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Hello everyone! After a well deserved break, I'm back and blogging once again. Ok, so it wasn't a break so much as it was a whole heck of a lot of work squeezed between three holidays, but you get the point. Unfortunately, this post comes in the wake of a tragedy of sorts. It is with great sadness that I pass along a piece of news that will make many a seasoned Web developer weep. Last week, Tom Drapeau, a former principal software engineer and now the director of Propeller Social News for AOL, Announced the end of life for Netscape Navigator in his blog. (Read his blog post here.) Think what you will of Netscape Navigator. Lord knows it's had its ups and downs. It's been highly regarded as a vehicle for Web innovation, And more than a few Web designers have cursed its existence over the years too (NS4.x, your memories haunt me to this day). But Netscape is an institution, and its passing comes with much sorrow. That being said, I know I'm not the only one who has a less-than-favorable opinion of AOL (I have personal reasons), and one could argue AOL's purchase of Netscape eight years ago is really when the browser began to die. Honestly, it's been a long time since I've cared about Netscape and its browser, but that doens't mean it doesn't have a place in my heart. Sure, Netscape has been dead for years, but its name has always lived on as a symbol of the Internet in its infancy through today. Sadly, not through tomorrow. R.I.P. Netscape. You'll be glad to know your legacy is thriving in Firefox. You will be missed. ###
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PaulHirsch.com . International Web Developers Network . Web Hosting Talk . Equentity Host
In a grand departure from most of my blog posts, this one is not going to contain scathing commentary, strong opinions or poetic wit (some might argue none of my blog posts contain the third). Recently, I had two articles brought to my attention that nicely cover some of the common traps and pitfalls plaguing Web designers daily. We're at a point in Internet development where techniques for overcoming coding and programming obstacles are more important than ever. The development and maturity of many different browsing environments makes this so critical. I have two articles to present, neither of which were written by me, but both of which I read closely and feel reasonably good about endorsing. Whether you're a designer who reads The WHIR out of interest for the hosting industry, or a host who relies on the performance of your Web site, these articles can only help you have a more effective, less buggy Web presence! Those Cross-Browser Blues: How To Develop Web Sites For Both Internet Explorer And Firefox - Don't let the name fool you. It's really not as narrow in scope as the title would lead you to believe. The author discusses Opera in some depth, and references how covering bugs in the top three browsers filter down to a wider selection. It's a nice, compact guide to bug fixing. Nine JavaScript Gotchas - A couple of these are my constant nemeses. This is a great little article to bookmark if you do any sort of JavaScript programming. Hope these are of some use to you! For my next installment, I intend to post a couple open letters to a couple groups of people. You know how fun open letters can be ;) ###
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There is a movement toward creating a broader, free font set for designers and end users alike to use. This isn't a new movement, but it's one that's starting to get some recognition, and I thought I would do my part to get the good word out there.
Font type is as important as any aspect of a design's visual presentation. It allows you to differentiate between different types of information and the importance of information on a page. It can tie together a design with its physical characteristics and can even impart emotional qualities into a design and into your content. It is a shame designers are so limited in their font options for core page content (server-side font control mechanisms tend to fall short in certain categories, most notably accessibility). But if you're at all like me, you've always wanted some nice serif fonts that weren't Times New Roman, Palatino Linotype or Perpetua, or you're sick and tired of Courier and its kin when it comes to monospace fonts. Moreover, it is hard to find a good Unicode font! About the only font I'll trust for my unicode needs is Code2000 (which is up to ~60,000 glyphs), and it would sure be nice to have more options this comprehensive!
Enter the Free Font Manifesto, a realistic endeavor to make quality typography available to the masses at a very reasonable price, free. This is an interesting project, because it appeals to the human nature of font designers, and it insists that the contribution be modest. To quote the motto of FFM:
What if a few digital type foundries on earth gave away one good typeface as a gift to humanity?...
...Why would a typeface designer want to give a font away? - To make a selfless gift to humanity.
- To raise global awareness of typographic excellence.
- To create a visual resource that will be used by students, citizens, amateurs, and professionals all over the world.
- To contribute to a global design vocabulary.
- To seed the world with a visual idea that could be built on and enriched by other designers serving smaller linguistic communities.
(from the FFM Blog)
Web design and development is a highly collaborative industry. We rely on each others to help us make progress in our own professional lives, and contributing to and supporting projects such as this enhance the profession as a whole. I hope you enjoy FFM, and if you're a font designer, I hope you'll consider making a small, meaningful contribution.
