World O Web

Links for 2010-09-04 [del.icio.us]

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

W3Schools Online Web Tutorials

Install iPlayer on Mint 9 or Ubuntu Lucid

Tracy — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:02:08 PDT

I have been wanting to install BBC iPlayer on my Linux Mint 9 to download and watch a TV show as my Internet speed is not the fastest and fluctuates from time to time so I wanted to download without the disruption. When I tried to install iPlayer with Google Chrome 6.0.472.53 I received an error message and was unable to install despite several attempts. I then tried my trusty old Firefox 3.6.9 and the same happened again. I tried also to find an offline version and could not find one. My thoughts were that if I can’t install it on 2 of the most popular browsers and can’t find an offline version then I give up, or should I?

Enter Opera to save the day. I downloaded and installed the latest version of Opera 10.61 and navigated to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/install/ and it installed without a hitch so then I could download my TV show at last. I had to browse iPlayer from Opera to download the show put that’s the least I could do.

Whilst I am on the subject Opera is a pretty nifty browser. I will definitely be using it more often.

As for the problem it could be flash or the air plugin. Has anyone successfully got it working with Firefox or Chrome?

Links for 2010-09-01 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Spanish Chicken with Butter Beans, Chorizo and Tomatoes - Chicken - Recipes - from Delia Online

Links for 2010-08-29 [del.icio.us]

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Links for 2010-08-28 [del.icio.us]

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Links for 2010-08-26 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Links for 2010-08-25 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Getting to grips with PHP Radio Buttons

Tracy — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:08:24 PDT

Following on from getting to grips with PHP Checkboxes I decided to write a little tutorial on radio buttons. As you know radio buttons can only have 1 state either on or off and only one can be selected at any one time. Here is a simple tutorial on how to get data from a database, select the radio button, get data from the form and update the database. If you have previously read and completed the setup procedure the process is the same so you may want to go straight to the demo.

Prerequisites

I am assuming that you have access to a PHP web server and have a MYSQL database. I highly recommend Xampp for your testing needs. I am also assuming that you know the basics on uploading and using an FTP program and have the use of a text editor or IDE.

Database Setup

When it comes to the database I like the simpler things in life so I use a MYSQL class from Ricocheting.com. This will be included within the script in which you can download from the bottom of this post. Unzip the download file and upload it to your server. As you can see the checkbox_demo folder has 1 file and 1 folder containing 3 files. Inside the lib folder there is the Database.class.php, config.php and setup.php and in the root folder there is index.php. First and foremost you need to open config.php and put your database settings in the appropriate places and save.

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//database server
define('DB_SERVER', "");

//database login name
define('DB_USER', "");
//database login password
define('DB_PASS', "");

//database name
define('DB_DATABASE', "");

//smart to define your table names also
//define('TABLE_USERS', "");
//define('TABLE_NEWS', "");
?>

Now navigate to lib/setup.php with your browser. Below is the source of the setup file to give you an understanding.

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Database Setup

Setup

if (!isset($_POST['submit'])) { ?>

}
else
{
require ('Database.class.php');
$db->connect();
$query= "CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS options(
id int(1) NOT NULL auto_increment,
radio varchar (20) NOT NULL,
primary key (id))";
$db->query($query);

$data['id'] = '';
$data['radio'] = 'cat';
$success=$db->query_insert("options",$data);

if ($success)
{
$myFile = "setup.php";
unlink($myFile);
header('Location: ../index.php');
}
}?>

The Radio Button Demo

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include('lib/Database.class.php');
$db->connect();
$query = "SELECT radio from options WHERE id='1'";
$result = $db->query_first($query);
$radio = $result['radio'];

if ($radio == 'cat')
{$pet1 = 'checked="checked"';}
else {$pet1='';}
if ($radio == 'dog')
{$pet2 = 'checked="checked"';}
else {$pet2='';}
if ($radio == 'bird')
{$pet3 = 'checked="checked"';}
else {$pet3='';}
if ($radio == 'rabbit')
{$pet4 = 'checked="checked"';}
else {$pet4='';}
if ($radio == 'horse')
{$pet5 = 'checked="checked"';}
else {$pet5='';}
?>

Now as for index.php which I have split into 3 parts. The opening lines connect, query and get the value of the radio button from the database. It stores the value of radio to the variable $radio and then it checks to see which radio button value it matches and appropriately selects it.

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if (isset ($_POST['submitted']))
{
$selected_radio='';
if ($selected_radio == 'cat') {
$pet1 = 'checked="checked"';}
else if ($selected_radio == 'dog'){
$pet2 = 'checked="checked"';}
else if ($selected_radio == 'bird'){
$pet3 = 'checked="checked"';}
else if ($selected_radio == 'rabbit'){
$pet4 = 'checked="checked"';}
else if ($selected_radio == 'horse'){
$pet5 = 'checked="checked"';}

$selected_radio=$_POST['pets'];
$data['radio']= $selected_radio;
$db->query_update("options",$data, "id='1'");
$db->close();
header('Location: index.php');
}?>

The second part deals with the saving the data to the database. First it checks to see if the hidden field has been submitted then the variable $selected_radio is assigned the value of the radio button that has been selected and then the database is updated accordingly with the correct values and the page is told to refresh.

