Guess who's back, back again!

YES! I'm back to the web hosting business :) It has been more than 1 year since I sold my beloved company NileServers (which is displaying an "Account Suspended" message right now by the way!). My new company's name is VergiSolutions (don't like the name? try to come up with a better one!), and its website was supposed to be launched one month ago! (who needs a website for a web hosting company anyway :P) I had to postpone it to work on the new web-based Information System of MetalMax which I will (hopefully!) finish very soon. So wish me luck (and move all of your websites to VergiSolutions :P)

The first Egyptian 3D game

Have you ever heard about the first Egyptian 3D game? It's called Abou 7adeed (previously named Boo7a) and it's based on the character of Mohamed Saad's famous movie "Boo7a" and how he and his friends rally together to take revenge on evil-doers. I'm officially the first one to buy the final version of this game :) Although I'm not into gaming at all but I just got very excited about the idea of playing a game with Egyptian characters, culture, folklore, environment...etc, specially when I met the young, talented and ambitious developers of the game, and founders of Khayal Interactive Entertainment, AhmedEl-Deeb, Mostaf Ashour and Ahmed Sabri, at last year's Cairo ICT when they where promoting there game at TE Data's booth.
My game download progress has reached 71% (of approx 378 MB), so I will be writing a review about the game very soon :) Till then, watch the video below, it will give you an idea about the game.

Update: After my download reached 96%, some one from TE Data called and asked me to reconfigure my router with him on the phone, so I had to pause my download. When I tried to resume it later, the file I was downloading disappeared from Abo 7adeed's server! DAP keeps displaying the "File requested does not exist" message :@ I contacted support@abo7adeed.com, few minutes later I got a "delivery failure" message!! So I had to contact info@khayalie.com directly. Hope they are not one of those wait-48-hours-to-get-a-reply companies!

Update 2: About 4 or 5 hours after I sent the email to Khayal IE, I thought about trying the download for the last time before going to sleep, and IT WORKED! Few minutes later, I was installing the game :) The installation ran for a few minutes then it returned an error message. The file is corrupted! :( I sent another email to Khayal and went to sleep. I woke up next day to find a message from them telling me that they have re-uploaded the file and double checked that it's working fine. I downloaded the game again, installed it and happily played till level 4 (or 5, can't remember exactly). I'm not going to review the game now, but I'll just give ratings about a few aspect about the game:
Gameplay: 6/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 4/10
Value: 6/10
Overall rating: 5.75
Final comment: Not very good, but not that bad either (if you compare it to international games). BUT it's a excellent start for the Egyptian games, but will need TONS of work/improvements if they are planning to publish another version of this game.
Wait for the detailed review....

How to get a Blue Screen of Death!

Did you know typing into Internet Explorer Version 4 through 7 "about:mozilla" in the address bar would cause a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) (well, humor me here, its just a blue screen, but still funny).
If the above doesn't work, you are running Windows XP SP2, so type: "res://mshtml.dll/about.moz" and you will get it!

I just hate that stupid BSoD!! :@ It keeps popping up every now and then ever since I bought my laptop, and now one is able to know what the problem is! :S

