It takes a lot of time and energy to rush from one store to the other looking for the perfect laptop for the back to school kids in the family. I’m one who likes to comparison shop, which I looked at hughesnet internet packages. This is often just too much when the other store is on the other side of the Mall or town. So, recently I decided to forgo the drive to the Mall and all around town comparing prices on laptops. Instead, I used my hughes net satellite internet to get online and do some quick comparison shopping for the laptop. First I made a list of the stores that I would like to include in the comparison-shopping research for the laptop and then I figured out a budget for the laptop. This is an important step in the process. So, with my budget firmly in mind I started the research. I searched at the usual computer discount websites like Tigerdirect and Compusa. Then at Dell, HP, and finally Walmart. All it took was about an hour to find the perfect laptop computer that fit my budget. I found great back to school bargains at Walmart. And believe me, comparison shopping on the Internet is much better than driving all over town.

Note: This document will be changing frequently as I add more information, and rearrange to create a more logical order and progression of the said information.

* Prerequisites
* First Things First
* The Context
* Translating your Renderer
* View
* Actions
* Configuration
* References

Prerequisites

You should have a decent grasp of Mojavi2 and PHP5 before trying to upgrade to Mojavi3.

If you want a quick crash course of Mojavi 3, see Creating Your First Module 2.
First Things First

Before you begin transferring your applications over from Mojavi2, make sure whatever host you’re using supports PHP5. You can figure out if your host supports PHP5 by running

phpinfo();

Furthermore, you need to download and install the Mojavi3 package, which can be attained by going to this location.
The Context

Probably the most important new and powerful aspect of Mojavi3 is the Context object. Once I figured out what this thing did, I fell in love with it. Basically, it is a sort of catalyst/storage object that allows you to access:

* The $request object via getRequest()
* The $controller object via getController()
* The $user object via getUser()
* The Current Action/Module names via getModuleName() and getActionName()
* And finally the Current module’s directory

More or less, most classes that are exposed to the user/developer (you) are going to have a getContext() function, which will allow you to access this object. And with the recent addition of cascading calls, you can perform operations that you were unable to in php4, for example:

The Old Way:

$obj =& $request->getAttribute(‘myobj’);
$anotherobj =& $obj->doSomethingSpecial();
$anotherobj -> execute();

The New Way:

$this->getContext()->getRequest()->getAttribute(‘myobj’)->doSomethingSpecial()->execute();

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the best example, as it is rather lengthy, but you get my point, 1 line vs 3 lines, and no possible mistakes when dealing with large objects like copying them over without references, etc.

This subsection is to be continued….
Translating your Renderer

Mojavi2 used ‘renderers’ to translate the API of one templating system into a generic API that would easily allow a developer to switch out one templating system for another. For example, the Smarty templating engine uses $smarty->assign() to allow you to set a variable, while patTemplate, another templating system, uses $pat->addVar(). In Mojavi 2, you would then write or use an existing renderer, which you would then invoke to display your output.

Note: This was done typically through a filter, which would create the renderer object, then assign it to your $request via

$request->setAttribute(‘MyRenderer’,$rendererObj))

Mojavi3 uses largely the same methodology, but instead of getting the renderer directly from the $request object within each of your views, it simply extends the View class.

For example:

abstract class SmartyView extends View
{
…..

function __construct()
{
$this->engine = $this->getContext()->getRequest()->getAttribute(‘MySmartyObj’);
}

public function setAttribute($name, $value)
{
$this->engine->assign($name, $value);
}

…..
}

Note: the use of

$this->engine = $this->getContext()->getRequest()->getAttribute(‘MySmartyObj’);

was simply the best solution I could come up with for getting any object from within the view, you could also have done the following just as easily:

$this->engine = new Smarty();

View

The Mojavi3 View is mostly an abstract class, which provides a skeleton of functions to work with, thus providing the unified API as was achieved in Mojavi2 (It’s unified because you are forced to comply with the naming conventions implemented by the abstract class View.)

Now, instead of intitializing your Renderer object (as you would in Mojavi2) you simply extend View, and initialize that. Like shown above:

abstract class SmartyView extends View
{
…

is what our new View would look like. To put this new View type into action, we extend it when declaring views for our modules. For example:

class DoSomeActionSuccessView extends SmartyView
{
…
}

As you can see, this is much more fluid than pulling the renderer out of $request with every new View, it’s also a lot less code that you have to copy and paste, and thus less code to maintain. You may also have noticed that the naming scheme is different for the Views, instead of naming the file DoSomeActionView_success.class.php you would now name it DoSomeActionSuccessView.class.php, and name the class likewise(In Mojavi2 we just named our view classes DoSomeActionView, in Mojavi3 it’s DoSomeActionSuccessView replacing ‘Success’ with your application’s state).

This subsection is to be continued….
Actions

Actions in Mojavi3 are fairly similiar to those of Mojavi2, with a few enhancement and semantic tweaks here and there. Listed Below:

* When returning a VIEW_SUCCESS in Mojavi2, now return the View class constant corresponding to your application state, ie: View::Success, or View::Error
* When checking for view types supporting execution (getRequestMethods) instead of returning REQ_POST etc, return Request::Post etc.
* There is a new return type for getRequestMethods(), Request::All, which serves all request methods.
* The root Action class which all your actions extend now has a getContext() method, which allows you access to the context object.

Configuration

Mojavi3 configurations are done, by default, using .ini files. This simple and straightforward configuration makes configuring mojavi very easy. The base syntax of these ini files is as follows:

[SECTION]

; a comment…..
ConfigKey = “%MO_APP_DIR%/my/config/value”

Because some people might not like ini files, Mojavi3 was created in such a way that you could write your own configuration handlers. For example, if you wanted to use xml files to configure your mojavi, you could write a configuration handler, plug it in, and start using your custom configuration styles.

