How to query MySQL from PHP correctly

2007-03-22T01:28:00.000-07:00

A new way to learn HTML : IE7 errors

2007-03-19T23:57:00.000-07:00

Geek language is very common in error messages because using it we can understand the source of the errors better. But I think they exagerated in this case without any reason. How about using a simple description like this next time: "502 Bad Gateway: The server, while acting as a gateway or proxy, received an invalid response from the upstream server it accessed in attempting to fulfill the

Sitemaps - make Googlebot aware you have something for it

2007-03-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

"The Sitemap Protocol is a dialect of XML for summarizing Sitemap information that is relevant to web crawlers. For each URL, you can include crawl "hints" like the last modified date and approximate change frequency."There are many SEO techniques you can play with but this one has some important advantages:it's easy to implementshows results in a very short timeit's recommended and offered by

Worst ISP in the world

2007-03-11T04:18:00.000-07:00

Location: Romania, Cluj Npoca, AMNET "infrastructures". This can be unbelievable for some but this so called ISP existed as a company and had clients. Original images were posted by another ISP in the same city but they may remove them so here there are (click on the images for large size version):After their clients noticed the close connection between weather and their internet speed the

Why is DIGG loading faster lately?

2007-03-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

Well it seems they finally followed user advices and enabled gzip compression for the pages. If you are on a slow connection you will clearly see the benefit of this action. There is however a lot of room for improvements, see a detailed report in the image below (click to enlarge).And how the pages are loaded on a 2Mbit internet connection.and for Reddit...

How "Web 2.0" is your website?

2007-03-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

Today I found a nice way to test my websites and make them more "Web 2.0" compatible :). The original Web 2.0 sense was formulated by O'Relly in 2005 (see the image below). If you wonder if your website is Web 2.0 compatible or not, here are some of the questions you should ask yourself: Is it in public beta? Uses inline AJAX ? Appears to be Web 3.0 ? Attempts to be XHTML Strict ? Mentions Less

Hidden Tiger, Crouching Vista

2007-02-24T12:16:00.000-08:00

Apple has been positioning Tiger as a better Vista for some time. The YouTube video with Microsoft at CES describing Vista and a screenshot of Tiger actually demonstrating what he is describing is a classic example of that.

I wish you

2007-02-24T00:08:00.000-08:00

Nice AdSense cheque (not mine):"one hundred thirty-two thousand nine hundred ninety-four"and the biggest one I could find CAD 901,733 (about 775,490 USD)

Your internet connection speed

2007-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

speedtest.net - The guys from Ookla have put together the best way to test your internet connection speed. You can test against servers all over the world using a very nice and simple to use interface. The main results will be download speed, upload speed and ping time. This website is constantly improved and they add new features on a regular basis. Beside testing you can also see some

GPL Antivirus for Windows

2007-02-22T04:06:00.000-08:00

Moon Secure Antivirus aims to be the best Free Antivirus for Windows under GPL license. It offers multiple scan engines, Net shield, Firewall, On access, on Exec scanner and rootkits preventions plus features from Commercial Antivirus applications. The installer size is rather small (~11MB) and it installs without a reboot.Included there is a real-time monitor (RTM), plus an on-demand scanner

A big promise: Rapid Application Development for PHP

2007-02-22T03:29:00.000-08:00

CodeGear, the company responsible for continuing Borland's developer tools made an interesting announcement this week: Delphi for PHP ("a component-based rapid application development (RAD) IDE, and VCL for PHP, an open source visual component library"). Although the final product it's not yet available the promise they made - to deliver RAD productivity to PHP developers - sounds very good if

Two CSS videos

2007-02-22T02:48:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I recommended you some videos related to web design and development. Being more and more interested in this subject I decided to look further and I found the two amazing videos (below) related to CSS. The author - Douglas Bowman from Stopdesign - managed to make them both inspirational and informative at the same time and if you are interested in this subject you will not waste

Virtual PC 2007 final available

2007-02-20T14:08:00.000-08:00

Microsoft has made the full version of Virtual PC 2007 available for download from their web site. The program is available in both 32- and 64-bit versions, and is supported on all versions of Windows XP (except Home and Media Center Edition), Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista. The file is a 30MB download and requires a 400MHz or faster (1GHz recommended) processor and enough RAM to

Useful web design/development videos

2007-02-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I found a nice and very useful resource for anyone who has to do with web design or web development. The main content is a series of videos (offered for free by the author) centered around four main topics: CSS, JavaScript, PHP and MySQL. There are very easy to watch and practice lessons and if you are interested in this topics you will not waste your time. Here are the links and

