STUNIX .COM .NET .CO.UK .ORG .EU .INFO

This website is maintained and hosted on Linux servers in Cardiff, UK by me.
The servers are mirrored by Isurus.com with many thanks to Simon.

It is coded mostly using Vi, or at least the edit function of MC,
but also sometimes using HTMLKit or Notepad++ on Window$.
Images are processed using GIMP or PSP7.
More information on the freely available software is available from the link on the sites home page.

If you have any questions, just contact me using the message function on the home page.


	FREE GNU SOFTWARE
	This website is constructed and hosted on open source software on a very old computer (P200, 64Mb) at my house. (actually, its just a motherboard, powersupply, and a harddrive nailed to the wall under the stairs!) GNU software and Linux make it possible to do this by connecting the website to the internet via my consumer 500kbs broadband modem, the upshot of which is that the only cost I have is the computer, the electricity and the subscription for internet connection. Other alternatives, for example, to build the site with commercial software like Micro$oft Windoze and to host it with companies who offer server packages can prove to be both expensive and very restrictive, not to mention not standards compliant (I will explain why this is important later) and far less susceptible to virus and hacking attacks. On this page I will list, linkto and explain what the software was used for in the context of this site. If you have any suggestions or spot any errors, just leave a note on the messageboard.

KNOPPIX

http://www.knoppix.net

Knoppix is arguably the most versatile computing tool available today. A single file freely available ready to burn to a regular cd, containing a bootable distribution of Debian Linux and over 2Gb of "Must-Have" software including preconfigured web, ftp, windows file and ssh servers, alongside image manipulation, mail, virtual network servers etc. It is often used as a rescue disk. However, I became so familiar with it, it became my standard operating system. It needs no drivers, detecting all peripherals in the 2 minutes it takes to get to the K desktop, then custom menus help configure printers, networking and filesharing, with the ability to save this configuration to floppy for the next boot up. It is regularly updated and the software included is well chosen for a good mix of techie tools, and office utilities with the odd game thrown in.

Vi / Vim (Vi Improved)

http://www.vim.org

For most Unix or Linux users, this mature and versatile text editor needs little introduction, A little confusing to get to grips with at first until the concept of a command mode and input mode becomes clear. To illustrate, h, j, k & l move the cursor, where as i will place you in input mode, escape will take you back to command. yy will yank (copy) a line of text, p will paste, and putting a number before your command will repeat that command so many times. therefore:- 10k10yy11jp will copy the previous 10 lines and paste them after the cursor. Most of my web scripting is done using Vi as combined with ssh, it enables me write and update files on a remote machine as if it were local. There are many other commands which are explained at the Vim website.

PHP

http://www.php.net

The P Hypertext Preprocessor scripting language can be very powerful when used in conjunction with HTML and JavaScript, enabling much more than static web pages. The PHP portion of the page is executed at the server before crossing the net, enabling pages to be dynamically stored and written, emails to be sent (via email server), files uploaded and information stored and retrieved from databases, giving the possibility to build large scale web applications useful for remote working and easy administration.

MySQL

http://www.mysql.com/

This popular open source database application I use integrates well with PHP. In short this can store large amounts of text, code, images, music and other information in such a way that it can be retrieved quickly and sorted by the relationships between chunks of data. It has been found to be very secure and stable even in huge sizes performing thousands of operations.

Postfix

http://postfix.org/

This Email server is probably one of the best email server software around, I use it to send my normal mail from within Thunderbird, send mail via PHP from websites for example this sites message board, keep the mailing list and everyone subscribed to the site UP-TO-DATE, and even supply family and friends with a pop mail account enabling them to have virtually unlimited space and the means to send and recieve attachments up to 50 meg in size.

Apache

http://www.apache.org

A web server is the programme which actually transmits the file which makes up a web page on the HTTP protocol after a request has been made by the client machine. There are a few different brands but this one is not only very configurable (I can potentially run hundreds of different websites from one machine) but also very fast and secure, making this the most popular webserver on the planet! At the time of writing netcraft.com reports that 67.3% of webserving machines run Apache, seconded by Microsoft which has 21% of the market.

