Here is what I had to do (and you may have to do) to get back full features and operations:

• Check that PHP was in safe_mode (not obvious, you’d have access to the server or its administrator).
• Ensure that access rights to the image upload directory (wp-content/uploads/*) were clearly set to 777 (here again, you’ll need to get support from the adminstrator, or a Telnet/SSH access to your account on the server).
• Since I did not re-install WordPress from scratch, but transfered the full config, I did not notice that the setting for storing of images was now bogus (the directory used on the previous server was not existing on the new server). So, I went back to the admin interface of WordPress > Settings > Miscellaneous and set again wp-content/uploads as the upload directory (first option on this page and default value as shown/written under it).

I hope that you will not be stung like me…

Be warned.

• Location of PHP.INI
• Update to mysql and gd libraries
• Compatibility with WP-cache

So, here is the nice little PHP script that I use here to redirect randomly to one of the right pages:

You can re-use it on your own web site if you want to. It’s free.

On another issue, the SPAM problem on the Internet became a major problem: Prorams try to make believe that they are human beings in order to insert advertisment anywhere a user can write (in the messages of a forum, in the comments of a blog, etc). For some time now, it became common that human users must identify themselves by their capacity to recognize a badly written word. Theoretically, this is a very efficient Turing test allowing to differentiate a human from a machine only by the results of their actions. Practically, the abilities of software programs have become so impressive that SPAM is slowly coming back again through those filters named CAPTCHAs (those images that you must read and copy back in order to be identified and approved for a specific action).

The problem appears to be: create CAPTCHA tremendously difficult for the automated software and, simultaneously, bring human beings to the task of checking scans of documents difficult to read by program.

The solution: reCAPTCHA.

The idea is to provide a CAPTCHA service to thousands of bloggers and forum administrators (WordPress, phpBB, etc.) Users are invited to recognize two words specifically difficult to read (profesional OCR programs failed during scans done by Carnegie Mellon University). The user must recognize them both. One is used to check that this is a human being, the other will fill a database of OCR translations that will be used to deliver even more CAPTCHAs and to improve the quality of a document scanned by Carnegie Mellon. Dual core technology: efficiently fight spammers and deliver millions of human users to improve the scan quality of thousands of ancient documents (without using slave labor).

Example of a difficult to read/scan document:

One of the key advantages is that most pro OCR programs can tell when they fail to recognize a character or a word (when they are not confident enough).

10 – Go to the IP addresss

Instead of connecting through the domain name (example.com), you could connect directly to the IP address (192.168.0.15). It the network stops you at the DNS level, this will allow you to reach the site.

9 – Go to the Google cache

As you certainly know, the Google search engine offers “cached” links after most of its results. Since those are copies of the original web site located on Google servers, it is convenient.

8 – Go to Google mobile search

Google mobile search is made for mobile phone users, but it can be used by countless others.

7 – Go to an anonymizer

Companies are offering to be the intermediate bewteen you and the web site you want to visit. Their primary offer is to hide you from the web site owner, but quite often, the side effect is also to run around the censorship set at your provider or company. See my own list of anonimyzers.

6 – Translate the web site

Several tools allow to translate the contents of a web site. Use them to access sites that are hidden from you.

• Altavista BabelFish
• Google translate

5 – Go to a proxy server

A proxy server is merely an intermediate between you and the web site you want to visit. They may not be hiding your identity like the anonimyzers, but the censors will probably not see your destination. Many are public. Quite a number of them are known and recognized (banned) anyway. A large list of public proxy servers.

4 – Web by email

Nearly low-tech compared to the rest and often quite slow, you can request the web pages you want to see. Using the right service, you could receive copies by email. It may be too slow to surf the web, but if you know where is the information you need, it’s working in many cases.

• webgate@vancouver-webpages.com
• Accessing the Internet by Email FAQ

3 – Change providers

Leave your company or your country for some other place where it is easier to access the Internet. Even if it may not be really reasonable for a country, leaving may be an option if your ISP is blocking some accesses. Another ISP may be more flexible.

