Fun with SimpleXML

Ok, I’ve read about SimpleXML. I’ve looked at examples, and articles, and books and said…”Oh, that’s nice.” But tonight, I decided to whip up a quick and dirty RSS parser with it.

It took about 5 minutes (not that it does much), and I had a very simple rss feed reader for my bookmarks on [url=http://del.icio.us]del.icio.us[/url]. When I was done, all I could say: “Oh, that’s REALLY nice!”

Read on for a simple simpleXML example, some links and more.

As far as the code goes:
[code]
under the root tag.
foreach( $xml->item as $item ){
echo “

HOWTO : Writing a book review

[i]Our friend Janet Crosbie over at Apress has written up a nice resource for those of you struggling to write a book review. In it she provides ideas, links and examples that any reader may find helpful in preparing their review. Read on for more!

If you would like to post a Book Review on our site, simply log in, select submit news from the Main Menu and type away. You can set the topic if you like, or just let me set it when I go to approve it.

Thank you Janet, for putting this together for us![/i]

Apress encourages user group members to write book reviews that are comfortable and fun to write. We realize that time may be limited for working professionals, so we appreciate any thoughtful and constructive reviews of our books.

We suggest posting book reviews wherever relevant: Amazon, Slashdot, your blog, your buddy’s blog, Barnes and Noble, JavaRanch, or your user group’s site-just to name a handful.

Whenever possible, a review should mention chapter features, describing one or several chapters at a time. Additional topics might include:

  • How will this book help you with your work (or hobbies)?
  • What sets it apart from other books you’ve read?
  • Would you recommend it? To whom?
  • What was your favorite chapter or section?

Many reviewers enjoy sharing what worked (or didn’t work so well) for them in our books. And review length is up to the writer-we typically see reviews that range from a paragraph to a few pages. Here are a few examples:

If you want to challenge yourself, take a look at some examples of [b]Slashdot reviews[/b]:

  • [url=http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/09/30/180221&tid=156&tid=126&tid=95&tid=6]Web Standards Solutions[/url]
  • [url=http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/13/1815209&tid=192&tid=6]Foundations of Python Network Programming[/url]

If you’re more limited on time, follow the example of some [b]Amazon customer reviews[/b]:

  • [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1590593308]Cross-Platform .NET Development: Using Mono, Portable.NET, and Microsoft .NET[/url]
  • [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1893115518/]Beginning PHP 5 and MySQL: From Novice to Professional[/url]

Here are some fine examples of reviews posted on [b]User Group sites[/b]:

  • http://www.denvervisualstudio.net/Reviews/Books2004/Book10052004.htm
  • http://www.mainebytes.org/bookreviews.asp
  • http://oakland.pm.org/reviews/apress_perlbeg.html
  • http://www.denverjug.org/reviews/DecompilingJava.jsp

And some [b]Blogs that feature book reviews[/b]:

  • http://codegeneration.net/br_list.php?search=publisher&id=7
  • http://www.adboyd.com/reviews/apress/CubeFarm.html
  • http://www.crazedfanboy.com/npcr/popculturereview222.html
  • http://msmvps.com/williamryan/archive/2004/12/21/26681.aspx

January 2005 – The Exceptional Exception (Updated)

In PHP 4, dealing with errors can be a little combersome. But, with PHP 5, we get the power of exceptions…and all the clean code they have to offer.

You can check out [url=http://www.kcpug.org/doghouse/2005_jan/exceptions_20050115.swf] the slides[/url] from our presentation or the [url=http://www.php.net/exceptions]examples and documentation[/url] on php.net.

Dynamically Typed : OOP and Performance

Once again, Harry Fuecks says something on [url=http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-view.php?blogid=9]his blog[/url] that makes me think: “Of course! That’s Brilliant!” This time, he tries to debunk the age-old wisdom that an OOP implementation is slower than it’s procedural counterpart.