The Developer Cheat Sheet Compilation

2007-02-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

Nice compilation of cheat sheets (original post)Command Line Windows NT/XP Command Line Reference BASH Command Line Reference DOS Commands Databases MySQL Cheat Sheet MySQL Reference List Oracle Cheat Sheet Oracle PL/SQL Cheat Sheet Oracle 9i Server Reference (PDF) Oracle 9i Command Reference PostgreSQL Cheat Sheet SQL Cheat Sheet SQL Server 2005 Commands Programming Ada Syntax Card (PDF) ASP/

Reddit programmers are "crazy"

2007-02-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

Who would display how many milliseconds passed since link was posted if not Reddit? :)

MySQL client startup options

2007-02-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

MySQL client comes with an large number of startup options, some of which are extremely useful in daily MySQL interaction.--compressThis option compresses the upstream and downstream data packets transferred between the client and server, assuming both ends of the connection support such compression. Use this option to improve performance when communication bandwidth is limited -- for example,

Blogger - bring the "beta" back

2007-02-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

This weblog is hosted on Blogger which is a Google service by the way. When I signed up for this there were three main reasons: it's a free service, it's easy to use, has all the features I needed and I thought that being provided by Google it is also reliable (or highly available). But lately I can see that my blog's uptime is going way below that of my old home server. Here are downtime

Using SQLite as a database backend for a lightweight server

2007-02-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

At home I use an rather old (antique some may say) computer (PII@350, 256RAM) as a web server and for testing purposes. All went fine until one of the pages hosted was hit by the "digg effect" and about 15 users wanted to see that page every second. The main problem was that I used MySQL to store some access logs and generate some real-time statistics. Physical memory was limited and Apache and

Recover passwords for any Windows user

2007-02-01T13:39:00.000-08:00

If you forgot your administrator password on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 you have two chances: a cumbersome recover process and use some third non-free party tools or use Ophcrack, a nice (open-source) password recovering tool. It comes even on a LiveCD if you totally lost access to your computer.Ophcrack is a Windows password cracker based on rainbow tables. It is a very efficient implementation

Convert Physical Machines to Virtual Machines – Free!

2007-01-30T12:11:00.000-08:00

"Use the intuitive wizard-driven interface of VMware Converter to convert your physical machines to virtual machines. VMware Converter quickly converts Microsoft Windows based physical machines and third party image formats to VMware virtual machines. It also converts virtual machines between VMware platforms. Automate and simplify physical to virtual machine conversions as well as conversions

How to find (fight) keyloggers

2007-01-29T11:15:00.000-08:00

If your computer is accessed by other people (or even if not) you may want to find if somebody tries to steal your private data. One of the most used ways to do this is by installing a keylogger, a software (or even worse hardware) that captures the user's keystrokes (and that means they can see your passwords, credit card data, private conversations, output e-mails...). Here are a few ways you

Every story has its glory

2007-01-28T02:36:00.000-08:00

Two days ago I started a small experiment in order to find out what is the "effect" of a front page story on both DIGG and Reddit. It turned out that many people dislike this kind of tests so the DIGG story was buried after about 13 diggs (and even so it received more then 400 diggs) and the Reddit one received a lot of negative comments and votes. But overall I got what I needed. I will use a

Extending The Windows Vista Grace Period to 120 Days

2007-01-27T23:29:00.000-08:00

Every Vista DVD includes the ability to install any edition of Vista without a product key. When you install without a product key, you get an automatic 30 day evaluation period.You can easily extend the 30-day Windows Vista grace period to 120 days. No hacks required. This is an official, supported operation directly from Microsoft. To extend the grace period another 30 days, simply start a

Romania becomes a world-wide leader in creation of software

2007-01-25T12:02:00.000-08:00

If you don't know what "Romania" means it's time for you to take a look. It's a small country in Southeastern Europe well known a few years ago for internet frauds (and I think that's the reason why even now you cannot signup for services like eBay, Google Checkout or PayPal from Romania) "Last year, a young Romanian was accused to have penetrated illegally in more than 150 computers of

Will your next operating system run online?

2007-01-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

The short answer is no. By definition an operating system (OS) is a computer program that manages the hardware and software resources of a computer. At the foundation of all system software, the OS performs basic tasks such as controlling and allocating memory, prioritizing system requests, controlling input and output devices, facilitating networking, and managing files. It also may provide a

DIGG vs Slashdot

2007-01-23T12:54:00.000-08:00

Slashdot was in better shape at that time...For Reddit effect you should look here.

