Blogging starts as a hobby—then snowballs into a bloated, expensive beast. Not here. We axed pricey plugins and coded many features from scratch. One quiet hero? The “Comments by Date” sidebar widget (left column): Shows the comment’s custom title, credits the author, links directly to the comment with a “read more →” jump
The old plugin? It only showed recent comments and the post title. Want comment titles or anchor links (#comment-123)? That was a paid annual upgrade. So we deleted it. After late-night trials, crashes, and one rogue hacking scare (quickly locked down), we rebuilt it— better, faster, free. Same story with “Visitors Viewing QZVX” —coded in-house, real-time, no bloat. In total: 9 plugins eliminated.
Many had “premium” features we now own outright—upgraded, enhanced, and running silently in the background. No subscriptions. No vulnerabilities. Near-military-grade security.
You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Site crashed at 2 a.m.? Test and re-test. A downed page while testing? Worth it. This isn’t just a blog. It’s a custom-built machine— lean, fast, and under full control. And we’re not done yet.
Hosting and domain fees at renewal time in January 2029 are the next target, and that is a pricey ticket.
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Knowing when to quit
November 3, 2025 at QZVX
J Remington says:
Tweaking or rebuilding this blog has been like removing blocks from a Jenga tower. There was always a chance it would crash. It did a few times. I would like to think I am done with that work, having replaced all the working parts that were previously “outsourced.” But temptation will likely pull me back in for a cosmetic refinement or minor modification. Thanks for your patience and for those who alerted me to problems I was unaware of. ……..We now resume our regular programming.
Background
October 28, 2025 at QZVX
Steven Smith says:
I post articles, but Jason is the guy who figures out all the coding. And with Word Press and websites that is no easy matter. I don’t think people realize how difficult and frustrating it can be just to keep it mechanically up and running let alone the ongoing matter of paying for the site. Just breaking even is a job.