Archive of November 2005
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
PolarBlog V1.7.1 (Blind Squirrel) Released
PolarBlog V1.7.1 (Blind Squirrel) has been released.Enhancements
- None
- Includes the missing upgrade/installer utility for V1.7.0 that was released yesterday. You must run the upgrade utility in order for your PolarBlog V1.7.0 installation to work properly.
- None
This release is named "Blind Squirrel" because this was a really stupid oversight on my part! November 30, 2005 @ 08:43 am | Category: Software Development
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
PolarBlog V1.7.0 (Homing Pigeon) Released
PolarBlog V1.7.0 (Homing Pigeon) has been released. The major focus of this release is that addition posting via email, reworking of the installation/upgrade utility and resolution of a RSS handling error.Enhancements
- Added blog posting via email!
- Major rewrite of the installer/upgrade utility.
- Added Multi-Section "Other Blogs" support.
- Added Ping-O-Matic! checkbox to entry add/update (if USE_PINGER enabled).
- Additional validation of input data for improved security.
- New pb_input_text CSS replaces pb_title in most places.
* pb_title = Entry Title and Entry Index Date
* pb_input_text = Edit input field text
- Database performance improvements to entry selection.
- Addition of English and Spanish translation in UTF-8 character sets.
- Bad header redirect (304) is causing the RSS feed to not be sent when no updates have been made, but the user doesn't currently have the file! This has been corrected by redirecting to the existing RSS feed.
- FULLTEXT entry search may have not been created properly in a previous upgrade. This condition is automatically checked and corrected in the new upgrade process.
- Undefined variable $display in PolarBlog::buildComment() issuing a PHP Notice.
- Edit topic or user cancel button returns to main page. While editing a topic or user when you cancel it now returns to the section selection menu.
- Added USE_TIMER
- Added POP3_MODE
- Added POP3_HOST
- Added POP3_PORT
- Added POP3_USER
- Added POP3_PASSWD
- Added POP3_MAIL
- Added POP3_TOPIC
This release is named "Homing Pigeon" because of the ability for PolarBlog posts to now find their way back to your blog! November 29, 2005 @ 04:06 pm | Category: Software Development
Monday, November 21, 2005
The Move is On
December 9, 2005And if you're now reading this, my migration to A2 Web Hosting has succeeded! It's likely that there are a few things that may be broken, so bear with me over the next couple of days whilst I sort it all out.
— December 5, 2005
Things will probably be pretty quite here this week as I prepare to switch over my hosting Friday evening.
—
As much as I didn't want to have to do it, I've decided to move my website again. I've signed up and begun reconfiguring my website at A2 Web Hosting.
Although my current hosting provider runs fast servers and does a good job of staying on top of security issues, they have been increasingly unresponsive to support requests. I've had a couple of issues in the past couple of months that have not been acknowledged or remedied. I'm not sure what has happened with them, but I used to get very timely and positive responses to my support requests. And I don't think it's because I'm constantly whining about things, I'm not. I've been here for two years now and other than some initial issues, I haven't spoken to them until the past couple of months. That's not acceptable to me and that's the first reason I'm packing up and moving.
The other reason for my move is because I want to be on a server with PHP5 on it. I had volunteered to be guinea pig for it with my current provider, but my offer was not acknowleged. And then more recently I entered into a discussion to consider porting PolarBlog to PostgreSQL. This is something I am interested in doing as well as increasing my general knowledge, so I then needed a host which would also provide that. Thus in addition to my current requirements, I needed a host that had both PHP5 and PostgreSQL support. I found only a few affordable choice and A2 Web Hosting quickly became the clear option. As an added bonus they also support Ruby on Rails should I start looking at that…something else I'd like to do.
So, sometime in the next month, PolarLava will be on the move. And if I can find the time, it will come out on the other side with a new look. But that may need to wait a bit…time will tell. November 21, 2005 @ 12:59 pm | Category: PolarLava Website
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Slow Dowm
For the past several weeks I have been traveling daily through construction zone where one lane is closed. As annoyed as I am that this has taken so long, I'm happy to report that this morning it entertained me. There is one of those large portable display signs with a radar unit that tells you your speed as you approach it. It also tells you to slow down. Or as it appeared to read to me as I drove past it this morning "Slow Dowm". Maybe my brain wasn't functioning this morning and this is just a figment of my imagination, In any case I will have to verify this tomorrow morning.November 18, 2005
I did confirm this morning that it does indeed say "Slow Dowm"! I tried to snap a picture with my camera phone this morning, but I was too far away from the sign. I'll try to remember again on Monday when I go past it…
December 5, 2005
I tried and tried —at least six times to get a snapshot of this sign. But we had a very windy day last week and the sign got turned sideways. Then a couple of days later they towed it away. :( And the best part is that the left lane STILL isn't open!!! November 17, 2005 @ 12:38 pm | Category: That's Funny!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Repent America, Brain-dead America
I've had this link for quite a while now, but the point is still just as relevant now as it was when I found it. It's this sort of brain-dead thinking by the people behind or a part of this organization that continue to prove that Darwin was right. November 16, 2005 @ 12:55 pm | Category: Darwin's WorkGeneral Zod 2008
You know, General Zod might be just the supreme control that this country needs right now. Oh, wait…we've basically got a dictator now, don't we. November 16, 2005 @ 12:46 pm | Category: That's Funny!Saturday, November 12, 2005
Homing Pigeon Complete!
The next release of PolarBlog, "Homing Pigeon" is complete! I still need to finish updating the documentation and get it packaged for release, but other than bug fixes, I'm done coding. This new release is now running on this blog so if you experience any problems, please let me know: kevinp ~AT~ polarlava.com. I would think that this should be released in the next couple of weeks.The primary focus of this release was posting by email. But there are a number of other changes also: A major rewrite of the install/update utility, multi-section blogroll (see right navigation), optional pinging on entry add/update, separation of entry title and edit text CSS, some minor security enhancements and database performance improvements. November 12, 2005 @ 12:10 pm | Category: Software Development
Friday, November 11, 2005
Small Changes
I've made a few changes to my website… I've done this because the FAQ was way outdated, link pages are passe and the RSS Feed page was mostly an experimental thing just for my use. But since becoming addicted to the new Google drug and the wonderful inforss extension I no longer need this page.Bigger changes are likely in store for the future. (You're excited, I can tell.) November 11, 2005 @ 01:11 pm | Category: PolarLava Website