When Joomla 1.6 Alpha was released a few months ago, the original plan was to release the beta version six weeks after that, in August. However, the time came and no beta arrived. So what happened, and what's the status of Joomla 1.6 as of now? Hannes Papenberg from the Joomla 1.6 Release Team has done a write-up on the current status. He explains why Joomla 1.6 beta 1 was delayed and outlines some of the features we will be seeing.

Topics discussed include the access control functionality, the project's involvement with the Google Summer of Code and some of the other features currently in development. Hannes hints at a beta release of the 1.6 version in around two to three weeks.

After using Codeigniter, CakePHP and Zend Framework for a while I decided to build my own framework. I wanted to include some features that I couldn't find the way I like them in none of the projects I tested. These are some lessons I learned the hard way. I hope you'd find some useful tips for your software projects.

The post looks a a few different topics - doing good planning before development starts, using third-party libraries, planning out the syntax the components inside of your framework will use, how to handle debugging and two tools you can use to benchmark the end result.

The Model is a complex subject. However, it is often boiled down to either a single model class or a full object relational mapping (ORM). [...] When you think in these terms, you start breaking your system into discrete pieces that you need to manipulate, as well as consider how each piece relates to the others. This type of exercise also helps you stop thinking of your model in terms of database tables; instead, your database becomes the container in which data is persisted from one use of your model to the next. Your model instead is an object that can do things with either incoming or stored data -- or even completely autonomously.

He notes that he is a fan of the domain model method and uses this method as he works through the different topics of building out your most useful model:

• asking "What are you modeling?"
• setting up the "gateway" into your domain model
• working with value objects/record sets

All of this along with plenty of code to illustrate his points...

For the past four years, I have put a lot of work into executing a strategic plan that is tangentially connected with our conferences. [...] Instead [of trying to force interaction], I decided to try and slowly steer things in a direction that would have made our conferences closer to a family reunion than a dry business meetup.

He mentions the steps in his "evil plan" (for conference domination?) - community participation, setting the right atmosphere for the exchange of ideas, the oh-so-secret choosing of the speakers and their leadership by example through participation with the speakers and other conference goers.

The new poll asks you if you are using the CakePHP Framework already or if you plan on using it. For those of you who don't know it yet - it's in my opinion th framework to go these days. The easy and intuitive MVC architecture and the components in it make php development really easy and fun.

So far there haven't been any votes (it's still pretty new) so get on over and voice your opinion now.

CakePHP is one of the more popular and powerful PHP frameworks out there and it has a loyal following of dedicated users and developers on its team. It's definitely worth checking out if you're still perusing the market for a framework to go with.

New release, new plans! First off, a new build of PHPSecInfo is out. Version 0.1.2, build 20061218. Per usual, get your new version from http://phpsec.org/projects/phpsecinfo/.

New features include:

• Code is now licensed under '�New BSD'� license. See LICENSE
• fix bug in post_max_size check where upload_max_size value was being checked
• Now providing an md5 hash for releases

If you'd like to contribute tests or other resources to the project, head over to its homepage and let them know.

I thought it might be interesting to write an article about the performance-enhancing tips you probably don't want to hear about - that is, those that are most likely to produce measurable (and durable) results but do require some effort on your part.

His list consists of:

• You Don't Need To Plan Ahead In Order To Have A Plan
• Combat Database Abuse
• Do You Really Need A Database Anyway?
• Scale Horizontally
• Refactor To Scale Vertically

In part one, they talk about things where all good projects should start - with the planning and what it will take to get the project done. This includes the structure of the application, the usability, and the extensions you'll want to use.

Part two goes a step further into the planning stage by looking specifically at the design and usability of the application. They start with the base HTML and add some styling and images to make it easier to use.

Proper development on any kind of project requires you to stop and evaluate the project before development begins (hopefully long before, but that's not always the case).

Having said that, let's figure out what we want the guestbook to do. What's the guestbook for? In this case, it's simply to let users view other visitor's comments and to add their own. The guestbook is not a stand alone application - well it is, but it exists in the context of the web site

There's a few considerations mentioned before the code comes along (broken up into the business and technical sections). With the plan in place, Dhani shows the database layout chosen, the reasoning behind it, and the actual SQL you'll need to create it.

The main item mentioned for the week is the release plan for PHP-GTK 2-alpha, the first official release for this enhanced library. There are still a few things they need to clean up (patches, issues with Windows, and a modification to the packaging script), but things are flowing smoothly towards this new release.

Other updates made this week include documentation updates to GtkLabel and the Glossary, a search feature added to the manual, an update made to the Wikipedia page for the project, and two PEAR project updates.