:: Code THIS!! ::

2003-12-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

Testing ...

2003-11-24T05:56:00.000-08:00

Version 2 Beta 2 Now Available

Well, I've put in a lot of work on this Beta 2 release for Version 2. This is an exciting milestone, the last major milestone for the Version 2 project.

This release features hundreds of bug fixes -- things just work. That is not to say that this release is bug-free. Several people reported Date/Time problems with Beta 1, which SHOULD be resolved now but just in case please be sure to report any bugs you find using the Report Bug tool in the Help menu.

I have also implemented a very basic NewsGator plug-in, which will be made available and discussed shortly.

Here are some known issues with this release:

No documentation (no Help files) -- should be intuitive enough to figure out for now

Article Editor: no Find window for HTML view

Article Editor: WYSIWYG Undo/Redo + save + reopen + publish + re-open + edit + Publish, etc. may result in strange <object> tags appearing in the article body at the top. You can strip it out manually in HTML view.

All features have been tested, but some plop functions and situations have not been thoroughly tested.

Systems that are not "En-Us" (U.S. English) systems may have unexpected problems. Please report these problems as they are found.

Some speed optimization is needed for blog loading (for the GUI) and for the FTP plop's publishing (very slow).

NNTP still does not allow posting. Version 2 will not support NNTP browser thread grouping (wait for a future version, possibly Version 3).

The Options dialog is still not implemented. It only offers to enable/disable the startup noise. The final release will offer variations on all sounds, allow the user to change the default/home page at startup, etc.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, so if you find any other problems please send me bug reports.

Please send feedback to jon@powerblog.net. Thanks so much for your patience, guys.

2003-08-31T06:18:00.000-07:00

PB2 Alpha 2b Update

This is a major update for the Ver. 2 Alpha 2 release. Users of Ver. 2 Alpha 2 who could not get it to work should try this update.

Fixed a selection bug in the FTP plop where published articles were disappearing from the main blog page and archive page.

Made the Default Plop the first plop to publish when publishing a blog.

Fixed the Post toolbar button type in the article editor from togglebutton to pushbutton. (Not sure how that bug got in there!)

Fixed an author setting problem for the article in the article editor window.

Fixed the Publish->Disable/Enable menu option

Fixed the publish option on toolbar to publish to all plops in default mode rather than to the default/primary plop

Added COM object support for PBXMLRPC objects, SOAP, and Winsock objects (see PowerBlog 1 Beta 1 scripting documentation)

Fixed a bug where the Blogger API plop wasn't updating the PublishDate on the articles it was publishing.

2003-08-29T02:07:00.000-07:00

A Couple Other Things

I forgot a couple other things ...

Blog import - pre-alpha

Synchronization - pre-alpha

Oh, and by the way, this comes from PB2.

You can open .blog files from PB1.5 into PB2, but once opened you should delete and remake all of your plop configurations.

Finally, as you use PB2 Alpha 2, be sure to keep your Task Manager (ctrl-alt-del) handy, as it still tends to get stuck, especially after opening several blogs. Quitting (forcefully, if necessary) and restarting PowerBlog should tentatively rectify any bogging-down problems.

Remember that alpha releases are less implemented than buggy beta releases. Don't blame me for any problems.

Download PowerBlog 2 Alpha 2 (Pre-Release) now!

2003-08-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

Final PowerBlog 1.5 Post

This is the last PowerBlog 1.5 post for this blog. I am about to begin testing PowerBlog 2 Alpha 2 for release hopefully in the next 12 hours.

Alpha 1 was a Pre-Alpha release. Alpha 2 will be the Alpha release I originally envisioned.

Here is the current status of PowerBlog Version 2 Alpha 2's parts:

Not Implemented = This feature has not been implemented at all.
Pre-Alpha = This feature has been partially implemented, but it is not in a usable state.
Alpha = This feature has been partially implemented. It is a usable state, but some subfeatures are not implemented. Those aspects that are implemented will most likely contain bugs.
Beta = This feature has been fully or almost fully implemented, but it is not fully tested. It likely contains bugs.
Delta = This feature has been fully implemented and is in releaseable state.

Base Object Library

Blog classes - beta
Article classes - beta
Plop (publishing mechanism) classes (abstract) - beta
Typed collection classes - pre-alpha for IList ("foreach") compliance, otherwise delta
RSS classes - beta (RSS 2.0 compliant; does not support modules)

User Interface

Blog Commander (command-line interface) - alpha
Main GUI window - beta
Article editor - beta
Blog articles/plops browser - beta
Web browser - beta; subject to feature additions
Blog tree view - beta
Script editor - beta
Template editor - beta
Log window - beta
RSS browsing - pre-alpha (a semi-useful prototype implementation is in place, but will be replaced)
NNTP newsgroup browsing - not implemented
User options screen (global) - not implemented

Plops (Publishing Mechanisms)

FTP Plop - beta
Blogger Plop - beta
ActiveX Custom Scripted Plop - alpha

Other

Automatic updates - pre-alpha
NewsGator plug-in - not implemented
Documentation - not implemented

2003-08-19T02:39:00.000-07:00

Alpha 2 delay

It's hard to beat a 48-hour clock. There are still bugs to be worked out before Ver. 2 Alpha 2 (prerelease) will be available. Sorry guys.

UPDATE: One reason for the continued delay, guys, is because we're moving into another house, and half of my days are spent helping with packing and hauling stuff. Another reason is because I'm revamping the article sorting / filtering system, which because of the many options is not a mere trivial hour-or-two process, particularly since it was already implemented before and I am now undoing much of what I did to reimplement in a new way.

2003-08-17T01:36:00.007-07:00

Build 318

This release might resolve some problems related to 1) parsing boolean values in .blog files on foreign machines, and 2) the time zones in generated RSS documents.

2003-08-17T01:36:00.006-07:00

PowerBlog 2 First Post

No, this post (PowerBlog.net blog) is not from PowerBlog 2 yet. But tonight I witnessed that this one (below) is the first Blogger-API based post using the rebuilt PowerBlog 2.0, an alpha version of which will be released in a matter of days (two? three?) ...

Click to zoom

2003-08-17T01:36:00.005-07:00

The Registration Scoop

Okay, guys, here is the scoop. PowerBlog version 1.x is and will always be free. Think of it as a technology preview or prototype. When I release Version 3 (which I haven't started on yet, still working on version 2), I will make the source code of PowerBlog version 1.5 freely accessible; it is my pride and joy.

However, Version 2 and up will not be free. Version 2 won't have very many new features, but it will come with the polish that people have come to expect in 2003.

Anyone who registers (pays for) any version of PowerBlog, including version 1.5, will be allowed up to two major point release upgrades. So if you registered for version 1.x, you will be allowed to upgrade to version 2 (when it is released), and then to version 3 toward the end of this year. Anyone who registers for version 2 will be allowed to upgrade up to version 4.x, and so on.