Of course, this is a correct statement…but, [url=http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=223760]as Harry points out[/url]; only if you don’t take advantage of some of the things OOP helps you do. Of course, even your proceduralists out there could read this and think up ways to implement his ideas in functions…so everyone should at least take a peak.

Cross-site Scripting Article on DevShed

I’m sure that many of you have heard of a little thing called “[url=http://www.devshed.com/c/a/Security/A-Quick-Look-at-Cross-Site-Scripting]cross-site scripting[/url].” If you haven’t, or you have never thought about how it may affect you or your websites; please take the time to read [url=http://www.devshed.com/c/a/Security/A-Quick-Look-at-Cross-Site-Scripting]this article[/url] on DevShed. It does a pretty good job at showing you what XSS is, how to prevent it from happening, and why you should care.

January 3, 2005 Newsletter

O’Reilly News for User Group Members
January 3, 2005
—————————————————————-
Book News
—————————————————————-
-Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition
-Photo Retouching with Photoshop: A Designer’s Notebook
-Linux Cookbook
-Revolution in The Valley
-Silence on the Wire
-Jakarta Commons Cookbook
-Dr. Tom Shinder’s Configuring ISA Server 2004
-Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition
-Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks, 2nd Edition
-Home Theater Hacks
-Hacking a Terror Network
-Word Hacks
-High Performance Linux Clusters
—————————————————————-
Upcoming Events
—————————————————————-
-O’Reilly Happenings at Macworld SF–January 10-14
-Free Exhibit Hall Pass for Macworld
—————————————————————-
Conference News
—————————————————————-
-Registration is Open for 2005 O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference,
San Diego, CA–March 14-17
-Registration Is Open for the 2005 MySQL Users Conference,
Santa Clara, CA–April 18-21
—————————————————————-
News
—————————————————————-
-“Make” Subscriptions Now Available
-Renewable Energy–The Next Opportunity for Silicon Valley
-Freedom, Innovation, and Convenience: The RMS Interview
-Ten Tips for Building Your First High-Performance Cluster
-Clever Tricks with MythTV
-Tim O’Reilly, Derrick Story, and David Pogue make the 2004 MDJ
Power 25 List
-Build an eDoc Reader for your iPod
-Book Worms into Minds of PC Cultists
-Windows Explorer Hacks
-Inside Secrets of MSN Desktop Search
-Towards Bug-Free Code
-ONJava 2004 in Review: Popular Articles
-Exporting QuickTime Movies with Simple Video Out X
================================================
Book News
================================================
Did you know you can request a free book to review for your
group? Ask your group leader for more information.

For book review writing tips and suggestions, go to:
http://ug.oreilly.com/bookreviews.html

Don’t forget, you can receive 20% off any O’Reilly, No Starch,
Paraglyph, Pragmatic Bookshelf, SitePoint, or Syngress book you
purchase directly from O’Reilly.
Just use code DSUG when ordering online or by phone 800-998-9938.
http://www.oreilly.com/

***Free ground shipping is available for online orders of at
least $29.95 that go to a single U.S. address. This offer
applies to U.S. delivery addresses in the 50 states and Puerto Rico.
For more details, go to:
http://www.oreilly.com/news/freeshipping_0703.html

—————————————————————-
New Releases
—————————————————————-
***Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008988
Completely refreshed and updated for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), this
bestseller is for the novice or budding power user who wants to master
Microsoft’s latest operating system and get down to work. The book reveals
which features work well and which don’t, such as the Remote Desktop
software that enables people to connect to the office from home, the
encryption file system that protects sensitive information, and the
Windows Messenger that enables real-time text, voice, and video
communication.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/winxppro2/

***Photo Retouching with Photoshop: A Designer’s Notebook
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008600
This lavish, colorful book showcases innovative photo-retouching solutions
by well known French artists, and will be inspiring and instructive for
anyone involved in creating digital images or animations. You’ll see what
the pros are able to do to their photographs with Photoshop; you’ll be
guided, step-by-step, through the editing process of each project–from
original shot to polished print; and you’ll gain insight into how each
visionary artist imagined, conceptualized, and created the final exquisite
image.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/photoretouchadn/

