If you're like me and you do any PHP/Perl/MySQL development on your local machine then you probably spend a lot of time looking at your Apache error logs to determine what's gone wrong with your app. I used to use tail /var/log/httpd/error_log in a Terminal window to do this because it was nice and fast. Used to, that is, until I came across GeekTool:GeekTool is a PrefPane (System Preferences module) for Panther or Jaguar to show system logs, unix commands output, or images (i.e. from the internet) on your desktop (or even in front of all windows).With GeekTool and Expose I have even faster access to my error log now: I use GeekTool to dump error_log to the desktop and have set the lower right corner to reveal the desktop in Expose. One-flick log viewing.Here's how:
1. Install GeekTool
2. Create a new entry
3. Add the path to your error log (in my case: /var/log/httpd/error_log, probably yours too)
4. Set the Location to x:10, y:22Ta daa! Discuss [Forwarding Address: OS X]
One of these wonderful tools that make working on a mac so enjoyable. Five minute for install !
The winners of Bush in 30 seconds have been announced. Do a major public service to the world at large, advertise them like crazy.
[padawan.info 2.0]
Three excellent post were Halley try to allow english speaking peple to understand a song from Brassens.Brassens -- In the Forest of My Heart
Here's goes nothing -- don't ask me to save the meter and rhyme. I'll try to translate this love song with an eye on idiomatic expressions rendered at least comprehensible and maybe even give it a little poetry.
[...]
[Halley's Comment]
Thanks from a french lover of Brassens.
(I don't know how much value there is in this proposal)
There have been complains about Email all over the blogosphere recently due to Spam and viruses. It is true that Email is going through a crisis due to increase of use and increase of inconvenience. I think that this is a really major issue for individuals. On the company side, the problem is embedded in other issues like mail norm (Microsoft Exchange vs. rest of the world), IT management (virus scanner on the server...).
Simple solutions for individuals
Concerning the virus issue, switching mail reader (away from Outlook Express) when the decision is possible is the simple good step. This does not solve the issue because the issue is a lot bigger but at least it allow to work.
Concerning spam, some spam filters are really good. And this is a feature more and more implemented in mail readers. I use SpamBayes. I have been testing it since September 2002, then using it full time since January 2003. I would not recommend it for the casual user. It is not simple to install, it needs training. But for me (and for those reporting on the mailing list) it is 99,5% effective.
By the way, some proposed to use RSS feed as a replacement. RSS feed are not a good solution. RSS is designed for one-to-many contact, the primary use of Email is for one-to-one contact. And spam and viruses through RSS may appear shortly after it would be fully deployed.
But there must be some more global solution, and solution is not in running away from the issue.
We have to keep the clear distinction on leaf and nodes. Mail servers are nodes, users reading their mail through POP3 or IMAP are leafs. There are too many leaf on Internet, and we can't think of acting on them all or even a significant part of them. There are a lot of nodes, but there are only so many important ones, and they are run by professional people whose job is to keep them running. These people as a group have the possibility to change things.
Proposal for a solution on the long term
Most of Internet is based on trust of others. This works well if it keeps being used clearly and openly.
Here is a simple, stupid proposal on how to recover and improve on the mail service without any new protocol, technology or complicated tools.
Creating "Mail Trustee Association" to group the Mail administrators of the service providers with a public list of their mail servers. Each of them can display a copy of this list on his public web server. Each time there is a major incident concerning spam or virus dissemination on one mail server, they can vote to exclude the concerned server. Voting has to be organized, but some body like IETF could handle the vote and publication of the results. All mail coming from this mail server is rejected for a one week period. After this period, the mail from this server is automatically reaccepted. If within four weeks after the incident there is another vote against the same mail server, the exclusion is for one month. The third time within three month of the second incident it is for three month. I don't think that any professional mail server administrator can afford to have his server disconnected for that long from the majority of the mail servers.
This simple procedure will motivate the mail administrators to terminate any user account sending spam or suspend a user account spreading virus.
I bet that within six month of this new procedure, most of our spam and virus issues will be away.
The mail servers admin will have to better administer their mail servers. The users will be able and forced to choose their mail provider based on the public information available.
The individuals who choose to administer their own mail server will have to better choose the configuration of their software.
There was a meeting of the parisian bloggers on August 6. A compte rendu is available.
There will be a new one on September 3. You can register here.