On a side note, anyone who qualifies will be allowed a free copy of PowerBlog with unlimited upgrades.

Your support is very helpful for the development of PowerBlog and is greatly appreciated. Delays occur because we need to acquire funds to complete the work. The more money we get, the faster we are able to refine this product.

Please be sure to mention PowerBlog in your blogs! And don't forget to buy a t-shirt or a mug while you're at it.

2003-08-17T01:36:00.004-07:00

On "Malicious Code" and Anti-Virus

I'm seeing this a lot:

"it tries to run a "malicious code""
it was actually ok, but the thing is that everytime i'm running it, the antivirus would detect a "malicious code" the program is trying to run. to the creator: can u pls elaborate on this one? coz i kinda like it but i'm sure i'm not the only one who'd be reluctant on running a program that tries to run a "malicious code" w/ it.
"malicious code"
I also recieved this message from norton anti virus "malicious code". This is as far as I went.

Please be aware, PowerBlog doesn't do anything malicious. Don't sweat it. What you see here is PowerBlog's extensive use of the Microsoft ActiveX Scripting runtime, which enables many of the key automation features of PowerBlog, such as macros and custom plops. Just firing up the powerful scripting engine is what makes the anti-virus software get upset--it has nothing to do with what PowerBlog is actually doing with it, which is entirely up to the user of PowerBlog. Internet Explorer uses the exact same thing, except that most anti-virus software offerings are configured to ignore Internet Explorer's use of this powerful automation feature. So you should be able to specify in your anti-virus programs to ignore PowerBlog as well. Alternatively, turn off or uninstall your anti-virus software.

What you're seeing is a brute-force approach to killing viruses, like freaking out over the use of .bat files or something, only because many viruses are caused by VBScript / JScript files. But, just like .bat files, .vbs and .js files and the technology behind them are still extremely useful, so one of the things that makes me very upset is how anti-virus software goes berserk just because people are utilizing, rather than exploiting, this key automation technology that is built into Windows. In the end, they end up crippling the users' experience rather than making it more useful.

Get a clue, Symantec et al. If my code isn't actually in your database of known viruses, don't treat me like a virus writer! What's next, calling any utilization of the .NET CLR "malicious code"?! You people are really scaring me.

2003-08-17T01:36:00.003-07:00

Notes On PB2 Alpha 1

As I finalize the Setup package for PowerBlog 2 Alpha 1, let me share a few notes.

First of all, alpha releases are not beta releases. Alpha releases are less implemented than "buggy". There are many placeholders and many empty holes. Many features are simply not implemented, more than I can count, and those features that are implemented are not fully tested and in some cases have never been tested at all.

Fortunately, PowerBlog 2 can coincide with the most recent release of PowerBlog 1.5. So be sure NOT to uninstall the old version of PowerBlog in case you want to keep using your old stuff. But be sure to back up your .blog files, as they are not fully compatible.

I also want to say that this is a preview release because it almost reflects what we have in mind for PowerBlog 2, if only the missing parts and the bugs are dealt with.

It's exciting to see the new interface and new features unfold, and I hope that these new features will make PowerBlog 2 quadruple its user base! These new features are already implemented:

Integrated web browsing
Integrated RSS browsing (not fully implemented, not working)
[Soon-coming] Basic NNTP browsing / posting support
All-new interface based on Crownwood Consulting's Magic user interface library
90% rewritten in C#, so new plops can be churned out by users (and us, of course) by dropping DLLs in the directory and viola! .. more Plopping power!

What works:

Very cool new Visual Studio .NET 2002/2003 or Office XP style interface
WYSIWYG Editor
Blogs / plops / articles / scripts / templates management through the BlogTreeView
HTML preview
Easy access to plop configuration
Script Editor
Template Editor w/ Template Preview (mostly implemented)
Web browsing
BlogObjects object library (for developers)
Lots more!

But please keep these in mind as you download the software, which will become available within a few hours (or minutes?) of this post. Here are just a few of the known issues.

Newsgroups: Not available at all.
RSS reader: Not working correctly, no options to set, no local storage, a new RSS file will be downloaded from the web site, parsed, and converted internally into a Blog object, whenever you start PowerBlog. Hence, it is displayed like a remote Blog file. Also, you might not be able to remove an RSS entry from within PowerBlog once it has been added.
Web site browsing: Implemented, but very basic. No folders for web links, if indeed this will ever be added. Also, you might not be able to remove a web link from within PowerBlog once it has been added.
Blogger API plop: Implemented as a near-direct port from Version 1.5. There are configuration screen aesthetics issues, no MetaWeblog support, no line break conversion, and no Import All Posts (more than 20 posts) implementation. This plop type has only been tested once in publishing an article. Delete post, publish blog, and many other features have not been tested.
FTP plop: Configuration screen is implemented. Publish article, publish blog, are implemented. Many known issues with archiving, article sorting, templating, etc.
ActiveX Custom Scripted plop: Not fully implemented, never tested. Might work for basic implementation.
Importing / exporting partially implemented (see Script editor, Template editor), but mostly unimplemented or unavailable.
Article editor: significance menu doesn't have icons; article list also doesn't show icons
No "options" screen yet.
Many menu items unavailable.
Frequent unexpected errors (but not nearly as bad as when PowerBlog 1 went Alpha!!)

Download at your own risk! But most importantly, if it works for you, HAVE FUN!!

2003-08-17T01:36:00.002-07:00

PowerBlog 2 Alpha 1 Download Available

PowerBlog 2 Alpha 1 (expires November 30, 2003) can be downloaded at the following URL:

http://www.powerblog.net/download.asp

2003-08-17T01:36:00.001-07:00

RSS 2.0 Only In PB2

RSS 2.0 is the only specification that will be supported in PowerBlog 2. It is working fine, but does not and will not support modules. PowerBlog 3 will add support for other RSS versions.

2003-08-17T01:36:00.000-07:00

Alpha 2 On Its Way

Within forty-eight hours, PowerBlog 2 Alpha 2 (Pre-Release) will be released. Alpha 2 will be far more stable, and it will actually be useful (for a change). In addition to fixing some major general bugs, the Blogger plop and the FTP plop will have been debugged enough to be completely usable, for most users.

If you generally liked what you saw in Alpha 1 but the bugs made it unusable, be sure to stick around for Alpha 2.

2003-07-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

PowerBlog 2 development hiccup

For about two weeks I have been pulling my hair out over a bug I was trying to squish in my development of PowerBlog 2. This was a major flaw, one that rendered the whole thing relatively useless, as well as thwarting progress of the application's development.

At last, I have finally squished the bug as of yesterday, and development has continued. Watch for a public alpha release in a couple weeks.

2003-07-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

What A Nightmare

Re: Atom Project (formerly "Echo")...

Q: What would happen if you got a few hundred of the world's most interested people of a specific topic together to come to a consensus on a common goal?

A: A lot of noise. And very few results. I'm embarrassed. I'm beginning to develop an appreciation for vendor-specific APIs--at least one track minds can stay on track.

