Last week we reported to you that our server was experiencing high latency and that our technicians were working hard to correct the problem which they had managed to identify. We are happy to report that the problem was fully resolved on Saturday afternoon and the performance of the site has significantly improved. We just want to take this opportunity address a few issues.
What Happened
Lusakatimes.com gets its income purely from advertising and that is what makes it possible for us to provide content in a quality fashion for free. The people who place adverts on our site demand some statistical information concerning the performance of their adverts and we have had the software that collects these statistics and sends them out on a weekly basis to our advertisers. It is this software that almost brought our site to its knees. In fact this software has been a problem for a while now. Not only did it slow down the site, but it also used to frequently crash the backend engine, resulting in a display of a white blank page with the message “502 Bad Gateway”. The only way we could resolve this was to restart the server backend. We tolerated this software for this long because of budget constraints and no viable alternatives on the open source market.
We are glad to report that we managed to acquire a new separate server that manages all the administrative side of adverts. The new arrangement has been working well since Saturday and we believe the occurrence of the dreaded “502 Bad Gateway” has been significantly reduced.The error used to occur several times in a day.
We thank all the experts for their suggestions on Javascript( The software files that adds a lot of nice features to the site). We took note of your advise and enabled the technique that allows us to compress content, by a factor of 80%, then transferring it onto the wire before exploding it or uncompressing it into your web browser. So, despite the large content that we pack into a single page, we are able to deliver this to your browser at a faster speed now. This process is technically called GZIP Compression.
Unfortunately, if you are still using Internet Explorer 6.x (IE6), our website will still be slow to you. IE6 does not support GZIP compression. We believe your browsing is slow everywhere you go, anyway because GZIP compression is enabled on most serious websites you can think of out there. Please upgrade your browser. Browsers are free and there is no need to hold on to an antiquity that has survived from the distant past-IE6.
New Features
The developers of the toolbar have added the CDN feature (Content Delivery Network) that makes the toolbar load faster. As a results we have enabled a couple of new features on the toolbar like chat and how many people are online. For the Chat, you can use your twitter or facebook account to logint and just login anonmously, lusakatimes style.
Expect in our next LT Update more information on how to use most of the features on the toolbar. We really want to enhance your blogging (or is it Mirco Blogging as the experts now tell us?). Undoubtedly, most of the content on LT can be obtained from elsewhere, but we want your experience when you come to blog or micro blog on LT to be a unique, live and memorable one. Media houses put out content to drive their various agendas, and probably us included, but the opinion that you bring to the site is special and belongs to you as your brain child. In fact it cannot be bought, especially if you have even the option of delivering it anonymously. You can tell it as it is. At LT we highly value that and we shall continue to work hard to integrate the best technologies out there to make sure that you have a cutting edge platform at your finger tips to add your voice to the issues affecting our wonderful country.
Mobile Phones
This is undoubtedly a fast growing market and from as early as two years ago we have been trying to cater for this segment. Unfortunately we are still struggling. The technology out there is still pitiful when it comes to delivering content to an average cellphone. At the moment you can barely just read the stories, but posting comments is really problematic. We are still search for the solution.
Having said the above, we can happily announce that the iphone/ipod-touch works very well on the site. You will get a customised view of the LT and the comments posting works like a charm. Please give it a shot and give us feedback. The comments are not numbered though and there are no flags. We are working on that.
Comments Policy
As the cliché goes: last, but not the least-Comments.This vexing issue affects us all. We have this word we never saw in primary school-ad hominem, in our comments policy. It can have a myriad of meanings to a lot of people, but this is what it means to us:-attacking an opponent’s character rather than answering his argument. Can we please do this on the site. Can we also apply this to our leaders? We believe people comment because they want to be heard and influence decisions and surely if you want somebody to hear you and later on take your advise, you better be nice to them. If you want honey, don’t disturb the bees. Lets make this forum a place where we educate each other and deliver our opinions to our leaders in a civilised manner. Yes some of us are very dedicated and passionate indeed about what we believe in, but let us respect other people’s views and just attack each other’s argument.
Have a wonderful day
LT team
Conrats LT for taking the site to a higher level. We really appreciate your efforts. I hope we all take the last paragraph seriously. Cheers.
