New Deadwood snapshot

Sometimes, I can't resolve host names at work. I'm trying to figure out why this is so; that in mind I've added the ability to log all DNS queries sent to Deadwood and replies sent from Deadwood when verbose_level is 100 or more.

I also fixed a bug where certain logging functions added a newline regardless of one's verbose_level setting.

New MaraDNS snapshot

Since there has been some confusion about how to have star records in MaraDNS, I have made the following changes to MaraDNS today:

• The * character is no longer permitted in zone names. Stars belong in zone files, not zone names.
• I have added a FAQ entry briefly explaining how MaraDNS star records work

Hopefully, these changes will stop users from incorrectly configuring star records.

It can be downloaded here:

http://www.maradns.org/download/1.3/snap/200912/

New Deadwood snapshot

In today's Deadwood snapshot, I have updated the Windows reference documentation to have all post-2.3 Deadwood parameters documented.

I have also updated the documentation available on Deadwood's web page.

http://maradns.org/deadwood/

MaraDNS wish list status

Here is the status of various wish list items people have requested that MaraDNS have over the years:

• IPv6 (DONE, except for Deadwood's recursion)
• Multiple views -- DNS answers vary depending on the IP sending the request (won't do)
• SQL support (won't do)
• Include other files in mararc (done in Deadwood, won't do in MaraDNS)
• DNSSEC (won't do)
• Ability to dynamically load zone files (won't do)
• DNS curve (won't do)
• BIND zone file support (mostly done; will finish up)

Note that won't do means I won't implement the feature in question without being paid.

I've been making some stuff for C-evo

I've been spending my geek time these last two weeks or so making some stuff for C-evo. Namely:

• I have taken a tech chart someone else made and compressed it to be only a little over 100k in size
• I have written some programs that slightly modify the gameplay: The final year, the technology advancement rate, the city growth rate, and the map sizes can now be adjusted.
• I have written an over-6000-word HOWTO that describes C-Evo's basics; it is geared for someone who has never play a Civilization game before

The files I have made can be looked at here:

http://samiam.org/cevo/

Desert Island update

Earlier this month, I updated my Desert Island disk and changed a few files. Notably:

• Instead of Doom, we now have six tiny video games: C-evo, David Teach’s Ginny Rummy, a tiny under 400k version of Zillions of Games (only Chess and a couple of variants, no music, no sounds), Cultivation, and two of Andy Noble’s games (Tetris, Manic Miner)
• I have added a lot of pictures, most notably a nice desktop background picture I took nearly two decades ago and more family pictures
• I’ve added the text of a 1979 computer article talking about computers in the home
• Various other minor updates, most notably progress on making sure we correctly use “LORD” or “The LORD” in the Old Testament of my modified World English Bible
• I no longer have a guide for reading playing cards; this is something I no longer do
• MSYS update to 1.0.11; 7zip updated to 4.65
• Spanish accents for a US keyboard added

Invasion of the spammers

A lot of spammers have been trying to put spam in blog comments here. Since I moderate all comments posted here with some strict guidelines (no spammers, no flamers, no completely off-topic posts, no support requests) none of these posts were made visible, but still it's annoying to have seven posts to moderate and have them all be spam.

A lot of spam blogs use CSS to hide the button to report the blog; to report a spam Blogger blog, go to this link (or this link) to report the offending URL.