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.

Apheus recently joined the site seal revolution by adding the Spam Free service. We are committed to making sure that any email address or other personal information you provide to our company will never be used in spam. Email marketing is a tricky thing, especially when it comes to trust.  Opt-in rates continue to drop because of the fear of spam.  Most marketers will just try to claim their list is free from spam by saying something like, “We hate spam as much as you do and will never share or spam your email address.”

There is, however, a solution.  A way to actually prove your list has a clean track record when it comes to spam called the Spam Free Seal.  Basically it’s a seal that you place on your site that links to a status page with instant proof you don’t send any spam to your list.  Pretty cool.

If you’re like me, then you use social networking websites to keep in touch with your friends and family. My favorite is Facebook – that was until recently. For some reason, whenever someone started to chat with me, the browser window would “steal focus.” Well, even though I enjoy chatting with people, I want to do it my terms – meaning I’ll look at the chat window when I get a chance – not when Facebook wants me to. I experienced this problem many times while running Firefox and today, enough was enough! I started looking into the problem and discovered that I was not the only one who had experienced this problem. Fortunately, someone else had already come up with the answer – turn off the Facebook chat sound – a simple, yet effective solution. Here’s how you do it:

1. Log into Facebook.
2. Go to any page on Facebook and find the chat menu in the lower right-hand corner.
3. Open the chat menu and find the Options button.
4. Click on the Options button and uncheck the box “Play sound for new messages.”

While I prefer to have the sound enabled in Facebook chat, the stolen focus problem was just too much to bear any longer. Hopefully, Firefox or Facebook will fix the problem in the near future, but until then, this workaround is the way to go!

Check out the YouTube video I made about this subject:

For no apparent reason, I could no longer login to my IM programs such as MSN Live Messenger or Yahoo Messenger. I looked into all of the ususal suspects (malware infections, firewall issues, my ISP, etc.) but I couldn’t quite put my finger on the problem until I did a search for “Netgear MSN problems” on Google. I quickly realized that it was my router most likely the culprit. I purchased a new Netgear WGR614 Wireless-G Router a couple of months back and everything seemed to be working fine up until recently. I have all of the latest firmware upgrades and nothing has changed on the router since I installed it. My IM programs had previously worked using this router, but for some reason I suddenly had a problem.

My Yahoo just wouldn’t connect at all – the program would sit idle and act like it was connecting, but wouldn’t. MSN would at least give me an error message (that sometimes changed), but the message proved to be almost useless. When I tried to diagnose the connection problem with MSN Live Messenger’s connection troubleshooter, it would say that there wasn’t a problem!

Apparently a Common Problem

After doing my search on Google, it became quite apparent that this is a common problem among people using all different types of Netgear routers, not just the WGR614 like I have. I browsed the forums and could the feel the anguish of other Netgear owners who simply couldn’t find a good solution to the problem. I felt their pain, but continued to trek on to find the solution – after all, I use my instant messenger programs to communicate with my clients, friends, and family – so it was imperative that I get this problem fixed!

The Solution to the Netgear Problem

After reading through several wise suggestions, I finally came up with a solution that worked for my Netgear router problem:

1. Open a browser window and type the IP address of your Netgear router into the URL bar (my router’s IP address is 192.168.1.1). Don’t enter a “www” or anything like that, just type in the numbers.
2. Enter your username and password information when prompted to access your router settings.
3. Select WAN Setup in the left-hand column under the Advanced section.
4. Find the MTU Size option and change the value to 1400.
5. Click the Apply button.
6. Restart your router.

Test the Results

After you restart your Netgear router, open up one of your instant messenger programs (such as MSN) and hopefully everything will now work. The solution was much simpler than I had expected but it did work for me. I can’t guarantee that these same steps will work on every Netgear router, but its a step in the right direction. If this doesn’t solve your problem, click on one of the links below for more help:

• Netgear IM Problem
• Netgear Yahoo Problem
• Netgear MSN Problem

Recently, I took a look at my laptop computer to see how other people use the system when I’m not watching. It’s not really a “public computer” but my friends do tend to congregate around one system or another when the visit my home or when I visit theirs. After examining the laptop, I came to realize that people tend to freely give up their passwords when using browsers such as Firefox and Internet Explorer. Many web browsers have a feature that allows you to store your usernames and passwords on the system. But, many people tend to forget that they should never save their usernames and passwords on public computers.

The Problem with Public Computers

A true public computer is one that you would find in a library, mall, hotel, or airport. They are generally used by people to check up on their email when they are on-the-go or just to browse the internet. The problem with a public computer is that they are used by everyone – the good guys and the bad guys. Public computers are a welcome convenience for many people, however there are some security risks when using a public computer that you should be aware of before you use one.

Saved Passwords: This is the main problem that actually got me started on writing this article. I noticed that several of my friends had inadvertently saved their passwords to my laptop when they were using the system. I have password saving turned on in Firefox, but have it disabled in Internet Explorer. I went through the saved passwords in Firefox and noticed that I had just about everybody’s usernames and passwords for common websites such as MySpace and Facebook.

Keyloggers: There are many unscrupulous people out there. Even if you don’t save your password on a public computer, they can still get your password using a keylogger. Although far less common, it does happen. A friend of mine in Texas had his World of Warcraft account cracked into and later discovered that he had a keylogger installed on his computer. He has since taken extra steps to prevent that from happening again. Keyloggers record every keystroke on a computer system – usernames, passwords, IM conversations, documents, and basically everything else.

