Goodies to Go ™
February 28, 2006 — Newsletter # 378
************************************************************
All Goodies To Go
newsletters are sent from the domain “internet.com.” Please use this
domain name (not the entire “from” address, which varies) when configuring
e-mail or spam filter rules, if you use them.
Featured this week:
* Q &
A Goodies
* Discussion Goodies
* News Goodies
* Feedback Goodies
* Windows Tech Goodie of the
Week
* And Remember This…
the ever increasing “cleverness” of Internet Security packages and the
commensurate increases in the their complexity and their likelihood of
malfunction (not in the sense of program failure – they seem to work pretty well
from that point of view; rather, in the sense of them not doing exactly what you
want them to, or them stopping you from doing what you want to.) I also
told you that this week I would outline a simple security strategy that is less
intrusive yet is strong enough for most of our purposes, so here it is.
for personal computers used by individuals for their own purposes and is not
intended as a strategy for server systems, office networks, corporate systems or
any such systems, where a more comprehensive strategy is called for.
broadband connection such as cable or DSL or the like, use a firewall/router
between your computer and the service provider’s adapter. Available in
computer and office supply stores here in the US for under $50.00 (so I imagine
they will be more or less similarly priced where you are.) These devices
use something called Network Address Translation that prevents others on the net
from seeing the actual address of your computer. This simple thing is
enough to keep out most (not all!) hackers. Those with the skills it takes
to get past this obstruction usually have bigger fish to fry than your humble
PC! If you’re not sure how to make this device work for you, talk to your
local computer or office supply store assistant – they deal with them every
day.
your PC, then, order broadband!
Update, upgrade it to Microsoft Update, and run the “Express Update” until there
are no more updates for you to apply. Now turn on Automatic Updates and
have the machine update itself overnight (see the Control Panel / Security
Center.) If you have dial-up, you’ll have to run Microsoft Update manually
every couple of days until your Broadband arrives.)
under Control Panel / Security Center.
website, costs nothing, and is a pretty effective anti-spyware program. It
used to be called Microsoft AntiSpyware, and is currently in its second phase
Beta Test under its new name.
a major vendor, such as (alphabetically) Computer Associates, McAfee, Norton
(Symantec), Panda or Trend. There are other good ones too, but these are
the biggest and most famous. Get the anti-virus only, not the whole
security bundle, which is what we’re trying to avoid. Personally, I’m
using CA’s Etrust.
asking for, no, begging for, demanding, absolutely insisting upon, climbing onto
the rooftop and shouting vile challenges at fate for, disaster. On the
other hand, if you have them, you probably won’t need them. It’s Murphy’s
Law.
***********************************
Questions are
taken from submissions to our Community
Mentors. You can ask a Mentor a
question by going to
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X
X
X Please take note: X
X
X
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
are interpreting code examples in this newsletter as actual HTML code instead of
text. To overcome this problem and to enable everyone to read the
newsletter, there is a period after the “<” in each tag. If you cut and
paste to try out code examples, please remember to remove the periods.
Wherever we intend you to use “<.” in your code, the example will show
“<..”. In this way, you will be safely able to use a global edit to
change “<.” to “<“. Thanks to all of you for your patience with
this; if this technique creates an undue problem for you however, please let us
know via our feedback address (see Feedback, below).
Community.
