The Simian Downtime Analyst

One of the bigger issues with some Linux distributions is the software selection.  Some packages come with entirely too much software, while others require many updates and additions just to function properly.  By creating a re-spin of your favorite flavor of Linux, many of the issues can be solved.

The install discs for distros are simply an installer program with arbritrary packages thrown on top.  When installing, it mostly copies files over to the hard drive based on the information you input.  Since the questions and available packages are meant to be generic and are decided by the developers, they do not always meet the needs of the user.

Also in cases where the distro needs to be implemented onto a large number of computers in an office, the lack of specialized applications can be a hinderance.  Having to select the language pack and keyboard layout on each individual machine would be very tedious.  Custom install DVDs not only save time and effort in the beginning, but also positively effect overall productivity.

To achieve the goal of creating your own re-spin with Fedora, the developers took the initiative to add a program called Revisor.  This saves one from having to completely write the new spin themselves.  It allows the user to adjust the install by adding newer packages and still keep the system close to the original setup.  Revisor is also handy if the distro is installed on any portable media. Using the software to reconfigure the distro without having the need to install Fedora on the hard drive on the machine or create a new install on the portable media each time.

Distributions can still be edited without the aid of Revisor if a graphical user interface is not a requirement. Developers chose to create the GUI for some of the less adept users of the software.  Revisor is available in the Fedora repositories and can be accessed with the command

# yum install revisor

Since Fedora 9, Revisor has been included on the Live discs.

Revisor

First task after installing Revisor is to just type

# revisor

into the terminal.  This brings up a happy splash screen with prompts you through the next steps.  The next course of business is to select the media which will house the re-spin. Most importantly, the following step deals with selecting which repositories to use.  The repositories handle the software packages and selecting the one you wish to work with basically determines which distro of Fedora your re-spin most closely resembles.  This step is crucial in that you have to remember include at least one of the repositories that is mandatory for the system to function.

If you plan to run Revisor often, you can speed things up by copying the contents of the original DVD to your hard disk. The standard Fedora repository can be disabled and you could choose to either use the data on your hard disk or the DVD as the default repository.

After loading the repositiories, the Kickstart configuration file needs to be generated.  A Kickstart configuration file contains all the configuration information used with the installer, called anaconda.   The Kickstart file can be used to pre-configure the system so that the installer can run unattended. Unattended installs save the user from having to hover over the computer  and make individual selections about the configuration.  A Kickstart file usually contains a list of packages to install on the system, which services to run, and what the appearance of the X Window configuration should  be.

The one downside to Kickstart files is that they can explicitly copy a previous installation, but they cannot remove hard disk partitions. If the disc is already clear, this is not an issue. If you do not have Kickstart files already Revisor includes an option to create a fresh Kickstart configuration file.

Finally, the time comes for you to choose what packages to install on the media.

It is a simple click and select option in the interface which gives you the ability to leave the system mostly bear or load up applications.  Once again these packages can be sent to a Kickstart file saving you from having to pick and choose packages from the standard distro.  This can also be skipped for a generic install.  Revisor then creates an ISO image or whatever media you selected for the re-spin, which is the most time consuming of the processes.

The process of creating a re-spin can be done sans the Revisor program by beginning with an alternate installer and using Kickstart configuration files, but there still needs to be a third party program to combine them for a new ISO.

Fresh out the box, WordPress comments just are not enough for me. I don’t want someone to have to fill out any extra forms to comment, especially when I despise doing that myself. It is not like this place is some hotbed of conversation so I can understand if people would see extra work to do and just walk away.  So I had to search for a solution that would make it easy for everyone.

Some geniuses who got to WP before me had this grand idea of hacking at the code and making the comments better. Apparently that just plain sucked, because I can’t seem to find very much info about those guys.  Now we have two options: a bunch of plugins, or a third party comment system.

Going the plugin route is a great idea for tons of people. I have seen many a post about the tons of comment plugins people use on their websites and they actually look fantastic. They offer great customization and provide a fairly unique experience for your visitors. There are just some folks  in the world that don’t like having a big pile of plugins, and this is not a good option.

