howto

15 Mar 09

Designing a file system layout to improve system performance and safety
Creating volumes for performance
21 more annotations...
- Creating volumes for safety
- Table 1. Common UNIX directories
- /etc, /bin,
  /sbin, /lib, and /dev—should never be placed on separate volumes.
  UNIX relies on the contents of these directories to perform critical tasks,
  including mounting other volumes.
- The following sections describe when it makes the most sense to separate
  file systems for specific purposes.
- performance can refer to system speed, efficient use of storage space,
  or other factors.
- Some file systems are much faster than others, but performance varies
  from task to task.
- File systems vary in how efficiently they use space. Both overall file system
  overhead and efficiency issues relating to individual file storage can play
  a role here.
- If possible,
  you should use journaling file systems exclusively.
- If the disks vary in size or speed, you can
  place volumes to take best advantage of the disks' characteristics, such
  as putting seldom-accessed data on a slower physical disk.
- Do you have directories that store lots of small files?
  Do you have directories that store lots of large sequential-access files, such as
  MPEG video files? Are some of your files, such as databases, accessed frequently
  and in time-critical ways? Can you isolate seldom-used files for storage on slower
  physical disks?
- file system safety can go two ways: You can protect your file systems from
  broader system problems, and you can protect your computer as a whole
  from problems that the file system causes.
- If an operating system bug, bad disk sector, or even certain superuser
  errors cause corruption to a file system, using multiple volumes
  can limit that damage to just one volume.
- If you split your volumes up such that directories that don't need to be
  written very often are on their own volumes, then you can mount
  those volumes read only, thus limiting the risk of accidental damage to
  their files.
- In extreme cases, you can unmount a volume to block access to it.
- If an individual file (or set of files) grows too large, it can destabilize
  the entire computer. Using volumes can minimize this risk. If you
  set aside a /home volume for user files, for instance, and it fills up,
  the computer's ability to write its log files will be unaffected.
- Typically, separating user files from the rest of the system provides the most
  important advantages. You may have system-specific reasons to split off one or
  more additional volumes
- The greatest advantage of network volumes is that they enable easy access to the same
  files from multiple computers.
- Using the information just presented, you can begin planning how to partition a
  new UNIX installation or how to rework an existing installation. (Reconfiguring
  an existing system is likely to be tedious, because it requires backing up and
  restoring data, transferring data to a new physical disk, or using tools to
  dynamically adjust volumes or partitions in place.)
- I recommend that you
  determine where your important data reside and whether particular directories
  might benefit from the features of specific file systems or from isolation from
  the rest of the system. Do you have directories with many very large or small
  files that might benefit from particular low-level file systems? Do you have
  sensitive data that might benefit from file systems with extra security features?
  Do you have directories that should be protected from disk-full errors that might
  occur because of files stored in other directories? In any of these cases, consider
  splitting the directories into separate partitions.
- Most commonly, users' home directories (in /home or /users) and the /usr directory
  are separated into their own volumes. Other frequently isolated directories include
  /boot, /tmp, /var or some of its subdirectories, /usr/local, and /opt.
- Don't go overboard creating volumes, though, especially if you use partitions rather
  than logical volumes. If you create too many, chances are you'll make one or
  more much too small or too large for your needs, which will require either
  resizing the volumes or creating symbolic links to store data on a volume other
  than the intended one.

06 Feb 09

Ten Web Development Tips I Wish I'd Known Two Years Ago

www.hackification.com/...-i-wish-id-known-two-years-ago - Preview

howto tips help web webdesign development

Ten Web Development Tips I Wish I’d Known Two Years Ago
1. Use a Reset Stylesheet
16 more annotations...
- Here’s a few examples:
  
  Eric Meyer
  Yahoo!
  Crucial
- 2. Use a Browser Development Plug-In
- Firebug - plug-in for Firefox. This is an absolutely fantastic and invaluable tool for web development.
  Yahoo!’s YSlow - plug-in for the Firebug plug-in. Analyzes web pages and tells you why they’re slow.
- 3. Learn JavaScript
- 4. Pick a JavaScript Framework, and Learn It
- Here’s a few links to some major frameworks:
  
  jQuery
  MooTools
  Prototype
  YUI
  script.aculo.us
- 5. Learn Photoshop
- 6. Use Semantic HTML - And No Cutting Corners
- 7. Find Out Why It Doesn’t Work - Don’t Shotgun-Debug
- 9. Don’t Be Afraid of AJAX
- Your Thoughts?
- IMHO, Inkscape or Fireworks are much better options when its up to web design.
- the advice here doesn’t seem to me to be how to make websites in ways that make you happy, it’s how to do commercially viable web development. And in that case, unfortunately perhaps, I believe you have to use industry standards. Like it or not Photoshop is the industry standard for graphic design, be it for a photo project, a web page, or any of the multitude of other computer based design projects it’s suitable for.
  
