[RESOLVED] Web server - download EXE

[minitech]

I have my website up and running, finally - http://minitech.comule.com/ .
The software links just don't work, though! I figured out why after I saw the font file in the directory - the EXEs are actually being run on the server instead of being downloaded! However, it's a Linux server. The permissions are rw-rw-rw. How do I force the file to download? Do I need a PHP script?

Oh yeah, and - don't view the website in IE please.

[dilettante]

You attitude about browsers seems quite unprofessional. I would not use a site like this as a sample of work.

Companies who need Web sites cater to broad populations. Misplaced elitism won't get you hired.

[minitech]

Okay, please hold on... this website is not complete yet. I am working on IE compatibility, it's just that I test everything on Chrome first because it's much faster. I'm not done the website, so please - nobody else complain about compatibility. Where did I put any "attitude", anyways? I just can't get AJAX and mouse events to work properly yet. Sheesh...

[baja_yu]

I think by 'attitude' dilettante meant suggesting to the users to siwtch to Chrome.

Also, I'm using Chrome and the element alignment of the text and top navigation bar images seems a bit of.

[dilettante]

Sorry for that then. Clearly I jumped the gun and assumed something I shouldn't have.

What were you asking for comments on then? How to mark directories on your Apache server as non-CGI folders or something?

[minitech]

Yup, that's exactly it, do you know how (to mark non-CGI)?

P.S., @baja_yu:

Also, I'm using Chrome and the element alignment of the text and top navigation bar images seems a bit of.

Specifically, what? And what are the top navigation bar images? The tab backgrounds?

P.P.S. I meant if the page isn't visible at all (i.e. home page doesn't load), that is my suggested browser, because if the AJAX doesn't work you're not using any major browser and the website won't really work as well. The only reason I don't recommend IE is because "this" doesn't work the same as in all the other browsers.

[baja_yu]

Your website is under review. Once it's available again I'll send you a screen shot. Yes, I meant the navigation tabs, and the content text below them. They don't look aligned properly with the top (minitech) image.

[minitech]

Oops! I didn't actually try to align them, but you're right.

[dilettante]

I'm not an Apache guy, and this may be old info since it came from an older version:

.htaccess files
A .htaccess file is a way to set configuration directives on a per-directory basis. When Apache serves a resource, it looks in the directory from which it is serving a file for a file called .htaccess, and, if it finds it, it will apply directives found therein. .htaccess files can be permitted with the AllowOverride directive, which specifies what types of directives can appear in these files, or if they are not allowed at all. To permit the directive we will need for this purpose, the following configuration will be needed in your main server configuration:

AllowOverride Options
In the .htaccess file, you'll need the following directive:

Options +ExecCGI
which tells Apache that execution of CGI programs is permitted in this directory.

So maybe you need Options -ExecCGI or something.

[minitech]

Oh. I think my free hosting restricts me from using .htaccess, which is really too bad... I guess I'll have to upgrade (Because I can't access the main server configuration)

[dilettante]

Don't you just dump an .htaccess file into each directory to override the global settings in the server's config file?

[minitech]

To permit the directive we will need for this purpose, the following configuration will be needed in your main server configuration:

I thought that meant I couldn't?

But I'll try just putting one in the directory, see if that works. Thanks!

P.S. The redirect only works in IE. Talk about ironic!

[minitech]

It doesn't seem to... but maybe it's just Chrome's caching?

[Nightwalker83]

Okay, please hold on... this website is not complete yet. I am working on IE compatibility, it's just that I test everything on Chrome first because it's much faster. I'm not done the website, so please - nobody else complain about compatibility. Where did I put any "attitude", anyways? I just can't get AJAX and mouse events to work properly yet. Sheesh...

Don't host an incomplete piece of work if it is not for the purpose of getting help with it. Some people would find that really annoying if they go to your site and expect to see something and it is not there or is incomplete. I would finish the website offline first and test it off line to make sure it works without any errors, etc before hosting it.

