Turn Your Computer Into a Web Server

September 20, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

I found this post at Digital Inspiration about turning your home computer into a web server, and it just BLOWS MY MIND. The possibilities are endless! No longer would I need to pay for a web host for my blogs! No longer would I need to pay Flickr to host my web photos! All my videos and music would be accessible to whomever I wanted! Wow, I would LOVE to be an independent web host!!

It’s through something called Opera Unite. I’ve given glowing reviews of the Opera browser before– I think this company is on the cutting edge, and their Opera Unite proves it. This is from their site:

Opera Unite is a collaborative technology that allows you to share data, such as files or photos, directly from your computer with others, without uploading and sharing them through a central, third-party server. The technology behind Opera Unite uses a compact server inside the Opera desktop browser to share data and services on your computer. There is no need to upload files that you want to share; you remain in control.

With more traditional content sharing, you need to upload the content you want to share, and this is shared through a central, third-party server, out of your control. Opera Unite enables your browser to act as a server, and you can choose what content you share and with whom.

Opera Unite uses, as its base, collaborative technology that acts like a compact server on your browser. Rather than store the content on a third-party server, as in the traditional data-sharing model, the content remains on your computer; your friends communicate with your computer using local connections, or, if this is not available, some server-side Opera technology will aid in establishing a connection. Access to your content is provided and controlled by the Opera Unite services that you select. These services are small, Web-service programs running inside your browser. There are different Opera Unite services for sharing different types of content on your computer or for collaborating. These services give you full control over what you share and with whom, without the need to upload.

I am definitely looking into this; this is just AMAZING. my only concern is bandwidth usage. I mean, hosting one’s own blogs on a web server eats up a good chunk of bandwidth and CPU, doesn’t it? I don’t think my ISP would be too happy to suddenly see my connection usage increase 2000%, would they? But I could perhaps get a dedicated Internet line that could handle that kind of traffic. I pay upwards of $300 a year for all sorts of web hosting, photo and video accounts, etc etc…. I could save all that money by hosting my stuff myself and use that money to pay for the new Internet connection (I think). I’m going to have to do more research into this. It’s pretty exciting!

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Posted in blogs, business services, computers, desktop publishing, Internet, technology. Tags: , , . 3 Comments »

Hackers Prefer Opera

September 9, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

This news isn’t very surprising, not to me, an Opera fan:


One-in-four hackers runs Opera to ward off other criminals

Hackers using multi-exploit attack “toolkits” take defensive measures of their own against other criminals, a security researcher said today.

“Exploit kit operators do use mainstream browsers, but they’re much more likely to use Opera than the average user, because they know that the browser isn’t targeted by other hackers,” said Paul Royal, a principal security researcher with Atlanta-based Purewire.

While the most generous Web measurements peg Opera, a browser made by Norwegian company Opera Software, at a 2% share of the global market, 26% of the hackers who Purewire identified use the far-from-popular application.

Because of its small market share, few hackers bother to unleash exploits for Opera vulnerabilities, said Royal.

Purewire obtained this insight, and others, by infiltrating hackers’ systems using a bug in the analytics software included with a pair of hacker toolkits, notably one dubbed “LuckySploit,” said Royal. “We forged a ‘refer’ field and put in a little JavaScript,” he explained, “and that revealed the hackers to us via their IP addresses.”

So basically, a security experts group put out some bait for hackers– exploit tool kits with some javascript code. The hackers went for it, and their computer information was sent back to the security group. Besides grabbing IP numbers and country of origin where they could, the security group saw that hackers use the Opera browser. It’s safer than the other browsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc). But it’s not that Opera is BUILT any safer than the others– it’s safer only because so few people use it, that it’s not worthwhile to attack or exploit it.

Well, if it works for me… ! I guess I’ll even take a left-handed mode of safety, as long as its safety.

Also– no browser is really, really safe. A browser is an open door to your computer, just because by necessity there must be that transfer of information between Internet servers (where the websites for you to surf sit) and your computer. There are things you can do to minimize that risk of intrusion: use a firewall; use an anti-virus and keep it updated; don’t use Internet Explorer browser; avoid risky sites (such as music sites, viral video sites, etc); turn off Active X, javascript, and image rendering. Some of these are extreme measures- it’s really up to you to determine your risk.

