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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! 

Many of our customers who look for Ecommerce solutions find Opensource solutions to build it cost effectively and they like what we recommended, Cubecart!There are reasons:1. Easy to customize (skin based), and this keeps the cost low.
2. You can bring great look and feel with skins, you can make the site like complete custom design. No footsteps of Cubecart would be visible.
3. PHP programmers likes it. – Clean code structure, easy to manage. Our PHP programmers have a great feel about it.
4. Designers like it. Clean XHTML interface and CSS driven.
5. SEO guys like it. Search Engine Friendly URLs, Custom URLs, Meta Tags, Robots.txt & PHP Session Killer etc
6. Good support from Cubecart team apart from forum support (Like http://www.cubecartforums.org/)
7. Low cost, $180 only.
8. Good number of alternate payment solutions, Shipping modules (http://www.cubecart.com/modules)
9. Web2.0 interface, But I am yet to see any Mashups.We strongly recommend and teach the importance of SEO for customers who wants us to build Ecommerce sites, as any online business should consider SEO as their primary marketing channel – Not just news paper ads, for long term business through online. Cubecart is one good choice to build SEO friendly Ecommerce sites that supports online marketing.

Briefed below are four MySQL tools that are really interesting, and you would like to review them and test them for better DB management experience. They do fairly good job with the database admin management, and good alternates to phpMyadmin. 
 
1. SQL Buddy: A tool that allows you to get more work done for less, the SQL Buddy tool though not very colorful and flashy, is very easy to navigate and fast loading as well. This saves a lot of time, and also allows using it the moment it is saved in the system. Also transferring of data between servers and .csv file export is also possible here.
 
2. Sidu: Another database admin tool with some wonderful features in it, including filtering and segregating of table list of a database. Also free controlling of table grouping, depending upon first few characters of the table name is made possible. This tool also assists in table access using the GUI feature. Data import is also possible to be done easily here.
 
3. My DB Studio: One of the best features that MyDB possesses is that it assists in SSH tunneling that helps in securing one’s connections, along with backup and restore database options. The tool also provides functionalities like creating, altering and deleting tables using WYSIWYG. The tool also aids in creating complete PHP scripts. This tool can be downloaded here.
 
4. MySQL Front: Another GUI for MySQL, this tool has complete control over the graphic display giving us more options to present the information clearly. One of the highlights of this tool is that it can make direct contacts with the database, thereby storing login ids and passwords, in your hard disk. This saves you from losing time spent to login at various web interfaces. Basically, this tool is helpful for those designers who are not very lettered about databases and only have a basic idea about it.

Organizing of content is done better way using drop down menus. But coding them could be a heck of a task. Thanks to some of the finest plug-ins that cater to the drop down menus needs for WordPress, we can use them in our websites or blogs for easy drop down navigation. These plug-in can also be customized manually for better presentation.
 
Discussed below are four drop down plug-ins, for sites enabled with WordPress.
 
1. Suckerfish WordPress Plug-in: It can be downloaded from here. Suckerfish has already existing drop down design, but the same can also be customized using the CSS generator, which very well suits this plug-in. The site clearly explains the procedure to install the plug-in onto your website.
 
2. Zack Designs: A three level drop down menu has been developed by Zack Designs, for WordPress. This looks to be really promising and efficient as well. You can download it from here. But one thing is that this would be a strict no-no for people who are not well conversant with CSS, especially if you are attempting to make changes to the existing design that the plug-in provides.
 
3. Gouden Douche plug-in: Depending upon the page list, the drop down menu is created in your website, by this plug-in. It has about 3 versions of the plug-in and is still in the beta version. All the 3 versions have specific requirements, with the latest one still having few bugs in it; still it is definitely worth a look and a try, in case you are able to fix the glitches. With the beta version that has come out, it sure looks to be a promising WordPress drop down plug-in.
 
4. TransMenu: A very swift and animated drop down menu, TransMenu is easy to install at the same time makes drop downs more attractive as well. With options to include pages and sub pages inside, the drop down is definitely a very good idea for starters. The site also gives detailed information about how to go about installing the plug-in.
 
It would be good to try them out first in any blog if the features are compatible with your requirements and try applying them in your WordPress enabled sites.

Our SEO team likes Google analytics, But they still generate some reports manually and simplify some of the reports generate by Google to make it readable to clients. Not all the clients will understand the detailed reports from Google Analytics. They need facts and figures, easily understandable. So, always our SEO enthusiasts are looking for some tools to make their life easy, no surprise they wanted some tools as an alternate to Google analytics.

