Mordent

Hi all! It's been a while since I've posted on Xisto, but as always when a technical problem comes up this is the first place I turn to for answers. So, on to my issue: I'm running Fedora Core 10 (64-bit) on my machine, with the classic Apache/MySQL/PHP package build. I'll admit that I needed a little help from this site to get it working well (though note that I didn't do the firewall malarky on there, as I found a nicer way of getting it to work that currently eludes me as to how I found it), but it's generally working absolutely fine. The one issue I have is in using .htaccess. Assuming an entirely default setup for Apache (I can quote relevant sections of phpinfo if needed), is it just my understanding of how .htaccess works that's flawed, or something else entirely? I'm trying to perform some simple error handling (404, 500, etc.) using a .htaccess file in the root directory of the website in question (/var/www/html/mywebsite/) as below: ErrorDocument 403 /index.php?page=forbiddenErrorDocument 404 /index.php?page=not_foundErrorDocument 500 /index.php?page=server_errorGiven that I'm performing the relevant checks in the index.php page (i.e. using $_GET) is there any reason why I can't use this approach? If not, why is it that when I type "localhost/mywebsite/test.html" in to my web browser (and yes, clearly Apache is running, though I have made that mistake before ) I get the standard error? Any help or pointers towards pages that might be helpful would be appreciated, as I can't see any reason for it not to be working. Thanks in advance!

*bookmarks* Woohoo! I found this article an absolute age ago but could never find the damned thing again afterwards. I remember it sounding very useful, so I'll make sure I bookmark it this time. Anyway, looks handy enough, although I hope you can boot GRUB from a USB drive as well as floppies, as my computer doesn't take floppy discs. I'll have a bit more of a read and tinker later on, and I'll let you know how it goes. If I don't come back in a few days, assume it went disastrously wrong and that I've wiped everything. Cheers, Mordent

Thanks for the advice, although unfortunately I use GRUB. I can't imagine the stages are too different, but I find GRUB's a bit trickier to work with from past experience (i.e. having issues last time my computer said "no"). I don't suppose anyone knows of a similar process for GRUB? Failing that, is it reasonably safe to install lilo on my system first, then faff around with partitioning? Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

So, after having a long series of good times with Fedora, I've decided to spend the next little while (before heading back to university) trying to get both Windows XP Home Edition and Fedora on my system in as non-destructive a way as possible. My current setup is having Fedora installed and taking up the entire hard drive with its partitions (i.e. the main one (I forget what its called) and the swap partition). Correct me if I'm wrong, but it normally only takes two partitions, yes? I haven't made any special "requests" for extra, so it'll be whatever the default is. My hard drive is about 300 GB in size, and currently there's around 100 GB occupied (I've got a lot of lossless audio and a fair few videos stored on it). Ideally I'd want about 200 GB for Linux (I'm quite taken with the OS, so don't see any real need to minimise the room it has to expand) and the rest (i.e. 100 GB) for Windows XP. From a bit of reading up on this sort of thing, I gather Windows doesn't take too kindly to other OSes on the system, so before considering undertaking this task (and no, I haven't done anything to my system yet) I thought I'd get a bit of prepatory feedback and advice from you folks. What's the worst thing that could happen? Clearly I'll back all of my files up, but I'd rather not lose Fedora if possible. I've got it just the way I like it. Clearly some sort of repartitioning will need to be done, and my Fedora partition would have to be shrunk to make room for Windows. What partitioning software (for Linux) would you suggest to do this with? Anything else you think might be useful? I want to make sure I get this done right, as after next week (a week today) I won't have access to my Windows XP disc again, at least not for a good while (which is why Linux was installed on the entire thing in the first place, as when my computer went nuclear a while back I only had Linux available). Thanks in advance!

Oooh, nice. I hadn't realised the other styles actually made such a bit difference to the layout. I'll agree with the rest of you folks that Blue Lagoon is pretty awesome, and I reckon a touch faster, too. Probably just a random observation on speed at my end, though. That said, it does appear to load less images, so theoretically it would be faster in an initial (uncached) load, right?

And what if you do half and half, like I did? Anyway, last I checked Xisto treated MyCENTs exactly like real cash, regardless of the fact that they're not getting anything for it as such. I'll admit the fact that they're able to register domains without actually being given money does seem a little odd, but I'm sure that they make up for it in many other ways. Still, that's not the point I'm trying to get across. I still reckon that the fact that your name didn't appear on the WHOIS information is something to do with the ID protection. I'll let you know myself when my domain gets transferred over (with ID protection, but currently blocked by my previous registrar's WhoisGuard, or somesuch). Should be in a few days, as I registered for the transfer today.

