From itsamac.com
(please note - this is a copy of info found on the above site. I'm mirroring it because I think it's useful. Credit for this article is due entirely to Itsamac)

How to Install Zen Cart eCommerce System

"What you would use this for: To offer an online catalog and shopping cart for your visitors to view a description of products and make purchases.

What You Need:
An FTP client (Transmit - external link)
A MySQL Database (if you don't already have one setup for your site, please request one)

1. Go to http://www.zencart.com (external link) and download the latest ZenCart installation by clicking the "Download Zen Cart Now!" graphic. We'll refer to this as the zencart.zip file.

2. If the installation package doesn't expand automatically, double click the zencart.zip file. This should force the compressed files in zencart.zip to expand into a folder that begins with "zen-cart", followed by a version number. We'll refer to this folder the zencart folder from now on.

3. Upload the contents of the zencart folder into your public_html folder on the server. Alternatively you could create a folder inside your public_html to upload into (i.e. public_html/zencart).

4. Change the file permissions on the following folders on the server to 777:

/cache/
/images/ (including all subdirectories), /includes/languages/english/html_includes/ (including all subdirectories)
/media/
/pub/
/admin/backups
and /admin/images/graphs/

To change file permissions using Transmit, highlight each folder individually and press command + i. In the window that pops up, you can either type 777 into the bottom field or make sure all boxes are checked.

5. Rename /admin/includes/dist-configure.php to configure.php. After renaming it, set the file permissions to 777.

6. Point your web browser to http://www.yourwebsite.com/zc_install/ (If you installed ZenCart into a sub-folder it would be http://www.yourwebsite.com/zencartfolder/zc_install/)

7. Click "Continue" at the welcome screen, on the next page, read through the GNU license then click "I have read and agree to abide by the Terms and Conditions as stated above." Click "Continue".

8. The next page is the system inspection page. There may be a few yellow explination point icons next some items. Don't worry about these. If you have any red "X"'s next to any items, these need to be fixed. Refer back to steps 4 and 5. Once everything checks out ok, click the "Install" button at the bottom of the page.

9. The next page is the system settings page. Look below for example settings. The # sign after the secure portion of the web address depends on what server your site is on. If you need SSL setup on your site, or are unsure what SSL server you are on, please contact us.

Physical Path: /Library/WebServer/WebSites/YourUsername/public_html/ (replace YourUsername with your itsamac ftp username) (if you installed ZenCart to a subdirectory remember to include that after /public_html/)
Virtual HTTP Path: http://www.yoursite.com (if you installed ZenCart to a subdirectory remember to include it!)
Virtual HTTPS Server: https://secure#.itsamac.com/www.yoursite.com (if you installed ZenCart to a subdirectory remember to include it!)
Virtual HTTPS Path: https://secure.itsamac.com/www.examplesite.com (if you installed ZenCart to a subdirectory remember to include it!)

Check both "Enable SSL", and "Enable SSL in Admin Area" if you already have SSL setup. Next, click the "Save System Settings" button at the bottom of the page.

10. Select "No" next to the "Do you want to use phpBB forums" question, then click the "Save phpBB Settings" button. (If you'd like to use phpBB with your ZenCart system you can set that up later. We offer step by step instruction in our how to's support section.)

11. The next page is the Database Setup page. Look below for example settings for this page.

Database Type: "MySQL"
Store Identifier (Table-Prefix): "Leave this section blank"
Database Host: your mysql server (Replace "your mysql server" with the location of your MySql database as indicated in the e-mail "From Itsamac: Your MySQL access is set up".)
Database Username: your MySql username (usually your itsamac ftp username)
Database Password: your MySql password
Database Name: yourMySQLusername_db (usually your itsamac ftp username followed by _db)
Database Sessions: Yes (this is the default setting, you can change it to no if you'd like)
SQL Cache Method: None (this is the default setting, you can change it if you'd like)
Session/SQL Cache Directory: /Library/WebServer/WebSites/YourUsername/public_html/cache (replace YourUsername with your itsamac ftp username) (if you installed ZenCart to a subdirectory remember to include that after /public_html/)

Next, click the "Save Database Settings" button at the bottom of the page.

12. The next page is your Store Setup page. Fill in the blanks and click the "Save Store Settings" button at the bottom of the page.

