[KLUG Members] KLUG Meeting Notes for 04/29/2003
magoo
members@kalamazoolinux.org
29 Apr 2003 22:59:59 -0400
KLUG Meeting Notes: Tuesday - April 29, 2003 7:00PM
I. PRESENTATION RECAP
II. NEXT WEEK'S MEETING INFO <=== INSTALL/BEGINNER'S NIGHT!!!
III. KLUG MAILING LISTS
IV. KLUG & LINUX NEWS FLASHES
V. KLUG CONTACT & MEETING INFO
Tonight's Meeting Moderator: KLUG Chairperson Todd Pillars
I. PRESENTATION RECAP
THIS WEEK'S KLUG PRESENTATION: (28 active KLUG participants)
*****************************************************************
Script-O-Mania: What's New With PHP
by Bill Hollett
The first thing that attracts many people to PHP is its ability
to handle data from the web. GET and POST variables are today's
duct tape and bailing wire that can fix almost anything. Tie
those with a database back end and the thing runs amazingly
well. But, several issues came up that necessitated a change
in the way PHP handles variables. Have you heard of PHP
"superglobals" yet? If you're using a newer version of PHP
you may be tempted to just "turn them back on." Don't. Or,
at least, Don't Yet. We'll be talking about what PHP does,
what issues came up, how PHP decided to handle them and how
you can handle them too. Then you can turn superglobals on
selectively when you need them, and keep on cooking with PHP.
What began as Personal Home Page has become PHP Hypertext
Preprocessor PHP Home: http://www.php.net/
PHP is an HTML-embedded scripting language. Much of its syntax
is borrowed from C, Java and Perl with a couple of unique
PHP-specific features thrown in. The goal of the language is
to allow web developers to write dynamically generated pages
quickly.
PRESENTATION SUMMARY:
**********************
The visuals used in Bill's presentation can be found at:
http://billtron.com/klug/php.php
Two weeks in a row, Bill treated KLUGites to great information!
KLUG had a PHP expert "in the house" tonight. He even used PHP
to display his presentation outline. This was a "What's New"
discussion that built on Bill's previous KLUG presentation on
PHP that was given in March of 2002! You can find information
about that on the KLUG Past Presentations page on the web site.
He even has the examples of his PHP code posted there for your
review. We heard a great deal about the new techniques that
PHP coders use to make their pages more secure from hackers
and idiots! The presentation closed with a Q & A period that
was rather silent. I think Bill had overwhelmed the KLUGites
with high level technique and left them somewhat speechless.
PHP is the most popular, productive, and easy way to produce
professional web pages with exciting possibilities. You could
certainly feel Bill's enjoyment of PHP as a tool for his work.
Bill's outline contained the following information and more:
==============================================================
PHP - Defined Server side scripting... NOT PERL :-)
How does the web work?
How does HTML work on a browser?
How does PHP work?
HTML with embedded PHP tags.
PHP variables (Examples - arrays and multi-dimensional arrays)
Learning PHP (tutorials, books, and http://news.php.net)
PHP and other scripting languages.
The "Cool Factor" of PHP and the large base that creates.
http://www.phpclasses.org (public PHP code repository)
Getting information from the client.
"Get" and "Post" data commands!
"Get" explained with examples.
"Post" explained with examples.
[This ended the review session]
----------------------------------------------------------------
[This began the PHP information update]
Gotchas with "Get" and "Post" variables
Gotchas with external files...
Included files - How to avoid hackers and idiots!
Uploaded files - What a hacker COULD do!
The updated PHP answer: Superglobals
The default PHP setting is now register_globals = off
PHP solutions: Part A = Good coding
Part B = Know source of variables
Common problems with superglobals turned off.
Solutions to PHP coding using these features selectively:
Bill listed several solution tips (not present - you missed them)
Globals and superglobals are what are new in PHP coding.
We saw examples of how you can safely do many tasks using these.
