Making a website

Last year, my uncle asked me if I knew how to make a website. I told him that maybe this year I will know how.

This school year, I have the time and privilege to make him one because I have a subject that tackles with Web Applications and it required us to make a website as a final project. I am happy, excited and at about the same time nervous thinking of making him a website. Happy and excited because I would kill two birds with one stone and I’m actually very nervous because maybe I can’t achieve my goal of producing a good website and having a low grade in class.

I was happy because the project was by partner. I’ve chosen my close friend, Jason Cutamora because I know him not just a friend but also because of many projects we did together.

I honestly don’t have the right knowledge and skill about making a site because in my high school years, we don’t have any computer classes (because it was a vocational school and it concentrated on its vocational courses); BUT I am very happy that even I have no computer classes, my school taugth me to be flexible, resilient, persistent and the character to love knowledge.

So I started making my site and I thought it would just use pure HTML codes, but I was wrong. Our teacher wanted us to use all the things we learned not just in our subject but also in our previous subjects. So, we also used PHP and MySQL to make the site.

On the PHP and MySQL, we consulted each other on how the things might run and do, on the design, I asked my Uncle about what he wanted to the site. He first suggested to have the background color as sunlight yellow. He found it unpleasing to the eyes, so he said to make it gold.  He saw it and suggested again that can it be 2D (with shines and glitters) not just a flat gold color. So I edited a gold bar image but I saw that if the shines and glitters were not erased, it would not look good, so I tried things out and have some people to comment on it and when it’s final, I submitted it to my uncle for his approval. I am happy that he approved it. Here is our default homepage.

index.html

He suggested that the ‘Areas of Practice’ would be a bulleted list

areas.html

On the ‘Partners’ page, I suggested to him that we will include their pictures in the site but he was reluctant saying that it would be unnecessary and it is for them to protect their privacy. So I made the ‘Partners’ page an introductory page

partners.html

In the ‘Partners’ page, I made also a page for the two of them. It can be accessed by clicking their respective names or by clicking the ‘…’ that could be understood as more.

This is the page is for his credentials. I asked him to give more credentials, but he just said that it would be fine to have few credentials written and win the cases for his clients rather than boast and eventually lose.

ric.html

I also made a page for his partner, his wife.

mylene.html

Next it the contact us, where you can find the address and all the information needed on how to contact them. We used the traditional way of the email system because if it would be the PHP style of emailing, there would be and unspoken agreement between the client and the lawyers, therefore the lawyers can collect money for their legal services, etc.

contact.html

We also dedicated a Lawyer’s Tools page, where the clients or the viewers can leave a feedback in our ‘Feedback Form’ or search  Legal Forms  in our ‘Search and Download’ page.

tools.html

In our ‘Feedback Form’, The name and the email address are optional because we only need their Comments and Suggestions, how they came up to our site, the thing he liked the most, and the rating is required for us to improve our site and the most important of all, no “unspoken agreement” would be established. (It is up to the user if he would want us to know his name and email address.

form.html

error message if the user didn't fill in the 'Comments...'

thank you page given to the user

Lastly, we made a ‘Site Admins’ page where the user (if they want) can see our picture, the Site Administrators.

The Mysterious Site Administrators

Thank You.

Deo Gratias!

My experience on making an Ethernet cable

On July 12, 207, we had an activity. The activity is all about making an Ethernet cable using RJ45 and the UTP cable.

The activity started by a demonstration given to us by our teacher. She first said that we would cut the cable approximately 1 inch from the terminal point reminding us not to cut the internal wires because it will just forfeit our purpose. Then she wrote on the white board the set of color which we would arrange from left to right (straight-through cable). The colors are: white orange, orange, white green, blue, white blue, green, white brown, and brown. She then also added that the hook of the RJ45 must be underneath or facing away from you…

Then, my partner and I decided to divide the task. In short, he shall make the Ethernet cable at the other part and I shall make the other at the other end. So, we did the job and make the Ethernet cable. Our problem was that the scissors was borrowed by our classmates and it honestly did slow our job but on the other hand I am happy that I helped my classmates. On the middle of our “look-arrange-verify-test the wire” (look at the board to verify the arrangement of our wires and carefully put it in the RJ45 and double check the wire and hopefully that clicking the clipper will make it work in the tester)  our teacher wrote again on the white board another set of colors (cross-over cable).

Straight-through cable colors are the same in the first RJ45 but the difference is the other end of the connection, the colors are changed. The colors are: white green, green, white orange, blue, white blue, orange, white brown, and brown.

