June 3, 2008 at 9:09 am with 0 comments
Recently I received an RFP for a CMS project. Now, my agency is pretty well versed in CMS gigs -- everything from tyrannosaurus-sized custom systems to making quick work with WordPress and a handful of plug-ins -- we've done it.
However, as with a handful of other RFP's I've had in the past, this one had a bullet point stating "Change to PHP scripting language (currently ASP)", and it got me thinking: When did we developers begin letting clients dictate what programming language to use on a project? Aren't we solution providers? Shouldn't we choose the best option for our clients? An uneducated client stating the technology to use on a project is like me telling a mechanic working on my car that he should be using Matco wrenches, not Snap-On -- a bit ridiculous, no?
Don't get it twisted, this isn't a quarrel I have due to lack of means; PHP, ASP, .NET, Python, whatever it is -- my team and I are ready, willing, and experienced. This is about purpose and principal. Never do I feel that a client should tell the expert they've hired what tools must be used to solve the problem. Not only could this hinder the project timeline, development efficiency and budget, but it also puts a level of discredit on the developer/agency in how they may effectively be able to provide their expertise to the project.
January 19, 2008 at 1:04 am with 0 comments
NASA has won my vote for best mainstream site featuring new-web interface design. December 3 of last year, NASA celebrated its 50th anniversary and launched the first major redesign of it's website in more than four years. Along with all the syndicated feeds, calendar widgets, and awesome usage of screen real estate, the most obvious implementation to any web developer is that the new web site powered by both Prototype and...
September 13, 2007 at 1:11 pm with 0 comments
Flash CS3 > FLVPlayback > Component Inspector > contentPath (set) > Export Movie > Upload > Firefox > Refresh > Smash (head on MacBook)
So after three hours of that routine with very little changing, I figured out that IIS on the web server didn't have the MIME type defined for the Flash video (FLV) file that was being referenced in the Flash movie (website). So, obviously, this was why IIS wasn't serving up the FLV...
March 28, 2007 at 1:31 am with 0 comments
Recently I've been trying to reorganize my efforts and pull my clients and coworkers closer during the planning and early design stages of a websites. In doing so, I've decided to hard nose myself into using prototypes (also called wireframes) for every project, not just the big ones. It's easy to think, "this site is so small, why take the time to prototype it — let's just bust it out and move on". What happens more often than not is that we end up with twice as much back-and-forth work and a muddled end result.
For those who are uninformed, or have never used prototyping as a method of planning, a prototype is a draft version of a website and is often the best way to gather feedback while planning and designing a website.
March 9, 2007 at 2:51 pm with 2 comments
You would like to know more, wouldn't you... Mwahahaha!!!
March 8, 2007 at 7:15 pm with 0 comments
For those who don't know, on Feb. 20, Novell (sponsor of the infamous Mono project) announced the release of Visual Basic.NET support in Mono! Now, for those who are die-hard advocates of Microsoft, and love to support their efforts toward technology & Internet monopolization, this probably doesn't matter to you at all. But, if you're a developer with eyes wide open, this is...
February 28, 2007 at 9:42 pm with 1 comment
First off, this post has taken me about four days to write. Not only am I overloaded with projects right now, but having a newborn son doesn't leave much time left over.
That said, let me begin this entry by explaining what I mean by "relaunch".
I've realized that over the past few years in which I've had this site, it has mainly been used as an outlet for [what I call] noteworthy items — or items that I found entertaining, humorous, informative or ridiculous. Unfortunately (until recently), these noteworthy entries haven't been very consistent or compelling and usually consisted of a clip or quote from another blog, or a link to a website (or link trolling), along with a short quip of my own added to it — nothing that captures attention, compels readers to comment or even attracted readers to return. I've heard this practice referred to as "me too" mode.
June 26, 2006 at 11:48 pm with 0 comments
I get asked quite a bit about the technologies and methods I use in development; some are easier to explain than others. Recently, AJAX has been on the tip of everyones tongue. The idea or "technology" [as some think] behind AJAX is not all that new — granted it's fresh, but it's not new...
The term "AJAX" was coined by Jesse James Garret (now titled a "software influencer" by Software Development Times) of Adaptive...