How popular is PHP?
In January 1999 there were no web sites or IP's using PHP!
In March 2003 - 12,000,000 domains used PHP on their web sites
1,500,000 internet providers used PHP
Check out the nice graphic that relates this incredible growth!
Questions & Answers!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bill's previous PHP presentation:
2002-03-12 Bill Hollett Development with PHP
http://kalamazoolinux.org/presentations/history.php?year=2002#MEETING43
PHP Coding Examples: ftp://kalamazoolinux.org/pub/php/
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bill Hollett is the owner of Billtron Services, an independent
contracting entity specializing in web site development, web
programming, and information interchange via the web.
http://billtron.com bill@billtron.com
II. NEXT KLUG MEETING - TUESDAY 05/06/2003
******************************************************************
Linux for Beginners
by Todd Pillars
THE BEGINNER'S MEETINGS ARE HELD the first Tuesday of each
month. Linux basics and distribution installs are the
lessons of these evenings. If you do want KLUG's FREE help
installing Linux on your computer at one of these meetings,
http://kalamazoolinux.org/meetings/installform.html
Contact the KLUG Installmasters for more information:
installmaster@kalamazoolinux.org
- and -
ORDER YOUR SOFTWARE HERE: http://kalamazoolinux.org/bsware
Now is the time to get started! Linux is becoming a mainstay
of free software, free choice, dependability and power.
===============================================================
THE STANDARD KLUG BEGINNER'S PRESENTATION - LINUX BOOT CAMP!!!
http://kalamazoolinux.org/presentations/beginner01.html
===============================================================
There may be another introductory demonstration of Gnome and
KDE by Stu Gillis and Brian Ritz. BATTLE OF THE DESKTOPS???
Note:
As Linux matures as an OS, the educational needs are evolving.
The Beginner's Meeting format is changing with those needs.
It is difficult to cover all the basics in one meeting. Linux
is not just for CS experts and IT professionals. The "BASICS"
meetings are intended for those with limited experience with
Operating System's or even Personal Computer's. Your comments
and questions are welcomed!
Todd Pillars is the Chairperson of KLUG! His first PC
was a 1981 TRS-80 Model 3 2.03Mhz, 16K ram, 5 1/4 floppy
running TRS-DOS and QBASIC. In 1997 he started running
a web development company that hosted web sites with Red
Hat 5.2. He was named the Executive Director of Southwest
Michigan Information Technology Institute in 2003. SMITI
provides education and alternatives to proprietary OS's and
software. They supply technology to small startup companies.
He has memberships in KLUG, Chamber of Commerce, and GLIMA.
Admittedly a HUGE Detroit Red Wings fan who loves NASCAR too.
III. K L U G M A I L I N G L I S T S -
*************************************************************
Diversified mailing lists can be found on the KLUG web site.
http://kalamazoolinux.org/listserv/
Facilitated by - John Bridleman listmaster@kalamazoolinux.org
Sign up and participate to serve the Open Source community!!!
IV. K L U G & L I N U X N E W S F L A S H E S ! ! !
=====================================================================
LOOK OUT, HERE COMES RED HAT
Red Hat Inc., a software company whose profits come from programs
available free on the Internet, has convinced some investors it
can thrive against Microsoft Corp., a competitor with more than
350 times its sales. Since October, seven money managers have
each bought more than half a million shares of Red Hat, the
largest distributor of the Linux computer operating system.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/118723_redhat23.html
=====================================================================
RED HAT APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS
Red Hat, Inc. the world's premier open source and Linux provider,
today announced the appointment Alex Pinchev to their executive
team as President, International Operations. Pinchev will be
responsible for the sales and service delivery for all Red Hat
offerings outside of North America and will work to strengthen
global reach into the enterprise marketplace.
