Tag Archives: Software Sagacity

Multiple SSL Certificates on One IP Address

SSL SecurityWhether due to network configuration requirements or load-balancing, configuring multiple SSL sites on a single IP address can often provide more flexibility and ease of maintenance.  The challenge with the implementation is that older browsers can only interact with one SSL site per IP address on port 443.  Addressing this problem are two primary solutions: port redirects and virtual directories.
Continue reading

RSS Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email

Could Windows Servers Be More Secure than Linux?

SecurityOver the past fifteen years, Linux has built its brand around security and flexibility.  The open source community and many technology aficionados berate Windows for its security flaws, and hail Linux and Apple as the platforms for serious, reliable computing.  Few serious studies have rigorously compared the platforms in the wild, and those that do are often accused of bias.  Temporarily setting aside the prejudice that most have regarding the issue, could it be possible that in certain instances, Windows Servers are indeed more secure than Linux?
Continue reading

RSS Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email

Clearing all SVN folders in Windows or Linux

DeleteSubversion, despite its many competitors with more modern distributed version control technology, is still going strong today due to its robust architecture and large user base.  Although more modern subversion instances use only one “.svn” folder in the root of the checked-out repository, older versions may have a separate “.svn” folder in each individual subfolder in the project.
Continue reading

RSS Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email

Linux vs Windows File Permissions

SecurityOne of the interesting differences between Linux and Windows is in the file permission structure and management. While both operating systems are able to conceptually handle the same set of file management scenarios, they implement those permissions in different ways.
Continue reading

RSS Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email

How to read Excel XLSX files using ASP.NET

.NET DevelopmentIt’s often useful to import Excel files directly into an ASP.NET web application in order to simplify data entry. Excel makes it easier to manipulate data, and has far better integration with other apps than most web grids. As a result, integrating a web application with Excel lets users leverage the best features of a spreadsheet software, while taking advantage of the RDBMS and business logic in the web application.
Continue reading

RSS Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email

How soon before Microsoft Windows is completely free?

Microsoft Windows FreeIn a scenario that several years ago was difficult to imagine, Microsoft is offering its most popular brand – the Windows operating system – free on mobile devices under 9 inches. This is primarily in response to its negligible smart phone market share and inability to compete with Apple and Android. The fascinating corollary question is – how long will it take before the iconic Windows brand will be completely free on the desktop as well?
Continue reading

RSS Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email

Windows Madness – Why Your Operating System Will Always Be Too Slow

HourglassSince the first personal computer, both consumers and business users have been complaining about slow speed. A large part of the reason that processing power has regularly doubled every two years, is that the current speed always seems inadequate. It’s not that users’ requirements have been increasing significantly – it’s that due to anti-virus software, poorly written drivers, and unoptimized software, the status quo will always remain “too slow.”
Continue reading

RSS Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email

Ghost in the Machine – Deep Software Analysis with ProcMon

AnalysisOccasionally, it is necessary to integrate a software package that just isn’t working, and no support is available.  For instance, the version might be so old that the development company no longer support it, yet the software is still a critical part of the client’s IT infrastructure.  Without the source code, and only a cryptic error message or random failure for guidance, how do we solve the problem?
Continue reading

RSS Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email

The Grass Is Always Greener On the Next Framework

Green GrassOver the past 20 years, Microsoft has been releasing a multitude of frameworks and application development platforms. Each framework has a unique set of constructs, and often requires developers to learn a new language in order to take advantage of its benefits. Unfortunately, due to the major structural differences between the languages, most old applications need to be completely rewritten to gain access to the new features. This leaves many to wonder – is it worth the effort?
Continue reading

RSS Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email

When Optimization Breaks Software

LightningIt’s well known that most of the code we write is not what the computer actually runs. When writing a program, the compiler or runtime will take the code and perform a process called “optimization,” where various methods are applied to make the code more efficient so that it will execute faster.
Continue reading

RSS Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email