This serves as a test post. I'm fixing CGI-related problems on a different server and I'm wondering if it's IE or some misconfiguration that is causing the problem. This serves as a part of the problem isolation routine.
Here to compensate this off topic thread: Atomic9.NET
ARGH.
This Account Has Been Suspended
Please contact the billing/support department as soon as possible.
It seems that this picture is following me everywhere these days. First it was RichardBase.com (and the first Foxpro.catalyst) and now, Pixelcatalyst.Lair bows down and hounded by the same problem. There are possible reasons for this... but for now I'm still waiting for Phoenix's reply.
Our main e-mail address resides on that server which makes us very dependent on it. For now please redirect your mails to this address: wildfire AT ntsl119 dot com (Of course you know how this simple anti-spam related mechanism works).
So here we are again... online after two weeks of being knocked off the 'net.
Before I'll post the events that occurred during that span of time... let us tackle first things, first.
What in Valhalla's name brought us down?
Actually we're still down. The RichardBase.com is still suspended and judging from the way things are going, it would remain that way.
Post.Deleted(Paragraph)
I did type a couple of paragraphs which I deleted considering that I don't like to delve into the gory details. To summarize it one sentence... the friend who's sponsoring my free hosting on that server using a domain I registered on its second year (was free during the first) had problems with his hosting reselling business that he decided to discontinue things.
But no negative chakras here. I'm still thankful for the hosting sponsorship for more than a year. It was a big help indeed.
Besides, I was planning to register a new one early this year to make things more non-person-centric. That's the problem with domains using birth names. There are certain factors that limits the things that I wanted to do. You can now access the Portfolio 2004 using this link: RichardBase.NTSL119.com.
Time to move on... on a new server with hosting and domain paid using an income generated from our projects. (You see since the first day I posted something online and made the 'online presence', I was relying on freebies... up to this point Pixelcatalyst.Lair is still made possible through the kindness of a fellow artist at DeviantArt, Niko)
I did spent some time and effort behind that old Foxpro.catalyst but as I was saying to some friends last week, I will rebuild things from scratch if I have to. Besides greatness is measured on how you built good things that crumble from splinters again... and again.
That's one thing you should teach a child... standing up every time they fall. Let's just say I was taught well on that department.
TEST
And another weird test.
WinAPI in FoxPro is sometimes frustrating... if not always. I know that it did helped me last week while I'm solving some things. I know that it is challenging (Really it is!). I know that it handles memory more efficiently. What I don't like is the idea that I can't seem to do a thing without a reference or without 'Googling'. Worse I'm slowly being transformed into a copy-and-paste declare-lovin' pink-eyed monster with three fangs.
Is it even possible to be able to know (and memorize) all those parameters without a book?
Converting things from downloadable VB/C/Delphi snippets is not that easy too. Probably it is easier for VB/C/Delphi programmers but we're talking about Foxpro here... we're talking about getting used to a PL with clear, eloquent and straightforward syntax and semantics. I even have to lookup each WinAPI code used inside another WinAPI code, do that lame trial and error approach isolating each variable while calling on the guardians of the seas and skies just to add a shadow on a certain box. So frustrating that I'm beginning to hear Photoshop voices mocking me using the last seven letters of the alphabet.
But I'll get back to charm you, Miss WinAPI. One of these days. It's quite hard tackling you after sleeping at 4AM for almost 12 consecutive days.
On the lighter side of things, Foxpro.catalyst is now available in RSS Feeds with the help of GMM-RS, an add-on for the Greymatter scripts this site is using. Installation is straightforward but if you'll hit a roadblock, just download this RSS.pm file, upload in a directory named XML inside your cgi-bin folder and type the words 'Format C: /u /s' on your DOS window.
We're now in a box. Inside the box... i'm referring to the new template this site holds. This gives you a slight preview of the main site's look (RichardBase.com 2004) which will be updated in the days to come. So tell me what you think.
This afternoon, QS and i were discussing tech/philo-related matters. Something about humans using their minds to create technologies that would make lesser use of their minds. Ironic... eh? More thoughts on that one later.
It's 2:43AM already and i'm still working on the new version of that richardbase.com website. I have done 90% of the template last friday and i was able to chop things, add tables and rollover images already tonight (post.replace['tonight', 'morning']). I'll be using iFrame this time to minimize an extensive vertical scrolling for the main section. It has been months since i have last touched Dreamweaver, PaintShop Pro and Adobe Photoshop... so i'm having quite a hard time familiarizing things once again. I can't even find the SNAP TO GRID item earlier.
I tend to give importance to the details when i'm working on GFX-related matters. I would even scrap a two hour work and start from scratch if i'm not satisfied with it. I've done that earlier this evening when i am faced with the dilemma of optimizing the image size using JPEGs compressed by 15 or 30 percent over a GIF format which reduces the overall quality of the image.
I end up using a rollover image with both a not-so-compressed JPEG as the main image and a GIF file for the 'roller'. I don't want to sacrifice quality this time... and since i'm using an iFrame, the loading of most images will only occur once. All other loading of files and images will be inside that iFrame which is not that 'heavy'.
Once the main portfolio site is done... expect the foxpro.catalyst website to emulate that interface too. Hmm... do you really think this site will hold this text only type of look that long?
Foxpro.catalyst... is now back online. We were flushed out from cyberspace for almost 24 hours after a glitch occured when we renewed the domain. Thanks for the help, weightlessGFX. More foxpro-related links later. I'm still finishing up some things for tomorrow's client visit/installation.
http://www.richardbase.com/foxpro/news/ is 70% GOOD and 30% Evil. While both 'WildFire' and 'foxpro.catalyst' is 99% GOOD / 1% Evil. Check Gematriculator for yourself. Have fun.
This User Interface != Usable Interface article by Sriram Krishnan points out an important issue that some, if not most, programmers seem to neglect.
I was hoping i could use this space as the place where i can talk about what the site is all about, its aims and visions.
This is where the details should be. Right now i'm just creating this temporary filler which i will replace once i have finalized the about section of this site.
Coolness! Now everything seems to be inorder... front-wise. I still have to decide what to do with the inner components such as karma, links, comments and the individual entry pages. A simple header is already activated. Which shows the site name too.
This is probably the fourth test in terms of entries. But i can't count the template changes anymore. Right now i'm still tinkering with some css configuration that will hopefully give me complete satisfaction... aesthetic-wise.
Everything starts with a test. Well... at least almost everything.
