Comments on: Ars Wordpressae

By: paul frijters

paul frijters — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 05:36:05 +0000

give yourself more credit Jacques. No one does it quite like like like like you you you you We’re all grateful.

By: Jacques Chester

Jacques Chester — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 04:45:04 +0000

Oh, and I prefer rm -f /var/mail/jc myself.

By: Jacques Chester

Jacques Chester — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 04:43:25 +0000

I also see you’re running that new software of yours. I might do a test installation at some stage.

By: cam

cam — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 04:37:24 +0000

How Jacques will read his email in future; kill -9

btw I moved SSR off the mini-itx box on my wDSL connection about a month ago.

By: Fiasco da Gama

Fiasco da Gama — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:15:52 +0000

depending on how much time I have as (fingers crossed) a student

Oh, man, you like punishment, don’t you? Sounds like sysadminning in the Houdini fashion, locked in a straitjacket, held by the ankles in a pool of water.
Respect.

By: Jacques Chester

Jacques Chester — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:49:45 +0000

Maybe I should apologise a bit less and work on rearranging how I administer the site. I’ve just recognised some of myself in this article: http://eddiesguy.blogspot.com/2007/06/creating-my-own-personal-hell.html

I think part of my trouble has been that I’ve fallen into many classic traps: the heroic hacker mindset, for example. Not really thinking about risks. Not debugging systematically through the proven hypothesise/develop test cases/test and conclude triad. What I’d really like to do at some point is work on my tools and processes for managing the site. I should be using revision control, bug tracking, unit testing and regression, systematic monitoring, release planning, risk management and all the other niceties we sacrifice. For software developers these practices are a lot like brushing teeth: boring habits which pay incredibly handsome pain-avoidance dividends.

So once I’ve dispatched the site move, and then the other outstanding issues surrounding it (such as re-establishing our email framework), and then finishing contracts, and depending on how much time I have as (fingers crossed) a student, I’d like to step back and reflect on how I manage the site and how I could do it better. And then do it.

By: skepticlawyer

skepticlawyer — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:41:38 +0000

Agree with Ken - stop apologising, Jacques. At least once a week Blairs, Catallaxy or LP goes funny/slow/whatever. The latter two have stopped disappearing of late (although there was a scary half hour on the Cat last week), and I should probably touch wood while saying that. Everyone’s still figuring stuff out, not just you

By: Jacques Chester

Jacques Chester — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:52:29 +0000

Thanks for the pedantry, Ken*. It’s the sort of thing I should spot myself.

As for ADSL, according to my new provider Telstra were meant to switch it on 2 days ago. Instead I need to wait for them to go to my local exchange again: 5 - 10 days. Goody.

* And thanks Geoff and Rex for your kind remarks. If it ever seems necessary to get a new server perhaps I will do a donations drive. I’ve seen it done in the past and on a site like this significant funds can be raised.

By: Ken Parish

Ken Parish — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 10:06:18 +0000

Yes. don’t be apologetic Jacques. Everyone (especially Nicholas and myself) is very grateful for your fantastic efforts under trying circumstances. It seems that neither shared hosting nor VPS is up to the mark when you run a blog with substantial readership and a large-ish database. At the risk of excessive pedantry, however, I should point out that the footer actually says “managed by by Jacques Chester” at present. I certainly hope it isn’t a Freudian slip. Any idea when the ADSL connection is likely to be operative?

By: Rex

Rex — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 08:13:34 +0000

Gawd it sounds a nightmare!. Yer a bloody marvel.

By: Geoff Honnor

Geoff Honnor — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 07:47:07 +0000

Well, good on you Jacques! Having a dedicated Club Troppo Server can only be a good thing and I, for one, would be happy to kick in some dollars if it helps the cause.