Dave Morton
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Everything posted by Dave Morton
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Generally speaking, .EXE (executable) files are written using a programming language, such as C++ or Visual Basic. Once written, they then need to be compilled into a form that computers can understand. Depending on the type of program to be written, this can be an easy process, or a real nightmare. At least, for me, it's been that way.
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Welcome to the Trap, Rob! So many things to say, yet so few that won't make me sound like a hyperactive Lemure that's spent too much time on a fast moving merry-go-round... I, too, am relatively new here, and while I share a love for music, I have no aptitude. Any musical instrument I play ends up sounding like a 5 car pileup, played in reverse. I play a MEAN radio, however, so does THAT count? Any who, I hope you enjoy your stay here, and if there's anything I or anyone else can do to answer a question, clear up a mystery, or just mke your day a little brighter, just holler.
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As has been stated previously, disabling the right-click is more or less a waste of time for you, and an annoyance to the page viewer. There are a LOT of reasons to allow the user to right-click on your page, and all it takes to remove any imposed restriction is to disable javascript for that page. If you want to protect your images, I suggest using a watermark, as well. Every image in my gallery on my site is watermarked prior to presentation, with a copyright, the date and time, and sometimes, even the IP address that it's being viewed at. If it's your code itself that you want to hide, even obfuscation won't deter the most hardcore site hound (myself included), since the more you try to make the code unreadable by human eyes, the harder we try to bypass your measures. However, if you want to hide your code, and you're using PHP, I DO have a (highly silly) method for you to do so: (explanation within code documentation) <?php /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Security.php // // Page source and context menu protection // // Simple php extension module // // Written by Dave Morton // // Š2003 Geek Cave Creations - all rights reserved /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////* usage:Either at, or very near the begining of your code, place the following line:include("path/to/security.php");Then, place the next line after any generated headers, but before the <HTML> tag, the following line:print "$crap"; //(echo works, too, or any other method of printing that you like)For codeSafe, place it somewhere before the </head> tag, or as close to the top of the page as you can:print "$codeSafe";That's all there is to it! I know it's not perfect, and that $crap is NOT foolproof (or dialup friendlyfor that matter), but it's bound to reduce code and image (or other resourcees) theft, and that's a good thing!*///////////////// Page Security controls ////////////////// /*NOTE: The two code security features below work in different ways to help keep folks from viewingyour(read: MY) code, thus reducing the chance of theft. They work in the following manner: 1.) $crap: (WARNING!!! NOT dialup friendly!) $crap calls a routine that generates random screen garbage within an HTML comment tag. It's designed to create only characters that will actually print to a browser page, so as not to "break" HTML code valitators, such as the one I use at w3.org 2.) $codeSafe: $codeSafe calls a routine that prints a javascript section that disables the right-click and context menu features of the browser. It's basically the same one a lot of sites use, so it's nothing special, but it does seem to work as intended. Now, I know that folks can just disable scripts, and those who are patient enough to actually go through the HTML source line by line can still obtain the code, but the 2 measures enabled here will keep out about 99.5% of all folks who initially attempt to view the code or steal images, which is good enough for me.*/// makeGarbage variables:$crapMin = 10000; //Minimum amount of random characters to print (about 9.7k)$crapMax = 30000; //maximum amount of random characters to print (about 29.3k)$crMin = 100; //minimum amount of random characters between carriage returns$crMax = 500; //maximum amount of random characters between carriage returns$crap = "";$smallCrap = "";$codeSafe = "";$crap = makeGarbage(); // Comment out this line to remove code theft prevention$smallCrap = makeGarbage(300,1000,80,350); // Comment out this line to remove code theft prevention$codeSafe = getCodeSafe(); // Comment out this line to remove context menu prevention// modifyable variable parameters for adjusting the amount of crap to print\// getCodeSafe variables:$csMsg = "Code Theft Stinks!";$csAlert = 'alert(msg);'; //remove comments at begining of the line to use the alert system// Please don't modify the code belowfunction makeGarbage($crapMin = 10000, $crapMax = 30000, $crMin = 100, $crMax = 500) { $tmp = srand(); // Seeds the RNG $len = rand($crapMin, $crapMax); // Sets the amount of screen garbage to be printed $count1 = $count2 = 0 ; $out = "<!--"; // Initialize some variables while ($count1 < $len) { // Starts the loop $char = rand(32, 255); if (($char >=127) and ($char <= 159)) { // Some characters cannot be used, so ignore the bad ones $char = 0; } $char = ($char != 45) ? $char : 44; // See last comment $char = ($char != 60) ? $char : 63; // See last comment (Not THAT one! The one BEFORE it!) $char = ($char != 62) ? $char : 61; // See last comment (Um... Do I REALLY have to... N'mind.) $char = ($char > 0) ? chr($char) : ""; $out .