13. The next page is used to setup an administrator account. Use the following settings:

Administrator's Username: YourUsername (or any username you would like to use)
Administrator's Password: YourPassword (or any password you would like to use)
Administrator's Email: your e-mail address

Click the "Save Admin Settings" button at the bottom of the page.

14. Congratulations! You have successfully installed Zen Cart™ on your system!

15. Delete the install folder from your webspace. /public_html/zc_install

16. Set the file permission for /includes/configure.php and /admin/includes/configure.php to 644.

17. You're done! You can now start using your ZenCart system!"

and

How to Install OsCommerce

"What you would use this for: To offer an online catalog and shopping cart for your visitors to view a description of products and make purchases.

What You Need:
An FTP client (Transmit - external link)
A text editor (TextWrangler - external link)
A MySQL Database (if you don't already have one setup for your site, please request one)

1. Go to http://www.oscommerce.com/ (external link) and download the latest Linux/Unix osCommerce installation package from the downloads section. We'll refer to this as the oscommerce.tar file. It is also a good idea to download the PDF documentation for osCommerce as well.

2. If the installation package doesn't expand automatically, double click
the oscommerce.tar file. This should force the compressed oscommerce.tar to expand into a folder that begins with "oscommerce", followed by a version number. We'll refer to this folder the oscommerce folder from now on.

3. Navigate into your oscommerce folder and find a folder called "catalog".

4. Upload the catalog folder into your "public_html" on the server.

5. Change the file permissions on the following file on the server to 777.
/catalog/includes/configure.php and /catalog/admin/includes/configure.php To do this using Transmit, highlight each folder individually and press command + i. In the window that pops up, you can either type 777 into the bottom field or make sure all boxes are checked.

6. Once all the files are successfully uploaded point your browser to: http://www.yourdomain.com/catalog/install/ - click "Install new online store". On the next screen make sure both check boxes on the next screen are checked and click "Continue"

7. Enter the following settings:
Database Server: your MySql server (Replace with the location of your MySql database as indicated in the e-mail "From Itsamac: Your MySQL access is set up".)
Username: your MySql username (usually your Itsamac ftp username)
Password: your MySql password (usually your Itsamac ftp password)
Database Name: YourUsername_db (replace YourUsername with your Itsamac username)
Persistent Connections: leave unchecked
Session Storage: Check Database
Click "Continue"

8. Click "Continue" on the Database Import page.

9. Enter the following settings: (replace "examplesite.com" with your website name, and "YourUsername" with the ftp username for your site.)
WWW Address: http://www.examplesite.com/catalog
Webserver Root Directory: /Library/WebServer/WebSites/YourUsername/public_html/catalog
HTTP Cookie Domain: www.examplesite.com
HTTP Cookie Path: /catalog/
Enable SSL Connections: If you have SSL enabled for your website check this box (contact us for questions regarding SSL)
Click "Continue"

10. Verify the osCommerce Configuration information is correct. This is the same information that you entered earlier. Click "Continue" - This should bring up a page that says "The configuration was successful!"

11. Delete the install folder from your webspace. /public_html/catalog/install/

12. Change the file permissions on the following files and folders:
/catalog/includes/configure.php to 644
/catalog/images to 777
/catalog/admin/includes/configure.php to 644
/catalog/admin/images/graphs/ to 777

13. Create a new folder called backups and upload it in the public_html/catalog/admin/ directory (in Transmit make sure you are in the directory and click the "New Folder" icon at the top)

14. The last task is to password protect your admin directory (public_html/catalog/admin/)
You can do this through any PHP or CGI script that creates a .htaccess file. We recommend using this automated .htaccess generator: http://www.webmaster-toolkit.com/htaccess-generator.shtml (external link)

15. Use the following settings:
Username: YourUsername (or any username you would like to use)
Password: YourPassword (or any password you would like to use)
Path: /Library/WebServer/WebSites/YourUsername/public_html/catalog/admin (replace "YourUsername" with the ftp username for your site)
Click the "Generate .htaccess" button

16. On the resulting page copy the text from the first box (hightlight the text and press command + C). Next, open TextWrangler and press command + V to paste this text in TextWrangler. Save this file as "htaccess" (without the quotes) by going under File/Save As in the menu. Do the same thing for the next text box and save this file as "htpasswd" (without the quotes).