Windows Vista RTM

2007-01-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

Coming soon :) digg it

Phantom Yahoo! Messenger display image

2007-01-23T05:50:00.000-08:00

When you select a display image in Yahoo! Messenger it will be resized to 16x16 pixels to fit the space in the list. However, when someone will start a chat your display image is resized to 96x96. We can exploit this behavior and make Messenger show a different icon in the list and in the chat window for the same person. I think it's a cool trick but don't use it when busy, your friends will buzz

The evolution of a web developer/designer

2007-01-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

After reading the 10 CSS Tips from a Professional CSS Front-End Architect (and the comments - important) I feel forced to rewrite the popular "The Evolution of a Programmer" joke for web developers/web designers. So, here it is (improvements are welcome - I'm not a web developer or designer):High School/Jr.Highhello.htmHello world!Compatibility- works in all browsers/text editors/you name it-

PostgreSQL vs MySQL benchmark

2007-01-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

Pushed by the latest news about MySQL stopping to provide Windows binaries and the split between a community edition and a enterprise server I started to look for other options. The first one is without doubt PostgreSQL. The first things you will hear about PostgreSQL is that it is technically superior to MySQL - and this is true - but way slower. There are few side by side benchmarks to be found

MySQL no longer providing Windows binaries for free

2007-01-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

MySQL AB have decided that Windows binaries will no longer be available for free from their web site. The source code will still be available for free download, but will have to be compiled before it is usable. If you take a look at the “community” edition download page you will notice that the latest source version is 5.0.33 and the latest compiled Windows binary is 5.0.27.I find this very

The most annoying CES video part

2007-01-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

I think you agree. This is when Bill Gates introduced Windows Home Server, the most interesting part of his presentation. Why? (this video was downloaded directly from Microsoft CES page)

HD-DVD vs DVD quality

2007-01-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

Click on the pictures to see full sizeMovie 1Movie 2Game 1

Linux that looks like Windows XP

2006-12-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a Linux project which tries to provide users an identical Windows XP look&feel. If you are interested you can take a look at the SourceForge project here. So, who's copying who now? And why?From the project site: "LXP is a desktop enviroment identical to Windows XP. LXP is a collection of different pieces of GNU software (icewm, xfe, idesk, etc) modified in order to look and feel identical

Where to look to find what's next

2006-12-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

Most mainstream projects you see today derived from research projects. All big companies have research labs and some of them will give you a preview for their upcoming projects. Here is what I think it's worth taking a look at:Google Labs homeGoogle TransitGoogle NotebookGoogle Related LinksGoogle Ride FinderGoogle SetsAdobe Labs homekulerSoundboothCairngormIBM Research homeAurora - Network

Hilarious Windows 2000 promo

2006-12-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if this was produced by Microsoft or not but it really is one of the most stupid commercial one would make for Windows 2000. Watch... Here is another one which will "surprise" you : Steve Ballmer "sells" Microsoft Windows 1.0 and the well known parody Developers Music Video. WTF?

Graphical user interface timeline (1985-2006)

2006-12-13T09:52:00.000-08:00

A graphical user interface (or GUI, often pronounced "gooey"), is a particular case of user interface for interacting with a computer which employs graphical images and widgets in addition to text to represent the information and actions available to the user. Usually the actions are performed through direct manipulation of the graphical elements. Here is a timeline to show you how GUI evolved in

Cool picture: Earth at night

2006-12-13T02:45:00.000-08:00

Click on the picture to see it full-size.

Create a CD/DVD with all Windows updates

2006-12-12T23:03:00.000-08:00

I know this can be handy and it can be done without installing big and complicated software like WSUS. All you need is a small utility you can find here. Don't worry, the software is in english and its very easy to use.After you download and extract the archive launch DownloadStarterGUI.exe to start. Then select OS versions you need and check ISO image type you want. The program will use WGET to

Quick tip : take a screenshot of a FULL web page

2006-12-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

The fastest way to take a screenshot of a web page is to use "Pint Screen" an copy entire screen to clipboard. The problem is that if the web page you want to save as an image is larger than you screen resolution this method can be very time consuming and requires multiple "Print Screen" screenshots and recomposition of the whole image. A quick solution to this problem is to use Firefox and a

Things you can do to become a good manager

2006-12-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

MOTTO: The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind (William James)Communicate. Employees must be empowered with information so that they can make the best decisions, quickly and without the approval of higher-ups.Do not think you know everything. Listen to the people around you. Ask for their input when appropriate. Seeking

Biggest Linux problem: it makes users think

2006-12-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

This is a important problem posted by Jordi Sánchez regarding the factors that play against the expansion of Linux between the less expert users: Linux makes us think. As paradoxical as it seems, that is a factor against Linux and we can find a similar idea in another area, web usability. Steve Krug has a good book on this ("Don't make me think"). In the beginning of his book you can find that

Google has patented the graphical look of its results page

2006-12-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

It seems that Google has patented the look of it's result page. You can clearly see in the image attached below what is all about. The patent is now (Dec. 12, 2006) approved and was filled in March 2004 (no progress since?)

