KernelTrap: Setting Up The New Server

Submitted by Jeremy

on July 29, 2003 - 9:12pm

KernelTrap

I've been busy the past couple of months (photos linked within), but I'm home again for the duration. I hope to get back to updating KernelTrap within a week or so. For now, however, I'm focused on getting the new server up and running with the latest software. That's a thrill in itself -- compiling source code feels blazingly fast compared to this old desktop server I use!

If all goes as planned, I hope to have the new site up and running on the new server by the end of next week. New additions will include organized discussion forums, configurable comment moderation, an automatic term glossary, a chat room, and a (hopefully) more intuitive book-like organization to compliment the current Slashdot-style front page. Once things settle down, I'll head out looking for another round of kernel developer interviews...

As for the past couple of months, anyone interested in seeing what's had me dstracted can find pictures here [photos] [photos] [photos]. It's been a busy time, but lots of fun!

Jeremy's blog
Login to post comments

Welcome back!

molo

July 30, 2003 - 4:47pm

Glad you had a good bunch of trips. I'm looking forward to the faster server and future interviews. Drupal doesn't exactly seem quick right now.

Thanks for your efforts here.
-molo

Re: Welcome back!

Jeremy

July 30, 2003 - 5:07pm

Hi Molo,

It's certainly not Drupal that's causing the slowdown. Instead, it's the fact that I'm pumping a lot of data through a little DSL connection... And I'm currently running KernelTrap on a server that's heavily used for other tasks too.

By the end of next week, though, it'll be on a dedicated server with a plenty fast connection. How nice!

Cheers,
-Jeremy

Drupal is funny..

molo

July 31, 2003 - 4:51pm

I have pity on your poor little DSL line. Its actually quite impressive that a site of this magnitude gets hosted on a DSL line.. (but not surprising that it doesn't survive a slashdotting)

But, drupal is kinda odd.. It won't let my browser use the cached version of the main page when I hit the back button. Instead a new one is generated every time.. actually, it does this for every page.. but the main page is most noticable because of its load time. Drupal also does weird things like not let me be logged in from multiple machines at once. If I log in at home, it logs me out of the account at work.

I'm curious to see the new version and the moderation system. Good luck getting everything updated.

-molo

re: Drupal is funny..

Jeremy

July 31, 2003 - 5:15pm

Fortunately, the issue with not letting the browser cache pages has long been fixed. (The version of Drupal I'm running is over a year old -- the software has come a long way.)

There are too many improvements to list. But the changelog has them all... (We're on 4.0, more or less -- I backported a few items from 4.1)

KT Logo

Anonymous

July 30, 2003 - 5:46pm

Are you planning on staying with the original KernelTrap logo?

re: KT Logo

Jeremy

July 30, 2003 - 8:03pm

It's looking that way so far.

None of the submissions are exactly what I'm looking for. I like the idea of something cartoony like number three (and I think it's creatively humorous) -- it would be my personal choice of those submitted. However, my conviction is not strong enough to make the change from what we already have.

Were I only an artist, perhaps I'd dig around through old national geographics and find a good mascot candidate. (An octopus? Enough arms to hold plenty of kernel mascots... An ant? Part of a bigger community... A mosquito? Sticking the nose into veins... A frog? Because, um... Or, a tree? Lots of branches...)

Comments? Thoughts? Creative logo ideas?

Ambitious logo

Anonymous

July 31, 2003 - 9:51am

Your frog comment reminded me of this Deep Thought:

Ambition is like a frog sitting on a Venus Flytrap. The flytrap can bite and bite, but it won't bother the frog because it only has little tiny plant teeth. But some other stuff could happen and it could be like ambition.