Whooa, how did you find me?

Oh well, if you're here, I might as well tell What's in here.

The History part explains how I became a coder in the first place, Work Experience carries on from there with some of the stuff I have been doing in the past 15 years, ending up to Projects, where I update my personal project stuff.

Those that can, do. Those that can't, complain. 

I don't really want to blabber about me, but here's something:

• My first touch with computers was around 1985 when we got a C64 with a cassette player at home (I was not allowed to play on my own :() In the early years I remember playing some 'primitive' games and wondering: “Why is this done like this? I would do it in another way and it would be better”. Of course there weren’t many opportunities for a 7- or 8-year-old kid to start coding with a C64 (although I owned an Action Replay later) but I started to create text-based weird programs with C64 basic (and Simon's basic) and of course copied basic codes from the Mikro Bitti magazine.
• In the early ’90s I got an Amiga 500 as a Christmas present. I still had no idea how to code 'real' programs until I found Amos Pro in the local game store. It was very expensive but I had to buy it (560 marks, if I remember correctly). Around that time I was also introduced to tracker music (Protracker and later Fast Tracker 2), but who wasn't making techno music with trackers in the early ’90s techno music boom?
• In 1996 I got my first summer job and the only thing I wanted was a PC. So I used almost all of my earnings to buy a brand-new AMD K5 75. That was the first time I could really start coding with proper tools like Borland Turbo C and later Borland C++ and C++ Builder.
• In 2000 I started school at Lahti University of Applied Sciences. I remember the first programming class I ever had was the Basics of C language – and I was bored, really bored. I coded a Matrix-like demo with C, which the teacher asked to use as teaching material in later classes.
• In 2002 I became a co-owner in my friend’s company called Internetpalvelutoimisto ePaja, which gave me my first touch with web coding and PHP. That was the start of my career as a web coder... and I’m still on the same path.

Over the years I have been pleased to work with many people and a variety of tasks. My experience mainly consists of programming and other IT tasks, but I have also been involved in consulting, training, workshops, system architecture, etc.

But let's start with programming,

• C, C++ - I started Coding with C and C++ in the mid ’90s. I don’t use it any more, but this is where I learned the magic of OOP.
• PHP - I have been using PHP for almost 15 years now and a lot has happened during that time as regards my skills, the Web and PHP itself.
• Flash/ActionScript - At some point in early 2000 I was mixed up with Flash, and later on created pretty unbelievably dynamic stuff with AS3.
• C# - SharePoint was also big back in the day. I think it still is, now that it's gone to the cloud. But I had my taste of C# and SharePoint coding, also lots of consulting and training around it. Got my Microsoft Certificate for it, now where was it?
• JavaScript - As websites got more dynamic, JavaScript rise like a Fenix to offer partial page updates (AJAX) and gave possibility to create more application like websites. I have used Javascript as a PHP side dish for years, but in a few years I have turned the table to create more logic for the client side (Frontend) and less for the server side (Backend). I think it's fun, more user-friendly, more like a real application.

If I had to name the one thing that I have been doing most of my coding life, it is definitely PHP-based Web Applications. I have coded over ten CMS, over five company intranets and LMS using public frameworks or based on my own frameworks.

Other stuff I have used/know,

• PHP Frameworks - Zend Framework, ZF2, Yii Framework, Bullet PHP
• Databases - MongoDB, MySQL, MariaDB, MSSQL
• Javascript - jQuery, Bootstrap, AngularJS and lot's of others
• Applications - Zend Studio, WebStorm, Visual Studio, Adobe Flash Pro
• Flying words - CMS, LMS, TinCan, Ajax, jQuery, JSON, Responsive web design, HTML5, CSS3, Cloud services

I have always been innovative in creating different kinds of technical solutions and concepts.

Here are some of my WIPs (or old ideas)

• Bind.js

  http://marko.kurjonen.fi/bindjs

  https://github.com/xmahle/bindjs

  What is fundamentaly wrong with Javascript?

  Yes, script is a script but still...

