The wait is finally over for the latest release of Firefox. Some important issues have been addressed in this latest major release and it's sure to be a great step in the right direction for web browsers in general.

Download Firefox 3 and view its features here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

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Acuras has just launched a new website for a local educational media company, Avanti Media Solutions. Visit the site at www.avantimediasolutions.co.uk.


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Acuras has just designed, built and launched a new website for Trevor Laurency. Visit it at www.trevorlaurency.com. The site was built with a very basic content management system in order to allow the client to edit some of the content on a page of the website.

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A selection of recent news, coding tips and general technology links we've recently bookmarked:

Tomorrow's CSS Today: 8 Techniques They Don't Want You To Know [CSS Tutorials]
Microsoft: Vista feature designed to 'annoy users' | Tech News on ZDNet
CSS Sliding Photograph Gallery
Emma Alvarez Site: Most Useful 50 CSS Tips And Tools For Webmasters
Content Overlay with CSS - Snook.ca
MySQL Workbench
gnome-open: Open Anything from the Command Line « Ubuntu Blog
MySQL Mathematical Functions

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I came across Mozilla Prism in a recent version of the SitePoint Tech Times newsletter. The HTML version of this issue can be found here.

The concept behind Mozilla Prism is simple. It effectively allows you to run a web application (or any website) within a stripped down, dedicated web "browser" (I use that term loosely) which enables you to use the web app more like a desktop application rather than a typical website within a normal web browser.

From the Mozilla Labs website:

Mozilla Labs is launching a series of experiments to bridge the divide in the user experience between web applications and desktop apps and to explore new usability models as the line between traditional desktop and new web applications continues to blur. (Mozilla Labs)

This concept is particularly applicable for web applications such as Google Mail (or any webmail system). One noticeable advantage to this new model of use is that it enables the separation of web browsing from the regular use of web apps. If your browser crashes while visiting a site, your web app (e.g. Google Mail) is still running as if it was a completely separate desktop application.

To see what all the fuss is about take a look at http://labs.mozilla.com/2007/10/prism/ to find out more and download the current version of Mozilla Prism for Windows.


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A selection of recent design, development and server admin links we've recently bookmarked:

Subversion - Community Ubuntu Documentation
8 Premium One Line Css Tips | Css Globe
what is the /srv folder for? - Ubuntu Forums
SAMBA Windows Linux file sharing notes
Bash Cheat Sheet at SSH Help - Bash Resource Guide
Linux keyboard shortcuts
Basic Linux Commands
MySQL: How to count the number of occurences in a string
Digital Web Magazine - How to Build a Green Business
Create Eye-popping Graphics with Photoshop Brushes [Software Tutorials]

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The root password for Ubuntu is locked by default therefore logging in as root directly or by using "su" is not normally possible. This is where the "sudo" command comes in.

"sudo" can be added before any command to run it as if you were logged in as root. Alternatively, type "sudo -i" then enter your password and you will remain logged in as the sudo root user.

More info here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RootSudo

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Just a quick tip regarding PHP. If you need to override the Register Globals settings in PHP and you don't have access to php.ini then you can typically add a single line to your .htaccess file (or create a .htaccess file and place it in your root web directory)

If you need to turn register_globals on use:

php_flag register_globals 1

If you need to turn register_globals off use:

php_flag register_globals 0


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Here's the first of (hopefully) many posts documenting some of what's available out there on the web when it comes to re-usable javascript components and libraries.

This first post looks at date pickers or calendars. Very useful for date fields, they can improve usability dramatically (if integrated successfully).

JavaScript Date Picker (nsftools.com) - http://www.nsftools.com/tips/DatePickerTest.htm

A nice and simple date picker, easy to integrate with forms. Thanks Julian!

Jason's Date Input Calendar - http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex7/jasoncalendar.htm

Takes a different approach to Julian Robichaux's Date Picker. This script generates all the HTML for the date picker inputs itself. This date picker consists of two dropdowns for the day and month plus a text field for the year as well as an overlay which allows dates to be selected directly from a calendar. Can be customised fairly easily.

Some other date picker scripts are listed below. We haven't had much time to fiddle with these yet but they look promising...

The DHTML / JavaScript Calendar - http://www.dynarch.com/projects/calendar/

JS Calendar - http://www.dhtmlgoodies.com/scripts/js_calendar/js_calendar.html

Calendar Popup - http://www.mattkruse.com/javascript/calendarpopup/

Bye for now!


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The new Acuras website has finally arrived. Have a look around and feel free to let us know what you think. We've got plenty of new and exciting products and services on offer through this new site.

Find out how you can design, build and maintain your own professional quality website with no technical expertise required.

If you have PDFs available on your website, why not make them available for your users to flick through directly from your website. Check out the PDF Presentation Software for websites we have on offer.

Bye for now. Thanks for reading!


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Look out for the new Acuras website which will be launched within the coming weeks. A brand new design as well as more comprehensive content will turn the site into an even more valuable resource for both clients and web professionals.

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This week saw the launch of the new BW Financial Consultants website. BW Financial Consultants are based in Penn, a Buckinghamshire village and their aim is to provide a very personal, holistic and customised service to their clients who are drawn from various backgrounds.

