Challenges :

1. Traffic handling - requires optimization of MySQL tables and queries, as well as an intelligent caching and cronjob system to propagate the tasks.
2. XML parsing technology was a new thing for me and I had to study it from scratch. But my greatest strength is the speed at which I learn so that was not so much of an intellectual challenge but more of a time challenge.
3. Error handling - the system is intuitive and is designed to handle errors very well - in case of an invalid query, it has fallback mechanisms so it still shows results.
4. Timewise - I’m a freelancer and I had other contracts on the go at the same time, so my time for john was rather limited. So I had to be clear on the terms of how many hours I can put in each week.

What is the main challenge for this project, Jeff? And how long does it take to complete?

We’re looking at options to speed up the server a bit more… been optimizing the MySQL tables etc.

I was thinking that if there is a bottleneck with mysql connections you can suggest mounting a mysql farm to support more connections.

I like very much the interface and banners are working allright. Keep up the good work !