How to fix LinkEX and .htaccess conflicts
Last month I discussed using 301 redirects to avoid duplicate content and now I’d like to expand on that topic with something I just learned this morning. On a few of my sites, I’m using a script named LinkEX to trade text links with other sites. It seems that there is a conflict when using the 301 redirect method mentioned above with LinkEX. When I would try to login, the username/password fields would just reset. I knew the password was correct because it had been saved within Firefox. When I tried to use the password reset too, that field would just reset too.
After talking to the script creator for awhile, we figured out that this issue was caused by my .htaccess file and he provided me with a much better method of using the 301 redirects.
This was my old method:
RewriteEngine on
Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^.*/index\.html
RewriteRule ^(.*)index.html$ http://www.bfxmedia.com/$1 [R=301]
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^.*/index\.htm
RewriteRule ^(.*)index.htm$ http://www.bfxmedia.com/$1 [R=301]
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^.*/index\.php
RewriteRule ^(.*)index.php$ http://www.bfxmedia.com/$1 [R=301]
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^.*/index\.shtml
RewriteRule ^(.*)index.shtml$ http://www.bfxmedia.com/$1 [R=301]
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^.*/index\.asp
RewriteRule ^(.*)index.asp$ http://www.bfxmedia.com/$1 [R=301]
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^.*/index\.aspx
RewriteRule ^(.*)index.aspx$ http://www.bfxmedia.com/$1 [R=301]
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^.*/index\.cfm
RewriteRule ^(.*)index.cfm$ http://www.bfxmedia.com/$1 [R=301]
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^.*/index\.pl
RewriteRule ^(.*)index.pl$ http://www.bfxmedia.com/$1 [R=301]
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^.*/default\.asp
RewriteRule ^(.*)default.asp$ http://www.bfxmedia.com/$1 [R=301]
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^.*/default\.htm
RewriteRule ^(.*)default.htm$ http://www.bfxmedia.com/$1 [R=301] |
Once we figured out the issue, he provided me with this:
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} !/links/ [NC]
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^.*/(index|default)\.(s?html?|php|aspx?|cfm|pl)
RewriteRule ^(.*)(index|default)\.(s?html?|php|aspx?|cfm|pl)$ http://www.bfxmedia.com/$1 [R=301,L] |
He added the RewriteCond with the “links” directory and he condensed the line with all the file extensions down to one line. Now, I’ve got to change all my .htaccess files to this new streamlined version.
If you’re looking for a good (free) link trade script, you need to get LinkEX.
How to quickly repair a bent CPU pin
I recently picked up the October 2008 issue of Computer Shopper for some plane ride reading. It included a “Special PC-Builder’s Handbook” section. This section had 75 quick tips for building computers. One of the tips that I really found interesting was that of fixing a bent CPU pin with a mechanical pencil tip.
Instead, obtain a mechanical (or drafter’s) pencil. It should have a tiny metal tube for a tip, through which it admits the pencil lead. Remove the lead and, in most cases, the empty tube tip will be the perfect size to fit over a bent pin, allowing you to straighten it with precision. This trick also works for bent pins on motherboard headers, or hard-drive or optical-drive edge connectors.
Aeronet Bandwidth Speed Test
I Stumbled on this site today: Aeronet Bandwidth Speed Test
I was wireless at work for the results above. How do your results compare?
Google Chrome (BETA) for Windows
According to the Official Google Blog, Google has launched their new web browser to the public. You can read the original post here. It seems that Google has also created a 39 page “comic” that goes with the release. I started to read through it, but it lost my attention… look, something shiny… Anyways, you can view the comic here. If it’s more convenient for you, I’ve saved all the images used in the comic and zipped them up for my readers. You can download that here.
I tested it out today to see if I liked it, but only for a few minutes. It’s weird looking at first, but it seems pretty fast. I opened a few of my pages just to see if they rendered differently and for the most part, they were fine. As a web designer, all I need is another browser that I have to design my pages for. I’m hoping that Chrome renders code the way it should (like Firefox). Just out of curiosity, I also checked the memory usage and needless to say, it was a lot less than my current Firefox session (6,656K compared to that of Firefox using 162,340K).
Here’s a screenshot of this site using Google Chrome:
I would have to say that I’m not switching anytime soon, but it will be interesting to keep up on this and see Google’s progress as they come out with new releases. It will also be interesting to see how the general user responds to the release of Chrome.
Useful Links:
Download Google Chrome
Official Google Blog post about Chrome
Comic Book explaining Chrome
Download the Comic Book images
The Mojave Experiment
Last night, as I was watching a movie, there was an interesting commercial about Windows Vista. They disguised Windows Vista as a new operating system, which was called “Mojave”. The goal was to take XP users and get their opinions on Vista, without them knowing that it was Vista. Does this mean that Vista has a bad reputation? Why else would they need to hide the identity of the OS?
At the end they gave a website address if you wanted more information. Needless to say, I got up and had to check it out. I was immediately greeted by a message saying: “This website has been updated to run on the very latest version of the Microsoft® Silverlight™ (Beta 2) plug-in.”. However I was able to view the Non-Silverlight version by clicking here.
Upon entering the website, I was greeted by a video and the following introduction:
The “Mojave Experiment”
What do people think of Windows Vista when they don’t know it’s Windows Vista? To find out, we disguised it as “the next Microsoft Operating System” codenamed, “Mojave” so regular people who’ve never used Windows Vista could see what it can do – and decide for themselves.
Primary Results (What’s the “Mojave Project”?)
94% of respondents rated the “new OS” codenamed Windows “Mojave” higher than they initially rated Windows Vista before the demo.
0% of the respondents rated the “new OS” codenamed Windows “Mojave” lower than they initially rated Windows Vista before the demo.
Of the 140 respondents polled (on a scale of 1-10 where 10 was the highest rating):
- The average pre-demo score for Windows Vista was 4.4
- The average post-demo score for the “new OS” codenamed Windows “Mojave” was 8.5
Many respondents said they would have rated the “new OS” code-named Windows “Mojave” higher, but wanted more time to play with it themselves.
You can read more about it and watch all the hidden video on the website:
The Mojave Experiment
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