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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en" >
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
<title>Simple Radio Button Test</title>
</head>
<body>
<form action="" method="post">
<label title="Pets" for="pets" accesskey="p">Which one of the following is your favourite pet?</label><br/>
<input type="radio" name="pets" id="pet1" value="cat" />Cat<br/>
<input type="radio" name="pets" id="pet2" value="dog" />Dog<br/>
<input type="radio" name="pets" id="pet3" value="bird" />Bird<br/>
<input type="radio" name="pets" id="pet4" value="rabbit" />Rabbit<br/>
<input type="radio" name="pets" id="pet5" value="horse" />Horse<br/><br/>
<input type="hidden" name="submitted" value="true" />
<input type="submit" value="ok" name="ok" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

As you can see in the 3rd part this is the basic form where the contents of the radio are determined by the values that have come from the database or have been changed by user input.

Getting to grips with PHP Checkboxes

Tracy — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:26:06 PDT

The aim of this tutorial is simply to get the data from a checkbox and store it in a MYSQL database and on page load the data is retrieved from the database and is shown which would be suitable for an options page in a web app.

Prerequisites

Database Setup

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//database server
define('DB_SERVER', "localhost");

//database login name
define('DB_USER', "your login name");

//database login password
define('DB_PASS', "Your MYSQL PASSWORD");

//database name
define('DB_DATABASE', "Your Database");

//smart to define your table names also
//define('TABLE_USERS', "");
//define('TABLE_NEWS', "");
?>

Now navigate to lib/setup.php with your browser. Below is the source of the setup file to give you an understanding.

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Database setup

Setup

if (!isset($_POST['submit'])) { ?>

}
else
{
require ('Database.class.php');
$db->connect();
$query= "CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS options(
id int(1) NOT NULL auto_increment,
checkbox ENUM('Y','N') NOT NULL DEFAULT 'N',
primary key (id))";
$db->query($query);

$data['id'] = '';
$data['checkbox'] = 'N';
$success=$db->query_insert("options",$data);

if ($success)
{
$myFile = "setup.php";
unlink($myFile);
header('Location: ../index.php');
}

}?>

Setup.php is a basic form when the user clicks on setup button the script creates the table called options within your database, then creates the checkbox column which is of a type enum, a string that can only take 1 set of allowed values, in my case ‘Y’ or ‘N’. Then it adds data to the database, deletes the setup file and then re-directs you to index.php.

The Checkbox Demo

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include('lib/Database.class.php');
$db->connect();
$query = "SELECT checkbox from options WHERE id='1'";
$result = $db->query_first($query);
$checkbox = $result['checkbox'];
if ($checkbox == 'Y')
{
$selected='checked="checked"';
$value='Y';
}
else
{
$selected='';
$value='N';
}

?>

Now as for index.php which I have split into 3 parts. The opening lines connect, query and select the value of checkbox from the database. It stores the value of checkbox to the variable $checkbox and then it checks to see if the value of checkbox is ‘Y’ or ‘N’. If it is ‘Y’ then the variable $value is given a ‘Y’ and the variable $selected is then given ‘checked=”checked”‘. This is then passed on to the form which will tick the checkbox and set the value of the checkbox to ‘Y’.

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if (isset ($_POST['submitted']))
{
if (isset($_POST['flowers'])== 'Y')
{
$value='Y';
}
else {
$value='N';
}

$data['checkbox']= $value;
$db->query_update("options",$data, "id='1'");
$db->close();
header('Location: index.php');

}?>

The second part deals with the saving the data to the database. First it checks to see if the hidden field has been submitted then it checks to see if the form flowers value is ‘Y’ or ‘N’. if it is ‘Y’ the $value variable is set to ‘Y’ and then the database is updated accordingly with the correct values and the page is told to refresh.

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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en" >
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
<title>Simple Checkbox Test</title>
</head>
<body>
<form action="" method="post">
<label title="flowers" for="flowers"> Do you like flowers? </label>
<input type="checkbox" name="flowers" value="" />
<input type="hidden" name="submitted" value="true" />
<input type="submit" value="ok" name="ok" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

As you can see in the 3rd part this is the basic form where the contents of checkbox are determined by the values that have come from the database or has been changed by user input.

Links for 2010-08-14 [del.icio.us]

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Web Hosting: Defined

Tracy — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:23:04 PDT

You can’t have a website without a web host. It’s like having a house without having any land to build it on. Until you get that virtual real estate, all you have is a design and a plan. Before you go shopping for a web host, you should be aware that there are different kinds of web hosting, with different benefits and different price ranges. Here’s a breakdown of what different types of web hosting mean, so you can decide exactly what you need before you get into a hosting contract.

