Don't start the software update if you don't understand how much it is
Friday, 13 September
I want to install Bugzilla bug-tracking system to my home computer. I download main package (2 M) by dial-up using pre-historic 36600bps modem. OK. And bad news comes.
The documentation says: "if you have Mandrake 8.0, you have all components you need". Well, I have Mandrake 8.0, but some packages mentioned in the documentation absent on distributive disks. Oops.
I launch the configure script: very sophisticated checking program written in Perl. It recommends download several packages from CPAN site using Perl download capabilities. OK, I start.
Next hour packages are auto-downloading, auto-checking, auto-installing, auto-testing, asking to download absent components, and so on. The package "Templates" doesn't compile by any means.
But... what is it? Download manager recommends to update CPAN bundle in order to make download process "better" in some sense (I forget, in what). I press "Enter". It download one small package, then another, then... it starts download Perl!
After one hour the phone connection breaks. I restart from the beginning. If you don't know, Perl package occupies 26 M, and its gzipped archive is more than 8 M. Hours passed.
New Perl installed, but the package "Templates" cannot compile again. It cannot find the file with a strange name (something like "Empty" or "Dummy"). Probably, the build script incorrectly points to "old" Perl libraries. (In fact they aren't old, it's Perl 5.6, and Bugzilla documentation recommend it.) Anyway, I have fresh Perl 5.8, and I just copy required file from 5.8 directory to 5.6 one. The compilation passes successfully. My dial-up account expires.
Be careful when you're managing accounts
Saturday, 22 September
My friend Peter is in vacations, and I try to administer getmyip project on SourceForge.net using his credentials. I'm surprised that my name isn't mentioned in the developer list of the project.
One moment! I see the field "Unix name" and the button "Add new developer". I enter my favourite nickname, and press the button. Oh, a lot of administrative cathegories! Of course, I assign highest privileges to myself in every cathegory. I press "Update" and go to my personal page.
But... what is it? It's not my name! It is similar, but it is not my name. And the surname ISN'T EVEN SIMILAR! Now I realize, that I didn't enter the name, nor the surname. Where they came from?
My first move is to send the message to the person (yes, his e-mail address is here, on the page). But wait a minute. Now that person has all privileges to administer my project! He can accidentally delete or overwrite something important!
I return to the previous page and set (quickly) all privileges to minimum minimorum. Then I find very small image with very small trashcan and press it. How it is good to have images turned on! My Konqueror doesn't show alternative text.
The question: and where's my own account? The answer: nobody knows. I register myself at SourceForge with new nickname and then add to the project.
Bonus points added to my dial-up account last week, now finish, and the dial-up connection terminates. Good night. If you want, you can add me to your project. My Unix name is aleant. Don't forget to assign me Project Manager rights.
Put your source files under version control
Wednesday, 2 October
I do numerous attempts produce GNU-compatible "distro". I want keep program source files, documentation source files and intermediate scripts in different directories. I use advices from "auto-book" and recommendations from automake and autoconf manuals.
I'm logged in as root in order to make my poor modem work. Although I literally followed PPP/KPPP HOWTO/Manuals in the distribution of device/program ownership/permissions, nobody but root can dial. Grrr.
Another auto-session gives no result. I'm disappointed. Well, let it be one single directory for the project. After all, "flat" structure isn't prohibited.
I'm copying the content of all Makefile.am files from all sub-directories to the top-level one. Then I'm deleting subdirectories. OK, another session: aclocal, autoheader, automake --add-missing... But... what is it?
Main source file is missing - what? And documentation too? Of course, I just deleted them among with sub-directories!
I have no backup copy of my sources. And I have no files in the "GNU" project branch under version control: I would put them when the project will compile without errors...
There are no problems with C source file, but the texinfo documentation file used several non-trivial commands. See you tomorrow, GNU texinfo manual!
Backup frequently and test your backup copies
Tuesday, 8 October
Yesterday I packed source files to archives and uploaded them to the release file system. Then an inner voice suggested me to save Specific and Portable source directories to the floppy disk. After several messages like "Cannot copy directory Specific" I turned on "Show hidden files" in my file browser. Some directories contained the file named ".directory", which was the source of problems. I suspect it was Konqueror file browser that created those files.
