Codename: TurS

TurS is the codename for a project I am currently working on that will allow users to record what items they own and store the information in "the Cloud."  This is currently going to be achieved by using a Javascript heavy web application with a PHP and MySQL backend running on an Apache Server.  I'm currently testing on the the ASP.NET/PHP Sever that I own, but eventually the project will be migrated to another server that will have more bandwidth, mainly because this application is graphic intensive.

Currently in use is jQuery and Less CSS in order to rapidly prototype this application.  Eventually, I'm going to remove Less CSS from the project since it relies on the user having Javascript enabled, although there is a PHP version of Less CSS that I may look into; however this means slower response times for the stylesheets since the server has to process the Less CSS style before sending it to the browser.

The Bing Search API is also in use to quickly search for images.  This decision was made because Google's Image API is deprecated and I don't want to worry about it.  There are other product API's that I was looking into, such as Google's Product API, Amazon's Product API and many others, but I made the decision to go with Bing's Image Search API since it is the most generic and flexible of all the choices.

Eventually the Amazon Product API and Google's Product API will be brought into the project, but that is a distant goal and I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Logging in is another issue I'm looking to right now.  Currently, users must create a new account to access the web application, but I know many users don't want to sign up to another stupid account that they will never use.  I'm thinking of using OpenID to authenticate users, but, just as the Product API's, that will be implemented later, probable after the alpha release.

The web application is almost in the private alpha stage, which means people will need an invite to get in.  This will allow me to focus on feedback.

More news as I work on the project.