I think that's basically it. That said, I paid for the last little chunk of my domain with PayPal (as I wanted it as soon as possible, and didn't fancy waiting to get the extra MyCENTs), so surely that means I'd have the full rights to the domain that I'd transferred? Also bear in mind that you likely ticked the box that said something along the lines of "free ID protection", so they probably adopt a system similar to that provided by my last registrar and have WHOIS results turn up as Xisto rather than your name. Interesting question, though.

I still find it amusing that it's part of your constitution (or somesuch) that you're allowed to actually own weapons like that. As for whether the four year old could load and fire the shotgun themselves...dubious, but I'd imagine that it does come down to the word of the other teenagers in this one. None of them would admit to leaving a loaded shotgun around, so why not blame the child, who can't be prosecuted (at least not in the UK) due to their age? It's a no-brainer, really. The next question, of course, is whether it was actually an accident or not. Sure, there's no doubt that someone got shot (and was in fact lucky they only suffered "minor pellet wounds to his arm and side"), but who's to blame? If the person who was shot had suffered a more serious injury or in fact died, would that make a difference?Now, realistically, you can't expect 4 year olds to be able to do all of the above without some kind of assistance (intentional or otherwise). The actual act of loading and so on likely isn't beyond the physical ability of a persistent 4 year old (after all, what is? ) but having the know-how of how to do it is almost certainly a smidgen beyond them.Now, assuming that the shotgun was loaded and so on beforehand, them pulling the trigger isn't such an infeasible event. Whether it was an accident or not, though, will remain something for whatever legal system you have over there to decide. Still makes for a nice bit of ammunition in the anti-firearm's case over here in the UK, however.

As a quick aside: for those of you using Linux, you're in luck! Unlike your Windows-bound associates, you get the joy of having a filesystem that doesn't need defragmenting. Lucky you, eh? I had pondered this quite a bit when I first took up the Linux mantle, as being a stickler for tidiness I'd kept my XP hard disk well defragmented. Still, if you're still not convinced, I'd suggest Googling for linux defragmenters, not to mention this handy link, which explains it pretty well. Naturally you'll have fun should you want to start resizing partitions, but Windows users get that anyway.

While I've never really tried that much rum, I can understand the JD and coke suggestion. It seems to be the "standard" drink of a lot of people, although I still reckon it's at least in part a waste of perfectly good JD. That said, given that the addition of coke makes the relative alcohol volume less it's certainly not a bad one for the lighter drinkers. While on the topic of whisky, then, I assume everyone's generic whisky drink is Jack Daniel's? It's nice, I'll give you that, but certainly a fairly hefty dent in the bank balance compared to a lot of the less well branded ones, and not exactly pushing out the boat on originality. While we're still at JD and coke, if you're one for mixing your whisky with something else I'd certainly suggest JD as a good place to start. Of the JD and cokes I've had, I remember a particularly good one with a generous squeeze of lime in it. Makes a nice change from the norm, anyway.

Having recently joined the ever-growing number of people that go to university, I've taken up one of the most infamous of student traditions: drinking. Now, before you start getting worried about me becoming an alcoholic and the like, bear with me, for it's not quite all as bleak as it may seem. :PBefore my university days I rarely drank (and when I say drinks, I mean alcoholic ones) outside of celebrations, and that was only a pint or two with friends. Sure, I'd tried a few different lagers, ciders, and other generically brownish, slightly bubbly pint-sized brews, but hadn't really dabbled in to the world of spirits. This is where university introduced my now fairly good friend whisky. Mainly Scotch whisky (as it's all that I can seem to find around here, not to mention that it's relatively cheap), but whisky nonetheless.Soon realising that the punch from a bit of whisky was far more than that provided by a fair number of other beverages, I soon acquired a taste for a little of said drink. It was cheap compared to pints, provided roughly the same effect, yet - to me, at least - had a substantially nicer taste. Sure, I've tried a few other drinks in my time here, but few have come close to pleasing my sense of taste as whisky has. After rummaging around on the internet for the best ways to actually drink whisky, I've decided to see who here could offer a touch of advice on the matter, not to mention suggest any other drinks that you'd particularly recommend.Before anyone mentions it: yes, I spell the word "whisky" because I'm British. Also, I'm aware that the term "whisky" is pretty broad, as there are a whole host of different classes of the stuff around, with plenty of different exacting flavours and the like, but as they're all generally the same stuff (give or take), and my student budget doesn't allow me to experience too much of the finer brands of the stuff, I'm pretty limited in my options.So far I've definitely discovered that ice is an almost must-have for me with any real amount of whisky, as it takes a little of the edge off of the stuff. Sure, some argue it ruins the flavour, but I happen to like it. Each man to his own, and all that. So, without further ado, what's your drink of choice, and how do you like it served?

