Twenty Plus

Making the Switch from Java to PHP

2005-10-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

This article talks about why PHP 5 works for Java developers. "Making use of the advancements made to PHP in version 5, web application architects can implement structure to their code in the form of tested design patterns and full-featured frameworks."

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Unix for advanced users

2005-10-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

If you are an advanced user of Unix and need help while programming, visit this link. It has been done by academicians.

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The correct way to submit your site to Google, Yahoo, Alta vista, etc.

2005-10-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

A nice article about how to properly get your site listed on search engines.

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Replacements for Adobe and Macromedia programs...

2005-10-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a nice compilation of applications that can almost replace most Adobe and Macromedia applications including Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, InDesign and many more. Most of these are geared for linux but most of them are on all platforms. Hope this helps.

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GIMPshop 2.2.8 for Windows

2005-10-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

For those who don’t already know, the Gimp is a powerful, open source image editing application. GIMPshop is essentially the same program with some cosmetic changes with the purpose to make the Gimp accessible to the many Adobe Photoshop users out there.

read more or get the Windows installer(7.5 MB)

HOW-TO: Removing Blogspot Nav Bar

2005-10-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

Wanna get rid off the ugly Blogger navigation bar hanging on top of your blogspot? Insert the following code in the style section of your template and say "Goodbye, ugly nav bar!"

#b-navbar {
height:0px;
visibility:hidden;
display:none
}

A Comparison of Solaris, Linux, and FreeBSD Kernels

2005-10-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

One of the more interesting aspects of the three OSes is the amount of similarities between them. Once you get past the different naming conventions, each OS takes fairly similar paths toward implementing the different concepts. Each OS supports time-shared scheduling of threads, demand paging with a not-recently-used page replacement algorithm, and a virtual file system layer to allow the implementation of different file system architectures. Ideas that originate in one OS often find their way into others.

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Hotmail, Yahoo, Lycos, etc. on Mozilla Thunderbird

2005-10-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

"Thunderbird gives you a faster, safer, and more productive email experience. Also, we have designed Thunderbird to prevent viruses and to stop junk mail so you can get back to reading your mail." -- Mozilla.org

So what, if you're happy with the "traditional way" of retrieving your emails, right? But wait... how do you manage and keep track of your 5+ accounts from various service providers? If you're smart enough to memorize all the ID/passwords and enjoy logging into different HTML interface accounts multiple times a day, don't bother reading this. But if you're someone like me who would rather use a single mail client to track all emails and do something else in the spare time, consider this... Thunderbird!

Of course there are 100+ mail clients that gives you POP support, a built-in RSS reader, support for HTML mail, powerful quick search, saved search folders, advanced message filtering, message grouping, labels, return receipts, smart address book LDAP address completion, import tools, and the ability to manage multiple e-mail and newsgroup accounts. But what about your Hotmail, Yahoo, Lycos, etc. "web-restricted" mails?

Controller Apps? Well, you can spend hours searching for a "working" pop control application on the web and scratch your head while figuring out how to properly configure/setup the application (memory consumption, open/close certain ports, etc.) to work with your Outlook, Evolution, etc. mail client. OR you can simply download platform free (yes, they work on Windows, Linux, and Macs) webmail extensions that goes along with Thunderbird mail client and rest.

So why use the extensions? First of all, you don't have to run the application and the mail client at the same time (and wish they sync) with these extensions. Just run your Thunderbird client, period. Secondly, web mail extension uses a single port to retrieve emails from all of your Hotmail, Yahoo, Lycos, Mail.com, etc. accounts. (Honestly, I just feel more secure with these extensions than some "free downloadable" app from the web) Finally, it is an open source project with support from hundreds and thousands of users like you.

For screenshots, setup, and download... click here.

Ubuntu Breezy Badger - Multimedia Setup for Dummies

2005-10-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, so you've heard all the buzz about Ubuntu Breezy Badger and either want to give it a try for the first time or want to upgrade... but then after installing, you get stuck configuring multimedia(audio/video) for hours and start to loose patience.... No, uh-huh~ Don't glimpse back at your Windows CD or old release, try the following easy steps (written by a dummy like myself so it's easy and most importantly, IT WORKS!):

Open a terminal (Applications>Accessories>Terminal)
Add extra repositories by editing the source list

sudo cp /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list_backup (create a backup)
sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list (edit the source list)

Uncomment the lines to add software from the 'universe' repository

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy universe
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy universe

Uncomment the lines to add software from the 'backports' repository

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-backports main restricted universe multiverse

