tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242237432024-03-13T16:05:26.130-04:00Cranial SoupPeas, carrots, green beans, and gray matter.Apphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973805741360160102noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24223743.post-26717937140866068212010-07-28T18:14:00.002-04:002010-08-26T08:27:34.900-04:00CaSe Matters<p><img style="margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline" title="abc" alt="abc" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_qlCAUZtia6Q/TFCr20HoErI/AAAAAAAABEk/GzsEXyn3xuk/abc%5B9%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="125" height="125" /> Budding young web designers and developers usually learn this pretty quick, when creating a page on Windows and not using the same case as the files and folders they are linking to. They often will use lowercase in all the URLs, regardless of the case of the actual file and folder names. And this will work fine when viewed on their Windows machine. But as soon as they upload it to a server that is running something else, like Linux, it stops working. Their page is full of broken images and dead links, because they used something like <b>mypicture.jpg</b> in place of the actual file name of <b>MyPicture.jpg</b> and <b>about.html</b> in place of the actual file name of <b>About.html</b>.</p><p>Or they upload an <strong>Index.html</strong> and wonder why when they visit their site they still see the default <strong>index.html</strong> page provided by their web host and why when they check on the server there are now two index files and not one.</p><p>For the domain name part of the URL it doesn't matter. That part is not case sensitive.</p><h4 align="center"><b>example.com</b> is the same as <b>Example.com</b> is the same as <b>EXAMPLE.com</b></h4><p>For the rest of the URL it could matter, depending on what operating system is being run on the server that is hosting the site.</p><p> </p><p><img style="margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; display: inline" title="windows-logo_c" alt="windows-logo_c" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_qlCAUZtia6Q/TFCr3Sdw73I/AAAAAAAABEo/uxqLfjQ5f1c/windows-logo_c%5B9%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="32" height="31" /> If the server is running <b>Windows</b>, case doesn't matter. The reason for this is because you can only have a single file or folder of a particular name in a folder, regardless of the case used in that file or folder name.</p><h4 align="center"><b>index.html</b> is the same as <b>Index.html</b> is the same as <b>INDEX.html</b></h4><p>All three will lead to the same page.</p><p>In Windows, adding a file or folder of the same name with a different case to a folder, <i>overwrites</i> the original. Only one can exist.</p><p> </p><p><img style="margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; display: inline" title="linux-penguin-full1_2" alt="linux-penguin-full1_2" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_qlCAUZtia6Q/TFCr3zffy0I/AAAAAAAABEs/pwi8knY5Zq0/linux-penguin-full1_2%5B11%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="30" height="30" />If the server is running <b>Linux</b>, case matters, as you can have multiple files and folders of the same name within a folder, each having a different case.</p><h4 align="center"><b>index.html</b> is not the same as <b>Index.html</b> and not the same as <b>INDEX.html</b></h4><p>In Linux adding a file or folder of the same name with a different case to a folder, <i>does not</i> overwrite the original. Linux will allow all three to exist in a folder, and each are considered different. If you change the case of a file or folder in the URL path and the server is running Linux, and that variation does not actually exist on the server, it will result in a <a title="Wikipedia: HTTP 404" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_404" target="_blank">404</a>.</p><p>And if you upload a file of the same name but a different case, it will not overwrite the original. You will have both on the server, and lowercase is the default index file. This is the reason why the place holder <strong>index.html</strong> supplied by your web host is still seen, even though you have uploaded your <strong>Index.html</strong> file, and why you see two index files when you view it in your FTP client.</p><p> </p><p>It is always best to assume the server runs Linux when creating links to pages on the web and when typing URLs into the addressbar of your browser. It is the only way to ensure that if case matters, that you are using the correct URL.</p><p>It is also best to use all lowercase in the folder and file names of your website when creating the files and folders, regardless of what operating system you are using locally. Always assume the site will be run on a server that is case sensitive. That way there is a set standard of practice you follow that leaves less room for error. </p><p>Step 1, before you begin coding, should always be to fix all your file and folder names so you won't have to worry about it later.</p><!--22f8a5fa64cd4b4aae91aa92d7fc4e2a-->Apphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973805741360160102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24223743.post-87571890880146222072009-03-16T23:10:00.001-04:002009-03-16T23:10:21.572-04:007 Reasons Not to Direct Link to a Developer's Download Files<p><img style="margin: 0px 10px 30px 0px" height="169" alt="downloads" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_qlCAUZtia6Q/Sb8UnKwWemI/AAAAAAAAAsk/36AprmLCk78/downloads%5B27%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="240" align="left" /> As a developer, I can't help but be more than a little bit bothered by the fact that some bloggers chose to direct link to application download files (.zip, .exe, etc) in some of the articles they write, rather than the page on the developer's site, in which the download links can be found.