17. Once the files are created upload them into your admin directory.

18. We now have to change the file names to include a period in front of htaccess and htpasswd. Adding the period in front will make the files readable by the server and invisible via your FTP browser (so don't panic if you can't see those files after you make this change). In transmit hightlight htaccess and click File > Rename in the menu. Rename this file ".htaccess" (without the quotes) and press return. Hightlight htpasswd, rename this file ".htpasswd" (without the quotes) and press return. Your admin folder is now password protected, and you are ready to begin using osCommerce."

Windows Server Update Services is software which can simplify the task of updating Microsoft products throughout an organization.
There are several prerequisites before installing this, eg.

"For Windows 2000 Server, WSUS requires the following:

•	IIS 5.0
•	BITS 2.0. To obtain this software, see the Download WSUS page.
•	Database software that is fully compatible with SQL Server. Microsoft recommends MSDE 2000 Release A.
•	Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1
•	.NET Framework 1.1 Redistributable Package
•	.NET Framework 1.1 SP1. You can also obtain this software from the Windows Update site: Scan for Critical Updates and Service Packs. Install Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1 for Windows 2000 Server."

from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/updateservices/evaluation/faqs.mspx

This replaces SUS (software update services) which will become inactive in July 2007. A walkthrough of how to plan and deploy SUS is downloadable here, until July 07 anyway.

Yet another variation on Getting Things Dones via Lifehacker
http://hyalineskies.com/2006/11/hacking-a-gtd-moleskine/

PHP/SWF Charts

http://www.maani.us/charts/index.php

Allows you to create Flash charts on the fly in PHP.
Charts don't update as the data changes, unless you refresh, so you'd need to build in auto-page refresh to keep the data real time.

It requires you to be able to get your data into the following format...

$chart [ 'chart_data' ] = array ( array ( "",         "2001", "2002", "2003", "2004" ),
                               array ( "Region A",     5,     10,     30,     63  ),
                               array ( "Region B",   100,     20,     65,     55  ),
                               array ( "Region C",    56,     21,      5,     90  )
                             );

...where the array mimics a 2D table and everything outside the left column and top row is a number.

The gallery of styles is here...
http://www.maani.us/charts/index.php?menu=Gallery

Also see their Web Gauge and Slideshow products

Also see
http://www.amcharts.com/pie/

original tip via Download Squad

DMA direct marketing lists
Example List Vendor

Make one of these lists and you'll be continually pestered by people trying to sell you stuff.
Take comfort in the fact that every business cold-caller you dismiss had to pay for your details.

A change I missed - In XHTML, 'empty' elements (ones which don't have a closing tag) need to be closed, using a forward slash before the ending >.

XHTML is the XML based successor to HTML. Another syntax issue to note with it is that you have to close paired tags like the p tag, whereas you could get away with not doing this sometimes in HTML.

Links:
Learning XHTML
W3schools XHTML
W3schools XML
Learn XML in 11.5 minutes

http://pcworld.about.com/news/Feb032005id119543.htm

The Mobile Forms Initiative - getting data straight from a digital pen writing on specially printed paper and into a network server.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/getstarted/remoteintro.mspx

Ecommerce usability

1. Navigation
-support other languages
-use a breadcrumb trail

2. Speed
-have very specific end categories for products, keeping the listing short

3. Simplicity

4. Make checkout as easy as possible
- retain user details to speed future ordering

Labeled motherboard diagrams (click the images below)

From http://www.build-a-computer-guide.com/the-motherboard.htm













From http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/122934



Identifying Memory Sticks

The following are a few memory types, starting with the earliest.

SDRAM SIMMs (around 1998?)
Had to be installed in matched pairs.


















SDRAM DIMMs (99-2002 ish)
Didn't need to be in matched pairs. You only needed to make sure you installed a stick of a speed the same or higher than that the processor on the motherboard required (PC66, PC100 or PC133).













RDRAM RIMMs (2002?)
Came in high end Pentium 4 machines, but didn't take off










DDR DIMMs (2002 onwards)
Labeled with either a PCxxxx or a DDRxxx number. The PC number is 8 x the DDR number.







