Keep It Simple Stupid
Where do you stop. You've got a great idea for an extension but at what point do you say enough is enough and release. There has to be a point in the development of an extension where adding additional features actualy detracts from the effectiveness of the extension rather than adding to it.
One of the few pieces of code that I can claim any credit for is the ability to define a database prefix to all the tables in your site and this dates back to the early days of Mambo around the end of 2003. The reason it was frst introduced was to allow site owners to install multiple version of Mambo on a single mysql database.
But now it serves a second purpose in "helping" to protect your site from some of the more common security hacks.
Read more: Copyright, theft and encryption
Everyday a new warez site pops up on my google alert offering me the latest and greatest Joomla extensions and templates. I am not a developer but I talk to several every day and each time the conversation turns round to how to stop rapidshare, megaupload etc. or which method of encrpytion to use.
But what is the point! All encryption can be broken, people dont like encrypted software and the time spent firing off emails to ISP, domain registrars and hosts could be far better spent.
Take it as a compliment and a free advert that someone is ripping of your work and move along. I know I did.
Read more: Don't re-invent the wheel
If/When you start development on your extension don't reinvent the wheel!
Joomla has established several default behaviours and irrespective of whether you agree with them your users are already familiar with them. By following these defaults you will greatly reduce the learning curve for your extensions and consequently reduce the number of support requests.
There has been a lot of discussion and debate regarding the GPL and Joomla's use of it, or should I say "amended" implementation of it.
After a lot of thought I tried to condense my views into one relatively short article, which I am reproducing here for posterity. It was obviously written some time ago.
Read more: Thailand, Mambo and the Tsunami
On December 20th 2004 I set off on my travels. This time I was going to go white water rafting and trekking in the Jungles of Western Thailand on a guided trip supported by elephants.
As a committed off-beat traveller I've been to Thailand many times before but this trip was going to be a little different.
Over the previous few months I'd heard good things coming out of Thailand in relation to Mambo. The occasional postings in the forums at http://forum.mamboserver.com/ and announcements of Thai language versions of Mambo and various components at http://mamboforge.net/ had intrigued me.
