To-do: website

[tinyjo]

• Determine definitely once and for all if it's possible to run the site on non-Windows servers. If it definitely isn't, consider whether I can be bothered to re-write the whole thing in some cross platform language (Python?). If I do decide to re-write it, that rewrite comes before anything else.
• Add some stuff to the quotes engine to make it easier for me to categorize stuff
• Write own referrer script which, for example, saves the query string from search engine referrals
• Publish some more stuff under writings. Sort out some sort of license statement on that page.
• Update the login refresh script so that I don't have to remember to keep logging in before I can change the currents
• Finish the bookmarks functionality - allow subcategories, edit/delete, move to "Links" folder
• Publish quotes engine as open source
• Publish bookmarks engine as open source

The main reason that I'm considering the re-write is that I really want to get away from my Windows dependence. I've got a Linux install on my laptop now which I'm not using much because I can't use it to work on my website at all. More than that, I'm seriously considering switching to a Mac when I get my next laptop (which I expect to be towards the end of this year) but I've got to be able to work on my site on it otherwise there's almost no point. The site code is all in ASP with VBscript, so TBH it probably is Windows only. It would be good to expand my web technologies range to include some non-proprietary languages though, I suppose, it just seems like a lot of work.

Of course, the fact that I'm seriously considering switching to Mac is one of the other reasons that I haven't ended up using Linux very much. The learning curve is pretty steep and if I'm just going to switch away from it in a years time I'm not sure it's worth it. My other gripe, which I guess some of you might be able to help me out with, is that I don't like my current email client - Sylpheed. It's quite good, but I hate the fact that you can't seem to turn off the preview pane and I seem to remember it taking more clicks than I liked to open an email in a new window (or possibly you had to do it from the mouse, not the keyboard) which is my preferred way of reading email. I like the Outlook interface for email - can anyone recommend something for Debian with a similar mechanic?

Comments

[xencat.livejournal.com]

Personally I'm very happy using Mozilla Thunderbird for my mail, works nicely and behaves sensibly as an e-mail client. The only problem I've had is a bug receiving attachments from certain Outlook clients. That just requires me to forward it to myself, then it works.

PHP and Perl should be fairly cross platform, but then I'm not a web developer.

[shepline.livejournal.com]

My Dad swears by Eudora for his mail (I believe this is normal for scientists/academics).

I would be interested in the Quotes engine once you've publish it - any plans to publish the Currents/Previously engine like you did for the Gallery?

The other thing I'm really jealous about your site with is the way that you've integrated this journal so completely into your site (did you say it was done by ASP?). I'd love to do that too, but it would require me:

• understanding how to create/modify S2 styles and I just can't get my head round that


• learning enough about ASP to integrate it - I'm okay modifying things and tinkering at the edges, but from scratch...? *shivers*

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

I can't stand Eudora - I like being able to have lots of emails open in different windows if I need to.

re Currents, that's a good point actually - the intention is to publish all of my tools from this site eventually, so I'll add it to the list. I will, of course, announce them here when I do publish them.

The integration is a combo of an S2 style and ASP work, yes :) I don't mind trying to help out if you can come to me with specific questions - I'm not very good at being general.

As a starting point, you need your S2 style. You want this to duplicate the layout you want on your site (the comments pages, for example, will still be pulled directly from LJ). What you should be aiming for is that all the head code and bits that you don't want in your embedded journal should be in the Page::Print function and the bits you actually do want to embed for each page should be in the Page::print_body function (you can, and probably will, have specific ones of these for each view).

Hmmm. That may or may not make any sense. If I'm actually in one evening, we could get together on IM and I'll try to help you out if you like and you can always email questions.

[archie.livejournal.com]

Of course, the fact that I'm seriously considering switching to Mac is one of the other reasons that I haven't ended up using Linux very much.

Naturally, you can have a dual-boot Mac that runs a Linux distribution. Debian's testing distribution has actually improved greatly over the last couple of months, so if you haven't updated your binaries I'd recommend doing that. You'll find it's a great deal prettier (it's now Gnome 2.4) now the transition's over with, and there are no mysterious error messages that appear upon log in.


The learning curve is pretty steep and if I'm just going to switch away from it in a years time I'm not sure it's worth it.

Must... resist... no, I can't. A Learning curve is a graphical representation of progress or stuff learnt against time. So Linux has a shallow learning curve, and Windows has a steeper one. Apparently, all psychologists use this term correctly. If only we knew one.


It's quite good, but I hate the fact that you can't seem to turn off the preview pane

View -> "Show or hide" -> Message View, or just press the V key. This might not exist in Sylpheed 0.74 (which I think is your version) but it certainly exists in Sylpheed 0.97 which can be found in Debian Testing.


and I seem to remember it taking more clicks than I liked to open an email in a new window (or possibly you had to do it from the mouse, not the keyboard)

Double clicking works, as does Ctrl-Alt-N.


can anyone recommend something for Debian with a similar mechanic?

As xencat suggested, Mozilla Thunderbird is pretty decent, and it has Bayesian filtering for spam. I wouldn't find this too useful because I'm no good at throwing suspected spam away without checking for myself. I also prefer the file formats with Sylpheed, where each email is a plaintext file. It just seems a little less laggy, and only takes up about a quarter of the memory that Thunderbird uses. Again, Thunderbird 0.4 is something that recently became available in Debian Testing - I'm continuing to play with it until I make a decision.

[xencat.livejournal.com]

Admittedly I keep all my mail on an IMAP store so that's not so much of an issue, but I appreciate the problem.

[blufive.livejournal.com]

Of course, the fact that I'm seriously considering switching to Mac is one of the other reasons that I haven't ended up using Linux very much. The learning curve is pretty steep and if I'm just going to switch away from it in a years time I'm not sure it's worth it

OS X is Unix under the hood anyhow (BSD-based, IIRC) so some degree of system stuff will probably be transferrable if you're digging around behind the scenes.

ASP Alternative

[(Anonymous)]

"Determine definitely once and for all if it's possible to run the site on non-Windows servers."

ASP and VBScript probably is windows only, but the Mono implementation of ASP.NET is getting there, though currently your ASP pages are limited to C# as the VB.NET implementation isn't there yet. Do you think you could recode it in C#?

Mono is the open source .NET implementation, and more people using it will always benefit. I think there is even a JITer for the Mac processors now so it wouldn't have to be really slow on a Mac :)

Not sure how easy it would be to find profesional hosting for ASP.NET on Mono, but ASP.NET on MS.NET should be easy to find.

David - Contributor of some of the XML code to Mono

Re: ASP Alternative

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. That's tempting because I can definitely rewrite it in C# - that's what I work in :) The only downside is that my hosting company charges for access to .NET but doesn't charge for ordinary ASP or for PHP. Thanks!