***Linux Cookbook
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596006403
Linux information can be found scattered in manpages, texinfo files, and
source code comments, but the best source is the experts who have built up
a working knowledge of managing Linux systems. This book’s tested
techniques distill years of hard-won experience into practical
cut-and-paste solutions to everyday Linux dilemmas. Use just one recipe
from this collection of real-world solutions, and the hours of tedious
trial-and-error saved will more than pay for the cost of the book.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxckbk/

Chapter 14, “Printing with CUPS,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxckbk/chapter/index.html

***Revolution in The Valley
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007191
“Revolution in the Valley” traces the development of the Macintosh
computer from its inception as an underground skunkworks project in 1979
to its triumphant introduction in 1984 and beyond. In this vivid
first-hand account, author and key Macintosh developer Andy Hertzfeld
reveals exactly what it was like to be a key player in one of the most
important technical achievements in modern history. Lavish illustrations
and period photos (many never before published) bring to life the talented
and often eccentric characters who participated in the birth of the
personal computer revolution.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/revolution/

***Silence on the Wire
Publisher: No Starch Press
ISBN: 1593270461
Author Michal Zalewski has long been known and respected in the hacking
and security communities for his intelligence, curiosity, and creativity,
and this book is truly unlike anything else out there. “In Silence on the
Wire,” Zalewski shares his expertise and experience to explain how
computers and networks work, how information is processed and delivered,
and what security threats lurk in the shadows. No humdrum technical white
paper or how-to manual for protecting one’s network, this book is a
fascinating narrative that explores a variety of unique, uncommon, and
often quite elegant security challenges that defy classification and
eschew the traditional attacker-victim model.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1593270461/index.html

***Jakarta Commons Cookbook
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 059600706X
This collection of recipes provides expert tips for using the utilities of
the Java-based Jakarta Commons open source project. You don’t have to be
an expert; the book’s solution-based format contains code examples for a
wide variety of web, XML, network, testing, and application projects. If
you want to learn how to use Jakarta Commons utilities to create powerful
Java applications and tools, this cookbook is for you.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/jakartackbk/

Chapter 8, “Math,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/jakartackbk/chapter/index.html

***Dr. Tom Shinder’s Configuring ISA Server 2004
Publisher: Syngress
ISBN: 1931836191
This book provides you with unparalleled information on installing,
configuring, and troubleshooting ISA Server 2004 by teaching you to Deploy
ISA Server 2004 in small businesses and large organizations; achieve
99.999% uptime for your ISA Server 2004 Internet access solution; roll out
an International VPN using built-in ISA Server 2004 VPN Wizards and
configuration interface; learn how to configure complex DMZ configurations
using ISA Server 2004’s new network awareness features and built-in
multinetworking capabilities; and learn how to take advantage of ISA
Server 2004’s new VPN capabilities.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1931836191/index.html

****Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007469
Updated for Oracle 10g, this bestselling book is the only in-depth guide
to SQL*Plus. It clearly describes how to perform, step-by-step, all of the
tasks that Oracle developers and DBAs want to perform (and maybe some you
didn’t realize you could) with SQL*Plus. If you want to capitalize upon
the full power and flexibility of this popular Oracle tool, this book is
an indispensable resource.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/orsqlplus2/

Chapter 6, “Creating HTML Reports,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/orsqlplus2/chapter/index.html

***Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks, 2nd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008767
“Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks, 2nd Edition” offers dozens of on-target
tips, workarounds, and warnings, allowing users to improve their overall
experience with the popular XP operating system. You’ll learn how to use
the Registry Editor, customize the interface, and master Windows’s
built-in networking capabilities. The book also includes detailed coverage
of the newly released Service Pack 2 (SP2), which provides protection
against viruses, hackers, and worms. Seize control of the Windows XP
operating system before it takes control of you.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/winxpannoy2/

