Thanks to Isotopp I discovered today that the load_plugin() method of the Plugin API did perform some unneccessary SQL queries when loading/searching for a plugin.
I have created this patch (can be applied to both 0.9 SVN and 0.8.1) - it will properly detect the plugin path setting and now only perform the SQL query when needed.
This should cut down one SQL query per plugin that is loaded; in a standard install with 14 plugins this is 14 less SQL queries. But thanks to MySQL and other caching systems, the impact of those superfluous small queries is not that large.
The patch will be part of a possible 0.8.2 release and has been committed to the CVS backport and SVN branches already.
(Update: Some more changes to the patch)
As a follow-up to Custom Permalinks I have created an update to the patch here: permalink2.diff (diff against 0.9-alpha1)
Its structure is now a bit cleaner, and I have added config directives for most of our other permalinks (categories, authors, feeds, paths) and enhanced the detection routine.
It still needs a LOT of testing, but I like the general direction of it. I would be happy to hear as many feedback reports of it as possible. :-)
The ongoing sourcecode development of Serendipity has been migrated to BerliOS. We will now maintain our code via SVN instead of CVS. Additional plugins and Themes will still be hosted and maintained on SourceForge.net, as well will we migrate new snapshots/branches of final versions to the SourceForge CVS.
If you want to participate in Serendipity, apply for a SVN account on our Mailing List.
New changes will now be available via ViewCVS on BerliOS.