feel free to join, set up a communtity, customize your homepage, and generally test it out.

Choosing a Web Host for Your Website

2007-07-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

Don't
1. Don't go strictly on price. The top selling webhosting companies are the cheapest, and the are also the worst. Don't touch Godaddy or 1&1 Internet with a 10 foot pole!
2. Don't use "Web Hosting Review" sites. They make their money by signing you up with the companies they push. These companies are usually bad.
3. Don't get caught up in the side by side feature comparison. Find out what you need, but don't try to get the best bang for your buck. A bargain can turn into a nightmare if you hook up with the wrong company.

Do
1. Ask your web developer or designer for recommendations, unless they are getting a cut. Do some research to find out if there is an affiliation between them and the company they are recommending, or just ask.
2. Search for problems or complaints connected with the web host, especially where customer service or technical issues are concerned.
3. Search Webmaster forums for recommendations, or post to a forum asking for a recommendation. You will usually get detailed responses based upon experience.

The vast majority of webhosting companies that are selling space on shared servers are HORRIBLE. You really need to do your homework, especially if your staking your business on your website.

Elgg Social Networking On Shared Hosting

2007-07-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

I'm currently testing out some open source social networking web applications that compare to Myspace. The most promising at the moment seems to be Elgg (don't ask me what it means). AroundMe looks good too, but I read a comment on their blog that it wasn't quite ready yet.

Elgg is a little more difficult to install than other open source applications out there. That is, if you are installing it on a shared hosting account. There are two obstacles you will need to overcome. First of all .htaccess is probably not enabled for your account, and when the Elgg .htaccess starts trying to do things, your server will choke with a 500 Server Error. So you need to have your hosting support person enable .htaccess for the directories you will install Elgg in.

That's not all though. My host (hostmysite.com) didn't like the following in the Elgg .htaccess file:

Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on

These are mod_rewrite directives. They had me comment them out and added the statements to their own special configuration file. My current .htaccess just has the Rewrite rules listed.

I found a lot of posts from people looking for installation support for this issue, and what a lot of the well intentioned developers trying to help didn't understand (or didn't communicate) is that these seemingly simple settings can become complex on shared hosts. For security, processes can be disabled, or configuration can be more complex than if you own your own box.

Hopefully this helps anyone having 500 server errors when installing Elgg on a shared host.

Videos for Web

2007-07-14T12:07:00.001-07:00

The last couple of years has seen an explosion of the use of video on the Web. The catalyst for this has been Youtube. With a free Youtube account you can upload video from a wide variety of formats. Youtube converts the video to a flash file format for you, hosts your video, and promotes it. All for free.

I believe the key to the success of Youtube, and the key to the success of any implementation of video on the Web, is the Flash file format. Compared to the wide variety of media players, video file formats, and codecs you have to take into consideration when using any other implementation, Flash is as close to universally playable as you can get. No need to have different versions of each page for real player or quicktime or windows media player. No need to worry about the users patience in downloading a codec for your mp4 file format. Easy.

So if you are going to putting video on your Website, there's no question in my mind, you have to go with Flash.