The Apheus Blog

For whatever reason, the fine people at Firefox have decided to remove the “Properties” menu item from the right-click menu of their latest version 3.6. Maybe I use the Properties menu a little more than the average person, but I just had to have this feature back

The Properties menu gives you access to all kinds of important details about various elements on a webpage. For example, if you right click on image and choose “Properties” you can view the ALT text of the image, its file location, image dimensions, and more.

As a web designer, I use the Properties menu quite frequently to examine various webpage elements. Fortunately, somebody came up with a handy add-on that puts the Properties menu back in the right-click menu.

I must say that I’m slightly disappointed in Grisoft – the makers of AVG antivirus software. I’ve successfully used the free version of their software for several years and have praised their product, turning many free versions into paid versions for them. But recently, I have to question: what is going on with AVG updates? The last two major automatic updates have caused major problems with my computer system at home. Basically, AVG updated itself in the wee hours of the morning and afterwards I was unable to access the internet or my POP email. What a drag!

I’m not the only person experiencing this problem. Many people I know personally that use AVG have had the same problem. A quick search of various AVG forums reveals that this is definitely not an isolated incident. The solution to the problem:

1. Completely uninstall AVG.
2. Download the latest version.
3. Install the new version.

I realize that the free version of AVG doesn’t come with any warranties, but come on! Since I updated to AVG 9, I’ve experienced several update issues. Back in the old days of version 7, we had trouble just getting the software to update itself automatically, now this? It doesn’t instill much confidence in an otherwise very good product. I’ll continue to use AVG and I will continue to recommend it to friends and family, but I will be keeping my eye out for another free antivirus program. Sorry, AVG…

I recently ran across a problem with the DNS from my ISP. One of my clients moved their main website from one server to another and I waited for the DNS to propagate. And I waited and waited and waited some more. After four days, I was starting to get worried. Generally, the rule of thumb is that it takes a maximum of 48-72 hours for a domain name to become fully propagated across the various domain nameservers (DNS) on the internet. I contacted my ISP and they resolved the issue, but I was still bothered by the wait time and I know other people in the world must have experienced the same issue at one point or another. That’s when I decided to look into this whole DNS issue with my ISP. Let’s be honest – most people don’t care whether or not their using their ISP’s DNS or not. And probably 99.9% of the people out on the internet don’t even know what a domain nameserver is or does. I happen to be in that .1% that does know and care.

I work with a lot of websites and pointing domains from one server to another is a pretty common practice. I know from past experience that after pointing a domain to a new server, it’s often available within four or five hours. Because I’m in the website design and development business, getting an updated DNS is very important to minimize downtime when moving websites. So I started looking into the problem and the solution was much easier than I had anticipated – use a third party DNS! I started looking around and I found that there were two services out there that could really help me out. One was OpenDNS and the other was Google Public DNS. Both services are free, so I decided to try them out and compare them to my ISP.

The first service I tried was OpenDNS. I was a little confused when I first signed up for the OpenDNS Basic, but I quickly found that they offer a huge number of features that could be very useful. OpenDNS Basic has content filtering, phishing protection, botnet protection, stats, logs, shortcuts, and more. With all those features, I was impressed. With OpenDNS, you gain additional protection from problem websites, which is always a good thing. I think they’ve done an excellent job of creating a service that many people can really enjoy having – especially with that zero dollars price tag. The only problem I had is that I thought my computer was slightly slower when “looking up” websites. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but I’ll get to the DNS speed test results later.

My next test was with Google Public DNS. Google apparently launched the service in December 2009, but I hadn’t heard about it until I started looking into it. You don’t have to sign up for anything at Google, you just plug in your numbers and away you go. There are no fancy features like you’ll find with OpenDNS and that may appeal to some people. Again, Google Public DNS doesn’t cost anything, so that is always a pleasing feature. Beyond that, everything is no-frills. The Google DNS seemed to function without any problems, although it seemed to be a little slower than what I was used to.

I decided to test the speed differences between my ISP’s DNS, OpenDNS, and Google Public DNS using a program called namebench and another program called DNS Benchmark. Depending upon the time of day, configuration of the test, and the program used, my ISP generally beat OpenDNS and Google in response times.

Just from experience, I knew that my ISP was slighter faster than either of the other nameserver services. However, since my primary concern is with how often the DNS is updated, I needed to do a little more research. Each nameserver has its own update frequency specified by the person who installed the DNS and the Time to Live or TTL settings. While I don’t know the exact interval my ISP updates their nameservers, I do know from experience that it can sometimes take several days to resolve a proper domain. Again, since I frequently move websites from one server to another, I need quicker access.

OpenDNS seems to resolve their DNS’s rather frequently and they also have a neat tool called CacheCheck that can actually force them to update their DNS before the TTL expires. That is a really neat feature! I couldn’t find any information on how often Google updates their cache, but I’ve seen reports on the internet that they take slightly longer than OpenDNS. From what I can tell, OpenDNS and Google Public DNS refresh their caches far more frequently than my ISP.

So what am I to do? My ISP is definitely faster, and many other testers have discovered the same results. However, I need a DNS that resolves a recently moved website more quickly than my current ISP. Based upon my own DNS performance tests and the features benefits, I’m going with OpenDNS. If I decide later that I don’t like the service, then I always have the option of switching back to my ISP or choosing Google instead. Right now, I think I’ve made the right decision.

