By default PHP scripts are compiled on each access. This will become a real performance killer once your website hits a certain load. There is a number of Opcode caches available which try to overcome this recompiling issue by storing precompiled versions of your scripts in a cache. This blog entry will explain how to integrate the Alternative PHP Cache (APC) into your PHP5 installation. This tutorial is based on a Debian installation, but it should also work with alternative distributions.
APC ist installed using the PHP Extension Community Library (PECL). Using PECL ist similar to using the PEAR Library. Before you can install APC via PECL, make sure that you have the following packages installed:
aptitude install php5-dev php5-gd
Downloading compiling and installation of APC using PECL ist a breeze. Just run from the command line:
Now all you need to do is to add the following line to your php.ini file which you should find in /etc/php5/apache2/:
Once you restart Apache, caching will be enabled with default settings of APC. By default APC will use 30 MB memory to cache your PHP files. It is a good idea to tailor this setting to your server. This can be done with the following line in php.ini:
Sometimes it might be useful to reload a kernel extension in OSX without rebooting your Mac. This can be done in a terminal window with the following commands:
sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/NameOfExtension.kext
sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/NameOfExtension.kext
Replace NameOfExtension.kext with the name of the extension you want to reload.
The new 3D styled Dock in Leopard is looking very stylish, but I think the 2D style which is used by the Dock when located on the left or right screen border is more functional. It is also possible to change the Dock on the lower screen Border to the 2D look. To do this you need to open the terminal and enter:
defaults write com.apple.dock no-glass -boolean YES
killall Dock
To switch back to the 3D style, you can use the following commands:
defaults write com.apple.dock no-glass -boolean NO
killall Dock
Posted in Mac
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Tagged dock, Leopard, Mac
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Time for another enhancement for the Apache web server. If you followed my other 2 Apache postings, you will have a secure web server configuration which has SSL enabled and is monitored by the mod_security application level firewall. Now it is time to setup the WebDAV module so that you can use your web server as an external file storage.
Continue reading →
Posted in Apache
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Tagged Apache, Linux, webdav
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This might be interesting for all of you, who want to order Leopard in Germany. If you use the following coupon code during the ordering process, you will get a 10 Euro discount on Leopard at amazon.de:
AMZNLPRDAPPL
This offer is valid until November 1st.
Posted in Mac
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Tagged Leopard, Mac
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Today Apple officially announced that OSX 10.5 alias Leopard will hit the stores on October 26th. Leopard has more than 300 new features compared to 10.4. Take a look at the link for a nice summary of the new features. I do especially like the new Xcode features.
Posted in Mac
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Tagged Leopard, Mac
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iText is a free Java library for generating PDF documents inside your own applications. The library is easy to use and can produce great results with only little programming. The basic usage is pretty simple. Let’s take a look at a small “Hello World” application:
Document document = new Document();
try {
PdfWriter.getInstance(document, new FileOutputStream("output.pdf"));
document.open();
document.add(new Paragraph("Hello World"));
} catch (Exception e) {
}
document.close();Creating a new document object will initialize a new PDF document with A4 dimensions. The PdfWriter will be used to write the resulting document to an OutputStream, which is in the above example a file. After opening the document you can just add new paragraphs to the document.
Continue reading →
Posted in Java
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Tagged Coding, iText, Java
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Just a quick note to let you know, that this blog is not dead 
. I have been on vacation the last 3 weeks and just got back. As soon as things settle down a bit, you can expect regular postings again.
Posted in General
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Tagged General
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It was a very long wait. Logic 7 was released in November 2004. Since then there was only one major update when releasing the Intel version of Logic 7. Rumors about a new Logic 8 have been floating around the Internet for at least the last year. People felt abandoned because of the lack of updates in the past. But these dark times are over. Today Apple released the new Logic Studio 8.
The Logic Studio 8 package not only contains Logic Pro 8, but also the fantastic audio editor Soundtrack Pro 2, numerous effects and software instruments and the new MainStage application. Everything comes at a price of $499, which is basically half of the old price. Considering what you get for the price, this is an unbelievable bargain. There is not a single competitor who can match this pricing.
I am primarily a live musician and 90% of my music making consists of preparing and performing for concerts. Until now I have been using Brainspawn Forte on my Macbook running in Bootcamp. This works flawlessly, but I do not like having to boot into Windows to run Forte, but there were simply no suitable alternatives on the Mac. Now MainStage which is part of Logic Studio seems to deliver exactly the live capabilities I need. Including complex Patches with multiple instruments which can be organized into Setlists. It seems a dream is coming true.
I guess this will be a must-buy for me for Christmas or at least in the near future. I really hope that MainStage will deliver what it currently promises.
Posted in Music
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Tagged Logic, Mac, Music
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The iPod product line was the focus of yesterdays Apple keynote event. I think it was a overwhelming event, as they have replaced every iPod except the shuffle with a new model. Here you can see an overview of the new product lineup.
iPod shuffle
The shuffle did not change in regards to price and features. The only change is, that now you can get more colors.
iPod nano
Now things get interesting. Pictures of the new nano leaked to the Internet a couple of days ago and this time they were spot on. The nano does no longer have this nice slim design, which in my eyes is a bit disappointing, but I see that the wide (fat) design is a necessity of the new display, which is definitely a big big “thumbs up” feature. Now you can watch podcasts with the same quality as on the old iPod. This is exactly what I have been waiting for: a small iPod with video features. The new operating system which is based on OSX does also look nice. The new game features on the other hand are something I do not really need on a small mp3 player. The capacity of the nano players was doubled to 4 GB and 8 GB. I think this was really necessary with the addition of video features. 4 GB is ok for a music-only player but once you start watching podcasts, you need more memory.
Overall I think the new nano is the most interesting product of yesterdays keynote.
iPod classic
The iPod classic is the right product for people who want to have their complete music library handy. With a capacity of 80 GB or even freaky 160 GB you don’t need to change playlists often. The new capacity is certainly a step in the right direction but I prefer a small form factor over big harddrives.
iPod touch
This is the new kid in town. It is basically an iPhone without the phone. It has all the nifty features of the iPhone, including the new display, user interface, a Safari browser and WLAN connectivity. So it is a real multimedia beast. But the big downside is the memory capacity. The iPod touch comes with 8GB or 16GB memory, which is ok for a music / video player, but the touch has so much more capabilities screaming for memory and then you are stuck with a maximum of 16 GB. I think one should wait for the next generation of the iPod touch to really benefit from the new possibilities of this product.
The bottom line is, that I am really impressed with the new lineup and I think the I will replace my old mp3 player with the new iPod nano in the near future. Congratulations Apple!
Posted in Music
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Tagged iPod, Music
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