Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Goodies To Go! Newsletter #362


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Goodies to Go ™
November 8, 2005 — Newsletter # 3
62
 
This newsletter is part of the internet.com
network.
http://www.internet.com
 

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Featured this week:
 
*   Goodies Thoughts – Piracy on the IPs

*   Q & A Goodies
*   News Goodies
*   Feedback Goodies
*   Windows Tech Goodie of the Week 
*   And Remember This…
 
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Piracy on the IPs
 
Is it OK to just make a quick copy of a music CD, just for me to use? 
How about a DVD? Or, how about a piece of software?  I have spoken about
software piracy before and because I feel quite strongly about he
matter, I’m going to repeat myself.
 
Goodies To Go readers are, I’m quite sure, types with a strong sense of
morality and fair play, and would never participate in piracy
themselves.  It is quite likely, however, that they know somebody who
does, and so, in the hope of helping them persuade those folks of the
wrongs of their wicked ways, I offer these thoughts on the subject of
piracy.
 
Say "pirates" and you think of the swashbuckling types seen at
Disneyland’s "Pirates of the Caribbean" and their like. Over the years
pirates have been glamorized by books, comic books, film and TV until
they almost hold hero status, especially in the minds of boys. Public
drunkenness, gunfire in public places, brutality, theft, pillaging, rape
and murder are not, however, generally considered socially acceptable
behavior. In modern times, pirates are a very dangerous threat to
smaller sea-going pleasure craft. Those I know who take boats like that
out usually carry with them an armory well enough equipped to give me
pause and make me think that a cruise ship, or even an airplane, is a
close as I’d like to be to those waters! It seems to me strange, all
things considered, that we have chosen this type of character to
glamorize.
 
It is perhaps partly a result of this strange duality that so many
consider software piracy to be something less than a crime. Perhaps,
instead of calling it software piracy, we should call it like it is —
theft. The people who do it are then not "pirates" but thieves. Nothing
glamorous there — just criminal!
 
Another justification heard is that when something is only copied you
don’t take it away from the owner, so how can that be theft? If I stay
the night in a hotel and leave the next day without taking the room with
me, can I then not pay the bill? How about if I rent a car or ride on a
bus or train?
 
The Internet, of course, enables copying at an incredible pace. Where in
times past somebody would have to sit with some duplicating device and
then physically distribute the copied items, the net allows one copy to
be read and copied by a thousand, each of which can be read by a
thousand and in two steps there are a million copies spread all over the
world.
 
We all know how difficult it is to prevent somebody from copying our
work and taking the benefits of it for themselves. It’s expensive too —
and it’s a price we all pay. That copy of Windows that came with your
newest computer (i.e., its cost was included in the price) included some
money to cover the revenue lost to a software thief and a portion of the
cost of tracking them down and prosecuting them. You paid for it.
 
Think also of the music and film industries. Would you risk $100
million+ to create a film if there was a likelihood of it being
reproduced and seen by a large portion of your potential audience before
you could recover your costs? I certainly wouldn’t (that’s actually more
than I have in my bank account — how about you?!!) This kind of theft
has the potential of severely damaging the music and film industries as
much as it does of driving up the cost of software. That would not be
fun at all. I like going to the movies and I like watching them at home
with my family. Ditto for music. As for software and the like produced
by other programmer types – "do unto others as you would have them do
unto you" is my motto there.
 
Wonderful as it also is, the Internet can be a big bad place.  Let’s try
at least to keep our own little corners of it clean.
 
 
 
 
 
Thanks for reading!
 
 
 
 
 
– Vince Barnes
 
 
 
 
 
************************************************************
 
Q & A Goodies
***********************************
Questions are taken from submissions to our Community
Mentors. You can ask a Mentor a question by going to

http://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
 
 
Q. I would like to have two functions occur when a button is pushed. 
This is how I have it written:
<INPUT TYPE="button" VALUE="Submit" onClick="send()"
onClick="openindex()">
You probably know that only the first event happens.  How do I make the
other occur at the same time?.
 
