Newsgroup message
The first message of this new UEH Newsgroup. What to say?
I think I got the idea to resurrect UEH way back, maybe in 1999. Back then I did know a thing or two about HTML but I wasn’t a programmer. I had some global ideas but didn’t know how to implement them. So I only hosted the newsgroup, a perl script I yanked from UVR on ucpzone.com.
In 2000 I enrolled in art school, not the kind that teaches you to be a painter or a sculptor or anything. I did something called Digital Media Desing. A 4 year study teaching me all kinds of things related to the web and other interactive media. Mostly though it thought me that if I wanted to learn anything I should teach it to myself. So I went and learned how to build dynamic websites using, the then defacto web programming language, PHP.
One of the first things I did with my new PHP skills was to rebuild the newsgroup. I’m not sure where I hosted it first but in 2001 I moved everything to kerberos.gabber.org.
In the back of my mind there was always the idea to rebuild UEH as an platform for artists who create harsh electronic music to host their creations and do a bit of self promotion. So in 2004, at the end of this 4 year study, when I had to do a individual project, I naturally chose to build UEH.
In the summer of 2004 I had a working PHP site that allowed users to upload their music, build a profile, add events to a global event calendar, forums, etc. everything you expect from a community website. During the building of the version of UEH I even showed some teaser screenshots on the newsgroup. I graduated on that project but I had nowhere to host it.
In the fall of 2004 I moved to Rotterdam and very quickly got a job at a web development firm. In early 2005 I bought this domain and a hosting package. Having become dissatisfied with how I build my graduation project I only put up a page with only a giant UEH logo. Deciding I would rebuild UEH with a better architecture, still in PHP.
Late in 2005 weblogs were buzzing about a new web development platform called Ruby on Rails. I got very interested as it promised rapid development and ease of use for the programmer. I decided that I should scrap what I had in PHP and move on to Rails. (What I had in PHP wasn’t really that much. I had a hard time combining a full time workweek of building websites with building a website in my spare time, as you all might understand).
Early 2006 gabber.org had some troubles. The newsgroup was often unreachable and at some point in time my account there got deleted. Instead of rehosting it right here I decided that I wouldn’t, since I was building a new, better UEH. (I have to say that I regret that decision).
So I spend 2006 and 2007 working on UEH in Rails. It wasn’t really achieving that much since I often did not feel like programming in my spare time, but things were getting done… slowly.
Then this Monday I decided I should do it differently. I should just rebuild the newsgroup, in Rails, and work from there. So I did and it is what you are seeing now. Developing in the open will (I hope) motivate me to do more, or at least do it better by getting feedback.
So, there you have it, a story about how this came to pass. I guess the result is a bit underwhelming for now. I hope this will change in the future (and will do my best to make it happen) .