Top 10 Reasons Firefox "Owns" Internet Explorer

1. Tabbed Browsing
   Firefox rocks at tabbed browsing. Not only does the tabbed browsing work really well, but it also is blazing fast! Tabbed browsing in Firefox completely dominates and should embarrass the tab browsing developers at Microsoft.
2. When Windows Crashes, Firefox Recovers Your Tabs!
   If you use Windows, you will have lots of crashes! I love how Windows is CLUELESS on what the heck was open after recovering from a crash. I mean, on top of it crashing on me, it makes me log back in, re-launch whatever I had open, and then make me want to kill myself. The saving grace I have now is Firefox saves all the latest tabs I had open, and asks me if I'd like to open them! What a concept! Thanks Fox for making my Windows Blue Screen of Death experiences slightly more enjoyable.
3. Find Stuff On Web Pages Without A Pop Up Box!
   I hate when I try and find something on a web page in Internet Explorer! It creates a "pop up box" for me! which I then type in, and it try's to show me where it found things... Firefox Find is not intrusive at all, and super fast! It will even highlight multiple instances of the search term, so I can skim the document quickly.
4. Way Faster than Internet Explorer
   Firefox is super fast! Even after Windows crashing, Firefox will load your many tabbed pages instantly at the same time, and your CPU does not get totally used and destroyed, and you have plenty of RAM left! I dare you to load 10 Internet Explorer 6 windows, or even load 10 windows in "tabbed" browsing in Internet Explorer 7. I hope you have an infinite supply of RAM.
5. Customizable, and Plug-In Friendly
   It's so easy to download awesome plug-ins for Firefox! It's easy to install them, and it's easy to remove them if you don't like them. Internet Explorer didn't even have this ability until Internet Explorer 7, which is useless anyway for another 100 reasons I'm not even going to bother going into.
6. Great Download Manager
   Firefox has an awesome download manager that shows you the progress of your downloads, lets you specify default download locations, and lets you keep things clean. Try downloading multiple items in Internet Explorer and your poor taskbar will start sucking wind fast!
7. Simple User Interface
   Simple is awesome, and Firefox understands this. Internet Explorer is freaking complicated! The way I rate a user interface successful is by the interface behaving how I expect. If I click things, and they don't do what I think they should do, I get upset because that's a bad interface!
8. Less Crashing
   Internet Explorer crashes all the freaking time! You'd think the browser made by the company that wrote the operating system, and integrated into the operating system, would not crash! Wait... I get it.. lol. I have yet to see Firefox Crash!
9. Small Install!
   Internet Explorer is the biggest browser I have ever seen. Firefox is a 5MB file, and Internet Explorer is at least a 20MB download depending on your options.
10. Built-In Google Searching
    Google rocks, so does Firefox with Google Toolbar. Internet Explorer does not rock, and neither does MSN Search. If you use Internet Explorer, you have to know how to change the default search provider, where as Firefox comes built in with Google Search, and the Google Toolbar!

Web Site Top 10 Things to Consider!

So you are creating a new web site! That's fantastic! But what do you need to make sure you consider when you embark on the project? Below is a list of 10 things that you must consider before you build your site.

1. Browser Resizing
   Does the web site resize nicely in different browser window sizes. What is the target size you are designing your site for? A site can look great on 1024 by 768, but what happens when you put your site on a high resolution 21inch LCD Panel. Your site should look good on any resolution!
2. Background Color
   If you use white background colors, do you actually specify white, or just leave it as default? A lot of people have their default background colors set to grey instead of white. When you load a site up that does not explicitly set the background color to white, it shows up as whatever the user has set up as his default.
3. Site Alignment
   Will the site be aligned on the left, right, centered? Very important decision to make! Ensure you have this question answered before you begin, although it can be changed later, it can be a pain.
4. Will the header and footer of the site resize?
   Does your header need to resize every time the browser window is resized? what about the web page footer? Make sure you speak with the designers if you have any working on the project and get this detail hammered out!
5. Browser Compatibility
   Will the site need to be 100% compatible with all browsers? Opera? Safari? Internet Explorer? Firefox?
6. Dynamic Rollovers
   Does the site require dynamic rollovers for navigation buttons and hyperlinks?
7. No Tables
   Do not use any tables, use DIV tags or SPAN tags for everything.
8. Standards
   What standard will you follow? W3C Valid HTML 4.01, W3C Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional, or W3C Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict.
9. Make sure to use SEO Semantic Coding with complete presentation separation.
   You are probably really familiar with normal HTML coding. SEO Semantic Coding, or Semantic Markup focuses on writing code that is descriptive. It enables search engines and other web site indexers to categorize your site properly, and give it more weight in search results.
10. Web Site Loading time.
    Make sure you know all the basics about saving images. Doing this piece wrong can cause your page load times to increase exponentially! PNG/JPG/GIF... make sure you know which file type to use in the right situation.

Make Your Site Web 2.0

Although Web 2.0 is a buzz word to refer to the "second coming" of the Internet, I thought we would talk a little bit about what exactly a Web 2.0 Site entails. How can you upgrade your site to Web 2.0 today? Below are some of the key things you should do today to make your web site Web 2.0 ready!