Low End Hosting: Shared Server

Just because shared server pricing is on the cheap side doesn’t mean it’s low quality. A shared server plan may only cost you a few dollars a month, but this is only because it doesn’t take up too much of the web hosts resources. When you enter a shared server arrangement, you get to use part of a server to host your website. The rest of the server is used by other people to host their websites. There’s no way that any of their websites can bleed onto yours, but you do share an IP address and control panel, and things that affect the entire server will affect you as well as them.

Mid Range Hosting: Virtual Private Server (VPS)

With an arrangement on a virtual private server, you’re still using the same server as other people, but it is partitioned so that your part of it acts as if it were its own server, with its own IP address, control panel and functionality. It costs a little more, but it’s cheaper than a private server while still giving you many of the benefits of a private server, including increased disk space and bandwidth, and more freedom with your use of tool sets and applications that go with designing and maintaining your domains.

High Level Hosting: Dedicated Server

In this case, you’ve got a server all to yourself. This one can be pricey, because the web host can’t make any money off of the server other than what they get from you. However, if you’ve got a big Internet business with lots of websites and pages and lots of traffic, this is the way to go. You get massive bandwidth and disk space, and complete freedom and control over administration of the server, including the ability to change operating systems and programming languages if it suits you.

Other Options: Cloud Computing, Reseller Hosting

Cloud computing is a plan where you purchase services, disk space and bandwidth a la carte, you just take what you need and pay for what you take. If you’re planning long term server use though, you should probably make the move to at least a shared server eventually. A reseller hosting plan is sort of like subletting an apartment. You pay for the whole server and sell pieces of it to your own clients. This is a good option for a web designer or a budding web host.

About The Author

Kirsten Ramsburg is a semi-techie single mom who is currently working as a senior writer for Webhostingsearch.com.

Top Ten Inspiring Websites – Linux

Tracy — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 07:23:25 PDT

I am relatively new to Linux and have used is as my primary OS for the past year. I have come across some wonderful inspiring sites that have helped me through the process and made it easier. Here are my top ten Linux Web sites.

WebUpd8

Webupd8 have an extensive amount of posts covering Linux, Windows and the web. They have recently launched their own launchpad PPA so that you can update your software with ease.

Follow @webupd8 on twitter.

OMG Ubuntu

OMG Ubuntu features include tutorials, reviews, polls and application releases. Their posts are concise and informal making them easier to understand for all.

Follow @omgubuntu on twitter.

HowtoForge

HowtoForge hosts easy to follow Linux tutorials covering all topics. Topics include Distributions, servers, DNS, Email, FTP and many more.

Linux.com

Linux.com is a product from the Linux foundation. Harnessing the power of Linux users worldwide to inform, collaborate and connect on all matters Linux. Linux.com is for the community by the community.

Follow @linuxfoundation on twitter.

Ubuntu Geek

Ubuntu geek is an informative website that aims to help the transition easier from Windows. This blog contains Ubuntu Tips, tricks, howto’s, news and articles.

Follow @ubuntugeek on twitter.

WorksWithU

WorksWithU is produced by Nine Lives Medai inc. They track the strengths and weaknesses of Ubuntu and deliver content via their blog.

Follow @WorksWithU on twitter.

TuxRadar

TuxRadar, backed by the magazine Linux Format, is a website devoted to supporting the free software community by providing news, reviews, tutorials and more for free. They also publish a podcast about free software every two weeks.

Follow @tuxradar on twitter.

Distrowatch.com

Distrowatch started out as a very simple table that tracked the 5 major Linux distributions. Now with 317 active distributions, distrowatch has grown into very popular website that keeps you informed of the latest releases and keeps you informed on Linux news via a weekly newsletter.

Follow @DistroWatch on twitter.

Opendesktop.org

openDesktop.org is one of the biggest online communities, social networks and portals for the free desktop movement in the world where developers, artists and users can share applications, tools, wallpapers, sounds, icons, themes and other artwork and stuff for the open desktop.

Follow @openDesktop on twitter.

Ubuntu Tweak

Not only is Ubuntu Tweak a website that provides a online catalogue of software and sources it is also a application that is designed to configure Ubuntu and make it easier for everyone. It provides many useful desktop and system options that the default desktop environment doesn’t provide.

Follow @Ubuntu_Tweak on twitter.

Do you have a favourite website that is dedicated to Linux users?

My Switch To Linux and Why I Will Never Look Back!

Tracy — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:34:29 PDT

Brief History

Back in 2007 I discovered this Linux OS called Ubuntu and how everybody was raving about it. So I tried it on my desktop computer and I could not get my wireless usb stick to work so I gave up. Roll on 2 years and I was slightly curious again so I installed a different distro, this time Mandriva. Everything worked perfect and I was instantly converted.

Having had a bad experience with Ubuntu I discovered Linux Mint 7 in August 2009. Having previously used the KDE desktop I was curious to see what Gnome was like. After installing Gloria I knew instantly that I have found the one distro for me. From the looks to the speed, everything was great.

Mint is now on version 9 which has got to be the best version yet. It took me 10 minutes to install and I had most of my programs up and running within an hour. The speed of my laptop when running Mint compared to XP is noticeably different, which allows me to do far more with mint, especially running multiple programs.

