The Internet Home of Kevin L. Collins
General
Changes to the Laptop
0
Image via CrunchBase
So I started to layout the changes required for the new NEI Intranet this morning. A couple of things came to mind and were quickly shot down.
During this planning and organizing session one thing came to the top: The new site would need to be compatible with both Internet Explorer 8+ and Safari (because of the widespread use of iPhones and iPads at the office).
This brought me the realization that my laptop, which is currently running Ubuntu Linux, really couldn’t be used to test the new code because I can’t use IE or Safari on Linux.
So, very shortly now, I’m going to back up my work to date and load Windows 7 on my laptop. That way I can load both IE and Safari along with my favorite Windows editor (notepad++) and use Putty to access the code on the development server. (I’m toying with the idea of using WAMP on the laptop instead, but that’ll come later.)
I know, I could use VMware or VirtualBox. But this machine barely has enough resources to run Ubuntu or Windows 7 alone. I think having even a small virtual machine for just testing would be enough to break its back.
It’s off to work I go…
0Once again, it’s a Monday and I’m off for work. Weekends are too short and I’m not taking advantage of them like I should.
I did make it out to Keeneland yesterday and scouted some spots to take photos from – assuming that these spots are OK with the track officials. There’s two really nice spots that I could get pics of the horses as they round the last turn. Possibly one problem with them though, they are right on the outside rail and not in the main grandstand. So I’m not sure if it’s cool to be there during races. I think during workouts the spots will be fine, but I’ll need to call and find out them during the races.
Fall is here, I know it is. The leaves are changing and yesterday was the best day weather-wise this entire year. I really can’t wait until the snow starts to fly.
Anyway, I’m off for work. Later all.
NEI Intranet v3
0So now that I have my laptop setup for development, I’ve duplicated the NEI Intranet. In looking at the existing code, the changes in PHP and the some of the APIs that I used back in 2005, and the requirements put in front of me for the new version, it has become apparent that a complete rewrite is in order.
The first question on my plate is whether or not I should create a new MySQL database and re-organize things there too. There really isn’t a need to keep any historical information, but I could probably copy the data from the old database into a new one without too much trouble.
I need to think about this for a while before I move forward.
Recent Happenings
0For the past few days, I’ve been trying to get setup to do some serious coding again. I’ve been setting up a virtual development server (thanks to VMware), trying things with NFS, implementing a Subversion version control system, setting this laptop up on Ubuntu and getting used to all of this stuff again.
I find it odd, that almost none of this brought me enjoyment though. Two years ago, when I wrote my company’s Intranet site, I was thrilled to be creating something. But it’s different this time. It feels less like hacking and more like drudgery.
But, there is some good that has come out of this. First, I’ve been using the newest Ubuntu – 11.04, the Natty Narwhal – for my laptop and I have to say, I’m impressed. The “Unity” desktop is growing on me. Overall the installation on the laptop was a breeze – drop the CD, boot and go. Bluetooth, WiFi, Webcam, Sound – everything worked without a fuss. Definitely an improvement over my last experience with a laptop and Ubuntu.
Second, I’ve been able to upgrade and consolidate my entire virtual infrastructure from a mix of various VMware softwares and 5 physical server to VMware ESXi 4.1 on three hosts.
Next, I’ve also been using Ubuntu 10.04 LTS for several new servers along the way. The NFS host for my VMware servers and my development server are just two examples. I like its clean, quick install. I’m a bit confused as to why dash has replaced bash and why the developers have chosen not to install a full vi implementation, but those issues are easily worked around.
Finally, I’ve been learning along the way. Most of this learning focused on the changes that have happened between 2009 and now, but still I’ve learned and used a few more tricks.
WordPress Upload Plugin Needed
16 months ago
I’ve been trying to upload a file to my photography blog and have hit a bump. WordPress, by default, will only allow media files to be uploaded with its default tools. That’s great and all, but what about ZIP files or RAW Camera files or Word docs?
I’ve spent several hours looking for and trying various “uploader” plugins and not one of them do what I want.
What I’m after is a way (either from the dashboard or from the post creation page) to upload a file – of any type, as long as it’s under the PHP file size limits – to my site and then be able to create a link in the post to that file. That’s it. I truly don’t care where it’s stored on the server as long as the link is appropriate. It would be nice if it followed the same file structure guidelines as the media uploader does, but it really doesn’t matter.
Yes, I know I can fall back and use FTP or some other method to get the files on the server (especially since I own and control the server). But it just seems that this should be easier – and built-in.
Why do things have to be so difficult?
UPDATE: Looks like the built-in media uploader of WordPress will in fact let you upload ZIP files. So I guess my problem is solved – I’ll just zip up the files I want to link to and be done with it. Sorry for the rant, and thanks WordPress for including this.
