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 Is the food industry trying to ride the wave of tech popularity? Restaurant marketing material over the last few years has increasingly been using terms like “apps” and “handhelds.” They appear in television advertisements, email campaigns, and menus. Over the past 30 years, technology has gotten so pervasive that terminology used in this space was bound to make it into everyday life. English vernacular, at least in the US, is full of borrowed terms that have taken on a meaning that has drifted from their use in industry. Think, stat (medical), boots on the ground (military), loaded question (legal), and AI (computer science). We may be experiencing two more that have crept into the food industry. In the case of software, a common term is “program.” Programs are also known as applications, since a general purpose computer can be applied to various applications based on the software running for a given task. For example, the computer is being applied for billing now, but will be r...

Chrome may indicate that it's being managed by a user's organization. This warning is provided by the Chrome Policies feature of the browser. To know if an instance of Chrome is managed by an organization, there will be an entry at the bottom of the browser’s hamburger menu (three dot menu), on the right side of the browser window that reads, "Managed by your organization." This is likely due to an entry in the Chrome Policies listing, which can be found by loading this page in the browser: chrome://policy The policies listed in this section are stored in the computer's file system in one of the following locations as JSON files. /usr/share/chromium/policies/managed /usr/share/chromium/policies/recommended Remove the offending JSON files, and click the Reload policies button. The Managed by your organization entry in the browser menu should be gone. A notice like this on instances of Chrome for work, school, library, or other devices that belong to an organizati...

The printers.conf file can be edited to change the network address a printer uses.  This can be useful to fix situations in which the printer in question has a new IP address, but the local system is trying to use the previous address. Shutdown the CUPS server Change the network address Restart the CUPS server sudo systemctl stop cups sudo nano /etc/cups/printers.conf sudo systemctl start cups NOTE The editor used in the example is nano for the sake of those who may be less comfortable in the command-line.  With nano, once the change has been made, use Control + O to save the changes, and then Control + X to quit the editor. Ideally, this process would not be necessary.  Instead, once a printer is added, it will always be reachable at the address it was assigned when it was added to the system.  In practice, things like power outages, or breaks in network connectivity, may be enough for the DHCP server to issue a new IP address. A tip when making the address cha...

With the latest round of updates to Skype , it was noticed today that the instant messaging and VoIP phone service now supports emergency calling in the United States. The release notes for the most recent update to the Android version of Skype indicated that the service now allows calls to be made to US emergency calling systems via 911.  Telephony services like Skype, Google Voice , and Vonage typically don't offer this emergency calling ability without some sort of intermediate step like deferring to the phone's default dialer, as is the case with Voice, or setting up a physical address location ahead of time which is how Vonage handles it. The indication is that Skype will handle the 911 calls natively, but when verifying with an account that does not have a Skype phone number assigned to it, it was found that the instructions in the FAQ explaining how to turn on emergency calling are not accurate. Emergency calling support in Skype for the United States Interestingly, th...

In an apparent acknowledgment of the Christmas season, the makers of DBeaver have added a little Easter egg (no conflation of holidays intended) to the check boxes in the user interface.  At least for the time being check boxes are rendered as presents in the macOS and Windows versions of the database client.  (It's not obvious why the Linux variant doesn't support the icons.) DBeaver is a cross platform, open source database manager client, with versions available for each of macOS, linux-based systems, and Windows.  The developer offers a commercial version that supports features like NoSQL databases, Office integration, and execution plan diagrams. Comparison chart UPDATE (01/27/2022):  It was originally stated that the Linux version of the application doesn't support the styled check boxes.  Since the original publishing it was recalled that there is a setting to indicate the manner in which boolean values (check boxes) are represented.  (Preference...

Internet search provider DuckDuckGo , can minify JavaScript and CSS code through its Instant Answers feature.  Simply search for " minify javascript " or " minify css ." If the form isn't visible, click on the Answer control at the top of the page. DuckDuckGo is a search engine that has differentiated itself from brobdingnagian search outfits Google and Bing , by promising not to track users, and record their search histories.  Though the company does track search results , it does display advertisements , and it sources its search results from a plethora of places like Bing and Wikipedia , it stresses that it does not store details that can be used to tie a history back to a user, and ads are based on search terms. Users have flocked to the service in recent years due to privacy concerns, and because the search results avoid placing users into a filter bubble . The company's privacy page tips a nod to Startpage for being another privacy focu...