= $char; $count1++; $count2++; // Increment our variables $rCRLF = rand($crMin, $crMax); // If the line is too long, add a NewLine if ($count2 > $rCRLF) { $count2 = 0; $out .= "\n"; } } // And back to the beginning! $out .= "-->\n"; return $out;}function getCodeSafe() { global $csMsg, $csAlert; $out = <<<END_CODESAFE<script language="JavaScript1.2" type="text/javascript"> var msg = "$csMsg"; if(document.layers) window.captureEvents(Event.MOUSEDOWN); function no_click(e){ if (navigator.appName == 'Netscape' && ( e.which == 2 || e.which == 3)) { $csAlert return false; } if (navigator.appName == 'Microsoft Internet Explorer' && (event.button == 2 || event.button == 3)) { $csAlert return false; } } window.onmousedown=no_click; document.onmousedown=no_click; document.oncontextmenu=new Function("return false"); </script>END_CODESAFE; return $out;}?> Notice that the code is well documented, making it easy to use. I wrote this several years ago, when I was still ignorant of certain aspects of web design. It also has a generic JS routine to disable right-click, but I mostly used the script to make it difficult to allow people to rip off my pages and claim them as their own. It was only later, while learning about Search Engine Optimization that I discovered the lack of wisdom in using these features. My advice today is: If you don't want people to rip off your code/images/content, then don't post it. That's the only truly sure way to protect it. But where's the fun in that? [edit] In order to test this out, I've set up a page at Geek Cave Creations SecTest Page to demonstrate the script. To view the source in FF, hit CTRL-U. In IE, go to View => Source.[/edit]
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I found it visually appealing, and well formed. The media usage is engaging, and well presented. I can't read Albanian, so I can't critique your spelling or grammar, And using any free translation sites (google, babelfish, etc) will just mangle the language anyway, so I'll leave the written content to someone more qualified. Overall, a 9 out of 10. Great job!
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Flat Files! Good Or Bad? Whats Your Opinion!
Dave Morton replied to KansukeKojima's topic in Websites and Web Designing
I use a mixture of both flat files (in the form of static includes, for page formatting) and database (for, of all things, my error page, which uses detailed database info for reporting specifically on every error), depending on the criteria required. In my opinion, it's like comparing a pair of pliers to a wrench. You can use pliers (flat files) as a wrench (database), but it's clunky, and not the best tool for the job, most times. conversely, you can also use a wrench to do the same job that pliers do, at times, but it can be unwieldy to do. My main criteria is how static the data is, and if it's page structure (presentation) or data of some sort (content). It also depends on how hard it would be to code which way, and how lazy I'm feeling at the time. -
Thank you, everyone, for the warm welcome(s). A severe shoulder injury has kept me from my computer, which has caused endless agony {and soothing quiet} ... , but I'm recovering nicely, and will be back in full swing before you know it. As to the free hosting, I've actually got a web host already, so I'm here more for the beer & pretzels, and wonderful company, than anything else. And, of course, to lend whatever sort of assistance (as long as it's not moving furniture) {or anything requiring intelligent thought} ... (GAWD, I hate that guy!) that may be needed. I've read the guidelines for posting, but I'm still unsure if just listing my site would violate the rules {he's a little slow, folks. He used to take the LITTLE bus to school! :XD: } Would you PLEASE shut up about that! Anyways, some advice regarding whether I can post the link to my site (it's a personal website, somewhat along the lines of an online resume) would be appreciated.I think that's about all my shoulder can take, for now. Not to mention that I don't want to give THEM any more ammo {hee hee!} Have fun, and see you in a day or so. ^ ^
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Um... Hi? :XD: Now that I've either given you a small chuckle (good for you!), or angered you over my impertinence (Coffee... BAAAAAD!), I'd like to really introduce myself.As the name suggests, my name is Phil, and I {Dave} ...huh? {Dave. Your name is Dave!} Oh, yeah. Dave. Sorry. Dunno where that "Phil" stuff came from. Now, where was I? {you were introducing yourself} ...Oh, yes. My name is Phil and I {DAVE!} ...Would you PLEASE stop interrupting me?! It gets hard to think when you start babbling in my brain like that!I'm sorry, all. sometimes I tend to become a little too amused by my own cleverness {?} ... And sometimes I get just a little silly. I'll TRY to keep that sort of thing to a minimum. I'll ALSO try to keep the voices in check, although I can make no guarantees along those lines. {you got THAT right!} ...Anyways, about me: I'm a middle-aged, self-taught geek, living on the west Coast (sorta), and I do a little bit of everything, when it comes to computers, including repairs, maintenance and modding. I also design web pages, using PHP, mySQL, HTML and CSS, and I write small programs in Vis. Basic. Unfortunately, since all these skills are self-taught, I find that there are some fairly signifigant holes in my experience, so I sometimes have to ask for help in these fields. But each time I DO get help for someting, I end up filling one of those holes, or make it smaller, at least, so it works out. I'm also the type of person who finds it extremely rewarding to assist others, so if you have a problem, question, or any other situation where I may be vaguely useful {HEAVY emphasis on "Vaguely"} ...Stop that! please feel free to let me know.