K Desktop Environment (KDE)

http://www.kde.org

KDE is a windowing programme, one of a few, and for non nix users. It is to be compared to Windose Explorer, it contains all your folders, helps you navigate graphicaly thrugh your machine. It can also act as a web browser, an ftp client, a media player, network browser etc. However that is where the similarity to windoze ends. It also has many features which help and make my life easier, such as being able to switch between up to 16 desktops with 1 click (as linux doesnt crash, I do different tasks on different days, so {monday-graphics-desk1} {tuesday-accounts-desk2} {wednesday-videoediting-desk3}) this saves me having to set up my workspace everytime I have to do something different. I can also open multiple locations in one browser, great for moving stuff about and multitasking.

SuSE

http://www.suse.org

This is a distribution of linux from Germany and was my first. I had bought the 7 cds and a dvd from a local computer store and never looked back. This particular distribution is very good for the office use as it comes with a licenced version of Star Office and with many office tech type applications such as accounting and project planning, scheduling along with anything else you think you may require, and a heap you dont. I use this machine as my main server for HTTP, SAMBA, ICECAST and QMAIL and found it very easy on the newbie!

Dyne:Bolic

http://dynebolic.org/

This is another Linux operating system on a bootable cd, but instead of masquerading as an all rounder, it has a defined purpose, Video and Audio production and streaming! There are various applications for recording mixing and editing anything connecting to a line in then the possibility to uplink to a preconfigured server, or video edit, fractal generation, live visual effects and recording. Wanna be a DJ/VJ? just get 2 big speakers an amp and a projector, or use your broadband and play to the world. After the gig, remove the cd and reboot to Windblows. The disk is also pre configured as a file server serving the contents of the hard disks to the network . Great for reclaiming that thesis after Micro$oft refuses to boot.

Imagemagick

http://imagemagick.org

At first, a text based graphic manipulation programme may seem like an ashtray on a motorbike - but this wonderful group of programmes can save you months of labourious clicking. For instance, your website or presentation of the holiday snaps in Greece all need to be resized and it would be really nice if they had a border, a drop shadow and the date put in the bottom right hand corner. On 17 virtual rolls of film from your new digicam its gonna take you a month of sundays and you'll still never get them perfect. Well, now you can do this :- for img in `ls *.jpg` do convert -sample 100x75 $img thumb-$img; done and all your pictures have matching thumnails with a thumb- prefix. You can also use PHP, so if you want to allow your website visitors to upload jpgs, its possible to query each picture for size and resize it if required or convert it from .bmp to .jpg. My BMW motorbike doesnt have an ashtray, but it does have a cigar lighter on the dash.

Mozilla

http://mozilla.org

Out of all the browsers available I believe this to be the best, sure most people use Internet Explorer, but I have found that it doesnt render things correctly, sizes are wrong, etc. Mozilla on the other hand, has a good 'virus beating' mail application built in, the page looks the same on Windeze, Linux or Mac and seems to run and render far faster and it is the closest to standards compliance, you can stop popups - that Bash a Mole game with adverts, and control cookies on the fly (small programs used by webpages). Mozilla Firebird doesnt even have to be installed, just unzip and run! There, I didnt get too technical with the differences in the Javascript and css code.....if (ie){width=193} else{width=200} Opera is good too, but I will not use a browser with adverts built in.

GIMP

http://gimp.org

The GNU Image Manipulation Program is the free By the people for the people version of fotoshop, a little daunting at first but very powerful and capable of editing virtually all image formats animated gifs and even video. I find it very easy and accurate when used with a tablet and pen (not that I do much of that anymore) more so than PSP on windblows. It has a very wide range of plugins and filters and produces some very good quality results on large format images. One of the plus points to this software is the vast amount of support, for example: scripts, pallets, textures etc which users have created with and for the program, and because of the GNU licence, it all becomes available to you and me.

