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Post by Steve on Jul 7, 2005 6:26:08 GMT
This one is proving to be a whole lot more troublesome than I thought it would be, Spymaster. The problem is that all the functionality that you require is already provided by default by the browser - you now want to undo all that and make the browser perform differently to the way it was designed. The problem is with the MIME file types, I forget what that stands for but they are file types which the browser recognises and automatically knows how to process. If you were linking to files with an uncommon extension such as filename.pqf (not on the MIME list) then the browser wouldn't know what to do and it would seek guidance from the end-user - i.e. the dialog box would appear, asking what to do with the file. Because you are dealing with a MIME file-type, that doesn't happen. I've searched and searched for a javascript solution but I can't find one, and now that I've looked more closely at the applet, even installing that isn't so straightforward. It isn't a standalone applet to be uploaded to the server - it's part of a complete software package which would need to be installed - at the server. The demo is apparently fully-functional, but it carries a message stating it's the demo version. Here's the page which mentions the 'demo' message and which explains about installing the software package onto the server: www.infomentum.com/appletfile/doc/install.htmIf you want to install the software, I'm sure the applet will run no problem, but the whole solution seems cumbersome, and if it was me I'd be looking elsewhere - probably at some form of encryption software. Having said that, if you want to pursue this solution then I'll stay with it and hopefully help you to get it working.
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Post by SpyMaster on Jul 7, 2005 18:01:16 GMT
Hey Steve you know that you said you would try and crack my system for hiding my host (obviously not using my real host) do you mind? I think that I've got it sorted now. www.freewebs.com/spy_masters_world/temp.htmlobviously it'll all be encorporated into a proper page etc. when I know that it's working. Thanks in advance Spy_Master
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Post by Steve on Jul 7, 2005 20:45:32 GMT
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Post by SpyMaster on Jul 8, 2005 6:12:01 GMT
damn it How did you do it? I tried myself and I thought that I'd succeeded
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Post by Steve on Jul 8, 2005 7:06:55 GMT
The page temp.html is fine - no problem there. The weak point is in the javascript popup window - you are obviously inviting the user to right-click on the hyperlink to download, but while the right-click menu is open, it's just as easy to click on Properties - and there is the unencoded url. Sorry.
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Post by SpyMaster on Jul 9, 2005 17:49:58 GMT
The page temp.html is fine - no problem there. The weak point is in the javascript popup window - you are obviously inviting the user to right-click on the hyperlink to download, but while the right-click menu is open, it's just as easy to click on Properties - and there is the unencoded url. Sorry. Thanks Steve. Ok that idea didn't pan out um I'm all out. Let's forget the I have an idea let's make it work business. You know my problem in the fact that I want to hide what my host is. Tell me your solution. Please I'm out of ideas. Thanks Spy_Master
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Post by Steve on Jul 10, 2005 6:56:04 GMT
Well Spymaster, I don't have a solution, beyond the vague notion that it's likely to involve encrypting either the full source code, or just the URLs. I'll look into it, but I don't know if I'll get around to that today as I'm trying to find a new host for the screencaps site - not just image hosting, but full webhosting. 100MB isn't too difficult to find but I'm trying for 250MB. I will have a look at the encryption issue as soon as I can though.
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Post by SpyMaster on Jul 10, 2005 16:13:06 GMT
Well Spymaster, I don't have a solution, beyond the vague notion that it's likely to involve encrypting either the full source code, or just the URLs. I'll look into it, but I don't know if I'll get around to that today as I'm trying to find a new host for the screencaps site - not just image hosting, but full webhosting. 100MB isn't too difficult to find but I'm trying for 250MB. I will have a look at the encryption issue as soon as I can though. I have a problem with image hosting. However, what I've decided to do is use angelfire. That means people can't hotlink for a start which helps bandwith consumption. It offers 20mb but an unlimited amount of files unlike freewebs which offers 20mb or 50 files which is what I used to use. I know it's not ideal but all you have to do then is have one freewebs account with the main pages on and then host the others ones with the images directly on at angelfire, which also helps with possible account deletion due to lack of use. If you find anything better though please let me know Don't worry about when you get to it. Tomorrow, next week, next month, really it's no big deal. I'm grateful that you're helping me at all. ;D
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Post by SpyMaster on Jul 12, 2005 17:30:38 GMT
Ok I had a new thought about this. You can link to the file through the IP address of the domain. Therefore if you converted the link into it's hexadecimel values then you would have a link that nobody could think "Oh that's where the file is and so this must be the domain part of the string, I'll go there." because, correct me if I'm wrong, with the hexadecimel coding it makes it all part of the same string which is confusing and thus unable to separate parts without a really good knowledge of hexadecimel coding. However, I'm really only wanting to safeguard against your average user so therefore do you think just using the IP address as opposed to the domain would be enough? I know that you can still easily separate the string off and got to the main page but there's not the temptation there of seeing the domain and wondering about it. What do you think? This page might be handy www.Pc-help.org/obscure.htm#how
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Post by Steve on Jul 12, 2005 17:50:40 GMT
No, I don't think that's a good idea, Spymaster. The same idea occurred to me a few days ago, but I rejected it straight away. It's too easy to copy and paste the string into a converter, and then it can be decoded in a couple of seconds. I appreciate that only a relative handful of web users would know how to do that, but you know how quickly little-known knowledge and techniques can become common knowledge and common practice on the internet. Nope, I really wouldn't try it.
