Brian Teeman

One of my favourite daily reads Smashing Magazine have expanded their Developers Toolbox series with a new one on joomla.

It's a pretty all-inclusive collection of links to resources, tutorials and resources.

I've never used the Joomla "polls" component before so I was suprised today to realise that there is no option to disable the "results" button.

However you use a voting system it's results are always dependant on the number of participants in the vote. Or perhaps I should more accurately say in politic-speak the election turnout.

"Not a lot of people know this" but in 1990 I was lucky enough to be filmed as an extra in Star Trek.

Whilst I was a fan of the show I wouldn't go as far to say I was an addict, still it was fun to get the full Hollywood special effects make-up treatment.

Sadly we weren't allow to take photographs and even I can't recognise myself in the relevant episode.

But the event always stayed in my mind so when the push to "internationalise" joomla began I purchased a Klingon-English dictionary so that joomla would not only be available in every language on earth but in every known language.

Last year I blogged about my personal backup procedures.

No matter how many times I say it people still don't listen.

Backing up your data is your responsibility and yours alone.

This year, 2009, I'm going to attempt to become more considerate of the planet I live on and will be attempting to be carbon neutral.

Happy New Year to you all.

Of course I'm not really so sad as to be sat typing this blog post at midnight on New Years Day. It's actualy 15:53 on the 29th and I'm using the "Start Publishing" feature of joomla.

As the year ends rather than look backwards at what has happened in the past it's time to look forward to what will happen in the coming year.

Here are my Top 10 Predictions for 2009 (in no particular order). I'd be interested to hear yours.

I never thought I would find myself agreeing with Richard M Stallman but today I do.

Free Software and Open Source Software are not the same.

At first glance they might appear to be but on closer inspection there are some subtle and important differences. Before you start debating the merits of a software licence etc it's important to use the correct terminology.

Today the Joomla project made an announcement that sets itself apart from both it's users and the GNU GPL Licence that it stands behind.

Joomla is released under version 2 (not version 2.1 as the announcement says) of the GNU GPL Licence but it includes numerous pieces of code released under other licences. However the "joomla community" has apparently decided that extension developers do not have the same freedom.

Ask a lawyer an opinion and they will give you one but is it the correct one.

Every lawyer has their own speciality area, and the good ones will even tell you in advance that your question is not within their area of expertise, but they all give you a legal "opinion" based on what you want to hear.

Sadly lawyers are like prostitutes, the oldest profession in the world, if you pay them enough money, or are a big enough client, they will find a way to achieve your goal.