Future

What does the future hold for Linux? Well after my experience in 2007 I was glad to try it again and that my computer actually runs better and has a little eye candy. There is a good range of software and with the likes of Ubuntu Tweak and Ailurus, tweaking, adding sources (latest versions of software) and cleaning have been made simple, thus making it very user friendly.

Now as for gaming and the news that Steam are going to release a version for Linux can only make Linux stronger than ever. I have often dreamed of playing my Football manager game on my Linux box.
I would, however love to get my Belkin USB network hub working so that I can print and access my external hard drive. I am sure Belkin would also gain some popularity aiming there products for all OS’s.

To draw a conclusion If you have had a bad experience with Linux in the past don’t ever let it put you off. I didn’t and I made the switch and that’s why I will never look back. My computer runs Linux perfect and I can still do everything I want with Aptana, Gimp, Evolution and Firefox to name a few. If I bought a new computer tomorrow I would first install Mint.

Were you pleased with making the switch? Did everything go plain sailing? What future do you think that Linux holds? I would love to hear all of your stories

New World Theme Release

Tracy — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:36:57 PDT

New World is an adaptation of my 3rd theme. It is lightweight and suitable for all audiences. It includes a customiseable social networking header that has it’s own admin area. Comments are written throughout template files to aid your customisation. Once downloaded please read the readme.html in the instructions folder for general F.A.Qs.

Features include:

Widget Ready
Fluid Width
Valid XHTML & CSS
Two Columns
Comments & Pings are separated
Support for threaded comments
WP-navi plugin compatible
Admin area
Features CSS3
Thoroughly tested on all common browsers

Screenshots

[View with PicLens]

Twitter Script Updated and Given A New Name

Tracy — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:45:16 PDT

Back in 2009 I wrote a post on how to display twitter posts on your site. I went back to it recently and decided to tweak it further. As you see it is now updated to include ‘time since’ post. Check my sidebar for an example. I would like to thank JR over at IF Not True Then False for the handy PHP function.
The new script is now called W.O.W TweetShow.

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// Set timezone
date_default_timezone_set("UTC");

function dateDiff($time1, $time2, $precision = 6)
{
if (!is_int($time1)) {
$time1 = strtotime($time1);
}
if (!is_int($time2)) {
$time2 = strtotime($time2);
}
if ($time1 > $time2) {
$ttime = $time1;
$time1 = $time2;
$time2 = $ttime;
}
$intervals = array('year','month','day','hour','minute','second');
$diffs = array();

foreach ($intervals as $interval) {
$diffs[$interval] = 0;
$ttime = strtotime("+1 " . $interval, $time1);

while ($time2 >= $ttime) {
$time1 = $ttime;
$diffs[$interval]++;
$ttime = strtotime("+1 " . $interval, $time1);
}
}
$count = 0;
$times = array();

foreach ($diffs as $interval => $value) {
if ($count >= $precision) {
break;
}
if ($value > 0) {
if ($value != 1) {
$interval .= "s";
}
$times[] = $value . " " . $interval;
$count++;
}
}
return implode(", ", $times);
}
$doc = new DOMDocument();
# load the RSS -- replace 'USERNAME' with your user of choice
if($doc->load('http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/USERNAME.rss')) {
echo "

;

# number of

elements to display. 20 is the maximum
$max_tweets = 10;
$i = 1;
foreach ($doc->getElementsByTagName('item') as $node) {
# fetch the title from the RSS feed.
$tweet = $node->getElementsByTagName('title')->item(0)->nodeValue;

#Fetch the link from the feed
$link = $node->getElementsByTagName ('link') ->item(0)->nodeValue;

# This gets the date and separates it into sections
$pubDate = $node->getElementsByTagName('pubDate')->item(0)->nodeValue;
$month = substr($pubDate, 7, 4);
$date = substr($pubDate, 4, 3);
$year = substr($pubDate, 11, 5);
$day = substr($pubDate, 0 , 3);
$title=$day.$date.$month.$year;

#pre-defined lazy tags
$ddmmyy=$date.$month.$year;
$mmyy=$month.$year;
$mmddyy=$month.$date.$year;
$ddmm=$date.$month;
$today = time();
$timeDiff = dateDiff($today,$pubDate,1);

# the title of each tweet starts with "username: " which I want to remove
$tweet = substr($tweet, stripos($tweet, ':') + 1);

# OPTIONAL: turn URLs into links
$tweet = preg_replace('@(https?://([-\w\.]+)+(:\d+)?(/([\w/_\./-]*(\?\S+)?)?)?)@',
'$1', $tweet);

#OPTIONAL: turn hashtags into links
$tweet = preg_replace('/#([0-9a-zA-Z_-]+)/',
"\"http://twitter.com/search?q=%23$1\">#$1", $tweet);

#OPTIONAL: turn @replies into links
$tweet = preg_replace("/@([0-9a-zA-Z_-]+)/",
"\"http://twitter.com/$1\">@$1", $tweet);

#The following line can changed to suit your needs.

#echo "

".""."". $ddmm ."" ."" .$tweet ."