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PaulHirsch.com . International Web Developers Network . Web Hosting Talk . Equentity Host
With the holiday season upon us, this is a time we often spend reflecting on the blessings in our lives, many of which we take for granted most of the time. For instance, when was the last time you gave thanks for your eyesight, or hearing, or proper motor skills or access to reasonably modern Web browsing technology? Don't worry; I'm just as guilty as you. I tend not to think about those things I have that help me to get the most out of the Internet.
But not everyone has the benefit of all of their senses or good technology, and in the spirit of helping your fellow man, if you're not already up-to-speed on best accessibility practices, now is the time to get there!
First, let's start with the law. Many countries have publishing baselines regarding accessibility, some of which are very strict! You'll find a nice list of those here - http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/ - become intimately familiar with those in your country. It's the least you can do.
Not sure what to do with all of this information? Here is a "quick reference" for you - http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/ - yeah, not so quick after all, eh? It's also not without some controversy, but WCAG documentation is still a respectable goal, even if it's not feasible in its entirety.
There are a number of tools available to check whether you're being nice to your visitors. I was using the Juicy Studio Color Contrast Tool earlier today. Want some more tools? Here are another 143 of them for you (roughly - I counted by hand).
That's pretty much my message for you today. Be nice to your visitors by making your site as easy for them to access and use as possible.
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PaulHirsch.com . International Web Developers Network . Web Hosting Talk . Equentity Host
After a brief haitus in order for me and my wife to move into our new house, I'm back to blogging, and I have a fun little tidbit to share with all the Web developers out there!
Recently, I received a request to create a JavaScript mechanism that would allow a Web designer to hide a content area outside the viewable area of the screen and have visitors pull it onto the screen with a nice, smooth motion.
The request came after someone saw a similar technique used on a hosting site. The host kept a client login bar hidden off the screen, and customers could toggle it onto the screen and sign into their client applications. But you could use this type of script to hide less important content, peripheral navigation (such as support links), even instructions for using an application. For instance, you could tuck away a set of links to tutorials for customers using a control panel, or you could tuck away links within a site network.
So, whatever you might imagine yourself doing with this...enjoy :)
The Script: Show/Hide With a Slide
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PaulHirsch.com . International Web Developers Network . Web Hosting Talk . Equentity Host
It sure seems like there's a whole lot of 2.0 going on nowadays. From Office 2.0 to BizDev 2.0, Where 2.0 to .NET 2.0, it seems like a whole lot of people, organizations, technology leaders and consumers are latching onto version numbers like never before.
However, when it comes to Web 2.0, it occurs to this pundit that the incorporation of version number is a wee bit misleading, maybe not in intent, but certainly in its application.
Version numbers denote a progression in development. They also connote improvement in the object at hand. This is where the difference comes between most of the other 2.0 examples and Web 2.0. Here's the big secret: Web 2.0 is a philosophy. It is not inherently better or more advanced than any other Web philosophy, such as the similarly ambiguous and elusive "Web 1.0" term, which had to be coined, because hey, how can you have a Web 2.0 if you don't have a 1.0 too?
Now, let's make one thing very clear: the Web 2.0 philosophy is a very powerful one! It describes ways in which services can be developed and marketed in interesting, exciting and efficient ways. Tim O'Reilly does as good a job as anyone talking about Web 2.0 using examples in his article What is Web 2.0?
But all too often I hear people saying they want their new site to be Web 2.0, with little understanding of what that means. Forty-nine times out of 100, when I ask "how so," they tell me they want me to use AJAX on it or throw in a feed or some other Web widget. Forty-nine times out of 100 they have no idea what they want, they just understand Web 2.0 must be "better" than Web 1.0, because it has a higher number, and therefore this is what needs to be created. For those two times out of 100, the site owner has looked into ways to make the most out of Web technology and feels the time and cost investment is worth pursuing those technologies.
There's a whole discussion to be had regarding how Web sites support a business model as opposed to defining it, and there's an appropriate balance of user needs with the desire for functionality that needs to be struck when creating a new site. I think I'll bank that discussion for another day, and reference my assertions here when the time comes.
In the meantime, read up on Wikipedia's composition on the subject, and see if you don't walk away even more confused than before. See, my definition of Web 2.0 as a philosophy takes thousands of different definitions and lumps them into one vague cluster...I mean, category. You'll see references to well formed markup, semantic validity and even visual design style (a very common use of Web 2.0, which has nothing to do with the technology or the philosophical approaches O'Reilly discusses).
So, what does Web 2.0 mean to you? Is there any consensus to be had? Do you disagree with me and believe it is something every site needs and a goal every site should strive to achieve? Do you agree with me that it is situation specific and more of a buzzword than a meaningful, tangible entity? Share your thoughts.
Keywords: Web 2.0 Web Design, O'Reilly
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PaulHirsch.com . International Web Developers Network . Web Hosting Talk . Equentity Host
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