Resources on Web, Mobile, SEO, Outsourcing and more.

Like any other year for a web development company, 2010 went with lot of learning. Not even a single day left without the impact of technology advancements and new techniques to learn. At Macronimous, we always try to let our clients know what we learnt: jQuery/HTML 5 instead of Flash, Ajax driven forms, Mobile and Tablet interfaces for websites, Security for WordPress blogs & sites and social networking integration are some of the key considerations for improving the deliverables. Few things were challenging and few attempts didn’t turned up well. At the end of the year, it’s a summary of things will help any business to focus or rethink to make 2011 better for us and most importantly for our clients.

1. Social Marketing: Facebook and twitter will rule next year (or next few years too). Every SEO company which helps their client to succeed online, should help them by letting them to consider these technology giants, which might take them to next level. Social media optimization will not replace Search Engine Optimization, but social media optimization should go in parallel with SEO.

2. Cloud applications and hosting: We started using invoice applications first (Freshbooks) and it ended up with cloud hosting. We moved our sites to cloud. Also helped clients to taste the flour of clouds. Web hosting with Amazon web services was a very different service we offered to our clients. Setting up their sites and web applications with EC2 were initially needed some learning with Amazon, but it became an expert service at the year end. In 2011 we will be providing setting up applications in cloud as a key service.

3. Social Media integration: We learnt FBML, Facebook SDK with PHP and started offering business pages and applications with Facebook , which will continue next year. Marketing those pages is another fruit to reap. Similarly Facebook Like button integration and Twitter API integrations are two important promotional services clients will require in 2011.

4. Blogging: Is blogging dead? No, it has come out in different format. Twits and Facebook status updates are micro blogging and People who do not want to write much, or those who like to share instantly use them. But, still business blogging isn’t dead. Macronimous helped serveral clients to start blogging. WordPress helped us much. We provide SEO friendly WordPress blogs by adding SEO plugins and basic SEO readiness setup as a mandatory feature along with every blogs.

5. Search Engine friendly coding: SEO readiness is no more a value addition. Every site we develop should be ready to for Search Engines. It begins with light weight coding and ends with Keyword setup. Making dynamic sites such as CMS driven content, ECommerce sites and Flash sites with PHP and .NET are offered by us as an expert SEO service.

6. HTML5 for Flash: We started offering HTML5 based presentations and sites. Flash was replaced by jQuery for many clients and they were happy too. By 2011, HTML 5 should be the standard, and Flash will move for interactive applications. The test results made at RWW in March 2010 was an eye opener. With full fledged CSS3 and HTML5, easy to create interactive web applications without Flash should be feasible.

7. Rich Internet Application – Flex was used much in few projects this year. We look forward to work on RIA based frameworks, such as Sencha.

8. PHP Frameworks: We used Codeigniter very much. But MVC is still not very popular, and framework based applications are relatively lower then non MVC based solutions like WordPress etc.

9. Smartphone and Tablet applications: We did much with iPhones this year (including 2011 World Cup Cricket app), moving to iPads. Android development for Smartphones and tablets will be our important strategy for 2011. By the end of this year, we see more Tablets, and thanks to iPad, which regenerated the new platform of business. Building portable applications for the mobile and tablet browsers is another channel. By providing mobile friendly websites we help clients become accessible everywhere. Sencha Touch nd dhtmlx’s JavaScript mobile UI APIs will be a part of the development in 2011.

10. Security for Opensource applications: Many of us believe that Opensource application based development cost is almost nil. This is a lie. The initial cost of a WordPress or Joomla based application/site development might be relatively lower than a closed, custom application development. But the real cost of ownership is affected by the security issues that comes with the Open standards, mainly when they are affected by Security attacks. We will work hardly on providing secure web applications when we develop them with open source in 2011. Even at this year end we have an important announcement with a  major security fix from WordPress.

11. Remote project management: Managing projects across the globe was a real challenge a decade ago. Using standards and web based project management tools we provide hassle free project management. Tools like Basecamp, dotproject and Eventum helped us much, and we are working with few cloud based PM and collaboration tools, github etc. Apart from this our agile based PM methods have had some customization. Part of that is a project closure questionnaire.

Overall, many easy and hard ways of learning helped our team to build the next year strategy very much. Leave your comments if you had such learnings to share with others. Looking forward to another technologically challenging year which helps us to help our clients.