This subsection is to be continued….
References

To find out more about PHP5 in general go here: Where can I go to learn more?

It was official. We were going to be parents. As I looked back to that day, yes, I’ll admit I panicked a bit. So did hubby. I had to take a deep breath and chant “We can do this” over and over again. This was our first child and instantly I had began collecting books, magazines and anything I could get my hands on for what we needed as first time parents.

After we signed up for Clear internet and Directv satellite tv I loved going online and using my satellite internet, it was so helpful and informative. At any hour of the night, if I had a question that I needed an answer to, there it was. If I needed to know about organic baby food, instantly I could find top sites recommending the best ones.

Thankfully there are virtually hundreds of places designed to help first time parents. Tips, checklists and reminders of critical things you need before the little one arrives. Baby proofing is a must, mattress and cribs have to fit just right, and I debated between the benefits of cloth diapers vs. regular store bought diapers. I even bookmarked sites on my computer just in case I need to check them out again for future use.

It’s great knowing that the information is out there, especially for a first time Mommy like me. It certainly gives a piece of mind.

There are plenty of fixed line as well as wireless solutions that are available. Fixed line solutions include the conventional telephone lines, copper cables, hybrid fibre coax such as cable TV and modems. Wireless solutions examples are radio, microwave frequencies and links, satellites, mobile phone connectivity, MMDS, LMDS, FSO, Wi-Fi, Wimax and 3G. By the nature of its medium, fixed line technology has limited bandwidth and generally operates through power lines or copper cables. FreeSpace or Wireless Technology uses the radio spectrum wherein the bandwidth is limited to the extent of the available amount of licensed radio spectrum. Out of this, WIMAX seems to be the most promising technology with its performance in key areas such as overall coverage, reach and data rate. Mobile Broadband providers are seeing the trend to portability and not being locked into long term contracts to attract new customers so they are offering pay as you go mobile broadband solutions which may impact static broadband companies. At sites like Broadband Genie you can find these great plans from some of the most trusted carriers in the industry. They also offer research on deals for broadband and smartphones to help save you time and money.

However, fibre optics, in relativity to its competitors, offers almost an infinite level of bandwidth. Due to its immunity to electro magnetic fields and interference, it has higher levels of reliability and security than the wireless/copper networks. Therefore, it makes logical sense in deploying optical fibre systems which have low operating costs and have unsurpassed reliability. Consequently, direct fibre connections to all households would be a much desired concept even though it may involve the laborious and cumbersome task of network deployments in installing fibre optic cables all throughout the network in access. To wrap it up, we need to mention about the advanced optical glass fibres which is the latest development in this field. A sample of its prowess is its ability to provide Broadband speeds upto 50 Mbps, something which is unheard of and beyond our imagination!

If you want a quick crash course of Mojavi 3, see Creating Your First Module 2.
First Things First

Before you begin transferring your applications over from Mojavi2, make sure whatever host you’re using supports PHP5. You can figure out if your host supports PHP5 by running

phpinfo();

Furthermore, you need to download and install the Mojavi3 package, which can be attained by going to this location.
The Context

Probably the most important new and powerful aspect of Mojavi3 is the Context object. Once I figured out what this thing did, I fell in love with it. Basically, it is a sort of catalyst/storage object that allows you to access:

* The $request object via getRequest()
* The $controller object via getController()
* The $user object via getUser()
* The Current Action/Module names via getModuleName() and getActionName()
* And finally the Current module’s directory

More or less, most classes that are exposed to the user/developer (you) are going to have a getContext() function, which will allow you to access quality management software. And with the recent addition of cascading calls, you can perform operations that you were unable to in php4, for example:

The Old Way:

$obj =& $request->getAttribute(’myobj’);
$anotherobj =& $obj->doSomethingSpecial();
$anotherobj -> execute();

While home broadband binds you to a place, mobile broadband gives you wings, leaving the internet at your disposal no matter where you are. Mobile broadband is provided by devices such as USB modems (commonly known as dongles), USB sticks, PC data cards and also by phones that have data modems. With mobile broadband, you not only get the advantage of super-fast internet connection on the go, but also freedom from a fixed line and place. One can get connected without the fussy installation guides; all it takes is a simple plug and you’re online.

In Europe the access and availability of high speed Broadband has been around much longer and here in the US we are catching up with the availability. Even some of the local power companies have started looking at existing infrastructure on how they can offer broadband access to their customers over power lines. Once this technology is improved you will have another competitor to cell phone companies who are leading the way the current 3G technology for mobile broadband applications . Even the makers of hardware are seeing the advancements and are starting to make and offer free laptop with broadband packages that is geared specifically for surfing the web. This is geared for those that are looking to surf the internet and stay connected to their friends via their social networks without the expense and burden of a bulkier laptop.

Being the youngest grandchild of a pretty large family, it has always been a challenge for me to stay in touch with all of my cousins. All together, I have around 30 cousins on both sides of the family. It is virtually impossible to stay in touch with all of them, but I always do my best to at least touch base once in awhile. Thanks to Satellite Star Internet service, the process of keeping in touch is not nearly as difficult. For a while now, I have been keeping an open blog with houghes net that has been sent out to each of my cousins and aunts. Not only is it a way for them to see what I have going on in my life, it is also a way for all of them to see what my sisters and other immediate family members are doing.

The blog gives all of my cousins a chance to leave messages, send jokes and tell stories about things they have going on in their lives as well. Ever since I have started keeping my blog, many of my other family members have started using their houghes net to keep a blog as well. I love being able to get on to a website and within a few minutes know all of the specifics about a family members new job or baby.