A.  You can perform more than one function with one event such as the onClick by separating them with a semicolon.  Try Changing your code to
this:
<INPUT TYPE="button" VALUE="Submit" onClick="send();openindex()">
 
 
 
 
 
Q. I want  a mouse rollover where I will have a table with a picture and
the mouserollover will change the picture to text with the picture in
the background.
 
A. You can do a simple tooltip by using the "TITLE" property on the
image text
like this: <img src="pic.gif" title="My Picture"> .  If you want
something more
involved then here is a link to some search results I found at
Internet.com:

http://search.internet.com/cgi-bin/search.webreference.com?method=mainQuery&numresults=0&batchhits=25&IC_Summary=1&IC_SortBy=&DB12=WebRef&query=tooltip
 
 
 
 

    
Q. How do you print a frame other that the one you the window.print()
command is in?
 
A. Sometimes you need to place focus on the frame that you want to print
before issuing the window.print command.  Try setting up a function like
this:
function FrPrint()
  {
   parent.middle.focus()
   parent.middle.window.print()
  }
 
Then call the function like this:
<input type="button" value="Print" onClick="FrPrint()">
 
 
 
 
 

Q. I have a piece of Java script I got off the HTML goodies page to open
a new window. It works well enough but what I want it to do is to run
from an onClick event handler. How do I get it to do this.?
 
A. You will have to place the window.open into a function and then You
can call the function either by using the onClick or by placing the
function call in the "href".  Here is an example:
<html>
<head>
   <title>Open new window</title>
<script LANGAUAGE="javascript">
         function OpenWin()
                 {
                  MessageWin=window.open ("http://www.wsabstract.com",
"newwin",config="location=no,status=no,directories
=no,toolbar=no,scrollbars=no,menubar=no,resizable=no");
                 }
</script> 
</head>
<body>
<center>
 
You can do it this way:
<a href="JavaScript:OpenWin()">Click here</a> <br>Or you can use the
onClick
event:
<a href="#" onClick="OpenWin()">Click here</a>
</center>
</body>
</html>
 
This is but one example.  You can also set up the function to accept a
variable that contains the link you want to open up in the new window
like this:
<html> <head>
   <title>Open new window</title>
<script LANGAUAGE="javascript">
         function OpenWin(linkid)
                 {
                  MessageWin=window.open
(linkid,
"newwin",config="location=no,status=no,directories=no,toolbar=no,scroll
bars=no,menubar=no,resizable=no");
                 }      
</script> 
</head>
<body>
<center>
 
You can do it this way:
<a href="JavaScript:OpenWin(‘http://www.htmlgoodies.com’)">Click
here</a>
<br>Or you can use the onClick event:
<a href="#" onClick="OpenWin(‘http://www.htmlgoodies.com’)">Click
here</a> </center> </body> </html>
 
This will allow you to use the same function for multiple links.
 
 
 
 
 

    
Q. I have a folder, and inside that folder is a webpage and images used
on the webpage. There is another folder inside that folder, and inside
this folder is another webpage.  I want to use the images from the
previous folder. Is it possible to link them in locally? Or do I have to
use an absolute link?
 
A. You can link to documents in other directories by specifying the
relative path from the current document to the linked document. For
example, a link to a file "my_file.html" located in the subdirectory
"files" would be:
    <A HREF="files/my_file.html">My File</A>
If you wanted to reference an image in another folder you can use
relative paths also. For instance your page resides in a folder named
"pages" and you want to reference the image that is in another folder
named "images". Both folders reside on the site in the same level. The
reference would look like this: <img src="../images/my_image.jpg">
This tells the browser to look up into another folder named "images" 
[The two dots mean "my parent folder" – Ed].
If the page were in a folder named "folder2" and this folder was in the
folder named "pages" the reference could look like this:
<img src="../../images/my_image.jpg">
This tells the browser to look two folders up for another folder named
"images".
These are called relative links because you are specifying the path to
the linked file relative to the location of the current file. You can
also use the absolute pathname (the complete URL) of the file, but
relative links are more efficient in accessing a server. By using
relative links you make your site more portable. You can do all of your
work building your website on your local computer and when you upload
the entire site to the server, all of the links will work. If you use
absolute links then you run into the problem of having the files still
linked to your local computer.
[See also the discussion about incorrect pathnames here:

http://www.htmlgoodies.com/beyond/webmaster/article.php/3560496

Ed.]
 