Dilbert stripe: © Dilbert.com

We use Subversion in Macronimous, and I found it would be interesting to share its benefits and our experience with Subversion. It’s a bit lengthy entry, kind of Article, But I believe at the end you will find it useful.

Web applications are growing tremendously, with more developers involved in finishing the projects. This is when the need for a control system for better code management, that handles revisions effectively, came into existence. 

And that is how the version control system called Subversion came into being. The details of the project being worked upon are stored in a repository, which is usually on a remote server. Every time a change is done to the project, the changes are highlighted in the repository as well. The changes can then be imported into your local machine. Any change done to the local working copy reflects upon the repository as well.  

Not only that, the changes that are done by other users to the repository, can be made to reflect in your local copy as well! This facilitates in keeping every developer involved in the project to know the changes done in the coding, by other developers, thereby allowing multiple developers to work on the same project effectively, in a hassle free manner. 

What all are required to manage web applications in SVN? 

The following are essential to handle web applications using Subversion:

• A public webserver along with a live webspace
• A testing webserver with one webspace for each developer, minimum
• MySQL server accompanied by two databases
• An SVN server

What is possible using SVN for web development? 

When we are working on a developmental project at Macronimous, with SVN, we found the advantage of maintaining a trunk and stable release versions. This is because, as changes are made in the local machine, these changes are equally reflected in the working copy on the server, with complete SVN update.

To automatically update a folder’s content, when the latest work done is saved in the repository, and get the latest work through your server, the following needs to be done:

The post-commit.tmpl repository of the hooks folder in the svn repository folder structure is of importance here. For *nix systems, it is required to rename the post-commit.tmpl into post-commit, so that permissions can be given to execute the specific task. For windows systems, it is required to rename to post-commit.bat. In Windows servers, permissions do not pose to be a problem.

When your files are named this way, Subversion understands to use your hooks. Because of this, there is no need of configuring anything to enable these features. This results in creating the script that is required to execute whenever the event starts off. No environment settings are required (like %PATH%) to run these scripts. Therefore, this requires a reset of the variables involved in the script or the usage of absolute paths.

If any changes are done to the production server of a site that is already being used by visitors, we have to be really careful enough, so that errors do not creep in for the website users. We must ensure that the server has got updated the way our working copies have, and this is done using a staging area, placed in the same server, but with the access provided only to the admin.

When the updates have to be uploaded into the server, an export is performed to the staging area, followed by a click through the site and checking through the checklist in order to check if everything is perfect. Once we have got it confirmed that everything is perfectly fine, the updates are copied to the production area. This makes the updates live, without any problem to the already online users.

Some advantages of using Subversion, with respect to web development include:

• No more need to take backups locally. The repository is available on a remote server. So every time a change is made to the repository, the changes reflect in the remote backup as well.
• Multiple users can work together on the same code base, simultaneously.
• Allows keeping a continuous record of all changes performed to a project over time. Subversion also has the facility of checking out what all changes have been performed previously in the project, as well.
  Few handy features like atomic transactions and Apache piggybacking are also available.
• One of the earlier web development techniques of using an FTP client while updating files into your production server has been replaced by SVN, wherein the production server can execute the repository just like how it does in the local copy.
• When large number of changes has to be uploaded in the project, including new codes, images, videos, fixing few bugs and the likes, Subversion uses only one command is run – the svn update; it effects down all the latest changes together.
• SVN clearly pinpoints on the files that have undergone changes and those that are new. Moreover, if the same server hosts the repository as well then the update comes into effect in a jiffy! If the repository is available in a different server, the speed of transfer is still fast, taking a few seconds.
   

Subversion is definitely a very powerful and useful web VCS, with the core importance given to the fact that changes can be done to the local working copy would cause mirror image changes to be brought into effect in the repository as well. Also it encourages many users to work in a collaborative manner on the same project, by effecting the changes done in the repository, on the local copies as well! 

If you are developing websites collaboratively, say your development teams are working jointly in a project (design or programming) and using CVS or Concurrent Versioning Systems is one good practice to save everyone’s life before they mess up others code.

Assume John uploads his code using FTP at the at 6PM, and Dave overwrites it by 7PM with his version from USA, Raj downloads the files uploaded by John using FTP from and Kumar downloads a Dave’s version, The next day is going to be the miserable day to everyone after all the hard work from the past day – Kumar has clearly overwritten everyone else’s code.

