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Spotlight – namebench
Almost every single time you visit a website you are using DNS. DNS serves a lot of functions, but the most frequent thing most depend on it for is translation of the domain name you type into your browser (such as www.google.com) to an associated IP address, which is where the site really lives. Thanks…
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Fix for Ubuntu 10.04 Server USB Install
A bunch of tricky issues arise when trying to install Ubuntu Server from a USB drive. Also, there exists a bug in the GRUB installer that threatens to muck things up once you work through the issue of even getting Ubuntu Server installed. Today I’ll be describing how to fix all of these issues to…
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Fix for MySQL Community Server 5.5.8 on Snow Leopard
I recently installed MySQL Community Server 5.5.8 on one of my MacBooks. One of the nice things about the DMG version of MySQL for Snow Leopard is that it comes packaged with a prefpane entry. This adds a MySQL pane to native MacOS System Preferences dialog and allows for one-click Starting and Stopping of the…
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Install Ruby on Rails on Ubuntu 10.10
In my post, Install CakePHP on Ubuntu 10.10 and 11.10, we took an in-depth view into installing CakePHP on Ubuntu 10.10. Since then, I’ve received some emails that collectively critiqued my choice of foundational programming language and suggested Ruby on Rails would be more well-received. PHP has historically been a bit of a security nightmare,…
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Install CakePHP on Ubuntu 10.10 and 11.10
CakePHP is a framework that allows for rapid PHP development. I recently installed it on one of my home test servers and there were a few steps specific to an Ubuntu install that were required but that were not clearly outlined in the official documentation. The version of the Apache web server that gets installed…
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Drupal 7 Released
Today Drupal 7 Final was officially released into the wild. Drupal is a content management system (CMS). This basically means that it can be used to get a functional website up and running with a minimal amount of hassle. Not only this, but it handles most of the basic administrative functions you would need to…
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Download the Linux Source Code
It is said that the best way to learn how to program is to read and modify other people’s code. Through an open, relatively uninhibited distribution of code, the open source community inherently promotes this learning method. The C programming language is arguably the most archetypal of programming languages, in the sense that seemingly all…
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Basic Ubuntu Linux: sudo and apt-get
The power of Linux lies in the strength of the terminal’s ability to process complex commands. New users may be a bit intimidated by the Linux terminal, but here are two of the most basic commands you’ll need to know to do anything productive at a Linux terminal.
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The Art and Balancing Act of Flexibility
The programs that run on our computers are dynamic.  Rather quickly, they can be shaped and formed to suit the needs of end users. As long as software bloat/feature creep is kept under control, customization and modification remain two critical ingredients in the evolution of any application.  Who will make these changes, and how easy will…
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Introducing The Smalley Creative Blog
I’ve been doing I.T. consulting work for a long enough time that I feel I have something to contribute to the community or to other would-be consultants/techs. Assuming this blog stays up (yes, that’s right, this blog may not live, because I only build new ideas and see if they take on a life of…