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Ajax

Content with my content

Capsi

Let's talk about my new site.

First of all: the user interface is improving rapidly and nearing completion, even though my todo-list is still the size of a decent novel. There are tons of useful Javascript/AJAX gimmicks I have mastered over the past weeks, all of them offering significant usability improvements for features such as the on-line calendar.

The basic design is also set in stone now. Obviously small details will still need to be taken care of, but those also depend on the specific content that will be displayed on the different parts of the site. Either way, expect a colourful improvement to the current offering. And the name has also been chosen: I decided to simply reuse the old Capsi(.com) name which I registered in 1996. Short and simple.

Last but not least: the database is growing at an unprecedented rate and I am increasingly content with the new content. There is still a lot of work to do though: my current site has approximately 4700 content pages compared to 1100 so far for the new one, but each of those new pages is more tuned to the target audience than what exists currently so I'm positive it will generate a broader audience on the long run.

Fiscal benefit

Personal

More stupid people who annoy me: Arno managed to utter "I have two children so that gives me a fiscal benefit" on television. Isn't parental love magical?

Then again this entire annoyance is my own fault, for watching a news programme (RTL Nieuws) void of news yet carrying something I cannot describe as anything but an actual advert for nannies. Perhaps indeed people don't need to feel guilty about having a nanny raising the kids. But surely selling strongly opinionated editorials as news ranks high on the list of guilt.

That hilarious own goal by Vermaelen that kept Ajax out of the Champions League made the evening worth it, though.

Still playing with AJAX

Software

If you wonder what's up with me: not a lot, currently. I'm still playing with Asynchronous JavaScript and XML and am slowly deploying some usability changes based on my progress. I'm currently working on a new login form. And don't worry, I won't remove the simple 1995-era POST forms just yet. Some people don't like JavaScript and that shouldn't prevent them from accessing the site.

The most important AJAX lessons I've learned so far: integrating tiny bits of JavaScript into XHTML pages and then handling their XmlHttpRequest mojo properly on the server end in PHP is easy as Paris Hiltonpie. However integrating the actual presentation is a bit more of a challenge. It seems almost impossible to resist the urge to redesign major elements of a web site when going from a stateful to (partially) stateless interface. So far most of the time I spend on AJAX ends up in tweaking public user texts and CSS style definitions.

Don't expect major changes to the site or profiles until I've figured out where I want to take my new-found abilities. I might decide to not bother changing anything at all, but I feel close to shutting down my social life for a few weeks in order to get a complete overhaul of this site out of the way.

AJAX chat and IM applications reviewed

Software

AJAX magazine (part of PHP magazine) has a review of AJAX chat applications. Unfortunately none of the offerings are truly spectacular, so I have not been able to find cool, new ideas for my own AJAX chat yet. I'm more hopeful to find advanced features in IM clients such as Meebo and eBuddy, but perhaps I will have to come up with a few myself. This should not be too challenging considering my experience running a full-featured telnet chat room in the late nineties (a.k.a. a haven).

Scalability is still a major issue I need to think about. Ordinary AJAX applications can actually reduce server load because the same actions as usual carry less overhead (by not loading an entire page, styled and all). But a chat application needs to continuously query a server for new data available. While a thousand users editing a calendar will ultimately result in just a thousand queries storing the new entries, a thousand simultaneous chatters generate a thousand requests per second, continuously checking for new data while rapidly generating even more of their own.

(Note to self: I should use my journal as a bookmark system more often. Too often I can't remember why I bookmarked something, or I can't remember a URL simply because I don't intend to visit a site even though I like its concept and might want to make some remarks.)

AJAX Instant Messenger

Software

I've added instant messaging to the Kiki user profiles on this web site! It's quite simple: a bit of Javascript sends your messages to the server and retrieves new ones for you, adding them to the page without requiring a refresh/reload of your browser. Tested in Konqueror and Mozilla Firefox.

The database keeps track of what messages you have seen, and you get notified of when a mate enters of leaves the chat. And, if someone chats you up, the site will give you a popup saying there's a new message. From there you can directly join the chat!

To start a conversation you currently have to manually find a mate who is on-line because their profile will have a chat link. But I'll be working on a nice status bar which will tell you which mates are on-line all the time! I shall also make the actual chat window a pop-up, so you won't be limited to a single chat a time (you can work around this by using tabs or multiple windows manually but that's not optimal).

Ajax Amsterdam 0 - PSV Eindhoven 0

Sports

PSV lost two valuable points against Ajax last night, but fortunately Feyenoord also didn't accomplish more than a tie today. Still seven points ahead then with only six more matches to go. League championship shouldn't be a problem!

Benfica 1 - Liverpool FC 0

Sports

And is if the night weren't bad enough, Liverpool also lost. They weren't exactly great and I have been focusing on the PSV game but it's still a big shame.

I guess I'll get drunk by sadness instead of happiness then. Pimmez says hi again. For the sake of Dutch football I hope his Ajax wins tomorrow.

PSV 2 - Twente 0

Sports

Eleven consecutive league games without a goal conceded. Sixty-three minutes away from breaking Ajax's 1971 all-time shutout record, with an easy game at De Graafschap scheduled. A Champions League second round qualification bagged before Thanksgiving. Five points ahead in the league of runner up AZ and a smashing ten respectively eleven points lead versus Ajax and Feyenoord. PSV is zooming!


By the way, while the media has been going wild reporting the "crisis" at Ajax, it looks like Ronald Koeman isn't the one with biggest problems. Ruud Gullit and his team from Rotterdam are: Feyenoord is actually doing worse in the league than Ajax at the moment.

© Copyright 1995-2008 Robert John Kaper. All rights reserved.

Tom has more friends but mine are prettier! (#1/1)