Install Apache

To start off we will install Apache.

1. Open up the Terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal).

2. Copy/Paste the following line of code into Terminal and then press enter:

sudo apt-get install apache2

3. The Terminal will then ask you for you’re password, type it and then press enter.

Testing Apache

To make sure everything installed correctly we will now test Apache to ensure it is working properly.

1. Open up any web browser and then enter the following into the web address:

http://localhost/

You should see a folder entitled apache2-default/. Open it and you will see a message saying “It works!” , congrats to you!

Install PHP

In this part we will install PHP 5.

Step 1. Again open up the Terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal).

Step 2. Copy/Paste the following line into Terminal and press enter:

sudo apt-get install php5 libapache2-mod-php5

Step 3. In order for PHP to work and be compatible with Apache we must restart it. Type the following code in Terminal to do this:

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

Test PHP

To ensure there are no issues with PHP let’s give it a quick test run.

Step 1. In the terminal copy/paste the following line:

sudo gedit /var/www/testphp.php

This will open up a file called phptest.php.

Step 2. Copy/Paste this line into the phptest file:

Step 3. Save and close the file.

Step 4. Now open you’re web browser and type the following into the web address:

http://localhost/testphp.php

The page should say: PHP is working!

Congrats you have now installed both Apache and PHP!

Install MySQL

To finish this guide up we will install MySQL. (Note – Out of Apache and PHP, MySQL is the most difficult to set up.)

Step 1. Once again open up Terminal and then copy/paste this line:

sudo apt-get install mysql-server

Step 2 (optional). In order for other computers on your network to view the server you have created, you must first edit the “Bind Address”. Begin by opening up Terminal to edit the my.cnf file.

gksudo gedit /etc/mysql/my.cnf

Change the line

bind-address = 127.0.0.1

And change the 127.0.0.1 to your IP address.

Step 3. This is where things may start to get tricky. Begin by typing the following into Terminal:

mysql -u root

Following that copy/paste this line:

mysql > SET PASSWORD FOR 'root'@'localhost' = PASSWORD('yourpassword');

(Make sure to change yourpassword to a password of your choice.)

Step 4. We are now going to install a program called phpMyAdmin which is an easy tool to edit your databases. Copy/paste the following line into Terminal:

sudo apt-get install libapache2-mod-auth-mysql php5-mysql phpmyadmin

After that is installed our next task is to get PHP to work with MySQL. To do this we will need to open a file entitled php.ini. To open it type the following:

gksudo gedit /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini

Now we are going to have to uncomment the following line by taking out the semicolon (;).

Change this line:
;extension=mysql.so

To look like this:
extension=mysql.so

Now just restart Apache and you are all set!

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

All being well, you should have a fully functioning LAMP server setup! If you encounter problems the best advice I can give you is that Google is your friend!

Create a new php file, we will call this one login.php for the tutorial.
In login.php we need to add a form for the user to enter their credentials:

<form action="login_check.php" method="post">
<label>User Name
<input type="text" name="user" />
<label>Password
<input type="password" name="pass" /><br />
<button type="submit" name="submit">Sign in
</form>

Now we create login_check.php. In there we put the following code:

<?php
// Set the username and password here
$user = "username";
$pass = "password";
if ($_POST['user']==$user && $_POST['pass']==$pass){
$pass_secure = md5($pass); // Add md5 encryption to the password
$expire=time()+60*60*24*30; //Set the expiration of the cookie
setcookie("username", $user, $expire); // Add a cookie called "username"
setcookie ("password", $pass_secure, $expire); //Add a cookie called "password"
header('Location: whatever_page_you_want.php');
}
else {
echo "Incorrect username/password";
}
}
?>

Effectively, the code above checks the username and password, if they match then it sets a cookie for the username and password.

Now if you add this code to the top of every page you want protected by the login script then if these cookies are not set, it will redirect you back to the login page:
<?php
if(!$_COOKIE['username'] || !$_COOKIE['pass']){
header('Location: login.php');
}
?>

Pretty simple eh? This form is by no means secure as it stores the login data using cookies. Even thought the password has been encrypted using md5, it can still be decoded! You have been warned!

I have however been using the release candidate of Windows 7 for some time now, and I love it. I really do. I have never in my life got so excited about a Micorosoft release as I am usually sat in the corner on my Apple Mac looking down at anybody with a windows beige box. W7 has changed that for me.

I guess the best way I can decribe it is having the same reliability as XP Pro, but with 80% of the Vista looks and 20% fresh new visuals. I’ve been running it for a couple of months now and i’ve not had a single crash or problem with it. I just can’t believe that this is Windows.
Kudos to the team at Microsoft, but don’t get me wrong, I would still choose a shiny new iMac over a PC.

I have always had a problem with blogging. I have always found the need to fill my posts with boring blurb to fill out my posts so that there is something substantial for any poor soul who comes across my writings to read. Because of this, I got into an endless frenzy of writing blog posts just comprising of lists of cool stuff I found. Now don’t get me wrong, a post with a list of good resources is like gold to some of us, but a blog full of these posts is like drowning in a sea of honey. It’s sweet but overwhelming.

A couple of days ago, I had a realisation. I have an account on twitter (@dazjones) and send out on avergage 4 – 6 ‘tweets’ a day. I have no problem with ‘tweeting’ my thoughts and finds, so why do I have a problem blogging them? Twitter is just like a blog but each post is alot smaller! I always think that nobody would be intersted in what I have to say, but Twitter seems to be putting a handful of (potentially) interested readers in front of me, which is great!

My realisation was that I don’t have a problem tweeting because I don’t think about it. If I discover something, or think something worth sharing, I tweet it. It’s like second nature to me now. So I am going to give this a go with blogging, the ‘no thinking’ approach. If I have some thoughts, I will blog them. I am sure only a few of these posts will actually get published here, but if nearly 500 people follow me and a handful find my tweets of interest, maybe I can write something worthwile.

So, the summary of this rather long winded tale is: I have a new blog and I am going to attempt to use it.

Wish me luck!