Wikis are an interesting idea, but very messy! Everybody gets a piece of chalk and each has unlimited access to each chalkboard, and unlimited chalkboards as well.

2003-07-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Echo will be supported

I'm a little late in the discovery of Echo. Seems that the Blogger API 2.0 spec is being dumped in favor of a new industry standard. This is wonderful, and good timing.

Yes, PowerBlog 2.0 will support Echo as well, assuming that the spec is finalized shortly.

2003-06-27T01:43:00.000-07:00

Missing Magic Library

Seems my error reporting feature is working. ;) I got an anonymous e-mail from one of you fine people with an automatically generated error message about a missing Magic component.

The Magic components are available at http://www.crownwood.net/. Meanwhile, I'll add the DLL in the PowerBlog\bin\Debug directory.

2003-06-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

Version 2 source update 2

V2 Alpha souce update: http://www.powerblog.net/files/Prerelease/source_download.asp

I'm just a few days away from blogging regularly with PowerBlog 2 rather than with PB 1.5. As far as Blog support goes (as in without regard to the Web page lists, RSS browsing, and newsgroup browsing), PowerBlog 2 is very close to being functional and releaseable (as a beta), with a subtle exception: some useful plops!

My objectives with PB2 have been two: 1) to produce the ultimate interface for managing blogs, and 2) to make plop development as simple as possible, as such:

1. Create a C# class that inherits Plop,
2. Customize the Publish methods,
3. Specify what's supported,
4. Compile, and
5. Drop the DLL in the lib directory.

And fortunately for me, an XML file and an automatic DLL downloading feature give me the flexibility to keep all the plop libraries that I produce up-to-date on all the users' machines (yes, they will soon be able to turn the update feature off, and yes, they are already asked if they approve of the downloaded update with a warning about security).

Unfortunately, no useful plops (i.e. Blogger support, FTP uploading support) have yet been built--I have dummy plops in their place. Implementation should be trivial, however. BlogObjects is nearly done, and I already have an XML-RPC library built in C# and FTP libraries are a common function to come by.

I've mentioned "BlogObjects" once or twice. What is that?

BlogObjects, ladies and gentlemen, is about to become the premier .NET development library for personal blogging applications. Blogs, plops (publishing mechanisms), and articles are about to start getting extremely deployable.

To illustrate, a couple months ago I created a BlogCommander class that, when interfaced to a command prompt, offers a full-blown blogging application that's more complex in usefulness than most Telnet applications (create a new blog, create a new plop, specify the plop settings, create a new article, post the article), yet the whole application is only 667 lines of code, including empty line breaks and comments! The whole thing took me about two days to create. The trick is that all of the blog management, publishing mechanism (plop) management, and article management are done within BlogObjects, and BlogCommander just gives the user a console interface to it all.

Just think about using BlogObjects in ASP.NET, or in a Visual Studio plug-in, or in a Microsoft Office 2003 add-on, with only a few lines of code! [Shivers with excitement.]

I have tons more to talk about regarding what's to come. I've been silent for so long about it all, I feel like exploding. But just be happy to know that it's all coming. And the universe of personal blog management tools is about to change forever.

(I love you, Microsoft.)

2003-06-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

NewsGator

I downloaded NewsGator not long ago. Very cool product. It integrated with my Beta 2 installation of Outlook 2003 without any problems. RSS feeds are stored in personal folder files and articles are listed and viewed like e-mail messages. Plug-in support is available, which is great and I most certainly intend to add PowerBlog 2 to their list of third party plug-ins.

2003-06-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

PowerBlog Personal Edition is now free

In the course of the impending Version 2, beginning July 1, 2003, PowerBlog Personal Edition 1.5 will be free. (This means that recent downloaders will never be asked to pay up--you have thirty days in the trial.) I would like to thank all who contributed to PowerBlog's success by purchasing this product.

Don't forget to get a fine PowerBlog T-Shirt or mug. :)

http://www.cafeshops.com/powerblog

2003-05-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

Build 312

This update resolves a crashing problem with the FTP uploader.

2003-05-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

Build 311

This release fixes some problems with authentication with PowerBlog.net. It also fixes a bug with the checkbox in the FTP plop configuration window ("Synchronize" wouldn't stay checked).

2003-05-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

WinAmp support

(Shamelessly copied from another site:)

Bill Zeller created a plug-in to WinAmp 2/3 that make possible to use it with PowerBlog.

To download WMPAmplog Plug-In use the links below:

» Plug-In for WinAmp 3

» Plug-In for WinAmp 2

Good news for PowerBlog users, if WMPamplog works off the Windows Media Player registry setting, PowerBlog already handles it!

2003-05-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

PowerBlog 1.5 Released

This release:

fixes a large number of crashing editor and list related bugs
changes the titling tag of the default Blogger API article template to <BlogItemTitle>, which is the Blogger Pro specification
adds Windows Media Player support

The new Windows Media Player support works on Windows XP with Windows Media Player 9 and the WMP9 Fun Pack w/ Blogging Plug-In installed. Support is implemented in the GUI, in the PowerBlog template, and in the PowerBlog Template script support.

In the GUI:

A new toolbar button has been added to the editor. If a song is playing when the WYSIWYG or HTML Code editor has been selected, the button will become available. If you click on it, it will add details about the current song:

[Currently playing: dcTalk - Free At Last - The hardway (05:19)]

In the PowerBlog FTP templates:

The following is a sample implementation of using the new WMP feature in your templates:

<$if:WMP.Title != ""$>
<h5>CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:</h5>
<p>Author: {$WMP.Author$}<br>
Album: {$WMP.Album$}<br>
Song: {$WMP.Title$}<br>
Duration: {$WMP.DurationString$}
<$endif$>

2003-04-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

PowerBlog Update: PowerBlog 2 Development Update

I spent all day yesterday in Visalia, attending two Microsoft TS2 seminars (in a room jam-packed with nerds), one seminar for Office 2003 + Windows 2003 Server, and one just for Windows 2003 Server. The presentation was okay. SharePoint (the new version) is really pretty cool stuff... you can build out an intranet site with extensive collaboration in just a minute or two. Think Yahoo! Groups with its file sharing and group messaging and messenger online status, but with Outlook and InfoPath (a new XML forms UI and storage application) fully integrated with the server. I also got a free copy of Visio 2002 and Windows 2003 Server ($999 value) out of the deal, plus a big 15-CD Office 2003 Beta 2 marketing kit which I don't know if I'll ever use with it being so buggy and all (kept crashing on the conference presenter).. maybe I'll try it in VMWare once my new workstation arrives.. mmmm yeah!!

PowerBlog version 2, a complete and total rewrite in C#, has been in the works for a couple months now. The new version will be identical to PB1, with the subtle additions of command-line blogging, web site favorites, RSS browsing, and [possibly] newsgroup browsing/posting. Once PB has been ported to C# and Version 2 is released, adding significant new features for Version 3 and up will be far simpler.