  I’m not saying that you can’t use Gimp for your own projects or quick and dirty ones. It’s a good idea to have skills in multiple programs. But what happens if a customer has existing PSD originals, or 6 months later decides they want to buy the originals from you. Yes Gimp can import and export PSD’s but it’s not a flawless conversion and it most certainly doesn’t have the version compatibility that an original Adobe file would have.
- 14. Stop integrating CSS hacks. Build separate CSS pages for the browsers and use conditional loading. This is much easier for testing and subsequent maintenance. And it’s better organized. All your IE6 styles in one place.
- I would also like to add broken link checker http://validator.w3.org/checklink and http://www.dead-links.com/
- What goes for JS also goes for the server-side.
  
  Learn and use a framework rather than re-inventing the wheel for common tasks like database connections, sending emails accessing webservices etc..
  
  There are numerous and they are usually free, e.g.
  
  Zend Framework
  
  Symphony
  
  CakePHP
  
  CodeIgniter
  
  Ruby on Rails

How Securom Damages Your PC

reclaimyourgame.com/index.php - Preview

games gaming security securom rootkit howto copyright drm

How Securom Damages Your PC

FilePermissions - Community Ubuntu Documentation

help.ubuntu.com/...FilePermissions - Preview

ubuntu linux file permissions security howto

To change permission of only files under a specified directory.

user@host:/home/user$ sudo find /path/to/someDirectory -type f -print0 | xargs -0 sudo chmod 644

To change permission of only directories under a specified directory (including that directory):

user@host:/home/user$ sudo find /path/to/someDirectory -type d -print0 | xargs -0 sudo chmod 755

How to fstab - Ubuntu Forums

ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php - Preview

ubuntu linux fstab howto help mount

To mount an iso image (*.iso NOT CD/DVD device): 
Code:

sudo mount -t iso9660 -o ro,loop=/dev/loop0 <ISO_File> <Mount_Point>

The PPA Index - Ubuntu Forums

ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php - Preview

ubuntu repository howto list ppa launchpad

The PPA Index

Howto Fix window titlebar drawing problems with NVIDIA gfx using 180.08 beta driver in Intrepid -- Ubuntu Geek

www.ubuntugeek.com/8-beta-driver-in-intrepid.html - Preview

ubuntu linux gpu driver nvidia beta howto titlebar

Howto Fix window titlebar drawing problems with NVIDIA gfx using 180.08 beta driver in Intrepid

DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.

distrowatch.com/weekly.php - Preview

linux ubunto howto performance barebones fresh install clean

we're going to look at performing a custom install using Ubuntu 8.10 "Intrepid Ibex". By default Ubuntu installs the GNOME desktop environment with lots of extra services and packages which help make it a very friendly distro, but which also help to use up your precious resources. We're going to start from scratch by installing a very basic Ubuntu system and build it up with the desktop and applications we want. Another benefit of this method is that you will get the latest versions of all applications at install time, rather than installing and then performing an update at a later stage.

Grokking the GIMP - Learning Advanced Image Editing Techniques

gimp-savvy.com/index.html - Preview

gimp image editing howto list resource

Grokking the GIMP

LinuxPlanet - Reports - Tech Writing Tips From the LinuxPlanet Pros - LinuxPlanet Gurus Share Writing Tips

www.linuxplanet.com/...1 - Preview

linux write writing howto tips help list

Tech Writing Tips From the LinuxPlanet Pros

LinuxPlanet Gurus Share Writing Tips

Profiling the Power Usage of a Desktop PC [LWN.net]

lwn.net/311670 - Preview

power supply psu howto desktop pc computers hardware

Profiling the Power Usage of a Desktop PC

Installing Yellow Dog Linux 6.1 on PS3 - Step-by-step installation tutorial with screenshots! - Softpedia