I'd disagree, personally. A tooth's not exactly "a piece of your body" in the context of, say, a finger. There's not much that can be done to repair it directly (i.e. gluing it back on), as I know from my chipped front tooth. As for it hurting, it's likely a combination of the nerves eventually realising something's wrong and the cold...what's the word? Emphasising? Not what I was thinking of, but it'll do...that to make it more painful. Sorry, but it looks like you'll have to make do until the dentist opens again. On the plus side, can't you eat on one side of your mouth? I'm sure you've tried it, but surely it wouldn't hurt any more than not moving to eat on your other side? This all from someone who's total experience of toothache is from watching other people "enjoy" it.

Get with the 21st century. Anyway, as someone asked: last I checked self-raising (or self-rising, as it's apparently correctly called) flour is plain flour with baking powder and salt mixed in already. Useful for sponges, if I remember rightly. Also highly entertaining to substitute for plain flour if you read the label wrong, or just assume that the packet is plain flour. Funtimes all round with a certain batch of rock cakes that I remember making, once. Turned out far more like air cakes. A quick Google search gives a little more info about what the differences between certain types of flour are. From Baking Bites: Hope that helps!

Damned good point. At the end of the day, all the companies are out to make money. Exactly what they put in their drinks, and therefore what you put in to your body, isn't a huge concern to them provided that it doesn't decrease sales too much. Such is the modern world, I suppose...

Heya Teina, welcome aboard! I chuckled a little, so mission accomplished. Anyway, you'll find most people pretty lenient when it comes to moderation, given that the moderators regularly excuse such esteemed members as Captain Spammity McSpammerson himself (even he admits it)! Anyway, welcome to Trap 17, enjoy your stay.

I'd have to say that the script seems pretty nice. Shame it wasn't their own creation, but ah well. Anyway, I'll admit to being completely unaware that PHP could be used to create images prior to reading this. Well...I was "aware" in the context that I'd seen image validation before, but not "aware" as in seeing how simple it appears to do. Actually a pretty handy thread, considering I've been trying to find ways to manipulate images in a consistent way (adding an icon to the top left), and this could have pointed me in the right direction. Cheers.

That's just the thing, though. You've got to remember that it doesn't give an energy boost as such, as the actual energy content of said drinks isn't all that high, but I believe it makes you "think" you have more energy? I'm not certain on that point, but I believe it's that which is responsible for the "crashes" after a caffeine high. Let's not also forget that everyone reacts to caffeine in different ways. For instance, my mum gets headaches when drinking tea/coffee that's not decaffeinated, and can't each much chocolate without feeling the same way. Caffeine intolerant, clearly, but I suppose there are worse things. As for not being able to fall asleep after a ton of coffee, I think that's a pretty common feeling, and it definitely part of the reason it's my drink of choice for the mystical "double-all-nighter", where you have so much work to do you need to be awake for two nights and the day between straight. An absolute killer afterwards, but coffee - not tea - got me through that, for which I am thankful.

Sorry to be a pain, but I could really do with an update on this. I've had a couple topics that I've wanted to post in the Hosted Members Area for a while now, one of which would have been useful to have had an answer to (although I managed to get it elsewhere, eventually). Any word?

I think rvalkass basically hit the nail on the head. As technology has progressed and scripts that are readily available are not updated, people move around them to find exploits that aren't patched up. It makes sense that Xisto wouldn't want their scripts on the system. On the plus side, it certainly encourages you to write your own, which is, to my mind at least, a big bonus. There really isn't anything quite like the feeling you get for finding a script such as the ones you've mentionned that does roughly what you want, then starting from scratch and building up your own clean piece of code. It's also likely going to make your code unique and therefore far less likely to be targetted by people trying to find loopholes in the security settings of sites that use commonly used scripts. All in all, it's a security thing.

As I'm getting around to buying my first domain here at Xisto - Web Hosting (well...technically a transfer, but they cost the same), I can certainly vouch for the fact that you won't find much better a deal than here. You don't have to spend real money, just make a handful of decent posts (about $10 worth, depending on the exact price at the time you get it, I think it went up from $9.95 to $9.99 recently, but don't quote me on that) and you've got yourself a domain for the year. Seriously, there really isn't anything better for someone who's not willing to splash out too much (or have access to the ability to splash out too much) on buying the domain themselves.