Many people will often ask me, “What’s the best firewall I can get for my computer?” My first response is always ZoneAlarm. Check Point offers a free version of ZoneAlarm for non-commercial installations and its my all-time favorite firewall program. However, getting and installing the free version of ZoneAlarm can sometimes be a challenge if you don’t know where to look. In this blog, I’ll give you the step-by-step instructions needed to find, download, and install the free version of ZoneAlarm.

Finding the Free Version of ZoneAlarm

The free version of ZoneAlarm can be downloaded from http://www.zonealarm.com. However, finding the free version on the website isn’t easy. They don’t want you find the program, since the pay versions are how they make their money! But it’s still there if you know where to look. On the ZoneAlarm homepage, locate the “ZoneAlarm Products” drop-down menu and select “Compare All Products.”

On the product comparison page, locate the “Computer Security” section and find the column labeled “Free Firewall.” Click on the “Download” link on the product box image.

This will take you to the Free Firewall Page. The reason I don’t like linking directly to this page is because the link changes so often. Right now the link to the ZoneAlarm Free Firewall page is http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/zonealarm-pc-security-free-firewall.htm, but that is subject to change! On the right hand side of the page, locate the big “Download” link and click it.

This will take you to yet another page (they’re really trying to make you buy their product). Find the Start Download Now button on the left hand side of the page and click it.

Finally,  you’ll get to the actual ZoneAlarm download page! The download should start up automatically (it may appear slightly different than the image below depending upon which browser you’ll be using). Click on “Run” or “Save” to download the installation files.

Installing the Free Version of ZoneAlarm

While you may think you’re out of the woods, you’re not! ZoneAlarm still wants you to purchase their product, but you can still install the free version. When installing the program, make sure you choose the free version during the installation process. Make sure you click the radio button for the free version and not the 15-day trial.

That’s it! Follow the rest of the on-screen instructions to install your free version of ZoneAlarm. The installation process will require a reboot of your computer, but the rest of the process is relatively painless. Once you have your free firewall installed, your computer should be protected from many different types of malicious attacks.

Many first-time computer users and veterans alike always complain about not having Microsoft Word or Excel on their computer. They’re always surprised when the system they buy from Wal-Mart or Best Buy doesn’t come with the entire Microsoft Office Suite, or with a short trial version. These are the standards when it comes to business computing and are pretty much required when it comes to operating your business. The catch for many bugdet-minded computer users is that Microsoft Office can become quite expensive if you want the entire suite of programs. Fortunately, there is an alternative.

The OpenOffice.org Solution

OpenOffice.org has become a widespread alternative to the high-priced productivity suites available from other software vendors. It has many of the same features available in expensive software packages at a very affordable price. In fact, it will cost you nothing – OpenOffice.org is available as a free download. It was first released in 2002 and has quickly become a hit with many computer users worldwide.

OpenOffice.org is an “open source” program, meaning that the source code of the program is openly available. Nearly a half million people have collaborated over a period of more than 20 years to create OpenOffice.org. The primary sponsors of this open source project include Sun Microsystems, Novell, RedHat, IBM, Google, and others. There are no license fees associated with OpenOffice.org and the program can be distributed freely.

OpenOffice.org Writer

Writer is the OpenOffice.org equivalent of Microsoft Word. It can be used as a word processing or desktop publishing program and contains many powerful features. You can use Writer to create simple one page documents or use it to create more complex works with images, tables, headings, and complete formatting. Writer reads and writes Microsoft Word documents and you can convert your documents into PDF’s directly from the toolbar – Adobe Acrobat NOT required!

OpenOffice.org Calc

Calc is the OpenOffice.org equivalent of Microsoft Excel. It is an excellent spreadsheet program that is easy to learn for beginners and contains more advanced options for the seasoned user. Calc reads and writes Microsoft Excel documents and some people find Calc easier to use than Excel. You can also export your spreadsheets as PDF’s – a feature that I have used on numerous occassions.

OpenOffice.org Draw

Forget about Paint or expensive graphics programs – use OpenOffice.org Draw instead! With Draw, you can create quick and simple drawings to complex illustrations and graphics. You can also use Draw to create flowcharts and network diagrams. I could see how Draw could come in handy for students who need to create a few simple graphics. Of course, if you plan on doing a lot of graphic work, you’ll probably want a full-featured graphics program like Photoshop or Fireworks.

OpenOffice.org Impress

If you need to create presentations, Impress is your answer. OpenOffice.org Impress is the equivalent of Microsoft PowerPoint. You can use Impress to create various multimedia presentations. You can also export your presentation as a PDF or Flash. Like with PowerPoint, there is going to be a slight learning curve if you want to use Impress to impress your clients. But for those that are already familiar with PowerPoint, using Impress should be pretty easy.

OpenOffice.org Base

OpenOffice.org Base is the equivalent of Microsoft Access. Although I don’t work with either Access or Base, I can see where having access to a free database program could come in handy. You can work with tables and forms in various databases and create new databases with the design wizards or use the built-in HSQL database engine for more advanced queries. Base is simple enough for beginners, but contains many useful features for advanced computer users.