Posts by curtis:
Where is iPhone OS 4.0?
January 31st, 2010I know, I know, no one wants to hear more news about Apple since the announcement last Wednesday. In fact, Engadget just launched an “Apple free” version of their site. I’m not anti-Apple by any means, and if you’re looking for even another take on the the iPad slash events of last week, keep reading.
Well, January 27th has come and gone and those Apple fanatics waiting for the much rumored announcement of iPhone OS 4, including myself, were left with a feeling that can only be compared to our childhoods when daddy didn’t come home from work in time for our baseball game. Our emotions, of course, were subdued by the other muchly rumored iTablet, which Steve informed us is actually pronounced “I-Pad”…. Our bad, Steve, but you can’t blame us. Nexus One has shown us what it can do and well, we know it’s not ALL hardware. We want answers, and by answers, I mean, how is OS 4 going to step up to the… dare I say it… superiority of the Nexus’ operating system. It’s time for application folders, multitasking, and home screen customization on our I phones, pads, and pods. We know such functionality IS possible through jailbreaking, but it’s time it came standard. Okay, I’ll admit, the iPad was cooler than I thought it was going to be. But we all know that it’s not ready to ship running OS 3. Apple, your move.
2009 Suzuki Boulevard M50 Limited Review
May 25th, 2009This review is primarily the result of my attempts to find a good, professional review for the 2009 Suzuki M50. Unfortunately, this review doesn’t add to them as I am in no way a professional motorcyclist or columnist for that matter. However, having just purchased the M50, I hope to provide more insight than can be attained from your own couple mile test drive. So if you are considering the purchase of a 2009 M50, read on.
Background
I looked at several bikes prior to making my decision to pursue the M50. At first I was set on a Honda Spirit 750. I learned how to ride on a Rebel 250, and I have riden Honda four wheelers since I was but a wee chap. So, I guess you could say I had a bit of brand loyalty towards Honda. In fact, I walked into the Suzuki dealer hoping to find a nice used Honda for my next bike. Now I wish I could say that the M50 was love at first sight. But at first glance, I was not so much unimpressed as I was just not interested. It had big chrome pipes that stuck too far back and out to the side. It looked too big for me (remember I was trading a Rebel 250). The Honda Spirits, on the other hand, seem to be a bit smaller when you sit on them (which is good for my small frame). I spent a few minutes looking at the ‘S’ series of the Boulevard family. Unimpressed there, I decided to sit on the M50. I decided I could see myself on one and took it for a test drive. From then on, it was like my brand loyalty bounced from Honda to Suzuki. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Honda’s, but this bike was fantasgreat!
The 2009 Models
The 2009 Boulevard M50 comes in two editions. A standard edition in all black, and a Limited edition in a two tone: either Black and White, or Black and Orange. Aside from paint, the only other difference you will find is the Limited has clear turn signal lenses, which I will admit, do look better. However, 300 dollars better? Meh.. not so much. I called several dealers, and finally tracked myself down an Orange one. That actually brings up a good point. If you are trying to find an M50, they are coming up short this year. Apparently Suzuki cut production significantly this year due to the economy. Many dealers have already sold out of their M50s and won’t be getting anymore for the season. However, if you look hard enough, you should be able to find one.
The Ride
The first thing I noticed when riding this motorcycle is its width. It’s not uncomfortable by any means (except maybe for long rides, but I’ll get to that in a minute), it just has a certain girth to the engine with the air filter sticking out to the side This makes it difficult to see the foot pegs. This was only a problem at first as I was used to foot pegs that were directly below me. The M50s are pushed a little bit forward. It took almost no time to get used to the setup, and I’ve found myself very much preferring the forward pegs. It also allows larger riders to ride more naturally, while still keeping the seat (and consequently the center of balance) low. The bike is a little on the heavy side at just shy of 600 pounds, but maneuverability is by no means lost. Even low speed turns are simple with the low center of balance, and remember, I started on 325 pound Rebel!
