Conrad Askland

Current new installations of OSCommerce require that global variables be turned “on” for the server. That feature has been deprecated on most servers for security reasons. The OSC gzip file contains an .htaccess file with a rewrite fix that is commented out. If you need global variables turned “on” then you need to UN-comment those commands in the .htaccess file for your install to work properly. It is a short .htaccess file and the commands are at the end.

Using .htaccess to override a deprecated server setting? That’s a big red flag to me.
The problem is that global variables turned “on” were deprecated for a reason, and only older software platforms still use it. For detailed information visit this University of Washington article on php.ini and global variables.

The breakups and offshoots of development teams have left many source software users high and dry, constantly tempted to follow a branch that is the latest hot update.

OSC has not been active with software updates. The 3.0 release has been in Beta for quite a while, like a year and a half or more. If you do a Google you will see many discussions that consider it dead. I’ve used OsCommerce extensively in the past, and also made the mistake of following a branch called OSMAX. The problem with that branch is future support was limited to those that hosted with the branch creators. This goes against the whole concept of open source, and the same scenario is seen over and over again where open source developers break out on their own with a branch to monetize on the software platform.

There are many examples of software branches that attempt, sometimes succesfully, to take over the market of the original platform. Mambo to Joomla, PHPBB to CRELoaded, OsCommerce to ZenCart, etc. It makes the job of network admins sometimes seem like sitting at the craps table, just hoping you’re betting on the right line. Maybe that’s the reason to stick with paid software support instead of open source. But isn’t the root concept of open source exciting? That we all share as a community, taking and giving back as we can. A great testament to the web’s interactive sharing.

My site is a bit like that, as yours probably is too. We use so many features and software for free, then when something hits our area of expertise, we do what we can to give back. From what I’ve read, most of the software developers that break away on their own branch do so because of disagreements with the original software team. Google the word “draconian open source” to see some interesting discussions.

So in the midst of choosing software I am directly affected by the infighting of these different teams. The very nature of open source that is so full of creativity and generosity is also hampered by the weakness of being human. As an admin all I want is the teams to keep developing so I’m not totally screwed with my network development.

Maybe it’s just the nature of the beast: Software is eventually deprecated. When I think about all the hours spent developing websites, then years later having to scratch and overhaul the whole thing, it makes me a bit ill.

If you’ve been involved in software for a long time I’d be interested in your thoughts on the life cycle of it.

*Note – PhpBB 3.0 Olympus has been released since this post. Please leave comments below on your thoughts about the update. Thanks!*

We’re all waiting patiently for the PHPBB 3.0 “Olympus” release which is currently in Beta4 release since November 2006. I think I’m not alone in hoping it would be released by Christmas 2006 but understand it will be released when it’s released. PHPBB got a bad rep in the past for it’s numerous security flaws which in part is just the nature of open source software.

It has tied my hands a bit in preparing to integrate ecommerce, CMS and other features with my forums. I don’t want to get too heavy into mods that won’t work with PHPBB3. In the current PHPBB 2.0.22 update there are some issues with AOL browsers and sessions. I’ve kept mods to a minimum for an easy transition, but it’s been frustrating� not to be able to update and customize layouts, games, cash mods and all the fun stuff for phpbb. So like the rest of you, I’m waiting…

You’ve probably noticed most of the SERP’s show Invision and VBulletin results when you’re searching for info on Google. You’ve maybe also noticed how many websites have gone to subdomains for their forums, as in forum.website.com – I have VBulletin running on one of my forums and it is very confusing for me. I guess just because I’ve been running phpbb for so many years. If VBulletin and Invision were intuitive on the backend I would probably jump ship to those formats even with the cost involved. But I’m hoping PHPBB3 raises the bar with it’s software release and that the transition is smooth.

When are you going to update to PHPBB3? On the gold release? After a couple updates? Tough decisions. I know many admins are going to just stick with PHPBB2. For me, I’m going to update to PHPBB3 and focus on customizing each community to accent it’s individuality, and slowly add in elements that in time will further� accent the independece of each site.

So….we wait……

A security flaw has been discovered on Windows Vista operating system that gives hackers full control of computers. Read the CNN article.

Our networks are currently in the process of upgrading in preparation for the coined “Web 2.0”. I started working on the backend several months ago on this and have a steady game plan that will go for months. Read about Web 2.0 on Wikipedia.

We will be blurring the line between our forum and ecommerce networks. Our forum networks will have more interaction and trading available for members, and our ecommerce network will integrate some of the community features from our forum networks.

If you’re a user on any of our networks, you’ll just notice that there’s more to do and things will be a little more fun. Tonight was the first time I started installing what I’ve been sketching out for quite a while. For me that’s very exciting.

Ironically, much of my work has been to make things appear simple. A lesson I’ve learned from music that carries over to IT.

To me, this is Web 2.0 in a nutshell: If three years ago someone asked me how get more search engine traffic; I could have gone on for hours about specific SEO tricks to use and how to manipulate the search engines. A couple days ago someone asked me the same question: “How do I get more traffic to my website?”. My answer was: “Create useful content about what you know and make it readily available to users.”

Some people still refer to my networks as “the empire”. That’s how we used to refer to it in-house and out. It was about domination, controlling SERPS, driving traffic and keeping the behemoth money machine rolling. It’s very rare I used the word “empire” any more, and when I hear it; to me it is a reference to a period of time. Today I refer to it as networks. It is about sharing information and ideas. It is also a reflection of my personal shift in theology; it is about giving more than it is about taking.

My favorite question is: “So how do you make money on this?”. Who cares. This is not about money, it’s about interaction. It’s about leaving the world a little better than when you entered it. As Mel Gibson said recently, “I’m keeping my side of the street clean. That’s all I can do.”