- Welcome to Brian's Corner.
Recent posts
#11
Site News / Weather is Changing...
Last post by brian - Jan 20, 2021, 4:46 pmThe Weather Code has changed. With Apple's acquisition of DarkSky, the feed was going to go dark soon... It took me a while to find a replacement. VisualCrossing is filling the gap. Their weather magnet is sleek, modern, and open source.
I was able to maintain my existing location code (from Google Maps API), tie it into their system, and build a caching engine to minimize API usage. They had a nice location search function, but it did not align with my caching strategy.
Another recent change... larger fonts. The site is a bit easier to read without zooming in. And, of course, the typical array of micro optimizations throughout.
I was able to maintain my existing location code (from Google Maps API), tie it into their system, and build a caching engine to minimize API usage. They had a nice location search function, but it did not align with my caching strategy.
Another recent change... larger fonts. The site is a bit easier to read without zooming in. And, of course, the typical array of micro optimizations throughout.
#12
Site News / Tweaks and Tidbits
Last post by brian - Dec 17, 2020, 9:26 amThe site is using a custom build of Nginx which enables TLS 1.3. We're more secure and (yet again) faster. TLS 1.2 support remains for legacy browsers.
MariaDB has been optimized for the site, increasing performance. Some of my custom code on Home and Links has been optimized to provide lower overhead for SQL queries as well.
Minor tweaks in other places: Forum logons stay logged on for all pages, favicons look better at higher resolution, buttons on Links pages have been redesigned, Gallery header is cached locally to prevent delayed loading, login panel in header improved focus / display...
MariaDB has been optimized for the site, increasing performance. Some of my custom code on Home and Links has been optimized to provide lower overhead for SQL queries as well.
Minor tweaks in other places: Forum logons stay logged on for all pages, favicons look better at higher resolution, buttons on Links pages have been redesigned, Gallery header is cached locally to prevent delayed loading, login panel in header improved focus / display...
#13
Site News / Updates and Optimizations
Last post by brian - Jun 24, 2020, 12:46 amUpdated to PHP 7.4... more speed.
Also optimized SSL configuration to ensure only modern security schemes are allowed. No TLS v1.3, though... my OS build doesn't fully support a recent enough version of OpenSSL.
The "pretty urls" were dropped from Links, Gallery, and Forum. No one really sees URLs anymore, and it was just another action slowing down the site.
Since the previous update, I also moved to Brotli compression over gzip (gzip still supported where needed). It was another little performance boost.
Also optimized SSL configuration to ensure only modern security schemes are allowed. No TLS v1.3, though... my OS build doesn't fully support a recent enough version of OpenSSL.
The "pretty urls" were dropped from Links, Gallery, and Forum. No one really sees URLs anymore, and it was just another action slowing down the site.
Since the previous update, I also moved to Brotli compression over gzip (gzip still supported where needed). It was another little performance boost.
#14
Site News / New Web Host
Last post by brian - Aug 17, 2019, 7:41 pmJust completed migration to Hostinger for web hosting. Chose them for low cost and extreme flexibility on their VPS platform. I am now running Nginx as the server and PHP 7.3 for processing.
Web site should now be faster than ever and also very secure.
Web site should now be faster than ever and also very secure.
#15
Site News / Lighter & Faster
Last post by brian - Jul 26, 2019, 11:05 amMoved the site server engine to nginx. Significantly improves page delivery. Replaced all jQuery code on the Home page with vanilla JavaScript. This removed the jQuery library, adding yet another performance enhancement (both load and execution).
The site is now faster than ever and uses less bandwidth.
The site is now faster than ever and uses less bandwidth.
#16
Site News / So Many Updates
Last post by brian - May 21, 2019, 3:34 pmIt's been years since my last post. Updates: Dark Sky weather, Mobile Friendly, PHP 7 compatible, JQuery integration, Prototype removal, Coppermine Gallery update, Simple Machine Forums reinstall, Roundcube webmail update.
Nothing major on the front end, but a lot of work modernizing the back-end.
Nothing major on the front end, but a lot of work modernizing the back-end.
#17
Site News / Refreshed Look
Last post by brian - Oct 17, 2013, 12:20 amMoving towards better optimization, the number of background images on the site are being reduced. To keep form and function to point, this is being done by flattening the overall look. Many images have had minor adjustments to fit the updated style. Check the About page (link on the bottom of the page) to see how the site look has changed over the past years.
The updates over the past 3 years have been slight, mostly security updates and other minor tweaks and enhancements. The results should be a slightly more refined and consistent look and feel. More work to do... just not enough time to get to it all.
The updates over the past 3 years have been slight, mostly security updates and other minor tweaks and enhancements. The results should be a slightly more refined and consistent look and feel. More work to do... just not enough time to get to it all.
#18
Site News / New Forum & Gallery - Color In...
Last post by brian - Mar 13, 2010, 11:02 pmI updated the forum software to the upcoming v2.0 release and the gallery software to the upcoming v1.5 release. There are quite a few changes throughout with these upgrades. The new default theme has inspired a bit of a makeover on the site. Colors are changing, and styles will follow. Expect the rest of the site to slowly catch up.
#19
Site News / Weather & Other Bits
Last post by brian - Jun 28, 2009, 4:01 pmThe weather system has easy access to view the forecast throughout the day. Check out the forecast tabs. In addition, there have been minor tweaks and adjustments throughout the weather system. Hourly forecasts now display 24 hours into the future (it was 12 hours). ZoneCast now displays daytime and nighttime forecasts for the next seven days. It was formerly daytime only for 7 days or daytime and nighttime for 3 days. Fixes for formatting issues and optimizing display items to get the most out of the weather system.
News has had minor adjustments as well, now displaying how long it has been since the article was updated. All this, plus minor updates to the forum, gallery, links, and webmail. Javascript library updates should improve performance as well. Enjoy!
News has had minor adjustments as well, now displaying how long it has been since the article was updated. All this, plus minor updates to the forum, gallery, links, and webmail. Javascript library updates should improve performance as well. Enjoy!
#20
Site News / Links Design and Feature Chang...
Last post by brian - Dec 6, 2008, 12:13 pmThe Links system has had a significant update. The template design has been updated to more closely match the Forum and Gallery. The ability to submit and update sites on the system has been modified to require an account on the site (which is free). The options will only appear when you are logged on. These features no longer have a Captcha requirement nor do they require entering your name and email any more. The Links system gets the information it needs from your site login.
Additional Improvements were made on Dec 8: a Directory has been added, to allow easier navigation through the system; formatting was adjusted to display using the full browser width.
Additional Improvements were made on Dec 8: a Directory has been added, to allow easier navigation through the system; formatting was adjusted to display using the full browser width.