Doing the actual porting of PB to C# hasn't been quite so simple as I'd anticipated, mainly because there was a lot more done in the original version than I had remembered. PowerBlog is a very functional, feature-packed system! Except for the code editor and the vbAccelerator S-Grid control which is too cheap (free?) to be replaced by a commercial non-free grid component for .NET, every component has, thus far, successfully been ported to .NET in C#, including the DHTML-powered WYSIWYG editor control.

One remaining concern about PowerBlog is that its storage system for blogs, being DOM objects (loading XML files), isn't scalable. If you have a massive blog, all of it gets loaded into memory. So if you have a 1GB blog, you'd better have about 1.5 gigs of RAM!! So, for this reason, I'm considering rewriting the BlogObjects library so that each article gets its own file on the hard drive. However, this may not come until Version 3, which will have a whole lot of new features that could not be added in this Version 2 port to C#.

Now's the time for feature requests, guys. Add your requests in the Comments link below.

Development Screenshots:

2003-03-06T13:05:00.005-08:00

PowerBlog Update: Beta 3 Released

PowerBlog Beta 3 has been released. This includes a huge number of bug fixes and speed optimizations, and is by far the most stable version of PowerBlog yet.

PowerBlog has been set on a feature freeze until the last little glitches have been removed.

Deployment has been tested in a few instances, but, as usual, if you have trouble installing and running PowerBlog Beta 3, such as if it crashes as soon as it starts up or as soon as a new blog is created, this is an installation problem, in which case I would appreciate it if you would let me know. I'm trying to test installation right now.

2003-03-06T13:05:00.004-08:00

PowerBlog Update: RSS 2.0 Update

The latest release (Beta 3m) updates PowerBlog's RSS output based on the 2.0 specification. It includes the <pubDate> tags so that articles are dated.

View PowerBlog.net sample output.

2003-03-06T13:05:00.003-08:00

PowerBlog Update: Version 1.1 Released

Version 1.1 has been released. In addition to some bug fixes, it includes these new features:

NEW! All-new UI scripting events and scriptable custom-configuration objects (empty) for the blog/plop tree and the article editor, to let you offer user configuration input/output for your scripts

2000% (or so) speed optimization for RSS generation

NEW! All-new article category option

Improved filter (find articles by category, or by date simply by entering "dec 11, 2002")

NEW! Auto-Synchronization feature (automatically "Import Recent Posts" when PowerBlog loads)

NEW! Integrated plop view web browser

Auto-registration for paid Personal Edition users

2003-03-06T13:05:00.002-08:00

PowerBlog Update: Latest Changes

Build 270 fixed a critical bug for Blogger API users attempting to edit their articles. (How this slipped past my one-man crew--myself--is beyond me.) It also resolved a problem with the advertising links in the Free Edition.

Build 271 fixes the RSS 2.0 output for greater compliance.

2003-03-06T13:05:00.001-08:00

PowerBlog Update: PowerBlog 1.3 - Build 283

Build 283 (version 1.3) has been released. This version fixes a number of critical bugs, restores script keyword colorization, and offers an all-new default template.

2003-03-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

PowerBlog Update: Please Rate PowerBlog

If you have the time, please rate PowerBlog at Download.com. Here is the URL as of tonight:

http://download.com.com/3305-2181-10164361.html

2003-03-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

PowerBlog Update: ASP Classic Comments Added

I've built and added a ASP Classic Comments download in the plops section of the site.

2003-02-26T00:23:00.000-08:00

PowerBlog Update: Build 296

This update fixes some GUI bugs (article preview after edit, status window hiding, "busy publishing..." indicator stalling).

2003-02-24T12:57:00.003-08:00

PowerBlog Update: Beta 3 Released

2003-02-24T12:57:00.002-08:00

PowerBlog Update: RSS 2.0 Update

The latest release (Beta 3m) updates PowerBlog's RSS output based on the 2.0 specification. It includes the <pubDate> tags so that articles are dated.

View PowerBlog.net sample output.

2003-02-24T12:57:00.000-08:00

PowerBlog Update: Version 1.1 Released

Version 1.1 has been released. In addition to some bug fixes, it includes these new features:

NEW! All-new UI scripting events and scriptable custom-configuration objects (empty) for the blog/plop tree and the article editor, to let you offer user configuration input/output for your scripts

2000% (or so) speed optimization for RSS generation

NEW! All-new article category option

Improved filter (find articles by category, or by date simply by entering "dec 11, 2002")

NEW! Auto-Synchronization feature (automatically "Import Recent Posts" when PowerBlog loads)

NEW! Integrated plop view web browser

Auto-registration for paid Personal Edition users

2003-02-24T12:56:00.002-08:00

PowerBlog Update: Latest Changes

Build 271 fixes the RSS 2.0 output for greater compliance.

2003-02-24T12:56:00.001-08:00

PowerBlog Update: PowerBlog 1.3 - Build 283

Build 283 (version 1.3) has been released. This version fixes a number of critical bugs, restores script keyword colorization, and offers an all-new default template.

2003-02-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

PowerBlog Update: Please Rate PowerBlog

If you have the time, please rate PowerBlog at Download.com. Here is the URL as of tonight:

http://download.com.com/3305-2181-10164361.html

2003-02-24T12:47:00.000-08:00

PowerBlog Update: Build 292

This minor update fixes the MetaWeblog checkbox so it sticks.

I also made a change to the way decimals are parsed. Some international users are complaining that their systems' comma-based decimals rather than period-based decimals are crashing PowerBlog. This update might help.

2003-02-24T02:13:00.000-08:00

PowerBlog 1.4 (Build 291)

This is a major update that includes the following changes:

Added MetaWeblog API for newPost, editPost (integrated in Blogger API plop)
Improved progress window hiding behavior
Improved article list refresh behavior
Improved article deletion behavior
Improved Deleted Articles clearing/cleaning behavior
Removed that annoying debug messagebox in the Blogger API plop configuration screen
Restored File -> Export in article editor

Overall, PowerBlog should just "feel better". Plus people have been begging me for MetaWeblog support for ages and I am rather ashamed by the discovery that the specification is really very simple.

If there are any errors or new bugs, please e-mail me immediately. Thanks!

2003-02-24T02:11:00.000-08:00

PowerBlog 1.4 (Build 291)

This is a major update that includes the following changes:

Added MetaWeblog API for newPost, editPost (integrated in Blogger API plop)
Improved progress window hiding behavior
Improved article list refresh behavior
Improved article deletion behavior
Improved Deleted Articles clearing/cleaning behavior
Removed that annoying debug messagebox in the Blogger API plop configuration screen
Restored File -> Export in article editor

Overall, PowerBlog should just "feel better". Plus people have been begging me for MetaWeblog support for ages and I am rather ashamed by the discovery that the specification is really very simple.

If there are any errors or new bugs, please e-mail me immediately. Thanks!

