J_K9 @ Linux

Become Your Own Webhost In 75 Steps

I thought that this article was worthy of a mention, as it explains how to install a FreeBSD webserver (Apache) complete with MySQL, PHP5 and Perl support. While not strictly Linux, I think it’s a great way for anyone willing to host their own website for the reason that some webhosts simply do not stick to their words. Having your server right in front of you also helps if you want to install new applications or change files with the least amount of hassle.

As the fluctuating connectivity in the broadband networks here cannot be trusted, I opted for a commercial hosting solution: BlueHost. BlueHost provide an extremely simple cPanel with which you can control many of your website’s more complex features, they have a superb support team who work diligently to keep everything running smoothly, and I can’t say I’m disappointed with their $6,95 per month deal. If you want to set up your own webserver - go for it! It will be an excellent experience and an opportunity to broaden your Open Source horizons. However, BlueHost just works for me.

Queen Honours Ipod Designers

The iPod is an amazing work of art, and its design (and technology!) inspired many other companies to manufacture similar MP3-playing products. Yet, the iPod’s revolutionary physique was beauty to the eyes - and it was all due to a certain Jonathan Ive.

Almost four years later, Queen Elizabeth II has recognised his talent and, as a result, he became a CBE, having been named to the New Years’ Honours List. I think he deserves every bit of the praise, as I don’t know what I would do without my 4GB iPod mini!

Read the article on Red Herring

Blake Ross’ “Ten Predictions For The New Year”

Do you want to know what is going to happen in the tech world this year? Then you may want to check out this hilarious article by Blake Ross, the creator of Mozilla Firefox. Who knows, maybe his predictions will come true!

Firefox Extensions

Happy New Year!

——

In the past few months there have been quite a few articles surfacing about the most popular Firefox Extensions, and although I don’t wish to add to the list, there are some I think are worth mentioning.

The “8 Cool Firefox Plugins You Never Knew Existed” article is an interesting read because it brings up some little-known extensions which are very useful. My favourite from that list is Aardvark, which - once activated - notifies you graphically of the different elements of a webpage - a big help when you’re designing your own.

There are also a series of articles on Firefox Extensions at NewsForge, which describe quite a few in detail. Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4.

The ones in the above articles are very good, but here is my small list of favourites (which by all means are not the best):

• Aardvark
• AdBlock
• FlashGot
• Google Pagerank Status
• Mouse Gestures
• PDF Download
• Performancing

Top 10 Christmas Songs

Here’s my top 10 list of Christmas songs! (Not including carols)

10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas — Coldplay
9. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer — Disney
8. Baby It’s Cold Outside — Leon Redbone & Zooey Deschanel
7. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town — Frank Sinatra
6. I’m Dreaming Of A White Christmas — Elvis Presley & Bing Crosby
5. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! — Dean Martin
4. Blue Christmas — Elvis Presley
3. Last Christmas — Wham!
2. Wonderful Christmastime — Paul McCartney
1. Happy Christmas (War Is Over) — John Lennon

I’m not saying the list’s perfect - please tell me if you think #10 is rubbish, or if there’s a song that should definitely replace John Lennon as #1!

Why Curiosity Killed The Cat

A blogger (the admin) on Lobby 4 Linux who goes by the name of “helios” recently wrote an article in which he described sending his friend’s computer to its death - because he would not stop criticising Linux. All he did in order to expose Windows’ fragility was to send his friend a link to a website, and once his friend was on the link, it was asta la vista to him! The website is burdened with viruses, worms, and other malware, and while visiting this website from Firefox on Linux won’t harm you, with Internet Explorer on Windows it will.

Funnily enough, helios posted the link to the website in case anybody wanted to examine it safely, and he could not have made a bigger mistake. Many people who are used to the Microsoft way of just “clicking on a link and everything will be taken care of for them” have curiously followed the link up, even though the author specifically stated that it was an extremely risky thing to do - needless to say that their Windows installations were destroyed by the malware, and they blamed helios for it.

This is why I am not going to post the link here, but you may wish to read his follow up article on it. Remember, only visit the site if you’re running an Operating System other than Windows, because it contains so much malware that it is likely to break through your defences.

Someone’s Talked Some Sense Into Me

I’ve heard quite a lot about Google AdSense, and it’s Christmas (which means that - ouch! - my pocket’s empty!), so I’ve decided to sign up. I’ve chosen the Firefox promotion image (I love Firefox) and relevant text-only ads, so that you won’t be distracted by a random advertisement about saving the Andalucian Donkeys.

Well, if you’re feeling tired, bored, happy, delighted, emotional, hungover, depressed, romantic, geeky, technological, envious, drunk, frustrated, worried, proud, mad, lonely, stressed, sick, horny or even intrigued, give one of those beauties on the sidebar a click! Who knows what fantasies they may hold inside…

There’s No Coffee Left

and the bags beneath my eyes are beginning to darken as the clock approaches 4.30am. So, what can I use instead to keep me awake during the remaining 30 minutes which are required to complete my task? The answer is simple: watching Bill Gates being smacked on the face by an inbound pie!

Watch the video!