Tourism Malaysia Launches Siti - The Digital Ambassador

Siti is a Window Live Agent representing Malaysia (or perhaps Tourism Malaysia) to engage the Windows Messenger user. You can chat with her only in constructive word manner. Meaning it won't talk rubbish and keep on reminding you with a few destination name in Malaysia when your conversation stray off topic. This is so much remind me of Virtualmalaysia.com's Maya in 2001.

I'm quite surprised that Tourism Malaysia decided to use this as a method to draw tourists as I'm quite sure that the response from the user won't be positive. Because at the end of the session, does the user convince enough to visit Malaysia? When I asked about Major/National Landmarks in Kuala Lumpur, Siti response was a summarized destination of KLCC,KL Towers, Merdeka Square, Sultan Abdul Samad & the Selangor Club building. Is it worth it to visit Kuala Lumpur by only knowing the destination name without feeding their actual facts and values?

Tourist often want to know more when deciding to visit any destination but I believe on current state, Siti alone won't be enough. At least give us a chance to chat to a real people. But who knows, maybe in future Siti's content will evolve towards Wiki-based. Now that what I called a fat ass information.

Anyway if you want to add Siti as your Windows Messenger buddy, simply add sitimalaysia@hotmail.com. Have a stiff awkward conversation.

3G Speed Test

To get some idea how the 3G connectivity speed, I use the Global Broadband Speed Test. Check this out.

Connected to Celcom 3G PCMCIA data card



Connected to Time.net Broadband



If you ask me, sadly I will say, like the rest of 3G user said (from what I read), it almost feel like slightly faster than dial-up service. :(

Configuring D-Link 3G Mobile Wireless Routers

The startup configuration is properly documented in CD and the user manual. You can change the administrator password or the user name, monitor the status and much more. The only problem that I encountered is the information for my Celcom 3G broadband ISP setting. Without this information, I can't get into the internet. So here is the solution:

Before I start, D-Link 3G router has specific ISP card driver option to choose from:

• UMTS - Far Eastern Telecom - Option GT 3G Quad
• UMTS - O2 - Option GT 3G Quad
• UMTS - Vibo Telecom - ZTE MF320
• UMTS - Orangenet - Option Wireless GT Quad
• UMTS - Vodafone - Option Wireless GT Quad
• UMTS - Taiwan Mobile - Novatel Mireless (Wireless) Merlin U530
• UMTS - Chunghwa Telecom - Huawei E612
• UMTS - Telkomsel - Option GT 3G Quad
• UMTS - Exelcom - Option GT 3G Quad
• UMTS - Celcom - Option GT 3G Quad
• UMTS - Maxis - Option GT 3G
• HSDPA - Cingular - Sierra Wireless AirCard 860
• HSDPA - Cingular - Novatel Wireless Merlin U730
• HSDPA - Cingular - Sierra Wireless AirCard 875
• HSDPA - Italy - Sierra Wireless AirCard 865
• HSDPA - Optimus - Novatel Wireless Merlin U740
• HSDPA - T-Mobile - Option GT 3G+ / Fusion+
• HSDPA - Exelcom - Huawei E600 / E620
• HSDPA - Exelcom - Huawei E220 (USB)
• HSDPA - Exelcom - Option GT Max
• HSDPA - Maxis - Huawei E620
• HSDPA - Maxis - Motorola Phone RAZRV3xx (USB)
• HSDPA - Singtel - Huawei E620
• HSDPA - Singtel - Sierra Wireless AirCard 850
• HSDPA - Singtel - Option GT Fusion+ EMEA
• HSDPA - M1 - Vodafone GT MAX GX0201
• HSDPA - M1 - Vodafone Huawei E620
• HSDPA - M1 - Vodafone Huawei E220 (USB)
• HSDPA - Celcom - Huawei E600 / E620
• HSDPA - Celcom - Huawei E220 (USB)
• HSDPA - Globe - Vodafone Huawei E620
• HSDPA - Globe - Vodafone Huawei E220 (USB)
• HSDPA - PowerGrid - Huawei E620
• HSDPA - Vodacom - Huawei E220
• HSDPA - Vodacom - Huawei E620
• HSDPA - MTN - Huawei E220
• HSDPA - MTN - Huawei E620
• HSDPA - Taiwan - Option GT 7.2 Ready
• HSDPA - Taiwan - BandLuxe C100
• HSDPA - Hong Kong - Novatel Wireless Merlin XU870
• HSDPA - Hong Kong - Huawei E220(USB)
• HSDPA - Hong Kong - Option GT 3G+
• HSDPA - Hong Kong - Option GT MAX
• HSDPA - Egypt - E220 etisalat USB

So before you buy the router, make sure your 3G modem or data card driver is available.

