That's it - I'm re-developing this blog template!

05/14/2008 11:39 AM by Chris Toohey

It was brilliant. I had commented a book on yesterday's post topic, and it was the stuff of legend. In it, I explained the following (watered down and from memory):

1. I didn't want to replace documents as the Notes data store, per se.
2. I DID want to implement a translation layer between the UI and the data store, thus separating the data store.
3. This translation layer/data store separation architecture would allow us to maintain individual or multiple documents in external databases, as well as potentially update other data stores. Imagine you fill out a simple form and on submission I'm updating 5 different Notes applications as well as an XML file that's used by an ancilarry technology.
4. The translation layer engine could be written to allow all of the business logic to be defined via configuration documents - allowing not only user control but also allowing us to "skin" like applications.

I mean it was poetry. It was insightful. It was brillaint. IT GOT ATED!

I'm saying that "my dog blog ate my homework brilliantly written comment", and I've had enough. I'm sick of this weblog template - written by yours truly, gang - and this was the last straw!

So I'm going to be writing a new blog template from the ground-up. Ctrl+N and I'm off.

Now, before anyone asks me why I'm not using <enter Domino blog template here>, I'll give you the honest answer. I think that the blog templates are great! They provide people with a quick-to-deploy solution that allows anyone to blog within moments. As a developer though, I cannot tell you HOW INVALUABLE it was to me to write my own. It's purely the development exercises involved in creating a blogging template that I'm interested in - it allows me to keep my skills sharp while integrating 3rd-party technologies and solutions that I honestly wouldn't see in "my day job". That's why I originally wrote my own (although that's not true, when I started this site there wasn't such templates lying around and available - you kids with your baggy pants and new fangled IBM blog templates have it easy... Now get off my lawn!), and that's why I'll continue to writing my own.

So, that being said, is there anything that people would like to see here that isn't already? Co-Comment was one suggestion. Anything else? I'm open to any suggestions at this point... but here's a few things that I'd like to do:

• Co-Comment
• Authenticated Comments - something maybe OpenID-based...
• Polls
• Good ol' Email Notifications/Newsletters
• (maybe) Threaded Comments

Add your request/suggestion onto the pile - and I'll be as public as appropriate (I won't want to bore everyone) with the development effort.