Thanks LT and keep up the good work. Your last paragraph made good reading, but you need to understand that just like in any family, not all children can be the same. That applies to this site. You will have a few bloggers who will feel that insulting is the best way to grab attention! The best is to ignore their comments. They soon get tired. Also understand that emotions are high when it comes to political issues. Anyway that being said let me conclude that i am beginning to enjoy my blogging coz things are moving faster than before. Keep up the good work!!
Congrats of course… and not conrats.
The cartoon, very funny. Thanks for the sense of humour. That must be Senior Citizen or maybe it you my friend Nina Chale . Thanks for the update and keep it up. As for insults, all I can say is I wish good luck. This anonymous posting is hard to regulate
Keep on doing the good work that you do. And the last paragraph certainly sums it all, but we shouldn’t expect everyone to take heed. There is always somebody somewhere whose sole ambition is to create havoc. Congratualtions…
You impress me ba LT though i have no idea what that computer jargon you are describing means.love your professionalism though.Lets do dinner sometime- my treat!
Well said LT, thank GOD for IT, I really did not get any of that IT language. If what you meant was ‘all is well again’ then keep it on LT.
That aside, LT who was in your minds when you drew that cartoon? I would bet on 9 Chale and/or Capitalist- especially capitalist, the dude copies everything you write and gives a reply in italics! He got too much time.
Use simple language naimwe ba LT for a common man with basis computer skills like me to understand not this IT mamble jumble.Good work though,congrats
Use simple language naimwe ba LT for a common man with basic computer skills like me to understand not this IT mamble jumble.Good work though,congrats
Use simple language naimwe ba LT for a common man with basic computer skills like me to understand not this IT mamble jumble.Good work though,congrats
Mo taim, just how did that happen? We have just been congratulating LT here for his efficiency. Three postings!!?
Yes Mo taim how did you achieve that? I remember some time back after you post a comment LT would say ” slow down you are posting too quickly!” anybody remember?
Thanks LT we knew you were working on this problem
Congrats LT for the JOB well done…I agree with you Motain, but this technology we use is from the west hence the seemingly strange terminologies …Only had we improved the Katele Kalumba laptop would you expect familiar terms, instead of the hard disk perhaps you would have names like Bongobongo…instead of Windows Xp you would ve Katele XP…and things will be much easier for you to related.. as long as we keep on using this Tec embrace their terms. Even in your profession ba Motaim most of terms are Greek to me …Aba abusungu pa last bakatufulunganya nama termilogies.these are other terms you need to know Bit, Byte, Packet, Parser, Front-end, Back-end, Super Virtual Graphics Accelerator, Virtual Memory, Male port, Female port, Male-Female converter, Universal Serial Bus, RAID,
new tec all new language…what can be the ideal local term for a Female Port?
PC pu.ssy?
Ad-hominem I was like nanga insele iyi, thanks LT always wanted to as bloggers the meaning of the term. Though conversant in the English vernacular this weak websters dictionary out west is deleting my queens adopted tongue. As for your updates thanks my Iphone can finally compute so as I even post during lunches at work. Question bloggers, what ever happened to Maestro hhe hhe? Did he become Capitalist? Great to see all the old timers thanking LT; ba Moze what country bears that flag. For the artists and money handlers ask for comp. Updates from Nkani yamukachasu he knows way too much. Remember a computer is good for 4-5 years, or simply have you mother board inside upgraded. Blessings in Jesus’s name all. P.S LT you suspiciously sound like two of my cousins.
That is what is called football, Egypt vs Nigeria it was indeed competitive, they both exibited high levels of professional football, but of course nothing could stop the unstoppable the Egyptians from scoring from afar and winning the game by 3-1, after coming from behind in first half, Nigeria scored first. We are still to see our own Zambia mayo against Tunisia tomorrow. Hoping for the best to come.
And all this time I thought I was a “Mini Blogger” now they have flipped the “Script” on me again?!
Anyway, thanks & congrats LT for taking your job seriously. We appreciates your efforts in erasing the factor of distance and time for us all who love our country to participate in the national discourse. Looking forward to more innovative stuff from yo!!!
You are trully a leading force in this feild .Please i beg you LT do not get money from POST papers like others are said to be doing.Well done.