$ cat /dev/brain > /dev/blog

Wordpress on lighttpd: Rewrite rules with WP Super Cache and WPtouch

As a few of my readers already know, this weblog is run by a Wordpress 2.x installation on a lighttpd web server (on top of a Debian Linux host). I have also installed, among others, the following plugins for Wordpress:

• WP Super Cache — Serves a cached HTML version of Wordpress pages instead of serving each page as PHP output for every single request. This speeds up loading time and reduces the web server load. A lot!
• WPtouch — When a user is using a mobile device, e.g., an iPhone, iPod touch, Android phone etc., they will see a slightly different layout of this blog, particularly optimized for small screen sizes.

lighttpd does not understand Apache’s RewriteRules that are used for permalinks in Wordpress. Therefore, you’ll have to come up with your own set of rewrite rules. Based on the rewrite.lua script initially written by Giovanni Intini, I have come up with a slightly modified version that takes the presence of the WPtouch plugin into account.

To install this script, perform the following steps:

1. Download the latest version of the rewrite.lua script from my github project site.
2. Place rewrite.lua in the root directory of your Wordpress installation, i.e., the same directory where you find the Wordpress PHP files such as wp-config.php.
3. Update your lighttpd config file for the host running Wordpress and include this command:
   magnet.attract-physical-path-to = ( server.document-root + "/rewrite.lua" )¹
4. Make sure the Mobile device support option of the WP Super Cache plugin is enabled and the Rejected User Agents list is up-to-date. You’ll find those options in the Settings -> WP Super Cache menu of Wordpress once WP Super Cache has been activated.

The lighttpd host configuration should now look somewhat similar to this:

$HTTP["host"] == "myblog.com" {
server.document-root = “/srv/www/myblog/wordpress”
accesslog.filename = “/var/log/lighttpd/myblog/access.log"
magnet.attract-physical-path-to = ( server.document-root + “/rewrite.lua” )
}

Restart lighttpd to put the changes in place. Check your error log for any strange entries. Check the WP Super Cache settings of your blog and try to view it from a mobile device or an iPhone simulator, e.g., iPhoney.

Let me know if you’d like to further improve the rewrite.lua code. Just go ahead, clone it from the github repository and start working on it! If you’re interested in writing your own LUA code check out the Programming in Lua book or the Programming in LUA website.

1. This requires ModMagnet being set up for your lighttpd server. Follow the previous link if you need help installing it. [↩]

WiFi in German ICE trains

As I found out a few months ago, some ICE trains (Deutsche Bahn) in Germany are equipped with WiFi access points operated by T-Mobile.

The service is currently available in selected trains on the Dortmund–Cologne–Frankfurt and Frankfurt–Stuttgart–Munich route (and soon also on the trains servicing the Frankfurt–Hannover–Hamburg route).

T-Mobile charges their regular fees for using WiFi in the train. You don’t have to be a T-Mobile customer to use the service. In addition, WiFi powered by Deutsche Bahn and T-Mobile will also be provided on several train stations.

This service is especially interesting for German iPhone owners with a (German) T-Mobile contract as the unlimited usage of T-Mobile WiFi access points is included in their contracts. Hmmm. That makes the iPhone a little more interesting (I’m commuting on the Munich–Ulm–Stuttgart route). Unfortunately, their WiFi backbone connection seems to be as weak as the Vodafone EDGE/3G signal on that route, most likely due to environmental circumstances (low cell coverage, mountains, etc.).

iPhone city Mountain View, CA

You just got yourself a nice iPhone and are upset because of the lame speed of your AT&T EDGE connection? Move to Mountain View, CA where Google provides its free WiFi network almost everywhere in the city!

No, I’m just kidding. You don’t have to move unless you really want to, I’m sure you’ll find a lot of open WiFi hotspots in your neighborhood, too — but consider living in Mountain View if you get a job offer from Google, Mozilla, Sun, Yahoo, … etc.

This city is just a great place to live. And surfing the web over Google’s WiFi (the unencrypted SSID is broadcasted, but I also managed to use their WPA2 encrypted network) on your brand-new iPhone is a lot of fun! (No, this still is not my own iPhone. Chain-yourself-to-AT&T issue. Will consider getting one when they introduce a 3G/UMTS version in Europe)

iBrick

Function: noun

1. An iPhone you want to use with a SIM card from any other network provider than AT&T
2. An iPhone you have activated through iTunes deciding to transfer your phone number from another provider. Useless for (at least) the first 24 hours (that’s what the customer support e-mail says).
3. An iPhone using AT&T’s darn-slow EDGE network to browse the web.

Oh, and by the way: Sushi came up with some interesting calculations on wasting money while waiting for the iPhone.

Woot. Here’s the iPhone

32.151.xx.xx blog.jeanpierre.de - [30/Jun/2007:05:31:53 +0200] "GET /wp-content/themes/pool/style.css HTTP/1.1" 200 7613 "http://blog.jeanpierre.de/2007/06/30/buzz-word-of-the-day/" "Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/1A543a Safari/419.3"

Welcome, iPhone.

(If you’ve never bought an Apple product: that’s actually the facial expression when you open the package and start using your new toy for the first time!)

I have to say: it’s damn sexy. It’s amazing. It’s just. Awesome!

A colleague of mine waited in line at the San Francisco Apple store since about 7:30am to get the iPhone and brought it back to the office. After playing with it for a while, we decided to drive to the nearby AT&T store to get another one (for another colleague). There were only a few people waiting (a lot less than in front of the Apple store in downtown Palo Alto) and they seemed to have a massive stock of iPhones there (we went there at 8pm).

I was so close to get one for myself, but unfortunately there are some disadvantages:

• The 2-year AT&T contract (I’m leaving the US in a few months) — I know, that you could cancel the contact for $175, but read on…
• There is absolutely no way you can use another SIM card in the iPhone at the moment than the one you activated through iTunes 7.3 — neither another US AT&T or T-Mobile card nor a German T-Mobile card.

So, no iPhone for myself, but at least I can play with those that are around in the office

iPhone coming to the U.S. market in 4 days

OK, I’m pretty sure you all heard about that iPhone hype. It’s only sold with a 2-year AT&T Wireless (formerly known as Cingular) contract, but today I learned that the cancellation fee of the contract is “only” $175 (which is a steal if you sum up 24 months of paying $39.99 for the cheapest contract: $1,359.66 + 8.5% California sales tax = $1,475.23).

Call me crazy, but that’s really tempting.

I’m still not sure if I should really buy one, but you might find some live Apple or AT&T Palo Alto store pictures here on Friday… Also if I don’t find myself buying one I still might be able to play with the iPhone in the next days. $colleague rulez.