Save and close
Update Ubuntu repositories

sudo apt-get update

Get(download) and install various codecs from repositories

sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.8-plugins
sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.8-lame
sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.8-ffmpeg
sudo apt-get install libdivx4linux
sudo apt-get install lame
sudo apt-get install sox
sudo apt-get install ffmpeg
sudo apt-get install mjpegtools
sudo apt-get install vorbis-tools

then download and install w32 codec from here

sudo dpkg -i w32codecs_20050412-0unofficialubuntu2_i386.deb

Or download 'essential codecs' from www.mplayerhq.hu
REGISTER codecs

gst-register-0.8

Get and install xine

sudo apt-get install xine-ui

Associate xine-ui to play multimedia files

gconftool-2 --type string --set /Desktop/gnome/volume_manager/autoplay_dvd_command "xine dvd://"
sudo rm -f /usr/share/applnk/Multimedia/xine.Desktop
sudo ln -fs /usr/share/xine/Desktop/xine.Desktop /usr/share/applications/
sudo cp /usr/share/applications/defaults.list /usr/share/applications/defaults.list_backup
sudo sed -e 's/totem.Desktop/xine.Desktop/g' /usr/share/applications/defaults.list_backup > /tmp/defaults.list
sudo mv /tmp/defaults.list /usr/share/applications/defaults.list

Refresh the panel

killall gnome-panel

Refresh the desktop

killall nautilus

Play your multimedia files with xine and enjoy!

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/
http://ubuntuguide.org/

Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy Badger

2005-10-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

Ubuntu Linux is a complete desktop Linux operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. The Ubuntu community is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Manifesto: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customise and alter their software in whatever way they see fit. "Ubuntu" is an ancient African word, meaning "humanity to others". The Ubuntu Linux distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the software world.

The Ubuntu 5.10 release, also known as Breezy Badger is an excellent distribution that is well worth a look for any user interested in a Linux distro for the desktop or server.

The standard Ubuntu desktop for Breezy is GNOME 2.12. (If you prefer KDE, you can try the Kubuntu distro, about which more in a moment.) The changes between Breezy and the previous Ubuntu release are fairly subtle, and some of the changes are related to changes in GNOME rather than changes made directly by Ubuntu.

The default set of applications includes Firefox, Evolution, OpenOffice 2, Gaim, a BitTorrent client, Gnomemeeting, the GIMP, and a number of other productivity and entertainment applications for desktop use. The default package selections provide a good starter desktop, and if you are looking for more applications, the Ubuntu package repository has thousands of popular applications (and not-so-popular applications, as well).

If you're already using Ubuntu, the new release is worth the upgrade. If you haven't tried Ubuntu yet, the Breezy release would be a good time to check in and see what all the fuss is about. It's one of the easiest Linux distros to install, and should serve newbies and Linux gurus well.

Official Ubuntu Site - www.ubuntulinux.org
Ubuntu Forums - www.ubuntuforums.org

How to make Azureus BitTorent Client completely anonymous

2005-10-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

The RIAA will never find you... This article differs from the previous submission about anonymous bittorrent in that it is specifically a tutorial for Azureus.

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Watch NOVA programs online for free !

2005-10-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is great. The Einstein piece on E=mc^2 isn't online yet, but for now you can watch "Elegant Universe", "Cracking the Code of Life", "Life's Greatest Miracle", "MARS - Dead or Alive?", among many others. . .

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Over 16,000 eBooks for you to have for FREE

2005-10-12T13:56:00.001-07:00

Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks. I got Bram Stoker's Dracula off of here and am about 2/3 of the way through it now :) Site is sweetness.

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CSS Opacity in Mozilla and IE

2005-10-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

An extensive how-to guide on achieving opacity through CSS3.

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How to: Run Your Blog with Your Own Domain Name

2005-10-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

How to get a domain name with my own name?

Believe it or not, you can get a unique top level Internet name at whatever.com. Anything you can think of is yours before it is taken others.

Once registered under your name, it can qualify as a trademark when it is used in connection with a website that offers services to the public. This includes all sites conducting e-commerce and sites such as Yahoo.com that provide Web-related services.

Choosing a Domain Name

The best domain names are often the simple ones -- short, memorable, clever, and easy to spell and pronounce. Nevertheless, you must weigh the sometimes competing concerns of a Web-friendly name with the importance of obtaining trademark protection for the name you choose.

Finding a Name That Hasn't Been Taken

Your toughest task when picking a domain name is likely to be finding a name that's available; millions of names have been snapped up already. The best way to find out whether your business name is available as a domain name is to use the search engine at www.networksolutions.com or through whatever domain registry company that offers this service for free.

Webhosting

Domain name itself is only a record at the central domain registration administration. It will point your visitors to your website. Having a domain name is just to get a car plate. You have to buy your car seperately. For the website, you need to find the website hosting service. They provide the real machines, hard disks, the Interenet connections to you.

When deciding which host service provider to choose, pay close attention to the running uptime, services, fees.

Blogging software

The are several choices in blog software. Typepad is one of the easiest way to create a professional blog. Its a service, so its easy to get set up and going. If you are technically inclined and have own hosting, try Movable Type. Also, you can sign up for an account at Blogger for free.

Now what?

A good way to get started is by referencing and quoting material from other blogs and Web sites you read and then commenting on them as you see fit. Eventually you will start to mix in longer stories that express a thought that you want to develop.

The way to get people to read your blog is to link to their blog and say interesting things. People notice when you link to their blogs and will follow the link back and read what you have to say. If its interesting enough they might link to you, comment on what you say and, in so doing, drive traffic to you. Read your own blog and follow the links (at first) to prime the pump.