Maggie's Farm

Just to cover a few recent things that have popped up in my geeky little world:

Flash 64-bit Probs

I prefer using a 64-bit Windows system because it utilizes more of my machine's memory.  The problem is that Flash, which until recently had a specific 64-bit version that worked just fine, now has a 'multi-system' version which doesn't.  I've had various odd problems with both Internet Exploder and Firefox.  If you're running a 64-bit system and having Flash probs, the best troubleshooting page I've come across is here.  I think both #6 & 7 helped on this end.

Firefox 64-bit Probs

I'd never heard of a 64-bit Firefox, but I got to thinking about it, punched it into Google, and I'll be double-dipped if not only is there a 64-bit version, but that Mozilla officially killed it at one point — which naturally raised a huge outcry among its users and they brought it back.  The sordid details are here.  The 'official' release is still their multi-platform model; the 64-bit version is here if you want to give it a spin.  Be forewarned that they not only changed the name from Firefox to 'Nightly', but changed the icon to something really horrid.  The latter can be easily remedied; I'll have a post on changing the icon of an executable tomorrow.  Note that you'll need the original EXE file for the original icon.

Upgrading To Windows 8

Some sobering thoughts here.

Domain Names

I've found over the years that I have two soap boxes I occasionally like clambering back on; system backup and getting your yourname.com domain before anyone else does.  You only get one shot at it.

Gosh, if only them Congresscritters read Maggie's Farm, huh?

Pro-Israel Group Buys ChuckHagel.com to Fight Hagel's Nomination

Gun Parts Store Registers Sen. Feinstein's Domain Name, Uses it to Promote Gun Rights

Live and learn, guys.  More info on firing up your own domain here.

Security

You might have seen the plethora of articles this past week on temporarily disabling Java.  Java is a 'helper' program for browsers (on every operating system, Mac and Linux users please note) so certain functions on a web site will work.  It's also used widely by hackers to install malware on your system, and there's a whole new raft of bad stuff coming down the pike, hence the official alert to disable it.

Oracle, the home company, has just now released an update and it's strongly suggested you download & install it.  The download site is here.  Click the 'Download' button under 'JDK', click the 'Accept license' gadget, then the version for your particular system.  Regular 32-bit Windows systems are 'Windows x86'.

I should note that some people think Java is so vulnerable that it should be re-written from the ground up — if not abandoned by web sites entirely — and they recommend you just flat-out disable it.  Instructions are here; it's usually just the unchecking of a box.  Speaking as a webmaster, I would note that Java isn't used very much these days and you probably won't notice a thing.  If you were on some site which had a function you very much wanted to use but were getting a 'You need Java installed' message, you could always just flip it back on for a bit.

Any feedback or questions, give a holler in the comments like usual.