I recently found myself writing my first Facebook app using Python with the Django web framework. I have to admit that it was not a very pleasant experience. The usual Django development cycle of programming and testing locally does not work. I have a very simple workflow nailed down when writing Django apps: write, test locally, commit to VCS, and upload to server. When writing a Facebook app, I had to change the current workflow a bit: write, commit to VCS, upload to server, test on production.

Facebook, being a PHP-powered site, likes to make the assumption that you will also be writing your app using PHP. They don’t even make any efforts to hide their bias towards PHP. The “official” client library is for PHP. The example program they give to you the first time you sign up is written in PHP. All the relevant starting points all lead towards PHP-centric development.

Thankfully, there are those who realize that PHP is not the be-all and end-all to programming web applications. You can find unofficial client libraries for other programming languages. Download and install the client library for your programming language of choice and follow the documentation and hopefully you get to have everything working on your first try.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bugbog silang dalawa sa “via satellite” broadcast na tadtad ng commercial ng Motolite, LBC, Tanduay, PLDT, atbp. I guess all those millions of dollars that these two guys will be taking home have to come from somewhere. The other thing that I find amusing is the insane amount of “SEO” links all over the Interwebs for “Pacquia Dela Hoya Replay Video”. Ah, but that’s what Google’s SearchWiki is for eh?

You have worked around the quirks and you have lived with the inconsistencies. You have stood by and watched your code fail spectacularly between minor point releases. You scrambled to fix your code’s dependence on register_globals set to on when they got turned off by default in version 4.2.0. You have lived with the disappointment when version 5 failed to deliver on better object orientation. There have been a lot of warning signs telling you to look for better alternatives, but still you persevered. Then came the recent changes that really make you shake your head in disbelief. Face it, PHP’s direction as of late has really taken a downturn. You’re thinking it’s time to look for alternatives.

If you are one of those folks who have been using PHP and nothing but PHP for a long time you will be hard pressed to find an alternative. PHP is, after all, one of those things that are “easy to get into, but difficult to get out of”. PHP lures you in with its forgiving nature, vast library of pre-built extensions, ease of deployment and just plain “instant gratification”. It’s easy to forget that there are other languages for server-side programming/scripting.

Read the rest of this entry »

Now see this is why I love Django. It’s an awesome framework with a great community behind it.