Hello reader,
I've been working as a webdesigner and website programmer for 3 years, and had been LAN admin, social worker and civil advocate, translator etc. before. Live and work presumably in the Czech Republic, which is a country in Europe.
As a programmer of websites I use PHP (and javascript), MySQL is the first choice database - because of their cheapness when used for building websites. But I can also integrate data from other sources (e.g. MSSQL, Oracle) or use them as primary database.
I worked for a couple of companies and as a freelancer, too. I participated in some bigger websites, as are [login to view URL] - presumably dealer interface, [login to view URL], and e.g. [login to view URL] - and many others.
I can avoid javascript memory leaks in my methods. This page: [login to view URL] is an example of unobtrusive javascript, done "the old way". Check with disabled javascript, the main form as well as the login form on top. Unobtrusive javascript in my coding style means page is functional with javascript off, and the javascript-on related HTML elements and atributes (as are events) are added to the HTML code by javascript on the page load. Old way consists of adding/changing code via rewriting innerHtml.
New way, as oposite, changes directly the DOM elements and their atributes. Example of this technique is this page: [login to view URL] It is not a good example for unobtrusive javascript, though, as the page simply does not work with javascript off. But this state is a result of compromise and the fact, that on site promoting flats for sale the users would expect the page might not fully work with javascript off.
Another javascript example is this dynamic map of the website: [login to view URL]. Excuse the execution time, which is due to the size of their catalogue - and that page not being cached.
Concerning PHP, during my experience I used e.g. securing hashes against rainbow table attacks, which technique uses certain amount of unpredictability as to the specific crypting mechanism used on given site (considering application simultaneously deployed on more sites, as are many free CMSs), securing their difference form site to site in the same time, which makes possible authentication flaw on one site useless for attack on other sites.
This technique can be further used in e.g. mechanism securing web services against unauthorized access, even when the specific web service is used to provide parts of page content for anonymously accessible page, or for authenticating request for a page when user has cookies turned off, or for hardening of cookie based authentication (where cookie-theft would be of no use when not stealing the previously loaded page content as well), none revealing any credentials or session_id/cookie related data. It is also e.g. solution for authenticating against services distributed on more than one webserver, where cookies would not work.
As far as data access is concerned, use caching of data content for seamless data sources integration (when one part of data is on MySQL and another on Oracle, may be another part of the world, too) and related methods preventing concurrent update.
When allowed to conceive the whole application (or given time to implement in one I start to participate in at later stage), I use error catching mechanism which shows application run log on error instead of the originally demanded page, when site runs in "design" mode. This method helps make debugging much faster, in comparison with the usual method of using debugger in development IDE (which still remains as the last resort), or even possible on servers where debugger runtime installation is not allowed.
As to the experience with whole sites, e.g. [login to view URL] is my "foundation", that means I got the graphic designs, made them working templates, designed the database and wrote the application, up to the launch, with catalogue, search, user profile and print basket. E-shop and changes of design were then continued on by coleagues. [login to view URL] is fully my work, still under some polishing and with possible future development, but generally a very simple site with no user interaction demanded.
Concerning webdesign, I use e.g. techniques as are sliding doors, CSS-driven dynamic menus, conditional comments for inclusion of MSIE-specific stylesheets, and generally a coding style allowing for quick switch between html dialects (HTML transitional, strict, XHTML) and emphasizing semanticly correct HTML syntax (e.g. strong instead of bold) for easy accessibility tuning. Can tune up site up to the accessibility std. level demanded.
I am used to document work with PHPDoc and JsDoc. I am used to work with bugzilla, SVN and I am providing a web interface to these instruments for my customers. I am preparing wiki for providing setup and configuration instructions and ordinary user manuals.
I work presumably from home, I am used to deal working matters via ICQ (with phone as the last resort). Concerning programming style, I am trying to be as much object-oriented, as my level of knowledge allows. I am able to read and create UML diagrams.
