The Everlasting Picture Categorizing Project

[Nick]

So Brad was saying it should be web based? I think it should have both components. Just require internet access to sync pictures with the online repo and database while still storing everything locally for portability.

[zourtney]

Actually, what he said kiYnd of made me want to NOT do it web based. Having to connect to a remote server to tag YOUR own pictures seems rude, at best. However, a searchable, permanent Randomland gallery that I know the inner workings of would be very, very nice.

So, in perpetual contemplation of things which pretty much don't matter to anyone, I have a couple of options:

• 1. Just write it browser based with a PHP back end -- forget the offline desktop app dream (2.0, baby)
• 2. Just write it as a desktop app in C++/C# -- forgetting the Randomland gallery dream or any online search abilities (0.0, baby?)
• 3. Write the whole darn thing twice (#1 and #2)
• 4. Write a remote server back end (PHP probably) and finagle a desktop AND web browser to talk to it. This kills the offline portability dream...
  

Oh, and if I was kind of demented, I could try to make the program a Flash application to avoid writing the frontend twice -- but THAT limits browser compatibility to needing Flash Player plugin (no biggie). Something in me doesn't like running a flash app in a browser when I shouldn't need to (ie a photo gallery); something in me doesn't like running Flash Player as a standalone app in Windows (feels like a non-native compromise).

And the same thing could be said about a Java app. But that's not even a consideration (ugk!)

[zourtney]

Oh yeah, I'd really prefer to code this in something I can work on from my lin[ux lap]top. But if I go the C# route, I can mess with the Mono libraries, which I'd like to do anyway. I'm leaning towards that because I haven't done .NET stuff in years. It has changed a lot and I got left behind.

[Nick]

I have never done .net stuff so any c# would be a learning experience for me. Perhaps I can right the web one and you can right the desktop one? I don't know, all the improvements to native OS support for image galleries (thinking the photo library in windows 7) makes me discourages as I would never make something that cool. But something that is OURS and does everything we want it to would be nice.

[zourtney]

After playing with Mono for a few minutes last night, I'm interested in the idea of creating a server application in it. In theory, it could run using Gtk under Linux or (natively?) under Windows. I'll have to do some portability tests, but I like this idea. The only catch is that it'll have to be running on a Linux server running X (or Windows). So no hosting it remotely on GoDaddy, or anything like that.

[Nick]

My server or yours will work for that. Perhaps even build a master/backup relationship into it.

[zourtney]

Yeah, running a server app on a machine from one of ours houses seems just fine to me. If we ever get to a point where we're running ol' Randomland remotely again, we might need to make sure that the gallery server component is separate from the tagging server component.

But as it is now, if your computer goes down, Randomland goes down. And nobody even notices 

[Nick]

It is sad the no one notices (except us that is) The little machine has been pleasantly reliable so far. Only problem was the DSL connection dropping out all the time, but that seems fixed. Its inevitable that hardware will fail though. There is a script running that is supposed to back up the www directories and something that was set up with MySQLadmin that backs up the database every day. So all in all the machine might only be gone for a day.   

[zourtney]

Yeah, I was thinkin the other day about the need for a backup. I'll take a copy now and then, if you don't mind. (we could even set up virtual systems and run randomland off of that -- backup and restoration would be as simple as copying a file)

anyway, what I was meaning to mention on here is that I lost my JavaScript steam. I was working on a demo page a few weeks ago. It was meant to be a drag-and-drop list holding tag info. Then the order they're arranged in would correspond to a tag weight.

If you Nick, or anyone else, wants to hack up a demo for this, go for it. I can post what I've done, if you're interested. It was mostly just a combination of interwebs examplage.

[zourtney]

I kind of lost vision on this project (though not for the first time). I/we need to decide what I/we want:
a) an online image gallery
or b) a powerful desktop-based image archiving app

Doing both is too broad and l get bored thinking up the details. Opinions? G2 (or whatever our current gallery is called) is nice; all the stuff I don't want to think about is already written. But making a module would have an incredibly steep learning curve -- I might give up. However, Randomland needs a gallery; be it the current one or something different entirely.

Blah blah. Same ol' design conundrum.

[Nick]

There are other galleries... and if one gets a couple of drupal modules (like picture node) you can start putting together a gallery that is native to drupal and has tagged+searchable images. There are fairly complete instructions on how to do it. So the ability to have a gallery online is no big issue, but I for one would not want to have to tag and categorize my pictures twice if I wanted to stick a large chunk of then online after messing with a desktop app. So a desktop add is a good idea (faster and less bandwidth used editing) but I would like to see you/us make a way to upload the images with their tag info. If this means making drupal pull the info out of the images properties then cool (or gallery2 or coppermine or ....) or making a module that sets all that stuff on upload. Gallery2 is missing the super powerful taxonomy engine that drupal has going for it. If you think its a viable idea I will set up (at leasst a test) drupal-based gallery. I have enough VMs floating around now so I should use one.

[zourtney]

Yeah, I'm interested in seeing the built in drupal image capabilities. I haven't looked at it at all.

Maybe next week I'll start working on program specs again. So, should I start gearing stuff toward (the dying) desktop app? I'm still considering doing a gtk based client/server pair.

[zourtney]

Brad and I briefly talked about this everlasting picture project. It seems to me that the biggest stumbling block is that I don't really want to create an entire taxonomy system. It's a tedious job.

I like the image stuff we recently installed in Drupal. It benefits from Drupal giant, crazy, and powerful taxonomy system. This seems like a good, permanent solution for Randomland (unless someone objects?). If I ever do make a desktop app to categorize pictures, I could make some sort of Drupal bridge/module. This would probably make the most sense. And I can limit my project scope to desktop app only, for for now.

But, I still need to design a whole taxonomy system.    Any input?

[Brad]

You should make me something exactly like Flickr but for my desktop. Oh and do all of it for free. In your free time. By yourself.

Let me know when you're done, thanks!

[Nick]

OooOOoo I want too! Mkay, thanx bye.