Frequently Asked Questions

The NearlyFreeSpeech.NET FAQ (*)

Programming (*)

What is a software realm?

How do I set up the server to allow web applications to write files?

How does CGI work at NearlyFreeSpeech.NET?

What can I do if I want a script to run every so often on my site (like cron)?

How do I customize my PHP configuration?

What is the path to the root of my site in PHP?

What is the best HTML editor to use with your system?

How do I alter the PHP memory limit?

What references do you recommend for web technologies?

Do you have register_globals enabled for PHP?

No. By default, this feature of PHP is not enabled. It is widely considered a serious security risk and we have seen a number of member sites victimized by exploits related to having register_globals enabled. We discourage its use.

However, if you understand the implications of register_globals and you are prepared to accept the increased security risks associated with its use, we have provided you with the means to enable it on a per-directory basis. Simply create an .htaccess file in your public folder containing the line:

php_flag register_globals on

You can verify that this is working by using the phpinfo() function on a PHP page. You should see register_globals set to "On" in the local context and "Off" in the global context.

If you do not need register_globals support, you do not need to take any steps to protect your site from exploits related to it.

What is the path to the root of my site for CGI scripts?

How do I change the version of PHP that my site uses?

How do I control what user a CGI script runs as?

Can I compile my own CGI application on your servers?

I used an absolute path in an SSI and it didn't work. What should I do?

How do I write files from scripts run by the web server?

How do I protect an upload directory from being exploited?