\n";

# echo "

"."" . "" . $ddmmyy."" . "" . $tweet . "

\n";

#echo "

". $tweet . "". "" . $ddmmyy."" . "" . "

\n";

#echo "

" . "" . $ddmm . "" . $tweet . "

\n";

#echo "

" . $ddmm . "

\n";

echo

" . $tweet . "

\n"

;

echo

".'about'.' ' . $timeDiff .' '. 'ago'. "

\n"

;

(

$max_tweets

)

break

;

}

echo

\n";
}?>

As you can see line 109 displays the time since data. Just change the CSS classes to suit your needs.

Display Twitter Posts On Your Site

Comodo Internet Security Installation Error 1603

Tracy — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:31:14 PST

I have been using Comodo Internet Security since it’s initial release and it just keeps getting better and better. However whilst trying to install the most recent version 4.0 which was released on March 03 2010 I encountered an installation error 1603. Naturally I cleared all the junk files, disabled unnecessary services, cleared the registry and still couldn’t get it to work until I came across a clean up tool for cleaning up leftover data from previous installations.

Prerequisites

Version 4 is a major update so you will need to uninstall any previous versions that exist on your computer. I am assuming that you have already attempted installing the software and have it situated in a folder on your system.

Step 1- Download and Extract Software- Updated 6th September!

There are 2 versions of the Comodo Clean up tool. I suggest that you try the original version first and if that fails use version 2 . Both versions are spyware and virus free.
Extract the file using 7zip or similar. You should now have a folder called CIS Clean-up Tool.

Step 2-Run File and re-install CIS4

Navigate to CIS Clean-up Tool folder and run the CIS File+Registry Cleaner.bat file. Vista and 7 users need to right click and select run as administrator. Follow the on-screen prompts. This file will clean all associated registry entries, files and folders that have been left over from previous installations.

To re-install CIS4 navigate to the download folder:

Windows XP C:/Documents and Settings/All Users/Application Data/Comodo Downloader and run CIS_Setup.msi
I am not currently running Vista or 7 so I am unsure where the default download folder is situated.

Your installation should now run smoothly. I would like to thank Ragwing for creating this script. If you have any questions then please contact me.

Access Your Email Through an Email Client

Tracy — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:57:22 PST

Have you got more than one email account? Maybe you are fed up of having to access your email through a web interface or you just simply want to access all of your emails through a desktop application. First and foremost you need an email client. I highly recommend Thunderbird which is a popular open source application that is available on Windows, Linux and Mac. There is also Windows Mail which is part of the windows live series. Outlook Express comes pre-installed on XP. Microsoft Outlook comes with the commercial Microsoft Office suite. Kmail and Evolution are very popular on Linux.

Here are a list of the settings to access your Google, Windows Live (Hotmail) and Yahoo email accounts through your preferred application.

Thunderbird now attempts to automatically configure the email server settings for you but you might still need to tweak the settings!

Also available as a PDF for download.

Know any more settings for other less known email accounts? Please share and I will add them to the list and publish it on a regular basis.

Synchronise Your Computers and Your Life!

Tracy — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:04:26 PST

Do you ever find running multiple computers, Operating systems and browsers tedious? Especially now that most people have access to 2 computers or more. Maybe you are using one main computer and need access to certain files from another or you are using portable software or even your mobile phone. Here are a few tips on how to keep organised with a combination of software and web apps.

Bookmarking

This is a great start as you need to access your bookmarked web sites from anywhere including the web. Some great bookmarking sites include Delicious, Diigo and BlinkList. Access is available via the web and there is an assortment of browser extensions and bookmarklets.

Files & Folders

Want to access documents and files and have them synchronised across different computers. Dropbox is one of the most popular. It offers 2GB of free space to store anything you want. It automatically syncs to your computers and your data is still available when off-line. Supports Windows, Mac, Linux (Ubuntu & Fedora) and iPhone. DropBox alternatives are ZumoDrive and SpiderOak.

Passwords

Now if you frequently browser hop there is nothing worse than forgetting a password and then having to open up your main browser to hunt for it. LastPass is an online password manager that will encrypt and store your passwords on the web and sync them across your multiple browsers on any platform and there is no need worry as you can use it in off-line mode too. Passpack is also worth looking at.

Tasks & Calendars

Still lugging that huge diary around with you? Google Calendar is a web calendar that you can sync to all of your devices. Accessible via the browser or can easily integrate with your email or calendar software. Task managers like Doit.im and Remember The Milk can also integrate with your Google Calendar so you don’t have any excuses for forgetting your appointments!

Productivity

Don’t have access to an office suite? Want to store your documents online? Google Docs and Zoho will be your friend. Simply knock up a document, spreadsheet, presentation or form quickly and store it online. You can also sync your documents from both Zoho and Google docs to open office with this extension. Zoho also has a plugin for Microsoft Office and there is also a Google Docs plugin for MS Office with Offisync.