Chapter 5, “Maximizing Performance,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/winxpannoy2/chapter/

***Home Theater Hacks
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007043
“Home Theater Hacks” is a smart collection of insider tips and tricks,
covering everything you need to know about home theater installation. Say
goodbye to frustrating trial-and-error processes and expensive
appointments with installation experts. This book prevents both by
imparting down-and-dirty techniques not found anywhere else. From finding
the right audio and video components and dealing with speakers and wiring,
to mastering remote controls and getting a handle on TiVo, this book will
help you customize your own, personal home theater experience.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/htheaterhks/

Sample hacks are available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/htheaterhks/chapter/index.html

***Hacking a Terror Network
Publisher: Syngress
December 2004
ISBN: 1928994989
Written by a certified Arabic linguist from the Defense Language Institute
with extensive background in decoding encrypted communications, this
cyber-thriller uses a fictional narrative to provide a fascinating and
realistic “insider’s look” into technically sophisticated covert terrorist
communications over the Internet. The accompanying CD-ROM allows readers
to “hack along” with the story line, by viewing the same web sites
described in the book containing encrypted, covert communications.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1928994989/index.html

***Word Hacks
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596004931
Become a power user with “Word Hacks.” Insider tips, tools, tricks, and
hacks help you accomplish your pressing tasks, address your frequent
annoyances, and solve even your most complex problems. The book examines
Word’s advanced (and often hidden) features, and delivers clever,
time-saving hacks on taming document bloat, customization, complex search
and replace, tables and comments, XML, and even using Google without
leaving Word.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/wordhks/

Sample hacks are available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/wordhks/chapter/index.html

***High Performance Linux Clusters
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596005709
“High Performance Linux Clusters” covers everything you need to build and
deploy a high-performance Linux cluster. You’ll learn about effective
planning, hardware choices, bulk installation of Linux on multiple
systems, and other basic considerations. This guide also addresses the
major free software projects and how to choose those that are most helpful
to new cluster administrators and programmers. Guidelines for debugging,
profiling, performance tuning, and managing jobs from multiple users round
out this immensely useful book.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/highperlinuxc/index.html

Chapter 10, “Management Software,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/highperlinuxc/chapter/index.html

================================================
Upcoming Events
================================================
***For more events, please see:
http://events.oreilly.com/

***O’Reilly Happenings at Macworld SF–January 10-14
Macworld SF 2005 is shaping up to be a busy show for O’Reilly Media (Booth
#2225). We have great specials, lots of books, a full speaker lineup, and
a menu of activities. Plus, we’re partnering with some of the Mac OS X
Innovator Contest winners to provide discounts on award-winning software.
Here’s a comprehensive overview:
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/12/17/macworld.html

And make sure you come by the booth on Tuesday, January 11 and say hi to
me–Marsee. I’ll be there all day.

***Free Exhibit Hall Pass for Macworld, San Francisco, CA–
January 11-14
A PDF version of the Macworld Pass is available online to print out:

Click to access macworld2005.pdf

================================================
Conference News
================================================
***Registration is Open for the 2005 O’Reilly Emerging Technology
Conference, San Diego, CA–March 14-17
Early Bird registration for ETech has just opened. This year’s conference
theme is “Remix,” which infuses ETech’s roll-up-your-sleeves tutorials,
to-the-point plenary presentations, and real world focused breakout
sessions. Come to ETech and discover how applications and hardware are
being deconstructed and recombined in unexpected ways. Learn how users and
customers are influencing new interfaces, devices, business models, and
services. For all the scoop on tutorials, featured speakers, and
conference events, check out:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/etech/

User Group members who register before January 31, 2005 get a double
discount. Use code DSUG when you register, and receive 20% off the
early registration price.

