DreamHost Newsletter v10.11 November 2008
0. Introduction.
1. New.. no more Gift Certificates!
2. New.. IPv6 AAAA Records!
3. New.. MySQL Query Cache Enabled!
4. New.. PS Full Billing History!
5. DHSOTM
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0. Introduction.
Greetings, oh destitute ones, and welcome to the special "recession
edition" of the DreamHost newsletter, circa November 2008! (Circa means
"Give or take two weeks.")
I'm sure you'll understand that in these trying economic times, we've
had to cut back a little on our newsletteryness. It's just hard to
justify all the bits (and in some cases even bytes) that would have been
wasted on what is an entirely frivolous endeavor.
Don't worry, I'm sure once OUR federal aid package comes through, we'll
once again be able to put out a newsletter of the quality and verbosity
that you've grown accustomed to. I just hate letting all you good people
down, especially in this, your just about darkest hour.
I can assure you that this lack of substantive newsletter content can
wholly be blamed on external forces beyond our control. In no way, shape
or form should those actually responsible for creating the content be
held actually responsible.
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1. New.. no more Gift Certificates!
One way we at DreamHost came up with to help you deal with the current
lean times, especially during the holiday season, was simple and dead
obvious: Stop offering DreamHost Gift Certificates!
https://panel.dreamhost.com/?tree=home.gc
There, you no longer have to worry about all that green-ola you were
going to blow on THAT stocking stuffer! Let your stupid friends and
family use their OWN cash on hosting we say, BAH HUMBUG!
But don't worry, we're not TOTAL grinches... any existing gift
certificates will continue to work indefinitely. We're just not allowing
the purchase of any NEW ones.
If you were REALLY dead-set on giving the gift of hosting this year,
might I recommend you just make your own cutesy/crafty/loving "gift
certificate" instead? Just put something like "I OWZ U DOM4INZ, LULZ!!!"
and a picture of a kitten barfing on it.
That's what I've been doing for years.
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2. New.. IPv6 AAAA Records!
Now that the specter of deflation is lingering over us all, it's nice to
know there are some places where 300% inflation is still the norm: DNS
records!
Of course, 300% is but the tiniest pimple on a blue whale's bottom
compared to the inflation in IP addresses to be (eventually) brought
forward by IPv6:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6
Yep, the total number of IPs will explode from 2^32 to 2^128; more than
seventy nine billion billion billion times! Beat that, Zimbabwe!
Oh yeah, what I meant by 300% inflation in DNS records is that where we
once had A records for IP, IPv6 has AAAA records! And, DreamHost now
supports adding those records through our DNS management system at:
https://panel.dreamhost.com/?tree=domain.manage
(Just click "DNS" under the appropriate domain.)
What this means exactly, I'm not really sure. But hey, a few people have
asked for it, and that's what we do best around here at DreamHost, cater
to the whims of the few!
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3. New.. MySQL Query Cache Enabled!
Another thing a few people whimmed about recently, and these must be
people with more money than you or me, or else they'd be too occupied
trying to find a pile of compost to live in to worry about such
trivialities, is if we could please enable the Query Cache on our MySQL
servers... see:
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/query-cache-how.html
Well, we tested it for a little bit, and it seemed to have no major
effect (either way) on stability, so sure, whatever, we enabled it!
In fact, we just needed to add two entries to an internal database. It
was the least we could do.
Now, it'll be a while before the Query Cache is actually *running* on
every single MySQL instance. Because they need to be restarted to enable
it, but we felt it wasn't important enough to warrant the interruption.
But, servers, like the stock market, eventually crash.. so someday every
MySQL will have Query Cache enabled, completely naturally!
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4. New.. PS Full Billing History!
If ever there were an industry in need of more oversight and
transparency, it's web hosting. Forget CDSes and hedge funds and sub-
prime mortgages.. I'm talking domain squatting and overselling and over-
billing!
Well, leave it to DREAMHOST to self-regulate! And, in the most
superficial way possible.
At the request of a few of our customers, you can now see your ENTIRE
history of charges for your DreamHost PS(es)... not JUST the current
billing cycle, over at:
https://panel.dreamhost.com/?tree=vserver.usage
Super-fantastic! Now the invisible hand can once again work its magic,
unfettered by the fat finger.
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5. DHSOTM
Is it any surprise in times like these that the winner of the November
DreamHost Site of the Month contest is not a fancy-shmancy flash and
mirrors vacuous portfolio site?
Yes; a huge surprise.
In fact, this month's winner (as voted by you, Happy DreamHosters) is:
http://www.wisconsinrivers.org/
Which, despite the confusing domain name, is apparently the official
site for the River Alliance of Wisconsin.
Apparently, the tide has turned for DHSOTM submitters with not the
greatest design and flash skills. Perhaps YOU should take advantage and
submit YOUR site today?
https://panel.dreamhost.com/?tree=home.dhsotm
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Margin was a bad idea,
Josh Jones
P.S. Can't afford to receive so many emails these days? Unsubscribe from
this one right aboutttttttttttttttttt....... here:
https://panel.dreamhost.com/id/?tab=contact
