MUified Open Source Projects
I’ve noticed a trend in how I’ve handled my latest open source projects. I mean, after they’ve been released. I release the code, I set up my client’s implementation, and then I MUify (my word) it. What do I mean by MUify? It’s the difference between Wordpress and Wordpress MU. I’ll illustrate with an example.
I’ve been working on a job board application for the last 10 months for the Trent University Career Centre. My team and I worked very hard to meet the deadline. The application is built on Code Igniter, so our project is open source. After the release to the client, we generalized it (took out the hard-coded Trent-specific stuff) and made a public code release.
After that, I decided to create my own job board website. Companies can sign up to get their very own job board for internal hiring. This is what I mean by MUify.
The same can be done with Busby. I will make my general release, implement it for as many small businesses that will pay me to do it, and then create an online MUified version, where businesses can sign up for their own online store. Maybe I’ll even have an online “mall” that links stores together, and a special store that people can sell things in for free.
I wonder if it will be advantageous to MUify my applications and have businesses go through an automated registration process rather than talking to them myself and selling my services door-to-door. I guess I can catch the international clients with my MU versions and go door-to-door to local businesses with the original versions. Comments?
Gavin Blair @ May 11, 2008
So, are we still working on that or what? (It seems that no one is really updating it other than Zoe taking away the site’s personality :’( )
Yes, we are still working on Jobba. I’ve been getting ready for the PHP conference, so all of my coding time has been going into learning the latest stuff so I can get the most out of the conference. Hopefully we will come back with some knowledge that will help us with Jobba!
Cool, you will have to teach me, since I am travelling accross Canada and would not have been able to attend the conf anyway… (I am in Winnipeg right now…)