Whatever happened to open sourcing the MeFi codebase? March 31, 2006 10:33 AM Subscribe
Whatever happened to open sourcing the MeFi codebase? I all can find are dead links.
I used to have a copy of Mefi's Cold Fusion code from years ago when someone posted a link to it here in MetaTalk, but fuck all if I can find it now. Don't think it would be much use now anyway, considering all the revisions that have come in over the past three years or so...
FWIW, I think a MiFi API would be ten times more interesting and useful than an open codebase, especially since Adobe is just interested in taking your money for poorly designed Cold Fusion development software.
posted by SweetJesus at 11:02 AM on March 31, 2006
FWIW, I think a MiFi API would be ten times more interesting and useful than an open codebase, especially since Adobe is just interested in taking your money for poorly designed Cold Fusion development software.
posted by SweetJesus at 11:02 AM on March 31, 2006
HectorTalk? I could get behind that.
posted by sonofsamiam at 11:10 AM on March 31, 2006
posted by sonofsamiam at 11:10 AM on March 31, 2006
Cold Fusion : open source.
Am I the only one seeing a problem here?
Can I have a scholarship for bartending school? I'd really like to know how to make a decent daquiri.
posted by cedar at 11:16 AM on March 31, 2006
Am I the only one seeing a problem here?
Can I have a scholarship for bartending school? I'd really like to know how to make a decent daquiri.
posted by cedar at 11:16 AM on March 31, 2006
Then I could make my own MetaFilter and ban all you whiny fuckers.
posted by graventy at 11:25 AM on March 31, 2006
posted by graventy at 11:25 AM on March 31, 2006
My favorite kind of daiquiri is a Metafilter and ban all you whiny fuckers. Make me one too.
posted by ND¢ at 11:28 AM on March 31, 2006
posted by ND¢ at 11:28 AM on March 31, 2006
A while back, but you might also like to read this
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 12:50 PM on March 31, 2006
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 12:50 PM on March 31, 2006
Hey-oh!
posted by sonofsamiam at 12:54 PM on March 31, 2006
posted by sonofsamiam at 12:54 PM on March 31, 2006
Also: I could also be wrong in thinking that there hasn't been an overhaul of Mefi code. My guess is that Matt (and pls correct me if I'm wrong) that we're still using the codebase that Matt put in place when Mefi first started, but adding/amending new code to give the functionality that we now have, kludges if you will. Specific upgrades have been, specifically, with the server software (to MX.)
If you want to learn how to put together a site like Mefi, the Mefi codebase probably isnt the best place to start.
I should point out I write from experience. I'm responsible for legacy code for technology call-logging system in CF that is badly in need of being stripped down and recoded, simply because the updates ive made are also kludges designed to give what the user needs at minimum overhead, just to get the job done. This means, for example, horrific changes to the database that wouldnt have been necessary had the original spec for the system been planned out to include futurecreep, or whatever its called.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 1:02 PM on March 31, 2006
If you want to learn how to put together a site like Mefi, the Mefi codebase probably isnt the best place to start.
I should point out I write from experience. I'm responsible for legacy code for technology call-logging system in CF that is badly in need of being stripped down and recoded, simply because the updates ive made are also kludges designed to give what the user needs at minimum overhead, just to get the job done. This means, for example, horrific changes to the database that wouldnt have been necessary had the original spec for the system been planned out to include futurecreep, or whatever its called.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 1:02 PM on March 31, 2006
My favorite kind of daiquiri.
You SO googled that... is it my fault the spell checker is sober?
posted by cedar at 1:04 PM on March 31, 2006
You SO googled that... is it my fault the spell checker is sober?
posted by cedar at 1:04 PM on March 31, 2006
Guilty as charged. I googled it. Came up with a tasty sounding recipe too: Strawberry Daiquiri - 2 oz Light Rum - 1 oz Lime Juice - 1/2 oz Triple Sec - 1/2 tsp Superfine Sugar - 1 cup Ice - 5 Strawberries - Glassware: Collins Glass. Combine all the ingredients in a blender well at high speed. Pour into a collins glass and serve with a straw. Cancel that scholarship request Matt, I got it covered.
posted by ND¢ at 1:37 PM on March 31, 2006
posted by ND¢ at 1:37 PM on March 31, 2006
Yeah, who wants to pay thousands of dollars to run a cold fusion server in order to run open source software?
There are functionally compatable implementations in free languages available.
posted by delmoi at 1:59 PM on March 31, 2006
There are functionally compatable implementations in free languages available.
posted by delmoi at 1:59 PM on March 31, 2006
There are functionally compatable implementations in free languages available.
There are functionally superior implementations in free languages. I don't know why anyone would use Cold Fusion anymore when PHP, Python and even ASP.NET are all functionally superior, and for the most part free. I'd like to see MiFi re-written in Ruby on Rails 1.1 with all those neat little Ajax things you can do with RJS now...
posted by SweetJesus at 2:19 PM on March 31, 2006
There are functionally superior implementations in free languages. I don't know why anyone would use Cold Fusion anymore when PHP, Python and even ASP.NET are all functionally superior, and for the most part free. I'd like to see MiFi re-written in Ruby on Rails 1.1 with all those neat little Ajax things you can do with RJS now...
posted by SweetJesus at 2:19 PM on March 31, 2006
Heh... no one's actually said they want it.
