From 8db7ec11bcffae6da7c56f4fd9cf7806b9e3d7ab Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Matt Todd Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:02:45 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] Documented status, history, copyright, license, etc. --- README.textile | 62 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 62 insertions(+) diff --git a/README.textile b/README.textile index e69de29..523dbd5 100644 --- a/README.textile +++ b/README.textile @@ -0,0 +1,62 @@ +h1. Canvas + +A web application development framework for PHP5. + +h2. Status + +This project is *no longer under active development* and should not be used in +production environments. + +This is being put up here as a historical reference. + +h2. History + +Canvas began as a project to simplify development of web applications at +"The HUB":http://thehub.clayton.edu/, Tech Support for +"Clayton State University":http://clayton.edu in Atlanta, GA. We had several +projects planned for simplifying our workflow and keeping track of historical +records so obviously a database-backed web application would fit perfectly, +but being a perfectionist, I wasn't happy with the available various +development tools and frameworks, including CakePHP, Symphony, and the +unfinished Zend Framework. + +So I decided to take the MVC pattern and make a framework to simplify my tasks. + +Having seen some of Rails I had a good source to take some inspiration from +(though, at the time, I didn't understand the code very well at all so I +just wrote how I thought things should work). I was using Ruby for various +small scripts and had a great appreciation of clean and conscious design, which +had a significant impact on how I developed and assembled this framework. + +I worked hard to make the framework be clean and modular as possible. + +What's included in this framework is essentially ActiveRecord and ActionPack. +However, all of the development is original (and as such, being developed +solely by myself, lacks a lot of functionality and polish). The model supports +associations, finder conditions, etc, but nothing to a very great degree. I +chose Smarty because we had some other programmers on staff with experience +with it and some templates already made with it so it made sense to employ it. + +However, after using Ruby more and more and working with the PHP community and +core contributors, I grew conflicted over the development and direction of the +language and a lot of the limiting, technical issues that it seemed to embrace +and not want to change. Things as obvious as simplifying the way to write an +array literal to serious issues with early binding on static class attributes, +etc. + +This and my further delving into Rails, as well as the use of Canvas to educate +the developers in The HUB in sane development practices, good design and +architecture, and familiarity with the MVC pattern, we were finally able to +transition to using Rails for several projects, and the need for this framework +disappeared (since it was mainly used internally, though it was open source +for its entire life). + +And here we are today, years after its creation. I realized I didn't have it +here on GitHub and it lacked any documentation about where it came from and why +it's no longer being developed, so I wrote this. + +h2. Copyright & License + +(c) 2006-2008 Matt Todd. + +Licensed under the MIT License.