2007 June » foyleman

webserver install notes

Jun 292007

I’m installing linux again. Read the previous post if you wondering why. But, besides the reasons, I needed to take some notes on installation and what better place then to make these notes public for later reference. Yeah… that’s all that I have going on in this post so if you don’t care… then move along… nothing to see here.

First, to get the webserver up and running properly, I like to follow some of the instruction found at Staton-Finley. Good stuff and if you know what you’re doing, this makes good reference for lines in the httpd.conf.

Maybe more later. I am getting frustrated.

Share|

software days

General 2 Responses »

Jun 282007

I added a new link to my list of software in the side column. Foxit Reader is a replacement for Adobe Reader (which is bloated, takes up too many system resources and is a general pain to deal with). Uninstall Adobe PDF Reader and enjoy the freedom.

Let me stick with the subject of software for this post.

I ran into some issues with conflicting add-ons for Mozilla Thunderbird yesterday. Lightning, a calendar add-on, told me it needed to update itself. This resulted in a series of crashes not to mention an immediate panic about the possibility of all my lost emails.

Turns out that a second add-on was conflicting. BirdieSync allows me to sync my smartphone with Thunderbird‘s contact list and Lightning’s calendar of events. This update didn’t work well with BirdieSync.

I posted a bug report with Lightning and the developers over there were highly responsive and helpful. Not much later I found out that BirdieSync released an update today to fix the issue. Two great programs and two great group of developers. They deserve the praise.

For this weekend, I’d like to install Linux on my security computer. This is a computer I have setup to record video of any activity outside of my house. I have Windows XP on it now along with a ~~crappy~~ not so good program called ActiveCam. It takes snapshots and video of my home, but it doesn’t email them to me like they should. Come on.. what good is it then. I contacted the developers and they ask me a question about my setup. A month later the same thing. Another month later, the same thing. No hope for resolve.

So, instead of that program, I thought I’d try Zoneminder with Linux. It’s free and looks like a winner. Did I mention free?

Share|

it’s starting to feel a lot like programming. oh and a phone insert too

General 3 Responses »

Jun 182007

I decided to work on upgrading the MODSonline.com website this past weekend. I have a lot of new code for the back-end and I thought I could throw it in for a quick upgrade. uhm yeah. quick. right. If you know me at all, then you know how capable I am of taking a small project and turning it into a big job. Not because I don’t know what I’m doing. But because nothing is worth doing unless you ~~over do it~~ do it right.

So I started by comparing the databases and looking at some of the custom things added to MODSonline. 4 hours later I am still there updating the new code to make it even better. I just can’t help myself. lol.

I hope to be able to roll out the new site next weekend. Although, something else could end up popping up along the way and I end up building an entirely new CMS. Why not? I’ve already created about 4 of them. lol. The result, however, ~~should~~ will be a smoother, faster running site. yee-haa.

Also this past weekend, I went over to the local Verizon store and looked at some the ~~same old~~ new phones they have in stock. I thought I could catch a whiff of something I had to have, being a gadget freak and all. They really didn’t have anything that tickled my fancy, but my wife found something she liked. She found the EnV, which allows you to play games like Sonic and Call of Duty 3 (yeah, for a phone). It was pretty cool, but not for my liking.

What do I want in a phone?

Something for work and play.
>= 400Mhz processor
evdo, wi-fi, bluetooth
pda functionality
touch screen
email
bigger screen than most
gps? (I’d like it, but don’t need it)

You get the picture. hehe. I think the closest that Verizon can offer me is a phone that Sprint just released and Verizon should eventually be releasing. It’s the xv6800, but I’d like to play with it first.

Share|

Work hard. Hard work.

General 6 Responses »

Jun 092007

You may have heard me complaining about having to dig up my front yard. I have a grouping of tree stumps in the front that I need to dig up. They are not easy to dig. I’ve been digging for 4 days now. I think it would be easier if the heat wasn’t up to nearly 90 degrees. lol.

I think I can get it done in 2 more days. It all depends on the heat and what other problems come up in the meantime.

On that subject, I realized I forgot to send out my newsletters yesterday (Friday). I was probably thinking about the stump digging. Anyway, I’m writing up the newsletter when I come across missing text. It seems that the newsletter isn’t picking up my RSS feeds anymore.

After some digging… I don’t know what the heck is going on. Was there a server update that screwed this thing over. This newsletter project has turned out to be quite the bear. Every time I think it’s working great, something else comes up. It’s going to turn out to be something simple in the end… I just wish it would reveal itself already.

Share|