Archive

Archive for October, 2006

PHP mail() on IBM System i

October 7th, 2006

My new article about mail() is available at MC Press Online. The article covers:

  • Zend Core’s implementation of mail() for IBM System i
  • How mail() compares to packages such as PHPMailer
  • Function definition and example
  • How to configure SMTP in Zend Core
  • Overriding defaults with ini_set
  • Troubleshooting

Read it here.

Author: Alan Seiden Categories: IT, PHP, System i, Web development Tags:

Site Upgraded to PHP 5

October 5th, 2006

Early this week I called my web hosting provider, BlueHost, to ask to be upgraded from PHP 4 to 5. They graciously offered to move my files to a PHP 5 server at no charge. I was warned, though, that my site might be inaccessible during the move.

Later that day, I saw that the site was running on PHP 5.

One problem: my custom MX records, pointing to the wonderful FastMail email host, were reset to their defaults. People who wrote to me the morning of October 3 had their email bounced back to them.

BlueHost corrected my MX records quickly once I told them. Email flowed properly within an hour or so.

Lesson: anyone with custom MX records should, if altering web host settings, check the MX records immediately thereafter. Easy way to check: MX Lookup Utility.

Author: Alan Seiden Categories: Announcements, E-mail, PHP, Web hosting Tags:

“Internet Options” Window Does Not Open

October 4th, 2006

When my friend reported that her Internet Explorer 6 browser crashed repeatedly, I suggested she delete temporary internet files by clicking Tools/Internet Options. She said, “Nothing happens when I click Tools/Internet Options.”

Tools/Internet Options did not work. No window appeared. Other features, such as Edit/Find, also didn’t work, or didn’t work consistently. I could eventually make these windows appear by clicking various options over several minutes.

I eventually discovered the pattern.
No web page loaded: Tools/Internet Options & Edit/Find did not work.
Any web page loaded: Tools/Internet Options & Edit/Find worked properly.

My PC, which runs the same version of IE (6.0.2900.2180) and Windows (XP Service Pack 2) as my friend’s, does not show the odd behavior described above. My Internet Explorer is willing to show Internet Options and Find any time, even when no web page is loaded.

I’m glad to have found the pattern. We can delete temporary internet files using Tools/Internet Options (after loading a web page). Still, IE’s inconsistent behavior from PC to PC puzzles me. Any explanation from my readers?

Author: Alan Seiden Categories: Internet Explorer, PC help, Windows Tags: