Progress so far

TreeTapper is hosted by NESCent and uses a PostgreSQL database as a backend, an assortment of PHP scripts for generating pages, and the Yahoo User Interface Library (YUI) for a front end. Reasons for these decisions:

• NESCent hosting: Free, stable, well-supported, appropriate for the project, and allows things like use of mod_rewrite to make creating RESTful site easier.
  
• Postgres: NESCent supports this rather than MySQL; triggers and views will be useful (though now also allowed in MySQL). I had thought about using arrays for some fields (a Postgres-only feature), such as when a particular bit of software can read multiple tree formats, but will instead use additional tables, following recommendations from NESCent's IT staff.
• PHP scripts: I had looked into using Ruby on Rails, CakePHP, or other frameworks for development, but there seemed to be a lot of overhead in learning them for the benefit I'd receive.
  
• YUI: This is one of the many libraries for Ajax development. YUI is feature-rich and has both great documentation (with many examples) and an active user forum, both important for me.

I've also created the database schema and a way to securely log in (using PHP sessions). Next, I'm adding the ability to store and look up references in Connotea (using a Perl API) and other reference-parsing tools so that I can start adding papers to the database; I'll also create forms for adding methods and software and start actually adding information.

First post

Part of my NESCent project is the creation of TreeTapper.org, a site dedicated to methods and software that use trees to understand biology. It has two main aims: 1) allowing users from fields as diverse as genomics, ecology, paleontology, and phylogenetics to identify methods and software that will allow them to answer interesting questions using phylogenetic trees, and 2) allowing developers to identify areas where methods are not yet available or where methods need to implemented in software. I wanted a way to keep track of progress and issues involved in the development of the site; since this process might be of interest to others, I'm using this blog to do so. Any feedback is welcome. Also, though the site is (barely) live now, it's not yet ready for users: a formal announcement of its release will be made later (through EvolDir, Ecolog, and perhaps a journal).