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Posted in browsers, crime, Internet, security news. Tags: , , . 3 Comments »

Random Tech Thoughts For a Rainy NY Day

April 8, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

It’s raining here today. Again. My plans for yard work are dashed. Oh well. I turn my attention to my blogs. I don’t have anything worth stretching out into individual posts… so I’ll jot down some random tidbits I’ve been dwelling on.

Opera’s update to 9.64 is a failure. The updated browser slowed my browsing down to a crawl, and interrupts my music player (Napster) when it runs. The music stutters and slows when I browse. I tried the alpha Opera 10.00 version, but that has some bugs (like a thick black line across areas of the screen). So I dumped Opera 9.64 and 10 and went back to 9.63. What a difference!

I’m loving the art of screencasting right now. Screencasting is making a “video” of your desktop as you do things on it. It’s a great tool for tutorials. So far, the best screencasting program is CamStudio. I’ve also tried Jing and liked it, but you can’t save the screencast to your computer– you have to upload and access the file online at a website. Bummer. And I do like AviScreen, too, but it is a little slow and the GUI looks like Windows 98.

I’m avoiding HP computers as much as I can. I got two HP Pavilions two years ago– nice machines, I thought– but they are both starting to show signs of hardware failure. I must have computers, because we use them for the kids’ schooling, for image editing, and video-creating. The last thing I want to do is have to buy more computers! But if and when I do, I think I am through with the buggy HP. I have a Toshiba and an Acer that has never given me any problems. I’ve seen some Gateways on sale– are Gateways good? Anyone have experience with Gateway?

I was thinking about reformatting my computer, but after helping someone else do it recently, I’ve changed my mind. What a job.

The paid-posting business has really slowed down. I made good money last year, but this year looks like I may make only 1/3 of last year’s earnings. A lot of it has to do with PageRank. Of which I have none. The jerks.

I’m never buying a single-core processor computer again. Tooooo slow. I have an AMD Phenom X3 and I have to say I love it. When I go to the kids’ HP computer with it’s cheapo Intel Celeron and 256MB RAM, it’s like waiting for molasses to pour. Plus, the kids have all these computer games that they can’t play on the HP (and that they want to play on my X3!). Ugh.

I’m having a hard time figuring out how to take closeup photos with my Kodak z1012. That macro button eludes me. I have some nice flowers shots but they always turn out blurry. And I try to take weirdo shots (like a tick we found on our cat– he really needs Frontline or something) to post on the blogs for fun. But everything turns out blurry!! It doesn’t help that my camera manual is online only. :-p That’s even less incentive for me to read it.

Well, that’s enough randomness for today! Back to work…

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Posted in chatty, computers. Tags: , , , , , . Comments Off »

Blocking Ads In Opera

January 22, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

I love the Opera browser more and more. It’s just so terrific. It’s fast, it’s convenient, it shows content (unlike Firefox, where I have to reload and reload), and I love the “Notes” feature of the sidebar panel. Probably the only complaint I could think of was the inability to have an Ad Block like Firefox has. Ah, but I have underestimated Opera! Opera can block ads– it’s not as intuitive or as easy as Firefox’s Ad Block, but it IS do-able, and not TOO hard. I figured out how to do it tonight, and MAN OH MAN I am soaring! No more nasty ads! Woooo! I can at last surf the web with the kids around me again!

Here’s how you do it.

  • Open Notepad.
  • Go to this website.
  • Copy all the text at that website.
  • Paste that text into your Notepad document.
  • Save the Notepad document as urlfilter.ini and SAVE.

Now this gets a little tricky for a moment, because it depends on what operating system you use. I use Vista. Basically, what you are going to do is save your newly named Notepad document in your Opera Profile folder.

