Didn't know the first thing about Linux shell scripting when I sat down this evening; now at midnight I have a script that prompts for a new domain name to host and a user account to assign it to, then creates all the necessary directories and links, adds the right lines to the webserver configuration and tests it, then suggests that you restart Apache (I did try to have it parse the config test output and do the restart on its own, but if you restart Apache while the configuration files are bad it just kills it, so I didn't trust it that much).
Yes, I know there are things out there that will do it much better, but I've got to start somewhere. A very productive and educational evening all told.
Next week I'll do the same for mailboxes and whatever else it is I use this computer for.
Yes, I know there are things out there that will do it much better, but I've got to start somewhere. A very productive and educational evening all told.
Next week I'll do the same for mailboxes and whatever else it is I use this computer for.
Just got accosted by someone in the supermarket trying to save me money on my telephone line rental. Thing is, he would have but I didn't want to agree anything without checking the terms of my broadband which strictly speaking is in a deal including my phone calls (not that I make any on the landline, but that didn't seem to bother them).
Except that the explanation I attempted to give didn't come out quite so coherent, because my estimate of how much the salesman would know seemed to be several ball-parks too large. Partway through the full explanation of what I was actually concerned about, he pointed out that it's his first day, although even when his colleague joined in I was clearly talking straight over their heads. I finally tied it up by admitting that they would save me money but that I was concerned it might invalidate my broadband deal (like Tiscali would even notice...), and they decided not to provoke any further technobabble.
Finally, I attempted to reassure the new guy that he wasn't often going to meet people as troublesome as me, because I'm industry. Unfortunately I accidentally gave that line with --verbose and turned an apologetic 'I'm not a regular customer; don't worry' into 'I'm an arrogant arsehole with a pretentious job title who is determined to boast about how much more than you he knows.'
Oops.
Except that the explanation I attempted to give didn't come out quite so coherent, because my estimate of how much the salesman would know seemed to be several ball-parks too large. Partway through the full explanation of what I was actually concerned about, he pointed out that it's his first day, although even when his colleague joined in I was clearly talking straight over their heads. I finally tied it up by admitting that they would save me money but that I was concerned it might invalidate my broadband deal (like Tiscali would even notice...), and they decided not to provoke any further technobabble.
Finally, I attempted to reassure the new guy that he wasn't often going to meet people as troublesome as me, because I'm industry. Unfortunately I accidentally gave that line with --verbose and turned an apologetic 'I'm not a regular customer; don't worry' into 'I'm an arrogant arsehole with a pretentious job title who is determined to boast about how much more than you he knows.'
Oops.
I'm currently building and testing a mo'blogging solution for the site. Mainly it's just an excuse to play with technology - a pastime which I do so love - and it will probably disappear after a while, once I'm bored of failing to find interesting things to take photos of. But while I'm working on it, expect disruption, and things that don't quite work as they probably should ;-)
Mainly I'm reminded that my phone is getting old. Perhaps the next one will have a better camera.
Mainly I'm reminded that my phone is getting old. Perhaps the next one will have a better camera.
By popular demand (a whole one person shouted at me to get me to post), here's the meme response that I was trying to lose in my drafts.
Gordon has been on some kind of music meme rampage lately (if you can call two in succession a 'rampage'), and Matt has been hassling me to retract my claim that I wouldn't post this.
Gordon has been on some kind of music meme rampage lately (if you can call two in succession a 'rampage'), and Matt has been hassling me to retract my claim that I wouldn't post this.
Got Half-Life 2 yesterday; a couple of friends have a modding project in mind, and I'm hoping that I can find a skill to hone to be of some use to them. So far it looks a lot like the original Half-Life did: source code for the whole executable (in essence), in C++ (come back UTScript, all is forgiven), a map editor that would be a brilliant tool if only I could design them in the first place, ditto for the conversation editor, and so on.
Anyone got any tips or anything? Want to point me to anything that Google may not suggest?
Anyone got any tips or anything? Want to point me to anything that Google may not suggest?
One of the music memes (via Gordon and Matt) lies unfinished in my drafts, and will probably remain there. The other I started a mental 2-day timer for, and having now reached T-minus 3 days, don't really think I'll manage. I'll just have to find something interesting to say on my own.
Don't hold your breath.
Don't hold your breath.
I've just managed to persuade my web server to respond properly to HTTPS requests. I realise you lot probably don't care, but I'm pretty pleased.
Now to work out how to refuse connections to virtual hosts that don't exist, rather than just picking the first host it can find and serving that...
Now to work out how to refuse connections to virtual hosts that don't exist, rather than just picking the first host it can find and serving that...
Crazy, I know, but while I was ambling around the M25 on Friday evening, I was struck by an epiphany. In a number of ways, playing World of Warcraft is a lot like taking a lengthy journey in my car.
Courtesy of one of my friends over at Worlds Away, take a look at these links. First a Penny Arcade comic slamming Sony Online Entertainment, then a response from SOE's President. Brilliant stuff.
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