John K Mitchell's Misc Blog

John Mitchell
Using Munin to Monitor a Linux Server


If you run your own Linux server, it is useful to know whether it is working.

It is even more useful to know how it has been working over the last few hours, days, weeks or months.

That is where Munin comes in.

Munin is a server monitoring and graphing system that collects information about a computer and turns it into graphs. Rather than simply telling you that a server is currently using 42% of its memory, for example, Munin can show you how memory usage has changed over time.

That difference is important.

A single measurement tells you what is happening now. A graph can tell you what has been happening.

This article is based on some recent work developing and refining server monitoring, including using Munin to collect performance information and turn it into a useful visual history of what is happening on a Linux server.

More at https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/?p=3207 https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/?p=3207

John Mitchell
The Truth About "Free" Website Designers: A Word of Caution for Small Businesses


As a small business owner, you've probably seen the offers floating around social media and local business groups, I know I have seen several of them in recently.


"Free website design!" they say. "Just let me build my portfolio," or "No cost to get you started." It sounds brilliant, doesn't it? You're busy running your business. The thought of getting a professional-looking website without spending a penny is understandably tempting.


But as the old saying goes, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.


While there are genuine, kind-hearted individuals out there offering to help friends and family, the "free website" model often comes with hidden strings attached that can cause serious problems for your business down the line.


Let's look at the reality behind these offers and why paying a fair price—or at least understanding the terms—is usually the safer bet.

More at https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/2026/09/the-truth-about-free-website-designers/ https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/2026/09/the-truth-about-free-website-designers/

John Mitchell
Using a Raspberry Pi for Server Monitoring: An Always-On Server Monitor


If you run your own Linux server, one of the most useful things you can build is a way of keeping an eye on it when you are not actually sitting at the keyboard.

Servers are supposed to run quietly in the background. Ideally, you configure them, switch them on and then leave them to get on with the job.

Unfortunately, servers do occasionally have a bad day.

A service can stop. A website can become unavailable. Disk space can gradually disappear. Memory usage can creep upwards. An application can start responding slowly. Or, in the worst case, the entire server can simply disappear from the network.

This is where Raspberry Pi server monitoring can be particularly useful.

A Raspberry Pi makes an excellent always-on monitoring computer because it is small, inexpensive, relatively low-power and capable of running Linux and a wide range of monitoring software.

More at https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/?p=3200 https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/?p=3200

John Mitchell
Someone Has Harvested Your Email Address – What Can You Do?


Imagine receiving an email telling you something rather unsettling.

Someone has found your email address.

They have added it to a commercial database.

And that database is available for businesses to use when looking for potential customers.

You might reasonably ask:

How did they get my email address?

More importantly:

Why do they think they have the right to use it?

And perhaps the question that really matters:

What can I do about it?

This is becoming an increasingly interesting issue for anyone who has an online presence, particularly business owners and people whose professional contact details are publicly available.

It is also an issue that can be surprisingly difficult to understand because there is a big difference between an email address being publicly visible, an email address being collected into a database, and a company actually using that address to send you marketing.

More at https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/2026/09/email-address-harvested-marketing-database/ https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/2026/09/email-address-harvested-marketing-database/

John Mitchell
Shopping Cart Abandonment: Why Customers Leave Without Buying


TL;DR: Shopping cart abandonment is a normal part of online selling, but too much of it can cost your small business a lot of money. Customers may leave because checkout is too complicated, they have changed their mind, the website feels unsafe, or the final price is higher than expected. Before changing your online shop, try something simple: shop on your own website as if you were a customer. Then compare that experience with the way you use other online shops. The differences can reveal problems you may never notice when you are used to your own website.


How Many Customers Are Abandoning Their Shopping Carts?


If you run an online shop, you probably already know that not everyone who adds something to their shopping cart will buy it. In fact, shopping cart abandonment is one of the biggest challenges faced by online retailers.

More at https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/?p=3192 https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/?p=3192

John Mitchell
Computer Health and Safety: How Small Businesses Can Protect Their Staff


TL;DR: Computers themselves are not usually the problem. The real risks come from spending long periods sitting badly, using poorly positioned equipment, staring at a screen without a break and repeating the same movements for hours. For small businesses, a few simple changes to desks, chairs, screens and working habits can make a big difference.


Why Computer Health and Safety Matters to Small Businesses


For many small businesses, computers have become as important as the telephone was a few decades ago. Whether you run an office, manage a shop, work in an accounts department or spend your day dealing with customers online, there is a good chance that you spend a large part of your working day looking at a screen.

That makes computer health and safety something worth taking seriously.

More at https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/?p=3190 https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/?p=3190

John Mitchell
Business Premises Security: How to Protect Your Small Business


TL;DR: Good business premises security is not just about stopping burglars. It can protect your stock, equipment, property, staff and your ability to keep trading. CCTV, alarms, access controls, security patrols and other measures can all help, but the right solution depends on your business, premises and location. You do not necessarily need an expensive security system. Start by understanding what you need to protect and where your biggest risks are.


Why Business Security Matters


Business premises security might not be the most exciting thing on your list of jobs, especially when you are busy trying to win customers, manage staff and keep the accounts under control. However, it is one of those things that can suddenly become very important when something goes wrong.

A break-in can cause far more damage than the value of whatever a criminal manages to steal.

More at https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/2026/09/business-premises-security-protect-your-small-business/ https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/2026/09/business-premises-security-protect-your-small-business/

John Mitchell
Back-Button Hijacking: Why Small Business Websites Need to Stop Doing It


TL;DR: Back-button hijacking is the irritating trick that stops a visitor from using their browser’s Back button normally. Instead of returning to the page they came from, they may see an advert, a different page or be sent around a loop. It has annoyed web users for years, but Google has now made its position much clearer. In April 2026, Google announced that back-button hijacking would become an explicit violation of its spam policies, with enforcement beginning on 15 June 2026. Websites using the practice can face manual spam actions or automated ranking demotions. For a small business, that means a tactic intended to gain an extra page view could end up costing valuable Google traffic.


What Is Back-Button Hijacking?


There is a very simple rule when you browse the web: if you click your browser's Back button, you expect to go back. It sounds obvious because it is.

More at https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/?p=3182 https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/?p=3182