As I mentioned in a previous post, “Moving to Windows 7“, I have completed a second major task that I’ve been meaning to do for a long time.
CrystalTech and fastCGI
2011 Chester County Balloon Fest 098
This task has been bittersweet, in the sense that I’ve been with my previous host, CrystalTech, for 10+ years and they have always been very responsive during that time, but ever since I moved to a WordPress environment, I’d been having issues.
By no means, do I mean to slam CrystalTech in any way shape or form.
The hosting service has done me well for well over a decade, and I have set up many of my clients with them during this time.
My issue with their hosting at this stage the game is purely technical.
CrystalTech’s main mission is to provide Microsoft based Hosting services, which was great for me during my early days of HTML, FrontPage and DotNetNuke adventures, but as I move to WordPress, it became apparent that their Linux/Unix emulation services left a little to be desired.
Again, I do not blame CrystalTech directly because they are offering WordPress in an emulation mode in a Microsoft environment.
Where I see the major issue in this, is the reliance on the little piece of software called fastCGI.
Since I did not have direct access to the error logs, I can only make this inference based on the errors that were coming up in my browser screen, and they seem to indicate more times than not, that fastCGI was the culprit, and I surely do not want to offend anybody that has not had any issues at all.
Again, during my time with CrystalTech, I was never aware of any major outage, and the tech support staff was readily available during instant messaging session, and were always courteous, and I would recommend them for someone wishing to host a pure Microsoft environment.
Inmotionhosting.com
As mentioned previously, I have been investigating a new hosting service for some time, and during some research for new client of mine, I discovered Inmotionhosting.com.
After setting up a new domain registration and hosting requirements for my new client, Filec Services, LLC, I got my first taste of what it was like to be in a purely Linux/Unix environment.
I was first struck by the speed in which I was able to install a brand-new installation of WordPress, and from there, the installation of my various required plug-ins seem to take seconds to install compared to that of my previous hosting service.
When it became time to actually add content, I could just add the information as needed and my WordPress installation just seem to flow with each new page.
Based on this initial experience, I prepared my old site for the migration to Inmotionhosting.com.
Again after doing numerous backups, of both my content and my database, and reviewing as much information on the topic as possible, I made the import of my old website into my new hosting environment, and was extremely pleased to see that nearly everything transferred without any issue whatsoever!
Once in place, I started to tinker around and was still greeted with the new speed that I had just gained for my web site!
In reading further of SEO, Google has announced that website response times are now linked to your ranking, so hopefully I can get my site further up the scale when potential clients are searching for my services!
In the meantime, please take a look at my various posts and pages and see if you do not also agree that the site seems faster than it was a few days ago.
Update
I still find it amazing, how many little bits and pieces need to be reconnected when one moves to a new host, especially after 10+ years!
In reviewing my Google Webmaster Tools account, it seems to indicate that prior to my move to my new host, my page load times were nearly 20 seconds!
It will be interesting to see how those load times will change during the course of the next several months, but already I know, or I should say, that they ‘feel’ a lot faster!
I have finally done two things for my computer and online environment that I’ve been contemplating for a very long time: Upgrading to Windows 7 and Moving to a new Web Hosting service. (Moving to a new host will be described in another post.)
When Microsoft Vista came out, there were a great many reports and issues involved with this transitional operating system, and many of those did not like what they seem trapped with when they bought their new machines, and many corporations refused to move to Vista.
Even with time, service packs and patches, Vista never seem to be ready for prime time, so when Windows 7 came out in October of 2009, many people were even more anxious about this new operating system. Would this new operating system be a similar public relations disaster?
As more and more people used and reviewed Windows 7, it became clear, the Microsoft had learned from their earlier mistakes.
Personally, I had said to myself many a times, that I was going to wait till I got a new computer before I made the switch to Windows 7 on my primary machines, but that thinking got squashed when Adobe announced that Lightroom 4 would only run in Windows 7.
To my knowledge, this was the first mainstream application that required the use of Windows 7, and since I rely heavily on Lightroom, I had to reevaluate my thinking and my pocketbook.
So after freeing up some time and getting all business related activity done, I set about the task of backing up my system and beginning the migration to this new operating system.
I had not done a fresh install of my main computer in many years, so I was very concerned that I was able to keep my various settings, as well as applications that I had grown very fond of over the years.
I made backups of backups, hunted down preference settings and serial numbers, and finally made the switch.
After booting into my fresh operating system, I noticed my machines seem to be responding quicker to normal tasks which was quite pleasant.
I am still amazed the amount of time necessary for our newly installed machine, which easily reaches 200+ patches, if one includes Microsoft Office, but once done it is like driving a new car, but without that unique scent (some would argue there is a different scent…).
At the moment, my single biggest issue with doing the upgrade, has been the restoration of my files, and this has to do mostly with my usage of Robocopy and User Account Control (UAC).
In the past, using Robocopy was a matter of learning the various command-line switches and writing your script accordingly, and for the most part, this still holds true, but one still needs to manually increase their privileges for the script to work.