[minitech]

The only way I can check the AJAX is by hosting it, I'm afraid. My local computer is not counted as a domain and therefore, AJAX doesn't work.

[minitech]

Oh, and I've probably got it to work in IE now. Maybe not the tabbed interface, but at least the tabs look right now... I have been proven totally wrong. A DOCTYPE is useful.

[Nightwalker83]

The only way I can check the AJAX is by hosting it, I'm afraid. My local computer is not counted as a domain and therefore, AJAX doesn't work.

What about WAMP server and alike?

[minitech]

Why would I install Apache just to test a website? Hosting it is just fine, it's not on Google or anything yet and people here are the only ones that know about it.

Anyways...
Could I possibly use a PHP script? With a header? I'm going to try that right now.

[Nightwalker83]

Why would I install Apache just to test a website? Hosting it is just fine, it's not on Google or anything yet and people here are the only ones that know about it.

It is so people using your site can be sure that everything on it works without any problems when they do anything on the site.

[penagate]

Get rid of getf.php and add the following to a .htaccess file in or above the directory containing the exe files.

AddType application/octet-stream .exe 
<FilesMatch "\.exe$">
	Header set "Content-disposition" "attachment"
</FilesMatch>

[minitech]

Thanks SO much! Problem solved!!

[JuggaloBrotha]

In IE and FF the nave tabs overlap the banner image and why do you have the two IE images in the middle of the tab nav?

Also I took a quick look at the forum you have on there, it could use a whole new skin (or at least a theme) and you should probably have the same banner/logo on the forum to match the main site.

[minitech]

Well, I made the other one quite a while ago and it's quite unrelated and will be quite non-existant in a little while. Maintaining all that PHP is a nightmare.

Anyways...
I've since then looked at the page in both IE and FF and the navigation tabs do not overlap the banner image. The "back" and "forwards" images are a replacement for the default browser ones since the pages are loaded dynamically. I chose the IE look because it's nice and the "glow" effect looks good on them, in my opinion. Although, if you know how to right-align them without resorting to any kind of hack, I would very much like to know. I could do it with some element that takes up the rest of the space in the nav bar, but I can't. * is only for frames, tables and the like, which is too bad... it should be part of CSS.

[JuggaloBrotha]

Well, I made the other one quite a while ago and it's quite unrelated and will be quite non-existant in a little while. Maintaining all that PHP is a nightmare.

You should probably split the code off into other files so you're not maintaining the whole thing in a single file.

Anyways...
I've since then looked at the page in both IE and FF and the navigation tabs do not overlap the banner image. The "back" and "forwards" images are a replacement for the default browser ones since the pages are loaded dynamically. I chose the IE look because it's nice and the "glow" effect looks good on them, in my opinion. Although, if you know how to right-align them without resorting to any kind of hack, I would very much like to know. I could do it with some element that takes up the rest of the space in the nav bar, but I can't. * is only for frames, tables and the like, which is too bad... it should be part of CSS.

So you don't see that it's overlapped at all then?

The home tab looks off-center by quite a bit too.

You should consider allowing the user's to be able to use the browser's back/forward buttons, it's what they're there for. The blue&white IE images in the middle of the nav bar look rather tacky, imho, I'd either re-skin them (to match the theme) or remove then altogether since the browser has a back & a forward button already.

[minitech]

The home tab looks off-center by quite a bit too.

You should consider allowing the user's to be able to use the browser's back/forward buttons, it's what they're there for. The blue&white IE images in the middle of the nav bar look rather tacky, imho, I'd either re-skin them (to match the theme) or remove then altogether since the browser has a back & a forward button already.

No, I really don't see any of this... my page looks identical in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and IE. I'm using the latest version of each, however... but I have used http://www.browsershots.org/ - it looks about the same, some browsers don't support the inline-block style but that's a minor issue. As for it being tacky, that is your opinion and as you're the only person to have raised the issue so far, I will keep it that way because IMHO it's nice. It's also completely impossible to allow the user to use the default back and forward buttons because I'm using AJAX to load the pages and although I can use the history object, as far as I know only Firefox reloads the page exactly as it was, DOM tree and all. The rest would reload the home page.

