PHP Development, the perfect framework

So I've spend many hours on many projects in PHP and I continually tweek my design concepts aiming for a generic outline that should work for any php application. This has proven to be quite a difficult task, because with every new project a new design comes to mind. Modular systems have been the focus of much of my work and my framework concepts are built accordingly. With the endlessly popular AJAX buzz i now find myself contemplating how applications will be accessed. A method that allows both traditional access and javascript access is required. It is frustrating and wasteful to continually redesign the structure of your projects.

Bottom up Design

The best way to build projects is a mixture of Bottom up and Top down design. With that in mind perhaps the best way to provide a general solution that is simple and elegant would be to provide two stages: One, a basic framework for bottom up modules that should be programmed generically enough to work anywhere; Two, a suggested method for integrating the components to provide the required features.

So now with that inmind, perhaps a module bridge system should be used to allow external applications to be loaded directly into pages, like portlets.

The Big Questions

How could one create a script to automate the process of writing bridge files? Would converting all links and forms into ajax enabled components provide a reasonable solution? Could one write an intelligent application that could convert any standard web based interface into a compatible AJAX interface that could instantly be plugged into a simple portal on another page?

So Tired...

So i've been awake for about 48 hours now, maybe some sleep would help me clear my thoughts a bit more. My major delema is the question of "IS IT REALLY WORTH THE TROUBLE TO WRITE SUCH SOFTWARE?" Surely this would not be a simple task otherwise it would be done and everyone's website would be an intelligent flexible system which could support any software that works on the web without manually modifying a bit of code...


Maybe some day my dream will come true and this will become a reality.

The World Semantics and Folksonomy

So I just read an Interesting article on slashdot, "Apple and Google to Blog the World" and found myself thinking about all the information Google is gathering though their free services, about the world. I am intrigued by the possibilities of having intimate information from billions of people all over the world about their favorite locations in the World. Tight integration of GPS devices, popular OSs, and web based repositories could allow travel agencies to promote locations based on information provided by the average joes who visit them. This is only the tip of the ice berg, by tagging and defining locations all over the world we open up a new resource for many AI applications, not to mention the immediate end-user delight of being able to read and post information about locations they keep close to their hearts.

Google's Free Services

I find myself coveting Google as they build their empire based on free services to the average user, a dream of mine before I knew it was already being done. I use Google as a Word Processor, Spreadsheet Accountant, Photo Gallery, News Portal, Search Engine, Email Client, and Blogger! I find myself dumbfounded, being able to use all of these wonderful features from anywhere for FREE! The simplistic, yet powerful layout of these applications make them more desirable to use than standard Windows/Linux, not to mention the price difference ;). Being an Open Source developer at heart I find myself wanting to use free/open software whenever possible. I admit the Microsoft office suite does have more functionality than the new Google Docs and Spreadsheets, but most of this functionality goes unused, especially by myself. Moreover; with Google I can access my documents from anywhere with an internet connection. Granted I have a laptop and I could save all my documents there and have them everywhere anyway, but with my frequent need to wipe my system out and reinstall my OS es I have begun to rely on remote storage of important files.

I also hate installing applications on my computer because it clutters my hard drive and slowly cripples the performance. I like to keep my computer lean and mean using as many remote services as possible.

Someday I think it would be great to work on a project with Google and find out how the pros collaborate on large projects in a corporate environment. My first step is to hopefully participate in the Google's summer of code.

My biggest concern is that the rumors of commercializing the Google "Web OS" and charging a fee for the services will be fulfilled. I believe if this happens they maybe able to keep some of the users hooked and make some short term profit but their long term outlook will be grim at best. I know my first instinct would be to migrate all of my work to another service provider, for example Yahoo, which is Google's biggest competitor. Many of my friends believe Google will not be able to maintain its community friendliness and inevitably will become more of a corporate monster like Microsoft. Not that I wouldn't love to have some stock from the 80's in Microsoft, but there is quite a stigma around them because of their bullish business tactics that cause many to refuse PAYING for their software. I believe there can still be morals in business or at least companies can pretend to have morals, after all Google is profiting ;P. I guess there are a few ways to look at a business' morals, after all, it is all about money in the end anyway.

My new dream is to create a wonderful service and sell it for Millions, LOL! I must study the successes of Writley, Picasa, and Blogger. Having fun writing software that helps everyone and making money, ahh, my American Dream.

My first Blog post

I am quite excited to have a fully functional blog account on the newly acquired Blogger software by Google. I actually spent a few days witting a basic blog software in PHP I was going to install on my website until I realized i was an idiot for reinventing a perfect wheel freely available to me and everyone else.

Now I can just incorporate this wonderful blog into my personal website, which is mainly to help communicate my qualifications to potential employers and provide a non-intrusive stalking methodology for those obsessing over me.