The answer was provided by one of our Mentor
Volunteers
trying to do is load the Javascript function contained in the code in a new
window using a text link to pop the referenced URL in a specifically-sized
window with most of the bells and whistles disabled. While the code I have below
works “okay”, it doesn’t work the way I want it to. I think I need to use
the ‘onClick’ handler to accomplish this, but the only references to that
handler I can seem to find on HTMLGoodies uses form buttons, or regular HTML
links. I want to use plain text links. I tried this:
<.a
href=”” onClick=”javascript:popup(“URL”)”>Text here<./a>
..but all I
got was my local desktop in the window when I tested it. Here is the code
I am using to call my popup window on page load:
<.!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC
“-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN”>
<.html>
<.head>
<.title>BridgeMon<./title>
<.!– TWO STEPS TO INSTALL POPUP WINDOW:
1. Paste the first
into the HEAD of your HTML document
2. Use the code to open the
popup page on your site –>
<.!– STEP ONE: Copy this code into
the HEAD of your HTML document –>
<.SCRIPT
LANGUAGE=”JavaScript”>
<.!– Idea by: Nic Wolfe (Nic@TimelapseProductions.com)
–>
<.!– Web URL: http://fineline.xs.mw –>
<.!– This
script and many more are available free online at –>
<.!– The
JavaScript Source!! http://javascript.internet.com
–>
<.!– Begin
function popUp(URL) {
day = new Date();
id =
day.getTime();
eval(“page” + id + ” = window.open(URL, ‘” + id +
“‘,
‘toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=0,width=320,height=210’);”);
self.close();
}
//
End –>
<./script>
<.!– STEP TWO: Paste this onLoad event
handler into the BODY tag –>
<.BODY
onLoad=”javascript:popUp(‘URL’)”>
<.!– Script Size: 0.73
KB –>
<./head>
A. Part of your problem is that you left the “href” blank. This
causes problems with the link. There are some different ways that you can
accomplish what you want. The first one is to use the “#” pound sign to
void the link so that only the onClick event works. For example: <.a
href=”#” onClick=”popup(‘somepage.html’)”>Text here<./a>
(You also
do not need to specify “javascript” in the onClick event)
You can also call
the function by placing the function call in the “href” like this.
<.a
href=”javascript:popup(‘somepage.html’)”>Text here<./a>
This does
away with the onClick event. I also noticed that you surounded the URL
with double quotes and at the same time surounded the function call with double
quotes. When you are doing a function call like your example it should be
single quotes within double quotes or double quotes within single quotes.
*** This question was submitted to our Mentor
Community.
The answer was provided by one of our Mentor
Volunteers
Q. I have developed a website for a
consulting business. What steps do you need to take to make sure that
copyrights are not infringed by using photos and graphics from other
sites?
content for that matter from another website, you should get permission from the
owner first, before you use them for your site.
Community.
The answer was provided by one of our Mentor
Volunteers
another page? Also, how do I link the top of one page to the bottom of the same
page?
A. If you want to link to a spot on a particular page you can
use the NAME ANCHOR. For instance if you had a long page and wanted to give the
user an easy way to get back to the top after reading the article you would
place this in the HTML near the top after the <.BODY> tag:
<.a
name=”top”>
At the end of the article you would place this code:
<.a
href=”#top”>TOP<./a>
That creates a link to the top of the page. If
you want a link to a certain area on another page it is done in a similar way.
On the page you want to link to you place the NAME ANCHOR in the spot on the
page you want to jump to:
<.a href=”jump”>Jump Here<./a>
On
the page you are coming from, the link would look like this:
<.a
href=”#jump”>Click here to Jump<./a>
Here is the tutorial from the
HTMLGoodies site:
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutors/pagejump.html
Community.
The answer was provided by one of our Mentor
Volunteers
Q. I’ve just started experimenting
with frames for a redesign to my website (hand coded and I’m self taught with
HTML!) I want to use an image behind links for the side frame on my
page. I just don’t know how to code a background image so that it will
remain “fixed” (I think that’s the right word) instead of tiling itself across
the page.
background {
url(image.gif) no-repeat; }
You could also add “fixed” as another property,
which will hold the background in place (no scrolling). The “no-repeat” will add
the image just one time.
*** This question was submitted to our Mentor
Community.
The answer was provided by one of our Mentor
Volunteers
data. I am trying to figure out how to make that page open with the cursor
already located in box #1, instead of having to hit Tab 2 or 3 times. The
form is written in HTML, but I’m assuming that I will need to use Javascript to
accomplish this.
first
box this way:
<.body
onLoad=”document.form_name.field_name.focus()”>
“form_name” would be the
name you gave your form in the form tag and “field_name” would be the name you
gave the first box in your “<,input>” tag.
If your form and field do
not have a name associated with them then you can use this format:
document.forms[0].elements[0].focus()
The above refers to the first form and
the first element in that form.
***********************************
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:
http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=93998
http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=94391
http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=96962
http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=65845
http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=96764
***********************************
[February 28, 2006] SEC claims scheme
owner went beyond the ‘autosurf’ business model.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3588171
AOL Takes Phishers to Court
[February 28, 2006] The ISP is seeking
$18 million in damages on the strength of a new Virginia law.