 
 
 
 

Discussion Goodies
***********************************
 
Have you seen the discussion forums on the HTML Goodies website?  It’s a
great place to get help from others who, just like you, are developing
web pages.  Many different topics appear in the forum, and a new one
will appear if you create it!  Here’s a sample of recent topics:
 
Custom Functions inside of Custom Functions:

http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=84441
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
News Goodies
***********************************
 
Gas Prices Fueling Online Holiday Outlook
[November 8, 2005] Online sales are expected to grow again this holiday
season.
Read the article:

http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3562496
 

Liberty Needs to Know Who You Are
[November 8, 2005] The Liberty Alliance Project creates a group to help
companies bring authentication into their folds.
Read the article:

http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3562486
 

Windows Users Open to PostgreSQL
[November 8, 2005] The new version of PostgreSQL launches with
performance improvements and new features.
Read the article:

http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3562576
 

Nielsen Takes Over at Borland
[November 8, 2005] The software company taps an exec with sales and
engineering experience to get its Software Delivery Optimization
initiative moving.   
Read the article:

http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3562556
 

Juniper’s IPTV Pipe Dream
[November 8, 2005] What will it take for IPTV to become a reality?
Juniper thinks that it has part of the solution.
Read the article:

http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3562296
 

Aiming For The Compliance ‘Sweet Spot’
[November 8, 2005] IBM rolls out second leg of NAS systems based on
technology from Network Appliance.
Read the article:

http://www.internetnews.com/storage/article.php/3562341
 

VoIP Off The E911 Hook — Sort Of
[November 8, 2005] The FCC will allow current customers to maintain
service but E911 is required for new customers.
Read the article:

http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3562476
 

Chip Supply Solid, Merrill Says
[November 8, 2005] Semiconductor inventory remains high but flat,
according to a report by investment giant Merrill Lynch.
Read the article:

http://www.internetnews.com/stats/article.php/3562411
 

Blog-Spotting With IBM
[November 7, 2005] Big Blue’s new software helps businesses monitor and
analyze blogs, wikis and other community content.
Read the article:

http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3562116
 

Anti-Spyware Becomes Windows Defender
[November 7, 2005] Windows Defender will be part of Vista and will use
Windows Update.  
Read the article:

http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3562276
 
 
 

 
 
 
Feedback Goodies
***********************************
 
Did you ever wish your newsletter was an easy two way communications
medium?  Ploof! It now is!
If you would like to comment on the newsletter or expand/improve on
something you have seen in here, you can now send your input to:
 
 
We already receive a lot of email every day.  This address helps us sort
out those relating specifically to this newsletter from all the rest. 
When you send email to this address it may wind up being included in
this section of the newsletter, to be shared with your fellow readers. 
Please don’t send your questions to this address.  They should be sent
to our mentors: see
http://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
 

Many, many thanks to all of you who sent in your comments and
suggestions regarding the HTML Goodies site organization and Goodies
Thoughts.  I knew I could depend on you to provide some outstanding
ideas!  I am reading through all of them and wil most certainly be
implementing many of them — keep watching and maybe soon you’ll see
your idea in place!
 
In case there is anybody who missed the request last week and maybe has
a great idea, here is a repeat:
 
When you design your websites, I know that you spend considerable time
thinking about how best to organize all the sections it contains and how
to make them easy for your visitors to find.  I do the same with HTML
Goodies.  However, I am only me.  You are hundreds of thousands of you! 
How remiss it would be of me to think I know better than you!  For that
reason I would like to ask for your input.  Please send me your
suggestions for better organizing the HTML Goodies site to
nlfeedback@htmlgoodies.com
with the words "Site Organization" (only those words) in the subject.  I
look forward to studying your ideas!
 
