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Great Resource: Alertbox
2008-08-13T09:20:00.000-07:00Web usability is every Internet user's concern but not something many think about when charged with an Internet responsibility. As a site developer, it's something we think of often, but we have a tendency to gauge the countless sites we visit as a benchmark.
Enter Alertbox, a bi-weekly column on web usability. They do a very good job of quantifying what many may feel is right or wrong in web usability. Sign up for the newsletter if you have any interest what-so-ever and take a chance on skimming the subjects coming in periodically. I believe you may find as I have that at least every other article will enlighten you on something you thought you knew or better yet, never realized.
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/
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Vernal Equinox 2008
2008-04-08T01:04:00.000-07:00Spring this year has seemed delayed.
We've not yet had our first 70 degree day which we typically are gifted at least one by now. That's perhaps the reminder that on the first day of spring, more often than not, we don't have the flowers yet (Tulips, Daffodils) - those really come next month, but perhaps the anticipation and then quick delivery is locked in our minds, rather than the truth which - it's still cold, wet and yes even this week - snowy. But like an ornery child with a good heart - I still love spring in any shape or form.
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Winter Solstice
2008-01-04T03:40:00.000-08:00It's the beginning of January, the cold crystallizing the thick blanket of snow that came during the holidays and deep crisp nights are chipped away as the days get longer.
While the scent of any life is bereft from the air, the crispness of deep blue skies and crunchy snow punctuates a serene presence to the winter landscape.
It is the perfect contrast to what's simultaneously occurring on the opposite side of the hemisphere and a natural progression that can inspire deep contemplation when the beauty of winter is allowed to reveal itself.
While the patterns of human activities struggle to hold consistency, the elements of winter remind of a gradual rhythm of constant change - the basis of which energy and inspiration truly hails from.
Here's to winter 2008!
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Webmaster - Really?
2007-09-27T05:33:00.000-07:00I was pondering one day what it might be like to have a complete vision of the Internet universe. As many similar web developers do, I spend a tremendous amount of time at this career and now that I've been doing this for over 13 years full time, I've began to wonder what a completely devoted student of the Internet might see.
Without thinking about the term "Webmaster", I asked who is a master of the Internet. Who is the Buddha of the ever expanding Internet? What does he or she see, how do they act? Then I quickly decided there's a good chance we haven't seen them yet. Looking through the Internet (ironic, isn't it) for a list of the greatest people of all time, while any list would be disputed by someone, few would dispute some shared characteristics of people highlighted. As I tried to skim and globalize those characteristics, I kept reverting to this idea, desire for a vision of what an Internet Guru looks and thinks like.
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants"
-Isaac Newton
Not only on people's lists of greats, but certainly accurate and humbling in this context. Perhaps in understanding who will eventually find the essence of the Internet, an understanding of the birth of the Internet will illuminate it's masters.
Then I came across "Who Is Who In The Internet World" and it was definitely a great list of pioneers. But that certainly helped crystallize my vision of an individual who just didn't do something great or invent something that changed or affected millions or billions of people -- it was more about someone who can see what the Internet is from any aspect, feel the flow of people and lives through the system, see past the pages, deep into the data of what drives the information.
Maybe I'm just describing what I would like to be - not famous for doing something on the Internet, but someone who feels confident in their travels through this mighty Internet universe. While I can say I couldn't imagine doing anything else, I don't think I can rightfully call myself a webmaster yet. Maybe someday.
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Summer Solstice 2007
2007-06-21T08:47:00.000-07:00JUN-21 @ 18:06
Yes it's here, the official longest day of the year. In reviewing what a great day the first day of summer is, I found some pretty interesting facts:
"Solstice" is derived from two Latin words: "sol" meaning sun, and "sistere," to cause to stand still. This is because, as the summer solstice approaches, the noonday sun rises higher and higher in the sky on each successive day. On the day of the solstice, it rises an imperceptible amount, compared to the day before. In this sense, it "stands still."
To the unaided eye, the sun would seem to set/rise at the same location on the horizon for about five days before and after the actual solstice.
It is also referred to as Midsummer because it is roughly the middle of the growing season throughout much of Europe.
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The Greatest Web Site - Is Not Hated?
2007-02-22T01:01:00.000-08:00My wife is power Internet user. Not because she likes the Internet or thinks anything about it is impressive - maybe she does, but she doesn't have time to worry about such things.
She uses the Internet to clothe our children, play Santa, compress shopping trips down as much as possible when buying something for the household.
So when I, as a developer ponder out loud on what makes the greatest website, I often get the opposite - "You know what I really hate??". I have a tendency to think more Internet surfers are like her rather than me - a developer constantly engaged in ever aspect. So her comments may be very telling.
(her words)
Pictures
The site has to have a lot of pictures. I won't even bother if I can't see images.
Navigation
If I have a problem getting around, I shut down that site in 2 seconds. I was just looking for something and the manufacturers site was so poor, I went to Amazon and other sites to try to find a better take on the product through them. Even if I could order the product for less through them, it was just to frustrating.
See Also
I was at this site where I clicked on more information and when I searched on similar info, I found far more information than what that See Also link implied. I can't stand it when I have look all over the site for something - when I know it's there, but the site doesn't easily allow me to get to it all. And why do sites make me click all over the place to get information that should all be together?