To register for the conference, go to:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/et2005/create/ord_et05

***Registration Is Open for the 2005 MySQL Users Conference, Santa Clara,
CA–April 18-21
The MySQL Users Conference, co-presented by O’Reilly Media and MySQL AB,
brings together experts, users, and industry leaders with unique MySQL
insights, offering attendees a detailed look into new features in MySQL
5.0, sessions and workshops designed to teach best practices, and exposure
to new open source technologies.
For more information, go to:
http://www.mysqluc.com/

User Group members who register before Febuary 28, 2005 get a double
discount. Use code DSUG when you register, and receive 20% off the
early registration price.

To register for the conference, go to:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/mysqluc2005/create/ord_mysql05

================================================
News From O’Reilly & Beyond
================================================
———————
General News
———————
***”Make” Subscriptions Now Available!
The annual subscription price for four issues is $34.95. When you
subscribe with this link, you’ll get a free issue–the first one plus four
more for $34.95. So subscribe for yourself or friends with our very best
offer for charter subscribers: five volumes for the cost of four.
Subscribe at:
https://www.pubservice.com/MK/Subnew.aspx?PC=MK&PK=M5ZUGLA

***Renewable Energy–The Next Opportunity for Silicon Valley
There are striking parallels between the renewable energy industry today
and the personal computing industry circa 1980. Brian McConnell argues
that the same basic dynamics that fueled the PC boom in Silicon Valley
apply to renewable energy, and this represents an important opportunity,
especially as the computing industry matures and becomes a commoditized
consumer product business.
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/q/articles

———————
Open Source
———————
***Freedom, Innovation, and Convenience: The RMS Interview
Since 1984, Richard M. Stallman has fought for software freedom as a
coder, a project leader, and a philosopher. The GNU GPL and GNU/Linux
projects are just two results of that work. Federico Biancuzzi recently
interviewed RMS about his views on freedom, the GNU project, and the Linux
kernel and GNU/Linux distributions.
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/12/22/rms_interview.html

***Ten Tips for Building Your First High-Performance Cluster
Been meaning to build your very first high-performance Linux cluster, but
fear the trials and tribulations? Joseph D. Sloan, author of “High
Performance Linux Clusters with OSCAR, Rocks, OpenMosix, and MPI,” saves
you the trouble with ten very helpful tips. Now you can get all of the
cost effectiveness of high-performance clusters without all of the
frustration.
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/12/29/lnxclstrs_10.html

***Clever Tricks with MythTV
Building your own personal video recorder means that you can avoid
manufacturer- or broadcaster-enforced restrictions. That’s not all,
though. John Littler presents some clever ideas on what you can accomplish
with a MythTV box, some free time, and a little work.
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/12/29/mythtv_hacks.html

———————
Mac
———————
***Tim O’Reilly, Derrick Story, and David Pogue make the 2004 MDJ
Power 25 List
“MDJ,” the Journal for Serious Macintosh Users, today released the fifth
annual MDJ Power 25 list distilled from surveys sent to industry movers
and shakers (including journalists, executives, engineers, and Apple
Computer insiders).
http://www.macjournals.com/gcsf/mdj_power_25_2004.html

***Build an eDoc Reader for your iPod
Wouldn’t you like to read large text documents, PDF files, and other eDocs
on your 3G iPod (or newer)? In this first part of a three-part series,
Matthew Russell shows you how to do so using Xcode.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/12/14/ipod_reader.html

Build an eDoc Reader for your iPod, Part 2:
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/12/17/ipod_reader.html

***Book Worms into Minds of PC Cultists
A recent review of the No Stach’s “Cult of Mac” in “The Inquirer,” a UK
publication.
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20351

———————
Windows/.NET
———————
***Windows Explorer Hacks
Face it, Windows Explorer is old and tired. Mitch Tulloch, author of
“Windows Server Hacks,” shows you how to power up this venerable utility
and make it an actual powerhouse.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2004/12/21/windows_explorer_hacks.html

