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Data Access Alert

Steve — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:21:20 +0000

I have just received notification from Dreamhost’s tech support team that this web server, phobos.Dreamhost.com, has been illegally accessed by nigerian scammers. Sensitive log data, including geographic location information, IP addresses, TCP/IP port assignments, and data access timestamps has has been accessed.

Also, malicious server-side PHP scripting has been detected in the new Wordpress 2.5 install on SteveFarkas.com, TheStudioPhi.com, Iconoclastech.com, and other websites and/or blogs hosted on this server. While the code has been patched, your PC is still currently at great risk of data theft.

In order to minimize all risk of data theft, which may result in identity or credit theft, please follow these instructions:

For detailed information on credit card hijacking and data theft, watch this brief instructional webcast:
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Call your credit companies and banks, and ask for immediate monitoring of your credit history on any credit or bank cards used online within the past 6 months.
Call any banks with which you have online banking. Get your passwords changed immediately

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Comparison: Adobe Dreamweaver VS. Aptana

Steve — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:23:06 +0000

If you fall into the category of the standard web designer, which likely explains why you’re here, you’ve used some of today’s high-powered web IDEs: powerful tools for creating powerful websites and web applications, complete with built-in browser testing, some sort of crummy design view, version control, the works. It’s especially likely that you’ve used Macromedia (now known as Adobe) Dreamweaver.

Within the past two years, the eclipse project, a Java-based open source IDE, has been forked into two separate projects: Aptana, which is targeted primarily at AJAX-centric developers, and RadRails, which is a Ruby-on-Rails-targeted IDE, complete with version control, debugging, local testing and debugging, and remote deployment capabilities. The Aptana project has been growing fast with additions of full PHP and iPhone support and has recently incorporated the entire RadRails project, providing developers with the simultaneous advantages of a supported Ruby on Rails IDE with native AJAX development support. The Aptana Project has also found user-funded opportunities thanks to the development of Aptana Studio Pro, the beefier brother to Aptana, complete with JSON support, SVN & SSL control, Internet Explorer JavaScript debugging, and enhanced support features.

I’ve compiled some research done on both IDEs, and present to you a feature comparison chart that goes over the advantages and disadvantages of each choice. Since Aptana is free, I highly recommend you download it and try it out on something less-than pressing, such as a new theme for your new Wordpress install. While I’m hesitant to suggest that you try to convert your workplace to loyal Aptana followers, I think it’s a great way to get started learning Ruby on Rails or AJAX.

	Aptana	Dreamweaver CS3
XHTML	YES	YES
Browser Compatibility Testing	IE7, Firefox	YES - IE, Firefox, Opera, Safari Integration with Adobe CSS Advisor
CSS	YES	YES
XML	YES	YES
JavaScript	YES	YES
AJAX	YES - Spry	YES - All major libraries
PHP	YES	YES
ColdFusion	NO	YES
ASP	NO	YES
ASP.NET	NO	YES
Ruby on Rails	YES. Use the RadRails plugin	YES. Spotty support on plugin
JSP	Not currently. Future possibility	YES
Version Control	SVN	File Check-in/Check-out. A bit buggy Third-party SVN plugin available for $53 Support for MS SharePoint Servers
JSON Support	Studio Pro Only	YES
Secure FTP	Studio Pro Only	YES
JavaScript Debugging	Community: Firefox Studio Pro: Firefox, IE	YES. See Browser Compatibility Checking
Support Plan	Typical open-source support scheme for community version. Beefier and more comprehensive plan with Studio Pro	Decent corporate support plan. Call center full of monkeys, web-knowledge-base
Price	Community: Free Studio Pro: $99/$199 Initially. $79 Annually Thereafter	$399 initially. $199 for the upgrade
PROs	Great Open Source IDE with boundless potential for growth. It’s the best Ajax/RoR solution you will find anywhere.	Dreamweaver is clearly a mature, proven, and enterprise-ready product that has been in use by developers and designers alike for years. Dreamweaver is the best choice for mission-critical work.
CONs	It’s JAVA-based, and JAVA is notoriously bad at managing system resources. Expect to upgrade your memory. Support is what you pay for. Bug fixes and feature adds come only as fast as the development team can afford to make them.	Support for Ruby on Rails is sketchy, and the price is prohibitive to entry-level developers and designers.

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Wordpress 2.5 Released. Upgrade Time!

Steve — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:50:42 +0000

WordPress 2.5, the culmination of six months of work by the WordPress community, people just like you. The improvements in 2.5 are numerous, and almost entirely a result of your feedback: multi-file uploading, one-click plugin upgrades, built-in galleries, customizable dashboard, salted passwords and cookie encryption, media library, a WYSIWYG that doesn’t mess with your code, concurrent post editing protection, full-screen writing, and search that covers posts and pages.

For a short overview of the features with screenshots, it’d be best to visit our sneak peek announcement for RC1. Or check out a 4-minute screencast of the new interface in action. If you just want to jump straight to the good stuff here’s where you can find 2.5 upgrade and download information.

This is a pretty major release. I’m still fiddling with it, but this page is definitely hosted on a working Wordpress 2.5 install. According to the Dreamhost blog, WP 2.5 is already available via 1-click install.

Fun new features include Dashboard Widgets, Multi-file simultaneous upload, EXIF extraction for JPEGs, page inclusion in the search engine, advanced tag management, a password strength meter, concurrent editing protection, one-click upgrades for plugins, enhancements in the visual post editor, and built-in gallery support.

So, fire up your XAMPP servers and take it out for a spin. If you’re a little bit of a risk taker, deploy it live too.

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Honda Fit VS. Smart Fourtwo

Steve — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:11:04 +0000

There has been some talk about the Smart FourTwo, which is beginning to hit American markets right now. In a nutshell, the smart is the smallest mass-produced passenger car to hit American roads ever. Features include interchangeable plastic body panels, a 1 liter 3-cylinder engine that likes nothing lower than 91 octane gas, a top speed of 90 MPH, and City/Highway fuel consumption of 33/41 gallons (EPA 2008). While the Smart is a product of Swiss Company Swatch Group and German Automaker Mercedes-Benz, Smart cars are prohibited on the German Autobahn for safety reasons.
Its chief competitor in America is the Honda Fit. The fit seats up to 5 passengers, instead of the Smart’s puny 2. The fit also has a slightly larger 1.5 liter 4-cylinder engine. Unlike the Smart, which has a hybrid transmission, the Fit is available in the basic automatic and 5-speed manual transmissions. Also unlike the Smart, which comes with a built-in air compressor and can of tire-fixing-foam, the Fit comes with a compact (see: doughnut) spare. The Fit’s EPA City/Highway fuel mileage rating is 28/34.

Considering that the two cars fit in the same price range, and the fact that the Fit adds the “luxury” of three more seats, a spare tire, and an optional manual transmission, I can say that the sacrifice of a little gas mileage is a no-brainer.

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