Author: lrm

Manually updating Java

There is a Java exploit out in the wild right now and Only 9 of 22 virus scanners block Java exploit.

Oracle released an emergency update (java version 7 update 7) yesterday evening (Aug 30, 2012).

This is how I manually updated my Java runtime on a windows 7 64 bit machine

  • run C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin\javacpl.exe (note: use the control panel for the latest version your have installed on your system — on my windows 7 32 bit system it’s in C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin\javacpl.exe)
  • click on the “Update” tab (second from the left)
  • click on the “Update Now” button (bottom right)
  • wait for the installer to load/ click on the obvious next buttons / make sure to uncheck whatever junk they want to install on your system (e.g. Ask toolbar, McAfee Security Scan Plus, etc.)
  • wait while it installs, click on the “Close” button and Bob’s your uncle.

Who controls your data?

Deadbook, the Long-term Facebook

To combat some of these ‘chilling effects’ (to put it mildly) Facebook has a procedure they call memoralization, this will limit the access to facebook pages to ‘confirmed friends’. Eventually those will pass away too and the moment when facebook’s last friend-of-a-friend passes away would be the moment the profile has finally lost value for facebook.   So presumably, that’s the moment they’ll finally remove your browsing history, and that silly photo of you passed out drunk after the party.

Dave Winer is writing extensively about this issue see, for example “The web is socialist, but it’s not a family“.

Five Non-Mainstream Databases for PHP Apps

Part 1 – http://blog.newrelic.com/2012/07/31/five-non-mainstream-databases-for-php-apps-part-1/ Part 2 – http://blog.newrelic.com/2012/08/07/five-non-mainstream-databases-for-php-apps-part-2/

Gladius DB Gladius DB is written purely in PHP, uses flat files to store its data files and is compatible with a subset of SQL92. It doesn’t need any external libraries or drives to get started, and can also be integrated with ADODB.