2003-02-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

Build 289

This fix resolves an XML/text encoding problem with the Blogger API plop, and should eliminate some of the crashing that Blogger users might have been having.

Because this was such a drastic change, however, be wary that this fix might have introduced new problems (I don't think so though; I did test it).

2003-02-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

February Fix

"February" is not spelled "Feburary". This is a typo fix in one of the template/script runtime functions that, were it not for date/time accuracy in blogs, would be so minor that it would not warrant a whole PB update.

2003-02-13T16:23:00.000-08:00

Build 287

This update fixes a bug in the FTP Plop configuration screen. If you got an error while opening the FTP plop configuration screen, this fix might resolve your problem.

2003-02-10T17:14:00.000-08:00

Price Changed

In case you haven't noticed, the price of PowerBlog Personal Edition has dropped from $19.95 to $9.95.

2003-02-09T01:07:00.000-08:00

Build 286

This release fixes a bug with regard to working around a problem with the flaky Blogger.com service. New posts were sometimes returning "Post succeeded but error on publish." This resulted in an article id for that plop of "False", rather than the actual article id. In effect, post edits failed because it tried to post edits to article id of "false", which is invalid.

If you experienced this error before, in addition to downloading the update you will have to reestablish your Blogger plop (remove the plop, remove associations when PowerBlog asks, and then add a new identical plop). Yes, this mean you will have to re-post your articles. Alternatively, you can open the .blog file in Notepad or an XML editor, and remove the <ap> nodes that map the Blogger plop with the affected articles.

2003-01-17T18:08:00.000-08:00

SOAP Installation Problem

There is a SOAP installation problem with the latest release. I'm looking into it. In the mean time, if you upgraded PowerBlog and it produces an error and says it can't connect, try this in a command prompt:

cd "\program files\common files\mssoap\binaries"
regsvr32 mssoap1.dll
regsvr32 mssmo.dll
regsvr32 hlsc10.dll
regsvr32 wisc10.dll
regsvr32 xhsc10.dll

Some of these may not register (only one or two are important especially mssoap1.dll), but that's okay, as long as the files are there and the attempt to register was made.

UPDATE: The problem seems to have come from a combination of the previous version of PowerBlog trying to uninstall SOAP, and Windows XP trying to restore the removed DLLs without reregistering them. I've fixed the problem with another installer update that does not remove SOAP when uninstalling PowerBlog.

2003-01-17T03:14:00.000-08:00

Please Rate PowerBlog

If you have the time, please rate PowerBlog at Download.com. Here is the URL as of tonight:

http://download.com.com/3305-2181-10164361.html

2003-01-17T03:12:00.000-08:00

PowerBlog 1.3 - Build 283

Build 283 (version 1.3) has been released. This version fixes a number of critical bugs, restores script keyword colorization, and offers an all-new default template.

2003-01-12T03:40:00.000-08:00

Build 280

This update fixes a critical bug in the editor. If you have an image or table or some other control selected and attempt to perform an editing function, it will no longer crash.

2003-01-11T02:31:00.000-08:00

Fun With Nacl

I've been creating another interesting new tool, this one's going to be open-source. It's called Nacl, or Nacl/Tk, inspired very loosely by the origins of Tcl/Tk.

The tentative name Nacl stands for ".NET/ActiveX Command Language". Basically it's an ActiveX scripted command prompt environment with the .NET framework exposed via COM.

Except for the .NET Framework and COM libraries installed on the user's
machine, there is still currently no "Tk" in "Nacl/Tk", except for the
promises of what's to come.

2003-01-10T22:46:00.000-08:00

Build 279

The problem described two days ago has been fixed. Font name and font color selection now work fine.

The "Post & Exit" toolbar button has been renamed to "Post & Close", for consistency.

2003-01-08T01:15:00.000-08:00

Build 275

The latest release (Version 1.2, Build 275) fixes a couple critical bugs and also shifts a couple things around. The "New Article" button on the main window is now the first button on the toolbar. Also, "Post & Exit", "Save", "Publish", and "Browse" toolbar buttons have been moved to the top of the article editor window. I also added a status indicator on the startup splash screen so that the user can see what's going on. And the WYSIWYG Editor is the default editor for new installations. Finally, the SOAP installation bug should be gone; however, for some users, SOAP might not be functioning at all. If so, please e-mail me.

Unfortunately, the font color button is now not always functioning correctly (doesn't change the color at all, but the program keeps running without errors), and some other editing functions might have also stopped working. This may be an old bug that existed long before now. I'm looking into this.

2003-01-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Latest Changes

Build 271 fixes the RSS 2.0 output for greater compliance.

2002-12-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

XMLRPC URLs

Someone in the bloggerDev mailing list is trying to introduce a new XML-RPC URL convention. It would be an interesting idea, if only to offer an alternative for an HTTP POST with a GET. But he completely ignores the fact that XML-RPC is HTTP-based; if you're going to squeeze a query into a URL, it should be HTTP-complient so that the HTTP server can read the thing!!

So I gave him some advice here and here.

2002-12-16T17:14:00.000-08:00

Remembering NNTP

From: Jon Davis [mailto:jon@jondavis.net]
Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 5:10 PM
To: cmsblogapidev@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [cmsblogapidev] Remembering NNTP and content object hierarchies

Hi guys,

A long time ago (years ago), before blogging was known as "blogging", I implemented a database-driven CMS system in Active Server Pages (VBScript and SQL Server) that was actually pretty powerful considering how rarely the web site was ever even used (UnrealEd.org, a user community site for UnrealEd, the map authoring tool for the game Unreal). You could edit your posts, and you could comment on articles/posts, just like today in much of the blogging community, but with my system you could even rate articles/posts. The idea behind ratings was to encourage members to post meaningful content.

But what I was kind of proud of was the idea that even replies to articles were not given any different treatment than the articles themselves. In fact, every article, every download link, everything was treated as a "content object" kind of thing stored in a shared table in the database. If someone replied to an article, their reply was as much a full-blown article as the article that they were replying to. I think the way I implemented it was I marked the reply as being a reply by assigning it a link (foreign key) to the identifier of its "parent content object", though that's not the terminology I used at the time. But the idea was that the replies were "owned" by this "parent content object". What was pretty cool was that this hierarchical system wasn't just implemented for textual articles, but for any kind of "content objects", whether download URLs or whatever.

But this heirarchical logic comes much from the way I've observed NNTP articles are threaded. When someone replies to an NNTP posting, their own posting is as much a full-blown article as the original one, except that there's a header in the message indicating what message it's a reply to. Every NNTP post is assigned an ID, and every reply to an NNTP post is marked with the original post's ID as being the post being replied to. [*whew* .. take a breath]

It's very simple, really, but this is how NNTP browsers like Outlook Express and Netscape are able to group threads in a tree fashion.