Meantime, while I'm thinking about that, I was wanting some advice from you if you wouldn't mind? It's regarding .tk domains, redirects and free webhosting. I'll put it in a separate post shortly.
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Post by SpyMaster on Jul 12, 2005 18:34:24 GMT
Right sure. That figures as this idea wasn't mine it came from a computer scientist programmer person who I asked at lunch today. I'm on work experience you see at BT so I figured I might as well use my time there. I didn't know if it would work though. I couldn't find a convertor myself but that doesn't mean that there wasn't one. I was wary of searching too much for things like that at 'work' because they have rules about it and I haven't really had much chance since I got home.
Awaiting separate post ;D
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Post by Steve on Jul 12, 2005 18:45:32 GMT
Because we would soon reach the storage limit at Photobucket, I've been looking for another hosting service, but instead of image hosting, I wanted high-storage medium-bandwidth free webhosting. Talk about a needle in a haystack - it's very difficult to find anything above 100 to 150MB (storage), and bandwidth can vary widely. Well I had resigned myself to signing up for a 150MB service, when I chanced across a site offering 600MB with unmetered bandwidth. The only drawback is file uploading - ftp uploads aren't in place yet but they are apparently to be implemented soon. If you don't know ftp, it's very similar to Windows explorer, where you can highlight a folder and copy the entire contents - sub-folders, files and all to a different location on your hard-drive - it works the same way but it allows you to transfer anything from a single file to an entire folder, sub-folders and contents to the hard-drive on the server. Meantime, the control panel only allows the upload of 10 files at a time. I checked if a zip file would work but it doesn't - I could upload a zip, but I can't unzip to the server (in the same way that Freewebs allows). Still, once ftp is in place that won't be necessary. There is no filesize limit, and I'm sure I read somewhere that all file types are allowed. Sounds almost too good to be true eh? And that's the problem - I think sites like these appear and then vanish again just as quickly because they can be unsustainable without either advertising or signup fees (it even has no ads). I've opened a free account so Alice will shortly be asking everybody to change their bookmarks. If the service then folds, we would have to find new hosting and ask everybody to update their bookmarks once again. So how does this sound - we take a free .tk domain, which by default has url redirection. Then the .tk address is bookmarked by everybody. Then in the event that the host closes, it's not a major problem, because we just find a new host and change the redirect at .tk Does that sound reasonable? The other option would be to put a redirect on the Freewebs address, but I expect Freewebs might not be too pleased about that, which is why I was thinking about .tk. Oh yes, here's the address: free-webster.comYou have to click on 'Accept' to access the site even if you're not intending to sign up but don't worry about that - it only leads to the main info page. Also, would that kind of storage and bandwidth be a solution to your own hosting problem? It would be taking a gamble because the service could close at any time, but if you use a system like I suggested for naming files and folders, then you could edit the source code for an entire site very quickly using nothing more than the Notepad Replace feature and you could move hosts reasonably easily if you had to.
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Post by SpyMaster on Jul 12, 2005 19:01:20 GMT
The only problem with the dot.tk domains is that when you go to the domain it comes up with an ad page instead which could lead to confusion. I was trialling this myself for my site this evening in fact so you can see the ad in practice. www.spymastersworld.tkAs you can see it's not immediately apparent that you're at the right place. You could warn people you already know but it's not so easy for new visitors. I don't know you can make the decision for youself. Signup is easy. The url redirect is in place within the hour and apart from that ad thing it works fine. Yes that could solve my problem for definite certainly for the forseeable future. However, as you said the service could close at any time which is annoying and considering the scale with which I'd want to work too I'm not overly happy that I'd have to reupload. Perhaps you could put me onto a 150mb service. I'm not bothered about having them in different places. Don't know if I've answered your question. I'm not too good at helping other people.
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Post by Steve on Jul 12, 2005 19:20:10 GMT
Grrrr, I didn't know about the ad. Things like that annoy me, so I won't use it. Thanks for letting me know, and I'll think of another solution. This is a good site for finding hosts: www.clickherefree.com/As I said though, it's like finding a needle in a haystack, so use the Free Host Search at the top left to set your preferences. This url should hopefully take you to search results for: 100MB+ Personal sites only (weeds out the business-only hosts) No Ads FTP upload and browser upload That should give you five pages to search through - you will find that a lot require forum posting before application, others will only allow very short periods of inactivity before deleting your site, and others will simply be closed - quite a lot actually. It will take a while to work your way through them. I had rejected most of them for one reason or another, and it was on the final pages somewhere that I found the 600MB host (although it is listed on the search results as 150MB).
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Post by Steve on Jul 12, 2005 19:36:14 GMT
Oh that's interesting, I hope you are enjoying it. As you will know by now, I'm an electronics engineer; my main interests and skills are all at component-level - I just love component-level electronics, but I work as a systems engineer in the TV industry at the moment. I know a little about telephony though, so I know what a telco switch is (it's just the modern terminology for what used to be known as an 'exchange') and I know something about telco transmission, etc. It's only basic knowledge though. I hope you will enjoy it and find it a worthwhile experience.
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