Firefox Profiles

Mozilla Weave is work in progress software to backup and synchronise your firefox profile to Windows, Mac, Linux and Mobile. Currently it backs up passwords, bookmarks, history, tabs, preferences, add-ons and personas. It certainly looks very promising for the future.

Winter Wonderland Collection

Tracy — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:35:03 PST

First of all I would like to wish everybody a Happy New Year. Now that the festive period is over and winter has set in I thought that I would round up a nice little collection of seasonal graphics that would look nice in any design. I have hand-picked a selection of icons, photos, vectors, fonts and Photoshop brushes from around the web. All the graphics are free for personal use, some are free for commercial use. I hope you enjoy them.

Icons

Weather Icons

Winter Holiday Icons

Winter Blue Graphics

Illustrations and Photographs

Mirror Lake

Plitvice taken in winter

On the mountain, Kleinarl, Austria

Church in winter forest

Snow and Spruce

Dutch windmill winter panoramic shot

Winter Wonderland

Winter in Lapland

Thunderbird 3 Upgrade- Not Such a Smooth Ride!

Tracy — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:02:25 PST

I have been using Thunderbird for the last 2 years and my configuration has always worked well even through the transition of switching from Windows to Linux. I have never had any trouble when updating versions of Firefox so I thought that I wouldn’t have many problems with Thunderbird either. Was it as plain sailing as what I originally thought?

The 1st Upgrade

My choice of upgrade method was to use the Ubuntuzilla script which is what I use for Firefox. Ubuntuzilla backs up your profile folder before making any changes which is an excellent idea when upgrading to a new version. Once I upgraded I loaded up Thunderbird which started fine but I could not see any emails although it said that I was getting them. I tried creating the accounts again but that would not work, then the options page was stuck and I could not get lightning to integrate well. I decided to roll back to the previous version and start again.

Roll Back to V2

I went back to v2, via the same Ubuntuzilla script, I deleted the contents of .thunderbird folder in my home folder and replaced it with the backup files from my Thunderbird backup which the Ubuntuzilla script created. I ran the program and copied all of my emails to my local folders to prevent losing them especially as I haven’t got them saved on the server. I saved my contacts to a .LDIF file and my calendar to a .ICS file so I could easily import them after upgrade. When I had finished exporting I changed the .thunderbird to ThunderbirdBackup (or similar) and ran the Ubuntuzilla script again.

2nd Upgrade

I opened the new Thunderbird up and then shut it down again as this creates the new profile. Navigating to my backup I copied the local folders folder from ThunderbirdBackup/user.default/mail across to the new .thunderbird/user.default/Mail. Setting up new accounts is a breeze now as Thunderbird automatically searches for the email settings. After 5 minutes I had configured all of my emails, 6 in total and they were all in working order. I installed the latest version of lightning, which is the current testing version. I imported my contacts and calendar and all is in good working order.

Conclusion

I have known people that have gone through the installation without any problems but I would definitely recommend you make a backup of your profile before any major upgrade. I would also back up contacts and calendars if used too. However it was definitely worth the hassle as the new version has some excellent features.

Backup your Firefox Profile Manually

Mouse Buttons Not Working With Eclipse or Aptana!

Tracy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:05:11 PST

I recently updated to latest version of Linux Mint 8 and after installing Aptana, my favourite IDE, I noticed that my mouse buttons would not work when trying to click buttons. I tried re-installing the software and trying eclipse but it still didn’t work. I turned to my trusted friend Google for the problem and I came across this post Problems with Eclipse buttons in Ubuntu 9.10 ,which is a shell script to solve a gtk bug. I have eclipse installed in my home folder under .eclipse. Here is a little tutorial on how you write that script.

Open gedit or similar text editor and type:

1
2
3

#!/bin/sh
export GDK_NATIVE_WINDOWS=1
/home/YOURNAME/.eclipse/eclipse

Note: Change YOURNAME to your usename!

Save the file in my .eclipse folder as eclipse.sh

Now navigate into the .eclipse folder, you might need to check show hidden files in the view menu. Right click on eclipse.sh and click on properties. Click on permissions. Click on allow file executing as a program.

Update your menu to point to the newly created file eclipse.sh in your .eclipse directory. Eclipse should now load without the mouse problem.

Linux Hail Helena!

Tracy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:48:56 PST

Having made the switch to Linux 1 year ago, first using Mandriva Linux and then switching to Linux Mint 7 (Gloria) after hearing some good reviews. I loved Mandriva but instantly fell in love with Mint. I was never tempted to go distro hopping again. However having heard both good and bad things about Ubuntu Karmic Koala I bit the bullet and decided to update to the release candidate version of Linux Mint (Helena), which, if you don’t already know is based on Ubuntu’s Karmic Koala. I would have to say that I was immediately impressed with the balance of good looks and features at my disposal.

Installation

Running from the Live USB it correctly told me that my hard drive was failing, which is no surprise to me as have been having errors for the last few months. The installation was simple to do and took a total of fifteen minutes, which is impressive for my 3 year old Laptop. On first boot, which took 64 seconds in total from switching it on to the loading of the desktop, in comparison to the evaluation version of Windows Seven which took 75 seconds. I was greeted with an elegant boot splash and the much improved log in screen. Connecting to a wireless network was a breeze as occasionally I had connecting issues when coming out of hibernation in Gloria. Fonts seem much sharper. All round graphics, memory and processing power and is more edgy and noticeably faster.

