Back INfront
Posted by Zann St Pierre on 10th January 2010
Wow, what can I say?
We did it!
We launched a new Australian INfront. Brand new, fresh ideas and a solid roadmap to see the project move along and continue to develop into something we can all be extremely proud of for years to come.
However, before we continue, I must say a big thanks to all the people who have come before me and all the people who have helped to get Australian INfront to where it is today. Without their effort, dedication and commitment to the Australian Creative Industries there is no way this would have happened. So on behalf of the Australian INfront community, thank you!
I wanted to take this opportunity to tell everyone about the steps we have taken to get the new site live.
When it came to rebuilding INfront I always knew we had a large task on our hands. There was no way we could continue to claim a stake at the forefront of the Australian Creative Industry and not deliver something special. We couldn't run with a standard cms system. There was no way we could have just rolled out a custom skin and pushed it live. The community would have eaten us alive.
The history of the site was slightly tainted with a few stop-starts and a the ever increasing user expectations that the new website would be the penultimate of web creation. So after discussions between Damien, Justin and myself we decided the best step forward would be a custom build from the ground up. While this isn't anything new for many developers the task still remains daunting. Mainly in my case because I always like to keep security and a solid application as the two key aspects of any project.
My background is heavily weighted in PHP development on the Linux platform (LAMP). I have tried to get into .NET but I have always returned to PHP. Being a firm believer in the use of the right tool for the job I set about selecting a suitable framework for the build. I have had previous success with CodeIgniter and Kohana. Both of which have their strengths and weaknesses. I feel safe in the fact that CodeIgniter has a thriving community and a seemingly successful company, EllisLab, who develop the package. Yet, I never could accept that it didn't fully embrace PHP5 and Object Orientated Programming 100%. Kohana has a smaller community of followers but the product is rock solid and has always performed well above my expectations.
Having produced 2 commercial jobs late 2009 with the Kohana framework I already had library of code which was proven in a production space. So the decision to run with the Kohana was pretty simple.
The development process followed quite quickly. A group effort was made to continually review the project and ensure development was completed to the highest standard.
The project also evolved over this time with the addition of various features making their way into the initial release schedule. Mid development the decision was made that the new forum would be a staged rollout. We understand that it is probably the most anticipated feature as it is used daily by the community. However, for us, this is a double edged sword. We are asking people to re-register on the site, update your details and start fresh. Had we replaced the forum and asked people to do this we would have no immediate way to communicate with existing members who experience problems in the initial rollout.
Obviously like every project you hope that it is completely bug free. However, the reality is this would be almost impossible. We have tested the site continually since it began development and we are confident that any obvious issues have been dealt with. Now it is your turn. As a community I ask that we all work together to ensure the project retains a high standard of quality. If you spot a bug just send me an email explaining what you did and I will have it resolved. If you can see room for improvement or think a certain feature would help promote Australian Creativity just jump on our contact form and let us know.
The re-build of the Australian INfront site is not just about fresh beginnings, it is about embracing the amazing community of likeminded people who have continued to support the project for the last 10 years and ensure that we are still going for another 10 years to come.
So from here on in, enjoy the site and remember to contact us to suggest new feature, report bugs or to simply say g'day.
Thanks,
Zann
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