Gandi IWI Blog - Gandi Blog

Blog widgets (updated)

Kalou — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:53:00 +0200

We had to suspend some blog widgets in order to recover from high latencies you might have encountered on your Gandiblog this week-end.

We are working on the problem and expect a resolution on monday.

Updated Mon May 5 17:17:43 CEST: service is back online since a few hours and should be stable.

Presents for a bit of colour

Arti — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:02:00 +0100

As we announced yesterday, GandiBlog now has a new theme called "Blowup" which allows you to customise many presentation aspects.

Furthermore, this theme proposes a module which allows you to copy the code of a defined style. This allows users to share their customised styles with other users. The "Blowup" theme also offers some pre-defined styles, but there are only few for the time being.

We're going to add more in days to come and thought you could help out as well. To do so, nothing simpler: configure your Blowup theme until you're happy with the result. Once you've done so, click the "+" by "Import / export" and copy the code in the text field which comes up. Then, you can just paste it right here as a comment (and give it a name if you feel inspired).

If you lack inspiration, visit Kuler http://kuler.adobe.com/.

The authors of the styles we will choose to add to the list of pre-defined styles will be given a Gandi t-shirt or a one-year domain renewal, as a token of our gratitude.

What is more, those who feel really inspired can design header images. Only one condition: These must be 800 pixels in width. PNG transparency is allowed (and encouraged). Leave the image's URL as a comment.

Note: Gandi personnel are allowed to participate, but won't get any presents...

Happy colouring to all

To play, join us here!

GandiBlog Update: The Return

Ryan — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:59:00 +0100

You may have noticed your GandiBlog running faster this afternoon.

No, we haven't added 50 new machines, we've just updated GandiBlog. In fact, we've doubly updated it.

Your blogs definitely respond faster. We've set up a very efficient cache system on your blogs' public section, therefore avoiding avid RSS-feed-upaters penalizing everyone else. If you happen to witness any cache-related problem (pages that no longer updates, for instance), please let us know.

That's for the performance side of things.

And because good news always comes in twos, the curious among you will have noticed a new theme in the last of GandiBlog's available themes: "Blowup". Note that the screenshot in the list of themes is only one possibility.

Activate the theme and then click its configuration link. Would you like to change the background color? the title font? change the banner's position? All of those are possible with this theme.

You'll even be able to place an image in JPG or PNG format (800 pixels wide, imperatively) so as to completely personalize the top banner of your blog.

And if you lack inspiration, you'll be able to chose from a list pre-defined styles and ready-made images. There are only few for the time time being, but we're going to add some more and are also relying on your help. That will be the topic of the next post.

Recently, a reader wrote: "...you need to be a real expert in CSS and the like... Isn't there something between the 2? It would be really great to be able to choose a basic theme and simply change the photo...". I think that the Blowup theme will satisfy this need.

If you would like to discuss this article, join us at the Gandi Bar!