Featured tech notes
Google payments are on hold. Action is required - Taiwan
- Written by: Dev Ops
My Google payments for Apps using AdMob are on hold. Thats not good! How do you fix it?
Tax residency
Google recently adjusted the settings for Payments to include tax declarations for Taiwan and Ireland. This is something that only the administrator of the account can change, so you'll need to find the original administrator details for when the account was set up. Once you have those you can sign in to the Google AdMob console and edit your payments information. Its the Tax info settings that you'll need.
You probably did this when you set up your Google Payments profile, and provided a tax form for the United States. This is something i covered in Managing U.S. tax info with Google.Ā You need to go through the same rigmarole for Ireland, and Taiwan.
Read more: Google payments are on hold. Action is required - Taiwan
Hardening the security of Apple Mac computers
- Written by: Angus Fox
A security policy for macOS Sonoma
This document is an example security policy for the security of Apple Mac computers running macOS Sonoma in a small business setting.
| Version | Significant changes |
|---|---|
| 1.3 | Updated for macOS Sonoma |
| 1.3.1 | Version for LinkedIn |
TL:DR ā€“ I was asked if I had a security policy document for macOS that would work for a small business who don't have a device management platform and I did have one, but it was mostly in my head or implemented on my Macs, so I decided to write it up in detail.
It is an example. You might want to change things. It is for smaller businesses who can't use Apple Business Manager or similar device management technologies.
I thought it might be helpful to someone to post it here.
Scalable Vector Graphics in Joomla 4
- Written by: Angus Fox
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) work better for logos, but are not enabled by default in Joomla 4
Scalable Vector Graphics have been around since before the millennium. SVG is an open standard for vector graphics stored in XML text files. SVGs can however also contain code and other artefacts so theres an abundance of caution in Joomla towards them, and they are not enabled by default. That said, in 2023, they are by far the best graphics format for logos and can be useful elsewhere in your Joomla CMS site. Other graphics formats look jagged in comparison.
This article explains how to get SVG enabled in Joomla, what the issues are, and why its worth the effort
TL:DR: SVG is better in so many ways for crisp text on responsive sites and it is worth doing the work to understand how to use SVG with Joomla safely. Takes about 30 minutes.
Quick and easy š¯•¸ Logo for Twitter for documents and websites
- Written by: Angus Fox
So the š¯•¸ logo above is taken from the X Brand toolkit and it looks ok and is a .png graphic. They also provide a .svg so you can create whatever size you need. But thats extra work managing images and who needs that?
The š¯•¸ just above here isn't an image, its just a big single text character. <span style="font-size: 128pt;">š¯•¸</span>. This is much easier to deal with and the differences are imperceptible unless you line them up side by side.
Wait, whats this, the š¯•¸ is just a font character!
Instead of using an image you can just use a Unicode symbol which has been around since 2001. Its called the Mathematical Double-Struck Capital X. Not exactly catchy but its helpful nonetheless. Because it has been around so long, it has widespread adoption in typefaces you might use. It also has what is known as an html entity, which makes it easy to type. Try 𝕏 on any web page editor and you'll see.
TL:DR ā€” Mathematical Double-Struck Capital X was added to Unicode 3.1 in March 2001. Any difference from the X Corp design is imperceptible to me and it is trivial to add to any html page using and html entity 𝕏 which renders as š¯•¸. Perfect!
Read more: Quick and easy š¯•¸ Logo for Twitter for documents and websites
How to download tweets & delete your twitter account
- Written by: Angus Fox
Introduction ā€“ The X / Twitter landscape has changed
You know when you think a baby has finally exhausted their ability to tantrum by throwing their rattle our of their pram. And at that point they become more even more destructive including of themselves and end up uncontrollably screaming. Well, thats where we are with X, the site formerly known as Twitter and I've had it. I'm out.
There is no tinge of sadness really because the site I've known since 2009 and the development community there that I loved and helped to nurture has been eviscerated. Theres nobody left there of the old place. The new place is a strange new land where I don't want to participate anymore.
So with that, I'm deleting all my X / Twitter accounts except for my original one, which is going to be left to auto tweet this blog and that's it. No more DM's, no more interaction. Just pushing content out for clicks. Their loss.
TL:DR ā€“ "I believe X / Twitter is finished. Its MySpace, Bebo, Friends Reunited, Geocities, msn, Aim, and Icq moment has come. I've had it. I'm out."
Read more: How to download tweets & delete your twitter account
Enhancing Joomla CMS Site Security with SSH Keys
- Written by: Angus Fox
Dramatically improve your Joomla site security using SSH keys
Secure shell protocol (SSH) exists to keep your connections secure. SSH can be difficult to grasp as it involves a complex set of security tools which can be a challenge to understand. But don't give up. You are dramatically less likely to be hacked if you use SSH connections with keys properly.
Passwords are bad, keys are good
Passwordless secure connectivity between trusted computer accounts and your Joomla CMS is well worth getting going. If there's no password, theres no opportunity for that password to be brute forced, weak, or blank, and you know that the only computer account that can connect that way is the one with the right key so your security is massively improved from attackers immediately! This article shows you how to do it and explains the parts of the technologies needed and no more.
What you'll find out
- Just enough about SSH to make your command line access secure
- Joomla CMS access via the terminal and why it needs SSH
- Implement SSH keys for your Joomla site to enable command line access without passwords
- Use the Joomla API from the command line to get stuff done
- Recap of the benefits of key based SSH authentication
The Google Pixelbook chromebook choices conundrum for developers
- Written by: Angus Fox
Chromebooks have evolved. Their initial limitations have been overcome. Some models have emerged as contenders for development machines and theres probably no better place to look than at the Google branded Chromebooks.
Once relegated to lightweight note-taking, these devices now have prowess, thanks to Google Play compatibility and the ability to run Android apps. The discerning developer audience, particularly those creating and testing Android apps, find a sweet spot here. This where Chromebooks flourish, enabling app development without the sluggishness of emulatorsā€”offering the real deal with an authentic Android experience. But beware, not all Chromebooks have this capacity. Crucially Chromebooks must support of Google Play apps and Linux, a feature not universally available on all models.
Read more: The Google Pixelbook chromebook choices conundrum for developers
Kali Linux on Windows 11
- Written by: Angus Fox
Kali Linux ā€“ The most advanced penetration distribution. Ever. On Windows 11, via Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
WSL enables you to run Linux on your Windows computer in a container. Kali provide this configuration via the Microsoft Store and its an easy way to get started if you already have Windows 11 and permission to install WSL and Kali Linux in your environment.
TL:DR ā€“ On Windows 11 with WSL 2.0 it "just works".