Prying Eyes: I’m sure you’ve all seen the commercials on TV with McGruff the Crime Dog and the people getting their credit card information stolen at the store. The same thing can be true for public computers – that guy standing behind you may be looking over your shoulder as you type in your personal information. A cell phone camera can record your keystrokes just as easily as a keylogger.

Failing to Logout: When you walk away from a computer, you may leave up several browser windows – but it only takes one for someone to gain access to your personal accounts and extract your information. Just walking away from a computer for a couple of minutes can give someone enough time to gain access to your personal information. For example, you could be sitting at a library computer and need to print off an email you received from a family member. While you’re walking over to the technology desk to pick up your paper, someone could easily sit down and gain access to your account.

Be Safe on Public Computers

The best advise I can give someone when using a public computer is plain and simple -

Don’t use a public computer!

However, there are circumstances that may require you to use one despite my best efforts to keep from using one. These same rules can apply when you’re using a friends computer or a computer at work.

Don’t Save Passwords: Don’t save your passwords on a public computer. You’re just asking for trouble if you do.

Don’t Type in Passwords: To prevent from getting burned by a keylogger, don’t use a public computer to access secure websites.

Watch Around You: If somebody seems a little shady, then they probably are. Don’t allow someone to see what you’re typing into the computer.

Logout and Close the Browser: If you did login to a secure website, make sure that you logout of the website and then close the browser.

A Word on Saved IM Logs

Most people don’t even realize it, but many instant messaging (IM) programs have a feature that saves each and every conversation you have with your friends. IM logs are used in all of the common IM programs such as Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, and AOL Instant Messanger. You can turn these logs on and off, but you should be aware that your conversations are recorded, just like with a keylogger. When using a public computer, don’t use an IM program or else you could compromise your personal conversations.

Change Your Passwords

After using a public computer, change your passwords in case your information has been compromised. Also, don’t use simple passwords such as “123456″ or “password”. PC Magazine released its Top 10 Most Common Passwords and oddly enough, many people still continue to use these passwords. If you’re using a password from that list, I suggest you choose another one that is not on the list.

When people complain about having viruses on their computer, they often don’t know how they got them. They just tell me that they use their computer to play games, browse the internet, or listen to music. But as soon as I see that loveable-looking Bearshare icon on the desktop, I know where the viruses probably came from – they downloaded them on purpose.

What is File Sharing

File sharing is the direct sharing of files between two or more computer across the internet using programs such as Bearshare, Limewire, or Morpheus (just to name a few). Designed to be a convenient way of distributing legitimate freeware and open-source code, file sharing has become a big problem for the recording industry and software companies. Most of the peer-to-peer (or P2P) traffic is made up of pirated software, bootleg movie titles, and illegal music downloads.

Shared Files Often Contain Viruses

When you download files using programs like Bearshare, you risk exposing your computer to potential harmful viruses, spyware, and adware. That harmless looking MP3 file may contain a very robust virus that can play havoc with your computer system down the road.

When you download a file using Bearshare, you are basically and deliberately downloading a viruses onto your computer. Now that doesn’t make much sense, does it? But it happens all the time.

How to Keep Bearshare Viruses Out

Almost every time I see Bearshare installed on a computer, I see a heavy infection of viruses. In fact, I can’t recall a single computer with Bearshare installed that wasn’t heavily infected. There are a large number of unscrupulous people on the internet and they want your computer to become infected.

The best advise I can give someone to keep from getting infected by a virus from Bearshare is to simply not download anything using Bearshare. In fact, don’t even bother putting Bearshare on your computer! It will end up causing more problems than its worth.

Well, I have admit that I have never been a fan of Internet Explorer – quite honestly it has been quite a pain in rear for web designers such as myself. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the new Internet Explorer 8 (or IE8) may actually be standards-compliant. I want to be open-minded and accept this latest version of Microsoft’s browser with open arms. Against my better judgement, I downloaded and installed IE8 on my primary designing computer (the rest will stick with IE6 or IE7 for now).

After trying it out on a few websites I must say that I’m actually impressed with IE8 – at least so far. It doesn’t look like I’ll have to make any major changes to any of the sites I’ve designed, which is a good thing. I visited several websites to test out it’s functionality – looking for errors and odd behaviors. It did crash when I visited the Kodak.com website, but the program recovered itself and took me back to the webpage where the error occurred almost instantenously. It’s too bad IE8 crashed the first time I used it, but at least I got to see how easily it recovered from a crash. I’ll chalk that one up as a learning experience – seeing a new feature in action is getting excited about it goes with the territory of a computer nerd (of which I am one).

Another thing I noticed was how fast the webpages loaded when I was browsing. It’s much faster than my previous version of Internet Explorer. I hate to say it, but I think it’s actually faster than Firefox. Again, I was impressed. I have a pretty fast broadband internet connection and a very robust computer system, so noticing a performance increase is hard to detect with the naked eye. However, in this case the performance increase was very apparent. Good job, Microsoft!

I’m hoping that IE8 is only the first of more good things to come from Microsoft. I’m going to keep using IE8 on my main computer and will eventually upgrade my other systems, too. I’m a fan of upgrading when the upgrade is actually beneficial. If you want to give IE8 a try, go ahead and download it.