XMMS

http://xmms.org

"Music Helps Morale!" I am a big fan of musical wallpaper and radio listening while I work. Indeed it helps me keep my calm when things arn't running as smoothly as they should be. Xmms is the OpenSource equivelent of WinAmp and generaly looks and acts the same. Indeed, they both also support Ogg Vorbis (the Open Source Version of Mp3) and anyone should consider at least downloading and trying this music player, even to try the plethera of radio stations found on the below website. NOTE : Use a comfortable pair of headphones to let your ears breathe and your neighbours concentrate!

Icecast

http://icecast.org

The internet is generally a quiet place, this is often a good thing because you can choose your own music or have silence whilst you browse., However sometimes it is necessary to transmit music or video files and due to the large size, it seems wise to allow the listener to start playing before the download is complete. This is where streaming comes in. The music is encoded or compressed on one machine then sent via a network to the serving machine which then connects to the client machine or multiple client machines. Essentially broadcasting is fundamentally impossible, narrowcasting involves using RSTP protocol (based on UDP) to send the information without error checking or bothering about dropped packets. The client machine has to respond with a handshake to collect the next packet. So with machines around the world having differing ping speeds (a packets round trip) lots of bandwidth is used up. I have used Real Helix servers and these work very well but for two facts: your client has to use RealPlayer which is licensed, and the unlicensed Helix server will only connect to 10 clients at once regardless of bandwidth. Enter Icecast and MPEG4IP.

DynDNS

http://dyndns.org

So, you have your server, everything works except any domain name you have cannot resolve to your machine because your BT/VIRGIN/SKY/AT&T broadband modem runs using a dynamic ip (DHCP), each time you switch your computer off, you run the risk of someone elses computer being assigned your temporary ip address. Then you get a different one next time you connect. This is due to there not being enough numbers to go around, an issue being addressed (exuse the pun) by what is called IPv6. You have two options:

you buy a static IP address, which then turns your account to a business account with all the costs that will incur, but you can keep the same IP address.
or
Sign up for a DynDns account and domain name; then install the little programme they give you on your machine. When you reboot, the programme tells DynDns your IP address and changes the direction of the domain name. If you already have a domain name, they can manage it, or you could just redirect your name to the one DynDns gave you.

simple.

MPlayer

http://mplayerhq.hu

Strictly, this doesnt belong in this list as I dont use it to create websites. However I do use it for receiving video streams, watching DVDs, VCDs and other video media, as well as encoding video to more usable formats. It is used at the command line simply by typing:- mplayer -nofs ./me_in_greece.avi the -nofs switch stops the player from filling the screen by default, giving me a window and the ability to size it how I wish. There is a vast library of codecs available for file types such as mpg, divx, mp4, rm, etc and the application can run on all types of computers from pcs and macs to PDAs and set top boxes.

Dynamic Drive

http://dynamicdrive.com

We are going back to basics here. To build a website, even if you use a graphic interfaced program, you are going to come in to contact with HTML CSS and JavaScript and its better you know a little, if not a lot, about all three. You will have to learn at least a few HTML tags, like

you get the idea? well, this and many more sites like it will help you with the rudimentary skills.

Samba

http://samba.org

Samba is a windows file sharing programme for Linux and Unix. This means that with a little fiddling, I can connect my Win9*/NT/ME/2000/XP/Vista/7 to the same network or across the internet and place my files in the directory of the webserver just as easily as copying files from one drive to another (although I prefer other methods using ssh), I can also use it to share a printer on the network. At least, that is if I could afford the licence for a Windows machine.

§÷µñ¦>< Office Tidy

Somewhere to keep all that crap like bent staples and that paperclip you opened.

£17.99

§÷µñ¦>< Tape measure

Designed with estate agents in mind and can estimate any length up to four fifths of a cubit.

£36.99

§÷µñ¦>< Chronological Decimal Calculator

Easy to use, calculator for use with the decicronal system. When it was decided to split the year in to decimal to make things easy this calculator would estimate multiple kiloseconds and divide these from the milliannum.

