.htaccess rewrite for URL parameters

Suppose you have a page at http://www.example.com/mypage.php?ab=38 but you want people or bots that access it to see this page instead: http://www.example.com/mypage.php?ab=38&cd=39 By the way, this is not some constrained example – it is from a real production site where the owner has little control over the PHP code. It took a bit of experimenting …

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Predicting software development platforms

I’m going to make three predictions today: Cloud vs. PC: The PC is not going to fade into insignificance in the near (1-2 years) or more distant (3-10 years) future. Tablet/Mobile vs. PC: See above. Cross platform development tools are going to rise in popularity. You are welcome to come back anytime during the next …

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Changing browser associated with html files on Krusader

When I moved from Windows being my default OS to Ubuntu Linux, the thing that I missed the most was Total Commander. Over the years it got so that if I ever found myself on a computer that didn’t have it, I could immediately feel my productivity getting a hit. On Ubuntu, I used Gnome …

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Solving a puzzle with constraint programming

Constraint programming can get some getting used to. In the usual programming frame of mind (whether with functional or imperative languages) you think of the algorithm and specify to the computer, via your code, exactly what steps to go through in order to solve the problem. With constraint programming, you don’t tell the computer what …

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Constraint Programming

Constraint programming is a field that is about solving problems where you have to find a solution in a (usually large) search space given specific constraints. A classic problem of this sort is the eight queens puzzle. There are quite a few good constraint program libraries, among them are java based Choco and C++ based …

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