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Archives for August 2009

August 26, 2009

End Microsoft Piracy

I’m actually giving Microsoft some love it deserves. I bash Microsoft OS sometimes. There is no denying it. But in this post, I am actually defending Microsoft. Gasp! Sort of. After all, piracy is scourge for all software and media companies. Even with a well-guarded release of a movie or a software, it takes just a matter of hours before an illegal copy turns up somewhere in some forum, IRC or file sharing site. Que Pasa said, it’s not worth the risk installing pirated software. And I agree. He argues in his article the following points:

  • It’s Illegal – who is going to find out you may ask? Well I for one wouldn’t want to find out.
  • It’s a security risk – In this day and age, the security risks are many. Specially if you manage your finances on your computer.
  • Pirated software is not safe – many of their sources can’t be trusted and often lead to infections with worms and viruses that look to compromise more than your HW.
  • Lack of support – the internet is a good source of info, but while searching for solutions, you risk getting or soliciting help from scam artists.

Installing a pirated Microsoft OS, to me, is not an option. First, you’ll have problems getting security updates from Microsoft. It will only compromise your computer even further because the lack the security updates. If you really can’t afford to buy a Microsoft OS, then perhaps, it’s time to turn to something different, something free, something better than you have ever anticipated.

There are many reasons why people switched over to Linux. The main draws are obviously the price. Another is security. For me, part of the reason I switched over to Linux is, I couldn’t get myself to buy an operating system that I already owned. I own a valid Microsoft XP Home Edition license. My problem was, I couldn’t find a CD set to install the operating system. My laptop didn’t come with a Rescue CD.

I tried installing Windows XP Professional Edition with a Home Edition product key. It doesn’t work. I asked ask friends if they have a Home Edition CD set. No one has it. And I’m not about to go out and  buy something that I already owned. So, I turned to Linux because it was free.

If cost was the reason you’re installing a pirated Windows OS, then you should really consider installing Linux. It’s not only free, but superior in many respects. And you never have to worry about viruses and security. In addition, you also have many distribution choices, something you will not have with Microsoft. There at least 20 or so major Linux distributions.

Download several and find one that suits you.

Filed Under: General, Linux Tagged With: Linux, microsoft xp

August 26, 2009

Mozilla New Website

Mozilla has a new website. Check out the new design. I happen to like the header and footer. I love the graphics on the header as well as in the footer area. Noticed how references to articles, projects, and the latest news are abbreviated showing partial information. Viewers can elect to read more if needed. Overall, a great design.

Filed Under: General, HTML Tagged With: HTML, mozilla, web design

August 25, 2009

Maintenance Page Using .htaccess

If you own a website, there are times you need to bring your site down for maintenance or repair. Instead of the ugly 404 page not found, a nicely crafted maintenance page is ideal for your users to see. Enter .htaccess, a powerful Apache configuration file capable of many powerful functions. It can perform authorization or authentication, redirects, custom error messages, and cache control. This article explains how to create a custom error message. The  .htaccess file contains code to redirect your users to your maintenance page. In short, it uses .htaccess rewrite rule and even restricts viewing to a certain IP addresses. In this case it allows the admin to see the website as he would normally, while the rest will get a visually appealing maintenance page.

Filed Under: General, HTML, Linux Tagged With: apache, htaccess

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