Continuous Learning

Then

Since 2009, iABLE has focused primarily on developing enterprise-level web solutions using Liferay. Incorporated in 2001, iABLE started creating sites/apps involving early web html with server-side CGIs in PERL, then introduced ColdFusion, then switched to J2EE with EJBs, then introduced OpenCMS, then with DWR (Direct Web Remoting, think AJAX-like), and then then then many other tech that were attractive to me and customers at the time. For reporting, there was (and still is) JasperReports.

As always, the quest for better tech continued - often as passion projects and/or side hustles which then could become involved for core enterprise customers. When Google Polymer 1 for web components came out, I developed a location finder for a Canada-wide health care provider which used data delivered from a Liferay json web service proxied by a Go server-side web app. I then watched Polymer 2 and 3 go by where when the Polymer team released Lit (lit.dev), I dove back in to Lit web components while still continuing to outsource React development for frontend apps deployed into Liferay DXP.

Along the way, iABLE has involved Keycloak, OpenLDAP, ElasticSearch, Go, Linux, PostgreSQL and other databases, git, Bitbucket, GitLab, Kubernetes, Skaffold. iABLE has led hosting on premise and also in data centres, then on AWS, Azure, DigitalOcean, OVH, and other. iABLE has done many RESTful integrations involving OAuth to external services from Liferay modules to MS Dynamics, MS Sharepoint, Keycloak and other. More recently, as part of the pursuit of the modern tech stack: iABLE has introduced using KrakenD with Go apps as clients to REST APIs. And then there is SSO across sites using Keycloak as well and SAML to external service providers. iABLE has led the development of many React frontend apps in Liferay and more recently is introducing React and other apps in CloudCannon/Astro sites. There are so many other areas of concern when it comes to building web solutions where I have learned enough to lead and then either take care of it myself or partner/subcontract/hire others who know better as specialists (what are you good at?). As for Digital Marketing and UI/UX design, such are most often led by the enterprise customer where iABLE implements as needed.

The main goal has been to continue to build web solutions that are affordable, successful, and … well .. modern.

Now

What is modern today ? It is impressive how Liferay DXP continues to rapidly evolve for enterprise solutions. In addition to providing services related to Liferay, more recently I have had a renewed interest in static site generation (SSG). This is exciting ! The simple site you are on right now was built using static site generator Astro and/on CloudCannon which is a cloud git-based CMS for SSG sites. For modern approaches to handling css: there is Tailwind and DaisyUI. In the modern stack, authentication is through Keycloak and API services with multiple backends (Go, Liferay, other) are through the API gateway KrakenD (krakend.io). The speed ! More to come…