Got to keep up with the web
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CSS variables
This is something that CSS developers have been waiting for - and it is now in the Webkit nightlies! Nice one
Time wasting
It is so easy to time waste when you have a constant connection to the internet. So much so it can get in the way of doing work. It is all about self discipline really
Have your own TLD
Not convinced that this is the right way to go (hopefully it will cost loads of money), but now you can pick your own TLD. However, support for scripts other than Roman is very welcome
The web-site is down
Ah - tech support is wonderful - particularly when you look it from both sides. Give this video a minute or two to warm up - very funny!
The trouble with Microformats
The BBC have done some research into the usability of Microformats in HTML, and the results show that the effect is negative! There is work to be done by Microformats advocates
The Employable Web Designer
Excellent article from Andy Rutledge - read and learn. Once again Andy has hit the nail on the head
Brendan Eich interview
If you work with Javascript at all you will be interested in this interview which considers the history and future of the language
Browser memory use
Interesting comparison of the latest browsers and their memory use. Firefox 3 (as we know) shows a massive improvement, while Safari appears to need a lot of work
Universal Edit Button
Some discussion on the web about making editing content as ubiquitous as RSS. Seems like we are forever moving more and more towards how Sir TBL originally envisioned the web
90 mobiles - 90 days
This will be an interesting one to watch - there will be loads of ideas flowing! Got plenty mobile ideas myself as well- time to get drawing!
Javascript performance timings
One for the developers this - Javascript performance can be critical for a dynamic web-app - well worth putting some effort into
Acid 4
News from Hixie about his plans for the fourth in his series of browser acid tests. Great news that mixed namespaces is going to be a focus!
Web conversations
This sums up conversations on the web nicely. Remember that you are talking to real people!
Firefox 3
Mozilla have released Firefox 3 to their download servers. Finally we have a version which works well on Mac OS!
SproutCore
The web seems to be ablaze with this just now, and with good reason. SproutCore looks like an excellent library if you are aiming to build desktop style applications on the web
CSS catchup
Great news coming from the Gecko people. Now that Firefox 3 is stable they are implementing loads of new CSS features. Interestingly they will be implementing the Animation and Transition modules that the Webkit team introduced
Brochures and booklets
Designing for print is a fantastic skill to have, and really quite different from online design. Take a browse through this collection
Javascript library usage
Everyone has their favourite library - which do you use? Interesting to see the spread across some of the biggest sites on the web
Skill upgrade
One of the best ways to drive yourself forward is to try something new - but this really only works with a bit of pressure. Try accepting a project outside your normal range and learn from it
CSS properties across browsers
Useful table on the YUI blog detailing the browser support for many different CSS properties
Block quotes
The great thing about block quotes is that people actually read them
Opera 9.5
After a long development period, the Opera team are finally pushing 9.5 out of the door. Outstanding browser - well done guys. Although we now have three browsers all claiming to be the fastest...
280 Slides
Amazing work done here to effectively give us Keynote (easily the best presentation software around) on the web. Some serious Javascript going on here.
Design critiquing
Convert ECMAScript to javascript
Cannot wait to get your hands on ECMAScript 4? Well here is your answer - convert ECMAScript 4 to Javascript with this tool
Require Javascript?
Should a user be required to have Javascript enabled in order to interact on a web-site? No way! Building a web-site which uses progressive enhancement correctly is difficult (which is why we are professionals) but it should be done
User expectations
Since web interfaces can be somewhat ad-hoc, varying greatly between different sites, users expect certain common elements to work in a more or less similar way. This is a great article discussing this topic
Accessibility checklist
Okay so you cannot write a single checklist which will apply equally to all projects / sites, but this is a good base line to work from
Safari 4 seeds
Apple is pushing forward with Safari, looking to integrate all the Webkit goodness which has been coming out recently into a new version of their excellent browser
Zurich Chamber Orchestra
This is an absolutely fantastic peice of advertising. Representing the movements and moods of music can lead in all directions, and I really like this one
KDE 4.1 beta 1
Little late with this one, but KDE have released beta 1 of their desktop environment. 4.1 promises to live up to what we were all hoping for from the 4.x series
The future of e-paper
This technology could take the world by storm. The number of possibilities for interaction with e-paper is fantastic. Want to be at the forefront? ME TOO!
Little people
Little people having fun in the sun. Nice photography
Hand coding
If you cannot write HTML, CSS or Javascript (or any other languages of your choice) you cannot claim to be a developer. Tools constrain creative thought - find new ways to express yourself
Graphics with Opera
Some interesting experimental work presented here. The key thing for me is that the true power of the web is that it can be integrated with almost anything - keep those thoughts flowing
Opera UI update
The fine people at opera are not just working on their rendering engine - the UI team have done some sterling work on the browser UI here
Right tool for the right job
That is what my Grandfather used to always say to me. You do not have to use Photoshop if it does not fit into your work flow - and it certainly does not make you a professional just because you use it
Combining HTML and SVG
Now this is what I am talking about. Some of the Mozilla people have been working on combining SVG effects inline with HTML - I will be a damn happy monkey when this sees the light. Excellent stuff
IE8 beta 2 - August
Need to wait a little while for the next beta of IE8, but they are promising "full CSS 2.1" support - honestly - not a chance. Being 100% standards compliant is a massive target
Canvas and Firefox 3
Interesting work being done both in Mozilla and the WHATWG towards having text in Canvas
Getting out
If you want inspiration, there is no better place that the out-side world! Sounds obvious, but so often we can all forget. Get out and open your mind
jQuery 1.2.6
The excellent jQuery library has just had a revision bump with some serious performance improvements
SquirrelFish details
The new Webkit Javascript engine is superbly fast (try the nightlies) and this post has some interesting details about how they have done it
Returning gadgets
We all know that most people just ignore the manual - but statistics such as 95% of electronic goods which are return still working cannot be ignored
Yahoo Design Stencil Kit
Some absolutely beautiful graphics for interaction controls from Yahoo - all under the creative commons attribution license. Nice!
Acrobat.com
PDF and Flash now play together nicely - you can embed Flash movies in PDF document. PDF, Flash, Flex etc - Adobe truly is a power house!
Human needs
This is why blogging and social networking is so powerful and popular - it focuses on what we need and want
Webkit breaks 6% marketshare
Kudos to the Webkit people for making such an appealing rendering engine. The pace of adoption for the engine is quite amazing, and can only mean good things for web-developers
SoundManager 2
Ever wanted to play mp3 files in your browser with Javascript? SoundManager is the answer - excellent documentation as well
SquirrelFish
The Webkit team have been working on a new Javascript engine recently, and SquirrelFish is the result. An average of 4x faster code execution is amazing - particularly considering how fast the old engine already was
IETester
Testing web-sites in IE can be a trial in itself, but testing them reliably over multiple versions (on a single computer) can be really difficult. This looks like a fantastic tool to overcome the problem - excellent