Open source programming and Microsoft: two incompatible worlds? Microsoft is partnering with renowned actors of the open-source community to organise the Jump In! Developers’ Camp in an effort to combat this misperception. Twenty-five knowledge-hungry open source application developers from all over Europe will be invited to spend four unforgettable days of dialogue, networking and workshops at the beautiful Panorama Resort & Spa Feusisberg in Switzerland.

The Jump In! Developers’ Camp is designed primarily for open-source application developers who are interested in increasing their skills in a range of specific areas. Here they will be able to experiment with ways of combining open-source technologies with Microsoft products to optimize applications. But don’t worry: no one is out to ‘convert’ anybody! The aim instead is to promote interoperability, problem-solving and enhance programming skills. Software experts will be on hand to provide tips and advice, and a range of workshops will be held on topics including Azure, IIS, Silverlight and more in combination with open-source applications. Plenty of time for actual coding will be available.

Potential participants are invited to file an application at www.jumpincamp.com, outlining their profile. The 25 developers who are creating the most “buzz” for themselves and their programming abilities will then be selected. Attendees of the JumpIn! Developers’ Camp will then record their impressions and experiences in a live blog for their community of ‘followers’. The Camp will be held between 6 – 9 April 2010.

This change exploits phpBB’s hook system which allows us to execute custom code in certain phpBB functions/methods without modifying any files. To do this we need to create a new file in our phpBB installation in the includes/hooks/ directory, the file name must begin with hook_ and end with your PHP extension (usually .php.) So, basically you need to drop the below file into your includes/hooks/ directory and purge the board cache, job done!

includes/hooks/hook_disable-delayed-redirects.php

includes/hooks/hook_enable-debug-for-founders.php

<?php

/**
 * This program is free software. It comes without any warranty, to
 * the extent permitted by applicable law. You can redistribute it
 * and/or modify it under the terms of the Do What The Fuck You Want
 * To Public License, Version 2, as published by Sam Hocevar. See
 * http://sam.zoy.org/wtfpl/COPYING for more details.
 */

if (!defined('IN_PHPBB'))
{
	exit;
}

/**
 * This hook enables the debug mode for founders
 */
function hook_enable_debug_for_founders(&$hook)
{
	global $user;

	if ($user->data['user_type'] == USER_FOUNDER)
	{
		// Be careful when defining the constants

		if (!defined('DEBUG'))
		{
			define('DEBUG', true);
		}

		if (!defined('DEBUG_EXTRA'))
		{
			define('DEBUG_EXTRA', true);
		}
	}
}

$phpbb_hook->register('phpbb_user_session_handler', 'hook_enable_debug_for_founders');

This change exploits phpBB’s hook system which allows us to execute custom code in certain phpBB functions/methods without modifying any files. To do this we need to create a new file in our phpBB installation in the includes/hooks/ directory, the file name must begin with hook_ and end with your PHP extension (usually .php.)

includes/hooks/hook_trusted-users.php:

<?php

/**
 * This program is free software. It comes without any warranty, to
 * the extent permitted by applicable law. You can redistribute it
 * and/or modify it under the terms of the Do What The Fuck You Want
 * To Public License, Version 2, as published by Sam Hocevar. See
 * http://sam.zoy.org/wtfpl/COPYING for more details.
 */

if (!defined('IN_PHPBB'))
{
	exit;
}

/**
 * This hook disables the post queue for accounts registered with a trusted
 * e-mail address.
 */
function hook_trusted_users(&$hook)
{
	global $config, $user;

	/**
	 * Skip when the queue is disabled, or this is an administration
	 * session so we don't break the ACP, chances are that administrators
	 * have moderation permissions or more posts than required to post any way.
	 */
	if ($config['enable_queue_trigger'] && !$user->data['session_admin'] && preg_match('#@example\.com$#i', $user->data['user_email']))
	{
		$config['enable_queue_trigger'] = 0; // Disable the post queue for our trusted users
	}
}

$phpbb_hook->register('phpbb_user_session_handler', 'hook_trusted_users');

Once you have dropped the file in place you will need to purge your cache, or just manually delete cache/data_hooks.php.

Thanks Will! and Kenny.

The next morning was the big event, users and team members alike gathering to listen to other users and team members talk and engage in discussions amongst one another. I must say it was extremely insightful to meet the other people that I am forging relationships with as I settle into the teams and some of the users that turned up. Meik gave a presentation detailing the route the project has taken and where its planning to go, which apparently required pulling the rest of the development team up to join him. I was most pleased to meet DavidMJ who I have known since late 2003 when we were both involved in another project. We learned a lot from Londonvasion and because of this some features are under discussion, which will become available in good time. It was good to see some outside presentations one given by Noth who sung praise of phpBB 3.0 even though I haven’t contributed as part of the development team (I have filed numerous patches and bug reports) I felt his presentation was touching. Andy Miller, a guy working on integrating Joomla! and phpBB 3.0 gave a presentation on some of his styles for phpBB and Joomla! that give an integrated look and feel to both applications and in combination with his bridge offer almost seamless operation.

To wrap up I think the event was an outstanding success and should definitely be at least a bi-annual event as a lot more can be done face to face than via IRC and forums and meeting new people is also fun and helps build relationships and morale in the teams. Many thanks to Marshalrusty who arranged everything and the phpBB users who give us a reason to do what we do. Finally would implore every phpBB administrator to try and attend the next conference!