The documentation for Microsoft Visual Studio Code uses keyboard references to commands that are specific to the platform they're displayed on. A keyboard command might be something like the Control key used in conjunction with the C key to issue a copy command to an application from the keyboard, instead of through the menu system of a program with graphical user interface.  These keyboard commands are typically written in a shorthand of sorts.  Using the Control and C key example, might be represented as Ctrl+C . These key combinations are different on a system running macOS than they are on a system running Windows , or a Linux or Unix variant.  On the Mac, the example above would be the Command key used in conjunction with the C key.  This is typically written as Cmd+C or ⌘+C . For documentation written for multiple platforms like these, references to these keyboard commands might be written as one of the following examples. Copy the contents...

Google has taken the liberty of logging Chrome into the user's account whenever logged in to any Google service. Some time ago, Google introduced the ability to have its browser, Chrome, log into the user's Google account whenever the user authenticated for any Google service.  That is, log in to Google Docs, for example, and the browser would be logged in as well. The pitch was that this relationship between being logged in to a service and the browser also being logged in, can help mitigate confusion when a user logs out of a Google service but fails to realize the browser is still logged in.  The mystery can be eliminated if the browser keeps the two in the same state automatically. There is the added benefit that the browser would be better able to synchronize the user experience across each browser that was also logged into the user's account. For example, Chrome on a mobile device could have access to the history from Chrome on a laptop. The idea is not nove...

Each of Bing , DuckDuckGo , and Google provide both a timer and a stopwatch available just by searching for one of those terms. Search for either "timer" or "stopwatch" and a panel for the tool will appear at the top of the results page. DuckDuckGo actually requires a search for something like "set timer," otherwise it will return a search for power outlet timers and stopwatches. Each service supports setting a timer right from the search box.  For example, "2 minute timer," or "set timer for 3 minutes."  Both DuckDuckgo and Google will automatically start the timer.   Bing Has a "Related" link to the opposite tool. Timer has a mutable audible alert when a time is up. Stopwatch has a split/lap time log. Stopwatch measures to the 1,000th a second. DuckDuckGo Requires a separate search for either "set timer" or "stopwatch." Search for "timer" is not sufficient enough to load ti...

April Fools Day always proves to be a favorite of some tech outfits.  Google is usually one that likes to play along .  (See Gmail Blue )  Stack Exchange has done a good one this year though, with its flashback to the nineties theme for Stack Overflow . The company has pulled out all the stops by resurrecting a raft of tired old gimmicks. Gaudy scrolling banners Obnoxious repeating backgrounds Mixed typefaces (Comic Sans and Times) Click counter Under construction Flashing icons (or animated in general) Cursor animation Guestbook There's a lot going on here, to be sure.  As such, this list is not exhaustive. Load a Stack Exchange page and click on any post to be teleported. Stack Overflow ( https://stackoverflow.com/ ) Server Fault ( https://serverfault.com/ ) Super User ( https://superuser.com/ ) Ask Ubuntu ( https://askubuntu.com/ ) Economics ( https://economics.stackexchange.com/ )   Welcome to the 90s. Wonderful t...

There has been a long-standing hope that Atlassian Sourcetree will one day make it to the Linux platform.  The company has flatly refused to create a version for Linux , but that doesn't mean the interest isn't there. A search for the term "sourcetree" in the Atlassian Community renders a results set with an entry titled " SourceTree for Linux ."  Its view count is higher than any other entry in the results listing at more than a quarter of a million views.  That's more than any other entry, and it isn't even close. The listing https://community.atlassian.com/t5/forums/searchpage/tab/message?q=sourcetree Similarly, the Sourcetree Community products page ranks the same entry at the top of that listing with the next most popular entry, " How to update HTTP(S) credentials in sourcetree ," at well under 200,000 views. The listing https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Sourcetree/ct-p/sourcetree Of course, one can't blame the co...

This past April 1st, Cloudflare rolled out a new DNS service that touts both speed and improved privacy. The reasoning for a new DNS service is that the company is on a march to ever improve the Internet by means of security, privacy, and speed. DNS is commonly described as the phone book for the Internet.  It allows users to reach websites by way of a human-readable name that is translated to the series of numbers that the underlying network protocol uses.  In the way that Cool Dude's telephone number might be 123-456-7890, the web address for "cooldude.com" might translate to 123.123.321.321. By default, ISPs expect routers and other devices to be configured to use their DNS service, but there's no technical reason that any DNS server can't be used.  Both Google and OpenDNS offer alternative services as well. Some folks are reporting various issues in the comments of the announcement, but Cloudflare seems to have been expecting some of this for thin...

