When developing a website with substantial custom code I generally prefer to use an application framework instead of building everything from the ground up. Even other software developers might not be familiar with application frameworks, but those who have been programming for the web have at least come across mentions of CakePHP and Ruby on Rails. These exotic sounding terms are web application frameworks. Using a framework provides a number of compelling advantages.

What Is an Application Framework

An application framework is a programming environment which makes it easier for a developer to create a custom application. A framework provides both a pre-determined methodology and some powerful base functionality. Consider the difference between the task “create a vehicle to transport people and things” and the task “build a car given this frame, engine and transmission”. In the second case you have a more narrowly focused objective and a lot of the hard work has been done for you. With an application framework some of the most difficult parts of the programming task are largely done for you – how to create, update and delete items from the database, how to structure your application logic and how to handle templating and display.

Several days ago, I received a newsletter from iStockphoto.com, which made me wonder about current browser trends.Here is the email:

Starting in 2010, iStock will begin phasing out support for Internet Explorer 6 or lower. Why? Other than PC World Magazine ranking it the 8th worst tech product of all time, here’s our top 5 reasons to upgrade:

1. Security continues to be an issue with this legacy browser. We want people browsing to be safe!
2. It’s slow. Too slow. It’s orders of magnitude slower than modern, efficient browsers.
3. It’s non-standards compliant. This means our developers have to develop an almost completely different version of iStock to run on it.
4. It doesn’t properly support cool new functionality that you are asking for, and we want to deliver.
5. Alternatives are free, fast and easy to download:
   • Internet Explorer 7
   • Internet Explorer 8 R.C. 1

One of the most important aspects of web site maintenance is content updates. New content in the form of new products and services, monthly special offerings, useful tips and noteworthy news articles and press releases will give your audience a reason to keep coming back to your site. This will also increase your chance of converting your visitor into a customer. If your web content is stale, visitors will search elsewhere for the things they need. It is therefore very important that the company web site is updated and enhanced regularly with new content and technology. See it as a way of protecting your site and investment.

As you think about upcoming maintenance you would like to perform on your site please consider these two tips that will help encourage returning web site visitors:

Whether you are a project manager like myself or not, we’ve all experienced the problem of expanded goals and objectives sneaking their way into an otherwise well-planned project time-line. We embark on a new project thinking we have sufficiently outlined all the potential objectives. We’ve spend hours planning and predicting a strategic project with reasonable goals and deadlines. Yet once started, we invariably find that we need more, less, or just something different. The dreaded scope creep…simply defined as the growth or change of project requirements. Project managers and clients, alike, hate scope creep because it almost always delays project schedules and increases project costs.

It might not be possible to completely avoid scope creep, but we can take measures to minimize it. And when it does happen, there are ways to manage it. Here are some suggestions for minimizing and managing scope creep:

What do Blue Water Media, Google, Dell, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft have in common? While they all are technology companies and have a strong web presence, I’m sure you know that’s not where I am going with this. What I’m really getting at is that they are all going open source. And yes, I really did say Microsoft.

Google has just entered its open source web browser Chrome into the browser wars, which has seen another open source browser, Mozilla Firefox, make a huge dent in Internet Explorer’s long-standing domination. Additionally, T-Mobile will soon be offering Google’s new open source mobile operating system, Android, on its smartphones.

Meanwhile, Dell, one of the largest PC manufacturers in the world, has started to sell select home computers pre-installed with the open source operating system, Linux. I’m sure HP won’t be far behind to insure they keep their spot atop the list of best selling PC’s.