Nov 17th 04
Posted by arnoldgamboa in Techie
Dear Internet Explorer:
It’s over. Our relationship just hasn’t been working for a while, and now, this is it. I’m leaving you for another browser.
I know this isn’t a good time — you’re down with yet another virus. I do hope you feel better soon — really, I do — but I, too, have to move on with my life. Fact is, in the entire time I’ve known you, you seem to always have a virus or an occasional worm. You should really see a doctor.
That said, I just can’t continue with this relationship any longer. I know you say you’ll fix things, that next time it’ll go better — but that’s what you said the last time — and the time before that. Each time I believed you.
Well, not any longer.
You cheat, you lie and you’re unwilling to change. Well, I’ve finally had enough and there’s nothing you can say that will make me change my mind
I know, I’ve tried breaking up before, and I’ve always come back, but that’s because I couldn’t find the right browser to move on with. I want an independent browser, one that stands on its own without a co-dependent operating system. What I want is a browser that’s strong and secure, one that handles the latest content and won’t crash. I want transparency. I want code that actually means something.
I have found just that.
With Mozilla Firefox, at least I know where I stand. The code is open source, built from the ground up, clean — not recycled. No more hidden agendas. At least when there’s a flaw in Firefox, this browser alerts me on its toolbar. It doesn’t try to hide its mistakes, waiting until the second Tuesday of the month to offer me a patch for some flaw that’s been out there for six months already.
So this is it: Good-bye. I know you’ll do fine without me; you always have. I’m sure there’ll be someone who’ll find you to be cute and interesting. It just won’t be me.
Nov 11th 04
Posted by arnoldgamboa in Techie
I have recently configured our Linux server to run PHP with Firebird 1.5 database support. After almost a day of searching, I’d like to share here the steps I found from firebird-php mailing list at yahoogroups.
Update: The step by step procedure mentioned below did not somehow work completely for my Mandrake 9 server. I checked the original author of this instructions and he said that probably, the reason is that he based his instructions on Mandrake 10 installations. Unfortunately, it’s too burdensome for me to upgrade my OS at this time. So I tried to find a trick to solve this. Here’s what I did, it worked:
1. After genergating interbase.so (see below how to do it), I opened my php.ini file. I looked for this line:
extension_dir = /usr/lib/php/extensions
2. Because extension_dir points to /usr/lib/php/extensions, I copied my interbase.so to that directory.
3. Then, I changed
magic_quotes_sybase = Off
to
magic_quotes_sybase = On
4. I added this line:
extension=interbase.so
5. Restarted Apache
service httpd restart
Whoa! It worked!
(more…)
Oct 18th 04
Posted by arnoldgamboa in Techie, Webby
Google has invaded your web searching. Now, how about your desktop searching?
If you’re tired of waiting for your built in Windows file search program, here comes Google to the rescue! Google is beta testing Google Desktop, a Google (read: faster) way of searching your files — your email, ms office (word, powerpoint, excel, etc.), chat conversations, visited sites.
Now, that’s another reason why I’m a googler.
Aug 4th 04
Posted by arnoldgamboa in Techie
If you don’t know that term, well, the reason is that I invented it. :)
It’s the term I’d like to call my self — a Googler. A guy who depends mostly on Google’s services for my day to day web life. I use Google’s search engine extensively, not just to search for a site but also to do some unique tasks like finding the definition of a certian word, search for news updates locally and internationally, find for relevant images, search for answers for mostly technical problems that has been solved and discussed in mailing lists and newsgrous in the past.
Recently, it has conquered my business side of life. We now use Google Adsense to generate banner ads for our New Philippines Movement website. For the past 5 months, it has generated about $300 of revenue. Not bad. And yesterday, we started an internet ad campaign for IBuildPro. We are now using Google Adwords. We’ll see in a month how effective it is.
Oh, by the way, I am now syncronizing my emails to one account — web based that is. Before the month ends, I should be forwarding both my personal and business emails to my new Google GMail account.
So if you think you’re like me, you’re also a Googler.
Jul 30th 04
Posted by arnoldgamboa in Techie
“Excuse me, Sir.”
“Is that you again, Moses?”
“I’m afraid it is, Sir.”
“What is it this time, Moses; more computer problems?”
“How did you guess?”
“I don’t have to guess, Moses. Remember ?”
“Oh, yes; I forgot.”
“Tell me what you want, Moses.”
(more…)