You guys know this, I realize that. But what amazes me is that the coordination and sensibility of NNTP and thread management in NNTP is being completely overlooked by the blogging community. And I really don't understand it, really; why are external links being depended upon for commenting systems when the comments themselves could be considered full-blown posts? I suppose there are two questions to answer to that: 1) Who will "own" the comments once posted, so that they can be edited? In NNTP, the person who made the comment owns the comment; in the blogging community, the blog's owner owns the comment. And 2) what if people commenting don't want to have to log in so that they can post a comment? They shouldn't have to.

I also took a peek several months ago at the marketing campaign Microsoft was doing for its CMS server. I noticed how editors could review their subordinates' articles, make comments, make changes, etc., etc. And then other editors could review the review. How appropriate a heirarchical content structure would be for this kind of system! Expanding on the NNTP threading mindset, someone could simply add editor/review headers to their replies to posts. And then, to approve an article, they could reply to it and add an "approved" header to their posts.

Remember when NNTP was the "weblog" before the web? What ever happened to NNTP's technological principles? Why has it become so difficult to merge NNTP content management with web technology?

Forget about redundancy, the crux of NNTP. I realize the Web doesn't need redundancy. But NNTP is so much more than a redundancy system. It is a smart, logical CMS service, even if simple.

In 2002, JD Solutions (that would be me) basically succeeded in applying blog management to the e-mail editor client software metaphor in PowerBlog, http://www.powerblog.net/ I'd say I'm proud, in spite of its occasional flaws, but I feel like I've hardly begun because in 2003 I intend to create a CMS service that runs on the server, merging blogging technology and NNTP to the same database-driven system.

That is correct; I intend to allow both web users and Outlook Express (and other NNTP browsing) users to post new articles to their blogs using either web interfaces or newsgroup posts, and I intend to facilitate a commenting system using the exact same mechanism as the blog posts themselves. The catch: only blog owners can create original "newsgroup threads" (or blog posts, same thing), and anyone can post comments (replies) to them.

And then I intend not only to tie PowerBlog into this system, but I also intend to implement additional CMS features, such as team leaders, article mark-ups, editing, and approval processes.

If anyone is interested in helping me in these endeavors, especially in the areas of merging NNTP compliance with blogging technology compliance, I intend to use this group for feedback.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Jon Davis
http://www.powerblog.net/

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: cmsblogapidev-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

2002-12-16T02:50:00.000-08:00

RSD Is Coming!

Imagine loading up PowerBlog, being asked if you have an existing blog and, if so, what's the URL, and then, viola!, PowerBlog automatically configures itself to work with this blog with all its basic configurations and all?

Well, RSD is coming to PowerBlog soon. Stay tuned.

2002-12-16T02:46:00.000-08:00

Latest Changes

Build 271 fixes the RSS 2.0 output for greater compliance.

2002-12-16T02:30:00.000-08:00

Latest Changes

Build 270 fixed a critical bug for Blogger API users attempting to edit their articles. (How this slipped past my one-man crew--myself--is beyond me.)

Build 271 fixes the RSS 2.0 output for greater compliance.

2002-12-16T01:56:00.000-08:00

Latest Changes

Build 270 fixed a critical bug for Blogger API users attempting to edit their articles. (How this slipped past my one-man crew--myself--is beyond me.)

Build 271 (coming) fixes the RSS 2.0 output for greater compliance.

2002-12-16T01:53:00.000-08:00

Latest Changes

Build 270 fixed a critical bug for Blogger API users attempting to edit their articles. (How this slipped past my one-man crew--myself--is beyond me.)

Build 271 (coming) fixes the RSS 2.0 output for greater compliance.

2002-12-16T01:34:00.000-08:00

Latest Changes

Build 270 fixed a critical bug for Blogger API users attempting to edit their articles. (How this slipped past my one-man crew--myself--is beyond me.)

Build 271 (coming) fixes the RSS 2.0 output for greater compliance.

2002-12-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas Wish List ... nevermind

Since I'm still a one-man team I'm constantly reevaluating what I want to add to PowerBlog next (besides fixing bugs).

Recent changes in the blogging world have forced me to reprioritize. The biggest reason blogging has become so successful these days is because those offering blogging tools are typically web sites--which really means that users can generally get started right off the bat after choosing a username/password/blogname. That's what PowerBlog needs: no more futzing around with FTP settings or even Blogger-API settings. If I'm going to support a server API besides FTP and the Blogger API, I want to offer a consolidated server solution that integrates tightly (but not exclusively) with the PowerBlog client, offering a diversity of CMS features right from the start the instant the user installs the software and chooses and name.

CityDesk was successful because it gave a chore (content management) a simplified metaphor. But it doesn't integrate with blogging APIs (unless it has recently been updated).

MoveableType was successful because it offered a consolidated APIs and a very slick web-based interface. But it can only be installed directly on the web server, and most users don't even have access to a web server.

w.Bloggar offers a lot of features and is very pretty in appearance, but it is unintuitive in design and a little difficult to use. And it requires a prior establishment of a Blogger or MetaWeblog based blog.

Radio is a successful blog client because your blog is online the minute it's installed, both locally and on their dedicated web servers. But while the default blog templates look nice, Radio is not terribly intuitive, and its interface including it's scripting engine is ugly. MetaWeblog has a smaller, more financially-capable niche market.

So I've compiled a wish list for myself that I was going to post here, but I think I'll hold out on that; I do, after all, have competitors. ;)

2002-12-13T00:25:00.000-08:00

Version 1.1 Released

Version 1.1 has been released. In addition to some bug fixes, it includes these new features:

NEW! All-new UI scripting events and scriptable custom-configuration objects (empty) for the blog/plop tree and the article editor, to let you offer user configuration input/output for your scripts

2000% (or so) speed optimization for RSS generation

NEW! All-new article category option

Improved filter (find articles by category, or by date simply by entering "dec 11, 2002")

NEW! Auto-Synchronization feature (automatically "Import Recent Posts" when PowerBlog loads)

NEW! Integrated plop view web browser

Auto-registration for paid Personal Edition users

2002-12-12T22:05:00.000-08:00

Version 1.1 Released

Version 1.1 has been released. In addition to some bug fixes, it includes these new features:

NEW! All-new UI scripting events and scriptable custom-configuration objects (empty) for the blog/plop tree and the article editor, to let you offer user configuration input/output for your scripts

2000% (or so) speed optimization for RSS generation

NEW! All-new article category option

Improved filter (find articles by category, or by date simply by entering "dec 11, 2002")

NEW! Auto-Synchronization feature (automatically "Import Recent Posts" when PowerBlog loads)

NEW! Integrated plop view web browser

2002-12-12T15:59:00.000-08:00

Permalinks Missing!

Minor note: All my permalinks were missing for a while as I was making changes to PowerBlog in development. But they're restored!!

2002-12-11T15:55:00.000-08:00

Version 1.1 On Its Way!