But CVS can solve this issue. A version control system is client/server software to keep track of the work done, allows several developers to makes changes on a set of files on different versions which is finally integrated – with a server having the current updated version of a project and the client can log in, work on the copy of the project, and sends the updation to the server. I would like to brief out the 4 most commonly used tools in CVS:

WinCVS (CVSGUI)
The general interface of a CVS is command line client but instead a GUI client can be used as a point and click interface to talk to the server. GUI interface allows easy automation, customization of common tasks and gives up a native lookup and feel on Windows, Mac and Unix/Linux due to its frameworks.WinCVS differs from CVS only in the terminology being used. The initial process of a version system is importing the files to CVS terminology where the import operation involves a “clean” directory structure means the files that doesn’t need versioning are removed. Every file is not versioned for certain reasons, in that case it can be removed during importing and moved after the versioning process is over.

I prefer WinCVS, as I was using it while I was programming in a collaborative projects.

SmartCVS
SmartCVS, a multi-platform client with powerful features is easy and productive to use. While working on a project, each person makes a change on the files; a SmartCVS organizes and groups the files of related changes referred through a change report file which helps to easily identify the newly added and modified files. SmartCVS also sets file permissions to specific users inorder to protect the files from unauthorized users.

CVSup
CVSup, a tool used to transfer files across the network has the ability to understand the CVS files & tags and updates the files on the server supporting all types of file. The CVS files are recognized easily and synchronized to balances the data transfer that occurs between the client and the server through algorithms, in turn compressing the number of data bits for easy data transfer.

jCVS
This is a Java based client (written in Swings), I never installed it before or tested, But its a poulataly know CVS, your team may want to try. Try any one or more of them; you need to read the installation manual carefully, as sometimes it may be tricky.

At Macronimous we encourage our clients to use CVS (it need little learning though) if they too are allowing their team to work on the code we produce from India. Start practicing a CVS will need little time, but you will certainly appreciate your decision of using a CVS with your client or team.

Did you ever wonder how to work efficiently with your offshore team. I am sure you wish to have some better mechanisms than simple emails back and forth. When you like your customers to interact with your team, without you spending much of your time, But at the same if you can monitor the projects without much of your efforts, I am sure you to need invest on some Web collaboration applications.

Web collaboration tools normally consist of a list web based applications which are capable making people work together via internet. Such suits of set of tools will simplify the communication and information exchange. For example A project team in different locations can work together with Web collaborative tools. Such tools normally consist of shared access to project files, share calendars, schedules and plans. They can have online discussions, share whiteboards and documents.

See my favorite tools below, But I recommend you to evaluate them before you start using them.

1. BaseCamp: Basecamp is a web based project management and collaboration tool, designed for small businesses, lawyers, publishers, manufacturers, and offshore web developers and outsourcing agencies. It has a very clean and interactive web based interface. It presents the clients and projects on one screen, you can make lists, add items, assign responsibility, upload files, categorize, sort and track versions. Message boards keep your communication centralized with no shooting emails back and forth. You can start practicing it with their 30-day free trial.

2. dotproject: This is a opensource application, written by several users, and it has the following features.

• User Management
• Email based trouble Ticket System, (Integrated voxel.net’s ticketsmith)
• Client/Company Management
• Project listings
• Hierarchical Task List
• File Repository
• Contact List
• Calendar
• Discussion Forum
• Resource Based Permissions

3. Twiki: TWiki, a flexible, powerful, and easy to use enterprise wiki, enterprise collaboration platform and knowledge management system. It is a Structured Wiki, typically used to run a project development space, a document management system, a knowledge base, or any other groupware tool, on an intranet or on the internet. Web content can be created collaboratively by using just a browser. Twiki also has several plugins such as, Actiontracker, Calender, Chart etc.

4. Goplan: GoPlan! has number of collaborative features like Track project progress through task management, calendaring, note sharing and issue tracking. Additionally, real-time in-browser chat lets you converse with team members. Goplan also has developer API which allows you to integrate our system to the rest of your infrastructure.

There are number of free, paid script, and paid hosted solutions are available, finding the one for your team and making your client to use it would be bit challenging initially. But once when you start using it, you will make everyone in your team proud of you.

When you plan to outsource to India, or planning to work with a remote development team like us, these tools make make our colloboration easier on information, project details and file sharing.