This can easily be done, by typing in “cmd” in the program search field, and then holding the “Shift” key, as one right clicks, and selects “Run as administrator”.
I do need to spend some more time to get my backup scripts running with the same robocopy scripts but at the moment I’m happy doing it manually.
At least, I know they are running and completed.
All in all I had been very pleased with the upgrade, and does seem to increase the life of some of your existing computer equipment, assuming you can find compatible drivers.
If for nothing more, you now have a lot longer period till you have to worry about Microsoft no longer supporting your operating system! (See Microsoft Product Lifecycle for XP)
Last week, I spent the better part of the day backing-up all my files to make sure nothing would get lost, which should be common practice, for anyone looking to do an upgrade, or in my case a full rebuild my machine, moving from Windows XP to a brand-new install of Windows 7.
Why?
Well, XP has been my workhorse for several years now, but there are several applications, that are beginning to require Windows 7, namely Adobe Lightroom 4.
For the most part, the Rebuild of my main computer went quite well, and I can see a definite improvement in the general speed of my main desktop.
I also spent a fair amount of time prior to the upgrade, tracking down the various serial numbers which lay hidden in numerous e-mails that I have accumulated over the years.
There were a few applications that I have reservations about in my move to Windows 7 but after a day or two, my fears were alleviated.
Today, was my day to finally get back in touch with the real world, and tweak my Outlook 2007 for my new environment.
In my haste, trying to get back online last week, I inadvertently connected the wrong PST as my default, and this morning I paid for it.
After trying to do what one would think simple to clean-up of my mistake, I decided to go ahead and just create a brand-new PST.
What really amazed me, was that I was able to save approximately 600MBs of disk space just by copying the emails to the new PST, and that was after contacting the original PST!
So the moral of this quick story, or should I say rant, is that if you need to recuperate some disk space, one might take a look at copying your old emails to a new PST, but be forewarned it can take some time.
Klaus Herrmann (farbspiel) is a photographer out of Germany, who specializes in Interior HDR Photography.
On his main website, “HDR Cookbook“, you will find a wonderful collection of pages, that describe in vivid detail, the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of creating his beautiful images.
Over the years, I have gone through many pages and videos on “How to do…” HDR, but this is the first site that I have found, that goes into ‘in-depth’ experiments explaining why certain steps are needed to achieve the final product.
Seeing the side-by-side effects of software and processing, has caused me to reconsider how I will view and process future images.
Recently, I have been revisiting some of my older captures, and processing them with new knowledge and techniques.
In reading Klaus’ suggested Workflow, which is highly recommended, he makes the following observation:
Let the finished file sit on your hard disk for a day or two. Don’t post it right away. I found that when you get back to it a day later, you will discover things that you might want to change, things that you did not discover while you were working on the details of the image very intensely. If you let you mind do other things and some time passes, you will look at the image more objectively, more like your viewers will. If you’re content with the image now, go ahead and post it.
Needless to say, I highly recommend that if you are interested in HDR, Tone Mapping related photography, and are in search of some advanced tips, techniques and very qualified insights, then you should be rewarded with a visit to “HDR Cookbook“.
Earlier in the week, I started my adventure with Google+…
After playing with it since Tuesday, July 12th, I offer up a few comments, thoughts and observations in this following Post.
I by no means have all the answers, and I may not have found what I am looking for yet, but I hope to!
If you have anything to add, please let me know!
“Invite Only”
First, it required that one gets an invitation to this new service, which I received from an old high school friend, who became my first Circle member.
Somewhere on the web, I read that “Invite Only” appears to be an old marketing ‘thing’ that makes the person feel special once they get one, and in the case of Google+, this seems to be the same idea.
Remember Buzz? they did the same over there.
But at the same time, Google+ is still in “Beta”… (Haven’t we see this before?)
Quick Update – Some early reports/posts to suggest there are sections/features that maybe a little rough…
Sign-On
Second, and if you have a Gmail account, this is a ‘no brain-er’, but after you sign on, it is suggested that you take a few moments, and review what has been transferred.
In my case, I added a new description, which was blank; updated some of my links; as well as my profile picture, which had been originally created in a lower size, so when G+ showed it, the image was very pixelated.
This time, I made a 1024×1024 at 72dpi image, uploaded and it looks very nice!
Third, start poking around the interface.
“Wall” (Stream)
On the surface, it looks much like Facebook, which starts with your “Wall” (Stream) – your snap-shot of your “life”.
If you happen to have a very active “Wall” on Facebook, the same thing should happen as you connect with more and more folks on Google+.
A nice ‘new’ feature on Google+ (G+), is the “filters” on the left navigation area, that are based on your “Circles” (Friends/Groups), and simply clicking on one, you can focus your Stream.
This is also available in Facebook, but for some reason, at least for me, this feature seems to have taken a higher preference in Google+.
The Post
As with Facebook, Google+ also presents you with an area at the top of your Stream, where you begin your basic thought communication.