http://www.redhat.com/about/presscenter/2003/press_pinchev.html
=====================================================================
MICROSOFT'S BALLMER: NO LOST SLEEP OVER LINUX [M$ BS ALERT]
"Linux itself is a clone of an operating system that is 20-plus
years old. That's what it is. That is what you can get today, a
clone of a 20-year-old system. I'm not saying that it doesn't
have some place for some customers, but that is not an
innovative proposition..."
http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2003042501526INMSSV
=====================================================================
RED HAT CTO REMAINS UPBEAT IN A DOWNBEAT INDUSTRY
"Michael Tiemann, chief technical officer of Red Hat, used the
2003 Wharton Technology Conference as a chance to crow. In his
keynote speech, he boasted that Red Hat is the 'first successful,
publicly traded open-source company.'
http://linuxtoday.com/it_management/2003042500926OSBZRH
=====================================================================
HACK HEAVEN FOR LINUX DWEEBS, NERDS, AND GEEKS! :-)
Hacking is "an appropriate application of ingenuity. . . .
Whether the result is a quick-and-dirty patchwork job or
a carefully crafted work of art, you have to admire the
cleverness that went into it." –Eric S. Raymond
http://hacks.oreilly.com
=====================================================================
CODEWEAVERS DELIVERS OFFICE XP SUPPORT
CodeWeavers on Thursday rolled out the latest version of
CrossOver Office, which allows desktop users to run Microsoft's
Office XP along with Adobe's Photoshop 7 under Linux.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/04/24/
HNcodeweavers_1.html?applications
=====================================================================
MICROSOFT LIMITS SUPPORT FOR OFFICE ON LINUX
Users can now run Office XP on Linux, but if they have problems
they will get little sympathy from Microsoft technical support.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2133812,00.html
=====================================================================
WHY DO PEOPLE WRITE OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE? [From TAZ]
"Two interesting articles try to answer this question. One's at
NewsForge, the other's at Cybernaut.com. The two writers reach
conclusions that are almost exactly opposite. Which one is right?
Or is it possible that different open source coders have different
motivations? (That's what I think, anyway.)" I suspect as well
that each developer has their own reason, ranging from ego to
malcontent to benevolence.
http://slashdot.org/articles/03/04/26/1417247.shtml?tid=
=====================================================================
INTERVIEW WITH MIGUEL DE ICAZA
Talking with the GNOME creator about its origins and purpose.
Miguel De Icaza is the creator of the GNOME desktop environment.
Aleksey Dolya interviews Miguel about the process of creating
GNOME and what he's up to these days.
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6833&mode=thread&order=0
=====================================================================
IS APACHE V2.X READY FOR GENERAL USE? [From TAZ]
"In this article we see apache 2.0.45 has been released. However,
I'm still on the 1.x train, which is still going strong. As someone
who hasn't used 2.x, and hasn't followed the development is it
ready for the masses or should I stick with 1.x and be happy?
Are mod_perl and ssl (my two requirements) stable? What about
all the other things (php et all)?
http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/25/2338210
&mode=thread&tid=148
=====================================================================
OPTIMIZING KDE V3.1.X
"This article goes into detail on optimizing KDE for speed.
Typically, most distributions include pre-compiled binaries
of KDE which are optimized for an Intel i386 computer.
Chances are that you're running something faster than this;
if so, this should help you tweak the compile process to
speed things up a bit."
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/23/
2227240&mode=thread&tid=189&tid=121
=====================================================================
LINUX QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Linux will go mainstream in the data center in 2003. Why?
Because the open-source operating system delivers Unix
reliability at Intel prices and has strong support from
vendors like Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Oracle and SAP. But
executives still wonder about the right Linux strategy.
http://newsvac.newsforge.com/newsvac/03/04/25/2340257.shtml?tid=23
=====================================================================
LINUX AND THE KNOWLEDGE WORKER [From TAZ]
This article is intended to hopefully give insight into the
state of desktop Linux as it pertains to the business market.
