OpenLampTech No. 224
WordPress Playground-powered Workspace | PHP-only blocks in WordPress | Database refactoring is a different animal | Neutral MySQL Foundation declined by Oracle | MariaDB specify table engine
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All commentary on the below curated content is mine unless otherwise directly quoted.
WordPress Launches Playground-Powered Personal Workspace, but Reception Is Mixed
I like the idea of this for beginners who don’t know which hosting provider to use and maybe haven’t even settled on a domain name yet.
Heck, I want to find a personal use for this myself (although starting at 100MB storage isn’t going to be practical for much).
The ‘persists even after closing the browser’ is very neat and interesting.
[The Repository]
New Video: PHP-only Blocks and AI Skills
This is a new article that has a link to the video about PHP-only blocks in WordPress. I’ve not personally done any WordPress block development, but I know React is outside of my wheelhouse (at this time, at least).
However, I do have PHP skills, and PHP-only blocks may be a way for someone like me to create custom blocks in WordPress.
[Brian Coords]
Refactoring Databases Is a Different Animal
Hear ye, hear ye!
This one hits like a sledgehammer.
Refactoring both the application code and the database is leagues apart in impact and ramifications.
As the article covers, most databases are used for more than one system.
Some of the LAMP stack applications and sites I work on and maintain have MySQL databases that are the backbone for other services and uses.
Refactoring the database is always a time to pause and consider any often unseen implications.
Oracle Declines Community Proposal for Neutral MySQL Foundation
Sadly, I don’t know that this is surprising to anyone.
Here is a quote from the source article with more details:
The letter, signed by more than 500 supporters, including many former Oracle contributors and database leaders across the industry, outlined growing concerns around governance, transparency, contribution barriers, and long-term sustainability. It proposed three potential governance models designed to strengthen MySQL’s future while explicitly recognizing Oracle’s ownership of the software and trademark.
MariaDB - Specify Table Engine in CREATE TABLE AS Statement
I’m tooting my own horn and sharing the latest issue from my other newsletter, Back Office Dispatch, in this week’s OpenLampTech newsletter.
I noticed some odd (or just my lack of knowledge) behavior recently using the MySQL/MariaDB CREATE TABLE AS statement.
While working in phpMyAdmin on an InMotion Hosting server, I wrote a complex query I wanted to use to create a mapping table with CREATE TABLE AS.
After I ran the query and inspected the tables in the database, I noticed that the newly created table was using the MyISAM storage engine…
Interesting Articles
The Junior Developer Isn’t Extinct—They’re Stuck Below the API
Comprehension Debt — the hidden cost of AI generated code.
Release Notes for MariaDB Enterprise Server 10.6.25-21
Thank you for reading OpenLampTech. See you next week.
Josh Otwell
P.S. Be sure to check out my other newsletter, Back Office Dispatch.
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