Abeon Tech » admin

Farewell freelancing

admin — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:45:47 +0000

My circumstances have changed somewhat in the past month.
My son is growing up quickly and getting a temper like daddies, I have recently been employed by a local webdesign agency called ElevateLocal, and I have scaled down my hosting business to a bare minimum as a result.

As my free time is very limited at the moment, I will be stopping any freelance work for the foreseeable future.
It means my income will take a hit for a while but it’s actually quite exciting to create websites for large companies instead of small gaming sites!

Just incase you missed it *cough, shameless plus, cough* and if your interested in an awesome new design or SEO boost… ElevateLocal.

There should be some nice additions to my portfolio if all goes well

CandyBlue AV Arcade Template

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 20:59:42 +0000

CandyBlue is a premium template for AV Arcade v5.x.

Features:

Professional layout
Optimized advert intergration
Full PSD
Customized navigation menus
Multi-language support
Many small changes included

Demo:
www.abeon-arcade.com

Order:
https://www.abeon-hosting.com/billing/cart.php?gid=3

AV Arcade instant FaceBook app

admin — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:40:31 +0000

Abeon Tech’s plugin for AV Arcade has just been updated to v2.0.
Many bugs have been fixed and several new features have been added.

Info
Take advantage of the 500 million members using facebook!
Turn your arcade into a FaceBook application in minutes.
Your FaceBook application will update it’s self as you add games to your arcade.

Features

Instant and automated FaceBook application with admin panel.
Compatible with AVArcade Pro (v5) and AV Arcade Free (v4).
Autopost when playing a game (customizable).
Fullscreen button if game is too wide.
Pagination and sorting.
Track game plays on facebook.
Comments on game page.
Intergrated forum.
Like button on every page.
Tag Cloud.
Search feature.
FaceBook Adverts.
Updated to be v5.3.3+ compatible… The way it was meant to be

Note:
There is a bug that prevents this working on subdomains.
I still haven’t had time to test this.

Demo and Screenshots

Order Now
https://www.abeon-hosting.com/billing/cart.php?gid=3

We accept Paypal, Credit card, Google Checkout and Bank Transfers.
SSL Secured ordering, Fraud prevention and instant download after payment.

Domain Deals

admin — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 23:07:36 +0000

If you want a website you need a domain name… Unless you want people to enter something like 255.255.255.255 to visit your site.

I’ll keep this short and sweet.
Get free Positive SSL and free Whois Guard with every domain name you register!
With the added bonus of the cheapest rates about, you can’t complain!

I have used many different domain companies over the years I’ve been into programming and to be honest they are all pretty much the same apart from price. Some provide bad support, but as a whole there all equal.

So getting free stuff included like a free Positive SSL certificate and free Whois Guard with every domain name you register is a nice bonus!

.info – $2.99/yr &nbsp (Limited Time Only!)
.com – $9.98/yr
.net – $9.98/yr
.org – $8.88/yr
.mobi – $7.99/yr
.biz – $9.69/yr

Name Cheap

WebWoW In-game mail using SOAP

admin — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 09:42:33 +0000

This little modification will replace WebWoWs’ RA mail system (Remote Access which uses telnet) with a fully SOAP compatible version.
This will replace both the admins “send mail” and users “vote shop” features.

I have recently switched back to version 3.6.3 of the WebWoW CMS (using the web creator v1) as the latest version just doesn’t seem ready yet.

I had problems sending in-game mail with the older version of WebWoW as I had disabled Remote Access in Mangos as the port being opened didn’t seem necessary.

I didn’t like the way telnet was forced instead of a web interface, so I replaced the telnet mail system.

The only error I saw was “Remote Login Problem:”, apparently caused by incorrect settings. I knew the problem was remote access so I patched the system to use SOAP.

I have edited the mail system in WebWoW so it can be used to send anything including money, items, support tickets, postcards, and more. So getting it working was top of my list of things to do!

Below is how to get it working:

1 – Enable SOAP in your mangosd.conf file.

2 – Open:
includes/core/mangos_sendmail.php

3 – Replace:
The sendmail function, below:

function sendmail($playername,$playerguid, $subject, $text, $item, $shopid=0, $money=0, $realmid='1') //returns, IMPORTANT: do not remove if success
{
global $server,$ra_user,$ra_pass,$db,$a_user,$se_c,$realm;
$playername = clean_string($playername);
$subject = preg_replace( "/[^A-Za-z0-9]/", "", clean_string($subject)); //no whitespaces
$item = preg_replace( "/[^0-9]/", "", $item); //item id
$realmid = preg_replace( "/[^0-9]/", "", $realmid); //item id
if ($item<>'') $item = " ".$item;
$text = clean_string($text);
$money= preg_replace( "/[^0-9]/", "", $money);