I am currently working on version 1.1 which will be released very shortly. While the features list is growing, it already includes:

NEW! All-new UI scripting events and scriptable custom-configuration objects (empty) for the blog/plop tree and the article editor, to let you offer user configuration input/output for your scripts
2000% (or so) speed optimization for RSS generation
NEW! All-new article category option
Improved filter (find articles by author, by category, or even by date simply by entering "dec 11, 2002")
NEW! Auto-Synchronization feature (automatically "Import Recent Posts" when PowerBlog loads)

2002-12-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

Version 1.0 (Final) Released

Version 1.0 (Final) has been released.

This release offers no updates to the most recent beta, except:

some speed optimizations
ridding the progress window (now you must double-click the appropriate panel on the main window's status bar if you want to see the progress window)
30-day free Personal Edition trial

Yes, there will continue to be updates and bug fixes.

2002-12-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

RSS 2.0 Update

The latest release (Beta 3m) updates PowerBlog's RSS output based on the 2.0 specification. It includes the <pubDate> tags so that articles are dated.

2002-12-01T04:21:00.000-08:00

FTP Import Works

The FTP plop's Import function wasn't working correctly. But it has been fixed, and the updated version is released.

This update should also fix the "Source" ("src") attribute for remotely-linked templates and scripts.

2002-11-26T18:41:00.000-08:00

Cancel Works

Lo and behold, I pressed 'Cancel' and she stopped squirmin'!

2002-11-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

Another Update

PowerBlog has been updated (to Build 237) to correct a critical bug. This should eliminate the "Object variable or With block variable not set." error some of you were having.

2002-11-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

Recommended: SpamArrest.com

If you're trying to get rid of your spam, I highly recommend SpamArrest.com. I don't have an account, but I understand how it works--and it's embarrassingly simple. It basically enforces a manual process of asking for permission to send an e-mail to someone. Since spammers don't bother with this process, it's spam-proof, and since the process is moderately easy (though somewhat of a kludge for opt-in mailing list owners) it's unlikely you'll filter out good e-mail.

This is not a sponsored ad.

2002-11-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

Build 236

Build 236 has been released.

This is a minor update. It resolves some stability issues, and adds a couple minor features (in spite of a feature freeze--I wanted them because I use PowerBlog myself and I was tired of not having them):

Bulleted lists
Ordered lists
Image insertion (requires URL to existing image already on Internet; does not yet automatically upload image to server)

The to-do list otherwise remains.

2002-11-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

PowerBlog on Download.com

PowerBlog has been approved and posted at Download.com. It will be interesting to see whether it brings a significantly greater number of users.

PB is still being worked on, and I'm still hammering away at the bugs.

2002-11-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

When Lawyers Fail (PowerBlog.net Hiccups)

Oh, great. This e-mail just showed up in our inbox today. Looks like all the web sites and e-mail addresses we host are going to black out soon for a while. Plus our DSL bill will probably go up because BritSys was pretty cheap.

Dear BritSys Customer,
We have had our final update from our lawyers and unfortunatly it is not good news.
An agreement could not be reached and so BritSys will no longer be working with NewEdge effective immediately.
THIS IS YOUR OFFICIAL LETTER OF RELEASE TO MIGRATE TO ANOTHER NEWEDGE PARTNER ISP
Customers have not been billed for the month of November nor will they be. Any past due amounts prior to November 1st will still have to be paid to BritSys Inc.
We will not be shutting off our network until all customers have found a new home which according to NewEdge must be done before November 11th.
We have below a list of three providers we recommend who can give you service other than going with NewEdge directly.
For customers in the Great Lakes area please contact Quantum Connections http://www.qtm.net For customers in Wyoming and Montana please contact Visionary http://home.vcn.com For customers in California please contact TFBnet http://home.tfb.com/pages/newedge.htm
Customers outside of California can still contact TFBnet but there may be additional fees involved.
Other ISP's can be found here: http://www.newedgenetworks.com/_apps/gettheedge
You will need your OMS number in order to migrate. This was included with your origional sales email when your order was placed. Unfortunatly there are no other providers in the locations that NewEdge serve so the best course of action is to migrate to one of the above NewEdge partners.
This only affects our NewEdge service; it does not affect any other ILEC and CLEC's we work with nor will it affect our network infrastructure, email, DNS, websites etc...
Customers who have websites and email hosted by us can continue to do so for a small monthly fee or may move their sites to another provider within the next 30 days.
BritSys techs will assist NewEdge with your migration to another partner to ensure little or no downtime.
Please do not call if you have access to email. We are expecting many migration support calls this week so it is best to email support with any questions you have or for information you need to migrate. Our email address is Support@britsys.com
If you do call and cannot get through to a tech, please leave us a detailed message or preferably an email. Our sales and billing department cannot be of any assistance with your migration, please contact tech support only.
Thanks to all of you who have been great customers over the last couple of years and we wish you the best with your new provider.
The BritSys DSL Team

2002-11-04T00:49:00.000-08:00

Blogger Manual Article Import

Okay, here are the steps for a manual article export from Blogger.com as a workaround to Blogger.com's instability:

1. Download this file ("BloggerExport.htt"):
http://www.powerblog.net/files/BloggerExport.htt
2. Back up your existing Blogger template.
3. Assign BloggerExport.htt as your Blogger template.
4. Publish.
5. Navigate to the blog's URL.
6. View source (in Internet Explorer, "View" menu->"Source")
7. If you're NOT using Blogger Pro, remove all of the source preceding the following:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

8. Save the source to a file called "Export.blog". If you're saving from Notepad, be sure to choose the "All Files" option for the file type or else ".txt" will be appended to the filename.
9. You can now access the articles in one of two ways: Open the .blog file directly, or choose File->Import and select the .blog file.
10. Be sure to remember to restore the backed up template.

2002-11-03T00:20:00.000-08:00

Known Bugs

Here are some known bugs in PowerBlog Beta 3:

Progress indicator window pops in and out; "Cancel" button does not cancel publishing correctly
Application has a memory leak
Application terminates abruptly when user exits (does not unload cleanly; most users won't see a problem)
Default templates have an indentation problem
BeforeBlogTemplate script does not yet execute
XSLT templating never been tested (probably doesn't work)
Code editor does not color code (it's supposed to)
Code and template editors don't have right-click context menus for cut/copy/paste (in the mean time, use ctrl-x/ctrl-c/ctrl-v)
Scripting documentation is obsolete
This web site isn't yet completely up and running

Yep, it's a small list, so please send me those bug reports.

Here, then, are some desired features for future releases of the Personal Client, after the bugs have been worked out:

Bulleted and ordered lists (this one will be simple to implement)
Insert images
More plops (publishing mechanisms) including SMTP, NNTP, IM, whether scripted or compiled
Support for other XML-RPC APIs besides the Blogger-API
Offer integrated hosting on PowerBlog.net
Clean and automatic synchronization of posts
Add "Blog this" context menu option in Internet Explorer to automatically load PowerBlog and start a new post with the specified content (same as Blogger.com feature)
Integrate commenting system
Drag-and-drop support
Spell check
More scripting functions and object expositions

2002-11-02T02:04:00.000-08:00

Beta 3 Updated To Beta 3b

It appears I once again released the product with last-minute-added bugs. PowerBlog Beta 3 has now been updated to 3b.