1. Piwik Open source web analyticsa>: A web-analytics software which is free(opensource), is a real good way of calculating website ROI. It gives perfect reports on the keyword phrases and search engines, popular web pages etc.  It also has its own plug-in that are built-in for increased efficiency, with the facility of getting the reports in various formats like XML, PHP, CSV and the likes. .
 
2. Engine Ready Conversion Analyst: Another powerful analytics tool, the Engine Ready conversion Analyst is a alternate to Google analytics. You can generate reports on web site ROI, from keywords used in search engines, emails, banners or absolutely any other online campaigns that you perform. Engine ready is not a free service, but believe the services are definitely worth a shot. You also have a demo option, and only if you are happy, you would need to proceed with the purchase option, which I feel is quite decent enough.

Comments are welcome, if you have even better tools, post them. !  

Cost cutting! – This is something everyone always appreciates, particularly during this slowdown. People want to spend small or no money, however things need to keep going! You need to cut down the development time, so you can save money, execute more projects and manage to reduce the cost of development. This is the time to indentify the ways to reach low cost solutions to customers.

Web development framework to open source developers are not new. There are many Frameworks are available for PHP, Python, Ruby and Java developers. With Frameworks, you get a project skleton, a structure and Libraries which you need to start. Moreover the structure forces you to keep the design and development seperated with MVC. MVC Stands for Model View Controller.

Choossing a Framework is based on the requirments, and the customer. There are simple to complex. I beleive every web development firm should invest time on evaluating few Frameworks in various technology (or atleast in PHP) to provide quick and low cost solutions to the customer. A single Framework may not allow you to fullfil all the features of various web development projects.

There are few popular frameworks widely adopted by developers, for Python there is Django and Pylons, Struts and Cocoon for Java, Ruby on Rails for Ruby, Several for PHP (Zend, Codeigniter, CakePHP etc) – See a very good comparions here.

While we use and recommed few like Codeigniter, CakePHP and Struts, Its better you try, evaluate and get insight on more than one Framework. This will help you/your developers to recommed the right framwork for the requirments and quick completion of the project. Please note reuablity and MVC are the prime factors for using Framworks, But indentifying the right framework which will meet your specification is even more important.

As a developer, you should be able to accomodate more projects if you reduce the development time. My team says you can save around 30%-40% of development time, this should be real good news to you and your clients, right?

WordPress is a simple and handy platform that is highly used in creating blogs and is also one of my favorite blog platforms, WordPress plugins that are used along with it can create excellence to sites. Out of many WordPress plugins that are available, I have chosen 4 that are my darlings, from the Multimedia point of view. These plugins are highly useful with regards to creating Multimedia-rich websites and blogs, and I also am of the impression that they are simple to use, without any complications or hassles.

(1) Kaltura Video recording and management – http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/kaltura-interactive-video 

This plugin is quite apt to make the videos in your blog more interactive. With facilities like uploading, importing and recording of videos into your blog posts,  modify videos with the help of an online video editor; this plugin is definitely a hit! What I like the best in this is that it this plugin also supports a huge variety of codecs and audio/video file formats along with video sharing options. In short, complete management and administration of videos is possible with this wizard! 

(2) MTR Audio and Podcast Recorder - http://www.podcastingnews.com/2008/09/15/free-podcast-recorder-plugin-for-wordpress
 

I would say a “must-download plugin” for the Podcast freaks; this plugin is called the MTR Podcast recorder that allows all the recordings to be saved in MP3 format. It is saved in the same server as that of WordPress. The best part that I like in this plugin is that it allows handling the records and musical selection lists from the WordPress administration itself. This helps in easy playlists management and overall blog site administration. 

(3) NextGEN Photo Gallery – http://alexrabe.boelinger.com/wordpress-plugins/nextgen-gallery

One of my most favorites, this photo gallery plugin is very useful, especially for those interested in creating and sorting their own image collections. This plugin has a tinge of Web 2.0 and jQuery JavaScript library, all packed in one. The users can also upload images that have watermarked text or images. The best thing is that various JavaScript effects like Thickbox, Lightbox and the likes can be used. 

(4) Kimili Embedded Flash – http://kimili.com/plugins/kml_flashembed
 

So you want to embed flash based movies into your blog, then Kimili is the best choice! A very flexible plugin with many features attached to it, the Kimili  also complies with the standards. It is very useful for search engine optimization of blogs, as the plugin itself is search engine friendly. What’s more, this plugin also gels on well with other plugins in its 1.2 version, and hence is definitely the best pick for WordPress.