Go to manual internet connection options and click "Manual Configure". You will see the following form.

At first I thought I just need to select my 3G ISP name (Celcom). So I tried both UMTS - Celcom - Option GT 3G Quad and HSDPA - Celcom - Huawei E600 / E620 but no connection detected. So I look back at the box and I noticed that the actual name is Novotell Wireless Merlin U530. So I choose UMTS - Taiwan Mobile - Novatel Mireless Merlin U530 on ISP - Card option. You can leave the rest of the form blank except:

- Dial Number : *99***1#
- APN : internet
- Keep-alive Interval : (your choice mine is 60 seconds)

Save the configuration and click to Status menu. You will find that your WAN is now connected. The internet is now ready, try it.

3G Network Connected to D-Link Mobile Broadband Router

Yesterday I went to Low Yatt and decided to subscribe Celcom 3G service. I've visited a few wireless broadband like Maxis 3G broadband and Izzi 4G broadband but none of the service suits my need. I need a 3G service that can reach as far as Semenyih with no restriction on yearly contract. The Maxis marketing representative mumbling something at their booth which I can't understand a word so I just walk to Izzi booth and waited there. Like Apek in EJen 016 said... I wait forever. So moving on to the last broadband booth, Celcom.

Currently Celcom Broadband offering 3 type of subscription;

• Daily Unlimited
  - RM8/24hours
  - Up to 384 kbps
  
  
• Monthly Unlimited Basic
  - RM68/month
  - Up to 384 kbps
  
  
• Monthy Unlimited Advance
  - RM 120/month
  - Up to 3.6 Mbps
  

Here is the catch, for a start you need to buy the 3G modem. There are 3 type of modem; USB, XpressCard and PCMCIA card. The USB modem, the one that showed in TV commercial, priced at RM1200. As for the XpressCard, there are 3 types to choose with prices RM899 to RM999. And for the PCMCIA type there are 2 prices RM399 & RM499. The prices differ merely because of the brand. The one carrying Vodafone brand are much higher.

Now I'm in delima. My home notebook uses XpressCard, my office notebook uses PCMCIA. To eliminate this differences, I can simply pick the USB modem. But the price is too much for me. So I choose the cheapest option of all - the RM 399 PCMCIA modem card.

Now I need to find either a PCMCIA adapater to USB or a 3G router to stay connected between this 2 notebooks. I looked for the adapter first but no luck. Even Sri Computer don't have it. So the only option left is the 3G router. Currently the only 3G router available in Low Yatt is the D-Link 3G Mobile Broadband Router and priced about RM599 (your bargain skill might come handy here).

So the total cost of having a 3G broadband at all my home is around RM970. Huhuhu that too much for me already. So I'm thinking on how to get back my investment? Since I have the wireless router, maybe I could open-up the internet access to my neighbor. Is it legal?

JAWI Unlimited

If you want to learn JAWI, an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language, now there is an online converter tool. All you have to do is just type the normal Malay text and click convert, the Jawi alphabet will appear. You can copy & paste it into your blog or other medium. It is that easy. This reminds me during those old days when my English tutor (she is not even Muslim/Malay) thought me how to spell Ayam in Jawi.

Check out this ejawi.net website to use the converter. سلامت منچوبا

Welcome to the world my dear

This is our newest family member. He was born on 28 October 2007 - 10:00PM at HUKMSC. We haven't decide the name yet, so we might let his grandpa choose a name.

Watch the rest of the photo set on my Flickr.

How Secure Your Windows XP Administrator Account?