Lastly I would also like, for the same reasons to ask for your input
concerning "Goodies Thoughts".  This section is basically my thoughts
for the week and is most usually based on things that are happening
around me.  If you have something in particular that you would like to
hear my thought about, please send your request to the same email
address with the words "Thoughts thoughts" in the subject (again, only
these words please — they are being picked up by my incoming mail
filters and gathered in one place for my review.  Variations might not
be recognized and so your suggestions could be lost.)
 
 
 
Thanks for all your feedback!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Windows Tech Goodie of the Week 
***********************************
 
Using Visual Studio .NET Wizards to Create an N-Tiered Application –
Part 1
 
In the first part of his series on using Visual Studio .NET Wizards to
create N-tiered applications, David Catherman covers using Visual Studio
.NET 2003’s wizards and code generation tools to build a database-based
application quickly. Specifically, this tutorial will demonstrate how to
use the wizards and still keep the code separated into different modules
in order to produce the different tiers of an application.
 
 

*** AND ***
 

.NET Framework 2.0 Available for Download
 
The long road to Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server 2005, and the .NET
Framework 2.0 is finally winding down. Microsoft has just released the
final versions of these products to manufacturing. While VS.NET and SQL
Server 2005 are only available to MSDN subscribers, the .NET Framework
2.0 and SDK are free for anyone to download.
 
 

*** AND ***
 

Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server 2005, and ASP.NET 2.0 Launched!
 
On November 7th, 2005, .NET 2.0 (including ASP.NET 2.0), Visual Studio
2005, and SQL Server 2005 were released to the world, escaping the Beta
cocoon they have resided in over the past year and change. Read on for
the full details!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

And Remember This ...
***********************************
 
1793 La Louvre Art Museum Opened
 
Originally a palace, the Louvre was begun by King Frances I on the site
of an older fortress (built by Phillip II in the 12th century) to house
his court and his art collection.  Almost all subsequent French Kings
made additions to both the Louvre and the royal art collection.  By the
eighteenth century, however, the French people were calling for the
collection to be made accessible to the public.  With the French
Revolution in 1789 came the first real opportunity to bring about the
change and turn the palace into a museum and on this day in 1793 the
revolutionary government opened the Musee Central des Arts in the Grande
Gallerie of La Louvre.
Both the buildings and the collection have grown considerably since that
time, most notably perhaps, with the addition all the art and
archeological items seized by Napoleon during his campaigns, and the
steel and glass pyramid built by I.M Pei in 1993 for the museum’s 200th
anniversary.
 

Today was also the day that in: 1789 Elijah Craig in Kentucky
distilled the first Bourbon Whiskey (distilled from corn); 1864
Abraham Lincoln was elected to a second term as US President; 1895
Wilhelm Rontgen discovered X-rays; 1892 Grover Cleveland was
elected US President; 1904 Thedore Roosevelt was elected US
President; 1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected US
President; 1960 John F. Kennedy was elected US President; 1966
actor Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California; 1968
Cynthia Lennon was granted a divorce from John; 1980 the Voyager
I space probe discovered the 15th of Saturn’s moons; 1987 an
Irish Republican Army bomb exploded at the Ulster Remembrance Day
Service, killing eleven; 1988 an earthquake killed 900 in China;
1988 George Bush (senior) was elected US President; 1990
Saddam Hussein fired his military chief and threatened to destroy the
Arabian peninsular;
 

Born today were: in 1656 astronomer Sir Edmund Halley; 1900
writer Margaret Mitchell (Gone With The Wind); 1914 actor Norman
Lloyd; 1916 actress June Havoc; 1921 actor Gene Saks;
1922
South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard (first heart
transplant); 1927 singer Patti Page; 1931 TV newsman
Morley Safer; 1949 singer Bonnie Raitt; 1951 TV hostess
Mary Hart; 1952 Playboy CEO Christie Heffner; 1954 singer
Rickie Lee Jones; 1956 actress Randi Brooks; 1961 singer
Leif Garrett; 1967 actress Courtney Thorne-Smith;

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