The smart minds that came up with the third party comment systems showed up right on time to save the day.  Fantastic comments with just a single plugin and they get to do all the behind the scenes work. Everyone smiled.  Then there were more features added, which started to weigh this option down a bit.

Like most folks who use them, when I first tried out the commenting systems I did not really notice the slightly slower load times. I was just happy my comment areas were more open and snazzier looking.  As time passed, the sites started coming up slower and there were more conflicts with other things on the sites.  Frustrated, I tried different comment systems only to have the same problems crop up.

During the course of time dealing with these issues,  I had acquired a decent amount of knowledge about the behind the scenes of a website and decided it was time to take a peek at the code.  It was not pretty.  I was appalled at the fact that there were teams of people that came up with these comment systems, yet they could not run their code through a validator before they put it out to market.  Sure they are mostly free services, but there are some that cost something that have the same problems. *cough*Echo*cough*

This made we go back to the default WP comments, which lead to an onslaught of ugly and spam. I longed for the lazy times, but the support for fixing the issues was lacking and I did not want to delve into the code on my own.  Reluctantly I eventually returned to the comment system and resolved to clean it up when I got the chance. After a few hours of guesstimation, I fixed most of the code issues in the comment system used here – XHTML is valid, CSS mostly cleaned up.

But why did I have to do that when there are people there who are paid to make the thing work? I am happy to share the cleaned up version of the plugin when I am done if anyone wants it,  but I still hate the fact that I had to fix it. I implore you folks that work on these things for a living to clean up your code a little bit. Since you guys know the ins and outs of it, it should not take more than a few minutes to dot the i’s on these issues.

Like clockwork, people build lists of resolutions and things to do for the new year. Many of the folks with websites end up scrambling to change the copyright dates sometime in the afternoon before they go out New Years Eve, or they end up doing it while hungover the next day. What is worse is when those of us that use a template created by someone else don’t realize that the coder got lazy and just threw the year in, and we don’t end up fixing the mistake until a few days later.

What I don’t get is why the folks that make these templates don’t have the self-updating code in there already. If you took all that time to create a template for people to use, you would think you would make it easier on yourself and put the code in there. I can understand it if you charged for support and just wanted to drum up some business, but it just seems silly.

To solve this problem, I did a bit of searching for code snippets to have your copyright date update when the calendar does.  Below are ways to do it in JavaScript, PHP, ASP, ColdFusion, and SSI.

JavaScript:

© <script language=
"JavaScript">
<!--
    today=new Date();
    year0=today.getFullYear();
    document.write(year0);
//-->
</script>

which gives you:

© 2010

or if you want a range of  dates and a little text

<script type="text/javascript">
<!-- copyright=new Date();update=copyright.getYear();document.write("Copyright © 2001-"+ update
+ "    (your company name)    All rights Reserved."); //-->
</script>

with that one it will give you

© 2001 – 2010 (company name) All Rights Reserved.

There is also a JavaScript generator available at Webweaver if you are feeling really lazy.

PHP:

<?php echo Date(Y);?>

or for a range of dates

 <?php
$c="2009";
$d=date("Y");
   if ($d==$c)
      echo "Copyright &copy; $d";
   else
      echo "Copyright &copy; $c-$d"; ?>

this one will produce a single date for the first year, and then the date range afterwards.

ASP:

<%=year(date)%>

or for the range of dates

 < %response.write("Copyright 2001- "&Year(Date))%>

or

< % Dim yy yy = DatePart("yyyy",Now()) %>Copyright © 2001-< %=yy%>

or

Copyright © 2001-< %=Year(Date)%>

ColdFusion:

<cfoutput>&copy; #Year(Now())#</cfoutput>

SSI:

<!--#config timefmt="%Y" --><!--#echo var="DATE_LOCAL" -->

or make your copyright statement a file fragment that can be pulled in with a simple:

<!--#include virtual="/path/to/copyright" -->

Since not every site is the same, it helps to have this list on hand. You just need to remember to check for them in any new templates that you decide to use, and/or remember to put them in a site you make on your own. Also, do not forget to update any forms you have (especially the ones involving money).

After having used WordPress and phpBB separately for some time, the need to combine them did not happen until recently. Considering the popularity of the two, you would think that there would be an easy way to glue them together already.

This does not seem to be the case.