Have you lost your Windows XP password recently or perhaps a virus changes all your account password? Or have you ever wonder how your IT administrator reset your notebook user account recently? We used to encounter this kind of problem due to virus attack. To recover the password, we use a software to reset the password. Did you know that you can use an internal tool called "net user" to reset your password? Here is how:

The steps involved in this task differ depending on whether your computer is a member of a network domain or is part of a workgroup or is a stand-alone computer.

Stand-alone computer

1. If you're still logged in the system, do the following. Bring up the command prompt by select start > run and type in CMD. A black screen will pop up.
2. Type "net user". This will list down all available user in the system.
3. To reset a password type, "net user" followed by the account name that needs password recovery. followed by " *". e.g "net user administrator *"
4. It will prompt, "Type a password for the user:". Enter your new password here.
5. A second prompt "Retype the password to confirm:" will be displayed. Retype your password and you are done.
6. If you not logged in the system, do the following. Reboot the computer and wait a few seconds. Press F8 before it has completely booted. A black screen with a few options will be prompted to you.
   
7. Press down the arrow down and select "Safe Mode with Command Prompt". Press enter to select that option. Hang in a second. Give it some time to boot; this can take longer than your usual boot-process. When it has booted, you will see the same black screen as in CMD. Now you can continue from step 2 to 5. Reboot your computer in normal mode and log in with the password you just typed in.

Another way of reseting your password is by creating a password reset disk. The Forgotten Password Wizard lets you create a password reset disk that you can use to recover your user account and personalized computer settings if you forget your password.

1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to open the Windows Security dialog box.
2. Click Change Password.
3. Click Backup to open the Forgotten Password Wizard.
4. Click Next and then follow the instructions as they appear on the screen.

This demonstrate how easy to gain access to your Windows XP PC, so be careful out there.

Update: Visit this site to get an alternative tools http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Screwed Out Service

This anger accumulated since Hotlink (Maxis Prepaid Service) start spamming my SMStext messages without my consent. How could they promote a jug of beer to a Muslim. I thought we're oblige to register our prepaid service and there should be no excuse of not knowing our religion. It's all there in myKad. And there are so many other promotional SMS which I don't care about. I try to search any subscription options through the Hotlink website but I can't find any.

Today, Hotlink announced to stop their SMS email on this coming 1st December which lead me to write this post. It's kind of rare to withdraw a useful service. To a normal user, it's like downgrading the services back to Atur era. So I might considering changing to another mobile service carrier on my next phone upgrade.

Seting Up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) with Windows

I always wanted to try this out but always forgot. OK, here's the catch, imagine you're out from your office and suddenly forgot to get a file from your PC. You can either get your ass back to the office or you can try the VPN connection. Here is how:

You must:

Set up one computer to share files (server).
Set up another computer to access them (client).

Begin by setting up the server:

• Open Internet Explorer and go to www.whatismyip.com. Write down the IP address. You will need it to configure the client.
• Click the Start button and click Run. Type control and hit Enter. Or you can open the Control Panel from Windows Start button
• Click Network and Internet Connections.
• Click Network Connections.
• Click Create a New Connection, which is the first option on the left toolbar.
• The New Connection Wizard will open. Click Next.
• Choose Set up an advanced connection, the last element on the list. Click Next.
• Choose Accept incoming connections. Click Next.
• You will see the Devices for Incoming Connections screen. Do not select anything on this screen. Click Next.
• Select Allow virtual private connections. Click Next.
• Select to whom you want to give access. Click Next. If a user is not listed, you will have to add an account.
• Do not change anything on the Networking Software screen. Click Next.
• That’s it! Your computer is now set up to allow for VPNs. Click Finish to complete the wizard.

Now proceed to connect the client:

• Click the Start button and click Run. Type control and hit Enter. Or you can open the Control Panel from Windows Start button
• Click Network and Internet Connections.
• Click Network Connections.
• Click Create a New Connection, which is the first option on the left toolbar.
• The New Connection Wizard will open. Click Next.
• Select Connect to the network at my workplace and click Next.
• Select Virtual Private Network connection and click Next.
• Type the name of your network in the blank box. Click Next.
• Enter the IP address you wrote down earlier and click Next.
• Select Add a shortcut to this connection to my desktop and click Finish.

