How do you use google on your daily search? Have you ever wish that you could do more with your search queries? I bet you you.

There is people who's kind enough to collect all the tricks and put them into 2 shot pages and publicly shared with the world.

Following this reference, you will advance your search query and possibly come with lots of new idea. (if you do, please let me know)

Out of all, I personally like the following

• List of basic Google Calculator operators
• List of advanced Google Search operators
• List of fun Google services and tools
• Search by number examples

To get your copy, follow the URL below

http://www.adelaider.com/google/?dl

Enjoy searching...

For example,

String array = "one,two,three,four,five,six,seven,eight,nine";

will become

String[] words = {one,two,three,four,five,six,seven,eight,nine};

Below code is demonstrating how fixed format string can be broken down and stored into array.

Class: StringToArray.java

/**
 * Computer-FAQS.com
 * @author Manet Yim (manet.yim at gmail dot com)
 * @license: GPL v3.0
 */
public class StringToArray {
 
    /**
     * Testing method
     * @param args
     */
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // your raw string in a fixed format
        String array = "one,two,three,four,five,six,seven,eight,nine";
 
        // converting raw string input array object and display it
        String[] convertedArray = StringToArray.convert(array, ",");
        for (int i = 0; i<convertedArray.length; i++){
            System.out.println(convertedArray[i]);
        }
    }
 
    /**
     * Convert a String s to an Array, where each element in string 
     * seperated by sep
     * 
     * @param str String to be converted
     * @param sep Element seperator
     * @return Array of strings
     */
    public static String[] convert(String str, String sep) {
        StringBuffer sBuf = new StringBuffer(str);
 
        // there is at least one element in the array
        int aSize = 1;
 
        // Counting how many separator in the string
        // result will be the size of new array
        for (int i = 0; i < sBuf.length(); i++) {
            if (sep.indexOf(sBuf.charAt(i)) != -1)
                aSize++;
        }
 
        // create new array object with predefined size
        String[] elements = new String[aSize];
 
        int x, y = 0;
        if (sBuf.indexOf(sep) != -1) {
            while (sBuf.length() > 0) {
                if (sBuf.indexOf(sep) != -1) {
                    x = sBuf.indexOf(sep);
                    if (x != sBuf.lastIndexOf(sep)) {
                        elements[y] = sBuf.substring(0, x);
                        y++;
                        sBuf.delete(0, x + 1);
                    } else if (sBuf.lastIndexOf(sep) == x) {
                        elements[y] = sBuf.substring(0, sBuf.indexOf(sep));
                        y++;
                        sBuf.delete(0, sBuf.indexOf(sep) + 1);
                        elements[y] = sBuf.toString();
                        y++;
                        sBuf.delete(0, sBuf.length());
                    }
                }
            }
        } else {
            elements[0] = sBuf.toString();
        }
        sBuf = null;
        return elements;
    }
 
}

Configure default Boot Loader

In most cases, users are installing Ubuntu as dual boots to their Windows. By default the system will boot to Ubuntu. Now they want to the default boot to Windows.

This post is showing you how to configure the default Boot Loader on Ubuntu.

The file which you need to modify is /boot/grub/menu.lst

Now use the following command to edit

sudo vi /boot/grub/menu.lst

Scroll to (almost) end of file, you will see a list similar to example below

title         Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.20-15-server (recovery mode)
root          (hd0,1)
kernel        /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.20-15-server root=UUID=40fae4a8-1d37-4506-99fa-6d9435e7e806 ro  single
initrd        /boot/initrd.img-2.6.20-15-server

title         Ubuntu 8.10, memtest86+
kernel        /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

title         Other operating systems:
root          

title         Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root          (hd0, 0)

The first section has index = 0, second section has index = 1, and so on...

Note down which index you want to be default, and scroll up to top of file and change the line below. i.e replacing the index number with the one you noted down earlier.

default         0

From example list above, if I want to default to Windows XP I will change it to

default         3

This testing method, is calling FileCopier.copyFile(File, File) to copy content of file test1.css to file test2.css

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        FileCopier.copyFile(new File("D:/TEMP/test1.css"), 
                            new File("D:/TEMP/test2.css"));
    }

Class: FileCopier.java

import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.FileReader;
import java.io.FileWriter;
import java.io.IOException;
 
public class FileCopier {
 
    /**
     * Testing Method
     * @param args
     */
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        FileCopier.copyFile(new File("D:/TEMP/test1.css"), 
                            new File("D:/TEMP/test2.css"));
    }
 
    /**
     * Copy content of file f1 into file f2
     * @param f1
     * @param f2
     */
    public static void copyFile(File f1, File f2) {
        try {
            FileReader in = new FileReader(f1);
            FileWriter out = new FileWriter(f2);
            int line;
            while ((line = in.read()) != -1) {
                // Read line fromtext file and write to destination file
                out.write(line);
            }
            in.close();
            out.close();
 
        } catch (FileNotFoundException ffx) {
            ffx.printStackTrace();
        } catch (IOException iox) {
            iox.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
 
}

PHP Programming Language

Wondering where to start to learn PHP?

