Version 2.6.8 and a General Refresh

I'm happy to release a new version (2.6.8) of the main code along with an update to the build system (1.8.2). This was the first change to the build system since September 2003.

Just to explain that a bit, the main code (web.ssl) does most of the actual work (like generating a web page), the build system (build.ssl) controls the overall process.

The changes are almost all internal, relating mostly to expanding some variables that had reached their limits (i.e., the web site had simply grown too big) and adjusting the meaning of some others. As always, it is certainly possible that I've broken something else in the process, so if you see something really odd, please let me know.


For those that really watch the site closely, the Build Detail pages will have a few enhancements. (The lists of which bishops, dioceses, etc. were updated will still normally be included except for when the build is a "full" refresh.)

The other big event this weekend was a full refresh of the web site (44,660 web pages). (The site itself is slightly larger than that because it includes a few non-automated web pages.) That build is complete, but it may take a day or so to get it all uploaded.

The full build this time took a bit over 11 hours (which is part of the reason I don't do them very often!). I should note however, that is a vast improvement over the last successful full build which was done in April 2004 and took roughly 88 hours (and that was with about half the number of bishops on the site).

The full build before that took about the same length of time as the new one. It was in September 2003 and took just under 12 hours. But the site at that time was much simpler, it had just begun to add Bishop Lineages and it didn't yet have Titular Dioceses, Cardinal Titles, any of the Structured Views, nor any Consistory, Conclave, or Council information. At that time there were less than 14,000 bishops (vs over 30,000 now).