memcache: set vs. replace

When using memcache from PHP, you can save values with either set or replace. You can probably safely ignore the replace method:

“Memcached::replace() is similar to Memcached::set(), but the operation fails if the key does not exist on the server.”

- PHP Documentation

Adding to php arrays

In PHP many things can be done several different ways. Picking which way to do something may be a matter of personal taste or habit. Sometimes however, things may be much clearer for the next developer, if you choose one way over another.

A very simple example of this, is adding a new item to an array. Often I come across this construct:

$valuepairs[] = 'Some value'

It’s valid and compact syntax, but in terms of clarity, I’d prefer this construct anytime:

Mysql: display row count for all tables in a database

When playing the role of the DBA, it’s often useful to get a quick listing of how many rows each table in a database contains. The syntax for this is pretty simple in Mysql:

SELECT table_name, table_rows 
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES 
WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA = '***database name***';
Replace database name with the actual database name in the SQL above.

Notice that when using innodb tables, it’s only a rough estimate.

Which packages are installed (on Ubuntu)

If you’re using a Debian based Linux Desktop such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint - or Debian itself naturally - you can easily create a simple text file of all packages installed on the machine.

I have a habit of removing a lot of the “extras” (junk) which comes with the basic install - not religiously, but just to keep it reasonably tidy and not have too much stuff eating up the harddisk, requiring updates (without providing any value).

Password failure in Wordpress Plugin

One of the great features of Wordpress is the wide variety of plugins available. They often enable a lot of interesting functionality and integrations to other services not native to Wordpress itself. Most of these plugins are developed by individuals or small teams independent of the core community - and often not with a keen interest in security, but an exclusive focus on “making stuff work”.

I’ve been using the Wordpress “Google AdSense Dashboard” for awhile, and after the recent host of password leaks, I’ve been changing and upgrading password all around. This change lead to expose what I would call a critical password exposure in the plugin and so far caused me to remove the plugin everywhere I’ve installed it.