Today I started the process of transferring all my websites and client projects onto a new hosting provider. After a week of research and comparisons I’ve decided to move over to Bytemark.co.uk. I’ve chosen them for a number of reasons, most importantly of all, root access. One thing which has always annoyed me about shared hosting has been the lack of control on the server. If I want to run the latest build of apache, with all the bug fixes then why should I have to wait for my hosting provider to catch up? It’s not difficult to compile a new version, or if I’m feeling lazy I can us apt-get to upgrade to the latest community build. Continue reading New hosting solution – Bytemark
Category: Development
Custom backgrounds on Google.co.uk search index
Today Google has added a very nice feature to their search index page. The ability to select a background image for their search index page. Or if you want you can add your own from your machine, or if you have one, your picasa account.
Continue reading Custom backgrounds on Google.co.uk search index
CSS3 Solar System (using webkit)
This week I discovered another CSS3 test which I need to share with you all. By using CSS3 features such as border-radius, transforms and animations. The result is very impressive, and while a little jerky on my old macbook (most likely because the machine is pushing 4 years old) still does the job.
How to add facebook like to an InVision forums template
Adding facebook like to an InVision forums template turned out to be very easy, but it did take me over an hour to work out how. As a result I thought it best to share this code sample to save others hours of google’ing for the answer or banging their head against the table for as long as I did.
Initially I thought it would be as easy to add a short block of PHP to a template file so I tried to use:
<iframe src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=<?php echo urlencode('http://' . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] . $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']) ?>&layout=standard&show_faces=false&width=450&action=like&font=arial&colorscheme=light&height=80" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:450px; height:80px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe>
Continue reading How to add facebook like to an InVision forums template
Easy ways to create a 301 redirect in code
Since my post the other day on A simple way to correct the hostname for your website I’ve been thinking about ways to do the same in other languages so I thought I should share my findings with you. I’ll only cover the most common web languages and methods, but if you think I’ve missed any out then add them in the comment section below for the benefit of others.
Continue reading Easy ways to create a 301 redirect in code
CSS2 and CSS3 Help Sheets (Liquidicity)
Last week I posted a Vi Help Sheet I discovered on Smashing Magazine by Liquidicity, and this week they’ve released one for CSS2 and CSS3. Both are worth downloading and using for reference in my opinion. They are again, very clear and easy to read. They do not cover all CSS properties, simply because there are too many to fit onto 2 A4 sheets, but then contain most of the important ones.
A simple way to correct the hostname for your website
There are several ways to force the correct hostname on a website. Normally this is done with mod_rewrite within the vhost or within the .htaccess file (if allowed). However there is a very simple way to do it with PHP. All you need to do is check that the value of $_SERVER[‘HTTP_HOST’] matches the domain name you want your site to work under.
Continue reading A simple way to correct the hostname for your website
Vi Help Sheet (Liquidicity)
Today I found one of the nicest Vi Help Sheets I’ve seen in a long while. I came by this via Smashing Magazine and just had to include it on here. Most people who know me know I’m one of those odd developers would still does the bulk of their development work using VIm as I find the speed it offers unparalleled. Continue reading Vi Help Sheet (Liquidicity)
Multiple SSH private keys
I covered my ideal ssh config settings a few days ago, but I left out one part, my ssh keys. When it comes to ssh keys I like to use a different key for different servers, or groups of servers.
I have one ssh key I use at work, one for my personal websites, and at the moment a 3rd for a side-project I’m working on.
Firefox 3.6.4 build 1 released (BETA)
A BETA version of the next release of Firefox has been released this week (3.6.4 build 1).
This version of Firefox 3 provides uninterrupted browsing for Windows and Linux users when one of the following browser plugins fail:
- Adobe Flash
- Apple Quicktime
- Microsoft Silverlight
It is claimed that if one of the above plugins crashes or freezes, it will not affect the rest of Firefox. The user is able to refresh / reload the page to restart the plugin and try again. Continue reading Firefox 3.6.4 build 1 released (BETA)