£44.99

§÷µñ¦>< Car Phone Sock

Clever phone device to assist you in avoiding unwanted sales calls whilst you drive. Your phone is kept safely in this sock and it is almost impossible to retrieve it without both hands and a spare 5 minutes keeping you and the roads safe.

£21.99

§÷µñ¦>< Snot Mug

For those mornings in your 70s kitchen, the council failed to upgrade whilst you still live on the 7th floor of your housing block. Its not dishwasher safe but that doesnt matter to you does it?

£11.99

§÷µñ¦>< Conical Mug

When the need arises to spill that coffee all over your laptop, the smaller footprint of this recepticle makes sure that it happens when you least expect it.

£12.99

§÷µñ¦>< Thermal Vest

This 1 tog summer vest is specially designed to keep the chillyness in and those warm summer days out.

£109.99

§÷µñ¦>< Mittens

If your teenage offspring are putting themselves on a nighttime road to blindness, gaffertape these lil mitts on before bedtime and you can save on washing powder.

£78.99

§÷µñ¦>< Beanie Hat

Perfect to match with the thermal vest, its a hat, yup, its a hat. A woolly, no polyester hat... well polyester is plastic, isn't it?! Ok Ok, it's a bit of plastic you can put on your head. Cure for baldnes it's not, nor is it waterproof, will it stop you freezing to death?....doubtful but it does come in black.

£21.99

§÷µñ¦>< Holdall

Pack your bags, this strong tough holdall has almost but not quite enough room for everything you would expect to carry in this holdall, and at only 15kg its even under your baggage allowance on most flights.

£289.99

§÷µñ¦>< Golf Umbrella

We all like to spend hours on the greens but when that nasty old weather comes in, youll need something to keep your eyefone and golf bats dry.

£49.99

§÷µñ¦>< Tee Tin

The tin is designed to keep golf tees in but you would probably use it for just a few rizzlas, some Old Holborn and a half ounce of moroccan black.

£13.99

§÷µñ¦>< filofax

Step back in to retro style, this "manual pda" is fantastic. buy one today, doesnt need charging, wont break if you drop it and the handwriting function works properly.

£89.99

§÷µñ¦>< Balloon

Lets face it, its about as much fun you can have with latex. Why not take out our extended warantee to ensure your balloons unburstability. Then if it deflates or bursts within 12 hrs of purchase we will send you a replacement plus 100 Korean Won cash. (balloons are manufactured in South Korea.)

£19.99

§÷µñ¦>< 33G Flash

Industry standard usb drive, laser etched logo and dust cover. Comes complete with battery pack, carrying handle, dust cover and replacement steam valve. Requires 6 x PP9 batteries. Weight = 8.5Kg

£289.99

§÷µñ¦>< 2G Flash

A USB drive with a difference, this readonly drive is filled with the §÷µñ¦>< website PHPBB forum and Mediawiki from 2002. Back in these days of old the forum and wiki had just been installed and was therefore clean and unmarked.

£189.99

§÷µñ¦>< 16Kb Flash

This keyfob is handy for carrying .... that picture of your family, or the cat, or even the car,... but probably not all three. we chose this capacity drive back in 2001 for its budget price of only £129.99, today Moores Law says that it should be cheaper, indeed it is, weve slashed the price by half.

£64.99

§÷µñ¦>< Pair of Headphones

Turn up the cans man! the headphones that tell everyone on the bus that your serious about your music. Whether it is Jedward, Joe Dolche or even Johnny Mathis, you can plug in to your eyefone and pump these puppies to the max. (freq res 200hz - 10khz)

£149.99

§÷µñ¦>< AM Transmitter

FM transmitters have only been around in the UK since legislation was changed in 2006 allowing FM to be used without licence, these AM units predate this and have a lower quality and range, therefore we suggest only using it within a faraday cage reducing the chance of radio interference.