***Inside Secrets of MSN Desktop Search
MSN’s Desktop Search is a surprisingly powerful desktop search tool, with
loads of hidden features and hacks. Wei-Meng Lee opens up the hood and
takes a look, and fills you in on what he finds.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2004/12/21/msd_desktop_search.html

———————
Java
———————
***Towards Bug-Free Code
Test-driven development sometimes sounds better than it turns out to be.
Early decisions to tightly couple functional parts of your system can make
it a lot less amenable to testing than it ought to be. As Ashwin
Jayaprakash shows, J2SE 5.0’s generics make working with abstract classes
and interfaces easier than it used to be, which encourages loose coupling
and facilitates testing.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2004/12/22/towardsbugfree.html

***ONJava 2004 in Review: Popular Articles
Editor Chris Adamson takes a look back at some of the most popular
articles published on ONJava during the last year.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2004/12/22/2004-yearender-1.html

———————
Digital Media
———————
***Exporting QuickTime Movies with Simple Video Out X
You have great QuickTime content in your computer, but it seems not so
easy to play it on a TV or send it to a VCR or DVD recorder without firing
up iMovie or Final Cut. Or is it? Erica Sadun has discovered a simple but
powerful (and free) application that makes exporting QuickTime as fun as
watching it.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2004/12/22/video_out.html

================================================
From Your Peers
===============================================
Don’t forget to check out the O’Reilly UG wiki to see what user groups
across the globe are up to:
http://wiki.oreillynet.com/usergroups/index.cgi

Until next time–

Marsee

PHP Hits the Mainstream: Gets worm to prove it!

We have had some interesting security-related news in our world these last couple of weeks. You may want to read on if you are running:

  • php < 4.3.10
  • php < 5.0.3
  • phpBB < 2.0.11

Also, I’ve added a little trick you might be interested in to keep your services safe. This is especially imporant if you use a shared host, and don’t have access to update your own software. Read on for more…

As Eric pointed out in the Forums, [url=http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-4.php#4.3.10]PHP 4.3.10[/url] and [url=http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-5.php#5.0.3]5.0.3[/url] are now out. You really need to look into ugrading to one of these as soon as possible.

Also, a new worm targeting phpBB has been written. This initial version used a flaw in phpBB’s highlighting code to deface your site with the worm. Then, the worm would use google to find phpBB sites that had not yet been upgraded to infect. You can [url=http://it.slashdot.org/it/04/12/21/2135235.shtml?tid=220&tid=217&tid=169[/url] read more about it on [url]slashdot.org[/url].

While google has stopped returning requests related to this worm, that doesn’t mean a new variant that uses a different (read:lesser) engine won’t pop up soon.

As “akiy” on slashdot posted:
[quote]It looks like the latest [url=http://www.phpbb.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=244451]phpBB version 2.0.11[/url] or a [url=http://www.phpbb.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=240513]simple patch[/url] will thwart the worm, though. Time to upgrade if you haven’t yet![/quote]

I have to take his word on this, because I can’t get to [url]phpbb.org[/url] right now.

Happy Patching!! Don’t forget to try it in your test environments first if you have one!!

Also, a pretty reliable way to keep things like this from happening is to run your php scripts using a different user than the one that can write to your files.

For example, your website quantumbagel.com runs phpBB. All of the files are owned by qb_admin, and are read-only to everyone else. Then, PHP runs as qb_cgi. The qb_cgi user has no files…maybe some jpeg’s in an upload or avatar directory, but that’s it. If php or your scripts get compromised, the worst thing they could do is jack with your data…but your code would still be clean and intact.

If your php runs as an apache module in Linux, it is probably running as nobody…and unless your permissions allow anyone to write to your files you are probably ok.

I’m not sure how you would do this in windows though. (I have some fuzzy recollections about IIS_USER and the everyone group, or something) Anyone care to enlighten us?

Be safe out there!

Posted in PHP