The resources listed here are enough for you to get started. These are not only for beginner, it is suitable for intermediate and advanced developer as well.

Get started

PHP Officeial Website

http://www.php.net

1. First you need to download  latest version of php runtime and install it in your system
2. After installation, create a test file call test.php under your webroot directory and pate code below
3. On your browser, navigate to http://localhost/test.php
4. Get understanding the basic concept of the language with office english documentation guide
5. Get yourself familiar with syntax and structure of the language. Sample tutorial will clear your way to the beginner entrance.

Other great tutorials

• W3Schools PHP Tutorials. It covers
  • Basic features
  • Advanced
  • XML
  • Database
  • Ajax
  • A few quizzes to test what you have learned
• PHP For the Absolute Beginner. It covers
  • Variables, Operators
  • Functions, arguments passing
  • Database
  • Error handling
  • Examples
• Tizag PHP Tutorial. It covers
  • Installation
  • Loop, Switch statements
  • Form POST, GET
  • File IO and upload
  • Session, Cookies

Explorer More

• Good PHP Toturials has lots php tips and tricks
• PHP Classes has lots of pre-written scripts that is ready to use and deploy
• PHP at Host Scripts has thousands of pre-written scripts for free (and some commercial)
• PHP at Devshed has lots of articles and tutorials from different authors
• PHPFreak sure you will find lots of "freak" there
• PHP Video when you don't like to read to learn

Developer Tools

• Eclipse + PDT Project PHP Development Tools framework for the Eclipse platform
• PHPEclipse alternative to above, plus more added features
  
• Netbeans PHP dedicated PHP coding environment and complete integration with web standards
• Aptana PHP free tool for your php development
  
• FirePHP if you use Firefox and programming php, don't miss this

What is vsmon.exe?

My computer start to get very slow after I started to download 1.7GB file using DownThemAll (Firefox addon), I was wondering what was happening in the background. So I open up Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) to see what's going on.

Wow! vsmon.exe is taking approximately 40% of my CPU and Firefox 40% and svchost.exe 20%. I knew 2 processes firefox and svchost but what on earth is vsmon.exe?

I did a few google searches and found that vsmon.exe belong to ZoneAlarm personal firewall, it is used to monitor your internet traffic.

So this process sis quite safe, as soon as my download is finished everything came back to normal. But keep in mind that spyware or virus could be named anything, you need to know exactly where is this process located on your computer and who created it.

You can use Process Explorer tool to identify it. The rest of this article is showing you how to do it.

Download Process Explorer or visit Microsoft TechNet for more information before you download.

How to locate and identify the process

• Start up Process Explorer
  

  Process Explorer Window

• Sort process by name and find vsmon.exe
• On the same line as process name, look at Company Name column you will find who created this process

If Company Name is not verified, you can

• Double click on vsmon.exe
  

  Process Properties Window

• Click on Verify button
• If this process is genuine, it will be verified

If company name is not verified, you'd better do a virus scan on this file or put it into your AntiVirus Chest so it will be isolated and not access or activated in any way.

This is my favorite theme so far, it is simple and clean. I could not find a second theme to replace it yet, not even other theme built with commercial tools.

You can get a copy for your desktop with link below

Download Zune Theme

Screenshots of Zune Theme on my Desktop

Zune Theme - Desktop by default

Desktop Properties Windows

Zune Theme - Display Properties Windows

Start Menu

Zune Theme - Start Menu

Inactive Start Button

IE 8 Beta

Now Internet Explorer 8 has release its beta version and this article will make a showcase and explorer on what's new in the next version.

I download and install IE8 on my Windows XP Professional Desktop.

One thing that I keep waitting for is, I don't have to restart my PC when installing new version of Internet Explorer. In fact, I have to restart my PC or I still see IE7 starting up. But that's ok, it was expected already.

Now I get to startup IE8 Beta for the first time and it took me through the wizard...

