Domain Registration Experience
Ok, I think most tech guys people have a handful of domains registered. Ya never know when you might actually get the time to use one right? Well I’ve registered quite a few over the years, unfortunately not all in the same place, and not all updated before their expiration 
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Ok, new mac so time for a clean custom install See my php and ruby writeups on previous Mac talks.
First let me start by saying that these instructions are how I setup a mac from scratch and you might not necessarily follow the same steps, though I think you should. If you are interested in repartitioning your drive, read on, if not, skip to step 1.
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Mac: Using Apache & PHP already built into Leopard
Having used Leopard’s built in Ruby on Rails, I heard that the Apple guys also bundled Apache with PHP5. Here’s a quickstart on setting up and using them:
:update, where u see vi, you can replace with pico (a more friendly editor) if you don’t know vi, most commands in pick start with holding the control button.
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The day has come… so long Ruby, welcome back PHP
Man, where do I start. Well I’ve come to the realization that many others have and that is that Ruby just doesn’t scale as easily as other available languages nor does it have the polished feel of something like Java or C. Sure, it is much faster to develop with, when you’re not debugging that is. For someone that wants a fast, out of the box framework well wired to object oriented database hooks and MVC it is the way to go, though doing really custom things can be fairly obscure. Over the last few days I’ve been using RMagick lots and it’s been quite frustrating to have things hang where I should be getting error messages.
Long story short, I continue Ruby with my work on AIM Photos at AOL, however my personal stuff I’m moving to PHP with an equivalent rails framework. Two likely candidates are trax and symfony.
During my evaluations I read a great quote by another developer switching back to PHP, he said, “PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES ARE LIKE GIRLFRIENDS: THE NEW ONE IS BETTER BECAUSE *YOU* ARE BETTER.” How true are both of those statements. The basic point is that you learn so much from the past relationship that you come better prepared for the next one.
If Java was more supported by shared hosts, I’d jump back on the Struts boat, though for my personal work, PHP should do fine. Now I need to switch from Netbeans back to Eclipse, and dreamhost back to 1and1, oh joy Similar to a new GF, who brings her own baggage and family, you need to accept and try for a successful integration.
Single Interface to Multiple Systems
This article is for those people who want to share input/output from the keyboard/mouse/monitor(s) among multiple systems.
There are two new tools I recently uncovered which I find quite useful. The first is full remote desktop sharing software. The second is input sharing, specifically using the keyboard/mouse among multiple computers with separate displays.
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Ruby on Rails with RMagick, a breeze to install on Leopard
Ok, so I started my Rails work with Tiger and painfully used rails to get RoR setup with RMagick.
I did the same thing on Leopard, and it also ended up being a pain. However, after some expiremention I’ve decided to roll with the preinstalled RoR that comes with Leopard rather then installing everything with ports. I’ve also got the RMagic install down to only four steps:)
Assumptions: you are running Leopard, you have already installed xCode, and you have Mac Ports.
- sudo port install tiff -macosx
- sudo port install ImageMagick
- sudo ln -s /opt/local/lib/libMagick++.dylib /opt/local/lib/libmagick.dylib
- sudo gem install rmagick
DONE
Ok, any developer will tell you, IE6 can be a real hassle to develop for. Now I’ve certainly made my share of concessions, so another IE6 work around is nothing new. Having gotten used to more standards based browsers, I constantly think, why is IE so freaking popular! But alias, it is, so I have to support it.
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Unified Calling & Possible Free Incoming Calls :)
Ok, I want to share a service I’ve been using for a while after my VOIP service (Sunrocket) shutdown. Actually there are two services which can be used separately of if combined are great. You can get free incoming phone service to your house land line.
The first is from GrandCentral, a company aquired by Google. GrandCentral allows users to pick a local number, then add all their contact numbers to that account. You can add your mobile, house, office, etc. When someone calls your the GrandCentral number you have selected, all your phones will ring. It also handles voicemail, and you get a log of all your calls. In addition you can listen to your voicemails online, as well as record calls. It is a great service, check it out.
The next service you should check out is GizmoProject. I think it was named after the Gizmo VOIP hardware that came with Sunrocket Service. The Gizmo Project, GP for short, allows you to make voip calls from your computer. I know, I know, there are other VOIP services out there like Skype. True, but with GP, not only do you get an actual phone number and can receive unlimited calls from landlines, but you can also use your Gizmo device to make/recieve calls from your house phone itself.
While out in Latin America, I noticed that the photo gallery, while awesome ;), didn’t give users an indication of when pictures were loading. I never noticed this here since my connection is quite fast and the pictures loading quickly. However in Colombia, the pictures would sometimes takes seconds to load.
So, last night I made an update to the gallery. When pictures are loading, I now show an activity indicator. Also when galleries are in “play mode” (via the ENTER button), there is a running green indicator.
Try it out, I’ve tested mainly on my mac so if you’ve got a windows PC, I’d luv to hear how it works for you. Also, any suggestions would be appreciated.
Ok, I don’t remember the last time I’ve actually bought non-rechargeable batteries. The capacities of rechargeable batteries these days is just about the same as the single use alkalines, not to mention sparing more landfill waste.
The other night I read about a black friday deal that Costco had on rechargeable batteries. I’ve got a ton of rechargeable batteries already, but this was a newer type. Sanyo calls them Eneloop. Still NiMH (the current type that replaced NiCa), but these apparently hold charge far better then the others. According to them, they lose only 15% after a year vs a normal NiHM battery losing most of it’s charge in 6 months. Here’s a great article on these Eneloop batteries.
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Guide to a Clean Windows XP Install (draft)
Ok, so, although I’ve migrated to a Mac, I still have a windows pc which, if you read my last post, you’ll know I still use for a few games:) Since I was installing windows on a new machine, i decided to document the install so others might follow similar steps for a clean/fast install of their own. Bear in mind, these are the settings that work best for me, feel free to skip any of the steps and certainly leave me some comments:)
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Ok, if you’ve read my last post, you know I’ve been working on upgrading this little dell I got on ebay for peanuts. I’ve worked through most issues, but one. The crappy integrated video. This is important, the ONLY reason I’d run windows, is for it’s gaming. Sadly linux and osx (my preferred platforms) have little true gaming support. Not that I play games much anymore, but there are 3 in particular that i’ve had my eye on, starcraft2, Unreal Tournament3, Crysis. None are out yet, but demos of the last two are. And of course, they didn’t have a prayer of running with the integrated video.
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Time for a Digression, the Geeky Kind :P
Ok, so the DIY/tweeker side of me strikes again 
I got a dell super cheap on ebay and decided to hook it up a bit. The two qualities I looked for most were power consumption and size. Luckily I found a tiny one with speedstep. It’s small enough to fit on my desk and thanks to the speedstep, the cooling fans aren’t loud at all. Only problem, well there are three, no make that four:) No burner, only 512megs of ram, the video is integrated and only allows 1 or 8meg allocation (could hardly believe that one), and last, the hard drive is only 80gigs. There is one other negative, it’s a dell. Being a former custom PC builder, I turn my nose up at them, though, money talks and for the price I paid, i could hardly buy windows and a case.
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