Not Minifying Core Javascript in WordPress
I couldn’t find the answer to how to do this in WordPress. So, debugger. Grumble. To avoid minifying core Javascript (including such things as Gutenberg code) do this. or stick this line in wp-config.php.
Buffer Pools in WordPress Databases Are Often Too Small
I publish the WordPress plugin Index WP MySQL For Speed. Fairly often, when supporting that plugin’s users, I find a misconfiguration in the database software that seriously reduces performance. Virtually every WordPress installation uses a MariaDB or MySQL database. That database software has a feature called a *buffer pool*. It is an area of random-access … Read more
Changing WooCommerce related-products listings more often
Somebody, on a plugin support thread, asked me how to control how often to change up the related-products listings on product pages. WooCommerce automatically uses product categories and tags to find related products to the one the customer is viewing. WooCommerce does this by fetching a list of related products from the database, randomly choosing … Read more
How long does food stay good?
I volunteer at the AIO food pantry in Rockland Maine. We, and other food-distribution programs, accept donations from supermarkets and food distribution companies, not to mention many generous people. Packaged groceries — cans, bottles, bags — have a code date on them. This often says something like “Sell by 9/2027” or “Best if used by … Read more
Easter 2026 Sermon for Nativity Lutheran Church
Matthew 28:1-10 1After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like … Read more
Palm Sunday 2026 Sermon for Nativity Lutheran Church
Mark 11:1-11 1When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, [Jesus] sent two of his disciples 2and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring … Read more
php’s OPcache can get saturated
php offers OPcache, an opcode cache. This cache is used to store the results of parsing php code, and its purpose is to speed up server operations by avoiding the overhead reparsing the code for every web or command line request. The OPcache is located in RAM shared by all php processes in a process … Read more
Charitable donations from 401Ks, IRAs are tax exempt
On the Jan 1st after you turn 72, you have to start taking a yearly Minimum Required Distribution (MDR they call it) from your 401K or Individual Retirement Account savings. You probably already know this: But I had to have it spelled out for me recently, so here it is. Forgive me for mansplaining it, … Read more
php composer, WordPress, and plugins
At the request of a user I configured the Index WP MySQL For Speed plugin to use php’s composer package manager for installation. That plugin has a mu-plugins component because it sometimes needs to intervene in core and plugin updates. Ordinarily, activating it puts the the code into the mu-plugins/ directory. But some WordPress installations … Read more
Barroom Messiah 2025
Every December, midcoast-Maine impresario and musician Charles Brown Jr organizes an event called the Barroom Messiah. Musicians professional and amateur take over a local taven or other venue for a Saturday afternoon and sing a good part of the Messiah oratorio by G.F. Handel. That’s the one with the famous Hallelujah Chorus and many other … Read more