$telnet = fsockopen($server, $realm[$realmid]['port_ra'], $error, $error_str, 3);
if($telnet)
{
fgets($telnet,1024); // Motd
fputs($telnet, $ra_user."\n");

sleep(3);

//fgets($telnet,1024); // PASS
fputs($telnet, $ra_pass."\n");

sleep(3);

$remote_login = fgets($telnet,1024);
if(strstr($remote_login, "Logged in."))
{
if ($item<>'' && $item<>'0')//send item
{
//sendmail to RA console
fputs($telnet, ".send items ".$playername." \"".$subject."\" \"".$text."\"".$item."\n");
$easf=time();
$mailtext="Mail with item sent! No money was sent.";
}
elseif ($money>'0' && $money<>'')//send money
{
fputs($telnet, ".send money ".$playername." \"".$subject."\" \"".$text."\" ".$money."\n");
$moneytext="Mail with money sent! No item was sent.";
}
else //send letter
{
fputs($telnet, ".send mail ".$playername." \"".$subject."\" \"".$text."\"\n");
$moneytext="Normal Mail sent!";
}
//check database if actuall item is there
//WebsiteVoteShopREFXXXXXXX ->this is unique
$check=$db->query("SELECT * FROM mail WHERE receiver = '".$playerguid."' AND subject ='".$subject."' LIMIT 1")or die(mysql_error());
if(mysql_num_rows($check)=='0')
$status="Recheck script (just to make sure mail is actually sent):

.$shopid."&reciver=".$playerguid."&subject=".$subject."&realmid=".$realmid."&shash=".sha1($a_user['id'].$playerguid.$subject.$se_c.$shopid)."'>].$playerguid.$subject.$se_c.$shopid)."'>Check here if your mail is here.";

return "\"colorgood\">".$mailtext.$moneytext."

".$status;
}
else
return "\"colorbad\">Remote Login Problem: ".$remote_login."
Used login: ".$ra_user;

fclose($telnet);
}
else
return "\"colorbad\">MaNGOS server is offline, you must do this when server is online.";
}

4 – With
The following function:

function sendmail($playername,$playerguid, $subject, $text, $item, $shopid=0, $money=0, $realmid='1') //returns, IMPORTANT: do not remove if success
{
global $server,$ra_user,$ra_pass,$db,$a_user,$se_c,$realm;
$playername = clean_string($playername);
$subject = preg_replace( "/[^A-Za-z0-9]/", "", clean_string($subject)); //no whitespaces
$item = preg_replace( "/[^0-9]/", "", $item); //item id
$realmid = preg_replace( "/[^0-9]/", "", $realmid); //item id
if ($item<>'') $item = " ".$item;
$text = clean_string($text);
$money = preg_replace( "/[^0-9]/", "", $money);

$username = 'GMNAME';
$password = 'GMPASS';
$host = "localhost";
$soapport = 7878;

if ($item<>'' && $item<>'0') //send item
{
$command = 'send items '.$playername.' "'.$subject.'" "'.$text.'" '.$item.'';
$moneytext = "Your reward has been sent. Please check your mailbox in game!";

$client = new SoapClient(NULL,
array(
"location" => "http://$host:$soapport/",
"uri" => "urn:MaNGOS",
"style" => SOAP_RPC,
'login' => $username,
'password' => $password
));

try {
$result = $client->executeCommand(new SoapParam($command, "command"));
return "\"colorgood\">".$mailtext.$moneytext."

".$status;
}
catch (Exception $e)
{
echo "Command failed! Reason:
\n";
echo $e->getMessage();
}

}

elseif ($money>'0' && $money<>'')//send money
{
$command = 'send money '.$playername.' "'.$subject.'" "'.$text.'" '.$money.'';
$client = new SoapClient(NULL,
array(
"location" => "http://$host:$soapport/",
"uri" => "urn:MaNGOS",
"style" => SOAP_RPC,
'login' => $username,
'password' => $password
));

try {
$result = $client->executeCommand(new SoapParam($command, "command"));
$moneytext = "Your money has been sent. Please check your mailbox in game!";
}
catch (Exception $e) {
$moneytext = "Failed to send any money.
Please contact support!";
}
}

else //send mail
{
$command = 'send mail '.$playername.' "'.$subject.'" "'.$text.'"';
$client = new SoapClient(NULL,
array(
"location" => "http://$host:$soapport/",
"uri" => "urn:MaNGOS",
"style" => SOAP_RPC,
'login' => $username,
'password' => $password
));

try {
$result = $client->executeCommand(new SoapParam($command, "command"));
$moneytext = "Your mail was sent. Please check your mailbox in game!";
}
catch (Exception $e) {
$moneytext = "Failed to send your mail.
Please contact support!";
}
}