You click on the man box, and just start typing your content.
From there you can easily add a Picture, Video or Link, just like Facebook.
A new addition to this feature bar, is the Location button, which really seems geared toward the mobile phone user.
With Facebook or Flickr, I could do the same thing, or I had the option of using Adobe Lightroom for uploads.
A cool new feature with Google+, for me at least, especially since there does not appear to be a Lightroom plug-in, is the ability of doing a ‘drag-and-drop’ a group of image files directly from the desktop (Windows XP)!
One of the things that I do like about JPGmag’s image upload requirements, is 1000 pixels or above, which when viewed on-screen, does render much more nicely and Google+ also can take advantage of!
Photo Management
At this point, I have uploaded about 30 images, and out of habit, I have checked what information is associated with a given image.
The Photo Management area which is provided by Picasa, and is very similar to the management area on Flickr, and is very welcomed when dealing with one or a group of images.
Geo-tagging
One of my peeves about Flickr’s geo-tagging function, is that it can or has been difficult, or at least it use to be, but when compared to Picasa/Google+, it is a breeze because: 1) GPS info seems to carry over from Lightroom/Jeffrey’s “GPS-Support” plug-in; 2) one can use the Google Map interface, which has a search function, unlike JPGmag.com!
General Tips & Suggestions
Terms of Service (TOS)
In an earlier post this week, I initially express concern about several reports on Google+ “Terms of Service” as it related to posting photography.
I have finally decided that, in this day and age, it is more important to just get my images out there and in front of as many eyeballs as possible, and seems to be worth the risk.
Copyright-Watermarks
Years ago, when I was working as a Freelance Assistant, there were may days that I sat in front of stacks of slides from a recent photo shoot, and used a rubber stamp to copyright each slide.
Needless to say, that was rather time-consuming, and is far easier today, but today, the Copyright-Watermark now can actually appears on the image itself, or be changed on the fly!
On Flickr, I have seen some very creative Copyright-Watermark, and have worked on my own, but in doing some reading via a several Google+ threads, there seems to be an open debate.
A well followed Photographer, Thomas Hawk, actually suggests not to include a Copyright-Watermark, because it can distract the viewer. (See Point #4 in “Top 10 Tips on Google+ for Photographers“)
Then there are others, like myself, who can not conceive of not including a Copyright-Watermark, but maybe not as predominately across the image.
Of the folks that are for a visible Copyright-Watermark, the debate has also gotten to the level of:
I spend a great deal of time on my old IBM T-23 laptop, which has a small LCD screen.
Google+ has a much more open feel to your environment, and is wonderful on a large monitor screen, but when viewed on my laptop, I have to move up and down far more frequently.
Facebook on the other hand, is more compact, and one can get more info per screen.
Early Observations
I do want to emphasis that these are EARLY observations, and with all things Google, things will change.
Converts
At the moment, I see this as the single biggest issue for Google.
Google definitely has the advantage in terms of daily eyeballs, but how many people are willing to spend the time to convert their existing social network to another platform.
I have also heard from my contacts on Facebook, that they do not want to learn another social media environment.
Cross Pollination – (Google+ > Other Social Networks?)
One of those terms that is first introduced in a Biology class, but makes abundant sense when used in the context of Social Media.
I am still new to Google+, and I may not have found to yet, but how does one Post in one environment and have the Post pollinate other Social Media accounts?
Like many others, I have a Facebook page, that is Linked to Twitter, and vice-versa, Twitter to Facebook… I also have my Flickr Photostream pollinating Facebook and Twitter… Toss in my WordPress blog…
I’m hoping that someone can help me, and I will continue to search for an answer, but…
If Google could Link everything in a Post-Once-Cross-Pollinate-Others environment, that would be a “Killer Application”!
I can already hear folks saying the Google already has too much info on “you”, but who doesn’t? Have you looked hard enough?
Visual Orientation
Google+ has a much cleaner and open design, and with large image thumbnails, and even better Album thumbnails, I have to go with G+, especially if you are doing something visual, such as Photographers.
Google Life – Welcome to the Cloud
I must say, that it is very nice to have the Google tool-chest in front of my in one spot!
Gmail, Calender, Documents, G+, etc. all in once place, and ready to go, and the best part is that it is Free! (well, but that is another post to be done…)
One can log-on from anywhere, and get stuff done!
Very cool and I do see this as the Future!
But…
Do I use all the Tools? No…
Why?
If I post something… My original thought… My artwork….
Once I post it to another machine, Who owns it?
From my point-of-view, it is my series of thoughts and ideas that created the file, but to the machine that it now “lives” on, it is a bunch of 1s and 0s, and I do not own that machine.
This issue needs to be discussed more, and a common practice needs to be identified and implemented before there is wider adaptation by people.
Finally…
I do NOT have the answers to many of these questions and issues that I have outlined above, and I am sure, that I will find many answers in the coming days and weeks, so I am hoping to get some great feedback!
I also hope that this latest experiment from Google does not go the way of Wave…