Conclusion

This may only be a release candidate but overall I am extremely impressed. Stability, speed and user-friendly it definitely is. I have only had a few minor problems. Mint install crashed when selecting multiple items to install and crackling is coming from the speakers occasionally. I would expect these small problems to be ironed out in the final release. All in all this is a great version and I am proud to be a user of Linux Mint. Hail Helena!

Update

I have solved the problem with he crackling by watching this video. The alternative way of doing it would be to enter the following in a terminal.

1	sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf

Find the following line:
options snd-hda-intel power_save=10 power_save_controller=N
Change it to:
#options snd-hda-intel power_save=10 power_save_controller=N

Software catalogue for Windows and Linux.

Tracy — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:50:12 PST

The wonderful thing about Linux is its capability to get all of your software from one place. Unfortunately you don’t have that option with Windows as you have to download and install things separately, which can be rather tedious. The trouble with downloading stuff the Windows way is that you are openly subject to viruses and malware. You can be misled into downloading software that promises you the world and then hijacks your computer, once installed. You can never be sure if your security is going to be compromised.

In comes allmyapps. Basically, allmyapps is a online catalogue of software that can be installed on Windows XP through to 7 and also Ubuntu 8.04 upwards, including the latest karmic koala. Simply sign up, install the required software: For Windows users you simply download and install a little program that manages your downloads and installations. Ubuntu users simply install AptURL. Once the program is installed choose from an ever growing catalogue of software in which you simply add to your list. Click install and the download and installation process begins.

What about Security?

All programs are checked for any potential harmful malware or virus before they are put in the catalogue so there are no needs to worry about your security.

Why Ubuntu?

Some people would say why Ubuntu though? Ubuntu does have its own system in place via the synaptic package manager. Surely you only ever need that? Maybe but at least the option is there and that Linux is being recognised. Surely that’s thumbs up to the developers.

Conclusion

All Microsoft Windows operating systems have been needing something like this for a while. The pros definitely outweigh the cons. It is secure, you are less likely open to viruses and spyware from rogue applications. There are loads of free and open source applications to choose from and an option to purchase commercial software. In the future there is room for multiple profiles for multiple operating systems, version numbers on software and Linux RPM and Mac catalogues, but in the meantime Allmyapps gets my thumbs up!

Do you like the idea of this software catalogue or are you against it? We would like to here your thoughts on it.

WordPress Theme Poll

Tracy — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:29:16 PDT

This is just a simple poll to find out what features you look for in a WordPress theme, just to get a simple understanding of what users require. If you require an option that is not on the list then please leave a comment.

Multiple answers welcome.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

New To WordPress, Now What?

Tracy — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:37:58 PDT

So you have just installed WordPress? Not sure what to do next or which order to do it in? Here is a little guide to help get you started with you new WordPress blog.

Change Your permalink structure

Want to start writing posts straight away? Changing your permalink structure is good SEO practice and if you apply it from the start will save you the hassle of having to install redirect plugins to change it later. Go to Settings » Permalinks and change it to something like /%year%/%postname% or /%category%/%postname%/

Further Resources

Enable Spam Blocking

Askimet comes with your wordpress installation and is an excellent tool to filter out the junk. In order to use it you need a WordPress API key and you need to activate it in the Plugins section of your admin page. In addition to Askimet I use WP Captcha free which has eliminated 99.9% of spam and it does not require any configuration or any user interaction such as captcha/image verification.

Further Resources

Combating Comment Spam

Security

Don’t know how secure your WordPress installation is? Unsure of file permissions or .htaccess? WP-Security Scan will check your installation for security vulnerabilities and will recommend what actions to take. I also recommend that you block access to the wp-admin folder by using the .htpasswd & .htaccess generator on the htaccesstools website.

Further Resources

Sitemaps and SEO

Want to get your site noticed? Google XML Sitemap Generator will create and publish a sitemap to all major search engines. All-In-One SEO Pack optimises your blog for search engines. Interested in knowing more about who visits your site then enable WordPress.com stats and join Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics.

Further Resources

Contact Form

If I like to contact someone personally I would like to contact them through a contact form other than posting a comment on a blog post. I was recently contacted by someone who wanted the contact details for a blog which was using one of my themes. Having a contact form makes your site more accessible and allows your audience to connect with you. Setting up a contact form isn’t difficult and there are plenty of plugins that can do this for you like Easy Contact or Contact Form 7 which are both lightweight and easy to use.

Social Networking & RSS Feeds

Get your posts noticed more and increase your traffic. Sign up for Twitter, Digg, Delicious etc. and add your blog to a blog directories like Technorati and Blogcatalog. Sign up for Feedburner to process your RSS feeds along with the wordpress FD Feedburner Plugin plugin.

Enjoy this post? Would you do anything differently? Please share your experiences.