One of the oft-stated goals of Linux developers is adoption by
businesses for both server and desktop for technical and
non-technical staff alike. I took it upon myself to use Linux
daily for my job (most staff uses Windows 98 or XP) for a
variety of reasons. In this (and future) article(s) I would
like to share my experiences using Linux in an otherwise
homogeneous Microsoft environment.
http://newsvac.newsforge.com/newsvac/03/04/26/1917256.shtml?tid=23
=====================================================================
LINUX IS READY FOR SOME DESKTOPS, NOT OTHERS
A recent post on Linux.com and NewsForge.com, stating that
Linux is, in fact, ready for the desktop has resulted in quite
a stir. At the moment, nearly 300 comments (and counter-comments)
have been made. Many of these make good points, but most are
plagued with a narrow view. I think the question is not so much
if Linux is ready for the desktop, rather we should think about
what you want your desktop computer to do.
http://newsforge.com/newsforge/03/04/17/159208.shtml?tid=23
=====================================================================
OPERATING SYSTEM BATTLING NON-BELIEVERS [From Steve Humiston]
Linux is rapidly graduating from a small cult to a mainstream
religious movement. Its converts are multiplying rapidly, many
as self-anointed evangelists preaching the gospel of open-source
software that was created by Linus Torvalds of Finland in 1991.
For the true believers, Linux offers a heaven on Earth with
obvious benefits: low cost, stability, a terrific record against
viruses and an ability to run on cheaper hardware. And, like all
religions, Linux has one big mystery at the core: Why don't more
corporate customers switch over?
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/ArticleNews/gtnews/
TGAM/20030424/TWKAPI
=====================================================================
EFF'S CINDY COHN TALKS ABOUT PATRIOT ACT II
"Techfocus.org has an interview with EFF's Legal Director Cindy
Cohn, where she talks about the Domestic Security Enhancement
Act, or 'Patriot Act II'. She talks about what the act is, how
it might infringe on your freedoms, where it does right and how
ordinary people can make a difference."
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/25/1326200
&mode=thread&tid=158&tid=103
=====================================================================
LGP ANNOUNCES MAJESTY IS COMPLETE
"Linux Game Publishing have just received their first stock of
Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim. This is the first game ported
completely by LGP. Kudos to the lead developer, Mike Phillips,
for much hard work to get us all a great game!"
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/25/131244
&mode=thread&tid=127&tid=163
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/118723_redhat23.html
=====================================================================
LINUS ON DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT (DRM)
Linus Torvalds weighed in on the DRM debate on the linux-kernel
mailing list last night.
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/24/1312231
&mode=thread&tid=106
=====================================================================
CABLE BEATS DSL FOR AVERAGE SPEED [From TAZ]
"CNET article here says cable modems are 50 percent faster on
average than DSL connections which I think most have suspected.
There are some connection rates that i found interesting like
Cablevision reportedly having the fastest connections, averaging
800kbps, or 13kbps above the industry average. Mentions other
cable company speeds. TimeWarner cable was not tested."
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/24/0344207
&mode=thread&tid=95
=====================================================================
LINUX JUST WORKS
I now run Red Hat Linux 9 and Gnome pretty much exclusively, and
my WindowsXP partition is gone.
http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=3355
=====================================================================
BOB LEWIS LEAVES INFOWORLD AFTER SIX YEARS
Parting thoughts! Linux? Thumbs up. Microsoft? Jury's still out.
Bob's conclusions on these and other controversies to mull over
in days to come. More than six years and 300 columns later, it
appears he has run out of space before running out of strongly
held opinions. InfoWorld is changing direction.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/04/18/16survguide_1.html
=====================================================================
BP MAKES SEISMIC INVESTMENT IN LINUX
Oil giant BP is building a high performance cluster (HPC) of over
1,000 Intel Itanium 2 systems running Linux to improve oil and
gas exploration with seismic imaging.
http://www.infomaticsonline.co.uk/News/1140457
=====================================================================
ALPHA VERSION OF REALONE PLAYER AVAILABLE FOR LINUX
An alpha version of the RealOne Player for Linux is now available.
http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2003042401226NWDTSW
=====================================================================
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I T I S P A R T Y T I M E ! ! !