Download URL:
http://www.powerblog.net/download.asp

Keep those bug reports coming. Please understand that PowerBlog is currently being implemented by a one-man team (myself), and it can be incredibly difficult to do project concept, design, development, deployment, and marketing, and still manage to ensure that no major bugs fall through the cracks. Like Microsoft Outlook, PowerBlog is implemented as a platform, and there are many ways of using the product, so unfortunately while it would seem trivial problems should be easy to identify, remember that most of my testing might overlook usages that to you might seem trivial.

That said, if you run into reproducable problems, *please* report them, because if you know what steps you went through to get the problem and the problem is reproducable as such, it's very likely I didn't see the problem in the first place.

That's how stable PowerBlog should be at this point. So I need those bug reports.

2002-10-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

Powerful bug fixes!

Most of the bugs previously reported have been fixed in the development environment. Additionally, speed optimizations have increased performance by about 1000%.

With these changes, the next release of PowerBlog is going to be about fifty times more usable than the currently released version. Coming soon!

2002-10-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

Eiffel.NET has been released. Unfortunately, its free Visual Studio .NET integrated download, which I downloaded and installed, has a license that says you can't build anything commercial with it.

Eiffel, a true OOP language that supports multiple inheritance (unlike C# or VB.NET) looks like a much higher level language, but to an almost unnecessily exaggerated degree of simplicity. And, despite its clunky precompiling processes, a demo project I tried showed that it is the slowest language I've ever run on my computer. Just bringing up the About messagebox took three seconds the first time, half a second every time thereafter. Pathetic.

2002-10-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

Improvements For Beta 2

Well, PowerBlog is finally picking back up. The next release will:

.. have an "Articles" icon and a "Deleted Articles" icon in the blog tree view,
.. have deleted articles move to the "Deleted Articles" area,
.. properly unpublish the articles from the FTP server when an article is deleted,
.. be able to import published posts from a shared blog site using the File/FTP plop, and
.. show a "Scripts" folder next to the "Templates" folder in the blog tree view.

In one of the following releases (perhaps Version 2 after Version 1 has finally been released) we want to add:

.. Images and other binaries support, including uploading and auto-management,
.. drag-and-drop support,
.. more scripting features,
.. spell check, and
.. some useful scripted plops.

Coming! Coming!

2002-10-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting much lately, which is pretty much because I haven't been doing much lately. I've been distracted lately with things like the daily drivel, legal matters, new consulting opportunities, old psychological distractions, and business replanning.

Mean time, I got another issue of MSDN magazine. In an article this time they're using XML and reflection to describe how a menu tree and other GUI elements should be managed. Kick button!

2002-10-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

PowerBlog Goes AdWare

A free version of PowerBlog with certain limitations, and the addition of advertisements, may be released alongside the standard Personal Client version of PowerBlog. More information about this will be posted as plans progress.

2002-10-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

New PowerBlog.net Site Up

Today marks: 1) the first day of blogging with PowerBlog, 2) the new PowerBlog web site, and 3) the release of PowerBlog Beta 2 !!

What a great day!

2002-10-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Beauty. PowerBlog's new web site is going to be gorgeous.

2002-10-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

My computer at the office is starting to get bogged down. Building solutions in Visual Studio .NET takes a lot of processor and memory overhead, and my old Athlon 650 can't take much more of it... Not, that is, when I have fifteen other applications open at the same time, all of which I need open to do my job.

I want a new computer. I also need a new computer, but I don't know how much of my longing for a new computer is just in want. It's been a long time since I drooled over a major computer upgrade (imagine the boost going from an Athlon 650 to an Athlon XP 2800+). The 650 machine makes a good minimum-requirements platform for deploying my own custom software applications, but for the development of them I really need a newer machine. It shouldn't take sixty seconds to load Visual Studio .NET and another thirty seconds every time I compile and run a very simple C# application.

Plus I also need a dedicated web server, which I can assign to the 650 machine.

2002-10-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Performance Optimization in Visual Basic .NET

2002-10-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

Interesting read, this IDGA Game developers salary survey. Game developers make about $55-65K per year, which is about $10K more than I expected (yet still about $20K/yr. less than IT programmers). Game development is all about fun. Even so, it's a fiercly competitive area of software that I don't think I'd ever make it in. But, who knows, maybe I'll find the time, patience, and artistically-inclined buddies to start a game biz. I've wanted to do that my whole life. But I've never been creative or good enough to get started. The biggest thing that holds me back is the math--there's a lot of it in game programming, and I could never get very far with it.

What we need is a Christian game company. Bring Veggie Tales to the PC. Now there's a Big Idea. Oh wait, I guess they already did that.

2002-09-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

I think the single most important skill to have as a software consultant is accurate time estimates. Forget about how good you are at C# or Windows/UNIX programming, if you can't stay in the ball park of your time estimate (whether too quick or too slow) you will only aggrivate the client.

How do you accurately estimate for time? Well, if I could tell you in one paragraph (or one blog entry) it wouldn't be an acquired skill, would it? But I've come to realize that my time estimates are coming inline not just with my technical proficiency but more with my experience. I could be the greatest C# programmer in the world, but if I have no business experience creating custom business solutions for clients, I might be able to promise technical prowess, but I cannot be effective in understanding the ins and outs of what's required to get the job done.

Another factor in time estimate accuracy is how well you know yourself. What's your work ethic? Are you lazy? What's your state of mind--are you depressed? Did you buy any distracting computer games lately, like maybe UT 2003 or Asherons Call 2?

Time estimating has always been my single worst business killer. But, alas, I think I'm getting much better at it because I think I more fully understand what I know, I have gotten over the depression that swamped me a year ago, and although I do play the occasional game of Starcraft or UT2003 Demo, I do it to rest as needed and I rarely ever let it pull my productivity down.

2002-09-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

BLOGGER is apparently overloaded today. I guess Sunday is a heavy-blogging day. Good thing PowerBlog's "Local hard drive / FTP" publishing option is in usable condition!! I am going to switch over soon... as soon as I fix up archiving.

2002-09-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

Another update (build 173) to the Beta 1 Release Candidate of PowerBlog has been released.

2002-09-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

A "Beta Release Candidate" for PowerBlog has been made available for download.

2002-09-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

I've finally posted some much-needed documentation for PowerBlog. The details are extensive, and the power of PowerBlog is revealed there. ;)

2002-09-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Here's a new "Powered By" graphic:

http://images.powerblog.net/powered.gif

2002-09-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

I added another store.

2002-09-27T02:23:00.000-07:00

Get your PowerBlog Merchandise | Powered by CafePress.com

2002-09-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

Good news. PowerBlog Beta 1 will be released by the end of this week!