$check=$db->query("SELECT * FROM mail WHERE receiver = '".$playerguid."' AND subject ='".$subject."' LIMIT 1")or die(mysql_error());
if(mysql_num_rows($check)=='0') {
$status="Rechecking, just to make sure mail is actually sent:

.$shopid."&reciver=".$playerguid."&subject=".$subject."&realmid=".$realmid."&shash=".sha1($a_user['id'].$playerguid.$subject.$se_c.$shopid)."'>].$playerguid.$subject.$se_c.$shopid)."'>Check here if your mail is here.";

return "\"colorgood\">".$mailtext.$moneytext."

".$status;
}
else
return "\"colorbad\">Mail Problem: ".$remote_login."
Used login: ".$ra_user;
}

5 – Change the username, password, host, and port (in the code above):

$username = 'GMNAME';
$password = 'GMPASS';
$host = "localhost";
$soapport = 7878;

To a relevant account with admin access and you’re all set.
This modification will allow you to use SOAP instead of Remote Access and should work exactly the same.

WebWoW Players Online Module

admin — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:40:59 +0000

This module will show a list of the current users online with their sex, race, class, name, level, and location.
It was designed with WebWoW CMS v2 in mind and hasn’t been tested on prior versions.
No file edits are required. Simply upload the files and then add a link to the page using the “Menu Manager”

The code isn’t amazing but works perfectly and will be updated soon to include some form of map with the actual players locations indicated.
Stay tuned for updates

WebWoW Players Online Module

Upload the contents of the folder to your website’s root.
Login to your WebWoW’s admin panel / Menu Manager.
Add a link with the following information:
URL: ./?page=online

Download Players Online Module

WebWoW Captcha on Registration Mod

admin — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:35:02 +0000

The WebWoW CMS has just released a v2 beta which seems great so far.
Of course there are a few small bugs, but nothing that breaks functionality… Mostly undefined indexes and the like.

I will probably make a few mods and hacks for the CMS as it’s a great project with a nice style and ethos.
This simple modification will place a captcha on the registration page to help prevent spam, bots, and fake registrations.

After about 10 minutes of setting the WebWoW CMS I started to get bot registrations indicated by the spammy usernames and lack of activity.
Hopefully this will be of use to someone

Only two files edits are required so it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to implement.

WebWoW Registration Captcha Mod

Please remember to backup any files before editing!

1 – Open: engine/func/session.php

1a. Find: (about line 324)

function register($subuser, $subpass, $subemail){

Change To:

function register($subuser, $subpass, $subemail, $subcaptcha){

1b. Find: (about line 397)

$subemail = stripslashes($subemail);
}

Add BELOW:

/* captcha error checking - nowares */
$field = "captcha"; //Use field name for the generated captcha image
if(!$subcaptcha || $subcaptcha != $_SESSION['captcha']){
$form->setError($field, "* captcha incorrect");
}
else{
$subcaptcha = mysql_real_escape_string($subcaptcha);
}

2 – Open: engine/modules/register.php

2a. Find: (about line 26)

$retval = $user->register($_POST['user_name'], $_POST['pass_word'], $_POST['email']);

Replace with:

$retval = $user->register($_POST['user_name'], $_POST['pass_word'], $_POST['email'], $_POST['captcha']);

2b. Find: (about line 109)

echo $form->error("email"); ?>

Add BELOW:

<tr>
<td>Captcha:</td>
<td><img src="captcha/php_captcha.php"> <input name="captcha" type="text" style="width:65px;position:relative;bottom:5px;" value="value("captcha"); ?>" /></td>
<td>error("captcha"); ?></td>
</tr>

3. Upload: /captcha/ folder to your site root

Download Captcha Files

Please let me know if you find any errors or have any problems.

SEO and Keyword density

admin — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 14:36:28 +0000

Website Search Engine Optimization (generally shortened to SEO) and attaining your desired search engine placement usually relies heavily on a sound keyword strategy.
A website’s success, or lack thereof, can be determined on choosing good keywords.
This article details some important information and common mistakes to consider while opimizing your website for search engines..

Author’s Bio: Jeffrey Gross is an Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Enthusiast who lives on Long Island, NY. Jeff’s SEO Company (nPromote) helps Long Island business owners (and business owners across the country) get their businesses to the top of the search engines. In his spare time Jeff teaches Search Engine
Optimization to small business owners and enjoys lecturing at local colleges and other venues as well.

Anyone with a blog, website, or who has even just been on the internet is likely aware that the way search engines like Google determine where a website will show up involves search engine optimization, or SEO.

