Been There Accepted, in App Store

I am happy to announce that my iPhone app, Been There, has been accepted into the app store. It has been an interesting journey and quite a learning experience. I'm anxious for feedback, and if you would like to review the app on your blog or website, let me know and and I will send you a coupon.

Find out more, or purchase in the App Store.

yeswaystudios.com Re-Launch

Launched a new version of the Yes Way Studios site today. Check it out.

Distant Mountain Productions

I do have a bit of quick news to post regarding a new business venture: Distant Mountain Productions. For some time now, I have been interested in creating television shows for digital distribution. I think video content on demand will continue to grow and may some day be the preferred means of information and entertainment.

DMP is focused on providing this type of content but with a twist. I want to produce shows that are thought-provoking and compassionate, in the spirit of On Surfari.

Check out the temporary site and sign up if you are interested in learning more.

What Hapened to March? Well, We're Moving

March is long gone, and April too, and still I haven't posted! Well, we're moving. To South America. Yes, that's right. We leave on May 10th for Uruguay. I will be continuing with the work that I do now -- I already work from home, so as long as I have Internet access, I'm good to go.

Why you might ask? Well, there are a lot of personal reasons; temperate, sub-tropical climate, access to fresh food, walks on the beach, and more. But I know this wouldn't be possible without the Lord providing the way, so I know we are going for a reason.

We are excited to make the move, but there has been a LOT to do over the last 8 weeks, and it has been enough just to keep up with work as well as packing. I have a number of articles waiting in the wings, so once things get back to normal, I will be happy to post again from a new country and new adventure.

It's Been a While

Wow, it's been a while since I have posted anything new! I've started several articles, but it's been pretty busy here. Been There was rejected a second time due to private API usage. Brandable FTP (now Custom FTP) hasn't quite stalled, but I decided to add SFTP support which has added time to the project. i've also been switching my projects and todos over the ActiveCollab. More on that later.

Otherwise, I'm caught up in billable work -- which is a good thing even if it takes time away from the extra projects. Hopefully, I will be able to post again soon.

Just Submitted Been There Again

I'm happy to report I've re-submitted Been There, our iPhone app for sharing your favorite places with friends and family. Here's hoping for the best!

Been There Again

My last post on our iPhone app was dismal indeed, but the "friend of a friend" approach has paid off sooner than expected and I now have a repaired version of the app! Now if I can just get this sign cert figured out ...

Been There Left in the Lurch

Our Been There iPhone application got caught up in the OS changes where some network issue causes a crash. Nevermind that I can't make it crash, but someone at Apple did and reject the submission. The original developer wanted me to pay quite a bit more money to fix the issue and needless to say that didn't sit too well with me, so I asked around and found a friend of a friend that agreed to help out.

I'm hoping to find and fix the bug and resubmit the app this month. We'll see.

Bogeymin Again

Wow, it's been a long time since I gave an update on this project -- because it's been a long time since I've actually worked on it. Yes, everything I didn't want to happen with this project happened and it got pushed to the side. However, in an attempt to redeem myself, I have rescheduled the remaining work for January.

Sign up to be notified when it's ready at bogeymin.com

BFTP Enters Test Phase

I'm happy to report that BFTP has entered the test phase. It is already stable and usable, but a few bugs still need working out. The initial feature set is also more robust than I had intended, making the imminent release of version 1 that much more exciting!

Been There: The Long and Winding Road

We started our geographic note taking iPhone application, Been There, back in April. Principal development was done by July. Then the process of test, report, fix, test lasted through September. At which point we started the process of preparing for submission. It's been one thing after another, but Lord Willing, I will submit the app to Apple's approval process tomorrow.

I could do it tonight, but I don't think I'm up to it.

Update: Bogeymin is Ready for Testing

Although there are a few plugins left to create, I'll be starting the test phase of Bogeymin this week. I am also lining up beta testers for some initial installs of the software. This is a private test and the participants have already been lined up. But if you'd like to know when the product is ready for release, sign up here.

BFTP Update

I reviewed the initial build of BFTP today -- sorry, still no screenshots -- and am pleased with our progress so far. One feature that was cool to see in action was the directory masking. Essentially this allows the service provider to create human-friendly aliases for a directory on the server. So, for example, a directory at galleries/wedding would appear as "Wedding Gallery" to the end user.

We are behind on my original schedule, but should have a beta version soon. The management website is another story, though. Guess I better get to work.

Bogeymin is Almost Alpha

Almost. After my previous exercise in optimism, a number of other projects took precedence over Bogeymin. Even so, I spent last Saturday with blinders on and managed to finish all of the core commands.

