More Site Updates – Mostly Internal, Though

I’ve finally rewritten from scratch the Python script that powers this weblog. I began adding commenting functionality but realized that I couldn’t continue to add duplication and swinishness, so I started over with an empty .py file and factored in stuff from my previous scripts.

Currently, there are a few visible updates, but most of them are internal. The most obvious one is the search function, which lets you search Tesugen with Google. The CSS is mostly rewritten from scratch as well (Explorer obviously gets some of it wrong, but I’m working on it), and the XHTML is more semantically correct.

I love it when coding is based on a concept, on a metaphor. For the new script, I adopted the metaphor of building stuff according to a spec. The spec is the URL, the query string, cookies (you’ll be able to choose an English-only Tesugen soon), etc. The “stuff” are parts, such as the navbar, the searchbox, a post, etc. Parts can be assemblies or aggregates of other parts. The parts are configured by whoever builds them according to the spec. The syndication feed builder would build parts that are both unique to it and common with other builders. The more obvious the concept the better – even if you’re a solo developer.

The idea I have for the commenting functionality is a little different from other weblogs. I will build something more community like. There will be a sub-blog authored by whoever wants to comment on what I write. You will need to have a TypeKey or Flickr account to be able to comment – to avoid spam, but also to make possible a micro-community, where you can view profiles of commenters, along with lists of his or her recent comments, etc. If you have a Flickr account, I’ll be able to pull in the buddy icon and display it along with the comments. Flickr also would enable me to highlight comments by your Flickr buddies, for instance.

I apologize if some things look weird in Explorer. Stay tuned for new things.