Sunbeams illuminating a coastal forest in Port Orford, Oregon

Chuggnutt!

Category: Computers

  • C-64 Emulator for PalmOS

    It had to happen, read about it here—there’s a free Commodore 64 emulator for PalmOS. I’d love to download this for my Clié, but alas, it requires PalmOS version 5 and my Clié only has a version 4 variant.

  • More PHP Errata

    Again reading Larry Ullman’s PHP Advanced and finding it okay, but I came across another glaring error.

    On page 169, in the discussion about variable order, Ullman’s got the variable order entirely backwards. The out-of-the-box order for PHP variables is EGPCS (which refer to Environment, Get, Post, Cookie, and Server variables), meaning that PHP processes input into variables from those sources in that order. The book incorrectly lists these in reverse while claiming it’s the proper order.

    The funniest part is there’s a graphic of a screen shot from the php.ini file, which clearly shows the EGPCS ordering, contrary to the text.

    Hello? Editors? Anyone?

  • MySQL’s SET

    I was just thinking today that MySQL’s SET datatype has to be the most underused feature of MySQL, and how I could implement a multiple category system for my ebooks using it, when I got the MySQL AB Newsletter and lo and behold, it has an article on using SET.

    I love fun coincidences like that.

  • From the Trenches

    My day at work was certainly a tech support nightmare. Get this: as soon as I walk in, I’m told the server is down. Thinking (hoping) they meant the connection to the internet is down, I clarified the issue.

    Nope. The server. Damn.

    This is the main file/print server that everyone in the office uses to store their work on. Excel, Word, Publisher, QuickBooks, you name it, it’s there. Plus, it houses the intranet I developed (and the MySQL database that backs it), Microsoft Mail server (which thankfully no one much uses anymore), and the Intuit Master Builder server software the company relies on.

    (I know, I know, words of caution about putting all your eggs in one basket, I know.)

    There had been a power outage the night before, and now the server was completely dead, no power at all; but the server had been plugged into a UPS, which was still on and working. Odd. Tried plugging it into several other outlets, nothing. Tried a different power cord, nothing. At this point I deduce it’s the power supply, and that’s hopeful because if that’s all it is, nothing’s lost except some productivity time.

    Unfortunately, I don’t have a spare, so I have to wait til the local computer store (who originally built the server, so we have an account with them) opens at 9am to get one. Luckily, I get through to someone in the store at about 8:40 when I’m calling to leave a message, and they’re sending the tech right over with a new power supply.

    And guess what? I was right—the power supply died, and everything else was intact and fine. We got the server up and running again by 9:10 tops.

    Talk about sweating bullets. Even though we had a full backup of everything important made the night before, there’s still nothing quite like that head-pounding, sweat-behind-the-eyeballs, bowel-clenching feeling that you get when something like this happens.

  • Errata

    I was reading through PHP Advanced this evening and on page 63, came across something incorrect (regarding objects in PHP):

    PHP does not support multiple levels of inheritance, so you could not make a Grandchild class that extends a Child class that in itself is an extension of the Parent class.

    Actually, PHP does support multiple levels of inheritance, and you can see the proof yourself by browsing the source code of the PEAR DB class found here. The inheritance path for the DB_mysql object looks like this:

    PEAR -> DB_common -> DB_mysql

    And even the PHP website’s documentation confirms this (found here):

    You create a class, parent, and use extends to create a new class based on the parent class: the child class. You can even use this new child class and create another class based on this child class.

    Now, what is true is that PHP doesn’t support multiple inheritance in general— i.e. inheriting from multiple sources simultaneously. But chaining a string of class definitions singly is okay.

  • Kon-Tiki

    We’re heading up for a day trip to Portland tomorrow for Kaitlyn’s post-op visit to the eye doctor to check how her eyes have progressed since surgery. Have to get up at 6 am though, that’s a bummer.

    Here’s a link too geeky/cool to pass up: The Contiki Operating System and Desktop Environment. It’s an operating system with built in web server and web browser originally written for the good ol’ Commodore 64. This may not seem like such an accomplishment given today’s advanced systems and seemingly limitless power, but for those familiar with the C64— or especially anyone who owned/used one— all I can say is: Damn.