1. Add RSS Feeds and Subscriptions.
   Give your users the ability to subscribe to certain sections of the web site. This way they can get notified via email that content has changed, or a new article added. This will keep your visitors coming back for more.
   Web 2.0 Resource: FeedBurner
2. Add some AJAX Content.
   AJAX is great not only because it look cool, but also because it makes it very easy for users to use the site. It makes a site feel more responsive, and more like an actual windows application.
   Web 2.0 Resource: Dojo, Script.aculo.us, Google Web Toolkit
3. Use CSS for all look and feel elements.
   So many of the old Web 1.0 web sites out there still use html tags for fonts and other such things that can all be placed with a CSS file! This adds so much bandwidth waste and really slows down the users’ experience. Switch to semantic HTML with CSS today!
   Web 2.0 Resource: css Zen Garden
4. Use Gradients and curves in your new buttons.
   Look at nearly all the new Web 2.0 sites out there and you will notice that most of them use a lot of gradients, with drop shadows, and curves. This style is critical if you are going to look like a new Web 2.0 site!
   Web 2.0 Resource: Create Web.0 Buttons in PhotoShop
5. Have live active content.
   Nobody wants to visit a site that is always the same and doesn't change! This is extremely boring, and there is really no need to come back to the site. Change your site daily, hourly if possible! The more you update your site, the more visitors you will receive coming back for more!
   Web 2.0 Resource: SharePoint Portal Server 2007
6. Add social networking aspects to your site.
   Social networking is the way to go, if you can afford the development. Build an entire community around your site and you will see the traffic skyrocket.
   Web 2.0 Resource: facebook, myspace
7. Tag your pages instead of creating categories.
   Creating categories for sites is very old school. Create tags instead! This allows users to quickly find related content throughout your web site, without the need to search through countless categories to find something!
   Web 2.0 Resource: WordPress
8. Give users the ability to rate content on your site.
   Digg gave users the ability to rank articles and other content on their site, and look how popular they became! Add a "Rank It" button to your site today, and watch the expression take form!
   Web 2.0 Resource: Digg, Reddit
9. Provide Podcasts or Videocasts.
   Having audio content that your users can listen to is fantastic. Think of all the iPod's that are out there, and how often they are being used. By creating a Podcast, you are making your voice audible across the billions of iPod's and other music devices out there. Videocasts can be even better, if you have the budget.
   Web 2.0 Resource: Apple Podcasting, Podcast Alley
10. Provide users with a Web API using Web Services.
    By providing programmers a Web API, you are giving people the ability to create custom applications to your web site! Sometimes things can be created that you haven't even thought of! Make sure you keep it clean and simple, and try and stick to some standards.
    Web 2.0 Resource: W3C Web API, Google API
11. Make your site extremely simple to use.
    In this day and age, your web site has to be drop dead simple to use, or people will leave! On average if it takes a user more than 8 seconds to figure out what is going on, or what they should click, they will leave your site!
    Web 2.0 Resource: Steve Krug, Jakob Nielson
12. Give users ability to participate with the site and its members.
    Users love interacting with other users. Give them a way of communicating with each other, and expressing their emotions, thoughts, and ideas.
    Web 2.0 Resource: linkedin
13. Let users contribute content.
    It's great that you are adding content to the site, but why not let your users contribute to the content. Everyone wants to be heard, let your visitors do it through your site!
    Web 2.0 Resource: YouTube, Flickr
14. Use Flash or Silverlight to add some interactivity and response.
    Add some interactive applications to your site using one of these tools. I prefer Microsoft Silverlight, as it has a proven structured programming engine to back it up, Microsoft .net! You can use C# or Python to write this bad boy, and it also supports AJAX extremely well.
    Web 2.0 Resource: Silverlight, Flash
15. Let users "Social Network This" instead of "Bookmark This".
    Bookmarking a site is great, but everyone these days is adding their bookmarks to del.icio.us or StumbleUpon. Remove the "Bookmark This" button and add the "Digg This" button. Not only will your users be able to keep track of the site, it will also allow them to share the sections of the site with other surfers, promoting your site for you!

MCIT, you gotta be kidding me!

If you’re an ADSL (aka “high speed”? internet) subscriber located in Egypt and have the least knowledge about what’s going on in the world out there, I would be sure that you had a heart attack when you read that announcement, which is NOT the rumored reduction in the current ADSL subscription prices as we have been fed by the government and ISPs during the last months, but brilliantly offering low priced and limited packages, in a press release that had been removed within few days from the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology website due to the outrage in the general internet user base (check Mesh-Gayeb), and replaced by a smarter one, but who they’re kidding.

Should I now bow on my knees for that they’ve kept the unlimited packages untouched instead of cutting the prices down for like 50% at the very least? the truth is that I wont, I’m being ripped off every month paying LE. 190 ($44) for a 512Kbps connection, while a buddy of mine living in Netherlands is paying €30 ($41) for 20Mbps, and that’s just one example.