Note:

• If the VPN doesn’t work, turn off your firewall.
• And don't give access to the “guest” account. It does not require a password, allowing anyone to access the VPN.

Google's Applications Under Attack

This is a nightmare. I open up my email, specifically my GMail account and guest what. A news from ZDNet about how vulnerable Google applications from hackers attack. This is including the Gmail, Blogspot, Picasa, Google Search Appliance and Google’s Urchin Analytics. They uses various kind of technique such as email filter attack, cross-site scripting, Cross-site Request Forgery (CSRF), IE’s expression() injection and Mozilla’s -moz-binding.

So how we are going to deal with this. This is too much as I use all of it almost in daily basis. So I figure, for the GMail application, I suggest we always sign-out whenever we done with it before proceeding browsing other side. As for the rest of the applications, I haven't figure out any precaution step yet. Maybe we can stop using all said application?

Open Source Series: Content Managemnet System CMS

I've done so many research on open source related application tools lately. So I need to clear up more RAM in my brain for other task. The best way to do it is by dumping all the info in here, my trusted blog.

So in this first edition I will stored all CMS that I experience or read about it in this post. Here goes:

Joomla - popular, award-winning CMS that will help you build powerful online applications.


XOOPS - extensible, easy to use; ideal tool for developing small to large dynamic community websites, blogs, portals and much more.

Drupal - equipped with a powerful blend of features, rich set of modules, very popular.


e107 - totally customizable content management system written in PHP using MySQL database.

Plone - ready-to-run, easy to set up, extremely flexible, and ideal for project groups, communities, websites, extranets and intranets.

Zope - an open source application server for building content management systems, intranets, portals, and custom applications.

PHPnuke - established CMS featuring web-based administration, surveys, customizable blocks, modules and themes with multilanguage support.

Dotnetnuke - port of PHPNuke into Microsoft .NET platform.

Typo3 - flexible and extensible CMS with an accomplished set of ready-made interfaces, functions and modules.

PostNuke - fork of PHP-Nuke to make it more secure, stable, and able to work in high-volume environments with ease.

SyntaxCMS - simplify publishing , create and edit site content online, and approve it before publishing to the web.

jLibrary is a DMS (Document Management System), oriented for personal and enterprise use.

V2 CMS - simple CMS, easy to install and modify.

Website Baker - PHP-based CMS designed to make website creation easy.

Jahia - use the Jahia community edition for publishing, managing files, and workflow.

eZPublish - created by eZ Systems, which has a team of professional software developers responsible for creating and maintaining the CMS.

Magnolia - makes Enterprise Content Management simple by being user-friendly, battle-tested, enterprise-ready and open-source.

WebGUI - built to give average business users the ability to build and maintain complex web sites.

OpenCMS - helps content managers worldwide to create and maintain beautiful websites fast and efficiently.

PHP-Fusion - a lightweight, small and versatile CMS.

Collaborative Portal Server (CPS) - most complete platform for building Enterprise Content Management applications, built on top of the Zope application server.

SiteFrame™ - lightweight content-management system designed for the rapid deployment of community-based websites.

TribalCMS - includes multilanguage support, template architectures, AJAX User Interfaces and unique administration.

Xaraya - create sophisticated web applications; designers enjoy considerable flexibility.

Krang - designed to publish magazine websites.

MMBase - CMS with strong multi media features and advanced portal functionalities.

Pligg - based on Menéame (Spanish Digg clone), Pligg enables you to create Digg-like sites.

elevateIT - an extension of ZOPE/Plone server.

Cofax - manages your text and multimedia content, and simplifies the presentation of newspapers.

DBPrism - first open source CMS based on Oracle XMLDB repository.

Flux CMS - XML/XSLT based, easy to use, extensible and suitable for developers to fill specific needs.

Apache Lenya - Java/XML based CMS that comes with revision control, multi-site management, scheduling, and workflow.

Rubricks - CMS for Ruby on Rails fans, boasts simplicity and speed.

Silva - built on top of Zope, enables you to export to Word, stream media, store content as XML, and manage hierarchical and traditional websites.

YACS - build your online blogging communities.

Clever Copy - A scalable website portal and news posting system.