news.softpedia.com/...-Linux-6-1-on-PS3-100880.shtml - Preview

ps3 playstation yellow dog linux howto screenshots

Installing Yellow Dog Linux 6.1 on PS3

Buying a digital SLR: Guides: Learn: Digital Photography Review

www.dpreview.com/learn - Preview

photography camera howto dslr slr guide dpreview

Learn : Guides : Buying a digital SLR
21 more annotations...
- when you start to push the boundaries a bit more; shooting in low light, attempting to capture fast moving sports action or wildlife, or when you want to experiment with shallow depth of field (to add a soft background to a portrait for example), the advantage of a digital SLR's larger sensor and higher sensitivity start to make a big difference.
- Many entry-level DSLRs offer a range of 'point and shoot' subject / scene modes, whereas more 'professional' models don't (though all have a basic 'auto' program mode).
- Sensor size
- virtually all DSLR sensors fit into one of three size categories (starting with the largest); Full Frame, APS-C and Four-Thirds.
- the 'crop factor'. As the diagram below shows, as the sensor gets smaller it captures a smaller area of the scene, resulting in a photograph that looks like it was taken at a longer focal length (1.5x or 1.6x longer for APS-C, 2x for Four-Thirds).
- if you're building a DSLR system from scratch you needn't get too hung up on which is right for you.
- The larger sensor also means that - all other things being equal - full frame cameras will produce the best results in very low light and at higher sensitivities. On the downside, full frame cameras are big and expensive, and there is only a handful of models to choose from. You also lose the focal length 'boost' offered by smaller sensor cameras when shooting with telephotos.
- APS-C is by far the most common format, used in virtually all Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony DLSR models. With a crop factor of 1.5x or 1.6x you need special digital lenses to get true wideangle results, but these are readily available and are usually less expensive than their 'full frame' counterparts.
- Four Thirds is a new 'all digital' format developed by Olympus and currently used in Olympus and Panasonic DSLR models.
- Anti shake systems
- sensor IS is built in to the camera, so offers its benefits to every lens you buy. Lens IS has the advantage of stabilizing the view through the viewfinder as well as reducing blur in the final picture, but if you intend to buy several lenses it can end up being more expensive as stabilized lenses cost more than their non-stabilized equivalents.
- Sony, Pentax and Olympus offer in-body sensor stabilization, whereas Canon, Panasonic and Nikon offer stabilized lenses
- Speed
- even entry-level models focus and shoot faster than any compact. As you move up the range to more expensive models focus speed will increase slightly, but the real difference is continuous shooting frame rate, something of vital importance to sports and wildlife photographers.
- Most entry level DSLRs offer a continuous shooting rate of around 2.5 or 3 frames per second; plenty enough
- To compare frame rates and other aspects of SLR performance for any model you're interested in check out the reviews here.
- Size, weight and durability
- Screens and live view
- One of the defining features of an SLR camera is that you frame the picture by looking through the same lens that takes the picture (by looking through the viewfinder). And many users moving from a compact to a DSLR in the past few years have been surprised to discover that you can't use the color screen on the back of the camera to frame the pictures in the same way you can with a compact. That's all changing as more and more models offer a 'Live View' option that does just that.
- Live view isn't without its drawbacks; in most cases it slows down the picture taking process

Useless Ninjas - Howto build your own mac for under 240$

www.uselessninjas.com/...msiwindosx - Preview

howto mac macos os build pc computers

How to roll your own Mac for under 240$

10 Hot Photography Tips and Tutorials from 2008

digital-photography-school.com/...y-tips-and-tutorials-from-2008 - Preview

photography resource howto tips list tutorials 2008

10 Hot Photography Tips and Tutorials from 2008

How to Reduce Camera Shake - 6 Techniques

digital-photography-school.com/...how-to-avoid-camera-shake - Preview

photography howto shake IS image stabilization tips help

How to Reduce Camera Shake - 6 Techniques
1. Elbows In
7 more annotations...
- 2. Raise Your Left Shoulder….
- 3. Create a Tripod With Your Knee
- 4. Lay Down
- 5. The Machine Gun Hold
- 6. Cradle It
- feet should be shoulder width apart