Read the
article:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3588166
Protest Over AOL’s Pay-to-Send E-mail Plan
[February 28, 2006]
Advocacy groups from across the political spectrum to rally against AOL’s plan
to monetize e-mail.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/3587921
Intel to Craft Chips in Vietnam
[February 28, 2006] The No. 1
chipmaker pumps $300 million into Vietnam’s first chip plant.
Read the
article:
http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3588126
Shop Until You Bop
[February 28, 2006] Amazon acquires online
clothing retailer.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3587981
Sun Shines With $400M Workstation Deal
[February 28, 2006] Education
Ministry of Mexico orders more than 29,000 Sun Workstations running Windows
!
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3587991
This Oracle Database Wants to Be Free
[February 28, 2006] It’s not
SleepyCat, but XE, a version of Database 10 with fewer bells and
whistles.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3588006
More Power to Gentoo Linux
[February 28, 2006] Is new Gentoo 2006.0
the first to support IBM Power 5 out of the box?
Read the
article:
http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3588011
SSL-VPNs Certified For Government Work
[February 27, 2006] Juniper
claims it’s the first to get common criteria certification. Competitors aren’t
far behind.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3587931
DoJ: Google Search Request Not a Privacy Threat
[February 27, 2006]
UPDATED: The Justice Department claims its subpeona does not pose a privacy
threat to Google users.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/3587851
Feedback Goodies
***********************************
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:
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 https://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
Windows Tech Goodie of the Week
***********************************
designed for accessing and modifying data. In this article we’ll be examining
how to access data from databases with the SqlDataSource and AccessDataSource
controls.
*** AND ***
Storing Data from Dynamic Controls Using ASP.NET 2.0 Callback
controls would be helpful. Luckily this is quite easy in ASP.NET. Now comes the
part where we need to retrieve the values from those controls…
*** AND ***
How to Make SQL Dependency Work Where It Doesn’t
is SQL Dependency. This article will show you how to set up surrogate procedures
so that you can use SQL Dependency to its fullest and bypass its
limitations.
***********************************
build bicycles. In 1901 they started to manufacture automobile parts, and
on this day in 1903 Henry Ford hired them to provide the chassis and running
gear for his cars. They went on to produce car bodies for both Ford and
Ransom Olds and in 1914 founded the Dodge Brothers Motor Car Company. By
1919 they were among the richest men in America, but didn’t get to enjoy their
fortunes for long, as they both died from influenza in 1920. After being
held for a while by a bank, their company was sold to the Chrysler Corporation
in 1928.
Today was also the day that in: 1066 Westminster Abbey in London was
opened; 1692 the Salem witch hunt began; 1784 John Wesley chartered the
Methodist Church; 1827 the first commercial railroad in the US, the Baltimore
& Ohio, was chartered; 1954 the US performed an atmospheric nuclear bomb
test at Bikini atoll; 1956 Jay Forrester received a patent for core computer
memory (which he invented in 1949, and which was the primary form of main memory
until the mid-70s); 1961 JFK named Henry Kissinger as special advisor; 1966 the
Cavern Club in Liverpool, England (where the Beatles used to play) closed; 1970
bicycles were permitted to cross the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco; 1975
40 people were killed in the London Underground railway system as a train sped
past its final stop; 1983 125 million watched the final episode of the comedy TV
series “MASH”; 1990 Dutch police seized 3,000 Kilos of cocaine; 1993 a gun
battle erupted between the FBI and Branch Davidians at Waco, Texas; 1994 in the
US, the Brady Law went into effect, imposing a wait period for the purchase of a
handgun;
Born today were: in 1820 Illustrator (Alice in Wonderland) John
Tenniel; 1910 movie director Vincente Minelli (husband to Judy Garland, father
to Liza); 1915 actor Zero (Samual Joel) Mastel; 1923 actor Charles Durning; 1925
English actor (born in Rangoon, Burma) Harry H. Corbett; 1931 actor Gavin
McCleod; 1940 race car driver Mario Andretti; 1942 musician Brian Jones; 1942
actor Frank Bonner; 1944 actress Kelly Bishop; 1945 actress Mimsy Farmer; 1948
actress Bernardette Peters (Lazarro); 1948 actress Mercedes Ruehl; 1950 actress
Ilene Graff; 1955 actor/comedian Gilbert Gottfried; 1955 musician Randy Jackson;
1957 actor John Torturro; 1969 actor Robert Sean Leonard; 1971 actor John
Buchanan;