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.htaccess Under Construction

Maybe your site needs to undergo maintenance, or you want to put up a placeholder page while you build a new website. Whatever the reason here is a great way to implement it using your web server’s .htaccess file.

First you should create your temporary page. Make note of any outside images or files that you link to as you will need to add an exception for them later. Finally modify and merge the following code into your root directories .htaccess file. Replace the X’s with your IP address and include any auxiliary files you may need.


# Turn on mod_rewrite
RewriteEngine On
# If not your IP address
RewriteCond %{REMOTE_ADDR} !^XX\.XX\.XX\.XX
# and not the temporary page and logo
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/construction\.
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/images/logo.gif
# redirect to under construction
RewriteRule /*$ /construction.html [L]

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iTunes First Impressions

I’m off to download iTunes, the first thing I notice is that Apple wants to send me special offers and updates via email.

No thanks, I wonder if they really need my email address or if a dummy one would suffice. I toss in my actual one and click the button.

Eighty eight frieken megs? I could fit an entire operating system in there. I’m already worried about bloat and I’m wondering if I’m getting more then I bargined for.

It takes awhile to download. While it does I play with the four buttons on my phone. I still don’t know what the up/down button on the side does.

Finally the download finishes and I click on the installer. I learn that I also will be installing quicktime.

I start reading the EULA, but really.. who reads them. I quickly click accept. On the next page it wants to put icons on my desktop to which I choose ok. It also wants to take over my audio files, which is certaintly not ok and it wants to auto-update. Which I choose no because I have no idea what the mechanism is. Will it install a program in the background constantly looking, or will it just check for updates when I load iTunes. Better safe then sorry. I should be able to turn back on the auto-update if the program is written well.

It also asks for a location to install and a language. I keep these at their defaults and click next. I’m greeted with a slideshow of features while the installer writes out eighty eight megs of software. So far I’m not impressed with anything in the slideshow. I was already able to import CD’s play my library and enjoy my collection without iTunes.

The installer seemed to get stuck. And only after a little hunting did I find that there was a second windows authentication to click yes on. Soon it’s finished. Sure I’ll open it up.

Once again I’m greeted with a software agreement. Maybe I should actually read this thing. After agreeing a wizard pops up to prepare me for my journey. I hate wizards.

It states it’s going to check my “My Music” folder for files. I don’t keep anything in there so I deselect those options. Next iTunes asks me if it should rename my files. Hell no. I’ve spent countless hours orginizing my collection. Don’t touch my files.

It mentions creating a store account so it can download artwork. All my music already has artwork. No thanks.

Next it asks to sync up with various applications. Nothing about Firefox in there.

Suddenly my phone actually works. Or so it seems.

——–

It did actually work, and for the last few days I’ve been playing around a lot. Still not completely happy with it’s marriage with iTunes but the ipod itself has been a wet dream.