This is very important– CLOSE your Opera browser before proceeding any further. You should never tinker with system files while the program is open. So here’s what you do:

  • If you use Windows XP, put that document here: C:\Documents and Settings\…\Application Data\Opera\Opera\profile\
  • If you use Vista, put that document here: C:\Users\< your username >\AppData\Roaming\Opera\Opera\profile\
  • If you use Linux, put that document here: ~/.opera/
  • If you use OSX, put that document here: /Users/< your username >/Library/Preferences/Opera Preferences/

I use Vista, so I just copied this file name C:\Users\< your username >\AppData\Roaming\Opera\Opera\profile\, clicked START >> RUN >> and entered it into the search bar. Then I backspaced over “your username” and put in my name. I searched, and the folder popped right up. I tucked that Notepad document in there, and closed the window.I re-opened my Opera browser. Voila!!! No more ads in Opera! Wooo!

Whenever you need to add new information to this urlfilter.ini file you can do it through the Opera brower. For example, I just HATE those “Snap” popup bubbles that some people use for their website.

Snapshot

I want to block them, but they are not included in the list of urls to block. Here’s what you do:

Open your Opera Browser. Go to Tools >> Preferences >> Advanced >> Content. Look for the button that says “Blocked Content.” Click it. When you do, you will see that list of urls that you added to your Notepad document. Here’s how you can add to that file without going through the backdoor, so to speak– you can just do it through Opera’s settings.

OK, so you have clicked the “Blocked Content” button and a new window popped up. Click the “Add” button and add in this information:

*spa.snap.com*

When you have entered it, click “Close” (it will automatically save). Click “OK” fo the next window. Close and restart the browser, and all should be well. And no more nasty Snap pop ups!!

P.S. I use Entrecard for my other blogs. This urlfilter.ini file will block the widgets unless you remove the blocking url, which is associated with Amazon. I like to see Amazon ads, anyway, so I went to Tools >> Advanced >> Content >> and hit the “Blocked Content” button. In the window, I did a search for “amazon” and several urls showed up. I deleted them all. Restart the browser and all should be well.

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Posted in ad blocks, browsers. Tags: , , . Comments Off »

Well, How Did Opera Go For You?

January 11, 2009 — Mrs. Mecomber

A few weeks ago I posted here and at my other blog the praises of the Opera browser. Some folks said they were going to try it. How did it go?

Opera is a much different browser than Internet Explorer and Firefox, and it takes some getting used to. I forced myself to use it (plus, my Firefox won’t work on my wireless connection, so whenever I went wireless, I HAD to use Opera). But I am now fully adapted to it, and I just LOVE it! Let me know your experience with it.

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Posted in browsers. Tags: , . Comments Off »

Opera for Superior Browsing

December 8, 2008 — Mrs. Mecomber

I use the Opera browser. I just love it. I had always been a Firefox user, but after the 3.0 upgrade, it just never worked well for me, not on any of my computers. The other computers in the house had the same issue. And then, Firefox would no longer work when I went on the wireless with my laptop. The connection would last maybe 1-3 minutes, and Firefox would always say “loading” but never load. I tried EVERYTHING to resolve it. Finally, in frustration, I dumped FF and downloaded Opera.

Opera takes some getting used to (remember how hard it was to adjust from Internet Explorer to Firefox??), but it’s worth it. It’s much, MUCH faster than Firefox, and it has some nice additional features, like a notepad area in the sidebar. But I like it best of all because it is so fast.

Here are some pros and cons I have found. I hope the Opera dudes continue to develop the browser, as it has a lot going for it.

Pros:
Intense speed
Reliable, rarely crashes
Different skins and colors
Has excellent Options features
Very user friendly
Can customize keyboard shortcuts– tons and tons of options!

Cons:
Some javascript didn’t work (and therefore some blog themes look messy)
Does not have an Auto Complete (I really miss that feature)
Doesn’t have many addons (the widgets you can download are very lame)
Doesn’t resize some photos in my WordPress Admin blog pages
Doesn’t have as good a search toolbar as Firefox (no Groowe toolbar)
No toolbars will work with it

I found this little table at the Opera site– it’s a list of preferences for your Opera config preferences data (Firefox has this option, too– type “about:config” in the address bar.

I’d like to see Opera developed more. Perhaps as more people realize what great browser it is, it will be developed more. If you are looking for speed and reliability, check out Opera.

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Posted in browsers. Tags: , , . 1 Comment »
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