This was a shock to me, but the worst part is that this has been an issue for a long time.

While the best method of adding a forum to WordPress is just to use bbPress,  this is not an option for those that built up a forum before they decided that they wanted to blog. Sure there are many ways for you to have a listing of the most recent posts from a forum in your sidebar, but it is a limited solution and still requires your users to log in more than once. Another approach to consider would be something like OpenID, but while the login would be the same it would still work like two houses sitting next to each other with the same door key.

I will admit right now that I could not write anything in PHP if my life depended on it. I have only slightly tweaked existing code so I do not know if this is as difficult as it seems to be for developers or if the demand for combining the two is just very low.  The lack of options just makes me a little sad that their is not any easy button for this problem.

Maybe you have had better luck with this than I have. If you have a fix for this would you let me know?

I get it. You want to sound like an authority on something. All the other authorities have said something is dead, but you want to fit in so you swirl the words around in a cup and say it is dead on your blog as well.

That’s lovely.

Now can you shut up about it.

If this service is dead, why are you still making it a point to remind people who are still using it once a month? Sure the development has stopped, but I didn’t die after puberty and neither did billions of other people.

At first all the talk of services “dying” didn’t bother me. Most of the pundits would wait until the official announcement that all the lights were off and all the servers were unplugged before they started rolling caskets up to doors. Now every time the subscription rate drops or slows by more than 5 people everyone runs around like the village is burning down.

Geocities was dealt the dead treatment years ago, but it was still around up until about a month ago. There are plenty of services still around that have been called dead for months which have stated no intention of shutting down in the near future and have thriving communities. Just because you don’t like the UI doesn’t mean you need to stick your head in the door and yell that it is dead to make yourself feel better.

I have touched on this issue before, but that was more reflection on how chasing after new services was getting old.  Picking on the ones you don’t like and saying they are dead is different, especially when you are still using them. If you want to be seen as an authority, then maybe you want to lay off the hypocrisy for a bit.

Saying blogs were dead in a bunch of blog posts designed to spur traffic didn’t really do you any favors, sending a bunch of tweets that Twitter is useless just made you look like a jerk. If you want to be an authority on something you have to remember that part of the job is being respected. Every single time you nag about something being dead, it raises the discussion from being a potential statement of fact to condescension.

Quit acting like someoone crapped in your cereal and stop trying to drive people away from places. The goal of these places is for you and go build a community, not try your best to shatter them before their time.

To state the obvious, ads are usually annoying. Usually they are only vaguely related to the content on the page and most of the time it is a highest bidder situation and not one where the website owner actually cares about the product. While this is totally understandable when the money is right, many of the sites barely make more than a few pennies and some only enough to cover their hosting cost.

I have been very reluctant to have ads on this site for several reasons.

1. Small blog = who cares.
2. Had a hard time finding something relevant when I first tried them out.
3. Ads are just ugly.
4. I freely admit to using AdBlock Plus and it felt very hypocritical.

Then I stumbled across a piece of software at The Red Ferret Journal called Artisteer. It is software which basically lets folks who know little to nothing about CSS and HTML customize their own websites.  It is not like many types of software that are provided by hosting companies which offer a handful of templates and minimal customization options.  For the most part it allows the user to produce a fairly unique website, very tailored to their needs.  The aspect of the software that garnered my attention was the fact that it not only creates standard websites, but that it also exports templates for several CMS platforms such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and even supports Blogger.

Below is a video demo available on their website.  The ability to crank out custom websites does come at a bit of a price; it is available in two flavors:  Home and Standard Edition. Home addition is priced at $49.95.  Standard Edition which is the more robust of the two is priced at $129.95.  If you choose to check out the software, I would appreciate it if you clicked one of the links around here, but I won’t be heartbroken if you choose not too.

***************Update:  My Test Box is giving away two licenses for the Home Edition. Go over there and try and snag one.  The giveaway is open until November 30th.*********************

Everyone loves a nice pretty website. The design pops on the screen and it invites you to settle in and enjoy the experience.  Often designers and/or their clients take two approaches to catch the viewers eye:  some choose sleek minimal ideas and others go hog wild with bright colors, animations and a deluge of information.  Many times the result ends up being too extreme in either direction and the poor web surfer is given a case of eye poisoning, but that is not the only issue to contend with.  There are articles that address similar things strewn about the net, but apparently their are not enough.  So, here are a few reasons why some people think your site is evil.

