Software

I love software, more specifically I love software used to run websites. Below are descriptions and links to various software packages I use for my clients and their businesses, as well as myself.

WordPress

From WordPress.org:

WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

I have setup dozens of WordPress installs for clients and I am huge on the belief that communication and quality content can bring traffic and profits to a company!

MagentoCommerce

From MagentoCommerce.com:

Magento is the eCommerce software platform for growth that promises to revolutionize the industry. Its modular architecture and unprecedented flexibility means your business is no longer constrained by your eCommerce platform. Magento is total control.

When it comes to eCommerce you need a great platform to build on. Although Magento can have a steep learning curve and can be expensive to get customized it is currently the only eCommerce platform I recommend, and the only one I will setup for a client at this time.

OpenVBX

From OpenVBX.com:

OpenVBX allows developers to build voice and SMS applications for business, such as toll free phone numbers, call forwarding, voicemail, visual voicemail, voicemail transcriptions, and auto-attendants. It’s like Google Voice, but open source and for business.

I love this software, it’s new but I use it on my consulting business and am already handling installs for clients.

StatusNet

From Status.net:

StatusNet is the open source microblogging platform that helps you share and connect in real-time within your own domain.

With StatusNet you can encourage collaboration, build and engage your community, and be in command of your brand.

eJabberd

From ejabberd.im:

ejabberd is a Jabber/XMPP instant messaging server, licensed under GPLv2 (Free and Open Source), written in Erlang/OTP. Among other features, ejabberd is cross-platform, fault-tolerant, clusterable and modular.

Meteor Server

From meteorserver.org:

Meteor is an open source HTTP server, designed to offer developers a simple means of integrating streaming data into web applications without the need for page refreshes.

I’m currently handling a few Meteor Server installs in conjunction with StatusNet installs. Setting up a Meteor Server and modifying the configuration of your StatusNet site will enable the live streaming of timelines.

Memcached

From memcached.org:

Free & open source, high-performance, distributed memory object caching system, generic in nature, but intended for use in speeding up dynamic web applications by alleviating database load.

When I am asked to look into optimizations for large dynamic sites, memcached is always part of my solution. By removing the need to call on the database and parse the resulting data with every page load it becomes easier to scale the application.