We fasten up our belt and determined to finish the first cable connection fast. We finished it even if we encountered some errors like misplacing the right wire for the connector and adjusting some few problems before the bell rung but when we tried it on the tester, it didn’t turn out well first. Some few clicks on the RJ45 by the clipper, some “duot” (cebuano term for to push harder) on the clipper. Whew! Thank God that it worked!

But our next problem was the bell rung and it’s time to go to our next class. I asked our teacher if we could make this project tomorrow morning. She readily agreed.

The following morning (approximately 8:30 or 9 am), we connected the wires and the result is like the same. The tester didn’t worked out what it supposed to do. So, we made some adjustments and most specially, the “duot”.hehehe

I then approached our teacher and asked her if she can test it. Then, because of that “duot-duot”, whala! We made it right!

I hope I did share you some of my experiences of making an Ethernet cable (the procedures, the wires to be connected to the RJ45, etc.) and I have made you laugh of my experiences.

Thank you for reading.

Microsoft Windows and its Operating Systems

     To start my second blog, I would like to introduce my topic. This post is all about Microsoft Windows and its  Operating Systems (OS) starting from Windows 95 up to the present.

     The first operating system I would like to share is the Microsoft Windows 95. It was released around August on the year of 1995. It is also the first 32-bit Windows operating system.  To give you some of its background, its requirements are: the computer is100% IBM compatible, The processor is 386 DX or higher. The memory is 4 MB RA. Some of its drive is 35MB hard disk drive space CD ROM or floppy. Its sound is Sound Blaster compatible and video is VGA or higher resolution. Keyboard and mouse is its main control.

     The next operating system is the Microsoft Windows 98.  It was released (obviously) on the year 1998). The requirements are: the computer is 100% IBM Compatible. Processor is 486DX/66 MHz or Higher processor. The memory is 16 MB of RAM. The drives must be  approximately 195MB; can take up to 295MB CD-ROM or Floppy. The sound is Standard Sound card for sound capability. The video is VGA or higher-resolution. Controls is 100% compatible Microsoft keyboard / Mouse . There is also  Microsoft Windows 98 SE (Second Edition) which was released around in the year of 1999 .  Windows 98 features are the same as this one. The reason, why they are different are: Updates, Software, and Drivers/Support. In updates, it includes all the latest updates such as the Year 2000 updates, USB support, and more. In software, updated versions of Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Windows Media Player, DirectX, NetMeeting and more. The drivers and/or support are additional support for latest technology such as MMX, USB, Intel Pentium III and more.

     The next operating system is the Microsoft Windows ME (short for Millennium).  was introduced around September of 2000 to the general public as the upgrade for Windows 95 and Windows 98 users and is designed for end-users. Overall, Windows ME has the look and feel of Windows 98 with some additional fixes and features not available in previous operating systems.  The new features of this OS are: it allows the user to automatically restore an old backup in case files are corrupted or deleted. It also allows the user to protect important system files and will not allow these files to be modified by any type of other software. Allows users to edit and or combine Microsoft movie files. It also includes Media Player 7, which enables users a more advanced way of listening and organizing their media files.  Other features are: Automatic updates, compressed folders, image preview, games, on-screen keyboard, System Configuration Utility and USB mass storage drivers.

      Windows ME had shorter shelf-life or expiration date. Therefore, it was replaced by the newer Windows XP which was launched around Oct. 2001. It’s codename is Whistler for Whistler, British Columbia; XP stand for eXPerience. XP is the successor of both Windows 2000 and ME. The common versions of XP: Home and Professional. The former is intended for home users; while the latter is designed for people in business and power-users because of some additional features such as support for Windows server domains and dual processors. Another versions/editions are Media Center and the Tablet PC. The former “has additional multimedia features enhancing the ability to record and watch TV shows, view DVD movies, and listen to music” and the latter has “is designed to run the ink-aware Tablet PC platform”. XP doesn’t stop there. They released two separate 64-bit versions. One is called “Windows XP 64-bit Edition for IA-64 (Itanium) processors” and the other is “Windows XP Professional x64 Edition for x86-64 processors”. Another editions are Embedded and Fundamentals for Legacy PCs. Embedded is “an edition for specific consumer electronics, ATMs, medical devices”. The Fundamentals for Legacy PCs is only available to the Software Assurance costumers. Some of the new features of the new Windows XP in general are:  completely new look and ability to change the look (interface); new feature that automatically obtains updates from the Internet (updates); includes internet explorer 6 and new IM (Internet Explorer 6); and added support for different languages (multilingual support).