2 – Use TOR

TOR is a distributed network of proxy servers. You connect to it, your request will go to TOR and be transfered to one or more of the TOR machines. You can even participate easily to the TOR network (bringing your own PC into the network, not merely using it – it improves the quality of your searches).

Main problems:

• Some web sites (e.g. SlashDot) block all TOR-enabled IP addresses because they have been used to abuse them.
• Installing a TOR node is more complex, but very efficient.

1 – Create your own proxy server

If all else fails, why not install your own proxy. In most cases, you can install one wherever you like and it will be known by you only. this way, you have a personnal anti-censorship tool that you can move any time you want. Several proxy servers written in PHP can be used for this:

• APAZ
• PHPproxy
• Prixvoxy
• Windows HTTP proxy at home

• The <?php tend to disappear (unless you start juggling)
• Some charcaters would not display at all (or badly)
• The overall presentation is pretty bland if you use <code>

So, I looked for a plugin (nearly everything in WordPress is done by adding on of those marvellous little code gems that can be included in a few seconds into the basic configuration) adapted to this task, easy to install (I don’t want to be stuck with heavy maintenance just for this), easy to use.

Here is the summary of what I checked and my opinion regarding them.

Code markup v1.1.1

Syntax

Just insert your code between <pre><code> and </code></pre>.

In my opinion

Pros:

• Correctly avoids WordPress text transformation
• It is still possible to add some manual formating in the code itself
• Compatible with WordPress 1.5, 2.0 & 2.1
• Single file plugin, to be activated from the WP dashboard

Cons:

• No syntax coloration

ElasticDog Code viewer v1.1

Syntax

Your code is stored in an external file, is displayed with indentation and auto line-return, may be downloaded separately.

In my opinion

Pros:

• Rather flexible presentation/format (e.g. line numbering)
• External file storage allows code duplication if it appears in several posts or in several locations)
• Single file plugin, to be activated from the WP dashboard; Plus described installation procedure

Cons:

• External file storage: Rather heavy duty solution for small snipets of code

Coffe2code Preserve code Formatting v0.9

Syntax

Just insert your code between <pre><code> and </code></pre> (some other tags can also be defined).

In my opinion

Pros:

• Correctly avoids WordPress text transformation
• Single file plugin, to be activated from the WP dashboard

Cons:

• Not updated since 2005. It is not even sure it was tested with WordPress v2.1 ?
• No syntax coloration

Priyadi’s Code Autoescape v2.0

Syntax

Just insert your code between <pre><code> and </code></pre>.

In my opinion

Pros:

• Correctly avoids WordPress text transformation
• Compatible with WordPress 1.5, 2.0 & 2.1
• Single file plugin, to be activated from the WP dashboard

Cons:

• No syntax coloration

CoolCode

In my opinion

Pros:

• Includes syntax coloration

Cons:

• The web site is 99% in Chinese (I did not complete a real evaluation).

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Dean Code Source Syntax highlighting v1.1

Syntax

Just insert your code between <pre lang=”php”> and </pre> (specifying PHP language or any other language).

In my opinion

Pros:

• Correctly avoids WordPress text transformation
• Compatible with WordPress 1.5+
• Also includes syntax coloration (for many languages).
• Single file plugin, to be activated from the WP dashboard, and a CSS file to fine-tune formating

Cons:

• You must define CSS tags (minor problem since, for the others, you prefer to do so)

RobM Code entities v1.1

Syntax

In view of the current evolution of this type of plugins, even the author advises to use Priyadi’s Code Autoescape instead of his own.

Conclusion

As you can deduct from the information I provided here, my choice was Dean Code Source Syntax highlighting that I currently use for Roumazeilles.net. The strongest reason was clearly the ability to do syntax coloration to increase readability even for small code snippets (I care about my readers confort).

I can’t say I saw every aspect of these plugins in the comparison (benchmark) but it led me to a reasoned choice that I wanted to share with you. You may be doing a different choice; Feel free to tell us which one and why.

Examples

PHP code

Here is how PHP source code appears:

CSS code

Here is how a CSS file is displayed: