So it looks like there is a major bug in Wordpress 2.9. Anyone who utilizes the scheduling a post option is well aware of this.

A quick search via Google pulls up the wordpress.org support forum where users, and I think a developer or two, are discussion the problem. It looks like the problem was isolated to the http.php file. The resolution appears to be the following:

Replace

$timeout_ms = (int) ceil( 1000 * $r['timeout'] );

with

$timeout_ms = (int) ceil( 1000 * max($r['timeout'], 1) );

That said, I make no promises as to what this will do to your site/system. If you do opt to attempt to fix your system using this mod you do so at your own risk. It is also important to note this appears to be addressed in Wordpress 2.9.1 RC 1, so you may want to use that version to fix the problem.

I’m having a Wordpress issue… or I think it may be an issue triggered by wordpress.

When Wordpress started to provide new releases I started to notice, well, rather weird behaviors with the performance with my site.  My archives stopped showing up when I attempted to access them.

As of August 27th of this year I will have been blogging for a year.  So, one should have the ability going to the following URL and see all the posts from August of last year:

http://vansantos.com/2008/08/

Again, in theory, this would show all posts from the month of August, 2008.  That is not the case.  The reader/surfer is redirected to the main page of the blog.  It it a huge issue?  No, but it is very – VERY – annoying because I want to be able to access the back information  I also want readers to have access to the information.

Interestingly, this only happens for my archives.  If one goes to the root tag URL, a 404 note is displayed.  The same applies to the root category URL.  I cannot figure it out.

Part of me wonders if this is a .htaccess issue, better known as an Apache configuration file issue, but I cannot find a way to validate my question. I’ve changed the configuration file a number of times this evening but cannot get my desired outcome.

As a recap, this error started once I began to upgrade Wordpress a few months back but I cannot find an indicator that the issue is caused by Wordpress OR by the .htaccess file on my server.

UPDATE

I figured out the issue – it was a config setting with a plugin that I use.   When I updated the plugin a few months back, they added a new field that eliminated the archives (for some reason) and set this “feature” as a default without telling users.  Nice job on their part.

The archives should be working now.

I very well may have missed the news in the last few days, but I was surprised to see that Wordpress 2.8 was released by Wordpress.org. I knew the next version was on the way, I just didn’t know it was this soon.

So, why upgrade?

Having not yet moved through the upgrade process, wordpress 2.8 is said to:

• be faster due to scripting changes
• have theme installation process improvement
• include a widget interface redesign (good, as I felt the last version was subpar)

There are also a number (by number, I mean 180) new features included. Ones that really seem of interest to me are:

• Separate Comments into a separate postbox, from Discussion postbox, on the Edit Post screen
• Allow the dashboard widgets to be arranged in up to four columns
• Allow editing of all plugin files (Woo hoo!)
• Autosave post/page when pressing Control/Command+S
• Give login screen proper iPhone viewport

I’m interested to do the upgrade as the potential increase in speed/usability could be very beneficial, especially if the scripting cut down on processing power. More notes to come…

One thing bloggers and developers want to know is how traffic flows through their site and there could be for a number of reasons for wanting such information.  Is a  new design is working as intended?  Are headlines written in such a way that they illicit interest for your readers?  Why do people “bounce” away from the site?  These are all potential things a blogger would want to know about their site.

Some web stats programs have the ability to provide this information on a limited basis, but very view options are available to bloggers that show the exact path – especially for Wordpress users – so here is one for the Wordpress Community to investigate:  clickstats

clikStats is a plugin that automatically detects the current links within each post and compiles the who,what and when data (of each click) and provides an overview to the publish through his or her dashboard.

A sweet tool for anyone who wants to understand what is/isn’t working on their blog.

Time for another batch of potentially useful Wordpress plugins that are new to the community.  I am currently testing the following items, and have had no major issues thus far, but I cannot yet fully state they are 100% stable.

That out of the way, let’s get to it.

Phpinclude

If you are a PHP developer, I’m guessing you have had the urge to execute code in Wordpress at one point or another.  You can user an iFrame and call your PHP code but that can get a bit… well, it can be a pain to do so over and over.  While other plugins have attempted to execute PHP in the past, they never seemed to work properly – not that they were bad – they just never work right all of the time.  

Enter phpinclude.  

Thus far the plugin has performed flawlessly, and I may finally be able to successfully include PHP into the blog.

WP Post Styling 

This is a very interesting concept, one that I was interested in doing myself, but Joe Dolson got there before I did.  This plugin allows users to add custom styles to be applied to specific pages or posts.  Sweet idea and good execution.

Check them out, give them a try and thank the creators for their efforts.

A few weeks back, when the Psolenoid launched, I semi-wondered if there is any need for the trackback feature bloggers use.  The whole point was for blogs to cross-link to related posts, but somewhere along the way it because a method to spam individuals with information totally unrelated – usually linking back to something I wrote and someone stole! 

One intent of the trackback was to continue discussion on your posted topic, but that can be accomplished by having conversations in your comment section.  If one wanted, one could force anyone who wished to comment to do so by creating their own post and then trackback to the original. Yes, it would be a lot of effort on all parties involved but it would create an environment that would keep only dedicated individuals from being involved in the conversation.   

In the past I would use trackbacks are sources for other information, and at times, inspired me to blog about other topics.  With spam being such a large problem I really have a hard time seeing how the service is useful any longer.

Just thinking about loud once again…

So, I’ve been working on a new template for the site when I found out that my “Subscribe to Comments” plug-in wasn’t working on my current template.  I am not sure how this happened as it was working one day, then BOOM, it wasn’t… and I made no changes that would have caused the plug-in from functioning.

The plug-in adds the comments offering readers the option to subscribe but there is no check box allowing for the user to subscribe.

This seems odd, no?

I did some research and I cannot find any other people who have run into this issue.  I looked at code of the plug-in, did a compare of the original and the version I have installed, and they are both the same….  

Since  the plugin is not working properly, I will be deactivating the feature.  After I migrate to the new template I will look into this problem…

Thanks to Wandering Coyote for pointing this out.

Wikinvest, an investment website run by “everyday” investors, has created a plugin for blogs that focus on financial information – the Wikinvest Stock Quotes Plugin.  

The plugin will search your post for keywords and suggest potential stock quotes you may want to include in your posts.  For those worried that the plugin will have a mind of its own, fear not, as the plugin does not include any information without your confirmation before the post goes live.

The one thing I do not care for is how the plugin will link back to the Wikinvest site in order to be “a resource of good quality and free content for your readers”  What they are really saying is the Plugin is a way for Wikinvest to create new sources of traffic.

It should would be nice if they had an option to turn that “feature” off.

Unfortunately I have no way of testing the plugin at this point.  When I try to download the file from Wikinvest I obtain an error. Makes me wonder what to expect of the service moving forward…

Just when I gave up hope on finding a Wordpress template that would meet my needs, one came along that was interesting. I tried it but it sitll doesn’t work for me  (not that it’s bad, it actually looks very clean.  

Anyway, developer Arcsin, release a new theme that is worth looking at if you like basic two-column designs.

Here you go – it’s called Emplode.

Quick question for StatsPress Reloaded users – do you find the plugin slows down/chews up CPU power if your log file get’s too large?

As the site contiunes to grow it seems the StatPress Reloaded plugin slows down significantly…