A couple ago weeks I released a Vodafone Specialist Communications Blog web app.
Now, there are loads of free blog engines you can use - this site itself is using of of said blog engines - indeed BlogEngine.Net!
So why would I build one? good question Holmes. Well, out lovely IT team setup our web servers to be clustered - which makes sense - of course. However - this means any data source realistically has to be a database - in our case a SQL server 2005.
Most free blog engines use XML to store blog posts and comments etc... which causes a huge problem in a clustered server environment. The data will save onto the web server you have been sent to - so any post you make will be on Server A for example while Server B is completely oblivious to your post - so you need t sync - I'm not going down that route.
There were also some blgo engines that offered a database solution but the actual blog engine itself was a bit lousey to say the least.
Tasked I was with a building a blog engine - quickly at that! see http://www.vodafonerental.com/blog il talk about URL rewriting in Asp.Net 2.0 another times, its not easy when theres not file or extension on the URL - ASP.Net 3.5 apparently has sorted it out - nice - but believe me, in 2.0 its a nightmare t get true URL rewriting - you need magicians and a hell of a lot of patience to find the right solution - I did and will share - its based on Apaches wonderfull htaccess (i think - don't quote me) approach.
So here it is.... http://www.vodafonerental.com/blog which we just push a PR campaign to on one of our posts (got over 7000 unique visits - one error recorded, and I think that was me to be fair - i was happy) - as we are launching to BlackBerry Storm in to out American rental fleet - nice.... its really that not bad the Storm - it got panned - by the "apple loving, microsoft hating, linux loving - oh god isn't php the best thing ever - and what about ruby on rails?" - actually ruby on rails looks pretty sweet - don't think it will ever rival DotNet as hoped - but still, framework wise looks nice - can't be bothered to learn it though - too much in DotNet to learn... where was I?
Oh yes... the BlackBerry Storm - honestly -I wasn't a fan either, I was trialling it and found it difficult to use - the learning curve with the screen was the hard bit and how to "use" it. A week or so later - loved it - its a great smartphone... really, I don't have one, I have the Samsumg Omnia - which I love - but given the choice yes, I would have the iPhone - im no fool - altho copy and paste people -= copy and paste - seriously!!! No MMS either? I'm sorry did we go back in time to the stoneage? No, Apple are a little too big for their boots I reckon - think about - they keep interest and demand by releasing products and devices which do so many amazing thing - ah, wait... iPhone 1 doesn't have 3G - thats not right is it? Seriously - no, can't be. Wheres MMS? what the?! Hello - email... hello!!!
Heres to iPhone 2! Ok, so the masses go and get that... wait - whats up with this camera? its lame? Still no MMS? Copy and paste is still missing? 3G isn't strictly 3G - honestly, its not. But still it is a wonderful phone... it really is.... hang on, isn't the iphone 3 coming? Taking bets on whats missing on that baby - HSDPA? a decent camera? MMS? Come on, surely they'll add that - won't they?
Blah Blah Blah Blah - I hate marketing, people who work in marketing and the word marketing.... signing off :)