Archive for the 'General' Category

What we do in 2011

Published on January 1, 2012 in General. 2 Comments

2011 was a Great Year , did lots of work , so am just listing what all did i do maybe if you need advice on something similar you can get in touch –

VideoSwiper (Web) – First product of BaseApp in 2011 , pretty successful and profitable now. It is a Mass Embedding and download tool for video webmasters. Something like mass grabber but orders of magnitude advanced ( PHP 5 , MySQL ).

Vidfetch (Web) – A Java based video streamer , allows you to save bandwidth if serving video.It also does video conversion and video downloading. Doing well we had almost no downtime since launch , and currently doing millions of api hits ( Java , PHP 5 , MySQL ).

GSM LED Board System (Hardware+Software) – LED Message display board which can be fitted anywhere in the world and controlled from single location, Based on GSM it allows placement in remote locations also. ( C# , SQLite , C and x51 Assembly ).

Queue management System (Hardware+Software+Web) – A touchscreen high end queue management system with full analytics. Event driven architecture with TCP/IP based connectivity between nodes allowing unlimited configuration all remotely manageable. It was a pretty segmented project with the use of a lot of technologies . Hardware was built with Microchip PIC18f and Atmega AVR. Software is a mixture of a customized linux , PHP5 , MySQL , Java and is platform independent ( C , C++ , Shell , Java , PHP 5 , MySQL , Custom Linux ).

BaseApp Studio (Software) – We went ahead and built a customized development environment based on Netbeans . We built it for our Riduino Product , but now use it internally for AVR based development and have dumped avr atudio. ( C , Java , Netbeans ).

Riduino 2 (Hardware) – A Customized Robotics Board based on Arduino but intended for robotics with extensions for servos , motor controllers , encoders etc while maintaining Arduino footprint and expandability( C , Eagle , Atmega328).

Secure Storage for Thin Clients (Software) – A Microsoft EFS like system for thin clients with our own custom Crypto algorithm and modification . Since EFS does not allow Cyrpto plugins or control I had to get a custom system built based on File system filter drivers allowing On the Fly Encryption and Decryption in a multiuser Windows environment( VC++ , DDK ).

USB OMAP Device (Software) – We built our own OMAP35x based custom hardware, easily reconfigurable for our clients for a variety of application. Initially based on Beagleboard we built our own boards it made us realize how difficult high end design is in India.Built Linux USB Device drivers and customized LibUSB on host side.( C , C++ , AngStrong Linux , OMAP35x ).

Embedded x86(Hardware+Software) – Boxed a few applications into embedded x86 boards and connected LCD’s and keypads to them , Made Tiffin sized black boxes for Desktop application. ( x586 , C , Python , Slitaz ).

And many more things not worth mentioning or cannot mention due to NDA …

And this was done by a team of 2 people , Me and another developer and having Fun while at it.

Hoping 2012 remains same more work less time …

New Premium Video Script under development

Published on July 13, 2011 in General. 0 Comments

These days we are working on a new video script. Having worked with almost all videoscripts out there and developed a plugin for most we still find that majority are very inflexible and not really user friendly.

So in joint collaboration with Route66Solutions , we are currently developing a new video script from scratch. Expect first previews around start October.

Any features you think are important do tell us in comments …

PHP VideoScripts/Youtube Clones Mega Review

Published on March 9, 2011 in General. 1 Comment Tags: reviews, video scripts, youtube clones.

As the developer behind various Web Video Applications, I work with almost all known PHP based Video scripts / Youtube clones which allow you to build a video site. So I thought why not highlight some decisions to help you make a scalable video site and total cost of ownership in the long run if you are going for a ready to use solution.

I have no favorites and my reasons will be purely technical, as I am constantly developing and monitoring the lifecycle of these scripts as a part of everyday work. This article mainly intended for people who are seriously looking at building a Video site and can spend some money,free scripts are also reviewed.

I will only be concentrating on the video aspect of the scripts, as that is the core functionality you should get right. From what I have seen most people come watch videos make a few comments and move on. So unless you are trying to make a Social Network, most extra features like blogs , groups , profile pages etc will never be used. Also a site hosting videos usually do well compared to the one embedding videos. I always advice against embedding as it simply takes traffic to the host site. Other than that sticking to a niche helps.

Here is a table which I will update regularly which covers my findings, if you have any comments, corrections or suggestions do comment –

Video Downloaders are Down

Published on March 3, 2011 in General. 21 Comments

People have reported that due to some changes on youtube side the Java Downloader and the php downloader are offline. Maybe it is time to release FreeDown 3 , we will try to release it within a few days. Please have patience it should be available within a few days.

Also due to constant changes and constant upgrades required FreeDown 3 will be available as a service. We at Baseapp have concluded this way we can offer more many more features and better service to our clients.

I am assuming a launch time of around 15th March.

FreeDown 3 in the works

Published on December 1, 2010 in General. 22 Comments

We have been thinking of updating FreeDown 3 Java applet for sometime now , The new version should be available end this month. So i would like to ask if you guys have any feature suggestions for the same.

Some new features that might be available –

MP3 and AAC Downloading – We are working on allowing Mp3 and AAC Download using Java applets, though in beta if stable this feature will be in FreeDown 3.
API Based - More sites supported automatically , and sites fixed automatically.
New Theme – A New theme with more custom color options.
New Name – The Java version is not really free , so we will be moving it to a new name and site.
Youtube API – Simple Youtube search engine built in.

We would highly appreciate suggestions, And will give 5 free licenses to the top 5 suggestion contributors according to us.