1.    Videos that autoplay

Contrary to popular belief, the entirety of the internet community is not on a connection bulky enough to accommodate the downloading of high definition video.   That aside, folks hate when you have some advertisement laden video that wants to skip and buffer kick up when they go to your website.  I NEVER return to sites that do this. I had to once to pay a bill and went to the mobile version instead.  I will hold onto those grudges forever.

2. Advertisement overkill

Let’s say someone really, really wants to read your article, but they can’t find the damn thing.  You get upset because after that first surge in advertisement revenue it dwindles down to nothing because your audience became fed up with playing hide and seek with your content.  Guess what, there are plenty of other places to find similar content that aren’t covered in crap.  Some ads are understandable, but don’t make your place into an advertisement minefield.

3. Your code sucks

Yes, your website is very, very pretty . . . 3 days later when it finally loads because your code is jacked up.  This problem may have been one of the reasons that RSS is where it is today.  I read tons of webcomics, many only by feed reader because it takes 5-10 minutes for the comic to even load on the website.  This is mostly separate from the problem with connection speeds because crap code slows your load time no matter what.  There are some websites I will never see the full page for because I just gave up while it was thinking. There are tons of free validators out and plenty of people willing to help you clean the mess up (myself included). With all that gunk, how would you even notice if there was malware thrown in there?

4. It has an ugly, non-matching, gross, pastel/neon/tacky color scheme

People can’t buy what you are selling if they cannot see.

5. You pester the reader to do something

It is cool and all that you want the reader to come back. Nagging is not cool. You cannot make someone subscribe to your content by bullying.  I am not going to join anything if you tell me to eight times on the main page.  Things like little unobnoxious  share buttons on posts are fine.  Don’t beat the reader over the head with the fact that you have an e-book every paragraph.

6. Something on the page is blinking

Just last week I saw a site that had some blinking marquee. I wanted to shake the webmaster (because I know that is what that person calls themselves. I am sure they still wear Izod and have a big collection of cassette tapes lying next to their original Walkman. )

7. Navigation to nowhere

Honestly if you are still working on your site that is fine. But if you are trying to provide someone a service and they have to click through enough links to fill a novel, someone else will be much happier to help them out. No one should need a GPS to find your contact information

8. Extreme minimalism

There needs to be more than just your domain, a jpg, and a copyright. At least one link or sentence should be there to give the readers something to go buy.

9. You try and trick the visitor with a bait and switch

If I can’t just read your article, why am I here? Why do I have to sign up to pay for something to get one little tidbit of information that you could provide free without damaging your drive for revenue? At least throw out an excerpt or summary.  3 links ago there was no obligation to pay, there could at least be a disclaimer somewhere else on your site.

10. Useless back button

I cannot directly vouch for anyone else’s level of annoyance at a website that just reloads when you try to navigate back to the one you were on before it, but it irritates me immensely.  It insults me when a page decides I am not allowed to go back the way I came in.  Subconsciously you have associated your site with a little kid holding a glass door closed from the other side. Good job.

11. Resizing windows

Hire somebody who knows how to design a website that is standard size.  It is not that hard.

12. Music that autoplays

Resource-wise, it is not as bad as the videos.  We still hate it. The mute/stop buttons are usually not very responsive and frankly nobody asked you to be their DJ for the evening.

13. Tons of flash/flood of ajax

Netbooks are quite popular. Netbooks do not play nice with a pile of flash. Not unlike many people that will stop by your site, my old notebook wheezes in pain anytime I get to a site with this.  Even with browsers that are better equipped to handle the onslaught some computers just freeze at the thought of loading these pages.

14. You still have the same webpage from 1990

People will not be sure your company/product is still relevant if it looks like it predates their teenage children.

…

There is a way to avoid all of these pitfalls and give your user base a great experience. It shocks me that there are enough of these sites still around that have all of these problems when there are loads of talented designers and programmers out there who would not stand for this nonsense. Be considerate to your customers and realize that your site is supposed to help them, not drive them away.