On domain name registration and blog migration

Migrating this blog is taking longer than expected. So I've installed Xpress on Xoops but when I tried the Import tool, I got an error stating: "Your web server is not properly configured to use this importer. Please enable the CURL extension for PHP and then reload this page." Googling for the solution revealed that the file to be modified is php.ini, which I don't have access to. So I emailed my webhost support and requested for the enabling of the CURL extension in php.ini. I got a reply yesterday saying that they have already enabled it so I tried the Import tool again but the same message appeared. Not to lose hope, I installed the stand-alone Wordpress and tried the Import tool. I got past the CURL extension error but when I granted access for Wordpress to connect to my Google account, I got this: "Could not connect to https://www.google.com
There was a problem opening a secure connection to Google. This is what went wrong:
Success (0)" Based on one of the comments in this post, it seems that I would have to make another request to my webhost to recompile php with openssl support.

So that's for the blog migration. As for the domain name registration part of this post, I bought several domains for the sites I want to put up (including www.chococherrycoco.com) from Namecheap. I even indicated my webhost's domain nameservers (DNS) during the registration process and waited for 48hrs for my domains to propagate on the DNS. After two days, I tried adding the domains to my account but I couldn't do it. So I emailed my webhost again and their reply was that my plan only allows for one domain. I didn't know this was so, so I checked their website again to look at the subscription plan details and sure enough, it was stated there that the plan I got allows only one domain. I was left with two choices, get individual Standard hosting for each of my domains, or upgrade to Starter Reseller (with nulimited domains). I opted for the Reseller plan since we intend to put up more sites so getting this would come out cheaper in the long run.

Anyone interested in a webhosting service?

Talent Search

I'm beginning to think I have no searching talent whatsoever. It turned out the solution to my XPress module problem is to install the latest version (v2.05). I should have double checked first before I downloaded the 1.5.2 version. Could have saved me a whole lot of headache yesterday!

So I already have XPress installed, I still have to try migrating my blog. And I'm still also waiting for my new domain (Can you guess it? Hehe). Once I have everything prepared over the weekend, I plan to have my new site up and running by next week. That is if I don't get stuck again. Wish me luck!

Open-source Deja Vu

Remember my Open-source woes? I'm still having them. I decided to try another Open-source CMS available in my webhosting package which seems easier to use. However, I find myself being stuck again. I'm trying out Xoops because they have this Xpress module which is supposed to be the WordPress for XOOPS, and the reason I'm interested in this is because Wordpress is supposed to have an easy-to-use migration tool for blog content from Blogger to Wordpress (now you know where my blogpspot is headed. hehe). So I downloaded the module and installed it, but when I go to the Wordpress page, I get this: "Fatal error: Undefined class name 'xoopslocal'". Googling gave several results pointing to the module developers' site, but unfortunately they seem to have exceeded their bandwidth limit. I found a forum stating that the version I have installed (Xpress 1.5.2 only works with XOOPS 2.2 (I have v2.0.16) but that installing the Frameworks will repair the problem. It still did not work. Maybe I have to work a little harder and smarter in attacking this problem. I'll give an update as soon as I find something out.

Patience is a virtue.

Open-source woes

Forgive me for being remiss in my postings. I've been tied up with work lately and I've also started tinkering with my other site. I even spent a good deal of the weekend evaluating Open-source CMS software which came free with my web hosting. I figured it would save me a lot of time and effort if I just used an out-of-the-box webapp instead of me building a website from ground up. Alas, it turned out that it was not as easy as point-click-install-login-put content-publish. It was more of point-click-install, scratch head and ask yourself why the page displays an error, go to the site and skim through the documentation, search in the forums for any discussion on the problem encountered, try out each of the suggestions until you hit one that solves your problem, then login. By the time I've reached the administrator area, my stress level was already so high, I decided to close the browser and rest for a while.

When I decided to go back to the computer, my troubles started all over again. My site wouldn't let me log in; it just keeps saying 'Access denied'. At first I thought I just forgot the password so I clicked on the 'Forgot password' link and received an email containing a link that will give me one time access to my site so I can reset my password. I did just that and when I tried to login, same thing happened. Back to scouring the forums I go and I discovered that my problem was more browser-related. I had to change IE7's Privacy Settings to 'Override automatic cookie handling' and 'Always allow session cookies' and only then was I able to login. I figured this would be a hassle for my users who have already upgraded to IE7. But since I don't have much choice, I'm hoping a system requirements info saying "This site works best with Mozilla Firefox and IE6" would suffice for now.

I'm not new to open-source software and web applications, in fact they are widely used where I work. Yet, I still had a difficult time setting one up for my site. The lesson of the story is that nothing in life ever really comes free, even open-source.

Draw me a cat

I've been called a webmaster more than once but I don't think I ever really earned the title. There's just so many things that go into building a website and I don't have the expertise nor the inclination to perform all tasks. Sure, I can create a web application based on the requirements specification and I'll even do the database modeling myself. But ask me to design the webpage and you'll be staring at a blank screen. Ask me to configure the server and it will be me staring at you.

That's why I've always appreciated my co-workers during the many years I've been in web development. We were busy workers in an assembly line. Project manager meets with the client and finds out what they want. PM drafts the requirements document and presents it to the staff at project kick-off. Web designer thinks of the look and feel for the site and makes several design mock-ups from which the client can choose. In the meantime, web developer (that's me!) starts on the DB design and any back-end programming that can do without a fancy user interface. After the web designer has finished the mock-ups, s/he submits it to PM who then presents it to the client. Client chooses a design; PM gives go-signal to web designer to create html pages based on the chosen design. Web designer hands over the html pages to the web developer; web developer plugs in the code into the html pages. Et voila, you have a working website. Of course there are a lot of things that happen and must be done before the client finally signs-off on the project. But you get the picture. Each member of the team has a specific task which must be done within a specific amount of time and each adheres to the development process as much as possible to ensure smooth transitioning of work output.

So that's if you have a whole team. But if you're only two people trying to execute your bright ideas onto a website-to-be then you're bound to have shared responsibilities. I'm not complaining though. Just yesterday, we spent the whole afternoon designing a logo and we're not even finished yet. I struggled with letting my creative juices flow (maybe because I didn't have any) but I did enjoy every pixel-crunching minute of it. :)

After the logo comes choosing a color scheme. I'm surely dreading it but I think we'll get by with a little help from our friend.

www.dattobank.com

At last, my own space in the world wide web. Well, not entirely my own because I'm sharing it with someone else. In fact, that's my clue if you want to answer the question, "What is dattobank?" Just post your answer in the comments. Winner earns bragging rights :)