Unrelated:
Ironically, http://www.browsershots.org/ 's button backgrounds are completely out of place in Epiphany and quite a few other browsers. I guess they didn't use their own service

[minitech]

Okay, tested with 16 browsers so far, and I can't see any overlapping... which browser/OS are you using?

[JuggaloBrotha]

Okay, tested with 16 browsers so far, and I can't see any overlapping... which browser/OS are you using?

I don't think it's a browser issue, it's the way the page is built, I took a screenshot and circled in red the two ends that make it look like the nav is overlapping the banner pic, which makes the page look a little jagged instead of a smooth flow. The screenshot is still in post #24

Yes, this is all just my opinion offered for constructive criticism should you want the opinion.

[minitech]

I don't think it's a browser issue, it's the way the page is built

As I've tested it in 16 browsers without seeing those results, I think it's probably a browser issue.

[formlesstree4]

Well I can backup with Juggalo here. I'm using the latest build of Chrome and this is exactly what I see. Something is not right here. Are your 16 browsers working right? Obviously my Chrome is up to date and this is what I'm seeing so...yeah. Running on XP Professional also.

[minitech]

? That is so strange. I'm not using any sort of absolute positioning or anything... I've also personally tested it on our school computers and public library computers... do you have some ridiculously huge screen resolution or something?

16 browsers: from http://www.browsershots.org/
2 browsers (IE + Chrome): My computer, Windows XP Home
2 browsers (Epiphany + Firefox): Library Computer, Ubuntu Unknown Version
3 browsers (IE, Firefox, Chrome): School Computer, Windows XP Pro
1 browser (Safari): iPod Touch

They're all good. I don't see how what you describe could happen...


! I remember now, are you both using Chrome? Chrome has some resize problems, so try "unmaximizing" the window and maximizing it again, then waiting a few seconds.

[JuggaloBrotha]

I don't know about formless but I've got the standard 1600x1200 resolution both at home and at work. I don't have chrome, at work I use FireFox 3.0.4 and IE 8, at home I use FireFox 3.6.6 and IE 8. That makes 3 browsers that I use that incorrectly display your page, or display them in a mannor that doesn't seem right to me at least.

[minitech]

That's standard? Every computer I've used is 1024x768 resolution. I use IE8 too, and the Firefox I tested is 3.5.5. I'm certain it has something to do with the resolution, but I can't see how, because nothing on my page has a pixel-specific placement. I'll try to fix it, but I can't reproduce the problem and therefore it's hard to solve.

[formlesstree4]

I remember now, are you both using Chrome?

I'm using the latest build of Chrome

My resolution is 1680 x 1050...which is widescreen (22 inch monitor). Resizing it manually seems to do something to it, but not enough to fix it.

[minitech]

I remember now, are you both using Chrome?

That was sort of more directed to JuggaloBrotha...

Okay, the key seems to be resolutions, but I can't see why a change in resolution would affect the content. I'll try a few different resolutions, see if anything changes...

[minitech]

Ah, okay. Problem solved. I defined a width of 100% for the header image, which caused its height to increase more than it should have.

[JuggaloBrotha]

That's standard? Every computer I've used is 1024x768 resolution. I use IE8 too, and the Firefox I tested is 3.5.5. I'm certain it has something to do with the resolution, but I can't see how, because nothing on my page has a pixel-specific placement. I'll try to fix it, but I can't reproduce the problem and therefore it's hard to solve.

I consider it standard as I've had that resolution for more than 7 years now. These days I have dual screens 1600x1200 both at home and at work and I'm just the student employee at work, my co-workers (also developers) have dual screens larger than me.

Ah, okay. Problem solved. I defined a width of 100% for the header image, which caused its height to increase more than it should have.

Here on my laptop (1440x900) it looks much better, though the blue arrows are still tacky but again that's just my opinion.