She claims more sites are a disappointment rather than a pleasure. I actually didn't get that pleasure list as her frustrations overwhelmed the conversation.
A client did a research study and reported the exact same thing. Before they could even get started on asking from a list of questions about surfing experiences, several participants wanted to start initially with things they hated.
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Groundhog Day
2007-02-02T03:10:00.000-08:00"As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and rain
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop"
-U.S. Tradition derives from a Scottish Poem
Regardless of shadow or no shadow, it is technically midway between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox - Spring. Let the countdown begin - only 45 more days!
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Pushing to the edge of insanity and then reeling it back in
2007-01-24T02:43:00.000-08:00XML Whitespace: FireFox
Is there anything more gratifying than failing over and over in finding a bug and then discovering the problem in a single moment?
Not normal fare for this blog, but many, and I mean many hours of stumbling through cross-browser JavaScript XML parsing and I finally discovered the culprit.
Node selection was ok in IE but failing in FireFox. When I get down to a count of nodes found, there was a difference between IE and FireFox - weird is that there were no problems with a preceding XML selection function.
When I count all the possible nodes in the XML doc to see if the child nodes are selecting differently, there is always 1 more than what's there???
Finally, I check the 2 different xml docs and notice that 1 has no spaces or tabs - the one that works. When I remove all spaces and tabs, everything syncs back up between both browsers.
I look and cannot find an equivalent to preserveWhiteSpace = false for FireFox, so I have to either ensure there is none, or write a function that strips it prior to xml parsing.
This post is in dedication to anyone struggling like I did. I did a lot of searching and didn't find anything that gave me any clue as to the issue. Hopefully this will save some time for anyone in a similar situation.
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Cybersquatting
2007-01-16T05:47:00.000-08:00You look up an obscure name, find it's available, then go to register it the next day and it's gone.
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that groups are sniffing searches and then purchasing the domain name and "Squatting" on the domain to profit from resale.
It just happened to a client of ours.
He researched several options at Network Solutions, sent me is choice on Friday. On Monday, we went to register it and it's been purchased by a firm in the British West Indies - a domain squatter.
I've moved to using NSLOOKUP as a more secure method of checking names
nslookup www.clipmybigtoe.com
To get more details, change NSLOOKUP
nslookup -querytype=ANY www.orbisdesign.com
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E-Strategy
2007-01-15T05:16:00.000-08:00Many clients have been dubbing their new approach to their Internet plans as their E-Strategy. E-Strategies are nothing new, but what seems new is this wave of actually walking the talk. Not only has the Internet become a central strategy from top to bottom, many have expressed an almost equal desire to reduce (some even trying to eliminate) the hard printing (and distribution) of information.
The following is a collection of what seems most commonly called out.
- Content must move quicker from thought to site
- Collect and/or improve upon profiles of visitors
- Visitors desire quicker access to new product (service) information
- Visitors need better indexing of sub content as site becomes more complex
- Related content (i.e. see also) linkage between products are needed
- Web analytics is more prevalent within planning
- More flexibility in changing the structure or look of the site as business plans change
- International treatment: multi-language, different product offerings depending on region
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Balance
2007-01-07T06:09:00.000-08:00There seems to be a battle that may never be won but if balance between both sides can be maintained, perhaps that's the win.
I want the site to look just so, I want my message to be expressed in just this way, I want to be able to post this information as fast as possible.
As there seems to be 2 stages of posting information - the creation of the vehicle (stage 1) and then the ongoing updates (stage 2), the old saying of planting a large garden is completely different than maintaining one rings true.
Consistency in patterns and organization cannot be expressed in great enough terms. While many will agree with the statement, how many of us actually follow that plan.
It seems the flow of thoughts and ideas cannot be harnessed in any definable repeatable pattern as their expression in products, services and offerings is in constant flux.
We try to build templates that can economically span a large garden and easily be weeded but it seems all to often the theory is half of what it wants to be before it's even put into practice.
I know there is an answer, I'm just not sure which areas to explore to find it. Accepting the battle of theory against practice helps ease the search.
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Fundamentals of Programming
2007-01-05T03:55:00.000-08:00A colleague asked if I would define the fundamentals of programming. Here's a first stab.
The fundamentals are such that when a body of code is written to perform a set of functions, it's organization and structure is such that as the functionality is changed or augmented to extend it's capabilities, the code base remains as small and traceable as possible. Future changes or bug tracking by the original author ? or better yet, by a different coder, are quick and easy to follow and understand. Multiple versions (i.e. dev vs. live, vs multiple hosting versions) are easily and effectively managed.
* Code base is as small as possible
* Logic can easily be traced
* Multiple versions are synced.
Can this be distilled down any further?
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Welcome
2007-01-04T11:03:00.000-08:00"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. "
-Michelangelo
While great artists go back hundreds of years, how many will emerge in one of the greatest times to be alive - now. The Internet is perhaps the largest canvas and the tools for creation are ever appearing.
To the end that we build sites - for clients, the story already exists and our job is to illuminate and then tell that story - or provide our customers the ability to effectively tell the story. But like Michelangelo, we cannot create what isn't already there. That's the interesting challenge in that many come to us wanting to create the greatest website ever built. The extent by which that is possible is so tied to who they are as an organization, it's an interesting journey taking them on the trip.
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http://orbiswebdesign.blogspot.com/
Content here is actually authored through blogger.com