I came across a couple of websites discouraging the use of PHPAskIt because it uses a database and therefore absolutely must be insecure.
One such example states:
PHPAskIt isn't completely secure, either. It uses a database so I woulda thought that was more INsecure than the flat file of Waks Ask & Answer script.
Another says:
PHPAskit is just as insecure [as Wak's Ask&Answer] only people think it's secure because it's not flat file.
And so on, and so forth.
For the record, there is no difference in security in using one method or another, as long as they are both done properly. Wak's Ask&Answer and CuteNews (flat file scripts) aren't. PHPFanBase and SimpleDir (MySQL scripts) aren't either. Jem's Bella~ series and FlatPress however, are flat file scripts and they are fine. Similarly, WordPress and PHPAskIt are MySQL scripts and they are absolutely fine.
Yes, it's true that hackers discover more and more vulnerabilities in scripts and programming languages all the time, so those scripts may not always be secure in their current versions so it is very important to keep your scripts up to date. But to say a script is insecure because of the method of storage that they use is stupid and shows complete ignorance. If you are going to say a script is insecure, don't just back it up with "well I looked it up online and it said it was insecure". People seem to like publishing fake reports of insecurities (probably where all this is coming from, actually... PHPAskIt had a nice security hoax published about it - and in case you're still living in the dark ages it was wrong) so "looking it up online" isn't always the answer.
If in doubt, ask someone who knows what they're talking about. :)
I have seen countless threads on the various forums from people who are asking for help because their member lists don't show in whatever popular fanlisting script they're currently using. When asked for their code, 9 times out of 10 it looks like this:
<?php
include('header.inc');
if(!$_SERVER['QUERY_STRING']) { ?>
Here are all my members!!!!
[Insert member list code here]
<? } include('footer.inc'); ?>
Can you spot what's wrong with that?
If you can't, here's the answer. Most fanlisting scripts use the query string (that's the bit that comes after a ? in a URL, such as country=USA in a URL like members.php?country=USA) to display members from different countries. The code there includes a line which says if (!$_SERVER['QUERY_STRING']) { which means "if there is no query string, do the following..." ... and the person has stuck their member code in the "do the following" bit (signified by the { and }). The members list WILL fail here, because it relies on the query string. If you tell the members to only show when there is no query string, it will break when you attempt to go to a country.
Now the reason this is happening so often is because it seems that people think "ooh I need a PHP page... How do I do that? Ah, NL-ConvertToPHP." This is wrong, people! All you need to have a "PHP page" is to give it a .php extension. If you want headers and footers (which NL-Convert uses as well), there are millions of tutorials on how to do this online. Don't assume that just because that script is called "ConvertToPHP" it is the be-all and end-all of how to make PHP pages.
Oh yeah, and I have internet again. Just in case anyone was wondering.
One of the questions I am asked most is "will you write a tutorial on how to install PHPAskIt?". My answer to this is always no because people need to learn to read. Included in the PHPAskIt zip file is a file called readme.txt. Now I don't know about you, but when I'm unsure of how to install something, the first thing I do is to look at the readme file (if there is one). When a file is called "READ ME" it usually signifies that it should be read, no?
So why am I bombarded time and time again with this question when I clearly explain how to install the script in the readme file? That, I cannot tell you. But what I do know is the internet population appears to be getting stupider. People use known insecure scripts such as Wak's Ask&Answer and CuteNews because "nothing's ever happened to me" and "I like that script"; people take images they have absolutely no permission to use (and they know this) and make website layouts out of them; and as Jem regularly points out with her Pants Awards, there is no shortage of people giving out stupid advice in the form of tutorials.
I came across a site the other day which combined the aforementioned issues. The site owner had been asked "please can you write a tutorial on how to install and use PHPAskIt" and had done just that. They wrote exactly what I wrote in the readme file, just worded slightly differently. I'd link the tutorial but the site's gone on hiatus (how convenient). What was the point of that? So imagine my delight when I found yet another one of these tutorials. I kid you not, this one is even worse than the other one, and assumes the visitor can't read or something (um, redundant much?).
The tutorial basically follows this format:
- Download the script!
- Upload everything then go to install.php! Yay! Done!
- It will say delete so and so files, delete these files: import directory, upgrade.php, install.php
PLEASE LINK ME IF YOU USED THIS TUT!1!!
"So and so files"?! So basically you're assuming your visitor hasn't read what's on their screen (it tells them which files to delete) or that the message is too confusing (um, you just wrote it out again, word for word. The point?) or something and that your tutorial is the answer to all that? Get over yourself.
Oh yes, and while I'm in a rant mood... I've noticed someone is commenting around the place using my URL. This person appears to go by the name of "Nancy" and uses my site (or the link to PHPAskIt) as their URL. Thanks for the extra hits and everything, "Nancy", but this site actually belongs to me and I'd appreciate it if you could stop doing that.
If you came here from one of "Nancy"'s comments, sorry to disappoint and all, but my name's Amelie and I've never heard of anyone called Nancy.
Pssst: If you have received a comment from "Nancy" using my details, please contact me as I'd love to see who on earth is doing this. :)
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