DDR2 SDRAM













----

A good place to check which memory you need, if you aren't sure, is
http://www.crucial.com/uk/

Hard disks contain aluminium or ceramic plates on a spindle. Each has a magnetic sensitive coating. Between these are read-write heads, about 0.07 mil above the surface. Data is 'written' to the disk by rearranging the particles of the magnetic coating to represent ones and zeroes.

Drives are factory sealed to keep out dirt, which could cause a head crash, easily wrecking the drive.

Drive performance is measured by speed and the time it takes for the heads to move into position (seek time). When buying a hard drive, capacity is also paramount. Buy a drive with more capacity than you think you need, because over time you'll probably be glad of it! Also consider the buffer or cache size. This is a memory chip built into the drive which stores data so that the processor doesn't have to wait for the drive to catch up. A larger cache means faster access times.

More here...

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/hard-disk.htm

Webzinc is a control you can use which allows you to build screenscraping functions into applications. Requires some programming knowledge.

http://www.webzinc.com/online/

1. After installing and testing this component I found the info windows it generated were showing up empty in IE and not at all in Firefox. They displayed perfectly in Opera however.
The answer to this is to create a text file containing...

AddType text/xml xsl

...then renaming the file .htaccess and uploading it to the /components/com_google_maps directory of your site.

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2. It seems a recent version (at time of posting) of this component was supposed to do UK Geocoding. This doesn't seem to work, and actually hangs the system when you try to create a new marker.

---

3. The component author notes that map loading will slow down significantly if a map has more than 200 markers. This is caused by the Google map API itself.

---

4. It is possible to set this up so that the info window shows certain fields depending on logic, using the construct. See here
I'll add more here as and when I test this out.

--


Those validation images used to stop bots signing up for forums etc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha

Animated CAPTCHAS...

http://www.hotscripts.com/Detailed/64115.html

http://www.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/#Geocoding_Examples
but GClientGeocoder doesn't work for UK postcodes

You may be able to use the Google AJAX Search API in online apps. This does work with UK postcodes apparently but I'm not sure about the format returned without looking into this further ... http://googlemapsapi.blogspot.com/2006/08/how-to-add-google-search-to-your-maps.html

See here for more...
http://mapki.com/index.php?title=Read_This_First#Geocoding_UK_or_China


Procedure for fixing Norton/Symantec LiveUpdate. Problems with this can cause long delays when the machine is first booted up, or errors like...

"LiveUpdate had an internal error while getting your updates. Your Symantec programs were not updated. You should try getting updates at a later time. If LiveUpdate fails again with this error, you should re-install LiveUpdate."

http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/virus/troubleshooting/lufix.htm

1. Before deleting the LiveUpdate directory, you should first obtain the lusetup.exe file. It is often included within the LiveUpdate directory at C:\Program Files\Symantec\LiveUpdate\lusetup.exe. You should copy this file to another directory or onto your desktop for use later in this procedure. In other words, you are copying a file from the directory you are about to delete.
   NOTE: If the file lusetup.exe is not present in the above directory, you may download it here.
   
2. The next step is to delete everything inside the folder C:\Program Files\Symantec\LiveUpdate. As long as you have access to the lusetup.exe file, this is safe because the lusetup.exe file will replace these files. You may either browse to this directory, highlight all the files and click delete or click on one file in that directory, press Ctrl+A and press the delete key.
   
3. Now you may run the lusetup.exe file that you copied to another directory in step 1. This will reinstall LiveUpdate onto your computer and, most importantly, replace the offending file(s) that were causing the error. When the lusetup.exe program finishes, click Finish or OK.
   
4. LiveUpdate should now be reinstalled and operational. You may test this by opening the Symantec/Norton AntiVirus console and clicking the LiveUpdate button.

Another list of services you don't need (it says here)

http://www.sanx.org/tipShow.asp?index=65

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BootVis

Bootvis is no longer supported by Microsoft but can still be downloaded from various places. It can tell you which startup processes are taking the longest - useful for troubleshooting problems here.

What is a port?

In TCP/IP* and UDP* networks, (a port is) an endpoint to a logical connection. The port number identifies what type of port it is. For example, port 80 is used for HTTP traffic.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/p/port.html

Well Known TCP Port Numbers

http://webopedia.internet.com/quick_ref/portnumbers.asp

Web-Based open port scanning

Use 'Shields Up' at http://www.grc.com

App-Based open port scanning

Several network freebies include this. LanSpy looks worth a try.