Five questions for Robert Scoble

2006-12-11T23:33:00.000-08:00

Robert Scoble is one of world's top tech bloggers. He did a great job with Channel9 at Microsoft and then moved to Podtech. And because I like his work I took the chance and sent him five questions. I didn't expect an answer but I was surprised to get it. So here is me interviewing Robert :)1. If I look at your old blog the title says "Scobleizer: Microsoft Geek Blogger" and the new one "

Can we really optimize Firefox to get more speed?

2006-12-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

There are many articles and tools which promise to increase your browsing speed. Well, I usually don't like spending too much time on this but today I decided to try a small tool and show you the results. I'm sure the guys at TotalIdea did a good job looking for ways to improve our browsing speed if we use their freeware application so I didn't spend more time looking for something else.So,

Digg killer - group powered content

2006-12-11T04:11:00.000-08:00

If you take a popular idea like DIGG and clone it the result will be "just another clone". But for me grupl.com looks like a promissing way to overcome DIGG's limitations although it resembles much of DIGG's functionality. The "killer" idea is that it lets you create and join groups of any topic. Each group serves as a "mini-digg" with its own links and ratings. This keeps the links relevant and

Google search - tips

2006-12-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

To find what you are looking for when using Google you can include some special words in your query and get interesting results. Here are the most useful ones:related: - get related pages to the one specified (example in the picture below)cache: - get cached version of the page (maybe the page is not accessible at the moment and you really need that piece of information)link: - get pages that

Windows XP activation and virtual machines explained

2006-12-07T09:55:00.000-08:00

Lately virtualization software became more accessible for any of us. Especially if you are a developer you may find virtualization software very helpful for testing your application in different environments with less effort. For Windows the most popular choices are VMware and Virtual PC. Even if there are many free software solutions you may find that running a virtual Windows machine is not as

Trouble with Google accounts lately?

2006-12-06T23:43:00.000-08:00

If you use multiple google services (gmail, blogger, adsense, analytics) and different accounts you may have noticed some problems these days:when you sign-in to Google Analytics you are presented with your account setup page even if your account was already set (like this account doesn't exists)you cannot use two different services at the same time with two different accounts (when you will

Ask me a question about Windows

2006-12-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

I'm a Windows user for about 8 years now. During this time many people helped me to fix/improve/understand a lot of things related to this operating system. Now it's my time to pay it forward so ask me a question using the "Post comment" function below. I promise I'll spend the time needed to find the best answer (if exists). Go on, ask!

Windows XP - how low can you go

2006-12-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

If you wondered what are the real minimum requirements to start Windows XP here there are: 24 MB RAM and space for install. To use the computer in this configuration some tweaks are needed. By the way, did you know that only 3 services are needed? Here's a small video as proof:

Latest topics 06/12/2006

2006-12-06T04:49:00.000-08:00

If your favorite activity isn’t scrolling through blogs here are the latest informative subjects covered here (off-topic articles omitted):Install Windows Vista without the product keyWPF/E - Teach your browser new tricksSharpDevelop - a free and opensource .NET IDEFast install latest Apache, PHP and MySQL on WindowsVirtual PC 2007 BetaUsing "pivot tables" in Excel 2003New in Windows Server "

Install Windows Vista without the product key

2006-12-05T23:40:00.000-08:00

Windows Vista has a nice "feature" you may want to know: you can install Windows Vista without having to enter the product key during the setup process. I think the reason for this is to let you test the different versions of Vista before deciding which one to buy. So, when you reach the dialog that asks you to provide a valid product key during setup you can leave it blank! Just click "Next" and

You know you are addicted to DIGG when

2006-12-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

your girlfriend brings you a present like this on St. Nicholas Day. The number of diggs represents the current date (06/12/2006).

WPF/E - Teach your browser new tricks

2006-12-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

If you visited Channel9 lately it's impossible not to have noticed the Now with 100% more “WPF/E” text on the top of the page. So what is WPF/E? It is a cross-platform, cross-browser web technology that supports a subset of WPF(Windows Presentation Foundation) XAML. WPF/E supports programmability through javascript for tight browser integration. The WPF/E package also contains a small, cross

SharpDevelop - a free and opensource .NET IDE

2006-12-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

If you want to develop applications using C# and .NET you have two free choices: Visual Studio Express and SharpDevelop. I'm sure you know about the first so I'll make a short description of SharpDevelop because I know it deserves your attention. At the first glance it looks a lot like Microsoft's Visual Studio: it has a Start Page, Solution Explorer, Toolbox, Clipboard Ring, Class Viewer and

A simple way to use "digg it" button on Blogspot

2006-12-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

If your tried to use the provided JavaScript to allow your visitors to digg your stories from Blogspot you found that the included html editor doesn't allow JavaScript. There is a simple hack to do this: instead of including the script you can include only it's output. So, submit the story on DIGG and use the html editor to add this to your page :

Windows Skills