Fundanemt - focused on usability and aimed at small and medium sized websites.

Dragonfly CMS - feature-rich open source content management system, based on PHP-Nuke 6.

ContentNOW - simple to use, flexible, multilanguage, modular CMS.

Bitweaver - suitable for large-scale community websites and corporate applications.

Elxis CMS - professional free open source CMS released under the GNU/GPL license.

Etomite - allows you to remotely administer your website from anywhere.

fuzzylime - simple way for you to run your site and keep it up-to-date.

iGaming CMS - build your own gaming websites.

MODx - CMS that helps you take control of your online content.

PHP comasy - simple, multilingual and fast content management system.

Mambo - very well-known CMS. Can be used for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications.

Jupiter - one of the most lightweight portal systems available.

Ovidentia - integrate an environment for publishing content on the www or a groupware portal.

Jaws - build your own modules on the powerful Jaws framework.

Geeklog - out of the box blog solution with support for comments, trackbacks, multiple syndication formats, and spam protection.

CMS Made Simple - make a home page for your family or your multinational corporation.

Eazy portal - solution allowing you to maintain your own online community.

Papoo - accessible content management system

phpWebSite - develop an interactive, community-driven website.

RunCms - portal system that includes most things a webmaster would expect from a CMS.

Exponent - allows site owners to easily create and manage dynamic websites without necessarily directly coding web pages, or managing site navigation.

SPIP - publishing system, use it freely for your own site, be it personal, co-operative, institutional or commercial.

Silverstripe - powerful enough for any website or intranet design and simple enough for anyone to use.

Pheap - created for folks who don’t like complex CMSs like Joomla and Drupal.

MDPro - an innovative and imaginative content management system.

TYPOlight webCMS - specializes in accessibility and uses XHTML and CSS to generate W3C/WAI compliant pages.

PlumeCMS - have multiple websites, multiple authors with different rights.

Xepient Open-Point - create a professional website quickly through the browser.

SlashCode - the original code for the Slashdot geek news service.

YaWPS - is a hybrid between a content management system and a web portal for medium or small-sized websites.

APC ActionApps - allow authorized users to easily update the content of their website.

Pagetool - suitable for people with limited technical skills to modify and contribute to an organization’s web site

OpenACS - toolkit for building scalable, community-oriented web applications.

ttCMS - build your community website with calendars, surveys, member management and authentication, file downloads, forum, articles, and announcements.

MySource - enables technically unskilled users to build and maintain their own web solutions.

Ariadne - web application server and content management system.

Mason CM - makes it easy to manage the workflow of information as it moves from staging to the live site.

Managee - comprehensive web based CMS.

ESY Web Builder - an intuitive content management system that allows non-technical people to create and manage websites and extranets.

PHProjekt - a groupware suite, for the coordination of group activities and to share information and documents via intranet and internet.

PROPS - extensible publishing system designed specifically for periodicals such as newspapers and magazines

Midgard CMS - internationalized set of tools for building web sites and networked applications.

Pivot - web-based tool to help you maintain dynamic sites, like weblogs or online journals.

Alfresco - An Enterprise Content Management System ECMS hosted on JBoss Application Server, Apache Tomcat or J2SE 5.0 (JRE 5.0) server.

Phewh... it will took you forever to try it all. Just be sure to double check your requirement.

Configuring PHP 5.2.3 To Work With MySQL 5.0 in IIS 5/6 Environment

By assuming the installation for PHP 5.2.3 and MySQL 5.0 were complete (normal/default installation), the following are the necessary steps to make the PHP and MySQL talk to eah other.

Step 1: In the C:\PHP folder copy the file "libmysql.dll" to your C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 folder. Make sure you don't overwrite any existing file in this folder. If file exists, first rename it so you can go back.

Step 2: In the C:\PHP folder copy the file "php.ini-recommended" to your C:\WINDOWS folder. Rename this file to "php.ini"

Step 3: Edit this file "php.ini" using a text editor like notepad. Find the line where it says "extension_dir = *something*". Uncomment this line by removing the preceding semi-colon. and set it to say: extension_dir="c:\php\ext". But you need to comment the line where it says doc_root. Otherwise an error that says "No input file specified" will appear if you test any php script. (Php only interprets phpfiles that are located in or below the doc_root directory)

Step 4: In the same file "php.ini" also un-comment out 2 other lines by removing semi-colon. Find the lines where it says: extension=php_mysql.dll and extension=php_mysqli.dll and uncomment both lines by removing the semi-colon.

