Web sites, and computery jiggery-poke in general can be a pain in the overly-complicated seat cushion. Everyone knows that. But ostensibly one of the easiest things to work with as a whole is the amazing Apache web server that runs most of the internet. That is the original poster-child for Open Source and Free As In Beer software. (not to mention secure and stable and well-written)
But what you maybe did not know is, it’s also a pleasure to work with and fairly easy to learn about and twiddle with.
OK, so you’re not a server administrator, but maybe you do run a web site and have hosting. If you have a good host like mine, DreamHost, then you can do all sorts of cool UNIXy things with your own domain (web site). And one of the coolest and most useful things you can do is futz with a nifty file that Apache Web Server likes to read and obey, called .htaccess of all things.
.htaccess is the the place to go to protect directories (folders) in your web site while still making the intended content available the intended way (as a web site, in a web browser). It also allows you control over the infamous error pages, like this one.
Pretty cool stuff, huh?! Want to learn more? Well, I’m not going to re-invent the wheel, nor am I going to rewrite a classic novel just for shits and grins, so…
Click this link to see a cool article on .htaccess