</p> <p>If this is how you do things when you write articles & reviews, then I'd like to inform you that this isn't a very nice thing to do, for the following reasons: </p> <ol> <li>You are depriving the developers of the full credit they deserve for the work they have done. If the application is worth writing about, it's also worth giving the developer full proper credit. </li> <li>Some freeware authors have Paypal donate buttons on their sites, and your readers will never see them, therefore never click them. This deprives some developers of their only income and maybe their only incentive to keep making freeware/donationware. </li> <li>Some freeware authors have advertising on their sites, and additional page impressions or clicks generated from the traffic you send them means an income for them, and your direct linking to the files prevents that from happening. This is how some software can remain free, rather than the author resorting to making it payware (or even worse, adware). If you would like things to stay free and clean, you have to do your part to help the developers keep it that way. </li> <li>A blog linking to a page on a small developer's site can mean a big boost in Page Rank, making their software easier to find through search engines. This helps the people searching for the perfect tool to do the job they need, as well as the software developer that created it. </li> <li>You are depriving and cheating your readers of the chance to browse around the developer's site, and perhaps the opportunity to discover more useful software they might be interested in. And in the case of the applications that come from sites like <a href="http://donationcoder.com/" target="_blank">donationcoder.com</a>, you are preventing them from discovering a wonderful software enthusiasts community that they really would enjoy, and can even request custom made freeware, made to their specifications. </li> <li>In some cases, you may also be making it more difficult for your readers to find the info necessary to submit bug reports and get support, not to mention application updates and upgrades. </li> <li>You may also be depriving your readers of important information related to installing or using the application, that they may need to know. </li> </ol> <p>So, could you please be a really nice person to us poor freeware/donationware developers, and your readers, and fix your links to point to the pages and not the file downloads? And in the future, always link to the pages, instead. </p> <p>Your readers and the software developers would really appreciate this.</p> <p>Thank You.</p> Apphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973805741360160102noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24223743.post-3593587560316613982008-07-17T13:10:00.005-04:002008-12-11T02:24:11.602-05:00Procrastinators: Beware of magical mops<img style="margin: 25px 10px 5px 0pt; float: left;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qlCAUZtia6Q/SH-F2nN53uI/AAAAAAAAAXI/mksQ_byyq2Y/s400/magical+mop.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224041266059796194" border="0" /><br />Some of what makes anti-procrastination tools work, is their novelty. Once that novelty wears off, you are right back where you started, procrastinating again.<br /><br />A hypothetical example:<br /><br />Let's say I hate mopping my floor and I always procrastinate about doing it. Then I see an ad on TV for a wonder mop, with a handle that twinkles when you push it. You stop pushing, it stops twinkling. You push it faster, it twinkles more. And even more amazing, is that it also sings! I order this mop, because it seems like it could make mopping fun.<br /><br />So the mop arrives, and I can't wait to get it out of it's packaging and try it. I fill my bucket with soapy water and begin mopping. The singing & twinkling is pretty cool, and before I know it, the whole floor is clean. Great! Wonderful! Terriffic! It's working. I didn't procrastinate and I got the job done.<br /><br />I like this mop so much, I am having no problem mopping my floor and keeping it clean. I am not even procrastinating about it any more. This is the best mop ever! It's like magic!<br /><br />But a few months later, after the novelty of the twinkling & singing mop begins to wear off, I find myself beginning to procrastinate about mopping the floor again. What happened? This was supposed to be the best mop ever. What went wrong?<br /><br />Nothing went wrong. I just had an unrealistic expectation that some wonder tool was going to make me like doing a task I hate.<br /><br />The truth is that nothing can make me like mopping floors, not even a magical, singing, twinkling wonder mop.<br /><br />So if you try an anti-procrastination tool and it works for awhile, but then stops working...the problem isn't the tool. It's you and how you feel about the task...your real feelings.<br /><br />Instead of looking for a new tool to trick yourself into thinking that you like what you hate, work on the real problem: the task itself, how you feel about it, and why.