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
KLUG 4TH OF JULY P A R T Y IS POSTED ON THE WEB SITE - RSVP ASAP!
Go to the KLUG web site for the details and to sign up if you are
planning on attending the KLUG 4TH of July party this year. PARTY!!!
THE DETAILS
http://kalamazoolinux.org/party/p-details.php
RSVP
http://kalamazoolinux.org/party/rsvp.php
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
=====================================================================
[ *** N O T E D A T E C O R R E C T I O N *** ]
BUSINESS EXPO IS PLANNED FOR THURSDAY MAY 22ND AT THE RADISSON HOTEL.
The Kalamazoo Chamber of Commerce will be holding another business
exposition in the Grand Ballroom at the Radisson Plaza Hotel. There
will be an "IT Zone" designated that will highlight digital technology.
A KLUG speaker is also needed to make a presentation in the IT Zone's
program. Please contact Bob at publicitydirector@kalamazoolinux.org
if you can volunteer as a presenter for this event.
=====================================================================
KLUG NEEDS VOLUNTEERS TO FILL SEVERAL VACANT POSITIONS
Nutrimaster and Education Director volunteer slots are still
vacant. We need additional volunteers to act as the "Meeting
Firewall" to handle Chamber access control and security issues.
The Chamber has asked us to safeguard their assets as KLUG
members come and go from the meeting room each Tuesday night.
Bob and Zac need help with this function which requires that
you get to the meetings early and see that the everything is
locked up as the last person leaves. This means being at the
Chamber at 6:30pm and hanging around until 10:00pm. We have
other volunteer positions available and many of these duties
could be shared if you have an interest. GET INVOLVED IN KLUG!
Volunteers are needed for Beginner's Nights and Installfests.
Please contact installmaster@kalamazoolinux.org for more details.
See http://kalamazoolinux.org/organize for position descriptions.
=====================================================================
********* - ********* - ********* - ********* - ********* - *********
KLUG NEEDS SPEAKERS FOR THE WEEKLY LINUX RELATED PRESENTATIONS!
********* - ********* - ********* - ********* - ********* - *********
Contact Adam if you can give a presentation on any area of Linux
related subject or application. He would also like to hear your
suggestions for topics and possible speaker referrals. Do you
know anyone who is using Linux in Southwest Michigan and might
be willing to share their Linux expertise by making a technical
presentation? Professional, individual, or commercial speakers
on Linux accepted. Contact programdirector@kalamazoolinux.org
with your referrals and ideas. See the meeting schedule for open
dates. http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/meetings/schedule.php3
=====================================================================
V. K L U G C O N T A C T & M E E T I N G I N F O
*************************************************************
KLUG WEB SITE http://kalamazoolinux.org
MEMBERS AND GUESTS - COME JOIN US FOR A MEETING!!!
http://kalamazoolinux.org/meetings
WE MEET WEEKLY, EACH TUESDAY AT 7:00PM.
Our meeting site is the Kalamazoo Chamber
of Commerce office building downtown.
346 W. Michigan Ave. - Kalamazoo, MI 49007
http://kazoolug.org/meetings/maps.php3 <=== MAP!
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Kalamazoo Linux Users Group, Inc.
6749 South Westnedge Avenue
Suite K-288
Portage MI 49002
e-mail address: chair@kalamazoolinux.org
Copyright 2003
Kalamazoo Linux Users Group, Inc.
>><< send corrections, additions, flames to the KLUG scribe >><<
Ralph Worick
recordingsecretary@kalamazoolinux.org
= or =
KLUG Meeting Notes Assistant Editor
Bruce Atherton
Taz <htgage3@chartermi.net>