£59.99

§÷µñ¦>< Chocolate Fountain

Always a favourite at weddings and other parties, this chocolate fountain has been customised by the §÷µñ¦>< team to work in reverse, the chocolate runs upwards ensuring that the bottom of your strawberrys are fully coated.

£399.99

§÷µñ¦>< Travel Plug

These are quite simply the must have attachment when traveling around the UK, converting a 13 amp plug to a 5 amp plug, so when you find yourself in a hotel room in those way out areas such as Devon, or Cumbria, you can unplug the kettle and use the supply to charge your eyefone.

£17.99

§÷µñ¦>< Coaster x 3

Tired of using those badly burned §÷µñ¦>< cds to put your coffee on, get these coasters and never leave a mug ring on that WinUltimate7 disk again.

£POA

§÷µñ¦>< 2006 Diary

Ok, Ok, we still have stock of these, they were really popular in 2005 as we sold 20 in December alone, so when we sold out we ordered a further 500 for the following December. Why not buy one as a gift for a friend, fill out tasks on each day and your friend can look back with fond memories.

£11.99

§÷µñ¦>< Calander

2009 calander. we dont quite know why but this only has 6 months showing, and to be honest, they are not my favorate months. Now, take the July, it was a great month, weather was good, we went camping, and had a few good bbqs. is it here.....? no!

£14.99


	stu - Feb,3 09:12 pm
	quiet in here, innit? this noticeboard isnt regulated or pre checked but if I spot anything I dont like I will remove it, like I have just done to some spam.


	Craig Turner - Jun 11, 08:31 pm
	Europattest link for you, Stu if you can send us an email down with your link icon I will return the one for euro pat test mate cheers Craig


	varun - Aug 14, 08:33 pm
	just came to see wt u do. very immpressive. good luck


	peter lloyd - Feb 5, 01:39 pm
	Just to say hi Steve told me you were a John Martyn fan and ypu may be able to help re web site? anyway what ever you are doing seems very intence no wonder you like the big guy bit like his music here just when you thought you understand it you find somthing else heyand Girls Aloud how wrist aching is that? anyway try to get NIN next time Regards Peter


	meagain - Dec 2, 12:59 am
	btw, i cant seem to get yahoo to work. any return ello welcome at hotmail or...well...here is nice too


	hillbillygirl - Dec 2, 12:59
	hay...it really does work! hi stu! im listening to jeff buckley, you came to mind, sending hello and well wishes, always. tami :)


	stu - Nov 17, 02:55
	this message board is still functional, and you dont need to register, however the ip address has been logged so anything illegal can be traced back to your pc. Most of the conversations go on either on the new forum/emailer, or in the chat rooms and message boards behind the login in the top left tof the site. This does requires registration, just fill out the short form and reply to the email to register, and you dont need a reason to do it.

OK, so you've tried all the ringtones from the tv, and havnt found the one!
Now you can download your own personally recorded §÷µñ¦><
ringtone, be the envy of all your friends.

All you have to do, is email me your email address using the noticeboard, and tell me what you want me to say and do, I'll record it - to the best of my ability, with all the enthusiasm I can muster at the time and then send it to you! You can live the rest of your life happy in the comfort that you can never feel like a fool when you reach for your phone on a false alarm, Yours is the only one with Your tone!

Terms and conditions of promotion.
This offer is subject to the terms and conditions mentioned here. Here is where you will find the promotional conditions, and indeed the terms of agreement drawn up to ensure the smooth running of the promotion and to cover my own ass if anything goes wrong. Ringtone may be delivered to you via email, connection from your own equipment to your own equipment is therfore your own problem, Ringtone may be mp3 format and therefore your style of phone must be able to use this format. Ringtone may be silence or white / brown noise, as is the current vogue and styling of §÷µñŠ><
§÷µñŠ>< does not take responcilibilibty for his own actions, or the actions of any another person, animal,vegetable or mineral.Offer valid until end of 31st January 1986.

Welcome to the webspace!