New! I started to see a new feature "Suggested Sites", I enabled it

I chose custom settings to see what's available

I kept my existing search provider

New! Accelerator providers. I'd like to be more personalize, so I chose "Show me a web pages after setup..."

New! What is SmartScreen filter? let's turn it on and see what it's all about

At this point, I still love Firefox

First thing I see after completed the wizard

Ops.. I cannot close inactive tab with one click!

I am wondering what else not convenience... let's explore it.

Exploring

Find as you type

This feature should have been included since version 7. I have been in peace with Firefox for along time, now I know there is alternative.

Page Zoom

You can use Ctrl + to zoom in, Ctrl - to zoom out and Ctrl 0 (not shown in the option menu) to reset.

View Source Code

Attention Software Developer! you can now view source code in IE with Colorized Syntax. Finally your eyes get to relax.

Know how you get here

Whenever you click on Link (open with new Tab) from another web pages, you will see both tabs  (or more) painted with the same color. So you know where you came from, and you can easily go back to it if needed.

Address Bar Shortcuts

You can use the following shortcut keys

• Shift + Enter : go to auto-completed address from your history
• Enter : go to current typed url
• Ctrl + Enter : go to current typed domain name with auto complete
  http://[what you type here].com on both end. eg, if you type google it will take you to http://google.com
• Alt + Enter : go to current typed url in a new Tab
• Alt + Shift + Enter : go to current typed url in a new Tab in the background

SmartScreen Filter

I get now get to know what SmartScreen filter is. It is a feature which tells you what is safe, what is not safe with your file downloads and website you are broswing.

This file was downloaded with safe report

Open google.com.au and click on Tools > SmartScreen Filter > Check this website, I get a safe report message like this

Private Browsing

You can chose to browse web pages without keeping any history if your current session. Use InPrivate feature

Prevents Internet Explorer from storing data about your browsing session. This includes cookies, temporary Internet files, history, and other data.

Suggested Sites

Find out how efficient this feature give you, I open google.com.au as current website then I click on Suggested Site button, it gives me this

I open yahoo.com.au in a new tab, it gives me this

Now I come back to google.com.au tab and click on suggested website, it gives me the suggested sites base on yahoo.com.au ?!

Again I go to microsoft.com it gives me suggested sites base on microsoft.com, but when I come back to yahoo.com.au and google.com.au, it still gives me suggested site base on microsoft.com even if I close microsoft.com tab.

I can say that, this feature only work base on the latest website in the current session, not current tab.

Message from Author

For Firefox lover, it's time to give Internet Explorer a try and see how comfortable you feel toward it. I'd love to share any comment you have, please post them here.

break Statement

This statement causes iteration to stop/exit immediately, any line remained after this statement will be ignored by the JVM.

It is used in the following loop

• for
• while
• do...while
• switch

continue Statement

This statement skips the current iteration of the loop, any line after this statement will not be executed by the JVM until the condition is met.

It is used in the following loop

• for
• while
• do...while

Example code below demonstrating how break and continue statement work

public class BreakContinueStm {
 
    public static void main(String[] args) {
 
        int aBreak = 0;
        int bContinue = 0;
 
        for (int i=1; i<=10; i++){
            if (i == 6){
                // that's enough, exit this for loop here
                break;
            }
            aBreak = i;
            System.out.println("aBreak: " + aBreak);
        }
 
        for (int i=1; i<=10; i++){
            if (i <= 5){
                // not satisfied yet, keep going
                continue;
            }
            bContinue = i;
            System.out.println("bContinue: " + bContinue);
        }
 
    }
 
}

Result of this program, aBreak stops when i = 6 and bContinue starts when i = 6 until end of the loop

aBreak: 1
aBreak: 2
aBreak: 3
aBreak: 4
aBreak: 5
bContinue: 6
bContinue: 7
bContinue: 8
bContinue: 9
bContinue: 10

Favicon is shortcut of favorites icon, also known as website icon, shortcut icon, url icon, or bookmark icon.

On the graphical web browser, this icon locates on the Address bar and Tabs bar as seen in the screenshot below.

Screenshot of favicon

Add favicon

You required to have an image of 16x16 pixels, either PNG, ICO or GIF format

To display favicon to your webpage, add one of the following html code inside <head> depends on which image format you have.

<head>
<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="path/myicon.ico">
</head>

<head>
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="path/myicon.png">
</head>

<head>
<link rel="icon" type="image/gif" href="path/myicon.gif">
</head>