So I started Midnight Commander from the console and began browsing and deleting.
More than decade ago I used Norton Commander - DOS prototype of Midnight Commander.
Midnight Commander seemed very similar, except the "History" button in the bottom right corner.
Just for fun I entered the command I used to make all files in the directory of the same date:
find * -exec touch -t 200210100001 {} \;
Then I edited some file, called the command from the MC history, and files became "touched".
But main task was deleting of hidden files.
Source directories have subdirectories, and I'm lazy.
Instead of browsing every subdirectory, I slightly edited the command:
find .* -exec rm {} \;
and executed it from the sources root directory.
Then I copied sources root to the floppy disk without problems.
Today I compile executable files on the compile farm. I copy results to local computer. My source directory tree and the tree of distributives reside on /var partition, near the CVS root directory (also on /var). By mistake I click on CVSROOT. But... what is it?
The directory CVSROOT is empty. ALL directories on /var are EMPTY. Directories exists, files absent. No more local CVS repository, no more Bugzilla, no more MySQL database with important data. No more my source files. Finita la comedia. Of course, the floppy disk keeps last backup copy - without files.
Fortunately, I have source archives on SourceForge. And I have web pages (including this one) on the remote server. And I can populate my database again. But my script sketches are wiped out. Both Script Edition and GNU Edition are seriously damaged. Happy reworking.
Read the documentation before using something
Thursday, 31 October
Yesterday I released GNU Edition. This time the upload was smoother. I also published manuals online, the long-awaited article about file sharing, and roadmap.
I was proud and ambitious. The great idea visited me: to publish getmyip on freshmeat.net. So I filled big but finite number of registration form fields, filled the software submission form and went to bed. Good work, guy!
Today I opened Freshmeat home page. I found that getmyip wasn't mentioned. That's usual on those big sites to delay the publication. They should process several hundreds submissions every day.
But... what is it? The message from Fresmeat in my mailbox! Congratulations!
The following notes are in response to your recent freshmeat.net submission:I just missed this article! So I spent about a hour for nothing. Well... Do you on Freshmeat want complexity? Wait for a while. getmyip Client-Server Edition is on the road...
Check your health regularly... as well as your site's one.
Friday, 7 February
Typically, some little disasters occur two times in the month. I did not mention them here because the web page isn't the right place for those words. May be, the jail is.
For example, how can I describe the installation of Microsoft .NET Framework and Platform SDK? November 13... Oh, no!
Or how can you imagine the look and feel of intermediate AleAnt Server Lab design, when Mozilla and Internet Explorer showed every element of the page differently!
And Gnome on Linux (November 26 and November 28)...
Yesterday several stupid ad e-mails appeared in AleAnt mailbox. Spammers used a trick: the address of AleAnt webmaster was not in the standard field "To", but in another one. Strange people - they think someone would respond to addresses like wmf9093@yahoo.com.hk, Ming31ji727@bigfoot.com or Richard999dm867@bigfoot.com. This was first spam after long pause - three months ago Google banned AleAnt site due to NOFOLLOW in Robots meta-tag.
The spam is an indicator that somebody out there knows about my site. Naturally, I checked second indicator - hooligans' activity. A quick look at HTTP log... bingo!
194.250.19.60 - - [06/Feb/2003:00:05:07 +0000] "GET some_private_script
HTTP/1.0" 404 320 "http://www.ALEANT.com/" "-"
The girl (it was a girl 18 years old, I find her name and address by traces she left on the Internet) used custom HTTP agent and pretended to get some_private_script from the AleAnt home page.
But...what is it?
Another potential friend from 63.148.99.229 tries to get entire AleAnt site -
file by file. He claims to use MSIE 5.01; Windows NT 5.0. However, his
HTTP agent incorrectly handles files without an extension. This is a sign of the
beginner using software written by beginners.
Dear guests! My site does not store commercial secrets. All technologies discussed here are in public domain. Executables of getmyip, as well as source codes, are available for free download. Only administrative files, required for site maintenance and monitoring, are private.