Now the owner’s manual warns the rider to take it easy during the break in period or the first 1000 miles. For the first 500 miles, no more than 1/2 throttle is recommended. For the first 1000 miles, no more than 3/4 throttle should be used. As difficult as this has been so far, I’ve done pretty well with following the directions. However, even with keeping in line with the warnings, I can still say that the bike has power. The M50 has more than enough power to cruise at highway speeds. It also has enough power to pass and climb hills without downshifting. I haven’t carried a passenger yet, so I can only guess that the extra weight would be no problem for the M50 either.
The Pros
(See section: The Ride)
It’s customizable. One of the nicest things about the M50 is the extra components available for it. There are tons of extras available from both Suzuki and third parties such as Cobra and K & N. Additionally, not much has changed over the past couple of years, so most of the components from the 2006s will still fit the 2009s.
The gas mileage is better than average. Rated at 49 miles to the gallon, the M50 is one of better bikes for miles per gallon. This is more than likely because the bike is fuel injected. In addition to that, I’m a fairly small rider, so I have actually been getting better than the 49 mpg rating.
It’s liquid cooled. Everyone knows liquid cooled is better. Don’t ask questions.
It’s gorgeous. Apart from the tail that curves up in the back and just doesn’t look like it belongs with the rest of the bike, everything else on the M50 is B-E-A-UTIFUL. I especially like the orange one, but what can I say, I have a thing for orange.
The price is reasonable. I have to admit, when I first sat on the bike not knowing it’s price, I thought to myself, “there’s no way I’d ever be able to afford this.” I was expecting 10 or 11 grand. When it found out it was only $7995 for the Limited, I was shocked. Additionally, if you are lucky enough to find the right dealer, you can probably shave a few hundred off of that yet too.
The Cons
The motorcycle isn’t perfect. I’ve read other user reviews claiming that the seat makes one’s butt numb after not too long of a ride. I don’t have that problem so much, though I could see why other people might. The problem I have is with my back starting to hurt after about 20 miles. I blame this on the fact that I am hunched forward just a bit too much. However, this could be cause I am fairly small, and other people may not experience this. As far as the comfort issues goes, gel seats are an available addon for the bike, though I’ve heard many people say it should be included with the base price.
The rear brakes are another common complaint about the motorcycle. For everything the bike has, one would expect to press on the rear brake and feel the smooth grip of the rear disc. However, when you look at the rear wheel, you will see something missing: the disc. Yes, that’s right the M50 is equipped with a rear drum brake which doesn’t give the bike the stopping power you would want or expect. It’s not a huge deal, but be prepared to press on the rear brakes a little bit harder to get the stopping power you want.
There is no reserve tank. This isn’t a huge issue either as the bike is equip with an accurate electronic fuel gauge. But when it runs out, it’s really out.
Summary
If you are considering a new motorcycle or even your first motorcycle, I would highly recommend the Suzuki Boulevard M50. It’s easy to look at, not terribly priced, and a blast to ride. I have no regrets with my purchase, and I know you won’t either. If anyone has any specific questions they would like to ask about the bike, please feel free to comment on this article, I’ll be sure to get back to you. Cheers!
How to add MySQL servers to phpMyAdmin
May 10th, 2009Question: How do I add a server to phpMyAdmin?