Backup Your Firefox Profile Manually

Tracy — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:26:05 PDT

The browser is one of the most used pieces of software used today and believe me there is nothing worse than losing all of your data if your computer suddenly crashes or your data becomes corrupted. There are tools that will backup your Firefox profiles for you but this can be time consuming. I use a method will backup the entire folder with everything in it from passwords, extensions to favourites and its so simple anyone can do it. I will show you how to do this in Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and also Linux Mint.

1. Prerequisites

I am assuming that you have some source of backup media whether it is a USB pen drive, external hard drive, online backup or memory card. On your backup media create a folder, lets call it backup. Within that folder create another folder called Firefox profile or something similar. Its just there to remind you what it is, so that you don’t accidentally delete it.

2. Enable hidden files & folders

Open My Computer > Select Tools > Folder Option > View Tab > Select Show Hidden Files & Folders

Vista & 7

Open Your User Folder > Click On Organize > Folder And Search Options > View Tab > Select Show Hidden Files Folder And Drives

Linux

Open Home Folder > Click On The View Menu Bar > Select The Checkbox View Hidden Files.

3. Now to find the folder

Go to My Computer > Local Disc (C:) > Documents & Settings > Your User Name > Application Data > Mozilla > Firefox > Profiles

Vista & Windows 7

Go to your home folder > AppData > Roaming > Mozilla > Firefox > Profiles

Linux

Go to your home folder > .mozilla > Firefox

4. Backup the folder

Your profile is a random selection of numbers and letters which is followed by .default. Copy and paste that folder in to your backup folder that you created in Step 1. Backup profiles.ini too and put that also in your backup folder.

5. Restoring backup

If you are on a new computer or a fresh install you will need to run Firefox and then close it, this will create a new profile. Navigate to the directory as in Step 3. From here you have 2 options. You can either replace the contents of the new .default folder with your contents or delete the original folder and copy your old folder across along with the profiles.ini, overwriting the original profiles.ini.

This method is not also limited to backing up Firefox profiles, you can save Thunderbird, Seamonkey, Galeon, Flock, Songbird or any Mozilla based software. I used this method to move my Firefox and Thunderbird profiles from Vista to Linux.

WorldOWeb Theme Release

Tracy — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:40:16 PDT

WorldOWeb theme was my original theme that I have decide to release. It is a lightweight theme which is suitable for all audiences. It has been tested with wordpress 2.7 upwards. The latest version is 2.2.9 which was released on 3rd October 09.

Features include:

Widget Ready
Fluid Width
Valid XHTML & CSS
Two Columns
Comments & Pings are separated
WP-navi plugin compatible*
WP-twitip-light compatible *

* Compatible when the included plugins are activated.

Screenshots

[View with PicLens]

World O Web

Links for 2010-09-04 [del.icio.us]

Install iPlayer on Mint 9 or Ubuntu Lucid

Links for 2010-09-01 [del.icio.us]

Links for 2010-08-29 [del.icio.us]

Links for 2010-08-28 [del.icio.us]

Links for 2010-08-26 [del.icio.us]

Links for 2010-08-25 [del.icio.us]

Getting to grips with PHP Radio Buttons

Prerequisites

Database Setup

Setup

Getting to grips with PHP Checkboxes

Prerequisites

Database Setup

Setup

The Checkbox Demo

Links for 2010-08-14 [del.icio.us]

Web Hosting: Defined

Low End Hosting: Shared Server

Mid Range Hosting: Virtual Private Server (VPS)

High Level Hosting: Dedicated Server

Other Options: Cloud Computing, Reseller Hosting

About The Author

Top Ten Inspiring Websites – Linux

My Switch To Linux and Why I Will Never Look Back!

Brief History

Future

Related Posts

New World Theme Release

Features include:

Screenshots

Twitter Script Updated and Given A New Name

Related Posts

Comodo Internet Security Installation Error 1603

Prerequisites

Step 1- Download and Extract Software- Updated 6th September!

Step 2-Run File and re-install CIS4

Access Your Email Through an Email Client

Synchronise Your Computers and Your Life!

Bookmarking

Files & Folders

Passwords

Tasks & Calendars

Productivity

Firefox Profiles

Winter Wonderland Collection

Icons

Illustrations and Photographs

Thunderbird 3 Upgrade- Not Such a Smooth Ride!

The 1st Upgrade

Roll Back to V2

2nd Upgrade

Conclusion

Related Posts

Mouse Buttons Not Working With Eclipse or Aptana!

Linux Hail Helena!

Installation

Conclusion

Update

Software catalogue for Windows and Linux.

What about Security?

Why Ubuntu?

Conclusion

WordPress Theme Poll

New To WordPress, Now What?

Change Your permalink structure

Enable Spam Blocking

Security

Sitemaps and SEO

Contact Form

Social Networking & RSS Feeds

Related Posts

Backup Your Firefox Profile Manually

1. Prerequisites

2. Enable hidden files & folders

3. Now to find the folder

4. Backup the folder

5. Restoring backup

WorldOWeb Theme Release