How do you close an open port?

Stop the service which has it open, or configure your firewall to block it.
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/kb/articles/tec021114/


*
"The TCP protocol is often used when reliability is more important than speed, since constantly acknowledging the other computer can slow down communication. That’s why sending email or transferring files is usually done using TCP.

The UDP protocol is most often used for streaming video or Internet telephony where speed is more crucial. The UDP protocol saves time because it doesn’t go through the "handshaking" process that the TCP protocol requires, but like TCP, UDP can still be 100 exploited."

http://www.windowsitlibrary.com/Content/1845/08/1.html#1

ISDN

A telephone technology for simultaneous multiple uses

2 channels

Basic ISDN provides two high-speed connections on one ordinary telephone line.

2 uses

Each channel can carry voice or data.

An agent uses the two channels to simultaneously converse with a caller and access a database.

A supervisor or corporate database combines the two channels for data access four times as fast as a modem

23 channels

Primary Rate Interface (PRI) option supports 23 simultaneous voice or data connections on a single telephone line.

Integration

Distributed Call Center (DCC) uses ISDN to integrate computers and telephones. The public telephone network links callers, agents and supervisors, and databases.

Adaptability

ISDN is widely available, well defined, and compatible with all central office switches.

ISDN uses existing standards and technologies, and is growing in momentum.

----

http://www.compuvar.com/doc-02-02.html-ssi

ISDN - How It Works

ISDN is an entirely digital connection, and so you really do get 64k per channel on each connection - in both directions.

Your ISDN adapter is in constant contact with the telephone company switch whenever it is switched on and initiated. This means that when you "dial" a number that information is processed by the switch immediately (no wait for a dial tone). Then the connection through to the destination number is established digitally also (no ringing tone or modem tones), so the whole process takes around 1 second, as opposed to 20-40 seconds with a modem.

You can use one or both of the ISDN B-channels for voice when you are not using it for data, giving you a much clearer connection because, at least between you and your destination's telephone company switch, the connection is digital.

1. Be informed and professional
2. Get it right first time around
3. If you don't, provide adequate channels for comment and complaint
4. Act promptly on these
5. Exceed expectations
6. In any communication with a client, be polite and helpful. Answer questions as clearly as possible.
7. On the phone, identify yourself and your department
8. The client is an equal partner in a developing process

Project Management Made Easy : D. Keith Robinson

terra IMS™ > mapicons Dynamic Generator (Free Preview)

Blank DVD Media Quality Guide

How do I uplink to another hub / switch

You can always connect an ethernet hub/switch to another hub/switch. Some hubs/switches have uplink ports, and others do not. The configuration for all scenarios is listed below:

NORMAL PORT TO NORMAL PORT ---- CROSSOVER CABLE
UPLINK PORT TO UPLINK PORT ---- CROSSOVER CABLE
UPLINK PORT TO NORMAL PORT ---- STRAIGHT THROUGH/PATCH CABLE
NORMAL PORT TO UPLINK PORT ---- STRAIGHT THROUGH/PATCH CABLE

Remember, if you have a link light than the cable is right.

Delete Autocomplete Email Addresses - Tech-Recipes.com

If you use the Joomla open source CMS system, there's a Google Map component here...

http://forge.joomla.org/sf/projects/google_maps

also see

Installation walkthrough here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95948121@N00/sets/72157594241014488/

Project Blog here
http://com-google-maps.blogspot.com/

Google Maps API 2 Upgrade Guide

Transferring a domain away from UK2.net

Use the form here...
http://amail.co.uk/moveaway.htm

Using SWF Decompiler from Sothink you can save SWF files to your desktop and convert them to FLA files which can be edited in Flash. This is useful if you happen to lose your original Flash files, or you need to create demos based on other people's work. It isn't free, but is pretty cheap.

http://www.sothink.com/product/flashdecompiler/

How to be an expert

Audacity, which is a sound editing program that will also let you rip anything you listen to on your computer: radio stations, podcasts, Pandora, lastFM, etc... Just set the input to Stereo Mix via the dropdown, punch Record and rip away. Freeware.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/