Entries Tagged 'Programming' ↓

We run a large scale and highly visible website. This site is updated frequently, and is very complex. So far the way the site is updated is using subversion where the latest code is checked out into the public servers – after much testing, of course.

A typical release goes something like this:

• checkout code from subversion
• run a few scripts to modify database and generate intermediate files
• generate various connections between site and underlying software
• update underlying software

One problem with this approach is inevitably developers tend to push last minute fixes while in testing mode. It’s easy to update the code with a svn co but the code always tends to diverge and one fix usually leads to other bugs! Another issue is that each time a release is made a long list of complicated – and different each time – steps have to be followed. There are many other issues as well that I won’t go into right now, but suffice to say each release is as easy as pulling your own tooth!

So, one idea to cut down on all this trouble is to build a deb package for each release. This essentially locks down development, since each code change involves building a new package. I’m also fairly certain it will make life in the software lifecycle much easier.

And the debianized release would go like this:

• apt-get install website package
• apt-get install underlying software

Or even simpler if I made the website package depend on the underlying stuff:

• apt-get install website package

Now only if I could get the decision makers to agree.

Back in 2003 when I still had enough time to follow up on the latest Linux applications, there was a new tool (or toolkit) developed called Karamba. It aimed to bring desktop widget functionality to KDE on Linux. Soon there was a new application called Superkaramba that improved on the old application and got a lot of attention. Curious as I was, I downloaded it, compiled it and was soon running it on my desktop.

Looks like the idea of using desktop widgets was catching on at the time. At the same time there was an application called Konfabulator (which got bought out by Yahoo and is now called Yahoo! Widgets). When I started working and was forced back on Windows, I started using konfabulator and liked it quite a lot. At around the same time Mac OS X had an application called Dashboard, which did all the things the other two were aiming for. With the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft entered the field and released native widgets called Gadgets. The final development – as far as my exposure lets me believe – was the development of Plasma in the new version KDE. There is also one other player in this game that introduced its own version of widgets. Google created the desktop search back in 2004, and soon after added a sidebar with gadgets and other plugins. As one would guess, these gadgets performed the same general tasks as all the other flavours and aimed to provide the same solutions.

I this article I will try and review each of these implementations both from a user perspective. Part 2 will carry reviews from a developer’s point of view.

Continue reading →

I worked on the website a while back and tried to incorporate a database with dynamic scripting, but never got to the final step. I had some problems importing the old data, and I need to fix that. On the other hand, the rest of it very close to being done so I will soon update the site with the changes.

I wanted to add a feature where I could update the site from a script using a mobile phone or something like that, and welcome my site to the “Web 2.0″ age. But now that I’m not travelling anymore I don’t know if it’s still needed…. any advice?

I’ve been dabbling in mysql and php, so that I can bring my website into the modern age. I’ve had some success and in the process also managed to put my code onto subversion. It’s still a work in progress, but the good news is that I’m very close to finishing. Once I’m done I will post a detailed overview of things. ( not that anyone cares! )

Oh, and I finally found the runaway tag that was messing up the display of the archive section. Joy!

I’ve been dabbling in high-level computing for a while now. My work doesn’t lead me to the guts of the computer. I don’t have to use the command line to make my daily bread. I am a suite! But I realized today how much I miss hacking around on it. There’s something about the black background, with white text (and some colored characters thrown in for fun) that’s intriguing and makes you want to explore. The Commodore64 was my first introduction to the command line – and in fact to computers – and I still haven’t overcome the mystery of those glowing characters!

Maybe it’s time I basked in that glow again!

no, I haven’t been drinking too much coffee, but my new hobby is extremely fun! grinding the beans, waiting around for the coffee to brew and the taste…… this way of making coffee is probably wrong, but so far I’ve been putting off going to the one source on coffee-related lore and learning.

Also, there’s some progress in the webpage source area of the projects.

and here’s my Raytracer project that I did for graphics. It is by no means complete, and I really want to make it into a really nice application.
Today was spent playing soccer, passing out on a friends couch after a good meal of pizza and wings, waking up shortly and playing networked computer games in a dingy basement!

Long live student life!!!

After a over a week’s work- well, it was really about an hour each day- the new changes to the site are ready to be published. For those of you that might care, I have moved from using PERL to using PHP in my scripts on the site. I’ve changed my files to be completely dynamic, and as you can probably see, some of the aesthetics of the site have also changed. I have to admit, I’m happy with what I’ve done and I think this back-end will stick around for a while. Having done all that, the server is acting oddly, and I have to do some more setup work to get PHP working here. I’m gonna leave this half-finished and I’ll come back to it later.

Or if you weren’t here for the tech-talk, check out the new tune.