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If you are looking for abstract reasons to determine which programming tool to use for a library project, it's worth considering long term support for your institution. If the future technical support at your institution is 1 librarian-turned-coder (and you don't have strong personal preferences), you might want to think about which languages/tools/frameworks are commonly available amongst this pool (I think you'll find PHP/Ruby much more often than Java, for example). That way your institution isn't up-a-creek when you leave and they hire your replacement. -emily lynema NCSU Libraries 2010/1/6 Alejandro Garza Gonzalez <[log in to unmask]> > Well, I'll quickly run down why we chose Drupal (hence, PHP). I mention > Drupal because to me it's more of a framework which just happens to have a > CMS built on top of it =) > > Before Drupal, my team knew PHP. We had PHP books in the library, students > were learning some PHP in classes, etc. > > We were lured to Drupal because other libraries were using it (AADL at the > time). It seemed to have good code, good security, and could be "hacked > politely" (or "extended") and securely (if you follow the rules). Most of > all, Drupal has good people behind it =) > > Now, "even though" Drupal is PHP (and, as some say, PHP lets you be as > insecure and as bad a coder you want...) the code that goes into its core > has pretty strict coding standards. Of course you can find lots of modules > which are not up to par, but you can depend on core to be tight. > > _alejandro > > marijane white said the following on 05/01/2010 05:04 p.m.: > > Greetings Code4Lib, >> >> Long time lurker, first time poster here. >> >> I've been turning over this question in my mind for a few weeks now, and >> Joe >> Hourcle's postscript in the Online PHP Course thread has prompted me to >> finally try to ask it. =) >> >> I'm interested in hearing how the members of this list have gone about >> choosing development platforms for their library coding projects and/or >> existing open source projects (ie like VuFind vs Blacklight). For >> example, >> did you choose a language you already were familiar with? One you wanted >> to >> learn more about? Does your workplace have a standard enterprise >> architecture/platform that you are required to use? If you have chosen to >> implement an existing open source project, did you choose based on the >> development platform or project maturity and features or something else? >> >> Some background -- thanks to my undergraduate computer engineering >> studies, >> I have a pretty solid understanding of programming fundamentals, but most >> of >> my pre-LIS work experience was in software testing and did not require me >> to >> employ much of what I learned programming-wise, so I've mostly dabbled >> over >> the last decade or so. I've got a bit of experience with a bunch of >> languages and I'm not married to any of them. I also kind of like having >> excuses to learn new ones. >> >> My situation is this: I would like to eventually implement a discovery >> tool >> at MPOW, but I am having a hell of a time choosing one. I'm a solo >> librarian on a content team at a software and information services >> company, >> so I'm not really tied to the platforms used by the software engineering >> teams here. I know a bit of Ruby, so I've played with Blacklight some, >> got >> it to install on Windows and managed to import a really rough Solr index. >> I'm more attracted to the features in VuFind, but I don't know much PHP >> yet >> and I haven't gotten it installed successfully yet. My collection's >> metadata is not in an ILS (yet) and not in MARC, so I've also considered >> trying out more generic approaches like ajax-solr (though I don't know a >> lot >> of javascript yet, either). I've also given a cursory look at SOPAC and >> Scriblio. My options are wide open, and I'm having a rough time deciding >> what direction to go in. I guess it's kind of similar to someone who is >> new >> to programming and attempting to choose their first language to learn. >> >> I will attempt to head off a programming language religious war =) by >> stating that I'm not really interested in the virtues of one platform over >> another, moreso the abstract reasons one might have for selecting one. >> Have any of you ever been in a similar situation? How'd you get yourself >> unstuck? If you haven't, what do you think you might do in a situation >> like >> mine? >> >> >> -marijane >> >> >> >> > > -- > _________________ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ > *Ing. Alejandro Garza González* > Coordinación de proyectos y desarrollo de sistemas > Centro Innov@TE, Centro para la Innovación en Tecnología y Educación > Tecnológico de Monterrey > > Tel. +52 [81] 8358.2000, Ext. 6751 > Enlace intercampus: 80.689.6751, 80.788.6106 > http://www.itesm.mx/innovate/ > > El contenido de este mensaje de datos no se considera oferta, propuesta o > acuerdo, sino hasta que sea confirmado en documento por escrito que contenga > la firma autógrafa del apoderado legal del ITESM. El contenido de este > mensaje de datos es confidencial y se entiende dirigido y para uso exclusivo > del destinatario, por lo que no podrá distribuirse y/o difundirse por ningún > medio sin la previa autorización del emisor original. Si usted no es el > destinatario, se le prohíbe su utilización total o parcial para cualquier > fin. > > The content of this data transmission must not be considered an offer, > proposal, understanding or agreement unless it is confirmed in a document > signed by a legal representative of ITESM. The content of this data > transmission is confidential and is intended to be delivered only to the > addressees. Therefore, it shall not be distributed and/or disclosed through > any means without the authorization of the original sender. If you are not > the addressee, you are forbidden from using it, either totally or partially, > for any purpose. >