     The latest operating system of Microsoft Windows is the Longhorn, or commonly as Vista. It was released worldwide on January 30, 2007. The release date was approximately 5-6 years after the released of its predecessor, Windows XP. Making it the longest “longest time span between two releases of Microsoft Windows”. Some of its features (new features) are: New User Interface, which Vista has its “aero” interface which will make it more “cool”; it “speeds up the indexed file searching in Windows XP and enables results to be stored in a virtual folder that is updated automatically. The search also extends to syndication feeds, and developers can employ the search capability in their own programs to enhance functionality”. Vista also supports XPS (XML Paper Specification) it is somewhat similar to the Adobe PDF. Another is WinFS (Windows Future Storage). “It allows users to combine heterogeneous data such as files, folders, e-mail and contacts into collections that can be viewed together”. There are lots of new and improved end-user features Vista have. To name: ”Windows Sidebar, Windows Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, Backup and Restore Center, Windows Mail, Windows Calendar, Windows Photo Gallery, Windows DVD Maker,Windows Media Center, Games and Games Explorer, Windows Mobility Center, Windows Meeting Space, Shadow Copy, Windows Update, Parental controls, Windows SideShow, Speech recognition, Problem Reports and Solutions, System Performance Assessment, Windows Ultimate Extras, Built-in hard drive partition management, Performance Diagnostic Console. There are about six editions Vista have. “Windows Vista Starter is limited to emerging markets, Windows Vista Home Basic is intended for budget users , Windows Vista Home Premium covers the majority of the consumer market, Windows Vista Ultimate contains the complete feature-set and is aimed at enthusiasts, Windows Vista Business covers organizations of all sizes, while Windows Vista Enterprise is only available to customers participating in Microsoft’s Software Assurance.

     I think it’s all for now. Thank you for reading…

OSI layer

    OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) is an abstract definition for computer network design and communication. It was  in 1977 that the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) began to develop it’s OSI networking. An abstract model of networking (the Basic Reference Model, or seven-layer model), and a set of concrete protocols are the two major components of OSI.

    In some cases, it is sometimes simply called as OSI seven layer model. I will concentrate and devout this page for this topic. To name the layers from bottom to top:

1. Physical
2. Data Link
3. Network
4. Transport
5. Session
6. Presentation
7. Application

    The layers 1-3 are called LOWER LAYERS because they move packets from the sending station to the receiving station.. The others (from 4-7) are called UPPER LAYERS because they are more geared to the type of application compared to the lower layers.

    To understand more about these layers, we will dissect them and I will try to explain with the help of some sources.

1. The first layer (physical layer) is responsible for passing bits onto and receiving them from the connecting medium or terminal. “This layer has no understanding of the meaning of the bits, but deals with the electrical and mechanical characteristics of the signals and signaling methods.” One good example for this layer is the electrical wirings of ANECO, in my hometown.
2. The second layer (data link) is responsible for node to node validity and integrity of the transmission therefore it provides the functional and procedural means to pass or transfer data between networks and to detect and correct some errors that can occur in the first layer. Another good example for this layer are the LAN and the ATM.
3. The third layer (network) is responsible for establishing the route between the sender and receiver across switching points, they are commonly called routers. Routers send data to the extended network which makes internet available. Their role may include performing fragmentation and reassembly, and delivering report errors. The SMART Bro router is a good example in this layer.
4. The fourth layer (transport) is responsible for providing the transparent transfer of data between end users, providing available and reliable data transfer services to the upper layers. “The transport layer controls the reliability of a given link through flow control, segmentation/desegmentation, and error control.” The example for this layer’s validity and integrity check is when you send a 5MB mp3 to your friend, the full 5MB will be received because this layer performs a sequence check.
5. The fifth layer (session) is responsible for controlling the “connections, dialogues, and requests” between computers in an orderly manner. Because of this, it manages, establishes, and sometimes terminates the connections between the applications.  “In practice, this layer is often not used or services within this layer are sometimes incorporated into the transport layer.”
6. The sixth layer (presentation) is responsible for negotiating and managing the way data are represented and encoded when data are transmitted between different types of computer systems.
7. The seventh layer (application) is responsible for defining the syntax that programs use to communicate with other programs. This layer represents the purpose of communication. “Common functions at this layer are opening, closing, reading and writing files, transferring files and e-mail messages, executing remote jobs and obtaining directory information about network resources.”

 

    Thank you for your time in reading this. I hope that I shared and you eventually learn from this, even just a small information.