Web Design and Development

Just a quick post to let you guys know, my contact form doesn’t seem to be working properly so please post here if you have tried to contact me and I will get back with you. It seems to be some server settings and I noticed a couple of people have submitted it today but when I get the email it is blank. Maybe tomorrow I will try a different PHP form and see if that works.

UPDATE: Well I talked to one of the hosting people and they fixed it, so if you submitted my contact form yesterday do it again I guess if you read this.

Well yesterday and today I spent some time recoding the site, since I haven’t since I created it in my portfolio class 2 years ago. I did do some reworking a couple months back but now I made sure to get rid of the unnecessary tables in my resume and contact form. I also went through and streamlined the code removing extra code bloat, which I created when I was a beginner and making everything XHTML 1.1.

Some of you will have to clear your cache or you will get a nasty looking page, hopefully you figure that out or you just sit there thinking I totally screwed my site up! I’m planning to redesign the site, so streamlining the code and everything should make it a lot easier. Its about time I stop being lazy and get something with an updated look around here, Its so 2004.

Anyways I hope everyone has a great holiday. I will be staying around the house playing with my new MacBook. Yeah thats right I got a MAC finally. I always planned on getting one but I have been paying off my $2800 laptop and $1400 desktop for the last couple of years. I got a break for a couple months here with paying Comp USA and after having problems with some MAC browsers with some recent Javascript, I felt it was time to get me the MAC to test on. Any suggestions on all the great MAC stuff, I should get would be appreciated, especially for web development

Again happy holidays everyone

Check out the latest article in the last edition of this year at Alistapart. Marc van den Dobbelsteen shows us how to create layouts for any resolution that we want using some simple lightweight unobtrusive Javascript to switch a class on the body tag. Most of the time Developers create liquid layouts to display perfect for resolutions between 800 and 1024 pixels, but now that the mobile web is pushing its way to the forefront we now have to create alternatives for every possible resolution on a given platform, the user to gets a usable experience.

In the Javascript all it is doing is saying if it is between A resolution and B resolution apply X class to the body tag. Then in the CSS using you have separate classes for the different resolutions. You can just put in your CSS something like .pda #mainContent (styles) or .wide #mainContent (styles).

Sure you have to set up more CSS but the end result is a great usable experience for any user on any given platform.

Once again another great article by Roger Johansson about the 6 things that suck in the web for 2006. Its a short article. but the debate in the comments is what makes it a great read. The main debate is the overuse of Javascript Libraries and the use of them by people who don’t know Javascript thoroughly.

Of course its Jeff Croft leading the debate like always. I seem to see him debating a lot in peoples blogs and though I don’t always agree with his point of view he sure makes any blog article a well rounded conversation between its users.

I do think the use of Libraries are getting to much the norm and people aren’t spending the time to learn Javascript thoroughly, including myself. Even though they say in the comments that it does take some knowledge of Javascript to pull it off I think these plugins that are out there make it pretty simple, its customizing them which takes more knowledge. I agree a lot with what Jeff posts about it being great for developers who know what their doing.

I also agree with the use of AJAX and the use of saying AJAX! People talk of it as if its the end all be all. Yeah its great, but talk about over saturation and the fact that 70% of the small websites out there that people like me develop won’t really have the need for it. Sure if your creating a web application its a must. Lets slow down before every client we come across says their site needs AJAX like Flash.

Wow I logged into digg this morning and saw a whole different design and at first I wasn’t digging the change to the navigation design. I don’t think they spent much time in thinking of an attractive color for the sub navigation. The green bar isn’t really that appealing to me it looks puke green, although it does save a lot of space on the page. I just think they could of had a better color choice. The functionality of it is great. Thats besides the point because they have went above and beyond with the new features and changed their layout from fixed width to a fluid width design.

New Features

I think the biggest addition is the Podcasts section. You can now digg your favorite podcasts either by series or by episode. You can click on podcasts and then even choose which episode to listen to because they have it listed which ones are the most digged episodes of each podcast.

They have now added Videos to have its own Global navigation item and now there is a Top 10 stories/videos on the sidebar which is updated in real time. Of course in the profile they have separated it now into three sections for Video,News, and Podcasts.

I think the Podcasts is so great because now its going to be so much easier to find quality podcast and for people out there that have podcast shows that might not be able to get the traffic to their podcast that it deserves. I think those podcasters have a good chance in seeing a huge increase in traffic once they get heard on digg.