Being a Brit, I'm one for tea over coffee. Tea generally has less caffeine in it than coffee (reference), so it's certainly not one to give you the kick start that some people mention with coffee. That said, from personal experience a cup of tea in the morning seems to give me a more gentle boost, and I know for a fact that it's a nightmare to get my girlfriend out of bed before 9 if I don't come bearing a cup of tea to barter with. As for energy drinks, I can't stand the things. Being a university student I've had to pull one or two all-nighters in the last semester to get work done in time (terrible, I know), and I'd rather have a cup of tea or coffee every few hours than some sort of super-energy-weak-fruit-squash that so many others swear by. That said, I'm not going to condemn anyone who suggests that they actually work, as I'm certain that the amount of money spent on researching and improving energy drinks is going somewhere, but they're just not for me. You stick to your energy drinks, I'll have my morning cuppa.

I'm probably completely off with this statement, but I'm sure I read somewhere when trying to deal with a similar problem (i.e. trying to get videos to play in VLC with Fedora) that you can (and don't quote me on this, but it may help) have mplayer use gstreamer as a backend. God only knows what most of that means, as I don't use mplayer (or, in fact, have any idea about gstreamer...or backends), but it may be relevant to the thread?

Heh, look on the bright side. I registered my hosting plan a day or two ago, and would definitely have considered going for the cheaper of the two "updated" ones if I'd have known it was going to make a reappearance. That said, I'm probably just being greedy, and would never really need that much hosting. Still, it's a nice idea. Also, I did notice that the price was a smidgen more, but on the bright side (while a few more options have been "metered", they don't really count as downsides as I can't see anyone actually ever using them all ) you get a few more features. Nothing snazy, but I guess they have to move with the times. On the upside of this, you can still go for the original hosting plan and customise it to your heart's content. As the "new" one is now a tad more pricey than it used to be, you can almost certainly get what you want with the standard Logic plan and add a few features here or there. One of my major concerns was not having enough subdomains, and at $4.95 for a year you can get 50 instead of 5. In the long run, my hosting is going to cost me around 10 MyCents per day (one smallish post), and that includes a domain that I'm going to register sometime soon and use as an addon domain. I'll happily trade the fact that the upgrade to Logic PRO is pricier if we get what we do with the standard Logic Plan, and it does make me a tad more certain that I went with the right choice of plan. My only concern, really, is that any further updates to the Logic Plan (well....upgrades, anyway, I'm not so keen on the downgrades ) will be added to my current plan. While I got the issue resolved within a day or two of submitting a support ticket, I'd found out that I'd missed out on the "5 of everything" upgrade late last year. Still, a quick refund and an updated invoice, and I'm a happy camper. Keep it up, folks, your hosting plans are damned awesome. I'd imagine that it encourages people to really make sure they get the plan they want, and are committed enough to opt for the annual plan if they can (which, I believe, negates the setup fee for Logic PRO and Logic XTREME). That, and in the grand scheme of things it really isn't important. As you said, it's a setup fee, so if you stay with Xisto / Xisto - Web Hosting etc. then you won't have to pay it again. Something to do with loyalty, I expect. God only knows...I think it's more of a case of having enough MySQL databases for you not to ever worry about it. I tend to have one or two per domain, and as the more expensive plans get more addon domains it makes sense, I suppose.

Drat...alright, so new question: have you ever managed to get videos and the like playing on that particular machine at all? Have you recently installed Ubuntu, and are trying to get videos to play for the first time? Do you use Ubuntu (or any other form of Linux) on any other machine?While I'm at it, I assume you've made sure to try to update all of your packages? I'll let someone far more versed in Linux answer the problem, but I'm more than happy to try and get some more information for them to go on.

Linux in general is notorious at having trouble playing media files of almost every type, in particular movies. Once you've gotten past the hurdle, though, you'll find it well worth it. You'll pull your hair out trying to get the thing to work, throw a few tantrums, then suddenly...*ding* Everything pops in to place, works like a charm and plays everything. Seriously.On a different note, I often find it worthwhile to start from scratch. Uninstall everything, then build it up from the ground up. While I've no experience with Ubuntu, I'd imagine it has a package system similar to Fedora's. If so, following the advice given by rvalkass is definitely worthwhile.