Hello! I wanted to give a quick update on my progress over the past few years… and what I'm up to now.

Back when this blog was regularly updated (starting in 2009), I was using the Wikidot service on an almost daily basis. My programming knowledge was limited to mostly Java, and a minuscule amount of C / C++ / C#. A few years later, I ended up working full-time in a role that was heavily JSP-based (JavaServer Pages).

Many of my projects outside of work hours were built for the community, and most of those were aimed at the Wikidot community in particular. I used Java to write a cross-platform editor for Wikidot, which was my first experience working with a vendor's API. Learning how to use that XML-RPC API was an exciting time of discovery for me, that I still look back on fondly.

Around 2011-2012, I switched my attention to PHP. Since then I've spent a large amount of my time building custom websites for both myself and others, using the language. I also tried my hand at some additional community projects, with Wikimated being the most notable (currently offline, until I figure out what I want to do with it).

My work with Java was now limited to Minecraft-related hobbies (e.g. server plugins), and I started my own server and built a small community around that.

In November 2015 I landed my first official job as a PHP Developer. A large part of the reason I was hired was my experience with PHP on both personal projects, and the work I had done for others and the community. I hit the ground running and have learnt a significant amount since then about not just PHP… but how to improve myself as a developer, how to run a business effectively, how to contribute to a relationship and the necessary skills for parenting a 3 to 6 year old step-son.

Fast-forward a few more years, and I'm now almost exclusively working with PHP. Of course, other web technologies come into the mix - HTML, CSS, JavaScript. But when it comes to back-end work, it's always the same. I'm using Wikidot syntax for almost nothing now.

^{NEW BLOG (IN DEVELOPMENT)}

Today, I have multiple projects on the go, all at various stages of development. I listen to podcasts regularly, have started contributing to open-source on GitHub, and hope to launch a paid product online in the near future.

One of those projects is a new blog, and I've been sharing some of my progress with that on Twitter. However, it's a true testament to the flexibility of the Wikidot platform that this blog - the one you're reading at the moment - is able to be brought into the modern web, and all it needed was a bit of a paint-job with the Bootstrap framework. As much as I'm enjoying building the new blog, there's a large part of me that feels: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" — so I may decide to keep this one for a while longer. For now, it's serving my needs well.

Another project I'm working on - the paid product that I mentioned earlier - is still very much in progress. I hope to release details for that one soon, and if you're eager to learn more you can follow me on Twitter - that is the first place I will make any announcements.

Most of my other projects are just thought experiments for now, and I'll also announce details about those if I decide to go ahead with them.

What are you working on today? How has that changed over the past 10 years?

I'd love to hear from you!