Answer: Browse to your root phpMyAdmin installation. Locate and open the config.inc.php file in a text editor. You will see your default server listed. (You will see the following block of code as of version 3.1.4. :
*/
$i++;
/* Authentication type */
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] = ‘cookie’;
/* Server parameters */
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['host'] = ‘localhost’;
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['connect_type'] = ‘tcp’;
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['compress'] = false;
/* Select mysqli if your server has it */
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['extension'] = ‘mysql’;
/* rajk - for blobstreaming */
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['bs_garbage_threshold'] = 50;
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['bs_repository_threshold'] = ‘32M’;
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['bs_temp_blob_timeout'] = 600;
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['bs_temp_log_threshold'] = ‘32M’;
/* User for advanced features */
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['controluser'] = ‘pma’;
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['controlpass'] = ‘pmapass’;
/* Advanced phpMyAdmin features */
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['pmadb'] = ‘phpmyadmin’;
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['bookmarktable'] = ‘pma_bookmark’;
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['relation'] = ‘pma_relation’;
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_info'] = ‘pma_table_info’;
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_coords'] = ‘pma_table_coords’;
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['pdf_pages'] = ‘pma_pdf_pages’;
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['column_info'] = ‘pma_column_info’;
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['history'] = ‘pma_history’;
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['designer_coords'] = ‘pma_designer_coords’;
/* Contrib / Swekey authentication */
// $cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_swekey_config'] = ‘/etc/swekey-pma.conf’;
For each additional server that you wish to add, just copy this block of code and simply change the host line to the address of your mysql server.
Example: $cfg['Servers'][$i]['host'] = ‘192.168.1.110‘;
Most of the above block is commented out, so you really only need to copy the active lines. But as you can see, there are additional options. For example, you can add the user name and password so you don’t have to enter them every time. (NOTE: if you are using a public server, entering login info for your mysql server is not a good idea.)
Important: When you copy the code to add extra servers, make sure you include the following line at the top of each server:
$i++;
This increases the servers array by 1 each time it loads a new server. Otherwise only the last server in your configuration will show up.
Finally, the above code is for phpMyAdmin version 3.1.4. You should make sure you copy the code from your configuration as it may change in subsequent versions of the software. That’s it. You should see the new servers in a drop down list when you reconnect to phpMyAdmin. Enjoy!
AtMail, Axigen, and MagicMail Review (Phase 1)
May 6th, 2009First you should know I’m a network administrator for a decently sized ISP. I said decent… not Comcast, not Verizon. On a good day we bring in 3 to 4 million email messages spread over about 11,000 email accounts. Now I realize that some of you out there probably do that in one day with a single company but that’s not important. What you really need to know is that our email is handled by about 9 mail servers which pass mail from server to server, I don’t know how many times until it reaches it’s final destination on a single mail NAS where it will be picked up by one of three webmail servers. The system was designed for high availability, and has proved to be resilient to failure when just the other day the smtp-in cluster tanked. That’s right three separate machines crashed at the same time backing up our ham queue to over 125,000 messages. The fix? We simply pulled them out of the loop. Mail was flowing again; users don’t know the difference. The problem with our setup? We don’t really know how it works. Think about it, 9 Qmail servers linked with a custom billing system, 2 barracudas for filtering, and 2 LDAP servers for authentication. Someone before me created what we have come to call “Cluster F” (Yes, it’s intentional).
Enter “Cluster G”. G is the replacement for F, rightfully so. We are currently approaching the end of phase 1, that is, deciding which email solution will replace our current mess. We have looked at a three linux based solutions, but only one stands out so far.
AtMail
This was the first of the emails solutions that we considered, and to be honest, we were quite impressed. The interface was easy, the webmail was pretty, the setup…. couldn’t have been simpler. Additionally, it ran on top of MySQL, a feature we very much liked. Even the price was reasonable. We almost didn’t even consider other options… until we tried to get a hold of them. It took two contact requests from their website and three voice-mails to tech support and to sales until I finally got an email requesting to setup a conference call. I called them five times and not once did I call and get a person. I was routed to voicemail everytime. When it came time for the conference call, the call got disconnected shortly into it, and I never got a call back. Needless to say, we did not pursue atmail any further.
Axigen
This was the second solution that we considered. Pricing was higher right off the bat. In fact it was almost twice what AtMail was, but not all that unreasonable. Axigen clearly offered a solid email package for ISPs. It’s strong points included clustering, and multi domain licensing. Their webmail interface was clean and simple, yet not cheap and tacky. The administration panel was clean, simple, and ajaxy. Again… the only real complaint here was customer service. While I did call and American sales number, and I got support right away, the representative that I spoke sounded like he was on a cell phone and admitted that he wasn’t in the U.S. When requesting a follow up, he said he didn’t have a pen to take down my contact information and he requested that I go to the website and submit a request there. Axigen fail.
