WheresMyStuff.org
May. 19th, 2009 12:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackI spent all weekend relearning how to write web applications. The last time I did anything was ten years ago, and I was pleased that the tech had moved on :) That doesn't mean web 2.0/AJAX but it does mean source control enabling a develop and live version of the site in parallel. And openID means that you can write something without ever needing to worry about user accounts, passwords, log-in systems and lost passwords again.
The site is http://wheresmystuff.cartesian-heights.org.
Unfortunately, I was going to do some more polishing before I asked anyone to take a look, but I don't want to spend any time on it until next week. I believe the site is fully (if simply) functional, but the design clunky. I borrowed a freely-available style sheet rather than authoring something, and it's looks ok sometimes, but wasn't robust, and I'm no web-designer made very hacky changes. I'd like to recode it so it looks good with different text sizes, and on a mobile-phone-sized screen.
But I'd be appreciative if anyone wanted to log in and see if it worked for them. Specifically, did it work on your browser (it's html+css so it ought to, but you never know), and did it make sense?
The flow is:
1. Enter an openID (typically yourname.livejournal.com)
2. Enter a book you borrowed from (or loaned to) someone.
3. You see a list of all those records. And if they log in with their openID, so do they.
4. Either of you can click "return" to indicate the book has been returned.
5. If someone refers to you by yourname.livejournal.com when you're normally known as yourhandle.dreamwidth.org, log in with your usual dreamwidth account, and click "also known as"
6. Things you have borrowed from someone are by far the most common things you may have to return to them, but it works equally well with other things you may have to give them, "lots of kisses", "£3 from pizza", etc.
I was going to see if it would work for liv and I before seeing if anyone else would like to use it for real. I'm not sure how usable it would be at this stage (or if it ever will be). But it ought to work perfectly well!
(Hm. Now I describe it, it sounds more like an interpersonal todo-list. Of which there are many already, but having a simple easy front-end is valuable. Alternatively, maybe loans should be entered into an openID accessible bug database? :))
The site is http://wheresmystuff.cartesian-heights.org.
Unfortunately, I was going to do some more polishing before I asked anyone to take a look, but I don't want to spend any time on it until next week. I believe the site is fully (if simply) functional, but the design clunky. I borrowed a freely-available style sheet rather than authoring something, and it's looks ok sometimes, but wasn't robust, and I'm no web-designer made very hacky changes. I'd like to recode it so it looks good with different text sizes, and on a mobile-phone-sized screen.
But I'd be appreciative if anyone wanted to log in and see if it worked for them. Specifically, did it work on your browser (it's html+css so it ought to, but you never know), and did it make sense?
The flow is:
1. Enter an openID (typically yourname.livejournal.com)
2. Enter a book you borrowed from (or loaned to) someone.
3. You see a list of all those records. And if they log in with their openID, so do they.
4. Either of you can click "return" to indicate the book has been returned.
5. If someone refers to you by yourname.livejournal.com when you're normally known as yourhandle.dreamwidth.org, log in with your usual dreamwidth account, and click "also known as"
6. Things you have borrowed from someone are by far the most common things you may have to return to them, but it works equally well with other things you may have to give them, "lots of kisses", "£3 from pizza", etc.
I was going to see if it would work for liv and I before seeing if anyone else would like to use it for real. I'm not sure how usable it would be at this stage (or if it ever will be). But it ought to work perfectly well!
(Hm. Now I describe it, it sounds more like an interpersonal todo-list. Of which there are many already, but having a simple easy front-end is valuable. Alternatively, maybe loans should be entered into an openID accessible bug database? :))
no subject
Date: 2009-05-19 10:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-19 10:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-19 10:39 am (UTC)The table of loans needs more padding around the gridlines both inside and outside.
I like the multiple OpenID things. Reallly, really, really like. More sites need to work like that.
It could probably do with not having "book" since I've lent things that aren't books.
The "since" could perhaps do with rewording - it's the date of entry rather than the date of lending
Thanks for the link to CSS-providers.
Do you want this publicised or not?
no subject
Date: 2009-05-19 11:04 am (UTC)It could probably do with not having "book"
Yeah. In fact, some of the entries are "lots of kisses" or "£3 from pizza".
I like the multiple OpenID things.
Thank you!
Yes, I was enchanted with not writing a log-in system, but I'm not sure where the phenomenon will end up. I read facebook and google where getting involved, but I'm not quite sure what they'll do with openID. I don't know if all your openIDs should be always tied together, or if you may want different combinations of openIDs valid on different sites. Every time I design more database I think of another way of looking at it. But simply being able to log-in and go, with no up-front set-up is great.
Do you want this publicised or not?
Thank you, not right now. If you want to use it with a friend, please do, it should be functional, but it needs all the obvious bugs fixed, and a couple more features, and being tested by a few friends before being spread.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-19 06:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-19 11:41 pm (UTC)I'm not sure why the picture appealed to me so much, but it seemed very warm and spring-like and Cambridge-y, the sort of calming feeling I need when I post about my bike (which is generally only when something goes wrong :))
That was yours, wasn't it? I remembered to credit you, didn't I? :)