Introduction
Over time, I learned to program in quite a few different languages like BASIC, Shells, Perl, 'C' and Java. Although officially not a programmer, I often took initiative creating solutions to improve business or automating a process, crossing the line into programmers territory.
Perl
I like Perl for its easy learning curve, the huge and free availability of quality libraries, the automatic variable type conversions and the convenience of a interpreter-style language.
- How to create a history and index page for HTML reports [read article]
- How to access hash and array pointers in Perl [read article]
- How to send text, HTML and MIME multi-part e-mails from Perl [read article]
- How to identify server console systems with default logins [read article]
- How to get RRD datasource descriptions [read article]
Java
Java shines in many areas. The strict naming convention schema makes it easy to read foreign code, combined with the object orientation it is easy to re-use code and modules for rapid development.
Compared to other languages, it comes with a extensive library collection out of the box and even includes a full graphic environment. It has its own memory management and an easy way to program multi-threaded for parallel task execution. The platform independence - I never really needed it so it was a 'nice to have'.
- Connect to a Active Directory LDAP server with Java [read article]
- Secure password hashes with salts in Java [read article]
C Code
Perl and Java have a dependency, Perl on the interpreter and Java on the virtual machine. Especially with Java I experienced problems: Unpredictable timing behavior during code execution, software packages requiring different JVM's... Running an application server means managing another layer of software with ports, links, database connections, access rights and ... With 'C', the complexity is expected from the start, and this makes it more predictable.
- Increasing Webalizer's monthly stats image size to 18 months [read article]
- Connect to a Active Directory LDAP server with 'C' [read article]
- How to compile and install Apache 1.3 with LDAP, SSL and Radius support [read article]
Shell Scripting
Sometimes, a shell is all we have got. And quite often, that is just fine. Because shells don't just interact with the operating system, they also provide powerful programming environments.
- BASH - How to archive the Linux Configuration to remote storage [read article]
- BASH - Automatic proxy cluster control script for Linux ipvsadm failover [read article]
- VBS - How to download files from a webserver [read article]
- VBS - How to upload files to a webserver from Windows (webdav + https + basic auth) [read article]
- VBS - How to decrypt PGP files on Windows systems [read article]
Base64 Howto's
Base64 converts binary data reliably into a ASCII string. First used for encoding binary attachments to e-mails, the MIME content transfer encoding allowed binary data to be transferred over media that could only handle text. There, Base64 ensures the data stays intact without modification during transport. Apart from e-mail, Base64 is now commonly used in a variety of applications.
- The Base64 encoding/decoding process - How to encode binary data into printable format [read article]
- How to encode and decode a string with base64 in 'C' [show code]
- How to encode and decode a string with base64 in Perl [show code]
- How to encode and decode a string with base64 in bash [show code]
- How to encode and decode a string with base64 in Java [show code]
- How to encode and decode a string with base64 in PHP [show code]
- How to encode and decode a string with base64 in VBS [show code]
- How to encode and decode a string with base64 in Javascript [show code]
Other
- How to recover a Linux file after 'rm' [read article]
- How many files can be in a directory? [read article]
- AJAX by Example (1), a basic code example [view code]
- AJAX by Example (2), a updated, basic code example [view code]