 Jan de Graaff is the creator of the forum component Simpleboard, which is one of the most successful components today. He build up a team of developers around Simpleboard, which should make it even better. Jan also offers cheap ready-to-run hosting solutions for Mambers.
Personal Information
Name: Jan de Graaff
Nickname: JdG
Residence: Heemstede, The Netherlands
Nationality: Dutch
Current Age: 33
Job: IT Specialist / Database Architect
URL: www.tsmf-mambo.com
Mambo and You
When did you get in contact with Mambo?
It was about 8 months ago; August 2003 when Mambo 4.5 was at Developers Release 5. I was browsing the net to look for a good CMS that I could use for a family website. I looked ate phpNuke, exoops, stuff like that. I found Mambo 4.0 but I didn't understand how to get it to work at all, so browsing the Mambo Forums I found 4.5 and I loved it right away. Although I didn't have any experience with nor knowledge of PHP, I started out with bug reportings, then bug solving and finally I found it to be time that a Forum Component should be made.
What is your current role in the Mambo community?
I started the Simpleboard Forum Component, already the most widely used forum component for Mambo. As I got more experienced with PHP (I already have a profesional background in programming), I found neither miniBB nor Loudmouth to be after my taste so I figured to start with a totally new Forum Component based upon the original Simpleboard scripts. I found these scripts easy to understand for a PHP newbie like I was, so I took them as a basis. Today, the Simpleboard Component hasn't got much in common with the original scripts, but the name is still there.
Do you have any Mambo projects beside the above?
I'm working on a commercial Component which is still very top secret (don't want anybody else to run off with the idea ;-). Besides that, I started a Hosting/Desing/Customisations and Content Management Company at jigsnet.com to try to make some money of the many hours I put into Simpleboard. It will not be very profitable in the sense that I can quit my daytime job but still it will, hopefully, provide me some extras to take my wife out for a classy diner to make up for the time spent on Simpleboard.
What are you doing, when you are not working for Mambo?
I'm a profesional IT'er working for a very, very large American IT company as an IT Specialist (Java, C++, Enterprise Application Integration, etc.) and Database Architect (DB2/Oracle database architcture, data modeling, performance tuning, etc.). Besides that, I am a father of two lovely daugthers and a third one coming in April, so: besides Mambo I play a lot of 'Winnie the Pooh Memory', Sesamestreet Puzzles and build ingenious wooden railroad tracks.
About Mambo
What is Mambo's biggest advantage against other CMS?
It is so easy to administer and creating websites. I've setup a couple of sites for friends using Mambo and everybody is charmed by the easiness of it.
And the biggest disadvantage?
Sometimes the big and sudden changes in the core drive me nuts when I have to accomadate Simpleboard to them, but apart from that I can't think of any.
Where do you see Mambo in the future?
When Mambo keeps on developping in the fast pace it is in now I think it will be the CMS of choice for nearly everybody. I know phpNuke at all still have a large install base, but I think that will change rapidly when people start discovering the versatility, completeness and easiness of Mambo.
Your final word to the community?
Donate! Lot's of developers and graphics designers put in a lot of effort and hours to get you your free stuff for Mambo. Ranging from Components to Modules and Templates. All for free! Just a handfull of people have the courtesy to donate when they use a piece of software and are content with it. Of over 12.000 downloads of Simpleboard (accumulated from all download sites) I have only received 9 donations... and I'm not unique in this respect.
Then people start complaining lots of software becomes payed software or "donate-ware", but that doesn't surprise me one single bit. It strikes me unpleasantly when I see a large company using Simpleboard for a largely used forum and they didn't even bother to donate like €10,00... just as a courtesy and a small "Thank You for a job well done"....
....not only for me, but for all developers and creators from whom they downloaded/use work! |