MagicMail
This is the most recent solution we considered and by far the most impressive. If you are looking for an email solution of any capacity, consider MagicMail first. In fact, call them and set up a conference call/ demonstration. A technical rep will give you an overview of the important aspects of the software, and I have to say that it was an impressive presentation. Let me back track a bit…
Going into our search, we knew that most MTA’s now included some sort of spam filtering… what we weren’t going to do was give up our Barracuda Spam Firewalls as they have proved to be a significant investment to our company. No matter what mail solution we chose, the Barracuda’s were staying. I say all that to say this… after seeing the MagicMail demonstration, we are now looking to get rid of our beloved Barracudas.
What we liked about the software was that it was it’s own distro. They use their own brew of linux and whatever you want to do to it is fine with them. The whole box is supported. Additionally, the spam filtering and blacklisting was second to none. Finally, the webmail was Squirrel Mail. Eeeek! Right? Wrong. It’s been polished and is beautiful. We’ve always known Squirrel Mail was stable and good, we just never liked the look. Detail was clearly an object when it came to the design of the front end , right down to the marketing of your email system to your own clients.
We haven’t purchased the software yet, nor have tested it. But if you are in my boat, looking for a new email solution for an organization of any size, skip AtMail and Axigen and just start with MagicMail. As we moved forward in the process, I will continue to review the process for your enlightenment.
Awstats in Virtualmin
May 5th, 2009So read this carefully. If you are trying to setup awstats in Virtualmin, do not do as I do, or as I did rather. In my attempts to automate the awstats setup for virtual servers in virtualmin, I wrote a script in php that would crawl through Apache’s httd.conf file, extract all ServerNames, and build the awstats config files one by one. This script would run everytime a new virtual server was created in Virtualmin. I have to admit it was one of the best scripts I’ve ever written. The problem? It was completely unneccessary. I stumbled across a website to, ready…. DOWNLOAD THE AWSTATS PLUGIN FOR VIRTUALMIN!! Do not be decieved, there is a plugin for Webmin for awstats, but you really don’t need that one. The one you need can be found here;
http://www.webmin.com/cgi-bin/search_third.cgi?cat=Virtualmin
Remember, you will need to have awstats installed, with perl working, and your cgi-bin enabled, of course. But other than that, simply download the file above, un tar it, and use the webmin module installer to install it. It will then show up under “Features and Plugins” menu under “System Settings” in Virtualmin where it can be further customized. It will now create Awstats for each virtual server that you create. If anyone needs any help, just let me know!
echo ‘Hello world!’;
May 3rd, 2009Welcome to xtgo.net, all things techy. Background: I’ve found that since I started my career that’s it’s often been very difficult to find the answers that I need on, what I feel, should be simple technical questions. Google results, however are getting increasingly cluttered, and sometimes getting the technical answers that I require often means researching for hours on end, filtering through buttloads of message boards and forums reading the same thing over and over:
I have a problem, blah blah, and this is the error message I’m getting. Help!
And then I read this:
I’m having the same problem. Anybody seen this?
Same here. This is what I tried, blah blah. But it didn’t work. Anyone have any ideas?
By the time I get to the end of the forum… I usually find that it’s just people repeating the issue and never posting a solution. Well my plan for this blog is to only make a post when I’ve found a solution. The posts will, of course, be open for questions and comments, but there won’t be any lingering answerless questions here.
I also, in addition to answering technical questions, plan to write about upcoming or current technical issues as I feel led. My intention is to pull the techy articles out of my personal blog, blog.xtego.com.
So there you have it, xtgo.net is underway, providing technical answers to technical questions, technical articles and technical commentary, and basically just all things techy. And really, you don’t get much more techy than ‘hello world’.