A PHP5 Object-Oriented Database Wrapper has been created to smooth & abstract database connections. This version will support MySQL, PostgreSQL, MS-SQL, Oracle & DB2 (though only the MySQL support is complete at this time, as that is the one I needed for the OpenBrainstem websites). It will be ported to a proper PHP5 object design. These wrappers are an OpenBrainstem project and will be released under an open source license. The database abstraction technology being developed for StartPoint will be significantly different from this set of classes and will also be open sourced.

The last functional method has been coded and some testing is needed to ensure that there are no major problems with the class. It will be tested for use on PHP5 and I will be adding PHP5 exception handling to the class.

This database wrapper library is an OpenBrainstem project. Work on the PostgreSQL version has progressed a long way. The MS-SQL version has been started, but still needs some fleshing out. The Oracle and DB2 classes are started, but just barely. This is the last information that will appear here about this project. Go to the PDBwrapper project page for further information.

The design of the database is mostly complete, but some of it is still only in my head. Once the database wrapper is tested, I will be able to finish building the database for the main OpenBrainstem website. This database has been designed for long term use; it is not a "temporary" version.

The content engine is a very simple design. A few admin pages need to be created to make it easy to load content meta-data into the database. This engine is not designed to be a CMS, but more along the lines of a simple assembly engine. StartPoint will be much more advanced.

The look and feel of the main OpenBrainstem website is still being developed. For now, I am working with a simple, mostly-text layout that I have used many times before.

2005/11/16: Artwork is in! The wiki and the other websites will have OpenBrainstem logo art on them. Next is to work the art into the main website's look-n-feel.

UPDATE [2007/02/17]: I have just one more perl module RPM to build and everything needed for RT 3.6.3 will be in place. Once RT is up, I will have some configuration work to do in order to setup the queues, etc. that are needed, however, I am much more familier with it now. During the past few months, we have experimented with several other trackers and decided upon RT. All perl modules needed for RT to run (on CentOS 4) are installed as RPMs. This will be much more maintainable over time than the previous installation of RT was.

UPDATE [2005/10/31]: I have dropped RT, for now. It was not set up quite like I wanted and to make some of the changes I needed to make, I was looking at a reinstall anyway. So, I'm going to rip out all the Perl modules that were installed by CPAN and find/build RPMs instead (I have to be able to maintain the thing in the future).

The first half of bringing RT online is completed; thanks to Fozz, the last Perl module was installed following the July PLUG meeting.

Getting the application running is only half of the story, though. It still needs to be configured for use. I will be spending time putting together the configuration so that RT will be useful.

I have not decided for certain that RT will be the tracking software used by OpenBrainstem. One hurdle which I need to find a way over is to allow anyone to register an account which will permit the public at large to submit bugs. As uber-configurable as RT is, I'm sure this is doable.

I have decided to try out a wiki. I have installed MediaWiki and am starting to put together some content. The Wiki can be found at http://www.OpenBrainstem.net/wiki/. The wiki is online.

This is not planned to become the main website. I do not believe that a wiki is the appropriate choice for the main website, but I am open to that possibility. Either way, when StartPoint reaches a sufficiently usable state, it will become the main OpenBrainstem website engine. Since it will have a wiki capability, I will probably move off of MediaWiki at that point.

URLs for websites which have authenticated access need to be changed . I want them all to be accessible only via an SSL encrypted connection to the web server; this will require them to all be at the same hostname, for now.