The thing I’m sure of is that these guys (ISPs) are either just plain stupid, or they’ve studied marketing very well but the type which is not applicable in the third world! Marketing says that when there’s a commodity with no substitutability characteristic (in our case, ADSL service, you can’t replace it for anything else, say like mobile connections “it’s not yet as convenient”, we need ADSL), so in the eyes of ISPs there’s no reason to bring prices down, people will still pay for it either it’s for LE 10 or for LE 1000. But then say hello to illegal connection sharing world where more than 30+ individual in a neighborhood can share a single internet connection, now wont it be better if these individuals are subscribed to 30 different cheaper connections instead of a single expensive one? you do the math! In this particular case I’d throw away any marketing I’ve learnt and find creative solutions (and gathering public outrage isn’t one).

I wont go paranoiac like mesh-gayeb’s folks, but all I’m asking is to be respected! I know that I live in a poor third world developing country, but the government shouldn’t treat public as fools and promise something they can’t keep, and when they’re ripping me off for a low speed internet, with nonexistent reliability, they should admit it too, then we will be all slow but happy internet users!

Joke of the day: go to the ministry voting page, the result speaks for itself.

Source: Mohamed Tantawi's blog

Design Principles: 5 Easy Steps to Design a Website

If you want to design a website for business or personal reasons it might seem like a tough task. Fortunately, there are many resources and tools online today to help you get a website up and running quickly on the World Wide Web.

Below are the five steps to creating your own website.

1. Decide on a Website Theme. Choose a website theme that will flow with your business or personal goals. If you're selling search engine optimization services (SEO), choose a theme that fits well with SEO. Perhaps you'd like a website that offers training in a particular field or that provides useful information or services in fields such as health, insurance, marketing, finance, family, home and garden, web design, etc.

Use search engine optimization tools such as wordtracker.com to determine popular keywords in your field. This will help you narrow your theme and find a niche market. The more specific you are, the more likely you'll reach your targeted audience.

2. Choose a Domain Name. You can visit almost any web host to find out what domain names are available. Your domain name is the web address people will type in to find your website and it is completely unique to you. It could end in .com, .net, .org, or a variety of other suffixes. Example: www.domainname.com Choose a domain name that meets the following criteria: 1. Not too long. 2. Easy to spell - even for kids. 3. Simple and easy to say. 4. Fits your website theme. 5. Easy to remember. Remember, your domain name will be used in all advertising campaigns whether in print or online, so keep it simple.

3. Choose Web Hosting. Web hosting is a must for a website. This is the "web space" you'll buy so your website can appear on the World Wide Web. You can choose from thousands of web hosts today, but be aware of the pitfalls if you choose the wrong host. Choose a web host that is dependable, affordable, offers excellent customer service, and offers the features you need for your website. Free web hosting services are available if you're starting a personal website, but are not recommended for business websites.

Be aware that not all hosting services offer special add-on features such as PHP or MySQL capabilities. Not all hosting services offer a reliable control panel for site management and following your website's visitor statistics. So, be sure to choose a web hosting provider that offers what you need for now and future growth.

4. Design Your Website. Once you choose a domain name and secure web hosting, it's time to design your website. You have two options:

1. Learn web skills such as HTML and PHP so you can design your own website.
2. Hire a web designer.

If you choose to learn web design, there are many tutorials and courses online to help you learn. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars taking a college course. Or, you can find a website that has the same features you want and ask who designed it. This will help you find a dependable designer who already has the skills needed for your project.

Either way, determine what type of programming language you will use beforehand. This will be based on the features your website will have.

5. Get Your Website Noticed. It's time to promote your website. You can promote in many different ways: search engine optimization, paid search engines, free search engine submission, e-zine advertising, and even off-line advertising. Include your website address on everything you print such as business cards, newspaper ads, letterhead, envelopes, etc.

Probably one of the most effective ways to promote is by adding content articles to your website. Articles get noticed by the search engines because they are informational and useful. The more information you offer, the better your search engine rankings will be. If you sell insurance, write many articles about insurance for your website or hire a writer to write them for you. Whatever your theme, provide plenty of content for your users.

Use these five steps to get your website going. You're on your way to web success!

Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto IV (also known as GTA IV or GTA 4) is the upcoming eleventh installment, and first in the fourth generation, of the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, announced for release by Rockstar Games in 2007 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game is set in a redesigned Liberty City in the year 2007. GTA IV has been nominated for a 2006 Golden Joystick Award in the One To Watch For 2007 category.
For more information please visit GTA's official website: http://rockstargames.com/IV/

Also take a look at the following official trailers:
Trailer #1


Trailer #2