Web Application Devlopment tools

Published on September 27, 2010 in General and PHP. 0 Comments Tags: best tools, lamp tools, web devlopment tools.

A Small time filler presentation i gave at the hackers meet on 25th Sep 2010 @ Foundation for MSME Clusters.

People had asked to share it so here it is –

This covers my most commonly used tools for web development. Using these tools you can greatly speed up your development effort.

From Freelance to Startup

Published on August 7, 2010 in General. 4 Comments

I have been freelancing for about 6 years now , business is good and have worked with lots of clients. But I had the long thought of my own small office and a few employees. So i have finally taken the dive, I have taken up a office and am in the process of hiring people.

The company will be called BaseApp.We will be developing small Web Products and build Embedded hardware. Now we will be offering and working on products that I always wanted to build. And have a more solid backup to support these.

You will be seeing new exciting products from our side,with better support and lesser turn around times.

First Apple India Product and Service Experience – Pathetic

Published on July 13, 2010 in General. 5 Comments Tags: Apple India, Apple Ipod, Apple Service india, Ipod 32 GB India, Ipod Touch 32gb 3g India.

I needed an Apple Ipod to test some Iphone ready site i had done for someone one, Since Ipod touch and Iphone are almost same other than phone functionality. I went yesterday (12th July 2010) and bought an Apple Ipod Touch 3g (32GB) for about Rs 17340 in the morning (I had to deliver the site so could not have it shipped and wait 3 – 4 days). In the evening after returning home, the unit purchased did not work out once it was removed from the packing. I had better opinion of apple products … but how can they sell me a brick. Called up Apple Support and after the usual talk they also realized that i have been sold a dead Ipod Touch. So they assured me that next day it will be changed from where i bought it and gave me a reference number to use for the same. Going by the brand name that apple has, i relied and was somewhat optimistic, even if it went going back almost 17 kms on a working day.

So today when I went to the Same Place i bought it from the chaps there directed me to the apple Service Center at another location ( 9 kms from Nehru place) and on reaching there i was informed that the Apple Support Guys were telling Lies. There is no such concept of instant hand to hand replacement and I was asked to leave my ipod and wait for upto 15 Days. Now i m waiting to have my brand new Ipod back …

Some things i think u should know –

Not one Apple representative Apologized for the Faulty product i was sold
Even for a brand new product ( Not even a day old ) one is required to go through service
Apple India is not Apple ( its ‘desi’ Indian Version which works like ‘desi’ companies )
Not the experience i expected,I wasted a lot of time and effort just to buy one Ipod which i still do not have

I had high hopes and was kind of excited about owning my first Apple product . But I was utterly disappointed, frustrated and saddened by state of things. Also as i mentioned , it was an urgent requirement for some software that i am delivering and my work has suffered coz of bad product , apparently new?? and pathetic service.

Their competitor on the other hand atleast Microsoft gives me Free Onsite Wonder full support and service.

UPDATE : I had got a replacement after 5 days.

Adding Javascript to WordPress without Plugin

Published on June 3, 2010 in General. 2 Comments Tags: add javascript, javscript, wordpress.

Though it would seem pretty simple, but as soon as you try to add a JavaScript to your WordPress post which is more than few lines of code. WordPress somehow messes up the code and the script will not work due to wordpress formatting it. You can disable formatting but then other old posts also loose formatting. The other solution provided is to add them to template / make JS files and include them. Both require more work.

Here is my little solution , Basically pack the script and make it as a one line of code which can be added to the html editor –

Go to the following link paste your JavaScript code and embed the WordPress embed in your wordpress …

WordPress JavaScript Packer

Best Window/Split Air Conditioner, Brand , Stars , EER and more …

Published on May 30, 2010 in General. 10 Comments Tags: AC, eer, split ac, star rating, window ac.

Buying a AC is no easy task, With so many brands to choose from and varied reviews of each if you ask the Dealers or check online.

But more than the Initial Cost the Electricity Bill(running cost) associated with the AC is what actually hurts. So recently I had to make the same decision in buying a second AC. I already own a Hitachi Window AC. Here are some points that I found out and a little JavaScript calculator which I wrote which helped make up my mind -

Try to go for Split AC , they are much quieter and more efficient though come at a higher Initial Cost. The Hitachi window I have makes me feel like sleeping next to a running vehicle !!!

The Total ownership cost difference over 5 Star rated and 3 Star Rated AC over a course of 5 years is almost same usually. But 5 star rated AC’s are about 20 % more expensive than 3 Star ones when buying the AC ( but this 20 % is paid back over 5 years in most cases). You can check using the calculator below.

More expensive does not mean itll recover its cost in Electricity Bill as some companies state. Do the calculations yourself and you will see.

Avoid the Cheapest ones out there, there is a reason they are cheap !

Most big terms like AntiBacterial filters, Night mode,Ion Purifiers etc are nothing but terms to attract you. You should just look at appropriate cooling capacity and running costs. As most of us just Switch them on and forget about them.

Here is a small calculator I wrote based on a Thread from TechEnclave which will help you check running cost of an AC and the total ownerships cost over a period, use the calculator below to decide if the AC is worth the extra money or which one is better -

AC Total Ownership calculator

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AC Name/Model
AC Cost (Initial Cost while purchasing)
Nominal Cooling Capacity (Watts)
Nominal Power Input (Watts)
Daily Usage (Hours per day)
Monthly Usage (Months per year)
Life Usage (Total years of Usage)
Power Cost (Kwh Power Cost)
Power Cost Inflation in %

Electricity Bill ( per month )
Electricity Bill ( per year )
Total Owner Ship Cost ( Total Bill + Initial cost )