My contract was then extended to a year, and I joined a team with the task of creating ‘editor’s tools’ for The Guardian. These browser-based tools are written in a combination of HTML (incl. DHTML), JavaScript, TCL and Perl. The tools allow relatively un-technical editors/journalists and site builders without programming skills to do layout on web pages, create/modify site navigation, insert and edit articles, create and edit images and some general site maintenance (e.g. uploading images). The TCL was normally embedded in the StoryServer content management system. Data is retrieved from an Oracle database via TCL library commands provided by StoryServer.

Due to the PCMS Intranet's success, the project was extended to become a more general Intranet site. I was then part of a small team that extended the Intranet site's capabilities to cope with more general site access. This included redesigning the Ingres database and extending the security model to include lower level restrictions (i.e. Apache's .htaccess security system). I was required to write numerous remote access/Intranet applications. Among others, notably a remote site manager that gave users the ability to create their own sites and alter their user space as they wished. Also a remote Intranet Administrator tool, to allow administrators to adjust the security mechanisms, change database content and the ability to switch off various pages if needs be.

After I was promoted to IT Administrator, my duties expanded to Network Administrator for the LAN. I was required to recommend and implement all hardware and software upgrades as well.

During this time I created and maintained Anglo Dutch's Web site, which involved an introductory catalogue to the products that Anglo Dutch sold. I worked with the Interior Design Dept. to prototype a web-based office furniture selection application (involving a potential client being able to assemble the workstation of his/her choice on the Internet before ordering the parts).

I also rewrote Anglo Dutch's basic quoting tool from Clipper into Delphi.