Today marks the very last release of PHP4 declaring the old version officially dead. No matter what, PHP developers will now continue on PHP5 and 6, and many clients had some questions about how this affects projects.

• Botsko.net will continue to support applications developed for php4.
• Many previous projects will work properly if transferred to a PHP5 server.
• All new applications/websites will be developed in PHP5 only.
• We’re always available for reviewing code and planning upgrades.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Jay and I flew out to Spokane, Washington and then took an hour drive south to Pullman for a quick day trip to visit Pullman Regional Hospital for an upcoming project. We left on a small jet and arrived on a small propeller craft. We got out of town just as a snow storm came rolling through.

The holiday season was much busier than I was expecting and it looks like the new year is off to a busy start. I’ve posted a few pictures of the trip below.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I’m pretty much missing every single email from last night to tonight (Friday), gmail must be backed up or something. Usually when things come late, they arrive with a day so if nothing has come through by tomorrow then I will provide another address. I apologize if you’ve been waiting for a reply all day.

I will leave AIM open all night/day for those who need to send a message. AIM user: botskonet

I’ve been doing various forms of web design and development for ten years, although it was mostly just a hobby or a business on the side. In 2005 I began working hard to set myself up for an eventual transition into doing this full-time. Ironically, I began doing this full-time when I was least expecting to, despite all of my work. It’s been six months since I made the transition, so I figured it would be a good time to share some of the things I’ve learned.

1. Always Follow Up

I always try to keep in constant communication with clients - it helps me keep the project fresh in my mind as well as theirs. Sometimes I follow up and they’re reminded that they still need to do something - like pay. It works well with clients, but even better with leads. When I follow up with leads it has that “reminder” aspect, but it also shows that I provide everyone the same level of consideration and communication.

2. Know Yourself

When I began working at home I would become focused on watching TV, stepping outside, eating, cleaning, going through old magazines, playing games, etc. I’m a person who really needs to separate work and home life, so I moved myself into an office. There is absolutely nothing to do in the office except work. I keep an ever-changing list of tasks for each project on a giant white board, and I really don’t have any standard way to track projects as they’re all so different.

This situation works well for me because I’ve learned that’s what my brain handles best. You may be more efficient and more productive working at home without anything written down. The key is to learn what works best for you and to adapt your life to accommodate those needs. Once you’ve found the best method to make yourself productive, you’ll really start seeing the work get done.

3. Play

You need to force yourself to stop working. Around 11:30 or noon I wrap up whatever I was working on and shut everything down and I play a game or surf the internet. It gets my mind off of work, gives me some time to have fun, and it really helps break up the day. Having something in the middle of the day to look forward to also helps me get to work in the morning.

If I convince myself that I can play for a half hour if I do several hours of work, I’m pretty eager to get started knowing I have a “reward” coming. Even to this day I feel guilty taking time to play because I know how much work there is. Now that it’s my business I’m much more concerned about how much money is coming in, and time is money. You just have to learn that a bit of a break is required.

4. Don’t Assume

I’ve always loved the saying ‘when you assume you make an ass out of ‘u’ and ‘me’”. Never assume that you know what your client wants, because you’ll waste time doing the wrong thing. Never assume that a quick and extremely easy change works fine and doesn’t require testing, because something that’s connected will fail and cause problems. Never assume that you don’t need a file, a document, or an email, because right after you delete it you’ll realize why you need it. This last point is the basis for the final tip…

5. Keep Everything

Keep every email, every attachment, and every document. Keep any password you ever have (securely of course), keep all of the materials sent to you for a project. Keep all of your files, and if possible, keep as many revisions as possible. Keeping this much information is a waste of time if you’re not backing it up.

For example, my data is backed up once a day to two machines - one machine at work and one at home. No matter what I need I have access to it, whether it’s a logo graphic someone sent me six years ago or an ftp username/password for a current client. Keeping everything just saves you a lot of time and energy if anything is lost, in question, or needs fixing.

Plus, it’s embarrassing to go back to a client asking for something a second time.

Anyway, it’s been a great six months! Here’s to another six!

Every project spawns new ideas, whether additions or changes, that just aren’t possible with the current (workload, budget, time-frame, all of the above). When a project creates a nice and clean foundation, the possibilities often become infinite. Sometimes they’re just small changes, but most often they’re large changes that seem much more exciting than the current project ever did.

Changes that are large are almost always out of scope, and often become their own project. I always spend some time talking with clients about the ideas that they’ve had, as well as some possibilities that they’re not aware of yet. We begin keeping a list of each idea and as time goes by we re-evaluate the potential benefit and cost values for each idea. Months later when they’ve had time to think about which ideas are worth the investment we proceed with a project that we’re both excited for.

It’s very important to keep a ’someday’ list no matter who you are - I keep a someday list for my own projects. Some of the ideas are just for fun and wouldn’t be of much use, and some might really increase the usability of an application. As time passes I get an idea of which items on the list I would like the most, and when the time comes, they’re the items I tackle first.

I’ve always focused on creating an application using a very clean and clear framework of code. Other developers, designers, and hopefully even the weekend web warrior should be able to go in and figure out what’s going on. By utilizing a myriad of classes and functions that work well together I allow for an excellent amount of scalability and expandability. This saves time not only in the beginning of a project, but makes future additions easier and cheaper for the client.

It’s also a list that let’s you have fun with projects. If you’re intentionally trying to add items to the list you often think outside the box, which is what it takes to be successful on the web today.

It’s just a place for the “wouldn’t it be cool if…”.