Step 5: Reboot the computer

And you are done.

Be surprised

Yup. That is all about when you get involved in my job line. I get surprised by all kind of system malfunction caused by different kind of situation like virus, network, people, hardware / software compatibility and the list never stop. Even a brand new system installation couldn't escape from this mess. This is happening on my latest assignment but eventually all we had to do is compromised a little. Anyway here are some of my dreadful experience of installing our archiving system on Windows 2003 R2 64 bit Server.

1. I can't connect to the server via terminal service from my Windows XP. Looking at the event viewer, I noticed this error. "The RDP Protocol Component "DATA ENCRYPTION" Detected an Error..." error message - event ID 50.
   Read this work around (KB323497). Something to do with registry. Problem solved.
   
   
2. My MSSQL 2005 Enterprise edition can't be connected remotely. So my OSQL script won't work (damn).
   Microsoft suggest to do a few things (KB914277) but the connection not stable. Strike one,two & three. I won't install this system on 64bit machine ever again.
   

Later on I found out the Windows 2003 R2 were meant for storing data not suitable for running application like MSSQL... bummer.
Some other error that I encountered from normal Windows 2003 Server 32bit:

1. IISSample.RegistryAccess causing ASP pages failed to load.
   Solution: Simply register the reg.dll
   
   
2. It is not possible to run two different versions of ASP.NET in the same IIS process. Please use the IIS Administration Tool to reconfigure your server to run the application in a separate process.
   In other word, you cannot run more than one version of the .NET framework in the same application pool in IIS6.
   Solution: Simply create a new application pool and move the site that you will be upgrading to that pool. You can even base it off of the existing one if you don't have the password memorized for the existing one. This is all done within IIS. Once you have placed the site or virtual directory in its own application pool, then you are ready to upgrade to the new framework version.
   

Maybe this is nothing much to brag about but hey life is always full of surprises.

How to set a global variable in ASP .NET

If you are new to ASP .NET like myself and you need to carry a variable from one page to another, you have a few options. The method best suited for you depends on the way the data will be used.

The first option is to use session variables. Session variables allow you to keep the information hidden from the user by storing the data in server memory or in an SQL Database (see web.config).

To store the value type:

Session("FirstName") = "Azo"

And to retrieve the value, type:

Dim firstname As String = CStr(Session("firstName"))

This variable will be available to you as long as a user’s session exists. When their session expires, asp.net will release the data from memory.

You can also accomplish the same task by carrying the value in the URL. This is generally not recommended for user information as it can be seen by the user and easily hacked. However it is recommended in cases where you want a user to be able to link to a specific instance of your asp.net page (i.e. having an articleID on a generic page to display articles).

Dim articleid As Integer = CInt(Request.QueryString("articleid"))

If you only need to retain a variable when posting a page back to itself, you should use the viewstate. It works similarly to a hidden input field in html by placing the value in html code that is not displayed. However, items in the viewstate are encoded so that they cannot be easily deciphered by users. Syntax is similar to sessions, to place in viewstate:

viewstate("FirstName") = "Azo"

To get from viewstate:

Dim fname As String = CStr(viewstate("FirstName"))

If you would like to have a global variable that is static, for example, an sql connection string, I recommend creating a class, and creating the value as a public property of that class. This way you can return your values as a specific data type to enforce better programming.

Public Class Globals
Public ReadOnly Property connstring() As String
Get
Return "server=WebSqlServer; database=Authors; uid=sa; pwd=abcdefg;"
End Get
End Property
End Class

If you need a dynamic variable that spans across individual user sessions (ie keeping a count of active users on your site), you must store the variable in the application object.

Application("usercount") = CInt(Application("usercount")) + 1

Setting Up a Name Server with Widows 2003

If you happened to have a Windows 2003 server with live IP and with plenty of spare time, let's setup a DNS server based on this guide. I don't have a free time yet but I'll update this post later on.