I'm hoping to start testing this weekend as well as working on some of the built-in plugins. Speaking of which, the plugins system I've devised is pretty neat -- if I say so myself.

• It allows the registration of arbitrary callbacks both before and after the command runs. So for example, when installhost is issued, various plugins can express their interest in responding to this activity and execute using the same command line switches that were given to installhost.
• Plugins may be built in (written here) or user defined (written there). As noted, they have access to the original command line arguments. They can also use Bogeymin's built-in logging, user, and exit tools.
• Plugins can be disabled or enabled in the main configuration file.

The __init__.py file looks something like this:

# Dependencies.
import os
from bogeymin import bogeymin

# Define the commands we want to which we wish to respond.
_implements = [ 
    'installhost',
    'movehost',
    'renamehost',
    'uninstallhost',
]

# All plugins must define an implements function.
def implements(command):
    """Determine whether the plugin implements the given command. Returns 
    True if implemented, False if not.
    """
    if command in _implements: return True
    return False

# Run after the main command has finished.
def post(Command):
    """Run the plugin *after* execution of the command.

    Command - The command object from Bogeymin.

    Returns an exit code.
    """
    domain_name = Command.getOption('d')

    ServerCfg = bogeymin.ServerConfiguration()
    if not ServerCfg.has('virtual_host','path_shared_ssl'):
        return 1
    path = '%s/%s' %(path_shared_ssl,Command.domain_name)

    if not os.path.exists(path):
        return 1

    if 'installhost' == command:
        return os.system('installsharedssl -d %s' %domain_name)
    elif 'movehost' == command:
        os.system('uninstallsharedssl -d %s' %domain_name)
        return os.system('installsharedssl -d %s' %domain_name)
    elif 'renamehost' == command:
        os.system('uninstallsharedssl -d %s' %domain_name)
        new_domain_name = options[options.index('-n') + 1]
        return os.system('installsharedssl -d %s' %new_domain_name)
    elif 'uninstallhost' == command:
        return os.system('uninstallsharedssl -d %s' %domain_name)

WebStar - Try it Again for the First Time

I've been working on this project called Web Star off and on for more years than I care to mention. It's basically a web directory and social network for those interested in film and television.

Last year, I finished it (once and for all, I thought) but I didn't promote it -- at all. So, I reviewed the project and decided that

1. The project as a whole could be and should be a lot simpler.
2. I still like the project and would like to try again -- and promote it this time.

I've replaced the existing site with a sign-up page and have scheduled the job for completion this year.

Been There Update

It's been a while since I reported on our new iPhone app for documenting your favorite places -- Been There -- so here's a quick update:

• The app is still undergoing testing. I've found bugs with each release and I want to make sure we release it to the public as bug-free as possible.
• We have finally been approved for an Apple Developer account. The process is sort of straight forward, but issues with identity, typoes, and mistakes on my part has made this quite painful.
• We are now entering the final test phase with the hope of submitting the app to Apple some time this month (October).

BFTP Update

A quick update on the brandable FTP application:

• Initial user interface is done -- sorry, no screenshot yet.
• FTP connection is done. That's good.
• XML for meta data and the XML parser is done.

I've posted a preliminary site where you can sign up to be notified when BFTP is released.

Bogeymin Nearing Completion

They say that programmers are optimists, so when I say "nearing completion", it probably means it's about 51% -- hey, that's nearer to completion than to just starting.

I'd like to say I'm wrapping it up on Bogeymin, but I'm not. I am, however, able to see the end of the project from here. Coding in python is enjoyable and speedy and I expect to finish up the website management commands this week.

As a guy that deals daily with the problems that Bogeymin solves, I am very excited about the progress and have already started using the new tools.

There are lots of cool features. Below is a screenshot of the self-documentation tools in action:

Brandable FTP Client

We've started on a new project called -- for lack of a better name at the moment -- BFTP. It's a brandable FTP client for ISPs and Web developers that will greatly reduce the hassle of providing FTP to customers.

Features include:

• Brandable for each ISP or developer.
• Packages customer FTP info for quick and easy access to a website.
• Web-based control panel for managing customer access.

Bogeymin

I'm proud to announce the commencement of a new project called "Bogeymin" -- a command suite tool for managing Web servers and related services such as DNS and email.

Features include:

• Linux-based.
• Total control from the command line and complex automation for consistent maintenance and administration.
• Utilizes existing security technologies to safely permit access to level 1 support, level 2 technicians, and full administrators.
• Unique website organization system.

The project is scheduled for completion in October. Visit the official site to for the latest info and sign up to be notified when it's released.