I have found these plugins to be remarkable and of great use to me. There are many more great plugins from WordPress, and if you feel anyone or more of them have stirred your web designing senses, then do not forget to suggest about them in my comments section.

Online competition tracking is not as easy as we all think and we don’t know when competitors make different alterations to their websites and fine-tune their keywords to gain top results. The most crucial phase and factor of SEO is competitor analysis, as staying ahead of the competitors is not an easy task. For that, we have various free competitor tools, which can help you track your competitor levels and also help you understand the competitiveness of your industry for success.

(i) TouchGraph.com You can try it right away! Enter a URL or a set of keywords and then click on the button ‘Graph it!’ However, the following have to be kept in mind: · It is always advisable to have the latest version of java, minimum Java 1.5. Also popup blockers should be disabled to allow launching websites. · After typing out the URL or the search keywords, hit “Graph It!” Press the “Run” button when the question prompts as, “Do you want to trust the signed applet?” http://www.touchgraph.com/TGGoogleBrowser.html

(ii) Myriadsearch.com This is an excellent tool to view competition rankings across numerous search engines that are available nowadays. http://www.myriadsearch.com/

(iii) Seotoolset.com – competition research tool To show the present ranking of the top competitors across the prominent search engines, use this competition research tool. It gives the topmost 25 rankings across the board and sorts the results as well. The site that has the highest ranking is listed in the beginning. http://www.seotoolset.com/tools/free_tools.html

(iv) Spyfu.com SpyFu allows you to look at the keywords that are purchased by your competitors. It also shows the keywords that they optimize their site for. Once the competition is understood, you can become masters in their own game and at the same time can also tap on their weaknesses as well! http://www.spyfu.com Hope the above quoted sites have helped you with your search for top competitor tools

Even before we started using SEO, Just after building the sites we started using a Site visitor analytic tool. Initially we used Goldstats; It was more than sufficient when we had only 20 pages, and no much SEO really done. It was a nice start.

But when we added articles, and  really wanted to know more about the readers, and what keywords they use. We needed a better tool actually, and found Webstat in 2002. Again we were really happy until we found we reached a number of pages. We also found urchin an interesting tool, and finally settled with Google analytics – which gives everything an SEO company needs.

We do not recommend Google Stats to everyone.  Spending time each day to study your visitors through Google stats might not be easier, unless you have a passion about your site visitors. If you need to know some simple reports to study in 5 minutes use some simple hosted solutions like Webstat or Gostat’s simplified versions. We have also written very simple custom Stat solutions in PHP/mySQL, write us if you need a Demo and a free version. It gives every detail you need to know in 3-5 minutes. We haven’t named it, as we have no intention of selling it until now.

I believe even if you use Google Analytics, you may need a simple analytic tool. 

 

A whole new browser. (?) Can’t agree to that fully, since it is based on Apple’s WebKit and Mozilla’s Firefox components.
I personally like the products from Google, and I believe Chrome would also make some difference in the Browser market, though it is available only in XP and Vista. A Linux version should make this difference easily. Few good things are  a Quicker installation, quick loading of pages (do they show them from their cache?), and recently visited pages shown as thumbnails.

You get a bigger screen for websites, unlike the other browsers there is no bottom information bar, the page loading information just comes as an Ajax(?) window, and vanishes after the page gets loads.

Our website menu is not positioned properly; Our CSS team is working on it to fix that soon. I used Chrome for writing this blog, and found it is working very fine. I hope WordPress team do not have to work hard for these browsers. I noticed on issued in WordPress editor issue – The format had gone completely, when I saved and opened this blog entry. This has to be fixed in the WYSIWYG plugin in WordPress.

I am keen to check some of the DHTML sites, probably the scripts from Dynamicdrive.com, as their scripts are widely used for menus and browser side dynamics.

There is no favicon appearing in the address and title tab, no Google chrome Logo and title anywhere. The location of the Tab looks nice, most of the browsers do use this project for Product title. This is a smart move.
No Google toolbar for Chrome yet, hope it is in development, they should launch it any time now. Chrome does import your favourites etc from IE quickly.

Developers and designers have to spend more time for this browser too, as I do not think Chrome is going to be just another Browser, since it has better focus on web applications. Google office documents should perform well with Chrome, But I didn’t notice big difference when I opened Spreadsheets in Chrome. I expected the suggest for work well inside the columns, seems like such features are yet to come.
Overall the Browser is impressive, and I hope it will affect the market Share of IE and Firefox to an extent, especially the later one.