ZAZZYBOB.COM NEWSLETTER August 2004 ======================= =========== Contents -------- * Preamble * Zazzybob.com Site Updates * HASTE's Another Simple Text Editor * ZBKB * Other Projects * /etc/issue * shutdown -h now Preamble -------- This e-mail has been designed with plain text e-mail clients in mind, and looks best when viewed using a monospaced font. You are receiving this mailing because you asked for it when you signed up to the Zazzybob.com Members Area. If you want to stop receiving this newsletter, sign into the Members Area, at http://www.zazzybob.com/members/login.html and select "Change Mailing Details" from the list of tools on the main members page. Zazzybob.com Site Updates ------------------------- Towards the end of July, I uploaded the first version of HASTE. What is HASTE? Well, HASTE's Another Simple Text Editor, and it's written in Java so it should be portable across any platform with a JVM, although I've only tested it under Linux, Windoze and Solaris. I have also began working on a new project, a PHP/PostgreSQL Knowledge Base application. The first beta should *hopefully* be up on the site by the end of the month. A mini newsletter will go out as its released. More information on these projects follows below..... HASTE's Another Simple Text Editor ---------------------------------- HASTE (HASTE's Another Simple Text Editor) is a basic text editing tool written using the Java programming language. Current features include: * System clipboard interaction (cut, copy, paste) * Basic file operations (new file, open, save, save as) * Semi-intelligent unsaved file warnings * Word wrap * Print support (not too easy to do with Java....) * Right-click context menus Head over to http://www.zazzybob.com/haste.html for more information, and source code downloads. ZBKB ---- ZBKB (ZazzyBob Knowledge Base) is a new project currently under development behind the scenes at Zazzybob.com. Using a mix of PHP and PostgreSQL, ZBKB aims to be a simple to use, but functionally rich, Knowledge Base / Help Desk system, that can be hosted on an Apache webserver, and accessed by users from around an organisation. Permission controls are in place to allow certain "Administrative" users to be set up, who can manage the system more powerfully. There are also certain other permissions that control the editing priveleges granted to "standard" users (i.e. whether or not they can delete, edit and write articles). I have been working on this project (among other things) for about a week now, and the main user administration, user authentication (using encrypted passwords), and actual database structure are all in place. All that remains now is to provide the forms that will allow the users to interact with the database. As noted above, a mini-newsletter will be sent as the beta version is uploaded, which I hope will be before the end of the month. Other Projects -------------- Any regular visitors to the site will have noticed an /etc/passwd security checking script at the bottom of the /sbin page. It's been there for a while with no other home on the site. Well, work has started again on the BSSS (Basic System Security Suite) script suite, and further details will be posted to the site shortly. It looks like passwd.sec will finally have a parent project! I will also be posting a handful of small C programs to the site in due course. Most of them are little remakes of existing UNIX commands, plus a little progress indicator program that can be called from BASH scripts in a rather complicated manner. /etc/issue ---------- So, why hasn't the site been updated in over 2 weeks? Well - BT (British Telecom) are the culprits, I'm afraid. I was aiming to perform a couple of uploads last week, but have been without a phone line for 6 days. They have now fixed the problem, and hopefully the line will not be down again any time soon. They have also pledged to refund £6 off my bill for each day the line was down, which is not too bad. £36 will pay Zazzybob.com's hosting fees for sixth months. If I don't spend it on beer. shutdown -h now --------------- Until next time..... Cheers, Kevin Waldron kevin@zazzybob.com http://www.zazzybob.com