[Spgm-updates] Future plans as for SPGM.

[Sylvain P. <syl...@is...>]

Hello everyone,

Like I promised in my last email, here are my plans for the next releases...

I am gonna keep improving the actual script (code clean-ups, 
improvements, comments... and maybe some new features) for a few minor 
releases, while preserving PHP3 compatibility. PHP3-compliant SPGM will 
then remain in 1.3.x .

Once the script reaches a high level of maturity, it will switch to 1.4 
which is the start point to full PHP4 compliance, and the end of 1.3.x 
development. It will come with features that weren't allowed before 
(EXIF support, better integration within webpages [no more header/footer 
files]...) and it will keep evolving from 1.4.x to 1.9.x at most... 
Besides developping the script, I'll begin to write add-ons to make SPGM 
very useful and user-friendly. I have already thought about comment 
assessment functionnalities for visitors, "mail this picture to a 
friend" facilities, maybe statistic tools. And most of all... An 
administrative interface ! It will allow to upload pictures, generate 
thumbnails, assess captions and so on...
Note that all those tools will be packaged in separate modules, not in 
the script itself, whose scope is clearly defined...

... And then 2.0 !! Well, this is a very important project to me... Some 
of you already know it, my goals include the use of W3C standards and 
tools (http://www.w3c.org). I would like SPGM to turn to an XML'ed 
picture gallery generator. As XML and XSLT (a language for transforming 
XML documents) gets more and more supported by browers, make the use of 
such technologies would give the script much more extensibility, 
specially because XSLT is the perfect way to generate templates for your 
galleries...

I have no idea regarding release dates, this is just an announcement 
about future SPGM's milestones. It will depend on my disponibilities and 
involvement, 'cause I am now done with my studies (yeah !) and I have 
other stuff to take care of...
Anyways, your requests are always welcomed.
Hope you are as confident as I am about my ideas ;)

Sylvain