For the Vue.js developers out there that also still dig using Firefox , you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that Vue.js devtools is now available for Firefox as well as Chrome . The tools extension has only been available for Chrome and the comments on the page for the Firefox add-on indicate that it's been available for a while now.  Each browser is indicating being updated as of January 15th, and they share the same version number (4.0.1). The assumption here is that they are indeed the same toolbox, and the availability of these tools for Firefox users is, no doubt, made possible by Mozilla's move to using its WebExtensions API as its means of extending the browser by third parties.

If a person in the Contacts application on iOS cannot be found in one of Apple 's services, the application will try to use Google Hangouts if the person has a Gmail address.  This can be seen in the Call and Video buttons under the contact's name. Version 16.0.0 of the application saw the ability to use the system's phone application to send and receive calls.  This integration is most certainly the source for this ability. This contact only has a phone number and it's not associated with any Apple services.  But it's known to Hangouts, so the video call button is labeled "Hangouts."

Using Google Maps , a double-tap and hold on the screen allows zooming with a single finger by dragging it across the screen. That's tap once, then again quickly, but continue to touch the screen on the second tap.  Without picking up the finger, drag it across the screen. This was encountered by mistake on an iOS device running iOS 10.2.1 and Google Maps 4.28.91.  It may work on Android devices as well, and with older versions of Maps. Also, it's noted that this feature is probably detailed all over the Web.  But here it is again.

Though it's difficult to confirm around the Web, it appears as though the IP address scheme the built-in PHP server uses depends on the host name that's provided.  If a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) is used, such as server.domain.tld, then the built-in server will be listening for IPv6 based requests.  If the server is started with an IPv4 address identified as the host, then it will naturally listen for IPv4 based requests. The closest to anything official around the Web was a comment in the PHP docs that only seeded this conclusion, at best.  But here it is in any case. Built-in web server http://php.net/manual/en/features.commandline.webserver.php#120449 Ultimately, the following answer from Stack Overflow held the "universal" solution.  Thank you dew010. Running PHP 5.4 built-in web server outside localhost http://stackoverflow.com/a/8377378/2487485 Start your development server like: php -S 0.0.0.0:8989

Apache httpd seems to have an issue that flusters the configuration file parser when a series of backslashes are present in a comment. The following snippet is taken from a vhosts configuration file.  Notice the 5 backslashes at the end of the first line.  # ///// Be sure to manage the corresponding [wrap]         directory block in                  [wrap]         httpd-directories.conf \\\\\ <VirtualHost *:80>     ServerAdmin webmaster@domain.tld     ServerName server.domain.tld     DocumentRoot "/path/to/server.domain.tld"     ErrorLog "/path/to/server.domain.tld-error.log"     CustomLog "/path/to/server.domain.tld-access.log" common </VirtualHost> With these backslashes present, an attempt to start the server wil...

Anyone who has been using a Mac for long enough to weather an update or two, and is also running a custom configuration of Apache , knows the "joy" of having to put everything back together again after each update. With each system update something about Apache is invariably updated and any custom configuration will no-longer be in place.  Granted, Apple is kind enough to make backups of the existing configuration files that are being overwritten.  But it's still a hassle to traipse through all the settings files to put them all back together. Without going over docs to see what has changed and trying to determine if it's worthwhile replacing all the new conf files with their backups, there's this solution. Write a document that details each conf file and its corresponding settings.  The file will need to be religiously maintained, but when it comes time to put the server back together, it can just be reconstructed from the details in the well maintained do...

The login panel for MyFitnessPal indicates that you should use your email address.  In actuality, your username will work just fine as well. A username can be provided in the Email Address field.

Amazon has announced what it is calling AWS Snowmobile .  The name, is no doubt, building off its current AWS Snowball service, and it's taking the notion of physically transporting data both seriously and big time. Amazon has designed a system for moving data that includes trucks, cameras, and encryption that customers can use to move absolutely super-colossal volumes of data to its cloud services.  The company has done the math, and given the enormity of the numbers they're using, it is faster to copy files to mobile media and move it over the road than to copy it directly over the wire. The term sneakernet is a tongue-in-cheek colloquialism for a method of moving data around.  At one point copying files onto diskettes or CDs in order to bring them from computer to computer was just how it was done.  Fast networks and a reliance on Wi-Fi makes the practice look antiquated, to say the least.