Windows Server, Coldfusion and SQL Server cost thousands to get started. I don't think you really need an entirely free software stack to justify open sourcing it, but it helps. Eg. If mefi was stuck on Windows with .Net objects and C# I could imagine that people would like to see how it ticks, but as is there's alternatives that don't demand extraordinary set up costs.
Mefi's got a great interface and community, and the backend works most of the time. It's pretty easy to do the tech stuff better, but I reckon that's not its current strengths and due to the downtime I think people recognise that getting a copy of the tech wouldn't be of much use (spend thousands, get something that's difficult to keep going).
Building an API (effectively a bunch of database queries masquerading as soap/rest calls) on the current version would put it under more strain than it is now. I wouldn't suggest adding an API to the current system without fixing the system. A database dump though would achieve much the same and could be staggered to ease the db load.
Nothing much happened to PHP-Mefi which was the main result of the idea of open sourcing mefi.
posted by holloway at 3:34 PM on March 31, 2006
Windows Server, Coldfusion and SQL Server cost thousands to get started. I don't think you really need an entirely free software stack to justify open sourcing it, but it helps. Eg. If mefi was stuck on Windows with .Net objects and C# I could imagine that people would like to see how it ticks, but as is there's alternatives that don't demand extraordinary set up costs.
Mefi's got a great interface and community, and the backend works most of the time. It's pretty easy to do the tech stuff better, but I reckon that's not its current strengths and due to the downtime I think people recognise that getting a copy of the tech wouldn't be of much use (spend thousands, get something that's difficult to keep going).
Building an API (effectively a bunch of database queries masquerading as soap/rest calls) on the current version would put it under more strain than it is now. I wouldn't suggest adding an API to the current system without fixing the system. A database dump though would achieve much the same and could be staggered to ease the db load.
Nothing much happened to PHP-Mefi which was the main result of the idea of open sourcing mefi.
posted by holloway at 3:34 PM on March 31, 2006
Yeah, I was going to say "ask holloway about it" but I'm too late.
posted by puke & cry at 5:37 PM on March 31, 2006
posted by puke & cry at 5:37 PM on March 31, 2006
MeFi actually has fewer features than most CMS (content management systems) out there. However, I think the feautres it lacks are mainly all the bullshit ones, leaving an elegant core. Little things like sequential user numbers add unending fun, and simplistic design touches like no signatures, no avatars, and unthreaded top to bottom chronolgical layout make it clean and a pleasure to use.
It's well designed, not well engineereed. The stuff you want open sourced is the well engineered stuff, and it should be fairly portable at a low-overhead, which holloway argues MeFi is not.
posted by scarabic at 9:02 PM on March 31, 2006
It's well designed, not well engineereed. The stuff you want open sourced is the well engineered stuff, and it should be fairly portable at a low-overhead, which holloway argues MeFi is not.
posted by scarabic at 9:02 PM on March 31, 2006
simplistic design touches like no signatures, no avatars, and unthreaded top to bottom chronolgical layout make it clean and a pleasure to use.
See, I've been hoping all these features are implemented when the clock ticks over to April 1st in Mefiland.
posted by Jimbob at 9:15 PM on March 31, 2006
See, I've been hoping all these features are implemented when the clock ticks over to April 1st in Mefiland.
posted by Jimbob at 9:15 PM on March 31, 2006
The HTML/CSS/Images/JS is reusable. Then there's the non-static stuff -- the sql and db layout, and the surrounding code (sanitising input, etc).
Personally I'd reuse the static stuff but probably redo the dynamic. It'd be easier to introduce a cache layer and move to another database (Eg. Postgres) when its done from scratch. By all means refer to the existing db schema but it's users/sites/stories/tags/comments and implementing that is well understood.
posted by holloway at 9:38 PM on March 31, 2006
Personally I'd reuse the static stuff but probably redo the dynamic. It'd be easier to introduce a cache layer and move to another database (Eg. Postgres) when its done from scratch. By all means refer to the existing db schema but it's users/sites/stories/tags/comments and implementing that is well understood.
posted by holloway at 9:38 PM on March 31, 2006
CF already caches db queries and whatnot, for whatever it's worth. It's also got a super-nice "query within query" feature... (It seemed like somebody had to stand up for poor old Cold Fusion.)
posted by ph00dz at 10:39 PM on March 31, 2006
posted by ph00dz at 10:39 PM on March 31, 2006
Oh my God...... I'm becoming a geek. Well, so be it.
posted by troutfishing at 11:10 AM on April 1, 2006
posted by troutfishing at 11:10 AM on April 1, 2006
thousands of dollars to run a cold fusion server
Holy shit, batman! People actually pay money for that unreliable piece of crap?
posted by ryanrs at 12:33 AM on April 2, 2006
Holy shit, batman! People actually pay money for that unreliable piece of crap?
posted by ryanrs at 12:33 AM on April 2, 2006
MiFi
Mitifiltir?
Who was that damn guy who used to irritate me by calling it "MIFI"? I think his name was Bagman or something.
Are you one of his disciples?
posted by beth at 7:27 AM on April 2, 2006
Mitifiltir?
Who was that damn guy who used to irritate me by calling it "MIFI"? I think his name was Bagman or something.
Are you one of his disciples?
posted by beth at 7:27 AM on April 2, 2006
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posted by blue_beetle at 10:37 AM on March 31, 2006