<br /><br />If you can be honest with yourself, you can begin to look for a real solution instead of tricks. If you fix the root problem, you won't need a singing, twinkling mop to get things done.Apphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973805741360160102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24223743.post-37599158472633653982008-07-15T01:57:00.006-04:002008-12-11T02:24:11.803-05:00Bloggers With Comment Forms That Suck a Chunk of Your Life Into a Black Hole<img style="margin: 20px 10px 0px 0pt; float: left;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qlCAUZtia6Q/SHxASAbNBBI/AAAAAAAAAXA/aq_1ucvUNr8/s400/black+hole.jpg" alt="Black Hole" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223120345938854930" border="0" /><br />Listen up, <a href="http://johnchow.com/">John Chow</a>, <a href="http://www.jackhumphrey.com/fridaytrafficreport/">Jack Humphrey</a>, <a href="http://blogaboutyourblog.com/">Matthew Henrickson</a>, <a href="http://andybeard.eu/">Andy Beard</a>, and the rest of you lazy and/or inept bloggers out there:<br /><br />I am tired of wasting my time on broken comment forms, screwball captchas, lazy moderation, and bad site design.<br /><br />Too many times in the past 2 weeks, I have tried to make comments on blogs that ended up sucked into cyberspace and never making it to its destination, which is the post in which I was commenting on.<br /><br />On three blogs, after taking the time to formulate an informative, relevant, quality comment (one of them was at least an hour of work), it was just sucked away after clicking the submit button, with no indication that it made it to where it was supposed to go, or it being held for moderation, or anything else. Will I ever grace those blogs with another comment again? No!<br /><br />On another blog, after almost the same amount of work and hitting the submit button, I was informed that commenting on that post was closed. Why was there a comment form then? And why was there no visible indication that commenting was closed that I could see,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> before</span> I wasted my time putting together a comment? Will I ever grace that blog with another comment? No!<br /><br />On another blog, after I took the time to make a comment thanking the blogger for his post and tell him how useful it was to me and why, and how I was going to send him some traffic because it was that damn good, his captcha informs me that I must have flunked math in school because 4+3 does <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> equal 7. Don't insult me like that. I try to compliment you and thank you, and this is the thanks I get? A screwball captcha that calls me an idiot? Will I ever comment on your blog again? No!<br /><br />On another two blogs, my comment was being held for moderation. Now I can understand the need to do that in order to keep spammers at bay, but don't you think you should check your queue to see if any comments were made, at least once a week, if not more often? Maybe even check it when you are making a new post, at least. Will I be commenting on those blogs again? No!<br /><br />I am tired of wasting chunks of my life trying to comment unsucessfully on your blogs.<br /><br />So to all you bloggers out there, please check to make sure your comment forms and captchas <span style="font-weight: bold;">work</span>, when commenting is closed that it is visibly closed to your visitors <span style="font-weight: bold;">before</span> they waste their time (remove the form if possible), if comments are being held for moderation that <span style="font-weight: bold;">commentors are told this</span>, and process your comment moderation queues <span style="font-weight: bold;">on a regular basis</span>!<br /><br />And if you have no clue what you are doing or how to fix things, <span style="font-weight: bold;">ask someone to help you</span>!Apphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973805741360160102noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24223743.post-14087076184687125202008-05-13T02:30:00.004-04:002008-12-11T02:24:16.603-05:00Creative Commons and Author's True Intentions Creates Copy ConfusionYou see it every day on blogs all over the web: content posted with a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/">Creative Commons</a> license.<br /><br />The Creative Commons license, for his own original works, is the choice of the author. He is not forced to do this (unless it's a derivative work based on another Creative Commons work, or he is publishing someone else's CC licensed work). He does it willingly. He makes the conscious decision to make his work copyable under certain restrictions, whether they be giving him credit, not making derivative works, derivative works allowed, restrictions on commercial use, no restrictions on commercial use, etc.<br /><br />But he is giving you the right to copy it, nonetheless.<br /><br />I spotted this one at the bottom of the page on a blog today:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wypov.com/" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qlCAUZtia6Q/SCk3rA7pNWI/AAAAAAAAAUU/59q1UostURI/s400/SNAG-00028.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199748456900015458" border="0" /></a><br /><br />According to the Creative Commons <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/uk/">license for that site</a>, in which the author links to, I <span style="font-weight: bold;">CAN</span> copy his content. According to the little <a href="http://www.copyscape.com/">Copyscape</a> banner above it, I may not.<br /><br />So which is it? Can I or can't I?<br /><br />I wish authors would think about it seriously and make up their minds before they put the banners on their sites. They can't have it both ways. They can't say out of one side of their mouths you can copy their work, and out of the other that you can't. They are conflicting statements and ideas.<br /><br />If you don't want to give people the legal right to copy your work, don't release it under <span style="font-style: italic;">any</span> type of Creative Commons license. Retain full copyright and priviledges for yourself. And get the Creative Commons badges off your site!Apphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973805741360160102noreply@blogger.com3