BW Consultants had an existing logo design which was incorporated into the new website. A very clean and simple design was required and several designs based upon the logo style were presented to the client. The final design was then selected and implemented.

Visit the newly launched website at http://www.bwconsultants.co.uk.

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December 2007 saw the launch of the new PalletLink website. PalletLink is a UK-based advisory association offering unbiased advice on technical aspects of pallets and packaging. They are well experienced at home and abroad and recognized as a trusted source within the industry.

The design of the new PalletLink website was kept fresh and simple. The client was involved every step of the way and this led to smooth running of the project from start to finish.

Acuras Web Development provided a full website, hosting and email solution for PalletLink which consisted of the following features:

• Website Design and full HTML / CSS build
• Member login functionality for protected downloads
• Website and document search feature
  
• Backend content management system for content and downloads
  
• Business web and email hosting

Visit PalletLink at http://www.palletlink.co.uk.


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The brand new website for the WatersEdge Restaurant and Bar has just been launched. Acuras Web Development provided a full logo and website design service and is providing ongoing email, web hosting and maintenance services.

The WatersEdge Restaurant is situated in Cowley, Uxbridge and gladly takes bookings for weddings, parties & any kind of celebration. The WatersEdge is ideal for Business Functions & Seminars with WiFi Internet access available.



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Acuras Web Development has just launched a website for the Arcot Holiday Cottage in Cubert, Cornwall. The website consists of a clean and simple design based on the client's preferences.

The website also includes an integrated Google Maps page showing the location of the holiday cottage. An online contact form was provided so that visitors can make enquiries without leaving the website.


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Bit of an obscure post this but I came across this very handy feature of PHP which allows you to include a file but store the contents of the included file to a variable. This is particularly useful for PHP scripts and software which output content to a page by using variables. Many CMSs are built like this.

The principal behind this solution is to use an output buffer. You start the output buffer, include the file(s), store the included content to a variable, then stop the output buffer. Code is shown below:

ob_start(); // start buffer
include ("file-to-include.php");
$content = ob_get_contents(); // assign buffer contents to variable
ob_end_clean(); // end buffer and remove buffer contents
echo $content;

Hope this comes in useful. Bye for now!


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Google has launched a new version of its analytics software. The new version of Google Analytics currently runs alongside the old version.

"In the new version of Google Analytics, data is concentrated into combinations of reports, allowing users to make informed decisions about site management..." (Google)

At first glance, the reports certainly seem more intuitive and informative. As Google Analytics is such a complex and comprehensive tool, making it easy to use is a huge task in itself. Let's hope Google have done their homework. All looks good so far!




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This tutorial is aimed at those with a good knowledge of Excel but limited experience with databases, particularly, MySQL.

After logging into phpMyAdmin, you should see a dropdown box on the left of the page under "Database". Click on the dropdown and select the appropriate database. If you have no databases in the list you may be able to create one through phpMyAdmin depending on your user privileges. After selecting a database, you should now be able to see a list of tables on the left menu as well as in the main window.

Before importing any data you need to set up your Excel spreadsheet(s) appropriately. Each Excel spreadsheet should correspond to a table in your database. In your Excel spreadsheet(s), make sure you create the same number of columns as exist for the corresponding database tables and make sure the columns are in the same order as shown by the phpmyadmin interface.

Whenever you want to upload your data into the database, export / save your 3 spreadsheets using the Comma Seperated Values (CSV) format. This will enable you to import the data into the database.

To import data into a database table you firstly need to click on that table's name in the phpmyadmin interface. You then need to click on "Import" at the top of the main window. This provides the interface through which you can upload data to the table you have selected.

Click on "Browse..." to locate the .csv file you wish to upload. Then select "CSV" as the Format of imported file. Under CSV options, "Fields terminated by" should be changed to a comma. "Column names" can be left blank (assuming your Excel spreadsheet contained the same columns in the same order as the corresponding database table). Click on "Go" and the file will be imported.

If after trying to import a load of data you see that it has not worked as you had expected, you can delete all the records in the table and start afresh by clicking on "Empty" at the top of the main window. You can then proceed to upload an amended .csv file again.

If you run into difficulties you may wish to consider our MySQL Database and PHP Programming services. Feel free to Request a Quote for technical assistance.

Thanks for reading! Bye for now...


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The new website for GRS Ltd has just been launched. GRS Ltd specialises in bringing together companies from around the world and introducing them to business opportunities in the Middle East. Visit Business Partnerships and Business Investments for more information.

A full website design and build was completed within two weeks of project initiation. Domain name registration, web hosting and email services are to be supplied on an ongoing basis.


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You can download the MySQL GUI Tools from the GUI Tools Download Page. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to download the MySQL Workbench for Windows which offers you the ability to graphically model existing databases or ceate new databases using a graphical interface.

MySQL Workbench is still in its alpha testing stage so be warned that it may contain some unpleasant bugs. Even so, have a play and see what you think. It's nice to see MySQL developing a solid set of graphical development tools for the hardworking database administrators and web developers out there.


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