  Personally I think that the most annoying thing is the lack of proper namespace/class structure. And also the html markup versus Javascript 'class' ... There is not really any binding between html and javascript, until now, with Bind.js you can just do that.

  I know you think that 'Hey, there is nothing new there... There's AngularJS and others'. Yes, there are. In fact I didn't even know AngularJS when I created this and, really, who wants to use such a mammoth MVC framework in neat lightweight web site?

  My idea came from .asp (I know, don't say it), why couldn't we have tight binding between html tag and javascript object.

  As a result of the idea and going through different javascript 'how to..'s I came up with this really small framework which in fact does nothing, but... gives you an easy platform to create whatever you need.

  This is optimal way of creating frameworks, let the crowd make their own little apps (or bigger platforms) and give them way to share them.

• XevoLve

  http://marko.kurjonen.fi/xevo

  This is new idea which utilizes the possibilities of Bind.js and other useful scripts.

  The idea is:

  • Create Windows like desktop for Widgets (or WebParts, Apps, whatever you like to call'em)
  • Add, Remove Widgets to desktop
  • Create own Widgets by using CodePanel Widget
  • Edit and clone existing Widgets
  • Load, Save own Widgets to local storage (browser storage)
  • Import/export Widget codes as js files
  • Store desktop to local storage/restore when visited again.
  • WIP: Multiple desktops
  • More features comes to mind as I get old ideas implemented
  
  

  Other scripts used:

  • Bootstrap: http://getbootstrap.com/
  • HeadJs: http://headjs.com/
  • Tmpl.js: https://github.com/blueimp/javascript-templates
  • Meny: http://lab.hakim.se/meny/
  • Nifty Modal: http://tympanus.net/Development/ModalWindowEffects/
  • Code Mirror: http://codemirror.net/
  
  

  This is not really useful in any way but I had to test, could it be possible to create fully editable 'desktop' like Widget platform without using any server side code.

  Of course I knew it is possible, but hey, it has been really fun to code this!

• McWorm: The Game

  http://marko.kurjonen.fi/mcworm

  This is little fun project to test browser capabilities with multiple moving/animated divs. It just proved that no browser can animate over 100 divs at 100ms frame rate.

  This includes(or planned)

  • Support for N amount of maps (loaded as JSON file)
  • Time & score with high score list
  • Computer opponen with fierce AI (no, not really)
  • Possibility to eat other worms (Like in the good old Serpentines(YouTube))
  
  

  It might be fun to add multiplayer game using Node.js in backend. Also the Computer opponent game bugs a lot...

  Maybe someday...

• MotorBikeRoutes.org

  
  http://motorbikeroutes.org

  This is an old consept of a site that provides a way to create, import, share routes to fellow motorbikers. Main point is to provide an easy way to find and share a good road and comment/rate them.

  This included,

  • Sign-in / Log-in (Facebook or own)
  • Own profile with bikes owned
  • Full Google Maps API (V1) in use.
  • Possibility to import/publish/share own GPX files.
  • Plan own routes and publish/share/export them.
  • Facebook application to use Motorbikeroutes in Facebook.
  • Finish language version in http://www.moottoripyorareitit.fi
  
  

  In fact, this consept came to live (private life) for a while but Google changed the Google Maps API to V2 and needed a full reconstruction (to Zend Framework 1) which (suprise-suprise) never happened.

  Maybe I can finish this when I get some funding, or after I retire. Who knows...

• Battle robots (or something)

  This is also very old consept of a game which has not come to alive. The idea is to create isometric game which includes,

  • Battlefield (isometric terrain with landscape and other props)
  • Creating and design of a robot
  • Main focus of the game is to code the brains of the robot
  • And the battle which only consists of two or more robots to use their brain to try to win the battle.
  
  

  And of course, this would be perfect as a website that anyone could create their own robots and battle against each other.

  Now days this could be created (easily) with Bind.js in frontend and Node.js in backend, giving users possibility to interact in various ways.

  Maybe some day...