There is however quite a bit of misinformation surrounding the relatively new field of SEO, and the web is flush with hacks, cons, and just bad practitioners of search engine optimization.

Perhaps the biggest misnomer is that simply spamming a word within the copy on your page will help you rank higher – it will not. And in fact if Google or other search engines find that the word being spammed is not relevant to the info on the page, there is a chance it could be “blacklisted” by these search engines. This, along with the fact that writing for search
engines, instead of the people who will be reading your page (hopefully) just makes it sound horrible, is good reason to really learn a bit more about the field and how to balance your search optimization with content readers will actually be interested in and enjoy reading.

When optimizing the content on a page (not the Meta tags and backlinks – that is another story) there are 3 primary concerns:

SEPS Keyword density – There can be several keywords. And your copy should not be too dense with keywords. It should fall within a percent of total content. Usually between 2-4%.
Main Theme Keyword Density – This is your one main keyword, and should be between 1-3%.
Main Keyword Prominence – This is where in the text the keyword appears, usually somewhere toward the beginning or in the title, and toward the end.

Too really get your page top rankings, there are a number of more technical tricks available, and usually you would need to hire someone who specializes in the field to get the most out of your SEO. The real trick though is balancing this with good content. The above tips are a good step that nearly anyone can use to increase ranking though.

And you don’t have to count each keyword. There are tons of free programs available online that let you check the status of your optimization. With the majority of these programs you simply need to copy and paste your content, and verify exactly which keywords you are looking for, and the program will come back with your percentages letting you easily
play with the content until it sounds good and contains the proper number of keywords.

Simply Google “Free SEO Software” or something similar and you should find several links to these free programs. Naturally hiring a professional will lead to greater results, but this is a wonderful start for anyone.

Bypass iPhones screen lock (iOS 4.1)

admin — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:15:24 +0000

A recent security flaw in Apple’s iOS allows access to the device while the phone is “locked”.
iOS is used in the iPhone 4, 3G and 3GS models so the attack has a high possible reach.
With a few key presses you can make calls, listen to voicemail, browse the call history and address book!

This short article details how the attack works.

Enabling the passcode lock on your iPhone is, for now, not enough to prevent someone using your device and adding to your bill!
This should worry you if your concerned about iPhone security.

How the vulnerability works

1. Hit “emergency call”
2. Type in a random number.
3. Hit the call button.
4. Shortly after, press the lock button on top of the phone.
4.1 That’s it! Your now an uber l33t haxor -_-

This isn’t a major security risk (yet) as full access to the phone’s operations isn’t granted, but it does point out yet another fundamental flaw in Apple’s iPhone software.
Let’s hope the team working on security for iOS have a good look through the crappy code their producing to iron out any more surprises.

The video below shows how simple and quick this can be.

There is no fix for this hack yet and will probably only be patched on the next iOS update, 4.2.
If you use an iPhone with iOS version 4.1 the only real way to keep it safe is to be careful who you let use it.

Legends of Norrath free cards

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:58:57 +0000

I jumped into the EverQuest 2 Extended (Free-2-Play) Beta last week and saw that it was linked to a collectable card game called “Legends of Norrath”.

The card game in question is similar in nature to Magic: The Gathering.
Unless you want to pay to play you are stuck with 11 tutorials, culminating in a match against a computer opponent.

This seems very limited to me and I wanted a little more before I decided to shell out any of my hard earned cash on a game I may never play!
So… I messed about a little bit and found a way to get a free deck, 2 booster packs and many other cards (including “foils”) without spending a penny / cent.

I’m not sure this if this is how SOE wanted the system to work, but I’m going to share my findings anyway.

As the scenario button from the homepage is greyed out and clicking the scenario button at the end of the tutorial gives an error similar to:

“You must purchase a deck to play the scenarios”

It would seem they didn’t intend this to be possible.

Log into Everquest 2 (you can use a free-2-play account) and type “/claim”
Claim the “OathBreaker Starter Deck and booster pack” and the “Kurnak Reward” (another booster pack)
Quit EverQuest and log into Legends of Norrath
Click “Casual Games” and join any room
Click “Fippy’s Revenge” (on the right) and select a scenario to play from the complete list!
You can play Boots of Zorash but won’t win any cards, but all the others I’ve played have given free cards so far

You can get three cards by winning each scenario.
1 for easy, 1 for medium and a foil card (shiny shiny) for hard.
Completing hard mode will mean you get all three cards without the need to repeat each scenario.

Obviously, every card you win won’t fit perfectly into your deck, but it’s free…
If you really want to play Legends of Norrath, by some damn cards!

It’s worth remembering that EverQuest 2 Extended is still in Beta, so this may change.